Related
I've done a lot of reading on the forums, and I have learned a lot. But I still have some questions.
I want to root the phone, but I'm not sure which method I should use. I've read that some of the methods are not full, or won't be enough to do other things. I've read TheBiles write-up and the method at http://htcevohacks.com/htc-evo-hacks/how-to-root-your-htc-evo-4g/, both of which seems easy enough. Just want to know if these methods will acheive full root.
I want to fully root the phone, and get a custom rom. Do I need to have NAND to do that? I'm leary about going with the Froyo, because I also read that it can break the camera. Is that true?
There a lot of apps that I don't want on the phone, but I DO want to keep HTC sense.
I DONT want:
Facebook
Sprint Zone
Sprint Football
Sprint TV
Amazon MP3 Store
Stocks
HTC News
Flickr
Peep
I would like to get a rom that can help with battery life. I don't want to overclock anything, as the phone is fast enough for me already.
Thanks for any help!
TheBiles guide should be fine, the other link is not full root. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=701004
I recommend DamageControl if you want to save battery life. Just get either deodexed or odexed and flash it.
Go down to the SECOND POST to get the latest info.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=700649
Go to DConfig and select Battery Saver at the bottom.
I also think you shouldn't use the contacts and friendstream widgets as I heard it causes abysmal battery life.
You shouldn't need a task killer as DC uses its own system. I also read recommendations AGAINST using setCPU.
You can also purchase Autostarts if you want to tweak some more.
Read here for more information: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=710385
You can pick any ROM with sense that you want. Joeykrim has a very nice online kitchen you can use to create your own custom zip that removes whatever you want. Look for it in the android development section for the EVO.
I have been super happy with Calkulink's ROM. It has most of what I like from sense and pretty much none of what I don't. You can either download root explorer or titanium backup (i have both) and they allow you to remove programs that you don't need/want without having to use adb commands. Good luck let me know if you have any questions
Well I just flashed DamageControl today. I guess I like it, I'll need a few days to really see how the battery is.
I think I'll try Joey Krim's kitchen, and I had been reading about Calkulin's rom.
I do want to find a different lock screen.
jasongthang said:
Well I just flashed DamageControl today. I guess I like it, I'll need a few days to really see how the battery is.
I think I'll try Joey Krim's kitchen, and I had been reading about Calkulin's rom.
I do want to find a different lock screen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you want to use the default lockscreen (which is what I prefer) there is a zip file that you can flash that will remove the sense lock and replace it with the aosp lock. there is also an app in the market to get different lock screens but i dont remember what its called sorry. flipz makes the zip file i am talking about have a look inside his thread in the dev section for the link (he makes the fresh rom)
If I were to un-root my Droid Incredible, would I loose all the data I have.
e.g, SMS messages, contacts, applications+data for them.
If so, is there an application to back this up for un-rooted droid users?
Also, I never made a backup of the stock before flashing a new ROM, is it still possible to un-root?
Lastly, when un-rooting via downgrading, can I re-upgrade to 2.2?
Any help will be greatly appreciated.
Bump...
Any help will be greatly appreciated.
MyBackup or Titanium Backup can do this i believe.
This is what you need to get back to stock - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=786436
I thought those apps only work when it's rooted though...
i'm not 100% sure, but you won't lose your contacts because those are synced with your google account.
Why do you want to go back to stock?
there's a way to save all your contacts, go to people, then hit the menu button and then press import/export. Export all your contacts to your sd card, and you can save your contacts that way. You won't be able to use titanium backup because it requires root and you're trying to unroot. Unrooting will ultimately bring you back to 100% stock, and you'll lose all your data and apps. If you want to unroot, just follow the directions i gave you in the last forum, and if you have questions ill answer them later.
