Develop Bugs

[Q] Use a ROM or just delete stock apk's with Root Explorer?

I noticed in the Advanced Task Manager that the bloatware apps I never use are always running. Amazon MP3, Google Voice, Sprint Football Live, etc.
I want to get rid of them to maximize battery life. I used to flash ROMs on my previous phone but the options for the Evo seem a lot more custom, with some not supporting certain standard phone features.
Is the best thing in my case to flash a ROM to get a clean task list (I want to keep all normal functions including Sense), and if so which one, or would it be better to delete all the stock apk's manually with Root Explorer?
Also I flashed the kernel at http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=719763 which I thought would boost my Fps2D rates above 30 but it hasn't made a difference.

Most of the custom ROMs are based off Sense, so the easy way to go would be to flash one and call it a day. Most of the bloatware will already be removed for you, and they all have performance tweaks as well. I use Fresh 3.2.0.0 as my daily driver and recommend it highly. Other good ones that I've tried are Evio, Virus, and Baked Snack.
Which kernel did you flash? I'm pretty sure that all of Netarchy's kernels have the fps uncapped so there might be something else going on. I hate to ask this, but are you sure you flashed it properly? Go to menu > settings > about phone > software information and make sure that your kernel version is the one you intended to flash.

Ok thanks. I guess my main concern was that some roms seemed to have a different UI in the screenshots.
How should I restore my apps, Titanium or nandroid?

It's just a skin over the SenseUI. All the Sense functionality is still there.
Nandroid doesn't restore your apps, it restores your entire system and returns your phone to the exact condition it was in when you made the nandroid.
Titanium is a great utility and makes it painless to to try out new ROMs. Back up your user apps and settings and then restore after you flash the new ROM.

I definitely want to keep everything as close to stock as possible without the bloatware. CM6 is out because it doesn't have Sense, so what's the second best? I am looking at about 8 options right now and the details seem like a lot to parse through, so I appreciate your insight.

If that's the case then maybe just keep the stock ROM and delete the bloatware. Titanium actually has a setting called Chuck Norris mode that lets you delete the bloatware. Just be sure to back it up before you delete it just in case you deleted something important. There are a couple threads here that have lists of .apks that are safe to remove, I suggest you do a search and find them so you know what is and isn't safe.
What did you figure out about the kernel and your fps?

Ok, thanks I'll give that a shot. I may end up trying CM6 anyway as I don't have 4G in my area and I'm curious to see what the alternative to Sense is.
You were right about the kernel. It was showing the stock kernel under software info, so I flashed netarchy's again and am up to 54 stdev 4 on Fps2D now. Thanks!

aph said:
I noticed in the Advanced Task Manager that the bloatware apps I never use are always running. Amazon MP3, Google Voice, Sprint Football Live, etc.
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Do I want to know why you installed Google Voice yourself (Sprint doesn't ship it), but yet call it bloatware and don't simply remove it?
Exactly how do you expect GV to do what it does, and *not* be running? You don't *want* voicemail notifications?
As for the other apps, this is Android, not Windows. Just because something is in the task list doesn't mean it's consuming CPU cycles.

posguy99 said:
I want to know why you installed Google Voice yourself (Sprint doesn't ship it)
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Good point, must have picked it up in the Market myself.
As for the other apps, this is Android, not Windows. Just because something is in the task list doesn't mean it's consuming CPU cycles.
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Thanks for this clarification, I was not aware of this distinction. My impression was that all tasks use up cycles. Is there more information about this somewhere?
On another note, the Fusion Froyo ROM looks like it might do just about what I'm looking for so I think I'll give that a shot: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=744368

aph said:
Thanks for this clarification, I was not aware of this distinction. My impression was that all tasks use up cycles. Is there more information about this somewhere?
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There's a ton on info on the subject, but the most thorough write-up I've found can be read here. it as written before froyo, but it's even more true now.

fachadick said:
There's a ton on info on the subject, but the most thorough write-up I've found can be read here. it as written before froyo, but it's even more true now.
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Excellent info, thanks very much for that.
I ended up trashing the Task Killer app and using this instead to monitor battery: http://www.appbrain.com/app/nextapp.systempanel

aph said:
Excellent info, thanks very much for that.
I ended up trashing the Task Killer app and using this instead to monitor battery: http://www.appbrain.com/app/nextapp.systempanel
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
very cool - that was one of the first apps I actually bought, and I would say that its a "must have" for folks that get into the nitty gritty of their phones or are trying to hunt down rougue apps. It's great not just for the battery monitor, either. I did a mini-write up for it just today in another thread here.

fachadick said:
very cool - that was one of the first apps I actually bought, and I would say that its a "must have" for folks that get into the nitty gritty of their phones or are trying to hunt down rougue apps. It's great not just for the battery monitor, either. I did a mini-write up for it just today in another thread here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bump for the awesomeness that is SystemMonitor. I hope people realize they shouldn't be using task killers or SetCPU as Android automatically modulates both of those to maximize battery life.
IMO the best option to further battery life is to use an awesome kernel. I personally prefer Netarchy 4.1.9.1 with HAVS for the familiarity, stability and voltage modulation, but the newest HTC kernel included with Fresh 3.2.0 is supposed to be even better. King's is also reported to be close to improving battery life as much as the newest HTC one does.

