This is the first time I've ever rooted an Android device. The process has been fraught with uncertainty and misinformation from around the internet. I'd like to describe what I have come to understand is the current preferred method, and ask a few questions to hopefully get my S5 where I want it to be.
I don't want to do anything to crazy (yet, anyway). I just want to remove some bloat and get the notification panel as close to vanilla Android as possible.
So far, I have ran towelroot, which was incredibly simple.
I installed SuperSU from the Play Store. During installation, it got stuck at "Disabling KNOX...". I have since learned that this is common and a reboot usually fixes it. However, I have also learned that I probably don't want to disable KNOX yet anyway, since I am not going to flash a custom ROM until there is one that is known to be stable and is able to create the vanilla Android experience that I want. Some people said that I should have installed SuperSU from chainfire's page instead of the Play Store, but I think that was old information.
Edit: I'm editing these steps as I go along:
1. Install busybox and the Safestrap APK
2. Use Safestrap to set up a new ROM slot and use that slot from now on (consider the italics a strikethrough)
^Even though the instruction video on the Safestrap page said this, apparently that's not what most people do. They use Safestrap to make a nandroid backup, and then use only one slot, the stock ROM slot, to experiment or flash a new ROM.
3. Install Titanium Backup
Edit: I also had to install SD KitKat Fixer and then reboot afterward to allow TB to write to the SD card...
4. Use Titanium Backup to backup all apps and data to SD card
5. Use Titanium to freeze processes that I carefully choose
Edit: I froze everything from the list here.
6. Install Xposed framework
7. Find the modules to customize Android how I want
Does that sound right? Any tips/advice?
ergalthema said:
So far, I have ran towelroot, which was incredibly simple.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
By doing this, you are rooted.
Even if you are not going to flash a custom rom, you can and probably should disable KNOX. Doing so will not trip the counter.
Install busybox and the Safestrap APK - This is indeed necessary if you want to install another ROM to customize. The whole point of safestrap is to flash ROMs and is not related to rooting itself. The other use of Safestrap is to create a complete backup of your current system so that if you mess something up, you can restore to a known, working state.
Use Safestrap to set up a new ROM slot and use that slot from now on - This is fine if you want to switch between ROMs. I know some people like to do this, but I am not one of them.
Install Titanium Backup - absolutely
Use Titanium to freeze processes that I carefully choose - correct and there are threads with lists of APKs to freeze. You will also want to make sure you freeze SDM so that it doesn't prompt for security updates.
Use Titanium as a backup? (not sure about this) - this is to backup your apps, texts, things like that but NOT your ROM
Install Xposed framework
Find the modules to customize Android how I want
jcollier said:
Install busybox and the Safestrap APK - This is indeed necessary if you want to install another ROM to customize. The whole point of safestrap is to flash ROMs and is not related to rooting itself. The other use of Safestrap is to create a complete backup of your current system so that if you mess something up, you can restore to a known, working state.
Use Safestrap to set up a new ROM slot and use that slot from now on - This is fine if you want to switch between ROMs. I know some people like to do this, but I am not one of them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The first step in installing Xposed in this thread is to do a nandroid backup. I'm not totally sure what that is, but someone in another thread said implied that Safestrap essentially does the same thing. That is why I was planning to use Safestrap.
ergalthema said:
The first step in installing Xposed in this thread is to do a nandroid backup. I'm not totally sure what that is, but someone in another thread said implied that Safestrap essentially does the same thing. That is why I was planning to use Safestrap.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is what I meant by this: "The other use of Safestrap is to create a complete backup of your current system so that if you mess something up, you can restore to a known, working state."
A nandroid is a backup image of your system so that you can restore it if you screw something up. Safestrap isn't "essentially" doing the same thing, it is doing exactly that thing. Safestrap is a way to make a custom recovery work on our phone without an unlocked bootloader.
Good advice up to here, but you might want to hold off on using Exposed. As I understand it, Exposed lets you tinker with the existing stock ROM. I don't think I would want to do that, and I have rooted and ROM flashed several Android devices over the years. But its up to you.
With your being new to rooting, I'll offer this advice:
Titanium Backup (a.k.a. "TIBU") is a good way to back up all your apps. Here are some suggestions in using it:
--Buy the PRO version. It has more features, is not very expensive, and helps support a really cool app that is very handy.
--Set the Preferences/Backup folder to your REAL external SD Card. It will default to internal storage (also called "sd card"....don't get me started lol) which is IMO totally useless. If you lose internal storage due to corruption or whatever, you would lose all your backups. Having them on the REAL SD card you can also archive them to your PC.
--Set your Max Backup History to some number larger than the default "1". I use 7. Why? Well, have you ever seen the developer of one of your favorite apps suddenly screw it completely up in some update? Or, worse yet, sell out to some other vendor who now made it a PAY SUBSCRIPTION app?? I have. By keeping multiple backups you can roll back in time to previous versions that you know WORKED when those things happen. I have several apps I will never update, especially on the Store, for various reasons. (TIBU used to be able to disconnect the link to the Store so apps didn't try to update, but Google broke their ability to do that).
--When you do make TIBU backups, select "app and system data" which is IMO incorrectly worded and causes confusion. It should read "app and APP data". Because that is what it really does. Backs up the data IN your system that is associated ONLY with the APP. NOT any "system files". When you restore a backup, restore "app and system data" and you not only get the app installed, you get all your data it created, as well as all your customized settings restored! It is a real time saver. And you can "usually" even do this with a new device, using the TIBU backup folder on an SD card you had in some previous Android device. I've done it many times.
Safestrap installs a custom version of TWRP recovery. From that you can make the aforementioned "nandroid" backups of your complete system. (You won't see the word "nandroid" in TWRP while you are doing this. It just calls them backups). Couple of caveats with TWRP (and the Safestrap version):
--The date/time stamp used in both TWRP and its alternative, Clockworkmod Recovery (CW) will always be wrong. I've read (in short) there is no way for them to fix it. BUT........you most certainly CAN edit the backup file name to be whatever you like while setting it up to make the backup. So I recommend deleting the portion of the name that is the screwed up date it will generate, and putting in a date you can read, like my preferred format of 2014-07-10-1727 which is today at 5:27 PM, or whatever format you like.
--By default, TWRP recovery uses (in the Advanced settings) an inane "power saving" feature of the display, which will maddeningly keep turning it off and making you think the phone died while it is in the middle of making your backup. A - ALWAYS keep your phone on the charger when working in Recovery!! Don't even start unless it has at least 40% charge. B- Turn OFF the inane "power saving feature" and get some peace of mind. The screen will stay lit forever, until you reboot system when you are done.
--By default, TWRP will be set to use INTERNAL STORAGE as the place to keep your nandroids. Again, I consider that a very bad idea. Use a REAL External SD card and keep them there. And make regular backups to your PC of the SD card. I've seen a great many SD cards suddenly fail without warning. Your device will pop up and tell you the SD card is corrupt, and you need to format it. Usually, there is no way to recover the lost data on the card when that happens.
--On my Galaxy S5, making a nandroid of the stock OS via Safestrap took up over 4GB! That is almost 4 x what I normally see making a nandroid of a custom ROM on some previous device. So make sure you have plenty of room on whatever SD card you choose to use.
jcollier said:
Even if you are not going to flash a custom rom, you can and probably should disable KNOX. Doing so will not trip the counter.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't know it wouldn't trip the counter. I'm curious why I should disable it though.