To be frank, there's no true purpose to being unrooted just so you can make a backup. The only reason you would unroot is if you want to stay unrooted. There's a bunch of ROMs you can use so staying rooted would be more beneficial for you
The main reason I want to be un-rooted is because I miss having stock. :/
Meetii said:
The main reason I want to be un-rooted is because I miss having stock. :/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what features are you missing? there's a lot more that you can do with an unrooted phone, faster speeds, better UI feel, more functionality, wireless tethering for free, but it's entirely your pick
Well I mean I like being rooted, but I can't seem to find a decent looking ROM that I like. The one I'm using now is http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=799679&highlight=droid+incredible+rom and that's the closest one to stock that I can find. I just prefered the stock look over the ROMs I've seen.
I'm about to flash the MIUI because it looks amazing, but do you have any suggestions for decent looking ROMs?
Meetii said:
Well I mean I like being rooted, but I can't seem to find a decent looking ROM that I like. The one I'm using now is http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=799679&highlight=droid+incredible+rom and that's the closest one to stock that I can find. I just prefered the stock look over the ROMs I've seen.
I'm about to flash the MIUI because it looks amazing, but do you have any suggestions for decent looking ROMs?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats all about preference, some people like a stock looking rom, others like a highly tweaked rom.
skyraider 3.5 - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=764787
Check out that rom for a stock look but with many customization options so you can make it how you want basically.
Thanks, I'll revert to that if I don't like MIUI. Do I need to do anything special before flashing MIUI?
nope, everything needed for any rom you flash will be included with the rom and installed along with the rom when you flash it.
Alright, thanks a bunch. I also have two more questions.
What's the difference between a ROM and a theme?
And what's a kernel?
g00s3y said:
Thats all about preference, some people like a stock looking rom, others like a highly tweaked rom.
skyraider 3.5 - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=764787
Check out that rom for a stock look but with many customization options so you can make it how you want basically.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it's exactly like how he puts it, it's all a matter of preference. What you like might not be what i like. There's a whole bunch of themes on top of the ROMS you use, so just take a while and go through each one until you find one that you really like. I prefer to the new sense roms and that's why i'm sticking with Uber Sense Rom. all a matter of what looks and feels good for you!
Meetii said:
Alright, thanks a bunch. I also have two more questions.
What's the difference between a ROM and a theme?
And what's a kernel?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A rom is basically the base of everything, the tweaks in software and all of that is your rom. So to put it into perspective, it's windows 7. And what you have with themes is the overlay that goes over that. If you prefer a black overlay, if you prefer your start menu somewhere else, everything can be changed according to how the developer feels like. Some developers primarily do ROMs, others do themes, rarely do any do both.
A kernel is harder to explain, if i had to think of a way to relate it to computers, it would be the equivalent of BIOS. It gives you tweaks in speed and battery life. With a properly done kernel, you're phone will have a LOT more battery life, and have faster speeds. Now, not all people's phones react the same way to kernels. What kernel works for me, might not work for you. The kernel i use might give me days of battery life, while when you use it, it might end up giving you hours of battery life. Everyone's phone reacts different, there's no universal kernel that works best for everyone.
Thanks guys, I really like the MIUI theme so I'm going to stick with it. I don't think I'm going to mess with kernels though. Being that I don't want to mess up my phone again.
if you find that you want to flash a kernel later, it's pretty simple. Download the file, then flash like you would a rom, pretty simple haha.
Slight issue...
On the MIUI ROM, I downloaded a theme with the application it came with for downloading theme. After doing so, I went to install it on said application and now it's stuck on the MIUI booting screen and it's been about 15 minutes. Should I unplug the battery...or what?
EDIT: Problem solved.
I have an Incredible that I have rooted with unrevoked. I rooted it after I received the ota update with froyo and have done nothing else. I have yet to put a rom on since I really don't want to download and install all of my apps again and tweak my preferences. All that being said I want to do some things to customize my phone and have read about other ways to customize with roms, what things am I able to do? Here are some of the things I would love to be able to do to my phone:
Color Notification Icons - Is there a way? I tried one months ago and my phone crashed so I had to do a nandroid restore.
Change Lockscreen - Is there a way I can change the slider? Different color or something?
Blue Theme - I'd love to change all the places that are green to blue, such as when dialing or navigating around on the phone.
Is there anything else you guys have done to your Incredible that sets it apart? I really love to customize and tweak things to make it my own. Thanks for reading and helping out guys.