I know, that new kernel is supposed to be sick. I can't wait for more devs to start tearing it up in their own releases.
Sent from my blah blah blah blah

Common misconceptions and other useful information (Updated 10/12/2010)

I decided to write this to clarify a lot of the misconceptions around here. This is also good information for people who are new to modding their phones, the Evo in particular. I see a lot of the same questions being asked over and over so here is some information that some may find useful. I will also warn people if I know that what they are doing can potentially destroy their phone or cause it to stop working properly.
RADIO/WIMAX/PRI/NV UPDATES: I see a lot of questions concerning this. Like, "Oh wow, the new HTC build # 3.29.651.5 is out. I installed it and for some reason I still have the same Radio and PRI. What version should I have?"
Answer: The same! Funny thing is a lot of people asking this question have flashed a few ROMS and should know the answer. But still, updating any of the 4 stick regardless of what ROM you are running. Once you flash them, those are the versions you have until you re-flash to update them. ROMS and any of the 4 updates are a separate entity. (ROMS CAN contain radio updates within them, but none that I have found that are not custom have radio updates built it. It is just possible to do, for arguments sake.)
WARNINGS: KNOW THE DANGERS INVOLVED WITH WHAT YOU ARE DOING
1. Flashing radios from another handset can make your Evo stop working correctly. Only use radios made for an Evo. Period.
2. Common knowledge is to always use the latest radios for the best performance, battery life, and signal. I see this in a lot of ROM threads. While true, radio updates and the like can be tricky at times. Make sure you do those updates separate from any other installation. I do not recommend doing a ROM and radio flash at the same time.
3. Did you know flashing your Radio can break 4G? It can. Each phone has a unique encryption key for the 4G. So let's say Grace buys an Evo and I want her radio update. So I take the update off her phone and add it to mine. Well, it will probably work, but there is a chance it will overwrite my keys and then what happens? Well, if Grace is using 4G, I cannot use it at the same time since we have the same keys now! Now you have two handsets with one set of keys. There is a way to fix it (will update with link soon) but still, did you know you can mess it up?
4. While it is always best to use the latest, I suggest EVERYONE (regardless of anything else) should have a copy of a rooted 2.2 ROM. This way you can at least restore your radios to a working state in almost every case.
5. While there might be fixes out there listed (if you do screw it up), do you have the ability to use them? What if that fix does not work on your phone?
6. Ivide Infra brought this up, "Doesn't a Nandroid back up everything, including radios?" No it does not! I read that there is a way to back radios up using Amon RA recovery but not sure if it is true or not. I cannot seem to find that post again and I looked (didn't look hard, but still). This is a good example of a situation where you think you have a safety net but may find out there is none if something goes wrong.
The moral of the story? Read up on something before you do it, especially if it is something you are trying for the first time.
What ROM works best for me? I see this a lot.
Answer: I don't know, nor does anyone else. This is like asking your buddy at the party which girl you should try and hook up with.
You have to try a few because we all have our preferences. (ROMS, not the women!) Some like Sense, some hate it. Some want a stock ROM with added features, others want a totally customized ROM that is radically different that stock (like CM6). You know you have the right ROM when it has everything you want and everything you use works. You have to try as many as you can until you find the right one for you.
A better thing to do is tell people what you want in a ROM and ask what ROM they suggest after they get an idea of what you are looking for. Try their suggestions but still try a few that seem to be what you are looking for. The first post in all of the ROM pages on here have detailed information about the ROM; read up and find out what the ROM has to offer. If you need your phone for important stuff (like work), I highly suggest you do not use a RC (release candidate) or especially a Beta ROM (unless the description claims everything works). It may decide not to work at the worst possible moment!
If you are happy with your phone at stock yet want to have the benefits of being rooted with super user ability, use a stock ROM that is already rooted.
You also have to be aware that some ROMS can have issues. Sometimes stuff will not work when you try and use them (for example, 4G, HDMI, Cameras, and FM Radio to name a few). You really have to read the known problems and if it sounds like something you use will not work or if you want a completely 100% working device, do not use a ROM that says something is not working. Double that if it is something you use often.
Lastly, if you really want a ROM that has everything you want, you will have to learn how to make your own. Please do, I have released the second version of my ROM, feel free to check it out! (Link is in my signature)
After rooting, how do I install a ROM?
Answer: Through your recovery. It is always highly suggested to wipe data, cache, Dalvik. Here is the steps (this is how I do it and have not had any problems yet.)
Before flashing, ALWAYS do a Nandroid backup in case anything goes wrong! Do this periodically to keep your phone able to be restored in case of problems. I also suggest doing a full backup with Titanium Backup before you proceed.
1. Copy the ROM and optionally the radio/WIMAX/PRI/NV updates, kernel, and theme you plan on using (if any) to the root of your SD card. Hook up your USB cable to your computer, then on your phone switch from charge only to disk drive mode. Your phone's SD card pops up and then you can copy/paste your files onto there.
2. Make sure the transfer is complete and then power down your phone.
3. Reboot into recovery. Do this by holding the volume down key on your phone as you turn it back on.
4. Your phone will enter Hboot, let it load up for a few seconds, then use volume down to go to recovery. Press power to enter recovery. (NOTE: if you select recovery and your phone shows a disk icon with an exclamation mark your recovery is either missing or damaged and needs to be reflashed. That or you may not be fully rooted.)
5. Once in recovery (using Amon RA as my example) you go down to the wipe menu and hit your power button.
6. Once in the wipe menu, I usually do them in the order they are listed. First do a data wipe, then cache, then Davlik. I then tend to do a SD: EXT wipe, battery stats, and rotate settings as well just for good measure. Some recommend doing this twice, but I have never had to and think that is unnecessary.
7. Now you are ready to flash away (reminder, did you do a backup first? If not get to it before doing step 6!). Now you have a choice but I prefer to do it my way. You can flash everything at once, or reboot after each item. I do the reboot after each personally. Flash them in this order: ROM, kernel, theme, Radio/WIMAX/NV/PRI. You can try to flash the ROM and custom kernel afterwards only, then do the rest after rebooting.
8. If everything went well, your phone should take a long time to boot up the first time. Be patient. If it went well, within about 5-7 minutes or less the ROM should load up.
9. If your phone gets stuck on the EVO Screen or the boot animation repeats itself, that means the ROM did not take correctly. Do a full reset by taking out the battery for about 10 second and then reboot and see if it fixes the problem. If it happens again try and start over from step 6. Redo the wiping and flashing process. Also, if flashing more than one at a time, try doing each one, then rebooting before you flash the other.
10. If you do it again and still experience problems, check to see if you are fully rooted. If you determine you are indeed fully rooted, try and reinstall the rooted version of the stock HTC ROM and then try flashing your custom ROM again.
11. If no problems, congratulations and enjoy your new ROM!
What kernel works best for my EVO? This is another question you will often see. A variation is, "What kernel/ROM combo works best?"
Answer: Well, a stock HTC kernel is the short answer. It will work with everyone's phone (well) and likely have some of the best battery life. Now that the newest kernel was just released and has already been rooted, it will work better than the custom kernels overall (as far as being universally compatible). Now that they removed the 30 frame per second limit on the Evo with the 3.29.651.5 kernel, there is less reasons to use a custom one. There are exceptions, of course. But if you want your phone to behave like stock and work well with your phone, a HTC kernel is the only one you need (unless you want stuff like audio tweaks, multi-touch, overclocking ability, or the ability to customize more. In that case, a custom kernel is better). Use the new one with the FPS fix though!
For a custom kernel, again we do not know. A kernel is just above the hardware (speaking of the layers). It is more important than finding the correct ROM. A ROM is more like preference. With a kernel, it is very important to find the correct one for your phone. It has a lot to do with how smooth or fast your phone acts. A kernel that works good for my Evo can run like **** on your Evo. Some phones will work better with Netarchy kernels, others will be better with a Kingklick. Some phone will work well with HAVS, other may hate it. That is how this stuff works!
Sometimes you will know immediately that you have the wrong kernel for your phone. Your phone will act up, restart, connection problems, graphical glitches, and all kinds of funkiness! Other times it may take a day or so of using your phone to spot potential problems. You know it is definitely the wrong kernel if your phone refuses to bootup, even after a battery pull!
Kingklick and Netarchy are the two who make the best for Sense based ROMS, which is most of them. The only exception is Cyanogen. You need to run a kernel made for his ROMS (which are AOSP based, not Sense.) His is the only exception unless they are made from Cyanogen's ROMS (use it as a base).
