Hi everyone. I'm a long time observer on xda (from win mo) but am very new to android. While I'm familiar with my device and the basics, I'm very unfamiliar with android terminology. For example, I'm eager to try some of the themes I see here but don't know which files to download as they are all labeled for cm6 only, etc. and then I see they need to be "flashed".
Can someone explain the language of the elites pertaining to android please? I'm assuming they are all codes for different roms, etc.
Fyi, I have an evo running froyo, not root or anything. Everything up to date as supplied from htc/sprint
Thanks in advance
cm6 is for this ROM:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=735596
the "zip" files will work with most any ROM as long as you stay with in the OS version. Much like WM 6.1 themes would not work in 6.5. SO Android 2.1 themes will not work Android 2.2 (aka FroYo). Of course some things like Kernels are designed for certain ROMs. Like a kernel for Freshs ROM vs. a general population.
PPCUserT said:
Hi everyone. I'm a long time observer on xda (from win mo) but am very new to android. While I'm familiar with my device and the basics, I'm very unfamiliar with android terminology. For example, I'm eager to try some of the themes I see here but don't know which files to download as they are all labeled for cm6 only, etc. and then I see they need to be "flashed".
Can someone explain the language of the elites pertaining to android please? I'm assuming they are all codes for different roms, etc.
Fyi, I have an evo running froyo, not root or anything. Everything up to date as supplied from htc/sprint
Thanks in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you need to be rooted to apply themes and ROMs. Currently though, there is no way to root if you already have Froyo.
Flashing a new ROM, theme, or anything with the same regards simply means to wipe away what exists and replace it with something new.
So when you are flashing a new ROM, you are taking away the old one (with a data wipe aka factory reset) and then installing the saved zip file (contains the ROM) onto the computer.
Unfortunitly themes can't just be installed like they could on WM they need to be "flashed". These means you need to enter the phones bootloader. If you don't know what all that means then you have some more reading before you can get into themes. Much of which was said in the post above this.
Thanks everyone. And thanks for not flaming me, lol
Dear all,
I have HTC TP2 device, and I tried to add shortcuts on the home page, when I got the steps from the HTC site, I could not apply them, can anybody help me in this?
- I could not find the '+' button.
- When I press and hold on an icon in the start menu, I can find only one command in the popup menu (Move to top).
---
From HTC site:
Personalizing Your Home Screen: Shortcuts
Placing shortcuts on your Home screen gives you quick access to your favorite programs, contacts you most frequently communicate with, and other information.
Adding a shortcut
Press HOME and then tap the + button. You can also press and hold an empty area on the Home screen.
When the Add to Home options menu opens, tap Shortcut.
Select the type of shortcut to add to the Home screen. You can create a shortcut to a Bookmark, Gmail label, your mail inbox, music playlist, a contact, or a program.
To quickly add an application shortcut that is on the All programs screen to the Home screen, press and hold an application icon. When the phone vibrates, drag the icon to an empty area on the Home screen, and then release it.
This can only be done if you are running Sense 2.5. Most TP2/Tilt2 phones came with TouchFlo 3D or an earlier version of Sense. These have a Programs page where you can choose which program icons you want to appear, but they won't be on the Home page.
Thanks a lot for you reply. May you please tell me what is the difference between Sense and TouchFlo, are they two different programs, which is better and if those programs are supported from HTC or not. In other words, can I go to an HTC shop in my country to install it for me or it is downloadable from their site?
mrtarrouk said:
Thanks a lot for you reply. May you please tell me what is the difference between Sense and TouchFlo, are they two different programs, which is better and if those programs are supported from HTC or not. In other words, can I go to an HTC shop in my country to install it for me or it is downloadable from their site?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can get in touch with your carrier to see if an upgrade is warranted for your device. Only a couple of carriers got the Sense "upgrade." It is considerably slower than TF3D if you go through their options. If you really want to experience Sense the way it should be, try one of the many custom ROMs on this site.
Thanks a lot. Can you refer me to one of the good ROMs here in the forum.
What country, carrier are you on?
Couple reason I ask this. Firstly, some carriers released an official ROM update to Sense 2.5.
Also, custom ROMs on this website are limited to GSM versions of the TP2, although there is CDMA subforum, with links to ROMs for CDMA devices.
redpoint73 said:
What country, carrier are you on?
Couple reason I ask this. Firstly, some carriers released an official ROM update to Sense 2.5.
Also, custom ROMs on this website are limited to GSM versions of the TP2, although there is CDMA subforum, with links to ROMs for CDMA devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Even though some carriers released updates to Sense from TF3D, I don't think it's a good idea to use them. I have yet to see a single one that was stable enough for continued use. They are generally resource intensive. Chefs of custom ROMs take the device's hardware into consideration unlike the carriers who only seem to want to load it with their own software.
redpoint73 said:
What country, carrier are you on?