Android314 said:
<...>
Color Notification Icons - Is there a way? I tried one months ago and my phone crashed so I had to do a nandroid restore.
This is easiest to do using CM6/7 and applying a theme pack
Change Lockscreen - Is there a way I can change the slider? Different color or something
> Not many customizations have been made to the HTC lockscreen. You can find a few metamorphs for VANILLA lockscreens to make it look like the Droid 2 / R2D2
Blue Theme - I'd love to change all the places that are green to blue, such as when dialing or navigating around on the phone.
> I use the Galaxy S theme for CM6, this did a pretty good job of the blue theme
Is there anything else you guys have done to your Incredible that sets it apart? I really love to customize and tweak things to make it my own. Thanks for reading and helping out guys.
Minimalistic Text Widget & Launcher Pro are your friends
I also LOVE sonnysekhon's themes for CM7.
Good luck, have fun, nandroid, rinse, repeat
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Forgot, you aren't deodexed.... you really need a custom rom to be able to theme. If you want a stock sense you should look into virtuous... its pretty much stock, looks stock but is still custom. Then you can flash themes on it.....
A little off topic, but since I want to learn...
What exactly is deodexed? I remember moving *.odex files from system apps I didn't want after I rooted.
And that's a bummer, I'd hate to have to install all of my apps again after flashing to a new rom. I have looked at both Virtuous and Vanilla in the past but didn't want to deal with all of the extra work afterwards. I'm unsure what CM6/CM7 is, I'm about to google it.
Is there anything I am able to do besides what I've mentioned?
Try flashing virtuous without wiping data, just wipe caches. like I said before, that's pretty much a stock sense rom. You should be ok and not need to re set up your stuff. If not, restore nandroid.
___________________________________
Yup.... The ones yoe momma told ya about.... Bad Seed Customs!!
Android314 said:
A little off topic, but since I want to learn...
What exactly is deodexed? I remember moving *.odex files from system apps I didn't want after I rooted.
And that's a bummer, I'd hate to have to install all of my apps again after flashing to a new rom. I have looked at both Virtuous and Vanilla in the past but didn't want to deal with all of the extra work afterwards. I'm unsure what CM6/CM7 is, I'm about to google it.
Is there anything I am able to do besides what I've mentioned?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If your main concern about trying out ROM's is having to re-download all of your apps, I have an app for that
Titanium Backup
Super simple. It lets you back up the apps you downloaded. Here's what you do:
1. Download Titanium Backup from the market
2. Individually back up your apps using Ti - WARNING! DO NOT BACK UP SYSTEM DATA. Also don't back up Gmail/Maps/anything stock that's going to be in the new ROM. Titanium shows items in red that you shouldn't back up, so it shouldn't be too hard. Rule of thumb: if you downloaded it yourself, back it up, if not, stay away
3. Download your new ROM and put it on your SD card
4. Wipe
5. Flash new ROM - FYI CM7 stands for "CyanogenMod 7" which is a really popular AOSP ROM
6. Sign in with your Google account/Facebook/etc.
7. Download Titanium backup > Batch > Restore apps
You're going to have to click "Install" for every app you backed up if you've got the free version, the paid one does it for you.
You're also going to have to do your other tweaks (ringtones, autorotate, etc.) manually as Ti can't do that, but I think it's well worth the initial time investment to get a better/faster/more customizable ROM
TL;DR: Titanium Backup backs up your apps. If you want customization, you need a new ROM. If you want Sense, SkyRaider 3.5 or Incredibly Re-engineered 2.3.1 is best for customization (both have blue themes available), but Virtuous gives you the most "stock" feel. If you want AOSP, can't do much better than CyanogenMod7 for theming
EDIT: In response to your original post...