If running Sense, I would try a few of King's and Netarchy's kernels. I suggest using their latest and working your way down until you find the right one for your Evo. You will know when you have the right one when your phone runs smooth (you have to run them for a day and use them, see what happens.) and you do not encounter any problems that were not present before you switched kernels.
If using CM6 or any Cyanogen ROM build (older, nightlies, etc.) you have to use a kernel made for that ROM. Snap is a popular one. Again, you have to experiment to find the right one.
So the answer is find one that works good for you, stick with it. Or just use a HTC kernel if using Sense and call it a night!
With kernels, what is BFS and CFS? Which would work better for my phone?
Answer: CFS stands for Completely Fair Scheduler. BFS stands for Brain **** Scheduler (sounds fun, right?). These are two different ways that the phone's CPU uses to schedule events. Without getting into the technicalities, here is what I have found for my Evo. Your mileage may vary and again, you have to experiment to find which works better for your particular phone.
CFS: Generally more consistent, use when you want consistent performance and/or if BFS kernels do not work well with your phone. Sometimes will appear to be smoother than a BFS kernel in overall use. The stock HTC kernel uses CFS and it is more standard than BFS.
BFS: Generally a bit faster but a bit more inconsistent (might appear to slow down more and such). Usually faster overall performance but will not look as smooth as a CFS kernel (in general).
Another way to put it, CFS is closer to a flat line, if you drew a performance map it would have less peaks and more consistency. With BFS, there would be more peaks and higher peaks with the faster readings and lower peaks with the slower.
You will find that one or the other may work better for you, or fit your needs better. It is a good idea to try both and see your results. My phone seems to heavily favor CFS kernels and I like the overall smoothness and consistency better. To me, BFS often appears to be more laggy than a CFS kernel. Again, each phone is different though and my results may not match yours.
I want to unroot my phone, what is the best way to do this? If you want to root using a different method, or need to return your phone to where you got it from for any reason, read on.
Answer: You need to download a RUU and install it. You can download an older RUU or get a newer one. This will unroot your phone and make it look like you never rooted it in the first place. You can even do a RUU if your screen is busted, just always keep USB debugging on. To use it, follow the instructions in the RUU executable and do what it says.
Is a full wipe needed when changing kernels? (Thanks to m4rk0358 for this!)
Answer: No, a full wipe is not needed to install a different kernel. I do suggest you go into your recovery and wipe the Cache and Dalvik before installing the new kernel though. In most cases, you can just flash the new kernel over the last kernel. But a full wipe is completely unnecessary (unless you are coming off a kernel made for CM6, in that case a full wipe and flashing a stock HTC kernel is recommended before switching back to a custom kernel).
Overclocking: "How much should I overclock, what should my SetCPU settings be set at?"
Answer: In this new age of phones, we are seeing them become faster and faster. Now with SetCPU readily available and overclock-ready custom kernels, a lot of people are overclocking their phones. These same people also wonder why they are having poor battery life. You see a few posts a day with something like, "Well, I tried the new (insert kernel here) and I overclocked but I noticed I am getting poor battery life!"
The HTC Evo has some really nice components, including the 1 GHZ Snapdragon CPU and the graphics chipset is plenty powerful. Do you really need to make it faster? Considering now that the FPS is unlocked, the phone is as smooth as butter as it is. Most apps work smooth on less capable and older handsets.
Again, all phones have the same components but results will not be the same at all (well, some can have slight differences..for example: the touch screen can be different). Mine may overclock to 1288 MHz without a problem, yours may lock up before you reach 1200 MHz. This is how it works
Most are only overclocking 10-12% or less. While benchmarking scores will increase, you will not see a major difference in overall use of your phone. In fact, you might not see a difference at all.
So yeah, if you want to impress people you never met, overclock and post your screenies! For me, my phone is more than fast enough and eating up battery for little to no perceivable gain is not worth it. This is not a computer with fans and a cooling system that can be upgraded!
But hey, if you really feel you need to run your phone 5-10C hotter just to make it a tad bit faster, knock yourself out! You can either have better battery life, or make your phone faster. Generally you cannot have both.
If using a kernel with HAVS, you do not need SetCPU to under clock. That is exactly what HAVS does, lowers voltages when your phone is idling. You are defeating the purpose by using SetCPU. This is why Kingklick himself tells everyone not to use SetCPU with his kernels.
Is a Task Killer needed for Froyo? (Thank to beatblaster for this!)
Answer: Believe it or not, Android 2.2 does a fantastic job managing apps all by itself. The Android OS is designed to kill apps/tasks as resources are needed and usually only does so when it's absolutely necessary. Using a task killer app can be handy when you encounter an app that freezes or is otherwise stuck but to use it as the primary task killer (instead of letting the OS do its thing) is contrary to the built in efficiency of Froyo itself. Try to trust the OS. Though a task killer is still recommended for the odd lot who are still using Android 2.1 or lower!
Which recovery should I use: Amon Ra or Clockwork? What are the pros and cons of each? Does Clockwork really wipe the Dalvik?:
Answer: Amon RA. Amon RA works, does everything you need it to do, and does it well! I highly recommend using Amon RA, it is generally considered the superior of the two and does a better job of wiping. Everything is right there and it is extremely easy to use.
Clockwork is pretty good too, but here are some pros and cons of each. (I will list a few, there are more differences but I will cover what I can think of offhand).
Clockwork Download here
PROS:
Able to use Rom Manager to flash ROMS and perform other functions (This is by no means necessary though, that is what a Recovery is for and it is generally safer)
Able to read ROMS stored in any folder.
CONS:
Does not seem to work as well as Amon RA in doing it's job.
Rumor that it does not properly clean the Dalvik cache when wiping. You hit it and it does not seem to do anything. Some claim that they checked the Davlik after using it and it is indeed wiped.
Some (including myself) find it a little more clunky to use.
Amon RA Download here
PROS:
Generally considered to be a superior recovery as it is based on Cyanogen code (who is really good, let us just put it that way!) and there are lots of posts where people switched to Amon RA because they were having issues with Clockwork.
Easy access to all functions, no need to scroll through 5 no selections to reach to a yes!
I find it better laid out and functions are nicely categorized.
It works better than Clockwork. Fewer reports of problems.
CONS:
You can only read ROMS and files on the root of your SD card.
It does not play well with the program ROM Manager. Most functions on ROM Manager are only usable through Clockwork (considering the overall poor experience with ROM Manager trying to download ROMS that no longer exist, bad checksum ROMS that I downloaded through it, and other problems....IMO NOT a con. Plus, safer to flash through recovery anyhow.)
Do the signal bars indicate signal strength for the 3G? (Thank to LovethyEVO for this!)
Answer: No. It indicates the connection for just the phone connection. You can have good reception for calls and still get slow download speeds. Generally if you have good signal, you will have good download speeds though.
How do you wipe the battery stats, or how do you increase your battery life?
Answer: As you may or may not be aware, you cannot trickle charge the battery on these phones as they will blow up! To counter this, the last 10% of your battery is going to be a bit flakey. What the phone does is once the battery reaches 100%, the phone software will let the battery drop down to 90% before it allows more charging to take place. That is why you often can use your phone after a full day's charge and immediately be at around 90% for no apparent reason. When you reset battery stats, you are effectively resetting the phone's software. it will take a couple of days for it to relearn your battery and give you a more accurate result and more efficient recharge.
Battery recalibration (Thanks to Cyanogen for this and to fachadick for bringing it to my attention).
If you're experiencing higher than normal battery drain, try the following:
1. Charge the phone to full battery; let it keep charging until the battery says it is fully charged. Do not just wait until the light is green, it isn't always fully charged, causing a lot of inaccuracies. (You can check by going to: Settings -> About Phone -> Status -> Battery Level = Full.)
2. Boot to recovery and wipe battery stats.
(To have the most accurate of battery stats, reboot the phone immediately after wiping the battery stats and wait for your ROM to boot completely to the desktop. Once your entire boot is done and you have full access to the phone, go ahead and pull the charger and continue.)
3. Do not charge the phone until after draining the battery completely, resulting in it automatically shutting off. Take out the battery, and keep trying to turn on your phone until it will not turn back on at all.
4. Recharge the phone completely and then use as you normally would.
This is a method that has been proven to work, I am sure there are other ways. My battery lasts longer after doing this and the reading is much more accurate. It might be advisable to do this after every ROM install if you want the most battery life and most accurate battery reading by the phone's software.
I will add more and reserve a couple more slots, but I think this is a good start. Please feel free to offer suggestions or your own misconceptions and answer.