Couple reason I ask this. Firstly, some carriers released an official ROM update to Sense 2.5.
Also, custom ROMs on this website are limited to GSM versions of the TP2, although there is CDMA subforum, with links to ROMs for CDMA devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here are the info and other info that might help:
Country: Egypt
Carrier: Vodafone
ROM Version: 1.86.415.2 (67102) WWE
ROM Date: 12/28/09
Radio Version: 4.49.25.17
Protocol Version: 61.44tc.25.32U
ExtPkg Version: 1.48.415.70
redpoint73 said:
What country, carrier are you on?
Couple reason I ask this. Firstly, some carriers released an official ROM update to Sense 2.5.
Also, custom ROMs on this website are limited to GSM versions of the TP2, although there is CDMA subforum, with links to ROMs for CDMA devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
cajunflavoredbob said:
Even though some carriers released updates to Sense from TF3D, I don't think it's a good idea to use them. I have yet to see a single one that was stable enough for continued use. They are generally resource intensive. Chefs of custom ROMs take the device's hardware into consideration unlike the carriers who only seem to want to load it with their own software.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks a lot for you both. Here are the info and other info that might help:
Country: Egypt
Carrier: Vodafone
ROM Version: 1.86.415.2 (67102) WWE
ROM Date: 12/28/09
Radio Version: 4.49.25.17
Protocol Version: 61.44tc.25.32U
ExtPkg Version: 1.48.415.70
cajunflavoredbob said:
Even though some carriers released updates to Sense from TF3D, I don't think it's a good idea to use them. I have yet to see a single one that was stable enough for continued use. They are generally resource intensive. Chefs of custom ROMs take the device's hardware into consideration unlike the carriers who only seem to want to load it with their own software.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Some people seemed pleased with the latest ATT ROM with Sense 2.5. I never flashed it, so I can't personally comment. And the shipped ROM was so horrible, I have trouble believing it myself. Plus, you get the usual ATT bloat. But I mentioned the possibility of an official ROM update, only because many people are scared of flashing a custom ROM.
But I completely agree with you that a custom ROM is probably the way to go.
To the OP, poking around on the internet, I see that Vodafone in Egypt is GSM, so you can use the custom ROMs on this website.
redpoint73 said:
Some people seemed pleased with the latest ATT ROM with Sense 2.5. I never flashed it, so I can't personally comment. And the shipped ROM was so horrible, I have trouble believing it myself. Plus, you get the usual ATT bloat. But I mentioned the possibility of an official ROM update, only because many people are scared of flashing a custom ROM.
But I completely agree with you that a custom ROM is probably the way to go.
To the OP, poking around on the internet, I see that Vodafone in Egypt is GSM, so you can use the custom ROMs on this website.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks a lot. Yes Vodafone Egypt is a GSM operator. Can you tell me whether I can backup my original ROM before I flash a cooked one (in case I needed it) ... And also please refer me to the best cooked ROM here and the steps to flash/install it on my device.
Your reply is highly appreciated.
All you need to flash a custom ROM is on the ROM Development subforum for the TP2:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=490
The resources pinned to the top of the subforum are extremely helpful, and indispensable.
One of them is an excellent step-by-step guide for flashing a custom ROM, written for beginners:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=550540
As indicated in the guide, you will need to HardSPL the phone. This unlocks SPL (secondary program loader), which is normally locked so you can only flash "official" ROMs from your carrier. HardSPL is here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=550131
Also, optional, but highly recommended (I do it before EVERY new ROM flash) is running Task29. This formats the ROM area of the memory, and completely wipes it, so no old fragment of previous ROM linger to screw up the new ROM. It only takes a couple minutes to perform, and can possibly save you the headache of some random bugs.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=550131
Flashing is really not hard. Just read as much as you can on the threads I linked, and follow the instructions carefully. The threads are really long, and you don't have to read the whole thing, but read as much as you have patience for. Any question or issue you can possibly have about the process has probably been encountered by someone else already, and a solution/answer already posted. The more you know before you start, the less you will panic when something doesn't go exactly as you expected.
Keep in mind that flashing a custom ROM will void any warranty you may still have. Although, people generally have luck re-flashing the stock ROM, and re-locking SPL before returning for warranty service, so the repair people actually have no idea the ROM was ever modified. Also, keep in mind that there is a slight possibility of "bricking" or disabling your phone. But follow the instructions and be careful, and it won't happen. Main things to remember, is never mess with the phone (power off, unplug) while its flashing, make sure you have at least 50% battery at each step, and flash the correct software (flashing a CDMA ROM to a GSM phone, or ROM for a completely different phone are highly probably ways to brick it). But normally, it is very safe. People on here have flashed custom ROMs onto their phone dozens, maybe even hundreds of times, without ever bricking their phones.