Colored Notifications are only going to work on a deodexed ROM (aka Virtuous/SkyRaider) - there is a rooted/deodexed stock ROM floating around that rmk40 posted (he also created Virtuous)
WidgetLocker is a paid app that can change your lockscreen - and here's a really popular app on modding the stock options it gives to your liking: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=825553
Cyanogenmod7 or CM7 is basically one of the most badass roms available, it's not only the newest of the cyanogenmod series but it's also built off of android 2.3 Gingerbread, so no having to wait for the actual legit GB release like everyone that's not rooted. If you want to see it in action look for it on youtube, otherwise to learn about it go to cyanogenmod.com or cyanogenmod.com/forums, everyone there is very helpful. I am running the RC1 of CM7, there is a few nightly builds after that so far but I'm just gonna stick with the first release canidate until RC2 hits.
I'd say the main reason I rooted was to try out different ROMs. I know you said you want to leave all your preferences and apps untouched, but I quickly got over that. I got all my contacts organized in GMail so that they sync every time I flash a new ROM. Each ROM has different preferences to play around with. For apps, I realized what I needed to do was just choose a few really important ones so I wouldn't have to spend all day setting up my apps for each new ROM.
I'd recommend doing a nandroid backup in recovery and trying out a few different ROMs. Try MIUI and Cyanogenmod 7, they're great. When your done you can restore your nandroid backup and get back to exactly where you are right now.
If you decide you want to stick with a new ROM, you can use Titanium Backup to restore your important app data, like someone else pointed out.
Once you're rooted there is a whole new world of opportunities...have fun!
Ok you guy's have got me very interested now. I think I want to move forward now! That cm7 looks great and I'd love to move to gingerbread. I was curious since this is the nightly beta release if I could later get the updates without flashing a rom again and restoring my apps. I had also heard I would have to flash more files like the radio after the install too. I'll have to read more on this.
Use Titanium Backup for all your apps and their data where you can put them all back on your new ROM.
You can do a full backup via Clock Works so if you don't like the new ROM or don't want to deal with any more of this new stuff then you can revert exactly to where you were before.
> For the lockscreen you can uninstall the lockscreen and then the default android one will be there.
To change the main look and feel you can try Launcher Pro from the market. It's pretty sweet. I use it with my custom ROM just because I love the cube transition and how you can hide a lot of the useless apps in the app drawer.
If you dont want to load a custom rom but would like to just theme there is a deodexed completely stock rom around here that will give you that option. All you need to do is flash in recovery and since you are going from a stock rom to another stock rom you do not need to wipe/clear anything so all of your apps and settings will remain intact.
you can consider just flashing skyraiders 3.5 and then not doing anything fancy. It's very close to stock with little improvements around so you might find that to be a good start.
Thanks for all of the comments and suggestions guys. For right now I think I am going to wait for a stable release of CM7 before I flash a rom. I really want Gingerbread but not an unstable release of it. I am looking at LauncherPro now and thinking of checking out ADW. I've watched some different videos on both, which do you guys think is better?
I also did one mod I'm happy about, I changed the market app to the themed "Black Market" with the different icon and appearance. I think I am going to look for some transparent apps next to do something different. I with there was more I could do with my stock rom, it sucks not being deodexed. Anything else worthwhile to look into?
Android314 said:
For right now I think I am going to wait for a stable release of CM7 before I flash a rom. I really want Gingerbread but not an unstable release of it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
CM7 is incredibly stable for only being at RC1....
I use it everyday now (Occasionally flashing something for fun) and I have NO problems with it.
If you flash CM7 RC1 you won't regret it. Just my two cents.
How long would anyone guess the final release will take? I think I am just going to keep an eye on it's progress and eventually switch. While it may be working well now I just feel uneasy about flashing that rom now, even though I can restore a backup. I'm having some fun now customizing my phone with Launcher Pro. I certainly like the customizable dock over the Sense dock. I'm trying to search for mods I can do with my non-deodexed rom but not too much luck. Thanks for the thoughts everyone!
I used to be like you so just as some insight from someone who remembers being where you are. Don't worry about cm7 rc1 or the newest nighlys, they're very stable. Although for a stock sense experience, one fun rom I've found to be fun and really have me flashing back and forth with cm7 is incredibly re engineered. With Chad's kernel its super fast, battery efficient and stable.