MY Take on SetCPU
SetCPU is a great program, does what it says, author is good and keeps it updated. I have nothing against SetCPU, the author of it, or anyone who uses it. In fact, I have the purchased version, why would I pay for it if I thought it was garbage? I wouldn't. I also agree with you when you say it allows more control over our phones.
The problem with it is:
1) Too many people are messing with it and do not know what they are doing. They are just trying to mimic what they see others doing, which may or may not work for them. This is the biggest, most common, and most damaging problem with SetCPU.
2) It can cause problems and/or hurt battery life if it is set incorrectly.
3) You do not know it is set correctly or not until you use it for a while. You may be also permanently damaging your phone as you have it set wrong and not even know it (Too high of an overclock for your particular phone, phone getting too hot in a warm environment, etc.)
4) It can cause problems for people who are trying to switch ROMS and forget to disable it.
5) King himself told people not to use it because it can interfere with HAVS. Though yes, one adjusts frequency, the other voltage, they can interfere with each other. HAVS will read the lower voltage and set itself different than if you are at stock clocks, this can cause either problems or quicker battery drainage. Maybe both. Both are going to try ramping up and down constantly and this is what causes the problems and the quicker battery eating.
6) If you set your CPU too high or low and it locks up and you happened to set it to "Save settings on reboot" you may have to do a full wipe and reinstall. Your phone may even be fine for a few days, then decide it does not like the settings you have and then this problem emerges.
7) This is not a computer with a fan cooled case. It is enclosed and there is no easy way to modify the cooling system. Even with a computer it is always recommended to upgrade the cooling system from stock if you wish to overclock. Most are only able to achieve a measly 10-12% overclock. It will test faster, naturally but in use it is not going to blow you away. In fact, if it seems much faster it is more of a placebo, you will barely notice it, if you notice at all. Notice the FPS only goes up 1-3 points? You are not going to see that with your eyes.
8) I notice most people experiencing problems also happen to be running SetCPU. Coincidence?
9) For that measly 10-12%, you can running your phone 10C more or hotter, that is a BIG difference in heat.
So, as great of a program as it is, it is also dangerous in the wrong hands or if it is set wrong, purposely or accidentally. User error is a big issue with it.
I was a an avid user of it myself but now I do not want to use it and will advise others not to because frankly it is not needed unless you want to impress people with your Linpack score or want to see what your phone can do. Overclocking kills battery faster, common sense. Also, the candle that burns twice as bright lasts half as long, the long term effects are unknown.
But hey, if you want to use it...do so. Anyone can do what they want, I never said what I said was the end all/be all. Just remember if you have problems, it is one of the first things you want to disable to troubleshoot.
Hopefully this explains better why I advised not to use it. In case anyone thinks I have animosity towards it or questions why I advised not to use it.