I followed the video exactly and when I get to the point of the first Restore (around 9:00), it says "Restore Complete - Failed". There is a button to Reboot System. When I tap that, the phone won't turn on. I have to pull the batter to get it back on. I guess I'll be uninstalling Safestrap. If I "Uninstall Recovery" from the stock ROM slot, will the space be freed up again and the phone be returned to the same state as before I tried using Safestrap?
ergalthema said:
I followed the video exactly and when I get to the point of the first Restore (around 9:00), it says "Restore Complete - Failed". There is a button to Reboot System. When I tap that, the phone won't turn on. I have to pull the batter to get it back on. I guess I'll be uninstalling Safestrap. If I "Uninstall Recovery" from the stock ROM slot, will the space be freed up again and the phone be returned to the same state as before I tried using Safestrap?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
May I ask what it is that you are restoring? Have you already made a (nandroid) backup? That's what the restore function is made to restore. If you tried to use Restore on some other kind of file, then it would try to overwrite your ROM (OS) with it, and make the phone unusable. If that happens, I think your only fix would be to Odin back to stock and start over from scratch. I believe there is a link to do that in the thread telling how to root the S5.
Zoandroid said:
May I ask what it is that you are restoring? Have you already made a (nandroid) backup?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The video at 9:00 explains it. I think it is basically flashing the backup I made of the stock ROM to the newly created ROM slot in order to begin running from the new ROM slot.
ergalthema said:
The video at 9:00 explains it. I think it is basically flashing the backup I made of the stock ROM to the newly created ROM slot in order to begin running from the new ROM slot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh, OK. Since there aren't any ROMs available yet, I did not pursue that aspect of Safestrap. So you have stepped outside my range of experience with it. Hopefully someone else can help you.
If you get to a point in your endeavors where you find a solution to apply ad-blocking to the S5, please let me know in a PM. I've had no luck so far. It appears this will be yet another issue that will only be solved with some creative developer work. Google has done something in KitKat to block not only apps like Ad-Aware and Adblock Plus from working, they also seem to have some kind of snooper utility that, if you try to search online with the S5 for ad blocking, will pop up a browser page saying Google "cannot access" the page! Pages which my PCs can see easily. Crafty little PITAs for sure! I thought it might just be Chrome doing this, so when I tried to get Firefox from the Store, I was stuck in an endless downloading loop. I had to kill that and restore a copy from TIBU. They are doing everything they can think of to lock down a smartphone and spoon feed us only what THEY want us to see. Including copious advertisements.
There was a time when Android meant "freedom". I guess that time has passed. Now it is time for someone else with very deep pockets to re-kindle a hassle-free smartphone OS. It is a shame. Android has so much potential.
ergalthema said:
The video at 9:00 explains it. I think it is basically flashing the backup I made of the stock ROM to the newly created ROM slot in order to begin running from the new ROM slot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why flash the stock ROM in a newly created ROM slot? You should only create a ROM slot if you decide to run a custom ROM. If not, you can use safestrap to create the backup (nandroid) and save it to your SD card so you always have a "safe" restore point essentially. I run a custom ROM in my stock slot. And for the record... There are several ROMs in the development section which are quite stable. Also, you can check out the Safestrap thread there as well. If you read through the thread you'll have a better understanding of how it works and what bugs there are right now.
The thing that I find great about XDA is that folks will always try to help each other out. Good luck!
Sent from my SM-G900V using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Do we have a thread where folks are reporting having tried various versions of the available ROMs for the Verizon S5, and can make a simple statement about what works and what doesn't? I think that would be a really good idea. Without something like that, the only way to really know which ones are trouble free is to slog through and read each and every post on every ROM thread, most of which will usually be outdated information anyway.
Maybe it could be done as a Poll so it doesn't grow into something just as long to read as the above.
Zoandroid said:
Do we have a thread where folks are reporting having tried various versions of the available ROMs for the Verizon S5, and can make a simple statement about what works and what doesn't? I think that would be a really good idea. Without something like that, the only way to really know which ones are trouble free is to slog through and read each and every post on every ROM thread, most of which will usually be outdated information anyway.
Maybe it could be done as a Poll so it doesn't grow into something just as long to read as the above.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That would be great - especially for the people who aren't on this site all day and don't know what is good and current.
shoresteve626 said:
Why flash the stock ROM in a newly created ROM slot? You should only create a ROM slot if you decide to run a custom ROM. If not, you can use safestrap to create the backup (nandroid) and save it to your SD card so you always have a "safe" restore point essentially. I run a custom ROM in my stock slot. And for the record... There are several ROMs in the development section which are quite stable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm realizing that's probably what most people do. In the instructional video posted on the main Safestrap OP, it instructed to keep the original stock slot intact, and use a new slot for experimenting with another ROM. I would love to know a stable ROM that gives the most vanilla Android.
Related
Hello guys,
Firstly, I have to thank all members of this forum for helping newbies like me to do wonders with our phones.
On topic, I have recently purchased the much coveted Nexus 4. The first thing I did after unboxing it was to unlock and root it.
And up until now I have been quite content using the stock ROM. But, now I want to mix it up a little bit.
Through XDA I have become aware of quite a few ways of modding my phone and generally I do not like to do anything without knowing what I am doing. So, therefore there a number of unanswered questions in my mind, which I hope that you guys can help me out with.
Adsaway
1. I have been using Adsaway ever since I rooted my phone and got to say, its amazing. But, I have been wondering if there is any way by which I could replace "Webpage not found" with something like a plain white color or plain black color. The "webpage not found" notification in place of the ads is quite ugly.
2. Talking about ads, I understand that adsaway only prevents you from receiving the ad instead of blocking the request for the ad. I found this thread on XDA where someone said that you could considerably increase battery life by using Lucky Patcher (no, I do not use this tool for cracking). I want to know how safe this is especially considering that you can mess up your phone using Lucky Patcher. Link: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=28929442
Improving Battery Life
Link: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2107163
This thread talks about how you can improve your battery life by flashing factory images. I definitely want to try it out. But, if I flash factory images wouldn't I be flashing the custom recovery too? And, does this mean that I have to stay on stock ROMs to improve battery life? I kind of find it a little bit confusing.
Further, he talks about 'kernel'. Being an engineer, I know what a kernel is. But, in the context of android, when flashing ROMs, is the kernel included with the custom ROM? or do you have to install the kernel separately? And, what are the advantages of flashing a custom kernel?
Titanium Backup
1. I know that this tool backs up your phone by basically creating a image file but I have no idea on how to use it to flash custom ROMs. An explanation or a link would be really helpful. If this question has been asked and answered before, sorry for asking it again.
2. Since the Nexus does not come with any desktop software, how do you do a normal backup of your phone? Again, this is a very basic question and I could probably find the answer online so feel free to ignore this question.
Finally, thank you all for being so patient and answering my queries. I hope that this will help other newbies as well.
Hi, I may be able to help with some of your questions.
I'm not sure but the "Webpage not found" error may be a result of the browser you use, or not . Anyway I use the app 'Adaway' with the Chrome beta browser and do not get that error in either the browser or other apps that have ads in them.