There is no correct answer to the question "what is the best ROM". Its like asking "what clothes are best to wear", there is no correct answer, it depends on your personal tastes and needs. The best ROM for you depends on how much you want looks and functions over speed and stability, what software you want packed-in, or if you want a minimum of built-in software (a "lightweight" ROM), and to install your desired software yourself. Look through the various ROMs to see the features of each one, look at replies from users, which thread are most popular, and pick for yourself. If you still need some suggestions, Energy, simplicity, Jackos, and Valkyrie are popular. But it would be an injustice to other chefs to suggest that other ROMs are not just as great. If you scan through the ROM Development subforum, you will see some threads along the lines of "what ROM is best, fastest, etc.", and you can look at those for more suggestions/opinions.
Also be sure to read through the first several posts on the ROM thread you pick to flash, as there are often specific instructions and FAQs for that ROM posted by the chef.
You don't need to backup your old ROM. If you need to return to the stock ROM for some reason, just go to shipped-roms.com and download it:
http://shipped-roms.com/
You will however, lose your personal data (contacts, texts, email) when you flash the ROM. There are a bunch of ways to back these up. Microsoft My Phone, synching to your PC on Outlook, or if you are a Gmail person, using Google Synch, are all popular methods.
redpoint73 said:
All you need to flash a custom ROM is on the ROM Development subforum for the TP2:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=490
The resources pinned to the top of the subforum are extremely helpful, and indispensable.
One of them is an excellent step-by-step guide for flashing a custom ROM, written for beginners:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=550540
As indicated in the guide, you will need to HardSPL the phone. This unlocks SPL (secondary program loader), which is normally locked so you can only flash "official" ROMs from your carrier. HardSPL is here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=550131
Also, optional, but highly recommended (I do it before EVERY new ROM flash) is running Task29. This formats the ROM area of the memory, and completely wipes it, so no old fragment of previous ROM linger to screw up the new ROM. It only takes a couple minutes to perform, and can possibly save you the headache of some random bugs.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=550131
Flashing is really not hard. Just read as much as you can on the threads I linked, and follow the instructions carefully. The threads are really long, and you don't have to read the whole thing, but read as much as you have patience for. Any question or issue you can possibly have about the process has probably been encountered by someone else already, and a solution/answer already posted. The more you know before you start, the less you will panic when something doesn't go exactly as you expected.
Keep in mind that flashing a custom ROM will void any warranty you may still have. Although, people generally have luck re-flashing the stock ROM, and re-locking SPL before returning for warranty service, so the repair people actually have no idea the ROM was ever modified. Also, keep in mind that there is a slight possibility of "bricking" or disabling your phone. But follow the instructions and be careful, and it won't happen. Main things to remember, is never mess with the phone (power off, unplug) while its flashing, make sure you have at least 50% battery at each step, and flash the correct software (flashing a CDMA ROM to a GSM phone, or ROM for a completely different phone are highly probably ways to brick it). But normally, it is very safe. People on here have flashed custom ROMs onto their phone dozens, maybe even hundreds of times, without ever bricking their phones.
There is no correct answer to the question "what is the best ROM". Its like asking "what clothes are best to wear", there is no correct answer, it depends on your personal tastes and needs. The best ROM for you depends on how much you want looks and functions over speed and stability, what software you want packed-in, or if you want a minimum of built-in software (a "lightweight" ROM), and to install your desired software yourself. Look through the various ROMs to see the features of each one, look at replies from users, which thread are most popular, and pick for yourself. If you still need some suggestions, Energy, simplicity, Jackos, and Valkyrie are popular. But it would be an injustice to other chefs to suggest that other ROMs are not just as great. If you scan through the ROM Development subforum, you will see some threads along the lines of "what ROM is best, fastest, etc.", and you can look at those for more suggestions/opinions.
Also be sure to read through the first several posts on the ROM thread you pick to flash, as there are often specific instructions and FAQs for that ROM posted by the chef.
You don't need to backup your old ROM. If you need to return to the stock ROM for some reason, just go to shipped-roms.com and download it:
http://shipped-roms.com/
You will however, lose your personal data (contacts, texts, email) when you flash the ROM. There are a bunch of ways to back these up. Microsoft My Phone, synching to your PC on Outlook, or if you are a Gmail person, using Google Synch, are all popular methods.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dear redpoint73,
Really thanks a million, you unleashed a lot of information to me with your very descriptive answer . As I'm new to the Windows phones world, I was confused with its terminologies like chief, ROM, cooking, flashing ... etc etc. But now it is very much easier than ever ... Thank you.
Hi all, as you can see I've been a member here for a good while and dipped in and out as and when I've owned any devices featured here.
