hi guys,
i am planning to buy a motorla defy, and i have some background on rooting and installing custom roms with my current samsung spica on cm6.1. but with the locked bootloader and stuff, it seems the method for modding and installing custom roms for the defy is not as straight forward (rooting should be easy). i have read through the wikis and guides and mostly understand everything, but i have questions that i want to ask still. i am about 90% sure about everything i read but i just want confirmation
1) clockwork recovery is the only custom recovery available for the defy? also it's not the official clockwork recovery right? so i can't install the app from the market?
2) does the locked bootloader mean we can't change the kernel? we can install custom roms through nandriod backup but we still have to stick to stock kernels?
3) is there an official froyo stock rom already out? or are they just froyo leaks? also, are all the froyo custom roms based on stock froyo base?
4) what does vsel mean? i know its an important setting for overclocking/underclocking the defy
5) what does sbf mean? is it similar to radio?
6) rdslite is like ruu (flashing software/tool) that comes with the defy?
thanks in advance. i'm really looking forward to this phone given the specs and the price. i just want to know how easy it is to mod it
Hello I have a Defy already and I played with the tools you say so I can try answering some of your questions. Please note that I am no expert and I might not be correct on all.
Q. clockwork recovery is the only custom recovery available for the defy? also it's not the official clockwork recovery right? so i can't install the app from the market?
A. An app very similar to ClockWork recovery exists for defy. It is till now the only one I know. I'm not sure it's on market however is available in this forum. Note that this app can not replace stock recovery.
Q. does the locked bootloader mean we can't change the kernel? we can install custom roms through nandriod backup but we still have to stick to stock kernels?
A. I think you are right. We are limited to stock kernels.
Q. is there an official froyo stock rom already out? or are they just froyo leaks? also, are all the froyo custom roms based on stock froyo base?
A. The only official froyo I know it is the china version. However the recently leaks of some development stage froyos for US TMobile and UK are pretty stable and ok. There are custom Roms (Nandroid backups in fact) based on these leaks but not only. There are older custom roms based on official Eclair releases.
Q. what does vsel mean? i know its an important setting for overclocking/underclocking the defy
A. VSel comes from Voltage Select. There are ways (even an app) to set the voltage for the processor when it is in any of the states (300 / 600 / 800 MHz by default).
Q. what does sbf mean? is it similar to radio?
A. Have no ideea what sbf stands for but it's a format for things that can be flashed via RSDLite. I have a feeling that RUU updates from motorola are in fact an exe + a sbf file. There are lots lots of things available as sbf files: Full firmwares, Bootloaders, some fixes.
Q. rdslite is like ruu (flashing software/tool) that comes with the defy?
A. I think so. I think RSD Lite is a tool made available by motorola for the developers and stuff.
I recommend this phone. I came to this one from HTC Legend that had all the thingies unlocked (S-Off etc) but I do not miss them. Indeed without a custom bootloade chances to see Cyanogen Mod or others are indeed low. I hope I was able to help a little.
thanks a lot mcm_xyz, you confirmed a lot of stuff for me. from just what i read it looks like defy would be the perfect phone if not for the locked bootloader... can you list what is possible and impossible with the locked bootloader? does it mean we have to wait for official support/release either from motorola or cyanogen or other devs to get a hold of different types of roms?
terenceleechan said:
thanks a lot mcm_xyz, you confirmed a lot of stuff for me. from just what i read it looks like defy would be the perfect phone if not for the locked bootloader... can you list what is possible and impossible with the locked bootloader? does it mean we have to wait for official support/release either from motorola or cyanogen or other devs to get a hold of different types of roms?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think this is how it's done by the majority of the cooks nowadays. They get an existing working rom and they build aroud the existing kernel in there. However I think Cyanogen is way higher and they build everything themselves. I think they have a core and different branches for different types of phones that include mainly hardware specifics of the phone. But they are based on their custom kernel so no Cyanogen for us at least yet. but do not worry. steps are beeing done towards an unlocked bootloader on Motorola phones.
mcm_xyz said:
I think this is how it's done by the majority of the cooks nowadays. They get an existing working rom and they build aroud the existing kernel in there. However I think Cyanogen is way higher and they build everything themselves. I think they have a core and different branches for different types of phones that include mainly hardware specifics of the phone. But they are based on their custom kernel so no Cyanogen for us at least yet. but do not worry. steps are beeing done towards an unlocked bootloader on Motorola phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks for your input dude!
Related
hello all. this is my first time ever setting foot in the incredible threads. im currently a roooted eris user, but recently upgrading to the incredible due to eris's limitations. i should be recieving one in the mail today hopefully. i have a few quick questions for you guys and im hoping i can get answers today or at least before i start rooting my phone.