++ Sticky!!!

Reserved for more information

When my 4g was said "broken" from adding a new radio all I did was update my profile in system updates and problem solved.

rutter9 said:
When my 4g was said "broken" from adding a new radio all I did was update my profile in system updates and problem solved.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
While that is good to hear, you got lucky!
The point is that it is a high risk thing to do and you stand to gain little or nothing from it.
Sometimes the encryption keys can be erased altogether. If you do not happen to have a backup of your keys with your original radio, you are more or less screwed. I know of a few members around here that have broken 4G thanks to this. It can be fixed, but then they will be using someone else's keys. An update will not fix this.
Another point is people do things blindly without knowing the dangers of what they are doing. Maybe this will cause more people to read up more before they do something.

IMHO this thread is great. Thanks for the contribution.

ricsim78 said:
While that is good to hear, you got lucky!
The point is that it is a high risk thing to do and you stand to gain little or nothing from it.
Sometimes the encryption keys can be erased altogether. If you do not happen to have a backup of your keys with your original radio, you are more or less screwed. I know of a few members around here that have broken 4G thanks to this. It can be fixed, but then they will be using someone else's keys. An update will not fix this.
Another point is people do things blindly without knowing the dangers of what they are doing. Maybe this will cause more people to read up more before they do something.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
then why do most (if not all) of the devs put links to the newest radio/wimax with their roms? Do they strip out the keys so they don't overwrite yours? I don't see why so many developers would stress updating radios if it was potentially hazardous.

what about nandroid? when you do a backup does it backup your radio? if you flash a new one and it breaks 4g, when you nandroid back to your old rom will 4g work?

eurominican said:
IMHO this thread is great. Thanks for the contribution.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you and I am glad to help. I hope to make this as useful as possible and add much more as I have time.
Like I said, please anyone else feel free to add your own entries to this.

ivide infra said:
what about nandroid? when you do a backup does it backup your radio? if you flash a new one and it breaks 4g, when you nandroid back to your old rom will 4g work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is a good point, will have to update my first post. Nandroid does DOES NOT back it up. But I can guarantee a lot of people probably do not use Nandroid before they mess with stuff. Even if they do, what happens if your SD card messes up or there is a problem where your Nandroid does not back things up properly?
The answer: You will still have a broken whatever is broken
These phone are essentially computers with phone functions built in. As soon as you start messing with them, there is a good chance you can mess things up or that things do not work like they should.

I'm pretty sure that a nandroid does not backup the radios.

ivide infra said:
then why do most (if not all) of the devs put links to the newest radio/wimax with their roms? Do they strip out the keys so they don't overwrite yours? I don't see why so many developers would stress updating radios if it was potentially hazardous.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because the developers know a heck a lot more about the phones than most of us do, including me. They know how to fix things if they get broke, and they have knowledge you may not possess. Like the inner workings of the phone.
They might not have been aware of the problems. I am sure you can fix almost any problem that comes up, but it if was not hazardous you would not hear people saying, "I have permanently broken 4G" or "I had to return my Evo because I messed it up."
It is like my mom, she knows how to use a computer to check her bank account and email, plus shop. But she freaks out when Firefox asks her if it is ok to update. Yet for us who know what that does, it is an after thought.

timtlm said:
I'm pretty sure that a nandroid does not backup the radios.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Clockwork I am not sure about but I read that Amon RA backup does, not sure if it does it by default or if there is a way to do it.
That is another point, you may be relying on a Nandroid that does not have backed up what you think is backed up.

Id talk about clockwork vs amon...pros and cons...and insist people work with amon, perhaps provide a link
Id also add something about "Getting bootloops?" especially when people are flashing known, working, stable roms... clearly the problem is 99% in the wiping of caches.

evohnoo said:
Id talk about clockwork vs amon...pros and cons...and insist people work with amon, perhaps provide a link
Id also add something about "Getting bootloops?" especially when people are flashing known, working, stable roms... clearly the problem is 99% in the wiping of caches.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Funny, you must have read my mind!
I will definitely do that and a good idea. I intend to add on whenever I can and provide as many answers as possible.

evohnoo said:
Id talk about clockwork vs amon...pros and cons...and insist people work with amon, perhaps provide a link
Id also add something about "Getting bootloops?" especially when people are flashing known, working, stable roms... clearly the problem is 99% in the wiping of caches.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I like using Rom Manager...I'd use it more if only it played nicer with Amon Ra.

firemedic1343 said:
I like using Rom Manager...I'd use it more if only it played nicer with Amon Ra.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed. I, perhaps unfairly, associate Clockwork with the pecker heads who borked my 4G so I'll never be able to try Rom Manager as long they require it.

