[Q] Preparing for 1st root and custom ROM. Need some clarification. - EVO 4G Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I’m getting ready to root my EVO and load it up with a fancy new custom ROM but before I do that I still have a couple of questions. I’ve found extensive information on how to back up the current data but most of it applies to a device that ALREADY HAS BEEN ROOTED. Is there a “How-to” guide that covers how to back up everything BEFORE the device is rooted? I'd prefer a method that has been testing and will allow me to recover if I need to.
So far, I’ve been able to back up some, but not all, of the applications using Astro Tools. Google contacts will sync with google and my phone contacts are on my Outlook. A side question: Is there a way to move phone contacts to google contacts?
I would also like to ensure that my “contact links”, SMSes, and call history are saved.
What happens to purchased applications? Will “Marketplace” still be able to ID my phone and allow me to re-download these applications?
I also want to ensure that my 4G “keys” are backed up.
My final question is with regard to ROM recommendation. I know, I know, everyone is different, etc. I would like a ROM that is:
1. Stable Froyo based with the latest fixes (no 30 fps limit, good audio streaming over BT)
2. Allows me to remove some of the useless Sprint Apps like NASCAR (I think I should be able to do this with all the ROMs once rooted)
3. Allows me to use a bluetooth keyboard (not sure which ROMs have this capability, I’ve only heard that Cyanogen might)
4. Allows the use of the forward, back, buttons on my bluetooth headset when playing media (same as #3)
5. It would be nice if it allowed me to force roaming. When I’m at work the Spring signal is really bad and it kills the battery very quickly.
Thanks in advance.

I didn't completely read your post, but I'll get in a quick reply to help a brother out. Root with Unrevoked 3.2 and use Titanium. There's no real need to back up before rooting because Unrevoked doesn't wipe your phone.
The Android Market backs up your purchased apps if you are signed into your Google account. Not sure about your Bluetooth questions.
The best Sense rom in my opinion is Fresh 3.3. I would check it out. Cyanogenmod 6 is by far the best rom without Sense, but no 4G.
Your contacts are synced with Google. You can back them up by exporting them to your SD. I'm using the AOSP contacts app, but I think it's the same for the Sense contacts app. Hitting menu should bring up the option.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

Thanks for the quick reply. I'm glad that the purchased apps are tied to the google account and I probably should have thought of that; LOL.
I've heard quite a bit about Fresh and I don't mind Sense at all so I think I'll give that ROM a whirl first, especially if it supports the bluetooth profiles I need. If not, then I guess it's Cyanogenmod for me. Detroit area currently doesn't have 4G so wouldn't be losing anything.
I tried backing up my contacts before but when I ran the restore I found that the "contact links" were either not backed up or not restored. I guess I should restore phone contacts from Outlook or else I'll end up with a ton of duplicates anyway. I probably will have to re-link all the contacts anyway.
Glad to hear that rooting won't corrupt the phone but I'd rather have as much backed up as possible just in case.

I'm not 100% sure on this, but Google should maintain your contact links. As long as Google has backed up your contacts (you can check at google.com/contacts), when you set up your Google account on a new rom, they'll be back, linked as they were before. Some more input would be nice, though, as I'm not completely sure.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

Related

FoYo OTA update - what's going to happen?