1) can titanium backup restore all my apps + data and configurations, that were backed up on my eris without any issues?
2) which rom is the best so far? i was enjoying cm 6.0 port on my eris but i prefer sense now because im not much of a fan of stock vanilla look.
I do enjoy the 360 degree rotation and was wondering if anyone has created a sense based rom with that particular feature or does cyanogen have a monopoly on that one?
3) does metamorph work on the incredible? and are these roms available now currently themable
4) which is the most preferred kernel? ive read so far about hydra kernel and kingx, what are the advantages each have over the other
5) in case of a necessary warranty exchange attempt, is there an ota based ruu rom available to restore the original bootloader? in other words is it unrootable as of yet? (eris users are currently able to do this.)
Oh and i forgot to ask.
6) is the 2.2 ota released for upgrade or are the 2.2 roms available right now leaks?
iflip said:
hello all. this is my first time ever setting foot in the incredible threads. im currently a roooted eris user, but recently upgrading to the incredible due to eris's limitations. i should be recieving one in the mail today hopefully. i have a few quick questions for you guys and im hoping i can get answers today or at least before i start rooting my phone.
1) can titanium backup restore all my apps + data and configurations, that were backed up on my eris without any issues?
2) which rom is the best so far? i was enjoying cm 6.0 port on my eris but i prefer sense now because im not much of a fan of stock vanilla look.
I do enjoy the 360 degree rotation and was wondering if anyone has created a sense based rom with that particular feature or does cyanogen have a monopoly on that one?
3) does metamorph work on the incredible? and are these roms available now currently themable
4) which is the most preferred kernel? ive read so far about hydra kernel and kingx, what are the advantages each have over the other
5) in case of a necessary warranty exchange attempt, is there an ota based ruu rom available to restore the original bootloader? in other words is it unrootable as of yet? (eris users are currently able to do this.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) Most likely not, while just restoring apps should work, apps+data may bring about problems because they are different phones. don't quote me tho. (My advice make a nandroid before you restore apps+data then if you get FC'cs you'll see something went wrong and can go back)
2) The most popular ROM on this forum seems to be Skyraider, it has both a sense and vanilla version. There are 3 more fairly popular ones on ROM manager, I advise you to test them all out they all have their own flair.
3) Yes, check out the theme's section for more info on that.
4) Both kernels work well, it's all a matter of what you're happiest with. I'm not sure of the specific differences of both tho, so maybe someone else can answer that.
5) If you use Unrevoked3 you can RUU back to stock yes. If you use Unrevoked forever (which is S-off) there is currently no way to get S-on. So you would just have to hope if you turned it in for warranty that the guy didnt check the bootloader.
6) Most 2.2 ROM's right now are based off a leak released here on 8/1/2010. There is no official 2.2 release for the Incredible.
*Insert the usual plug for posting in Development instead of General/Q&A*
Welcome to the Incredible Forums tho!
-Flawless
Hi guys. Sorry if this is a dumb question, but how do I install the 2.3 Android while i have the 2.2? Where to download and how to install it?
You can't as it's currently for the Nexus S and soon to be the Nexus One
You can get a cutom made 2.3 ROM by looking at Oxygen in the ROM forum
Thanks. Well since I don't know the risks of "rooting" or installing custom roms, I want to ask you: is it worth it? Do I lose my phones warranty?
At this point the risk of rooting is minimal (but still there is a risk) and there are good tutorial you can use. Especially this one: Turkeys' Ultimate Guide to Root Desire.
Technicality you lose your warranty when you root your phone but there are ways to revert that. However that is not possible on every phone and depends on the branding and software version.
There is some great development on the gingerbread roms, but they don't full work jet, so at this point I would not root my device just for a gingerbread rom.
On the other hand there are also enough other great froyo roms to try out.
But first thing to do is write down your software info and check if you can find a matching RUU here.
I just got my desire HD a few days ago. But have been visiting this site from some time back. Now i wanna load a custom mod on my phone. However there are several questions which i am stuck at. :|
1) What is the difference between the "Android Revolution HD 3.2 mod[ARHD]" and "Cynagenmod"?
2)Is rooting required? If yes, could anyone help me how to please.
3)In the Themes and Apps section i seen that many themes had the [CM7] tag. Im assuming this is for the cyanogenmod, but will it work on the "ARHD" also?
4)Most of the mods installation asks for S-off or so. What is it? :
5)What is flashing?
and lastly
6)Whats the difference between Sense UI and no-sense UI? [im thinking it includes/excludes the default htc sense.]