The first time I've heard of Lucky Patcher so I cant comment. But I personally wouldn't install it unless it is open source and proven not to be stealing your info. these kind of things are sketchy in my opinion. The thing is with adaway it is changing your Hosts file so any ad request is pointing back to the phone. So its not like you are using data to block the ads. So I can't imagine there is a huge battery savings.
From reading the thread about flashing the stock Image, it seems very hit or miss on getting any results. If you are planning to run a custom rom I wouldn't bother. When installing a rom you will usually be wiping all of that anyway.
Roms come with a kernel built in. The advantages of changing kernels depend on what kernel you install but they usually include options to be able to under or overclock the cpu and gpu. Adjust the voltages of the cpu. Change the cpu and gpu governors and i/o scheduler as well as the readahead value for eMMC. You can adjust color and gamma values for the screen. Adjust the vibration level of the phone. And some kernel developers will add their own tweeks to the governors for improved performance.
Titanium backup actually backs up each app and its associated data on your phone allowing you to restore them after flashing a new rom. You can restore apps themselves after a new rom install from the play store without using something like titanium backup but you will lose any data that is associated with that app. Restoring app data can cause issues though. So it is not recommended to restore any system apps after a rom install although I usually will restore Phone/Messaging storage data and have never had an issue but the possibility is there.
In the process of installing custom roms you will need to install a custom bootloader. Either CWM or TWRP usually. These bootloaders give you the option to do a full system image called a Nandroid. This is what most people use as a backup.
Hope this is some help. I am no expert, this is just what I have learned from experiance here at XDA.
linelock said:
Hi, I may be able to help with some of your questions.
I'm not sure but the "Webpage not found" error may be a result of the browser you use, or not . Anyway I use the app 'Adaway' with the Chrome beta browser and do not get that error in either the browser or other apps that have ads in them.
The first time I've heard of Lucky Patcher so I cant comment. But I personally wouldn't install it unless it is open source and proven not to be stealing your info. these kind of things are sketchy in my opinion. The thing is with adaway it is changing your Hosts file so any ad request is pointing back to the phone. So its not like you are using data to block the ads. So I can't imagine there is a huge battery savings.
From reading the thread about flashing the stock Image, it seems very hit or miss on getting any results. If you are planning to run a custom rom I wouldn't bother. When installing a rom you will usually be wiping all of that anyway.
Roms come with a kernel built in. The advantages of changing kernels depend on what kernel you install but they usually include options to be able to under or overclock the cpu and gpu. Adjust the voltages of the cpu. Change the cpu and gpu governors and i/o scheduler as well as the readahead value for eMMC. You can adjust color and gamma values for the screen. Adjust the vibration level of the phone. And some kernel developers will add their own tweeks to the governors for improved performance.
Titanium backup actually backs up each app and its associated data on your phone allowing you to restore them after flashing a new rom. You can restore apps themselves after a new rom install from the play store without using something like titanium backup but you will lose any data that is associated with that app. Restoring app data can cause issues though. So it is not recommended to restore any system apps after a rom install although I usually will restore Phone/Messaging storage data and have never had an issue but the possibility is there.
In the process of installing custom roms you will need to install a custom bootloader. Either CWM or TWRP usually. These bootloaders give you the option to do a full system image called a Nandroid. This is what most people use as a backup.
Hope this is some help. I am no expert, this is just what I have learned from experiance here at XDA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey, thanks for the comprehensive reply. It answers many of my questions. Firstly, I am going to do away with Lucky Patcher and at this time I do not think I need a custom kernel.
However, after reading your reply I have a fresh set of questions:
1. If restoring apps can cause issues, then what is the alternative if you do not want to lose your app data? Are you saying that once I install the custom ROM, I could restore most apps using Titanium Backup but for system apps (meaning root access apps right?) I should just do a fresh install from the Play Store?
2. I have already flashed CWM during root so 1 plus point for me . From your description, it is my understanding that people will create a Nandroid right before flashing a custom ROM/kernel so that in case anything goes wrong they can just restore back to previous state using the Nandroid image. Again, correct me if I am wrong.
Well and another problem that I forgot to mention in my opening post is with my WiFi:
Many a times, even after connecting to my home wifi network, I cannot access the internet. Then, if I reboot my phone and reconnect to wifi it starts working. Weird, I know. And, no its not a problem with my WiFi network, I verified that.
w1ndhawk said:
Adsaway
1. I have been using Adsaway ever since I rooted my phone and got to say, its amazing. But, I have been wondering if there is any way by which I could replace "Webpage not found" with something like a plain white color or plain black color. The "webpage not found" notification in place of the ads is quite ugly.
2. Talking about ads, I understand that adsaway only prevents you from receiving the ad instead of blocking the request for the ad. I found this thread on XDA where someone said that you could considerably increase battery life by using Lucky Patcher (no, I do not use this tool for cracking). I want to know how safe this is especially considering that you can mess up your phone using Lucky Patcher. Link: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=28929442
Improving Battery Life
Link: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2107163
This thread talks about how you can improve your battery life by flashing factory images. I definitely want to try it out. But, if I flash factory images wouldn't I be flashing the custom recovery too? And, does this mean that I have to stay on stock ROMs to improve battery life? I kind of find it a little bit confusing.
Further, he talks about 'kernel'. Being an engineer, I know what a kernel is. But, in the context of android, when flashing ROMs, is the kernel included with the custom ROM? or do you have to install the kernel separately? And, what are the advantages of flashing a custom kernel?
Titanium Backup
1. I know that this tool backs up your phone by basically creating a image file but I have no idea on how to use it to flash custom ROMs. An explanation or a link would be really helpful. If this question has been asked and answered before, sorry for asking it again.
2. Since the Nexus does not come with any desktop software, how do you do a normal backup of your phone? Again, this is a very basic question and I could probably find the answer online so feel free to ignore this question.
Finally, thank you all for being so patient and answering my queries. I hope that this will help other newbies as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
2. Adsaway blocks ads in apps so they aren't downloaded AFAIK(don't see the Download arrow in status bar) which saves power
3. You don't have to stay on stock after flashing the images. The images touch different partitions that were probably flashed improperly at the factory.
4.Kernels are already inside custom Roms. Custom kernels that are available separate have their own perks though and are from different Devs.
6. For Titanium after you backup you just connect your phone to your pc and it'll be detected. No desktop software is needed, just drap and drop.
By system apps I mean things like android settings. I use TB for stuff like games so I don't have to stay over from the start. when you install TB you will see what is labeled as a system app and what is labeled as a user app.
Exactly, a nandroid is a like a disk image that you can restore.
Sorry I can't help with your wifi issue, I'm not having that problem.
@Ace42
Ok so I guess it should do no harm if I first flash stock images and then over that flash the custom . NM/kernel of my choice. In fact there is a chance it may improve my battery life.
Thanks for clarifying the titanium backup part, it sounds simple enough.
OT:
I managed to solve the webpage not found problem on ad away. All you have to do is enable web server in preferences.
Again, thank you guys.
linelock said:
From reading the thread about flashing the stock Image, it seems very hit or miss on getting any results. If you are planning to run a custom rom I wouldn't bother. When installing a rom you will usually be wiping all of that anyway.
In the process of installing custom roms you will need to install a custom bootloader. Either CWM or TWRP usually. These bootloaders give you the option to do a full system image called a Nandroid. This is what most people use as a backup.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
These paragraphs are incorrect.