I've spent a long time with smartphones but I've never had an OTA ROM update before and thought it might be useful if those in the know could give us an idea of what to expect.
I assume that as with wired ROM updates of yore I should expect to be in a hard reset situation post update - all content, data, apps etc will need reinstalling - is this correct?
If so will I have to set the phone up from scratch again (with my gmail account details etc) reinstall all my apps one by one from the Market, resync all my data and painstakingly set up all my home screens / scenes by hand etc?
Or is it not as bad as all that / is there a smarter way to prepare for this?
Well I'm not personally sure on how Android updates work (I personally think it probably does 'hard reset'), but I know that if you have HTCs backup feature running, it saves all your important stuff - Scenes, wifi info, bookmarks, text messages, gmail info etc.
Hope that helps.
Well if that works it helps but would rather have a belt and braces ready in case it doesn't..
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Mark One said:
Well if that works it helps but would rather have a belt and braces ready in case it doesn't..
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Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Fair enough lol. Well I think you can sync to the PC for your Outlook stuff, but there are also apps in the Market that do what you are looking for, but I have no idea what they're called, or which one to choose, sorry.
All, a few weeks ago an update come down that killed the Wifi on unbranded T-Mobile and Orange UK phones. The T-Mobile fix was simple enough but the Orange phones got SIM locked and needed unlocking, sometimes at a cost.
What steps should we take when this update comes? Is there a way to get my unbranded T-Mobile Desire back to it's T-Mobile ROM?
I would take the advise given by the iphone dev-team, which is to old off on the official update until the devs have looked and ensured it won't cause problems. If there is an official OTA, it will be a matter of hours before the dev get their hands on it and release a custom version, that will not cause issues with return your phone to branded/network locked. Pacience is a virtue
If you want to return to stock and don't mind being locked, there is a guide in the dev forum for returning your phone to stock.
with regards to backup I would recommend titanium backup, it's great for backing up all settings and apps.
Since my phone is rooted, what ROM should I use to get OTA update?
Or I will need to switch back to stock ROM to get it?
I dont imagine your settings to be lost, i would imagine, system update, reboot and its version 2.2 but like with most roms etc a hard reset recommended? obviously backing up your settings is advised like with all updates
benko286 said:
Since my phone is rooted, what ROM should I use to get OTA update?
Or I will need to switch back to stock ROM to get it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would assume when you flash the OTA ROM it will return your phone to stock and remove root. You be better off holding off for a day or so to let the dev's do there thang.
So - seems we've established that the OTA update will reset everything on the device.
DPK suggests that the HTC backup feature will restore everything - can anyone confirm that this includes:
Apps
Scenes / Homescreen layouts
Accounts - core Google account / Gmail accounts / POP3 accounts
Network configuration - O2 / Voda settings etc
WiFi settings - access details for all the hotspots I have signed on to
Data - email / contacts / calendar etc
It's taken a couple of months for me to get the Desire exactly how I want it and all works well so I'm not convinced I'm even going to want to update - but if I do / it is thrust upon me it would be good to know how Android manages this process.
If anyone has any "from experience" answers ....
I have My Backup Pro installed but in the WM world it was never a good idea to use backed up apps - a full reinstall was best practice. Not sure if this applies to android.
Quite surprised that everyone seems happy to just suck it and see though - the move to Android does seem to require a degree of "abandon all control" that I wasn't expecting ....
Mark One said:
So - seems we've established that the OTA update will reset everything on the device.
DPK suggests that the HTC backup feature will restore everything - can anyone confirm that this includes:
Apps
Scenes / Homescreen layouts
Accounts - core Google account / Gmail accounts / POP3 accounts
Network configuration - O2 / Voda settings etc
WiFi settings - access details for all the hotspots I have signed on to
Data - email / contacts / calendar etc
It's taken a couple of months for me to get the Desire exactly how I want it and all works well so I'm not convinced I'm even going to want to update - but if I do / it is thrust upon me it would be good to know how Android manages this process.
If anyone has any "from experience" answers ....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The HTC backup feature is pretty rubbish, it will only backup your user data, IE bookmarks, SMS, contact, network settings, wifi settings etc..
It doesn't backup you applications, sense homescreen layout (you don't even have access to your saved layout, which really defeats the object of that feature), mail accounts.
For application backup titanium is brilliant, though settings aren't always portable between different ROM due to the changes that entail in a new build.
This is the same for most phone OTA updates, I've had them in the past and it will cause problems with existing software.
Hope this advise is helpful.
doesn't astro backup your apps and other stuff?
Thanks koolaid, so as i suspected its back to square 1. Real bummer about scenes though.
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Unrevoked 3 Rooting Issues with my Droid Incredible