As i am new at these things too, i will try to answer some of your questions.
1. Cyanogenmod is based on AOST source, which is main android source, while Revolution, LeeDrOID and rest are based on HTC source.
2. To be able to flash cooked ROM your Desire HD needs to be rooted.
Full step-by-step guide is here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=11557769
3. Themes for one ROM might work on other, but are not recommended.
4. Check the guide in point 2.
5. Same as above.
6. I think you got that right.
I hope i helped you a bit.Cheers
glenvarun said:
I just got my desire HD a few days ago. But have been visiting this site from some time back. Now i wanna load a custom mod on my phone. However there are several questions which i am stuck at. :|
1) What is the difference between the "Android Revolution HD 3.2 mod[ARHD]" and "Cynagenmod"?
2)Is rooting required? If yes, could anyone help me how to please.
3)In the Themes and Apps section i seen that many themes had the [CM7] tag. Im assuming this is for the cyanogenmod, but will it work on the "ARHD" also?
4)Most of the mods installation asks for S-off or so. What is it? :
5)What is flashing?
and lastly
6)Whats the difference between Sense UI and no-sense UI? [im thinking it includes/excludes the default htc sense.]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Some of the mods are made specificaly for a ROM. The tag describes what ROM they are designed for. Rooting and S-OFF is requred for installation of a custom ROM, so yes, it's required for the mods also. You should probably ask the mod developer if his mod is compatable with another ROM, but I think CM7 being Gingerbread and ARHD3.2 being Froyo, the chances are slim. S-OFF is "Security OFF". HTC introduced a level of security which was supposed to make the system "read only" for anyone but them to prevent custom ROMs, kernels and ultimately - overclocking, which potentialy can damage your device. Luckily thy didn't do a good job on that, so the developers found a workaround. Flashing is writing a new ROM, kernel or a set of system files in your phone. And lastly, you are correct about the sense/non-sense stuff.
You can find good guides in the developement section about rooting, S-OFF (both radio and eng), flashing ROMs, etc. Bear in mind though that if your software version is 1.72, you'll have to downgrade first to get to the rootable 1.32
First of all thanks for the help.
I suppose flash means to install. Also the guide you gave me tells how to put s-off but i wanted to know what does s-off mean??
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App
@ tkolev
Thanks a ton maan , that seriously helped a lot .
Btw you suggested in your post that overclockin could hwrm the system. Can cuetom roms also harm the system by any way??
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App
glenvarun said:
@ tkolev
Thanks a ton maan , that seriously helped a lot .
Btw you suggested in your post that overclockin could hwrm the system. Can cuetom roms also harm the system by any way??
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Custom Roms are there to help and inprove the things...
Overclocking is running an hardware to something which it was not designed for...So it could harm the phone (Does not mean that it always does, there are guys who are running the overclock phone without problem).
Custom Roms are just the installed ROM so if you flash one rom and don't like it replace it with another one..before flashing read the instruction and flash (I was only able to run official rom for 2 hours, after that I rooted and installed CM7...
@sanju.
so there wouldnt be any problems right? and which would you suggest.
Revolution or CM7 ?
Also the warranty gets void if im not wrong but is there any way to counter it like in the case of apple devices?
Yes you can revert your handset back to complete factory settings by running a suitable RUU (Rom Update Utility).
This will restore everything, except Radio S-OFF, back to HTC defaults. You could then send your handset away to be repaired, etc...
glenvarun said:
@sanju.
so there wouldnt be any problems right? and which would you suggest.
Revolution or CM7 ?
Also the warranty gets void if im not wrong but is there any way to counter it like in the case of apple devices?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Rom depends on your choice, Revolution is based on HTC framework (sense and no-sense both available), 3.2 is froyo based, 4.X is gingerbread but its in beta..YOu will get the stock applications like video player, camera etc..
CM7 is also under development, RC2 is stable version, It is based on AOSP GingerBread...has a lot of modifications....I use this one....Just my preferance...
You can try both and see which one you like...
About warrenty, yes, you need to restore the RUU to claim it, but there are enough thread around which will tell you how to do that...
The only thing is I haven't seen the RUU for India, there is one for Asia and version number is close so that can work...in case it is required, or...before flashing custom rom create a backup for your official rom and save that backup...so that you can use that to come back to official rom...