The top one was covered already.
There are no custom bootloaders for the Nexus 4. There are custom recoveries, but a bootloader is by no means a recovery. Do not confuse the two.
w1ndhawk said:
@Ace42
Ok so I guess it should do no harm if I first flash stock images and then over that flash the custom . NM/kernel of my choice. In fact there is a chance it may improve my battery life.
Thanks for clarifying the titanium backup part, it sounds simple enough.
OT:
I managed to solve the webpage not found problem on ad away. All you have to do is enable web server in preferences.
Again, thank you guys.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No harm at all. After you do the images you can go to whatever custom setup you wanted. It personally increased my battery life and many other users here by varying degrees.
lucky patcher is for using "stolen" apps, patching their licence checks etc. it is frowned upon and can carry many bad things in it.
simms22 said:
lucky patcher is for using "stolen" apps, patching their licence checks etc. it is frowned upon and can carry many bad things in it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True, but apparently it does have its uses or so I've heard.
However, what do you mean it can carry many bad things?
I thought I’d give my 2 cents on Titanium Backup…
It doesn’t create an image file of the current state of your phone. That would be a Nandroid backup done via CWM Recovery.
Titanium Backup allows you to backup apps. That means apps installed by the user (user apps) and apps that came baked into the ROM (system apps). As mentioned, it’s not recommended to restore system apps because this often causes weird issues.
When you restore, you can also choose whether to restore the app only or the app plus data. In rare cases, restoring app data causes weird issues.
One of my favorite feature of Titanium Backup is how it allows you to create a zip file of your backup that can be flashed from recovery.
Everybody uses Titanium Backup differently. But here’s how I tend to use it when moving between ROMs.
1. Backup all user apps.
2. Create a zip of the backed up user apps (no app data).
3. Wipe data (factory reset), wipe dalvik cache, flash new ROM.
4. Boot into the newly flashed ROM and go through the initial setup process.
5. Reboot into recovery.
6. Flash the zip created by Titanium Backup.
Sure, I lose all app data, but that just means I guarantee myself a clean slate to start.
ohyeahar said:
I thought I’d give my 2 cents on Titanium Backup…
It doesn’t create an image file of the current state of your phone. That would be a Nandroid backup done via CWM Recovery.
Titanium Backup allows you to backup apps. That means apps installed by the user (user apps) and apps that came baked into the ROM (system apps). As mentioned, it’s not recommended to restore system apps because this often causes weird issues.
When you restore, you can also choose whether to restore the app only or the app plus data. In rare cases, restoring app data causes weird issues.
One of my favorite feature of Titanium Backup is how it allows you to create a zip file of your backup that can be flashed from recovery.
Everybody uses Titanium Backup differently. But here’s how I tend to use it when moving between ROMs.
1. Backup all user apps.
2. Create a zip of the backed up user apps (no app data).
3. Wipe data (factory reset), wipe dalvik cache, flash new ROM.
4. Boot into the newly flashed ROM and go through the initial setup process.
5. Reboot into recovery.
6. Flash the zip created by Titanium Backup.
Sure, I lose all app data, but that just means I guarantee myself a clean slate to start.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey thanks ohyeahar. Going to follow this when flashing my custom ROM.
So ideally, aside from user apps you shouldn't restore anything. However, I would like to save backup and restore my contacts and also app data for the game Subway Surf. How safe is this? And, let us suppose do I face some problems after restoring app data, will just uninstalling and resintalling the application suffice in alleviating the problems?
OT:
Now, that I will be flashing factory image (to try and improve my battery life), I assume I am going to lose my unlock+root. Should I be making a nandroid before doing this in the case of some problem?
Reflashing the system image will remove root yes, but your bootloader will still be unlocked. All you need to do after flashing the new system image is install http://download.chainfire.eu/306/SuperSU/UPDATE-SuperSU-v1.00.zip from CWM (or TWRP).
--You should always have at least one nandroid backup on your phone in case anything goes wrong.
w1ndhawk said:
Hey thanks ohyeahar. Going to follow this when flashing my custom ROM.
So ideally, aside from user apps you shouldn't restore anything. However, I would like to save backup and restore my contacts and also app data for the game Subway Surf. How safe is this? And, let us suppose do I face some problems after restoring app data, will just uninstalling and resintalling the application suffice in alleviating the problems?
OT:
Now, that I will be flashing factory image (to try and improve my battery life), I assume I am going to lose my unlock+root. Should I be making a nandroid before doing this in the case of some problem?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your contacts shouldn’t require backing up because they should be backed up to your Google account.
If you want to restore app data for certain apps, I would do it one at a time. That way, if problems occur, you at least know which app is the culprit.
If you uninstall and reinstall the problematic app, that would work. Or you can simply just go into the app settings and clear data for that app. That should be sufficient.
Just got a GTab 2 7.0 a few days ago. A P3113, so only 8GB of storage, about half of which is the ROM and crap apps. I've rooted before (had a KF 1st gen when it came out), and just wondering about a few things with the GTab:
Right now, I don't mind the stock ROM so much. There are problem things that would be "nice to have", but right now, would like to generally stay as "stock" as possible. That being said, I'd still like to "de-crap" the ROM to free up some storage space, and I assume that might lead to it running a bit better, since so much seems to just pop-in while running other apps. So:
I know I need to root first, so my first question - how reliable is that? I'm on a Mac, but have access to a netbook running Win7, so could run Odin to "get things done". I'd hate to brick the thing, still having 51 weeks of warranty left. (I also understand that I might want to install something else to keep the flash count from showing it's been flashed).
Once root'ed, is it better to use one of the "de-crapped" ROMs floating around? And if so, which seems "best" (yeah, I know the moderators hate the "which is best" - I'm looking for stock - and STABLE)
Or, is it better to eliminate the apps myself? (Not sure if this is a wholesale "rm" to remove certain apps from a terminal app, using adb, or if they have some uninstallers embedded somewhere, or...) - so better to use one of the ROMs floating around?
Is the GTab 2 "stable", so even if you trash a ROM, you can still get into the ROM manager to restore a previously working, or stock, ROM?
I'll probably come up with a couple more questions, especially depending on the replies... TIA
Hi..
I can answer some of your questions. I hope that helps!
1- Rooting is easy and reliable. you may use "CF-Auto-Root" tool (search for it in XDA forum).
But you need to remember that rooting and custom ROMs void your warranty.
2- If you just need to free some storage space, you may use an app such as "Clean Master" to uninstall system apps and get rid of temp and junk files.
3- If you opt to use a custom ROM make sure it is very well supported and maintained.
aisais said:
Hi..
I can answer some of your questions. I hope that helps!
1- Rooting is easy and reliable. you may use "CF-Auto-Root" tool (search for it in XDA forum).
But you need to remember that rooting and custom ROMs void your warranty.
2- If you just need to free some storage space, you may use an app such as "Clean Master" to uninstall system apps and get rid of temp and junk files.