I am in desperate need of a solution...please help.
The company I work for uses Microsoft Exchange Server for our Email Service and before I rooted my Droid Incredible I was able to use the Exchange Activesync service on my phone to sync with my work's email without a problem.
Now that I rooted my phone I receive an error telling me I am unable to connect to the exchange server. I have already attempted to use "K-9 Email Client" and "Lockpicker" to see if I could connect. No luck... I believe the issue is with a missing certificate but I am not sure. I have already contacted my IT Department at my work which ended up being useless cause they are unaware of how to locate the certificate for our email service.
Anyways if anyone could shed some light on this please do...Thank you!
Also Facebook does not sync contacts, the live feed works fine.
I don't really mind this cause I'm using "FB Sync" to get my friends pictures but I do miss having all of Facebook contacts shown in my Contacts List.
Phone: HTC Incredible
Rom: ClockworkMod 2.5.0.1
Kernel: 2.6.29-Hydra-ocuv-ov-n-v07
unroot with the ruu (that should be somewhere close in the dev section)
and re root with unrevoked3. i have to say, ive tried all the roms except pmf yasr and red and blue, and ive never had all these wierd errors everyone had. my theory is that all the incredibles are made differently. some are more resistant to modding and rooting and others arent. but anyway, just ruu and apply unrevoked3. and be sure to backup contacts and data before ruu
sent from my friggin phone
not sure about the email thing, but for your contacts try ensuring that Facebook contacts are selected to show up by going to your contacts list and hitting Menu > View and make sure you have Facebook checked.
jstuart91 said:
not sure about the email thing, but for your contacts try ensuring that Facebook contacts are selected to show up by going to your contacts list and hitting Menu > View and make sure you have Facebook checked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ya I did that and although the option to show Facebook Contacts is available...the list is empty and says I have zero friends. Which is wrong I have over 300 Friends. So the issue has to be with the ROM.
Thread moved to General.
Guys I give up!!!
I've tried two ROMs the one provided by Unrevoked3 by default and JagerRomSense both had the same problem - No Exchange Service and No Facebook Account Sync. I've decided to go back to the Original setup and just wait till the Official Froyo OTA comes out for Verizon. Cause I can't stand having issues with my phone. If you have any comments let me know what you think...Thanks!
Nismo6921 said:
Rom: ClockworkMod 2.5.0.1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is not a ROM, this is your new recovery which you probably flashed via the unrevoked tool. The unrevoked tool does not provide a ROM, all it does is root your phone and flash Clockwork mod recovery.
I have a feeling this was the start of your problems. You need to understand the differences between these types of things BEFORE you go and start modding your phone.
The company I work for is pretty picky about which phones can connect on their network and I managed to get the incredible up and running. As a hint, we recently purchased a smartphone company. Anyway when the purchase went through and they started letting execs carry the new phones, there were some ActiveSync changes that allowed exchange to work on just about anything that supported the required security policies.
Long story short, I’ve had a few times where i needed to delete the account and reactivate it because of sync problems. In order to do so, it seems like I have to turn lock picker off, setup the account, and then re-enable lock picker if I want that functionality. If you have this program installed, try disabling it, deleting your exchange account, re-adding your account, and then seeing what happens.
If by some strange chance you happen to work for the same company I hinted at above, shoot me a PM here and I’ll get you some instructions I found and essentially translated from the company we just acquired to the Incredible.
I have a phone by said company coming my way; they are expecting most of us to carry it at work. I wonder how hard it will be to switch back and forth…