Thanks for the info. Well written and informative article. Thanks again.

Feel free to re-word this if the wording seems confusing.
Sense widgets and alternative home launchers (like ADW Launcher and Launcher Pro): My Sense widgets are missing!
Answer: Sense widgets require Sense. If you're running any home launcher except HTC's Sense you cannot use Sense-specific widgets (or anything else that requires Sense like HTC's default lock screen). There are very good alternatives to Sense widgets anyway such as SwitchPro Widget for quick access to radio toggles or Launcher Pro Plus' Facebook/Twitter/Friends widgets. Use Google to find more.

Time to root,

Real quick,
1. Do I loose all the apps I installed? (I'll just reinstall them I assume?)
2. Can I get rid of the preinstalled apps that keep running?
3. Is it fairly easy to overclock when screen clicks on, and underclock when its clicked off?
4. What is the best kernel for stability and battery life?
5. Whats the most stable ROM for stability and battery life?
Both me and my girlfriend use the G2 and we love them. I just want to milk the hardware a bit more
Also added another line with the MT4G going to do that one next :0
Wrap Up. I'm trying to get the snappiest, most stable, running G2, with the longest battery life. Please help, I've been trolling and reading these for a while, just wanted to repost the information in case anything has changed/updated. Cheers from Minneapolis!

xandermpls said:
Real quick,
1. Do I loose all the apps I installed? (I'll just reinstall them I assume?)
2. Can I get rid of the preinstalled apps that keep running?
3. Is it fairly easy to overclock when screen clicks on, and underclock when its clicked off?
4. What is the best kernel for stability and battery life?
5. Whats the most stable ROM for stability and battery life?
Both me and my girlfriend use the G2 and we love them. I just want to milk the hardware a bit more
Also added another line with the MT4G going to do that one next :0
Wrap Up. I'm trying to get the snappiest, most stable, running G2, with the longest battery life. Please help, I've been trolling and reading these for a while, just wanted to repost the information in case anything has changed/updated. Cheers from Minneapolis!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just rooting won't make you lose anything; the only time you'll have to reinstall apps is when you flash a new ROM as you need to do a full wipe however, Market will start to reinstall them on its own.
When you root, you can do whatever you want, including removing stock apps. Titanium Backup has a feature to remove apps (be sure to make a backup though, incase something breaks)
Overclocking requires an overclocked kernel and SetCPU has profiles to allow screen on/off settings.
Pershoots kernel is generally viewed as the best however, it doesn't work with the stock ROM or Sense ROMs; for the stock ROM try Baconbits (v3 is the latest, I believe).
Most ROMs are generally equally stable, which to choose depends on what you like. Most use CyanogenMOD though, there are many to choose from.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App

Regardless of the rom/kernel, you'll get pretty sweet battery life

dietotherhythm said:
Regardless of the rom/kernel, you'll get pretty sweet battery life
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not neccessarily; just rooting doesn't give one better battery life, Sense ROMs generally have worse battery lives, Pershoot under-volts giving better battery life, etc.
The only way just rooting your device gives you better battery life is that it allows you to remove the carrier installed bloatware that runs at startup.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App

[Q] Worth rooting just for battery life?

Hey guys I've had my Dinc for a while and I love it but the one thing I can't stand is the battery life. I listen to FM radio and a ton of podcasts at work all day and rarely get home with over 30% on a good day, not to mention the numerous phone calls and internet browsing. I've looked into rooting and am admittedly scared to do so, not because I am incapable I just hate to have anything that is less than perfectly stable.
After looking into all of the benefits of rooting, none of them mean much of anything to me, to be honest. The only thing that is causing me to want to root is an improved battery performance. My question is, do you think that it is worth rooting simply for an improved battery life alone? Is it really that significant? Also, I read early on in my Dinc days that there were ways of avoiding the whole "turn phone off to charge completely to 100% thing" by rooting, is that true as well? Thanks!

You can run a custom kernel with SBC to charge to "real" 100%. Many custom kernels will get you significantly better battery life than stock; you also may want to look into using undervolts and underclocks. Personally, I use MIUI latest with the included kernel, and it lasts me for about 2 days of medium use on my Seidio 1750 extended battery. Not that big of a difference in battery size from stock, but the battery life using the MIUI kernel with it is much better than the stock kernel on the same battery. Also, you will get a lot of new features no matter which ROM you try, and some it will become hard to live without. At the moment, I'd recommend CyanogenMod7 Stable Release for you, as it has working FM Radio and many excellent kernels, as well as the performance increases that Android 2.3 Gingerbread brings. I recommend in the way of kernels Tiamat or Chad's incredikernel. Both are much better than even the stock kernel from CM7 on battery life. Every device reacts a bit differently to kernels, so find one best for you. However, then there are the different types of ROMs. There are 3 basic types of ROMs in regards to kernels: Sense, GingerSense, and AOSP. Sense is what you have now most likely; it's a ROM with HTC's Sense interface running on top of Android 2.2 Froyo. There are many options for Sense kernels, and I highly recommend ziggy471's beta kernels and HeyItsLou's #8, #9, and #4. All have worked out well for me in the past. THe second, GingerSense, has no custom kernels out because HTC hasn't released the source code for it yet. When HTC releases it, there will be a flood of GingerSense kernels, and GingerSense ROMs are currently some of the most feature-packed. The third category, AOSP, has many different ROMs in it. It ranges from bone-stock Android 2.3 of OMGB to the custom Gingerbread of the aforementioned CM7 and OMFGB to the iPhone-yness of MIUI to the.... different experience that the Acer LiquidMetal ports offer. There are many kernels available for AOSP, and I recommend those I mentioned above. Also, the stock AOSP kernels are generally quite good. I find AOSP to be easiest on battery; as always, YMMV. In answer to your main question, yes. It really is that significant. We are always glad to add another member to the DInc XDA community. Find what works best for you, and have fun!
EDIT: wow, I just looked at this post, it's really long