3- If you opt to use a custom ROM make sure it is very well supported and maintained.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks - but prior to using Clean Master I assume I better either get a stock image to reload, or use CWM so I can make a backup of the ROM before messing something up?
tundrwd said:
Thanks - but prior to using Clean Master I assume I better either get a stock image to reload, or use CWM so I can make a backup of the ROM before messing something up?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Taking a backup is always good thing to do. I suggest you try clean master to know how it works and what does it do.
aisais said:
Taking a backup is always good thing to do. I suggest you try clean master to know how it works and what does it do.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks - I plan to use Clean Master. Allows me to be selective about what I remove/move, instead of getting a ROM from someone and they removed the ONE THING I really wanted.
Ok, got it rooted and CWM installed.
HOWEVER, when I boot into CWM, I DON'T see an option to backup my ROM (I've used TWRP before on my KF, so the menu is different).
What I've got on my screen in CWM:
Android system recover <3e>
Volume up/down to move highlight;
power button to select.
reboot system now
apply update from ADB
apply update from external storage
wipe data/factory reset
wipe cache partition
apply update from cache
That's it. Where's the option to do a ROM backup? Oh, used file P3113_SAMSUNG_RECOVERY_SUPERSU-0.96_BUSYBOX-1.20.2.tar.md5.zip Had CWM and Root all in one. I do have GT-P3113_ClockworkMod-Recovery_6.0.1.0.tar as well. Should I just go through procedure again to flash this CWM? Will it still retain SU?
nandroid backup ok to use? Seems it's just a wrapper for a backup script...
Ok - I'll reply to myself.
I don't know what was wrong with the CWM I installed via the aforementioned file (P3113_SAMSUNG_RECOVERY_SUPERSU-0.96_BUSYBOX-1.20.2.tar.md5.zip), but I went to the CWM site, D/L'ed the latest touch enabled CWM for the P3113 (6.0.2.3, I believe), and installed it over the existing recovery image on the device (I had to create my own .tar.md5 - easy with *nix).
Anyway, I now have access to the backup options by scrolling down. The image from P3113_SAMSUNG_RECOVERY_SUPERSU-0.96_BUSYBOX-1.20.2.tar.md5.zip, simply wouldn't scroll beyond what I listed earlier. Now can scroll down, make backups, etc.
Haven't tried yet to re-install the image I made with nandroid - I'm a bit leery of that - so I'll just get the stock 4.1.1 ROM from sammobile, and keep it around....
tundrwd said:
Ok - I'll reply to myself.
I don't know what was wrong with the CWM I installed via the aforementioned file (P3113_SAMSUNG_RECOVERY_SUPERSU-0.96_BUSYBOX-1.20.2.tar.md5.zip), but I went to the CWM site, D/L'ed the latest touch enabled CWM for the P3113 (6.0.2.3, I believe), and installed it over the existing recovery image on the device (I had to create my own .tar.md5 - easy with *nix).
Anyway, I now have access to the backup options by scrolling down. The image from P3113_SAMSUNG_RECOVERY_SUPERSU-0.96_BUSYBOX-1.20.2.tar.md5.zip, simply wouldn't scroll beyond what I listed earlier. Now can scroll down, make backups, etc.
Haven't tried yet to re-install the image I made with nandroid - I'm a bit leery of that - so I'll just get the stock 4.1.1 ROM from sammobile, and keep it around....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's exactly what I did today, grabbed the stock image for a backup, rooted with Odin and CWM then flashed a CM based 4.3 ROM. Piece of cake.
My apologies if this has been covered. I've successfully rooted and unlocked the bootloader. I've tried my best to do a lot of reading including going through item by item in the xda wiki glossary but I'm still a little confused/want clarification before I actually do anything with my phone.
My goals are:
1) To create a full .img backup of my current system so I can always go back to it if needed/worst case scenario
2) Create a list of all my installed apps. Backup a few select apps that contain data within them that does not get backed up in the cloud or appear in a copyable source anywhere when i browse the phone directories (an app called Pattrn specifically that stores favorited background images..)
3) wipe/clear the my current incarnation of kitkat and re-install it 'fresh' (possibly without the bloat?), then reload desired apps.
4) create a backup .img of this new instance.
-----------------
I'm generally pretty quick to learn technical content but I've honestly tried to fully grok the steps for the last two weeks and haven't gotten there/understand enough to be confident to do what I think I need to do.
can take this to PM if anyone has some patience to work with me. Gladly donate to any app you make or paypal a few bucks if you can help walk me through this..
My understanding is that I need to get TWRP or CWM installed in order to get a custom recovery (as opposed to a stock recovery process)---which will allow me to do step 3. But even getting TWRP going I'm confused..
Thanks
water- said:
My apologies if this has been covered. I've successfully rooted and unlocked the bootloader. I've tried my best to do a lot of reading including going through item by item in the xda wiki glossary but I'm still a little confused/want clarification before I actually do anything with my phone.
My understanding is that I need to get TWRP or CWM installed in order to get a custom recovery (as opposed to a stock recovery process)---which will allow me to do step 3. But even getting TWRP going I'm confused..
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
can't help with everything..but with custom recovery..the easiest way is download flashify from play store and flash recovery image with itfrom here http://androidhosting.org/Devs/Dhacker29/msm8960/ you have a Razr M on kitkat use this one http://androidhosting.org/Devs/Dhacker29/msm8960/TWRP2710-RAZR_M-KITKAT.img
copy it to sdcard or internal storage...open flashify and select recovery image then choose the downloaded file..flash it and restart
water- said:
My apologies if this has been covered. I've successfully rooted and unlocked the bootloader. I've tried my best to do a lot of reading including going through item by item in the xda wiki glossary but I'm still a little confused/want clarification before I actually do anything with my phone.
My goals are:
1) To create a full .img backup of my current system so I can always go back to it if needed/worst case scenario
2) Create a list of all my installed apps. Backup a few select apps that contain data within them that does not get backed up in the cloud or appear in a copyable source anywhere when i browse the phone directories (an app called Pattrn specifically that stores favorited background images..)
3) wipe/clear the my current incarnation of kitkat and re-install it 'fresh' (possibly without the bloat?), then reload desired apps.
4) create a backup .img of this new instance.
-----------------
I'm generally pretty quick to learn technical content but I've honestly tried to fully grok the steps for the last two weeks and haven't gotten there/understand enough to be confident to do what I think I need to do.
can take this to PM if anyone has some patience to work with me. Gladly donate to any app you make or paypal a few bucks if you can help walk me through this..
My understanding is that I need to get TWRP or CWM installed in order to get a custom recovery (as opposed to a stock recovery process)---which will allow me to do step 3. But even getting TWRP going I'm confused..
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, with TWRP, there is an option to back up your current system, data, and boot image.
So, let's say you make a backup your stock kitkat rom, you can wipe that, install a compatible rom. And if that fails or you do not like it, you can boot back into TWRP and restore the backup you made with the restore option.
I'm not too sure what you are asking about your apps, but with titanium backup, you can backup any app + their current data. For example, lets say you backup your favorite browser and it has everything just the way you want it, you can back it up with titanium backup, flash your rom, and restore it with titanium backup.
Not sure if that was what you were asking with #2, but if you have another question, ask away. I'm on a road trip so I have plenty of time.
Sent from my DROID RAZR M using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
crazy4android said:
can't help with everything..but with custom recovery..the easiest way is download flashify from play store and flash recovery image with itfrom here [link] you have a Razr M on kitkat use this one.. [link]
copy it to sdcard or internal storage...open flashify and select recovery image then choose the downloaded file..flash it and restart
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thank you for your fast response, I appreciate it. I can do this--can you just clarify for me to define specifically what 'custom recovery' means?