Problem with issues/features of android

Well I got my hands on the most advanced operating system
It is nice but a bit annoying unfortunately. I have some questions about it guys and hope you will be able to help me.
For starters the Gmail app is crashing all the time 'stopped unexpectedly', maybe because I told it not to sync, but come on I can't even open it. I use the exchange and if I tell gmail to sync I just get my emails twice which is annoying.
For some reason the thing decided that I want my facebook contacts in my dialer. Unfortunately I don't. When I linked them to some real people it named them however it wanted without giving me the option to rename my own contacts. And I don't want facebook contacts in all people. So I factory reset it and told it not to sync them, but then I can't associate my actual contacts with facebook. I mean the fracking thing wants to do what it wants and I want it to do what I want .
Can I have more screens on sense - like in winmo sense?
Then I don't have a simple file browser, why , the BT file transfer is not working, or just not available, no mp3 for ringtone or I missed something, my 6 and a half year old crap symbian nokia has both bt and mp3?
I can't seem to make it auto attach to the HSDPA network, don't know why, no such setting
Why does all the software makes folders wherever it wants, all over the sd card, without even bothering to ask my opinion
I installed 3-4 apps including the missing file browser and bt transfer, plus some more basic stuff sat nav and now I'm running out of space, why
Don't get me wrong, android is alright, I didn't wrote here to bash it or something, just to share another thing below
Ever since the dream came out I read what a great os android is, now I get it 3 years later and I find it lacks some basic functionality I had many years ago on my crap symbian. I was with winmo the past 4 years, it has flaws, but it's mail client hasn't crashed once, and I can't even open Gmail app on Google OS. I can't even imagine what was the expirience for the dream owners. The other thing, I am not a programmer, but I have used linux before, and calling this thing linux is like if I call my house a skyscraper.
Anyway if someone has a solution for my problems I will be really grateful guys
Ok I'll kick this off:
Gmail app crashes - Well mine doesn't and never has if you have factory reset and its still doing it then maybe try looking to see if it a problem with using exchange at the same time.
More Screens - The desire has 7 home screens 2 to the left and 2 to the right which can be viewed by swiping left and right, pinching the screen as in a zoom out method or pressing the home button.
No File browser - yeah your right install Astro
No Auto HSDDPA - Not sure about this as mine just does any more info?
Random FOlders - Yeah this is very annoying maybe version 3 will address this
Lack of Space - the phone has limited internal storage and all appds install to it. Version 2.2 is now being rolled out which allows installation to the SD card which will give more room. The Sat nav stuff is huge and will be why you are running out so quick. That along with the carp the network operator has shoved on there so debrand asap.
Its not linux - you're right its based on it though. A full blown linux install would frighten most ppl though so they have installed a nice UI to cover up the complex stuff.
Thanks
The gmail app crashed less (1 of 3 times) if I actually synced mail with it and every time if I sync only contacts
I know about the 7 screens, just wished for more -10 for instance, I've been using smartphones for quite a while
Hsdpa can be on or off, it can't be off and then connect by itself if something needs it.
Its weird but 3 mobile didn't put any crap inside, or at least it is not in the apps part. Actually I had to download the crap by myself as it was skype, which I wanted to have anyway
I am still unsure about rooting it, as it looks like I won't be able to achieve much, alright I'll have a terminal, but I need to use it for something
The device says it has 147MB for software, sat nav 2x11-12MB + crap on sd card, some other minor stuff - file explorer, bt transfer, taskmanager, dictionary with database on sd, goggles haven't tried it yet, flashlight, skype, win messenger, google earth and it's at 75%
hope this helps and thanks again for the advice
Hi Again I am stuck on the gmail issue and unfortunately there are only 7 home screens.
You may try Data On Demand app that may do something like what you need for the data.
I wouldn't bother with rooting as like you say its not really necessary and has few advantages other than backup.
I know Google earth is huge but it does appear like you should only of used around 60 to 70 Meg or 50% from the stuff you list Mind you I think a lot of the system apps like weather etc may use some of that memory but cant be uninstalled but I could be wrong on this.
If you're going to get the best out of this phone you have to give in to google.
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App
Yeah, thanks, in programs there is the data consumption of all apps, surprisingly, the browser has used 7,84MB of max allowed 6MB cache, now I know what's wrong with the space
Do you have any idea about the contacts+facebook issue? For example a .conf I can edit or something else
Btw I knew about these issues in 1.5 (bt,storage,file explorer), but I tought they were fixed over 3 years. I haven't read much about them, except how great android was and now i feel like a kid without icecream
@Mark One - What do you mean by this, if I wanted a device which did what it wanted, I would have bought an istick. Linux has always been doing what I told it even if it lead it to crash. It's just a phone if I don't get along with it I'll just get another one.
Err the facebook issue I dont have cos i dont use it but I do know that if you press phone and press the option on the bottom left to show all people then you can press the menu key which allows the selection of the "View" option where you can set "only show contacts with phone numbers" maybe this will help?
Froyo or version 2.2 of android has just been released which addresses the storage problem but not the others
I found this, it ditches most of the FB contacts, but leaves the ones which have phone numbers entered in their profiles, that is in the dialer only. I'll keep digging on this one.
Alright, I rooted the thing with unrevoked and the hboot 0.83 recovery image, installed froyo open desire sense + 5.xx radio. Unfortunately everything is the same, only skype is not working now. I formated the sdcard but the thing only lets me move a couple of small apps on it. Sat nav doesn't want to be on the sd, is this only me?
My mobile network is blocking sites with xxx content, unfortunately it is blocking some which don't have. I tried to change the user agent of the browser, it didn't work. If anyone has any idea about this
Now I debranded and rooted what do I do next