So ymmv but cm rc's are generally pretty stable. And incredibly re engineered is also a great choice
Sent from my ADR6300 using XDA App
ok i am a noob and just like the guy before i am rooted and using hydra oc kernal but stock rom froyo 2.2 and preaty much same reasons as the other guy for not flashing a rom yet. i think my main problem is just not quite sure of all the details yet. someone mentioned making a backup through clockwork i did that, chose the backup and restore option, but not sure what all this actualy backs up...everything? or just parts, and also little hazy on the kernel/rom workable combinations... how do you know which ones can be used together and which will brick or what ever may be the consiquencess, i only have had my phone little over a month, so i still working up my courage too. gained some today my wife's got same phone and had hers rooted with same kernel, and needed to return it cause having sms, and call issues. i was able to return hers to stock and s-on. so that really boosted my confidence, i know alot of it is just brute force reading to learn but i never was much on long reads, so i usualy read other peoples mastakes and not do that and try everything else in time... kinda of an ass-backwards way of doing it but does tend to cut down on the reading...lol so any tips you want to throw at me i am listening...
funny i just found that htc had a phone named Thoth, but i guess it was canceled or something...to bad liked the name...
well thank you all in advance!
Azag Thoth said:
ok i am a noob and just like the guy before i am rooted and using hydra oc kernal but stock rom froyo 2.2 and preaty much same reasons as the other guy for not flashing a rom yet. i think my main problem is just not quite sure of all the details yet. someone mentioned making a backup through clockwork i did that, chose the backup and restore option, but not sure what all this actualy backs up...everything? or just parts, and also little hazy on the kernel/rom workable combinations... how do you know which ones can be used together and which will brick or what ever may be the consiquencess, i only have had my phone little over a month, so i still working up my courage too. gained some today my wife's got same phone and had hers rooted with same kernel, and needed to return it cause having sms, and call issues. i was able to return hers to stock and s-on. so that really boosted my confidence, i know alot of it is just brute force reading to learn but i never was much on long reads, so i usualy read other peoples mastakes and not do that and try everything else in time... kinda of an ass-backwards way of doing it but does tend to cut down on the reading...lol so any tips you want to throw at me i am listening...
funny i just found that htc had a phone named Thoth, but i guess it was canceled or something...to bad liked the name...
well thank you all in advance!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check out the rooting guide here http://dimedroid.blogspot.com, some great info on backup & restore procedures
Sent from my ADR6300 using XDA Premium App
i have never installed any custom rom yet.. i just saw cyanogenmod 7 was released and stable... heard it's the best rom out there... but is it worth installing it over htc desire's stock rom? i am starting to have some performance issues as i haev installed tons of apps on my desire.. will the performance be better on cyanogenmod 7?
yeahman45 said:
i have never installed any custom rom yet.. i just saw cyanogenmod 7 was released and stable... heard it's the best rom out there... but is it worth installing it over htc desire's stock rom? i am starting to have some performance issues as i haev installed tons of apps on my desire.. will the performance be better on cyanogenmod 7?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes, it is worth it but it does not have sense so if you are a fan of it you might want to flash leedroid
Define "performance".... apps opening faster? yes. Keep in mind, you will have a new launcher.
Battery life? Definately. I have about a 90% battery life improvement over my stock Desire ROM. Keep in mind, my phone is an east european model, compared to branded phones in the US, which means I didn't get bloatware installed.
Also, when you upgrade to CyanogenMod7, you can install setcpu, and overclock your processor. In addition, I run profiles to throttle back the processor speed if the battery reaches a certain percentage.
I can run, normal usage (without films) at least 2 days without recharge.
I run their RC3, just can't seem to think why I should update to their "stable" version. The only noticable thing I see, is that screen brightness doesn't seem to hold (get brighter). But a tiny annoyance.
Also, I would suggest updating the normal way to 2.29 first. I'm not an android programmer by any means, but have heard it also flashes the radio version,which can be important when flashing custom ROMs.
CyanogenMod has put tons of work into their ROM. Probably more than anybody out there. You won't be dissappointed.