I might be over-thinking it but I'm still trying to actually understand what custom recovery means-I assume it is in contrast to the current recovery which is still whatever shipped with the phone from verizon/motorola? So the above .img is a kitkat-base recovery (possibly without verizon bloat?)
Thanks
poppers162 said:
Well, with TWRP, there is an option to back up your current system, data, and boot image.
So, let's say you make a backup your stock kitkat rom, you can wipe that, install a compatible rom. And if that fails or you do not like it, you can boot back into TWRP and restore the backup you made with the restore option.
I'm not too sure what you are asking about your apps, but with titanium backup, you can backup any app + their current data. For example, lets say you backup your favorite browser and it has everything just the way you want it, you can back it up with titanium backup, flash your rom, and restore it with titanium backup.
Not sure if that was what you were asking with #2, but if you have another question, ask away. I'm on a road trip so I have plenty of time.
Sent from my DROID RAZR M using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you too for your response!
So yes, I would like to use TWRP for that--make a backup of my current stock rom in all aspects, then start with a fresh instance. Does doing the step the above poster linked basically get TWRP installed as a custom recovery---which then gives me the options to create those backups in the bootloader menu? again sorry for my confusion, I've read the guides and how-to but I'm getting tripped up on some of the lingo/definitions.
On #2 Yes, that is basically what I wanted--I've got titanium backup installed and have backed up a few of these programs to my SD card already. Only have a handful of programs that have any customization that I care to retain.
water- said:
thank you for your fast response, I appreciate it. I can do this--can you just clarify for me to define specifically what 'custom recovery' means?
I might be over-thinking it but I'm still trying to actually understand what custom recovery means-I assume it is in contrast to the current recovery which is still whatever shipped with the phone from verizon/motorola? So the above .img is a kitkat-base recovery (possibly without verizon bloat?)
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you can do diff things like poppers162 mentioned you can backup ur entire rom with it...its very easy to flash nd very user friendly to navigate..no the above is a recovery img...you can boot ur phone into it once you flash it..then from there you can backup ur stock rom..and install/flash custom roms with bloat removed..
or another option is just freeze the apps you don't want with titanium backup..its almost as effective as uninstalling
Okay.. I've got TWRP going and creating a backup of my current system onto an external SD card. .. progress.
I've already backed up everything I desired in titanium.
Next up doing a 'clean' start in kitkat--or a slightly improved version. I realize at this point maybe things become more subjective to people's preferences.. I'm not looking to go to CM. I found some stock or a very-nearly-stock version of kitkat I can now 'start' fresh with--the google play edition? or do I need to download "Android 4.4.2 Blur_Version.183.46.10.XT907.Verizon.en.US"? I guess I need some more help at this point. Verizon is my carrier..
Thanks--do appreciate the help! :good:
water- said:
Okay.. I've got TWRP going and creating a backup of my current system onto an external SD card. .. progress.
I've already backed up everything I desired in titanium.
Next up doing a 'clean' start in kitkat--or a slightly improved version. I realize at this point maybe things become more subjective to people's preferences.. I'm not looking to go to CM. I found some stock or a very-nearly-stock version of kitkat I can now 'start' fresh with--the google play edition? or do I need to download "Android 4.4.2 Blur_Version.183.46.10.XT907.Verizon.en.US"? I guess I need some more help at this point. Verizon is my carrier..
Thanks--do appreciate the help! :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Android 4.4.2 Blur_Version.183.46.10.XT907.Verizon.en.US is complete stock with all the verison bloatware...as for the google play edition..i don't know if theres a flashable rom..the one in the Droid RAZR M Android Development is for fastboot i think..not sure and i myself havent looked into how to fastboot a fxz
water- said:
Okay.. I've got TWRP going and creating a backup of my current system onto an external SD card. .. progress.
I've already backed up everything I desired in titanium.
Next up doing a 'clean' start in kitkat--or a slightly improved version. I realize at this point maybe things become more subjective to people's preferences.. I'm not looking to go to CM. I found some stock or a very-nearly-stock version of kitkat I can now 'start' fresh with--the google play edition? or do I need to download "Android 4.4.2 Blur_Version.183.46.10.XT907.Verizon.en.US"? I guess I need some more help at this point. Verizon is my carrier..
Thanks--do appreciate the help! :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's only a handful of roms compatible with the kitkat 3.4 kernel. I, personally, love cm11 test build. It's been going great. I would give it a try. If you don't like it, you have your backup!
Sent from my DROID RAZR M using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Kitstalk ran pretty smoothly minus the speaker phone issues I like it but I've always been a fan of beanstalk... that was a few days ago when I flashed it so it may be fixed now I haven't checked on it...
Sent from my XT907 using xda app-developers app
success..95% or so
wanted to follow up here.. some of the terms finally clicked in my mind to understand the functions of recovery/fastboot/bootloader/flashing..etc. I wonder if there is a flow-chart type diagram available out there--that type of thing would have really helped to understand--being able to visualize where these different aspects interact and where files etc line up with them.
Short version: successfully running GPE rom smoothly and enjoyably on a 'clean' system.
needless to say I used TWRP to backup my system. And Titanium for specific apps. Used rsdlite to flash the GPE rom from the forum here. Then I factor reset the rom, then I think I formatted internal storage space?? --at that juncture I was a little less clear what the specific sequence should have been to 'start fresh'. Should I have factory reset my device before flashing the rom? Or maybe it really doesn't matter.
Thanks for everyone's help. One thing that didn't migrate over through gcloud backups--embedded images in text msging program. relatively small loss though
cheers
I'm wondering if there is any way to basically copy the entire phone.. os and all... and make a rom out of it? I just thought life would be so much simpler if I could do a fresh install of 4.4.2, root, recovery, do all the tweaks/settings and removal of bloatware I don't like and then install all my standard apps *minus games of course* and make it into a rom, I could save myself tons of time by not having to keep rinsing and repeating this long procedure whenever I run into major issues.
If you make a proper backup...then have to restore it, it will restore exactly how you had it at the moment you made the backup.
So....you can
If you say "Please" be sure and hit "Thanks"!!!
btoddweber said:
If you make a proper backup...then have to restore it, it will restore exactly how you had it at the moment you made the backup.
So....you can
If you say "Please" be sure and hit "Thanks"!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used CWM and made a nandroid but it must not back "everything" up, because I had some issues after replacing numerous files and when I ran restore and it rebooted... had window after window popping up telling me "this stopped working and that stopped working"... nonstop... ended up having to do a complete wipe and reinstall.
Thats why I thought there might be a better method like making a rom as I mentioned in my original post.
Then you made your nandroid incorrectly.
Either you didn't select all the partitions (inclusing media) and the SE context.
OR the recovery you used is the issue.
I've created hundreds, if not thousands of nandroids and flash between ROMs/Builds all the time. [well not lately been working 15+hour days]
Take some time and read through the OPs and follow up discussions for the recoveries and ROMs and you'll find the right combo of recover/ROM.
I always make sure my nandroids restore before moving on to another ROM or build. IF they don't then I can rebuild current ROM (since I know exactly what is involved), try another recovery and see if it restores after complete double/triple wipe and install of another ROM base. If that works I'll note the recovery/ROM combo and then move on.