[Q] Friend is freaking out...no idea what happened

So my friend has a Dinc and not so much knowledge of phones. i tell her about the awesomesauce of root and she tells me to take care of her phone. so i root it with revoked (not the forever one) and start tweaking. ok, tweaking done - LauncherPro, Swype, Handcent, SetCPU, autokiller, adfree, etc etc. all was fine for about 2-3 weeks until this morning she wakes up to swype/launcherpro/handcent force closing and all her contacts are gone...she said it reverted back to all old settings.
possible update from verizon?
i'm in CT and she's in NJ, so i can't exactly take a look at the phone. any ideas as to what could have happened? she WAS drunk as fck last night.
android market shows no apps in downloads. and unable to search for anything.......
First, it's kind of silly to customize a phone so heavily for a person who has no clue how to support it when you're too far away to support it.
Second, I hope you taught her how to nandroid because it sounds like she's going to need to restore. The only thing I can think of that would fix the issues would be to fix permissions and reboot the phone... I can't really think of any settings that would cause those issues.
crap. well agreed on the first part...second part i should have thought to make a backup when i finished...which i didn't. the few things i did didn't seem like much really.
i think something happened while drunk...which could be anything...but now i'm not sure what to have her do. she lost all her contacts so i guess it doesn't matter if i have to have her reflash some basic rom.
dusthead said:
crap. well agreed on the first part...second part i should have thought to make a backup when i finished...which i didn't. the few things i did didn't seem like much really.
i think something happened while drunk...which could be anything...but now i'm not sure what to have her do. she lost all her contacts so i guess it doesn't matter if i have to have her reflash some basic rom.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did she lose the contacts from her Gmail account, or just from the phone? They will be restored if not lost from Gmail when she gets it back up and running.
there's really no such thing as "just a basic rom" nowadays. devs put a lot of effort and time and code into them, what you should do is some research and have her reinstall a STABLE rom . either way there should have been some sort of backup made, lol, otherwise id say you're a ****ty friend and has every right to be pissed at you lol. with that said have her try to get into recovery and restore a backup.
sent by Violent J's wicked 6300
Thanks for the couple of ideas, but like I said, there is no backup to fall back on. The two things I missed while tweaking her phone was the initial backup and showing her how to restore. I'm not new to this, but not perfect.
Past those obvious mistakes, pointed out many times, right now a few things have changed. Astro no longer works either, and she can't reinstall anything because the market is blank. She did get some contacts back somehow. Is there a way to replace the market to fix it?
Sent from my FroyoEris using Tapatalk
You could have her try installing alternative markets like applanet...if it doesn't crash on the install or launch of the app...then she should be able to get the ball rolling on a resolution... might I add, applanet is just an example of an alt market... google alternative markets, you should easily find five or six different ones... if that fails... try apktor.....
Sent from my ADR6300 using Tapatalk
Have your friend RUU the phone. If they use Google services the contacts will be restored.
She doesn't use enough google services to get everything back...told her to usaa them for contacts at least.
Will a factory reset do the trick? She's prepared for the consequences.
Sent from my FroyoEris using Tapatalk
Did you load up Titanium backup for her? How about Backup Assistant?
In any event, a hard reset may fix the issues - just trying to help you save some of her data / contacts.
Epicardium said:
Did she lose the contacts from her Gmail account, or just from the phone? They will be restored if not lost from Gmail when she gets it back up and running.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That only happens if the contacts are Google Contacts, not Phone Contacts. IIRC, all new contacts are Phone contacts by default.
On a more serious note, this sound very familiar to something I ran into while flashing a new ROM on vacation (Note to self, dont disturb a perfectly stable phone while 800 miles away from home!). Everything I tried to run seemed to FC and I couldn't get into the market or an alternative to download fresh copies of apps. I ended up reflashing the ROM, I dont remember if I tried a factory reset or not but ultimately it sounds like a wipe and clean install of a stable ROM is your best friend right now (unlike your current status with her lol).