Oh but i checked and seen that in CM7 the things like gps and google maps don't work .
tkolev said:
Some of the mods are made specificaly for a ROM. The tag describes what ROM they are designed for. Rooting and S-OFF is requred for installation of a custom ROM, so yes, it's required for the mods also.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not all custom roms require S-OFF btw... I would root your phone, once you have custom recovery you can flash your custom rom
get familiar with adb and just read read read .... plenty of guides out there
I would S-OFF after you are familiar with everything else... messing around with partition tables is a easy way to brick your phone... you can always S-OFF at a later date (just my personal view - alot of people S-OFF very quickly - depends how badly you want additional mods)
glenvarun said:
Oh but i checked and seen that in CM7 the things like gps and google maps don't work .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Some people have had trouble with the gps lock on CM7, not all, as I for one haven't got any problems with neither of the RCs nor the nightlys. I'm running nightly build 20 atm. And there is a fix for the gps included in the latest two nightlys so it's not a problem anymore.
just read a lot man, all informations you want is spread out there! in beggining this thread helps a lot: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=846248
hope it can help! =o)
glenvarun said:
@ tkolev
Thanks a ton maan , that seriously helped a lot .
Btw you suggested in your post that overclockin could hwrm the system. Can cuetom roms also harm the system by any way??
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, overclocking to a reasonable extend should not harm your phone. I'm running an overclocked kernel (1.2 GHz) and it has no negative effect on my phone. In the manufacturing process there are deviations from the design and Qualcomm has rated the processor which is in our DHDs to 1GHz. This means that most processors can safely handle higher frequencies, but the higher they rate their production, more units will have to be scrapped. I think it's quite safe to go for 1.2 or even 1.5 (if you really need it and monitor the teperature closely) but I would never run on 1.8 GHz. I just wanted to explain why HTC decided to go for locked internal memory. There is a reason for that, not just because they are mean control freaks... oh wait those were Apple .
BigMrB said:
Not all custom roms require S-OFF btw... I would root your phone, once you have custom recovery you can flash your custom rom
get familiar with adb and just read read read .... plenty of guides out there
I would S-OFF after you are familiar with everything else... messing around with partition tables is a easy way to brick your phone... you can always S-OFF at a later date (just my personal view - alot of people S-OFF very quickly - depends how badly you want additional mods)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't know that you can install a custom recovery without S-OFF. Or a custom ROM without a custom recovery. Anyway there are many users which followed the guide in the developement section (including me) and did just fine (thanks to the great tools made by jkoljo and all the help we get in this great forum). Ultimately is anyone's decision what to do with his/her own phone.
I'm gonna s-off this weekend after I've fixed my custom recovery
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA Premium App
Guess u guys are confusing between Radio S-Off and Eng-S-OFF.
You can't install a custom recovery without Eng-SOFF, hence u can't install custom Roms.
There is a one click S-Off for Eng-Soff & Radio S-OFf which u can find in Dev Section.
This should do the work quickly and in a painless way...
Personally i would recommend to go for MIUI or CM7...
All your questions have been answered clearly.
Just one warning regarding the warranty. It's possible to revert to stock EXCEPT if one hard key is needed and it doesn't work.
If on DHD all can be done via adb then it's ok (never checked).
I'm just coming from HD2 and without vol- key you were fu**ed (can't launch the bootloader but OS bootable).
Anyway never stopped me to install custom roms the first day
Hey Guys, i´m coming from the desire z and got few small questions.
1. someone told me there´s no need to root the device, is that right or not?
2. do i need a kind of dev-bootloader?
3. which recovery is the best? / does the ext4 recovery exist for the nexus? really liked to work with it
4. got o2(germany), is there any recommended radio?
5. are there big differences between the roms? which one would u take? i personally would take cm9, because i used cm7 on my desire z, but e.g. android revolution got a lot of clicks, why do so many people prefere it?
for the moment, these are the questions that are in my mind, think in 2 days it´s gonna arrive, just wanted to make sure everything can ben realised as fast as possible when my new phone arrives
thanks in advance
no one an idea?
L-ViZ said:
Hey Guys, i´m coming from the desire z and got few small questions.
1. someone told me there´s no need to root the device, is that right or not?
2. do i need a kind of dev-bootloader?
3. which recovery is the best? / does the ext4 recovery exist for the nexus? really liked to work with it
4. got o2(germany), is there any recommended radio?
5. are there big differences between the roms? which one would u take? i personally would take cm9, because i used cm7 on my desire z, but e.g. android revolution got a lot of clicks, why do so many people prefere it?
for the moment, these are the questions that are in my mind, think in 2 days it´s gonna arrive, just wanted to make sure everything can ben realised as fast as possible when my new phone arrives
thanks in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. There are definite benefits to unlocking the bootloader and rooting. And if you ever had to, you can go back to stock. The great thing about the Galaxy Nexus is how very hard it is to truly brick, but dont try
2. No, unlocking the bootloader is actually pretty simple. You will need Android SDK and the drivers installed on your computer
3. I prefer Clockwork Mod Recovery. Because its the most popular, it is also what most instructions are for
4. You will just have to read through some of the GSM radio threads. Updating to 4.0.4 is probably all you need though.
5. Yes there are difference between ROMS. I am currently using AOKP Milestone 4. CM9 is certainly great with a lot of feature. ARHD is more to the stock feel. Its not going to have as many feature as AOKP, CM9, or Gummy, but it is a very smooth ROM. Honestly it just comes down to what you like in the feature list.
If you have any questions on how to do any of this there are detailed, near fool-proof, instructions here
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1442184
L-ViZ said:
1. someone told me there´s no need to root the device, is that right or not?
2. do i need a kind of dev-bootloader?
3. which recovery is the best? / does the ext4 recovery exist for the nexus? really liked to work with it
4. got o2(germany), is there any recommended radio?
5. are there big differences between the roms? which one would u take? i personally would take cm9, because i used cm7 on my desire z, but e.g. android revolution got a lot of clicks, why do so many people prefere it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Guude
1) Depends on what you wanna do with the phone. Mine is rooted
2) Not really
3) I would use CWM. Works perfect and is very popular
4) I always used the radio coming with the installaled Rom. And had no problems at all.
5) At the moment i use Gummy Rom. Tried Cm9 a few nightlies ago, but actually i like gummy more. Still some bugs (camera doesn`t work properly, but 3rd party cam apps do so i don`t care) and the battery life is great. Overall performance is also very good.
thank you for your answeres gonna check the roms
Hi everyone, can any of you advise on the most stable Rom for the glide, I'm on gb back to black, which is a good Rom but I have issue with the camera crashing and slow GPS who doesn't lol.
I had checked ice cream sandwich ROMs and although some report them to be stable there seems to be still some issues at hand, keyboard backlight aside which is easily fixable and route, some still seem to have issues with carrier, GPS and gallery.
Ice cream sandwich still seems to have problems with lag and high-definition games slowing down.
Is there a definitive ROM out there that is stable out there with minimal issues and if so which one.
Thanks in advance for any suggested Roms that are stable enough for daily use without any hardware issues.
If you ask me stay on gingerbread until dman releases ICS aosp because ICS has so many bugs just simple things that will get on your nerves
Sent from my SGH-I927 using xda premium
I find the latest osimood rom is very stable. I've tried a couple ics roms and always had an issue with this or that. the osimood rom is bloat free and there is a zip with all the stock apps if you need one or two.
also recommend the osimood rom based on 2.3.5. will wait for ICS rom based on CM9 or AOSP/AOKP with adracat kernel (wen it will be stable).
hope the development of that rom is in full swing and maybe a beta will pop out so we can test as well.
Thanks guys for the service typically I went to the thread to download but the link was down!!! posted a request for an uplink. i need the phone for business so if this ROM is stable then that's good enough for me, I'll skip ics if unstable as sat nav is not that compatible on ics according to the word.
Atb
Does the rooted ROM's lock my SIM-lock?
Hi all!
I just bought an unlocked (carrier free) Captivate Glide from eBay, and had it shipped to Sweden where I live.
I'm wondering about the prerooted roms described in the root-guide on this site... will any of them (AT&T or Rogers) lock my SIM-lock again?
The phone works fine with my Swedish SIM-card, but I need to be rooted to remap the keyboard so I can type Swedish letters on the hardware keyboard. Reson I ask is because I did not recieve an unlock code with the phone that arrived yesterday.
The phone came in an AT&T box so I guess it is a AT&T branded phone.
It is possible (and probably likely) that flashing a new rom will cause your device to re-lock. However, it's very easy to add root yourself without flashing a new rom. You just need to flash ClockworkMod Recovery, and from within CWM, flash the 3.2-RC3 superuser.zip from here.
Additionally, if you look around the forums there's a thread on how to bitflip files in your EFS folder to unlock your device that way - something you should look into if you want to flash the device up to 4.0.4 or one of the custom roms.
Thanx!
Thank you! I will look into that then. So it's possible to install CWM without having root through Odin..?
Hi certainly the osimood Rom has not re Iocked my phone none of the GB ROMs has done this to my phone. So it should new ok.
Atb
I tested many roms and none of them re-locked my phone (even official ICS from ATT). I bought unlocked glide on ebay too.
Thank you for this good piece of information.
Now I should be set to go.
Think I'll stay on stock for now and just install CWM via Odin and then Superuser via CWMR.
I'll wait for a better ICS rom with less issues i think. Shouldn't be that long i hope...
Thank you for your help!