Just my two cents.
Hey, so I'm fairly new to the whole rooting and customizing Android, so please forgive me if I come accross "ignorant" or generally childish. I bought a galaxy note 3 the other day and researched what rooting did. After getting convince that rooting was "awesome," I actually managed to root. I also played with some Xposed modules because they were fairly simple and cool. After more research, I found out that Verizon had a locked bootloader which prevented me from using any other roms? I also read that verizon/att users can use safestrap but i couldn't exactly find some specifics for it. So whats the disadvantages of safestrap? Do specific roms have to be used?
Another concern, I'd like to get a faster rom than stock touchwiz, but i'd also like to find a rom that can use ART runtime as well as maintaining a nice multi window feature. I tried XHaloFloatingWindow and another xposed module, and I can't say I was pleased with them compared to the touchwiz one. I'd also like to maintain S-pen features? Does anybody know of any roms that may come close to fitting most of these topics?
Final, completely random question, The lg g3 has this lockscreen widget where when it rains out, drops of water will cover/slide down the entire lock screen on top of your notifications. I thought this was awesome, but wasn't sure if it was possible to get on a note 3.
Anyways, Hope to get some simple answers
ATalkingRock said:
Hey, so I'm fairly new to the whole rooting and customizing Android, so please forgive me if I come accross "ignorant" or generally childish. I bought a galaxy note 3 the other day and researched what rooting did. After getting convince that rooting was "awesome," I actually managed to root. I also played with some Xposed modules because they were fairly simple and cool. After more research, I found out that Verizon had a locked bootloader which prevented me from using any other roms? I also read that verizon/att users can use safestrap but i couldn't exactly find some specifics for it. So whats the disadvantages of safestrap? Do specific roms have to be used?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Safestrap is as close to a custom recovery as we'll get, right now. Due to our bootloader, stock based rom are all we can use. However, we are not stuck with one rom. Check in the dev threads for roms compatible with your device. Also check the dev and general threads for more info on rooting, safestrap, and how to flash roms.
Another concern, I'd like to get a faster rom than stock touchwiz, but i'd also like to find a rom that can use ART runtime as well as maintaining a nice multi window feature. I tried XHaloFloatingWindow and another xposed module, and I can't say I was pleased with them compared to the touchwiz one. I'd also like to maintain S-pen features? Does anybody know of any roms that may come close to fitting most of these topics?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Art not available for us. Only stock based. See my recommendation above for other roms. There are a few with some pretty cool features and add-ons!
Final, completely random question, The lg g3 has this lockscreen widget where when it rains out, drops of water will cover/slide down the entire lock screen on top of your notifications. I thought this was awesome, but wasn't sure if it was possible to get on a note 3.
Anyways, Hope to get some simple answers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure about this one...
Not sure about your specific questions, as I don't use multiwindow or the other features you listed. But I thought I would point out, what method of root did you use? Make sure of what system your running at this point. beans or kitkat? You will have to select a rom based on that. Or vice versa, re-root if you find a rom that you prefer thats running different android version. Either one will run safestrap obviously, since there are roms for each. You will find pros and cons to each. The con that I'm currently experiencing on kitkat that has me thinking about going back is I can't seem to find a modem that will get me decent reception so I'm assuming at this point that its kitkat thats causing it. Just something more for you to research. Being new to it, you've got ALOT of material to read about. But if you've already rooted, sounds like you've got a decent idea of the process. For me, tutorial videos were a life saver
LeftyGR said:
Safestrap is as close to a custom recovery as we'll get, right now. Due to our bootloader, stock based rom are all we can use. However, we are not stuck with one rom. Check in the dev threads for roms compatible with your device. Also check the dev and general threads for more info on rooting, safestrap, and how to flash roms.
Art not available for us. Only stock based. See my recommendation above for other roms. There are a few with some pretty cool features and add-ons!
Not sure about this one...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Alright so perhaps you can help me with just a few more concerns. I researched roms and such. I successfully downloaded safestrap, made a backup of my stock rom and put it on mycomputer. I also made a backup with titanium backup before that and it is also on the computer. I am looking at hyperdrive or jasminerom for the note 3. On there, it explains normal directions to install, but then it says to flash with odin, but when I read something about a tutorial how to install cutom roms on a website "Galaxynote3root" (I can't post the URL yet, says i'll be spamming) , it explained nothing of odin. What is odin? is it mandatory? Does my phone have it by default? hm.... Also i have a build number of NC4, does that build not work with NC2? sorry for inconvenience or annoying noobish questions. Thanks if you respond
So being on Kitkat, did you use the beans method that installed a rom with root basically built in already? And by saying you downloaded safestrap, is it successfully installed? When you boot the phone, do you get the safestrap bootup screen allowing to go into recovery?
If you've already gotten that far, your pretty well set to install either of those roms.
LeftyGR said:
Safestrap is as close to a custom recovery as we'll get, right now. Due to our bootloader, stock based rom are all we can use. However, we are not stuck with one rom. Check in the dev threads for roms compatible with your device. Also check the dev and general threads for more info on rooting, safestrap, and how to flash roms.
Art not available for us. Only stock based. See my recommendation above for other roms. There are a few with some pretty cool features and add-ons!
Not sure about this one...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
scott_65 said:
So being on Kitkat, did you use the beans method that installed a rom with root basically built in already? And by saying you downloaded safestrap, is it successfully installed? When you boot the phone, do you get the safestrap bootup screen allowing to go into recovery?
If you've already gotten that far, your pretty well set to install either of those roms.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well i rooted my phone via towelroot. I got safestrap hooked up and installed, so in other words when i reboot, yes it does have the splash screen. I am on kitkat as well. but do i need to install some sort of odin or something? sorry
I think as long as the rom's op says it's based on nc2 or nc4, you should be good. You should not need to worry about odin, since you're already on kk.
Since you're new, I'd suggest not touching the stock slot. It gives you a fall back if something goes wrong. Make sure you understand using safestrap, and start trying some stuff out.
---------- Post added 30th July 2014 at 12:00 AM ---------- Previous post was 29th July 2014 at 11:58 PM ----------
scott_65 said:
So being on Kitkat, did you use the beans method that installed a rom with root basically built in already? And by saying you downloaded safestrap, is it successfully installed? When you boot the phone, do you get the safestrap bootup screen allowing to go into recovery?
If you've already gotten that far, your pretty well set to install either of those roms.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like he rooted the nc4 with towelroot, cuz he started on nc4. And sounds like ss is working for him, if he's made a backup.
LeftyGR said:
I think as long as the rom's op says it's based on nc2 or nc4, you should be good. You should not need to worry about odin, since you're already on kk.
Since you're new, I'd suggest not touching the stock slot. It gives you a fall back if something goes wrong. Make sure you understand using safestrap, and start trying some stuff out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay thanks, that boosts my confidence a bit! I'm just afraid of bricking my phone, as any noobie should be.
ATalkingRock said:
Okay thanks, that boosts my confidence a bit! I'm just afraid of bricking my phone, as any noobie should be.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good man.
If you find something that you don't know or understand, search that thread for an answer. Then ask if you don't find an answer. And always try to give any other details you think might help.
As long as you remember search is your friend first...then ask...you will almost always find people to help you out!