Busted? android market purchases Q.

i gotta go see sprint, i have ins. and rooted but i just odin back to complete stock. no longer rooted but if they simply went into my market, they would see how ive purchased apps like root explorer and titanium back up and setcpu. will i now be turned away because they saw i was obviously rooted? can i fix this, maybe delete my google account or something?
side question, how can i restore data (contacts and calendar) without root? i did TB and CWM backups before i odin but dont see any backup and restore options in three finger boot,
They're not putting you on trial, they aren't going to go out of their way to look for evidence of root. If you're on the stock rom, theme, boot animation and recovery they won't know anything.
Factory reset and don't associate your device with a Google account. Or create a new account and link it to your phone so that nothing syncs up (primarily the market apps).
Or use Titanium Backup Pro to "unlink" those apps from the market, then uninstall TB.
Though I suppose that having apps which require root does't mean that you are in fact rooted. The ignorance defence should be adequate here, but why risk it?
Tell them you use that same account for your tablet..
thanks guys! i didnt even think of that quick! thats a great idea. im going to create a second google account. it will be the one ill use and log in on my phone for those times i need to go in.
may require a lil work at first but will be worth it in the end. ill download a few games and what not for that account, tweak it a bit but when i dont plan to see sprint any time soon ill go back to running my main google account. with all the rooted apps logged. ill see if this works.
can contacts be saved to my computer via usb? i returned to my old set up atm, rooted and all so i can try to save my contacts somewhere else to bring back after i odin again. although this is all a b*tch, im learning a lot
063_XOBX said:
They're not putting you on trial, they aren't going to go out of their way to look for evidence of root. If you're on the stock rom, theme, boot animation and recovery they won't know anything.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, sprint isn't T-mo.
Correct me if I am wrong they can't look at market apps because this not a sprint market it is a droid market nothing is linked!
Sent from my lean mean drunken machine useing XDA Premium and a 12 pack of Sam Lager
update: i got to sprint today. they replaced my whole screen whoo hoo!! my boyfriend talked to them, im deaf or well, speech impaired (i can hear noise but cant distinguish speech so i lip read) anyways, im SO glad i created a second gmail account! they asked for my google password, i didnt find out till later that they needed this to sync my contacts just in case? why would u need a password if my google account is already set into my phone? either way, who knows if they looked at apps but no trace of my rooted ones. others may want to try this second google account thing, just in case. all worked out and re rooted and restored my yesterdays SRF rom and good to go
Duby1186 said:
i gotta go see sprint, i have ins. and rooted but i just odin back to complete stock. no longer rooted but if they simply went into my market, they would see how ive purchased apps like root explorer and titanium back up and setcpu. will i now be turned away because they saw i was obviously rooted? can i fix this, maybe delete my google account or something?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
even though your problem is solved, I just wanna say that i have went to sprint for repairs with a Rooted phone on a few occasions, and they never said a word about it. however YMMV.
I have actually had sprint in store techs reboot my phone back to stock for me.....they *****ed a little bit cuz they were having issues w/there computer taking my phone....but that was it!
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

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