I have a brand new, UK unbranded, sim free and factory fresh Defy arriving tomorrow and have read with interest the various posts here, including the WIKI but I've got a bit dizzy trying to work out what's new/current/most stable/best.
I'm very happy modding and flashing custom roms and have done since the XDA1.
Could anyone please fill me in with the essential tools I need, such as the clockwork recovery version I should be installing and also the best/most recent/most stable rom - Android 2.2 preferred. Also what can I use to overclock and any other system mods that people consider essential also gratefully received.
If there's a n00b how to somewhere and I've missed it, I apologise, but it's hard to figure out what's out of date and what isn't.
Once I'm up to speed on this particular device, I'll chip in where I can.
many thanks,
malty
I'm in no means a developer and unworthy of replying...but I'll try! In the dev section, there is a 'FAQ/Guides/Tutorials' section that is pretty up to date with links to just about everything needed.
Custom Recovery: I've used both tenfar's recovery and the clockworkmod recovery 2010-12-18 version that I believe is the most updated and works well. I like the latter version best so far.
Overclocking: Only one I've used is setvsel and liking it.
Root: I think Z4 root doesn't work on 2.2 and above, so you'll have to root with special version superoneclick.
Backing up applications: Good ol Titanium Backup.
As for custom roms, I'm sure many have preferrences but from what I've gathered, the FIN and Orange deblur are working great (I have two phones, ones on stock tmous froyo, the other is 2.1 UK2.34 deblur...loving the deblur!). Check out Pays, JBoogie, and Higgsy's ROMs in dev section. Also, in the dev section you'll see the sbf file folder at top of forum to flash away with.
Again, I'm pretty much a noob so I probably missed a bunch of stuff...but this should get you started for now
Hello XDA,
I've been following you for years. I started following you with my first Android phone, an HTC Hero. I've been very happy to be able to use a community ROM that made a far better experience than the stock ROM.
I recently got a brand new HTC One V PrimoU, and I'd like to make it my new polyvalent tool.
I'm not a noob in computers, kernel/linux related stuff, electronics, networking. I already tried some ROMs. In fact, I started with KangBang 3.0 (the same version as now I think), but both WiFi and BlueTooth were not working. Android could not even detected the WiFi MAC address, so I guess it was a driver or wireless chip firmware related problem. I think I was the only one affected, so it was maybe a bad flash or I used the wrong kernel. I did'nt investigate more at the time, but if it happens again to me, I'll send some system/kernel logs.
I then tried AOKP, had a great (really) experience with it, except that the Jack plug sound quality was awful. No bass, only mid/high tones. I even thought my speakers were dead at first, but then tried with headphones. Now, I want to try KangBang again, because that ROM was good, and fast, just missing WiFi.
TL;DR
I'd like to ask some precise questions about KangBang and the HTC One V.
I initially wanted to ask in the ROM dev thread, but can't since I'm a new user, so I ask here. Sorry if the questions are stupid/simple/answered, but let's make a clear base, with precise interrogations and answers, so that they will never be asked again
The kernel is included in the .zip file. Still, do we need to flash manually ? Or will the Aroma installer handle that ?
What about ROM Manager ? Is it recommended to use or is it a good way to brick a phone as I heard ?
Does this ROM change the base Android system and file structure ? Would it be compatible with a side-by-side installation of a Linux system such as Debian ? (To see what I mean by side by side installation of Linux, search Debian Kit for Android on Google, as I can't post links)
Also, I'd like to tell ROM makers these advices (don't take them bad, I you think I'm wrong about them there's no problem, just tell me why) :
It would not be a bad idea to give a simple statistic about the ROM : the load average with the ROM installed on an idle and clean phone. That would give a good indication of idle power consumption and ressource wasting.
I see that users reporting problems with their devices NEVER include any kind of debug information. Maybe you should ask for them, just because by searching for this debug information they might solve the problem themselves. Most Android systems and kernels report a LOT of information, that we can access with simple commands such as dmesg.
Last but not least, I would like to thank you, ROM developers and XDA users for allowing me to play this way with my phone, and to make it work exactly the way I want.
Hugo G.,
ummm this device has kangbang?? (btw questions go into q&a )
so i'll move onto the TL;DR which i was grateful for
1) The rom thread should say what kernel but yes, we don't have s-off so flashed manually
2) Ignore rom manager don't touch it
3) think of it as the differences say with debian vs ubuntu vs mint all basically debian but all with they're own differences (pros and cons)
also about the "suggestions" to the devs, that will NEVER go down well, why should YOU suggest to use what to put in the threads also i know in my threads i ASK for logcats time and time again...
hope this helps
if you need more info i'll be welcome to add more, but 1st i need sleep BADLY