LeftyGR said:
Good man.
If you find something that you don't know or understand, search that thread for an answer. Then ask if you don't find an answer. And always try to give any other details you think might help.
As long as you remember search is your friend first...then ask...you will almost always find people to help you out!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
alright alright I'm very sorry for this final question as I actually have tried to search for this but only got comparisons between titanium backup and safestrap. So, if I were to make a titanium backup right now, after the fact that i made a safestrap backup or installation, will that effect anything? I'm really really sorry if these questions are beyond beginner, I just like to play it safe.
ATalkingRock said:
alright alright I'm very sorry for this final question as I actually have tried to search for this but only got comparisons between titanium backup and safestrap. So, if I were to make a titanium backup right now, after the fact that i made a safestrap backup or installation, will that effect anything? I'm really really sorry if these questions are beyond beginner, I just like to play it safe.
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Nope. Tibu backs up specific apps and it's associated data and stores it on sd. When you open tibu, it gets it's info from files it stores on sd. Recovery backs up your entire rom environment, but doesn't actually touch sd card user space.
This is why tibu is so helpful. Everything pops up that you had backed up, even on a new rom.
I'm not familiar with the towelroot method. Only the old Kingo for jb, or the beans method for kk. Sounds like your good to go for any KK roms, and Lefty seems familiar, good deal. Not sure how old you are or how far back your computer knowledge goes, so this may do you no good. Odin doesn't go on your phone, it goes on your computer. I always think of it as the old school DOS, or like now when you boot to command prompt if windows isn't working. Its like a back door when your phone operating system isn't working, or if you need to make changes to part of the system that would otherwise need to be running to make those changes FROM the phone. Its flashes the changes TO the phone from your computer instead.
I'm rambling. Its too early. Anyhow, glad your getting things moving along. You can try roms in various rom slots, but you may have issues. I had some roms work well, others not well at all. The ones that have problems, they seem to work better in the stock slot. So you have to wipe the stock slot and flash it there. No big deal, just don't goof up, flash it all at once. If you pause, take a potty break and the battery dies, whatever, don't forget, you have no operating system at that point. Thats when Odin would come into play
LeftyGR said:
Nope. Tibu backs up specific apps and it's associated data and stores it on sd. When you open tibu, it gets it's info from files it stores on sd. Recovery backs up your entire rom environment, but doesn't actually touch sd card user space.
This is why tibu is so helpful. Everything pops up that you had backed up, even on a new rom.
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Alright so quick update. I successfully installed both roms into slots 1 and 2 respectively. Everything went okay, I rebooted system, but the screen just stayed black. They aren't loading, i still can go back to stock rom. But uhm any idea as to why this is occuring? Could it be the NC4/NC2 build things?
In the hyperdrive rom for the note 3, it says it will work with verizon and also states that after the initial reboot after flashing the rom, there will be a 10 minute wait until it actually boots up. I'd say i've waited 15 minutes and nothing has shown up. So I'm assuming something went wrong. Perhaps i should try to reflash it?
EDIT: I read the directions further ahead and managed to flash a file via odin for the first time, now im getting a rom's boot animation which is good. I hope this'll work !
Edit 2: I successfully installed it and booted it up, everything went okay, I restored my titanium backup and then titanium prompted me to restart. I restarted, and now its bootlooping android.process.acore or something like that is crashing everything =/
ATalkingRock said:
Alright so quick update. I successfully installed both roms into slots 1 and 2 respectively. Everything went okay, I rebooted system, but the screen just stayed black. They aren't loading, i still can go back to stock rom. But uhm any idea as to why this is occuring? Could it be the NC4/NC2 build things?
In the hyperdrive rom for the note 3, it says it will work with verizon and also states that after the initial reboot after flashing the rom, there will be a 10 minute wait until it actually boots up. I'd say i've waited 15 minutes and nothing has shown up. So I'm assuming something went wrong. Perhaps i should try to reflash it?
EDIT: I read the directions further ahead and managed to flash a file via odin for the first time, now im getting a rom's boot animation which is good. I hope this'll work !
Edit 2: I successfully installed it and booted it up, everything went okay, I restored my titanium backup and then titanium prompted me to restart. I restarted, and now its bootlooping android.process.acore or something like that is crashing everything =/
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uh oh now my stock rom is bootlooping as well. i in trouble
ATalkingRock said:
uh oh now my stock rom is bootlooping as well. i in trouble
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What did you flash in odin?
LeftyGR said:
What did you flash in odin?
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In JasmineRom's instructions it says to flash a file called unified_KK_Firmware_RE.tar.md5. After flashing it, it booted up to the new rom.But seemingly once i restarted after titanium backup restored everything it crashed. I then cleared all the cache and data through a factory reset in the safestrap settings and it started up normally. Am I not going to be able to restore my things through titanium? I would send you a link to the odin flash file, but I can't until I have a certain number of posts
ATalkingRock said:
In JasmineRom's instructions it says to flash a file called unified_KK_Firmware_RE.tar.md5. After flashing it, it booted up to the new rom.But seemingly once i restarted after titanium backup restored everything it crashed. I then cleared all the cache and data through a factory reset in the safestrap settings and it started up normally. Am I not going to be able to restore my things through titanium? I would send you a link to the odin flash file, but I can't until I have a certain number of posts
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No need. I know what you're saying. So flashing that file shouldn't have been really necessary, given you're already on nc4. But it doesn't hurt and should not have caused what you described. So you have roms in stock, slot 1, and slot 2? Which ones bootloop?
For tibu, I would uninstall, reboot, reinstall. Somehow it didn't like you doing that.
LeftyGR said:
No need. I know what you're saying. So flashing that file shouldn't have been really necessary, given you're already on nc4. But it doesn't hurt and should not have caused what you described. So you have roms in stock, slot 1, and slot 2? Which ones bootloop?
For tibu, I would uninstall, reboot, reinstall. Somehow it didn't like you doing that.
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Alright so as we speak right now, I have slot 1 with jasminerom and stock which should be the untouched stock rom of course. I have a backup through safestrap of that. I will uninstall titaniumbackup and reinstall and see if that works?
edit: sorry I feel as though I'm being unclear as I can hardly comprehend my own messages. Before, both slot 1 and stock were bootlooping. This bootloop came after titanium backup promted me to restart. But when i cleared the cache through the factory reset, the slot1 rom started to work agin (jasminerom), I haven't tried stock rom to see if it works yet. I'm currently on jasminerom about to re-restore my apps through titanium backup like you said.
LeftyGR said:
No need. I know what you're saying. So flashing that file shouldn't have been really necessary, given you're already on nc4. But it doesn't hurt and should not have caused what you described. So you have roms in stock, slot 1, and slot 2? Which ones bootloop?
For tibu, I would uninstall, reboot, reinstall. Somehow it didn't like you doing that.
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alright i finished re-restoring through titanium backup. Once it finished it provided a notification saying "batch complete, 66 elements failed" Right now all my apps are here and everything is seeming to work. Should I restart to see if it bootloops again?
ATalkingRock said:
alright i finished re-restoring through titanium backup. Once it finished it provided a notification saying "batch complete, 66 elements failed" Right now all my apps are here and everything is seeming to work. Should I restart to see if it bootloops again?
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You should be ok. How many apps did you try to restore, if 66 failed?