thekidkid32 said:
Hey guys I've had my Dinc for a while and I love it but the one thing I can't stand is the battery life. I listen to FM radio and a ton of podcasts at work all day and rarely get home with over 30% on a good day, not to mention the numerous phone calls and internet browsing. I've looked into rooting and am admittedly scared to do so, not because I am incapable I just hate to have anything that is less than perfectly stable.
After looking into all of the benefits of rooting, none of them mean much of anything to me, to be honest. The only thing that is causing me to want to root is an improved battery performance. My question is, do you think that it is worth rooting simply for an improved battery life alone? Is it really that significant? Also, I read early on in my Dinc days that there were ways of avoiding the whole "turn phone off to charge completely to 100% thing" by rooting, is that true as well? Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Alright, I think you misunderstand rooting.
All rooting your phone will do will change the boot-loader to S-OFF, which will give you the option of flashing .zip files to your phone. It will also, however, give you complete control of your device. (Overclocking, TIbackup, Removing bloatware, etc.)
The ROM that came with your phone will still be there though. This will not change the stability of your device in any way. Just make sure to follow directions EXACTLY.
If you wanted improved battery life, you will have to go into the custom recovery accessible from the boot-loader, which will allow you to flash a new ROM.
So to answer your question, just rooting your phone will not necessarily improve your phones battery life, actually more likely not. You would have to flash custom ROMs. But to be honest, a lot of them are wayy more stable then stock INC. My buddy has one, and always texts me cause it messes up.
Anyways, good day

You can also root the phone and use custom kernels on the stock rom. Don't necessarily need to be running a different rom to increase battery life.

Awesome thanks a lot for your help guys! I have a couple of other noob questions before I go for it,
First off, would it be too much to ask to have everything setup and working well in the next two nights? I'm going to be going on vacation and only have tonight and tomorrow to get it all set. I jailbroke an ipod once and I remember having a problem and having to plug it into a computer and it was fixed no prob, but I won't have that option now. Would I be wise to wait until after vacation or should everything go smoothly as long I follow directions?
Also, I've looked all around, and I don't see how you guys go about backing everything up before you root. I see apps to backup a rooted phone before flashing a new ROM or something, but not beforehand. I want all of my apps and settings on my newly rooted phone quickly and easily. Possible? Thanks again!

thekidkid32 said:
Awesome thanks a lot for your help guys! I have a couple of other noob questions before I go for it,
First off, would it be too much to ask to have everything setup and working well in the next two nights? I'm going to be going on vacation and only have tonight and tomorrow to get it all set. I jailbroke an ipod once and I remember having a problem and having to plug it into a computer and it was fixed no prob, but I won't have that option now. Would I be wise to wait until after vacation or should everything go smoothly as long I follow directions?
Also, I've looked all around, and I don't see how you guys go about backing everything up before you root. I see apps to backup a rooted phone before flashing a new ROM or something, but not beforehand. I want all of my apps and settings on my newly rooted phone quickly and easily. Possible? Thanks again!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well when you root it doesnt reset everything you still have all your apps etc...what we do is backup everything after the root process is finished go into recovery and do a nandroid backup of you stock setup just in case and everyhting should go smoothly following directions
On Another Note: as long as youre rooting might as well try out my rom Kingdom Rewind 3D if you have any more questions on rooting just ask

cvbcbcmv said:
Here is what I recommend you do. Root by following a video on youtube from applepwns. (it's not me, but that's what I followed and it's very good) make sure you watch his newer video, he has 2, his newer one is better. Rooting will not delete any data. Then, I would download rom manager and buy rom manager pro, and download and install skyraider sense 4.2, a rom very identical to stock, so it will be easy to use, and very stable. Rom manager will do it all for you, just select both wiping options. Also, backup your rom (rom manager asks this after the rom has been downloaded) it will make it so that at any time you can restore back to what you have exactly how it is with apps and everything how it was how you left it. I would also recommend installing incredikernel, you can get the sense version from incredikernel.com. You flash that in recovery. (update your recovery in rom manager, turn off your phone, hold down power button and volume down and when your in hboot scroll down to recovery and go into it, then go to chose zip from sd card, and install it, then reboot. put the incredikernel on the root of your sd card, and don't unzip it, keep the zip zipped) and as for backing up apps, it's very possible. Buy an app called titanium backup pro (you need the free version downloaded as well) and hit menu, batch, backup all apps and data, and hit run (there are also youtube videos on this, just search) and it will put the backups on your SD card (don't backup system data) then after you install the new rom, install the app again, and hit batch, restore apps and data. If you have your google account synced with your phone then your contacts are on it and will automatically be put back on. This can be done in 2 days, it can be done in a few hours. PM me for any questions, I'm happy to help
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1 thing to add to that, I use MyBackup Root instead of Titanium because MyBackup Root is basically the full MyBackup Pro for free, and it can not only back up apps+data, but also photos, contacts, SMS/MMS, bookmarks, music playlists, etc. and you don't have to pay for it to get automated restores (with Titanium free you have to manually install each application once the restore starts.)