There are a couple of other good ROMs out there as well. Oxygen, Gingervillian, and Muiu (spelling). But I only read about them.
If you have any problems, please ask BEFORE you brick your phone.
theyau said:
yes, it is worth it but it does not have sense so if you are a fan of it you might want to flash leedroid
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, forgot about sense, but really, I don't see much of a difference between running stock HTC and CyanogenMod.
Or maybe I am ignorant (staring at too many posts for too many days)
Sense has left me......
i am tempted for the battery life... maybe i will flash it tomorrow... it will be my first flash so... thinking well before doing it.. lol ... how's phone quality? are stuff like camera (recording and photo) improved?
yeahman45 said:
i am tempted for the battery life... maybe i will flash it tomorrow... it will be my first flash so... thinking well before doing it.. lol ... how's phone quality? are stuff like camera (recording and photo) improved?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They added some options for video, mostly effects. I like the B/W for video. Camera quality is good. No difference from stock as far as I can see.
A lot more control as far as how your phone behaves (animations, etc). In fact, more options than I need.
You will miss some of the stock widgets though. And will have to get from the market.
Currently, I'm in the process of extracting the APK's from HTC's zip (between extreme beer sessions), and will see if they work correctly. They had a good Office app. and the weather widget.
If you do flash, you will need to also get the flash file for google apps and flash both at the same time. Then, afterwords, you can go to the market again, and get what you need.
Ohhhhh.... root your phone first.
already rooted my phone.. download rom manager from market.. probably will be using it to install cm7
yeahman45 said:
already rooted my phone.. download rom manager from market.. probably will be using it to install cm7
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I prefer to install it the old fashioned way, rather than Rom Manager. Although it's nice to flash the clockwork recovery.
I copy it to the root, goto hboot, recovery, wipe all caches, then run both updates. Cyan and googleapps
Remember, to a recovery backup on your phone, BEFORE flashing any new ROM.
They have TONS of instructions here.
Good luck.
i am going to follow this guide
http://wiki.cyanogenmod.com/index.php?title=HTC_Desire_(GSM):_Full_Update_Guide
is it for cyanogenmod 6 or is it also valid for cm7?
installed cm7 finally.. got some issues but finally it's fine... only thing i couldn't install yet is app2sd... ext formatting done through rom manager doesn't seem to work... and i missed installation of the gmail app (i installed google addons for cm7) and when i started the phone, it asked whether to download and install gmail app.. i skipped thinking i would be able to install it later or recover it from my titanium backup...
i could not install it later.... and i messed up with my backup (i forgot to copy the license file...darn... i only copied the titanium backup folder thinking everything was there)..
first impressions.. i miss htc sense... not a big fan of adw launcher and most widgets not as good as htc sense ones... battery does not seem to be better.. is actually a buit worse than the stock rom (which was good imo)... maybe i need to re-calibrate my battery?
haven't installed a lot of apps yet so can't evaluate performance for now (performance was good on stock rom until i installed lots of apps and moved them to sd)... cm7 is more ugly than stock rom imo. will continue to use it and get more used to it... but overall.. i am missing stock rom... ( a lot of features seem missing or need fixing in cm7)
Hi guys,
I own a Motorola Defy currently running on Froyo 2.2.
I've been reading the guide threads on installing a custom ROM and I am interested in trying it out.
I am currently focused on CM7.
However, I just want to confirm that going through this process is going be advantageous. My current stock Froyo installation is stable but can sometimes be a bit slow. Would CM7 (running Gingerbread) be a smoother ROM overall? Also would I be able to get better battery life, or overclock my CPU to a higher clock speed? Are there other advantages?
Apologies if this question has been asked before. I tried searching but could not find any direct information on why I should change from stock.
If u just want a faster and a bit smoother rom just install 2nd init to overclock yr cpu. If you are looking for speed and performance then CM7 and lastly Miui for beauty and customization. U can have a different theme for your stausbar, sms etc. And if you don't like the iphone style launcher of miui then u can always install a different launcher In terms of battery life it depends but custom roms usually have less battery life from what i have seen. Hope this helps
Shahmatt said:
Apologies if this question has been asked before. I tried searching but could not find any direct information on why I should change from stock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i dont think anyone can give you any reason why YOU should change your ROM, but they can give you reasons why they changed theirs... its all a matter of preference, if you want a stable and reliable phone with everything working fine then you can stick with stock rom (or is it really reliable?? debatable hehe)
or you can go for ROMS that have beautiful interfaces, good battery life, lots of functions, fast and smooth... there are lots of options, its best you try it out yourself, i personally prefer CM7.1 while a friend of mine loves CMIUI...
I think just rooting the phone by itself will give you quite a few advantages, personally I didn't see much difference in at first battery life by using CM7, 7.1, 7.2....but those give a good bit more freedom, and if you want to you can turn your phone into a speed demon (the stock defy....is....not...) or a battery sipper that lasts for a while.
It's mostly just the freedom.
I root and use custom ROMs because I like to tinker it's the same reason I use Linux more than windows. I like to be able to change things and yes sometimes I break things but then I get to learn how to fix them.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk
Thanks for the responses.
Would the CM7 jump from Froyo to Gingerbread show a significant improvement?
Shahmatt said:
Thanks for the responses.
Would the CM7 jump from Froyo to Gingerbread show a significant improvement?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes.
I use MIUI. Exactly WajkUI.
Faster and all ways better than stock ROM.
CM 7 is good also but I think it has an old and boring user interface.
If you're installing a Custom ROM it is not only that you get Gingerbread (this is actually the smaller thing), you get a different user experience, a fresh design (no Motoblur anymore), more customizations and tweaks.
My favorite in terms of stability, smoothness and speed was Galnet MIUI (before I switched to CM9 but that's not really final...), imho MIUI looks better, has nice built in apps and an awesome theme support (you can customize everything like the status bar, boot animation, font, lockscreen...). CM7 was a tiny bit less stable for me, it looks more like plain stock Gingerbread and you have some additional advanced settings.
Shahmatt said:
Thanks for the responses.
Would the CM7 jump from Froyo to Gingerbread show a significant improvement?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes of course
I tried it myself and CM 7.1 is more stable
Thanks all for your help.
I think I will indeed go ahead and try a custom ROM.
I notice MIUI also seems to have a following. Can anyone point me to the relevant ROM forum link? I can't seem to find it in the Android Development Forum. :-/
I intend to use the instructions shown in the following link in order to flash a new ROM:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1054447
Am I right in assuming that steps 1 to 9 must be universal to all Defy's and that step 10 is where you flash the ROM of your choice?
There are indeed a few different miui variations that often different mods and add-ons. U can try the official english builds with no tweaks and mods just translated to english at miuiandroid.com or other english variation at miui.us or one with awesome mods and tweaks that i recommend will be wajkiui ics or ics miui dsj from the forums or galnetmiui from galnetmiui.co.uk.
Yes the steps are universal but a bit outdated.
U can't download 2ndinit from market anymore just get latest apk from here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1032212
Make sure you're on froyo if not you won't be able to downgrade or use any custom roms as they use froyo as base.
Also have your files ready on your sd card before you start this.
Steps
1. Backup your apps using titanium backup root or mybackup root additional you can backup your contacts and messages by selecting data in mybackup root
2.Download superoneclick from here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=803682. Use the 2.11 version easiest and quickest to root froyo
3.Connect your phone to PC. Right click superoneclick -> open as admin
4.Wait till it says waiting for device then go to your phone in settings->Applications->Development check usb debugging is on
5.After your phone is rooted. Uncheck usb debugging and restart your mobile.
5.Now switch your phone on again and check usb debugging is on then download 2nd init from here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1032212 and install the 2nd init recovery. It will ask the superuser permission Accept it. If the led light is green then 2ndinit was successfully installed.
6. Now Uncheck the USB debugging from Settings->Applications->Development and restart the phone now.
7.It will go in to bootmenu select 2nd init as default boot. Using the volume rocker to navigate and power button to select
8.Go back and click recovery -> Custom recovery ->* Wipe data/factory and Wipe cache and also go to advance and clear dalvik cache -> Install zip file from sd card(select the cm7 zip, repeat with the gapps zip) If it's miui no need to flash gapps
12. Reboot. Go to app drawer and start up the defy baseband switcher. select the appropriate baseband to achieve optimal reception.
Thanks to stewi21 for the original guide. If u need more help pm me or ask on the forums.
Happy Modding
If you are a us tmobile user, you almost certainly need wifi calling as the service stinks in closed spaces. So using a custom rom based on other than us froyo will eliminate that option...come on guys get it fixed please!
Thanks Kayant for the modified instructions. Many thanks also to others for the help.
So I went ahead and installed CM7. I figured I'll try the rest after having done a basic install to begin with.
It's pretty much the default Gingerbread experience I see. Quite smooth. A little disappointed that standard google apps like Gmail and Maps were not included but I soon settled this through the market.
Funny thing but Titanium Backup has seemingly not backed up some software like a paid version of Quick Office and Math Workout. Strange to me.
Battery life seems not much changed from the previous stock Froyo however I probably should give it a few days to stabilize.
Shahmatt said:
Thanks Kayant for the modified instructions. Many thanks also to others for the help.
Funny thing but Titanium Backup has seemingly not backed up some software like a paid version of Quick Office and Math Workout. Strange to me.
Battery life seems not much changed from the previous stock Froyo however I probably should give it a few days to stabilize.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure that you have selected the paid apps when you backupped them with Titanium? I never had such issues.
Battery life: Have you already recalibrated the battery after installing CM7.1? Af not, after installing a new ROM simply use the app "battery calibration" from the market to improve battery life.
Ok so I'm not experiencing good battery life.
I tried recalibrating but the improvements seem negligible if any.
I'm getting about 10 hours on a full charge with moderate use.
I tried changing the CPU governor in the boot menu. I switched from on-demand to smartass, and now to powersave. Oddly enough powersave seems to be worse than smartass. With smartass it seemed the battery drain was slower, but still not significantly so.
I would like the phone to comfortably last at least 12 hours wth moderate use. Moderate being about 8 mins of calls per hour on average.
I guess it I ought to downclock the CPU from the default 1000MHz to the original 800MHz. But I don't understand the settings properly. I see numbers 300, 600, and 1000, but what do these mean? Can I just simply change 1000 to 800 to reduce the upperbound frequency, or is there more that I should do?
The main thing I see as an advantage is speed. My phone is 3x faster now that I have CM7
I just installed miui and im stuck... where is the app drawer???? Am i blind??
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App
There's no appdrawer. Miui's look a like IPhone.
Sent from my MB526 using xda premium
Ok, well im still stuck i cant get my network connection...im with telus on hspa
I see that for cm7 i can select a baseband with a well done app. It works very well so i am happy to see that i am still able to get a network connection somehow but i would prefer to use miui and it does not seem to find anything like if i did not get antenna conections with the rom. I tried miui on; miuiandroid.com 1.12.30 and an optimized version from a user on xda on another tread, after that i tried miui.us on version 1.12.23 and 1.12.30 and it always gives me the same exact result where i dont get any connection.
Since i was not able to get my connections i tried cm7 and i am facing another problem, i cant instal google. i went on filecrop and searched gogleapps and found 2 results, one apk that does not work and one zip file. I try installing googleapps.zip right after installing cm7.zip (the version from the cm defy link on the official site) and it just loops between the android skating and the start sceen for selecting wich language or a choice of start wizard and another one that i dont remember. Even if i reboot i get the same problem and if i try installing the rom without googleapps.zip all works great but i cant get google apps of course so i am shure it is when i instal the google.zip. So now what can i do?? Is there a super version of the rom with google apps already installed???
update; ok, ive got cm7 up and working, now to get that network connection on miui!!!!
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App
baseband switcher is built into CM7/9...
it can be installed on MIUI to allow regular reception ^^
I wub MIUI...
PS - Why install custom ROM? So, your not stock! <<= never look back