I was in a similar situation when trying to decide whether or not to root my DInc. My primary motivation was to remove the bloat, which did help a bit with battery life merely because there were fewer apps for Sense to load up in the background.
I then started trying different Sense kernels because I couldn't find much information out there about which ones were better than others. I felt strongly enough about this I started a thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1107423
I was able to squeeze a few more hours out of my phone using my top rated kernel, with results declining slowly in the lower ranks.
I say: GO FOR IT!
Once you get started, you may find yourself pushing farther into the guts of Android to get your phone working the way you want it to. But even stopping at rooting just to change kernels will get you what you are looking for. Adding a Seidio 1750 mAh battery could help add up to another few hours.
Good luck and keep us posted.

PGleo86 said:
1 thing to add to that, I use MyBackup Root instead of Titanium because MyBackup Root is basically the full MyBackup Pro for free, and it can not only back up apps+data, but also photos, contacts, SMS/MMS, bookmarks, music playlists, etc. and you don't have to pay for it to get automated restores (with Titanium free you have to manually install each application once the restore starts.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks right, you can use MyBackup Root for APK+Data+Market Link + 0-click batch RESTORE for Free. It also allows you to schedule and have as many backups as you would like locally, for free.

liteon163 said:
I was in a similar situation when trying to decide whether or not to root my DInc. My primary motivation was to remove the bloat, which did help a bit with battery life merely because there were fewer apps for Sense to load up in the background.
I then started trying different Sense kernels because I couldn't find much information out there about which ones were better than others. I felt strongly enough about this I started a thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1107423
I was able to squeeze a few more hours out of my phone using my top rated kernel, with results declining slowly in the lower ranks.
I say: GO FOR IT!
Once you get started, you may find yourself pushing farther into the guts of Android to get your phone working the way you want it to. But even stopping at rooting just to change kernels will get you what you are looking for. Adding a Seidio 1750 mAh battery could help add up to another few hours.
Good luck and keep us posted.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm keeping up with that thread, it's pretty good
You should definitely take a look, OP.

Best current ROM/Kernal?

Hi all,
I'm a new Nexus user and I was just wondering what is currently the best ROM and Kernal people are using. I put Android Revolution HD on my Nexus a few days ago and it's running great. I keep hearing people talk about Cyanogen or the Franco kernal though.
Are the performance improvements that much better, or should I stick to Revolution? I don't require a lot of personalization in terms of how things look. I'm quite happy with the stock look of the phone. I just want all the "behind the scenes" improvements like better battery life and loading times. What's the best setup in your experiences?
Thanks!

I've played around with several of the roms and kernels, with mixed results. It seemed like some roms and kernels would get me crazy performance, but really crappy stability.
The setup I'm running now is a cleanly wiped install of GummyNex 0.8.1 found here, or more directly here OnDemand governor is giving me respectable battery life. When I'm running short, I'll switch to Conservative. I've been meaning to set something up in Tasker or Setting Profiles to do it for me.
And Google apps found here, also more directly here
The kernel I run is Trinity, found here
If you haven't done so already, I found awesome performance improvements by opening the egl,cfg file in /system/lib/egl/, and deleting the first line- usually "0 0 android". Then going back into the egl folder and deleting both the .bak file some editors create, and the "libGLES_android.so" file. This is an ICS tweak that alleges to eliminate CPU rendering. I know there's an option in developer tools to "force GPU rendering", but apparently that doesn't quite cut it.
Anyway, that's my 2 cents, and it's blazing fast and stable. Averaging around 3800 in Quadrant.

Thanks! Revolution HD already does GPU rendering so I'm not to worried about that. I guess I'll just stick with that since it's basically stock with a few performance tweaks. I'm not big on instability :/.
The Trinity kernel looks interesting though... Is the overclock safe though? And does it drain a lot of extra battery?

Luuthian said:
Thanks! Revolution HD already does GPU rendering so I'm not to worried about that. I guess I'll just stick with that since it's basically stock with a few performance tweaks. I'm not big on instability :/.
The Trinity kernel looks interesting though... Is the overclock safe though? And does it drain a lot of extra battery?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Revolution HD is based on 4.0.2 so many kernels will not work because they are based on 4.0.3 and 4.0.4. I highly recommend you use a rom that is based on 4.0.3 AOSP (Such as GummyNex or AOKP). 4.0.3 has better stability/battery/performance tweaks anyway. If you want a better selection of Trinity's kernels go here. TNP1344-ANY-384-aelp (dated Feb 27th) is really nice. If it gives you bootloops up the voltages by 50 or 100.

aokp.27 + glados.v.1.18 OR leankernel.v.2.4.0 (both are stable as a rock)

Alright, I'll try Open Kang I guess. I'm so new to this... Sorry for all the questions :/.
It seems like a hassle to reinstall all your apps often so that you can switch to a new ROM . Does this need to be done every time the device changes its firmware version?

Luuthian said:
Alright, I'll try Open Kang I guess. I'm so new to this... Sorry for all the questions :/.
It seems like a hassle to reinstall all your apps often so that you can switch to a new ROM . Does this need to be done every time the device changes its firmware version?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well... you can always backup your apps with Titanium Backup, and save all your preferences (such as Nova Launcher, Minimalistic Text, etc.) and then reload that. And usually if you stick one one Rom and then an update comes from that rom, you don't have to wipe data (just cache & dalvik cache). But if you're switching Roms, then yes, you have to reinstall all your apps.

Luuthian said:
Alright, I'll try Open Kang I guess. I'm so new to this... Sorry for all the questions :/.
It seems like a hassle to reinstall all your apps often so that you can switch to a new ROM . Does this need to be done every time the device changes its firmware version?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
with titanium pro its a matter of minutes, saves your app-data also, so you don't loose your highscores. but as was mentioned before, updates go through without factory-reset most of the time once you're settled.
btw, aokp is perfectly stable.

I'm running gummy with the latest lean kernel and love it. Battery life is great and performance is top notch. Big fan of team gummy. I get a solid full days use regularly. usually around 20% when I plug it in after 16 hours of use and I use it fairly regularly, wifi, 4g, txt, web, etc.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk