Develop Bugs

So Many ROMS - What works in one may not work on the other - How to choose?

Hello everyone,
While i'm sure this must be a hard decision for most people, I am currently trying to decide which Rom to go with myself. I see there are about 5 different roms based on Froyo (2.2) and while i've tried reading pages and pages from each Rom post i've found out that what work in one may not work in the other.
So with that said how do you pick a rom that offers everything (if there's even one out yet?)
If i'm not mistaken Fresh has 4G issues and Tether doesnt work (not that tether is an issue but it'll be nice to have)
OMJ has music steaming issues, has working tether but camera is set to 3MP
I also see that most roms remove the Sprint apps (which i'm cool with except for the Navigator).. is there a way to get the Navigator back?
Decisions, Decisions.... Decisions....

The WiFi Tether issue isn't an issue with the rom. It's still a work in progress for full 2.2 support and it's possible to get it running if you flash a different kernel. Unfortunately that kernel has the adverse side effect of making the camera 3MP. Keep checking the wifi tether google code page to see when they release a fully working version for 2.2.

fresh has never had 4g issues.
4g confirmed working on all froyo betas and releases.

I can only comment on fresh bc that's the one I've used. I have no issues with 4g and tethering works great with netarchys 3.7.6c kernel although the back camera drops to 3mp which I'm fine with..also, fresh takes out the Sprint and some HTC apps but leaves them in a folder on your SD card in case you want to install any like navigation.
I'm sure you can adjust any of the roms to your liking, just play with them
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

I like Fresh's rom for HTC Sense. I am currently still running the CM6 nightlies tho. No 4G in my area so not a big deal for me.

WillJV said:
Hello everyone,
While i'm sure this must be a hard decision for most people, I am currently trying to decide which Rom to go with myself. I see there are about 5 different roms based on Froyo (2.2) and while i've tried reading pages and pages from each Rom post i've found out that what work in one may not work in the other.
So with that said how do you pick a rom that offers everything (if there's even one out yet?)
If i'm not mistaken Fresh has 4G issues and Tether doesnt work (not that tether is an issue but it'll be nice to have)
OMJ has music steaming issues, has working tether but camera is set to 3MP
I also see that most roms remove the Sprint apps (which i'm cool with except for the Navigator).. is there a way to get the Navigator back?
Decisions, Decisions.... Decisions....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This thread really belongs in the Q&A, as it has nothing to do with development.
However...
My best advice would be read through the threads for the respective roms, then try them out. Trying them out will give you the best information as far as what that rom has and what it doesn't have. but keep in mind, these roms aren't really made for you, they are just provided so you can use them if you want. They are ultimately made for the developers, and have their personal preferences built in.
If you want the sprint apps, I would suggest flashing fresh at least once. Although I'm not sure if he does it anymore, he use to put all the removed apps into /sdcard/fresh-removed-apks and you could reinstall them from there, on any rom.

It's all about one's personal choice when it comes to custom roms. They are all made possible and available by the wonderful devs. so you can flash as many of the roms you like. Once you see one that works good for you then go with it, that's what it all comes down to.

Nibert, Thanks i'll keep checking the post you mentioned.
Fazzmanic, not that i know for a fact that FRESH has issues with 4G. The only reason i said that is because there are at least 2 post in the ROM's thread from users who reported 4G not working... that's all.
ervman1, Does Fresh have that kernel you mentioned or you have to install that kernel after flashing the rom with Fresh?
bdelbenes, I like the HTC Sense myself. I've tried Open Home and Launcher Pro and they're cool yet I guess i used Sense at the beginning of me getting the phone so i got used to it.
Dougie2187, sorry for posting it on the wrong section but thanks to the Moderator who moved it to the correct forum. I have yet to flash my rom so i'm still on the factory 2.1 rom (rooted)... I guess i will do like most of you do and try one by one (well at least a few) till i find one that i like. I just wanted to make one choice and go with that instead of flashing my phone everyday LOL

WillJV said:
Nibert, Thanks i'll keep checking the post you mentioned.
Fazzmanic, not that i know for a fact that FRESH has issues with 4G. The only reason i said that is because there are at least 2 post in the ROM's thread from users who reported 4G not working... that's all.
ervman1, Does Fresh have that kernel you mentioned or you have to install that kernel after flashing the rom with Fresh?
bdelbenes, I like the HTC Sense myself. I've tried Open Home and Launcher Pro and they're cool yet I guess i used Sense at the beginning of me getting the phone so i got used to it.
Dougie2187, sorry for posting it on the wrong section but thanks to the Moderator who moved it to the correct forum. I have yet to flash my rom so i'm still on the factory 2.1 rom (rooted)... I guess i will do like most of you do and try one by one (well at least a few) till i find one that i like. I just wanted to make one choice and go with that instead of flashing my phone everyday LOL
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nandroid backups help make this process a lot easier. Fresh was my rom of choice for a while, Bugless Beast is really good as well but isn't up to date. Damage Control is really good too. But I've been using Cyanogen because it's AOSP.
It all ends up being personal preference, but those are some I would try out. Basically, flash one, set it up 100% and back it up. Then use it for a day or so, and try another one. And continue this until you find one you like.

on fresh 0.53 and 1.01 i had a 4g reconnection issue that i couldn't seem to shake even after doing the posted fix. it all seems to be sorted out with 3.whatever. avalaunch is another rom i can confirm that all the relevent bits work on.
froyo roms in general have taken a giant step forward since the OTA. i'd recommend downloading titanium backup and getting yourself the donated version then just try out whatever looks interesting. titanium makes the process a lot less painful since you can restore all your apps with their data in a batch process.

Why Root

I have one question....
Why root a phone? I had my phone rooted and honestly it was a complete waste of time. NONE of the Roms I downloaded ever worked properly, the apps never worked, and it was nothing but trouble for me. My phone always "force close" my apps too. No offense to the developers I just didn't see a benefit.
Am I wrong?

With root you can
1. Run custom ROMs to make your phone your own
2. Remove bloat
3. Tether for free .99
4. Install custom kernels & voltages to increase your batter life or speed up your phone
That's just a few I can think of off the top. Don't think that magic will happen just because you root your phone...your phone can be rooted and still behave exactly how it did prior to root.

Root makes it possible to customize your phone to your liking. You can change the look and feel of just about everything. Root is also great for making battery life better or making your phone snappier by installing custom kernels and root only aps. I agree with you that a lot of roms are buggy and can be a pain, but some people like the trouble shooting aspect of figuring something out and making it work. I my self usually stick to the stock or mostly stock roms, and then remove, change, add features that i want. Without root your stuck with what htc and verizon gives you. Its all about freedom and choice and the ability to make your phone look how you want, and do the things you want it to do.

I am relatively new to rooting (this past summer), but what it gave me was a vastly superior phone to what I used to use. I have flashed about 5 ROMS - two Cyanogen Mod and three Sense based ROMS - out of the 5, I only had big problems with one. The other 4 made my phone faster, smoother, and gave me access to some apps (Titanium Backup, Font Changer) that have allowed me to customize my phone to my liking. It's made me change when I was hoping to get a new phone (now I don't care that much - yet) and I literally feel like I've had new phones every time I flash another ROM.
Doing it successfully also required that I read A LOT about phones, hardware, software, etc. - geeky stuff - that I didn't know. (I'm still learning a lot.)
So, maybe you're just not that into your phone and the geeky stuff?

epescina said:
I had my phone rooted and honestly it was a complete waste of time. NONE of the Roms I downloaded ever worked properly, the apps never worked, and it was nothing but trouble for me. My phone always "force close" my apps too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It sounds like your phone is afflicted with the common PEBKAC bug.
Given that, I think you are making the right decision by not rooting in the future.
For those genuinely wondering about the benefits of root, you can check the various stickies throughout this forum or the hundreds of articles that have been written about it. Alternatively, you could do a market search for "root only" to see all the unique apps. Or you could read about what custom roms offer. Or custom kernels. Or a host of other things.
If you don't know why you want to root, you probably shouldn't be rooting.

byrong said:
It sounds like your phone is afflicted with the common PEBKAC bug.
Given that, I think you are making the right decision by not rooting in the future.
For those genuinely wondering about the benefits of root, you can check the various stickies throughout this forum or the hundreds of articles that have been written about it. Alternatively, you could do a market search for "root only" to see all the unique apps. Or you could read about what custom roms offer. Or custom kernels. Or a host of other things.
If you don't know why you want to root, you probably shouldn't be rooting.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
PEBKAC bug? I'm assuming thats stands for something smart lol.
Edit: Haha nevermind i figured it out.

ummm, cuz its awesome...i feel like i escaped from alcatraz

Thanks for all of the great post guys! They were all very informative!
I guess it's true, I must educate myself more about rooting. I always assumed my phone would work better, allow me to use custom roms (that actually worked), and apps that were root only.
I jailbroke my ipod and other devices and they were easy to do and use and not to mention stable. I guess I was expecting the same outcome here.

Why wouldn't you root your phone? All it does is give you full access to your own device. If you don't follow directions and/or load a buggy rom it has nothing to do with rooting.

If you're having that kind of trouble with ROMs, you're doing something wrong (unless you're using AOSP, then you're ALWAYS going to have issues.) I simply won't use a ROM that isn't stable. I probably won't stick with one long even if it is stable and patched together like some Frankenstein chocked full of scripts and patches to make it work. Reliability is the top priority for me. There used to be devs on this device that valued that more than they seem to now, with a few exceptions. Most of them, from using them, are buggy, unstable projects that probably shouldn't have ever been released as anything but experimental betas. Some of them, like WildStang's, are VERY reliable. Just gotta do your research. This is a totally different world than Apple, and a LOT more powerful.

loonatik78 said:
If you're having that kind of trouble with ROMs, you're doing something wrong (unless you're using AOSP, then you're ALWAYS going to have issues.) I simply won't use a ROM that isn't stable. I probably won't stick with one long even if it is stable and patched together like some Frankenstein chocked full of scripts and patches to make it work. Reliability is the top priority for me. There used to be devs on this device that valued that more than they seem to now, with a few exceptions. Most of them, from using them, are buggy, unstable projects that probably shouldn't have ever been released as anything but experimental betas. Some of them, like WildStang's, are VERY reliable. Just gotta do your research. This is a totally different world than Apple, and a LOT more powerful.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have to say that I have had zero issues with cm7 and most aosp ROMs out for this phone. sounds like you're doing something wrong.
cm7 gives you so many opportunities for customization and runs so flawlessly I will not be running sense again. Galaxy nexus here I come barring some glaring issue with it, i'm done with HTC for awhile.
Sounds to me like the OP hasn't properly wiped all data before flashing his roms.

br125 said:
I have to say that I have had zero issues with cm7 and most aosp ROMs out for this phone. sounds like you're doing something wrong.
cm7 gives you so many opportunities for customization and runs so flawlessly I will not be running sense again. Galaxy nexus here I come barring some glaring issue with it, i'm done with HTC for awhile.
Sounds to me like the OP hasn't properly wiped all data before flashing his roms.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've flashed at about a dozen different versions of CM on that phone. Of those 3 or so didn't even boot. Of the ones that did, they had some kind of issue that couldn't be remedied like quirky screen brightness, reboots and FC's right off the bat. Of the couple of versions that made it past the first day, only one lasted more than a couple weeks before getting REALLY weird. A friend with an identical phone had a very similar experience. What's more, CM hasn't proven to be any more reliable on the EVOs I've flashed it on. In fact, about half the versions don't even boot. I've been doing this long enough to know I'm not doing it wrong. CM just sucks if reliability is a required trait.

loonatik78 said:
I've flashed at about a dozen different versions of CM on that phone. Of those 3 or so didn't even boot. Of the ones that did, they had some kind of issue that couldn't be remedied like quirky screen brightness, reboots and FC's right off the bat. Of the couple of versions that made it past the first day, only one lasted more than a couple weeks before getting REALLY weird. A friend with an identical phone had a very similar experience. What's more, CM hasn't proven to be any more reliable on the EVOs I've flashed it on. In fact, about half the versions don't even boot. I've been doing this long enough to know I'm not doing it wrong. CM just sucks if reliability is a required trait.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that is the furthest from the truth of anything I've ever read. Go to the cm thread and write that. I've been on cm for a looong time without any FC's, reboots, or anything quirky. Stop spewing false opinions as fact, you're not helping anything.
Also, how could such an unreliable, buggy ROM be the most popular over a plethora of devices? Think about it.

Sounds like that nasty PEBKAC bug. I'm on CM 7.1 and it's been heaven. Almost everything works BETTER than stock.
For example, my car (Cruze 2011) can't utilize my phones contacts over Bluetooth on my stock sense rom. If I allow the car access to my phonebook, my Bluetooth will drop in and out and not work properly. So I have to tap "don't allow" and even though I checkmark the "remember my decision" box, it comes up every time I get in my car unless I grant it access. Annoying? Lets just say I'm thankful for the cyanogen team. Works absolutely flawless.
I adore the new lockscreen in 7.1. It's like a reverse sense 3.0 style where instead of dragging the apps to the ring, you drag the ring to the app. I still overall prefer the sense 3.0 lockscreen, but to get that I have to sacrifice a lot of stability. There are lists upon lists of features that make CM7 the rom to be on.
The one thing I will concede about CM7 is the auto brightness is a bit wonky. There are auto brightness tweaks you can mess with but something like that should work out of the box, so to speak. Another could-be annoyance is the heavy emphasis on customization, since CM comes pretty bare. CM9, however, will be feature rich per ICS.
Sent from my ADR6300 using XDA App

screenshot
For one thing, you can't even take a screen shot without rooting. If you want a stable phone that is mostly stock, you can root, install ShootMe, and call it a day. Of course, it looks like they're finally fixing that fatal flaw with ICS (which this phone will never see from HTC).

loonatik78 said:
If you're having that kind of trouble with ROMs, you're doing something wrong (unless you're using AOSP, then you're ALWAYS going to have issues.) I simply won't use a ROM that isn't stable. I probably won't stick with one long even if it is stable and patched together like some Frankenstein chocked full of scripts and patches to make it work. Reliability is the top priority for me. There used to be devs on this device that valued that more than they seem to now, with a few exceptions. Most of them, from using them, are buggy, unstable projects that probably shouldn't have ever been released as anything but experimental betas. Some of them, like WildStang's, are VERY reliable. Just gotta do your research. This is a totally different world than Apple, and a LOT more powerful.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, you seem to be the first to admit that most ROMS are unstable and buggy which is what really turned me away from most roms! I researched over and over and couldn't find stable roms, they all claim they are stable but that was never the case.

br125 said:
I have to say that I have had zero issues with cm7 and most aosp ROMs out for this phone. sounds like you're doing something wrong.
cm7 gives you so many opportunities for customization and runs so flawlessly I will not be running sense again. Galaxy nexus here I come barring some glaring issue with it, i'm done with HTC for awhile.
Sounds to me like the OP hasn't properly wiped all data before flashing his roms.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So what is the proper way to wipe all data before flashing? I thought all you had to do was select the two flash boxes and run it!

epescina said:
So what is the proper way to wipe all data before flashing? I thought all you had to do was select the two flash boxes and run it!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's your problem, you're using ROM Manager to flash/install ROMs. You need to boot your phone into ClockworkMod Recovery and install it from there. Once in CWM Recovery, do:
1. Go into Recovery
2. Clear data: Wipe user data/factory reset
Mounts and Storage - format /system, format /boot, format /data, format /cache
Advanced - Wipe Dalvik, Wipe Battery Stats
3. Select Install zip file from SD Card, browse to the ROM zip file, select it with touch pad to install

epescina said:
So what is the proper way to wipe all data before flashing? I thought all you had to do was select the two flash boxes and run it!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't use Rom manager. Boot into recovery and factory reset/wipe all user data, then flash the Rom. It also doesn't hurt to wipe dalvik cache and format the system if you are still having issues.
If you post in the thread of the Rom you're trying to flash, the users may have some more 'rom specific' instructions.
Sorry for getting off topic before, but I can't stand someone spreading false information about a very good Rom that may cause someone like you to not try it, when in all reality you may enjoy it, as very many droid incredible users do.
Edit: Try what he said above me too. That is almost an overkill amount of wiping, but it can almost guarantee that you won't have issues with the flash.

br125 said:
Don't use Rom manager. Boot into recovery and factory reset/wipe all user data, then flash the Rom. It also doesn't hurt to wipe dalvik cache and format the system if you are still having issues.
If you post in the thread of the Rom you're trying to flash, the users may have some more 'rom specific' instructions.
Sorry for getting off topic before, but I can't stand someone spreading false information about a very good Rom that may cause someone like you to not try it, when in all reality you may enjoy it, as very many droid incredible users do.
Edit: Try what he said above me too. That is almost an overkill amount of wiping, but it can almost guarantee that you won't have issues with the flash.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is true, probably overkill, but doesn't take long at all to do, and haven't had any issues yet installing any ROM. Battery Stats is an optional wipe.

[Q] Hi! T-mobile GS III Question

i am a super omega ultimate noob lv. -99. i am wondering how to check on the latest status of the GSIII stable roms. i would like to know if/when CM will get the roms first or if xda gets them first. i like stable roms because i am a noob. my noobness knows no bounds. please help. i do dontate. thank you.

Right now, CM10 nightly 25 is working great
26 has exhibited a few irritating bugs but I haven't had any problems with nightly 25
Give it a run, it's phenomenal IMO

o-k said:
i am a super omega ultimate noob lv. -99. i am wondering how to check on the latest status of the GSIII stable roms. i would like to know if/when CM will get the roms first or if xda gets them first. i like stable roms because i am a noob. my noobness knows no bounds. please help. i do dontate. thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Xda is just an outlet where people choose to post roms.
To check on the latest status of roms, you need to open the threads and read the OP. You also need to spend at least ten minutes reading each thread, That will tell you how stable each rom is and what kind of results people are having.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium

Is there a place for specific roms that we can see a list of all known bugs? I've been trying to check on, for example, CM10, paranoid android, and AOKP in particular and havent been able to find any bug trackers at all. Without knowing what bugs there are and what will/wont affect me, I'm too hesitant to try any of the roms and have been suffering through t-mobile's dual "update ready" and "update needed" constant un-clearable notifications. I cant even apply the stock updates because I debloated and applying the update fails because I dont have the apps that the update is attempting to update. Updating would involve doing a full factory reset back to stock and THEN updating, which means i'm probably better off simply waiting for samsung's official JB update to roll out in the first place

shrimants said:
Is there a place for specific roms that we can see a list of all known bugs? I've been trying to check on, for example, CM10, paranoid android, and AOKP in particular and havent been able to find any bug trackers at all. Without knowing what bugs there are and what will/wont affect me, I'm too hesitant to try any of the roms and have been suffering through t-mobile's dual "update ready" and "update needed" constant un-clearable notifications. I cant even apply the stock updates because I debloated and applying the update fails because I dont have the apps that the update is attempting to update. Updating would involve doing a full factory reset back to stock and THEN updating, which means i'm probably better off simply waiting for samsung's official JB update to roll out in the first place
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually that would be a great idea. It would help out the entire community.
Right now the way things exist, you pretty much have to read through an entire rom thread to determine the benefits/bugs of any given rom.
You could, for example, start a list for any particular rom.. read the entire thread, then make your own thread detailing current known bugs and post it in the same forum. Then the OP of the rom thread could post your link in the first post making it easy for everyone to find.
That would serve two purposes - you would learn the information you're seeking and also become an instantly appreciated contributor to the site.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium

I'm surprised the rom developers dont already have a system in place, though. The scope of the projects are presumably gargantuan collaborative works. i kind of assumed that they must have some sort of a bug tracking thing that they use between them. That bug tracking thing is what i've been venturing to find. There are a ton of user-specific bugs that I have no problem digging through the forums and figuring out myself, but what i'd love to see with roms is a list of "this is what we know isnt working yet. dont talk to us about this. we are working on it." or at the very least, "when you flash this rom, if you would like to help, run this command and upload the output HERE so we can fix some bugs we know about".
I'm coming from a linux world and it is very disconcerting to me to flash a rom, encounter a bug/error, and not be able to look at any sort of an error message or do anything to fix the problem except reboot/wipe/reflash and hope for the best. thats a very windows-y mentality to the whole thing, and i feel like if we're running linux on the phones we should be able to get a bit more involved in fixing our own problems a bit better too.
I guess what i'm trying to say is, i'd like to help and i have no clue where to even begin. with archlinux theres a beginners guide but with these roms its more of a "watch this youtube video and follow this tutorial but god help you if anyone thinks you are complaining about what people are doing for you for FREE".
EDIT: I found CM10's issue tracker, but there isnt anything specific for the GS3 there. The flicker and picasa sync issues arent even mentioned. Obviously Paranoid Android and Kang will have the same bugs as CM10, but im assuming that they'll have their own bugs introduced after they add in their own features and such.

ok.
ingenious247 said:
Right now, CM10 nightly 25 is working great
26 has exhibited a few irritating bugs but I haven't had any problems with nightly 25
Give it a run, it's phenomenal IMO
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks! will it be on the CM website or here?

o-k said:
thanks! will it be on the CM website or here?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Two things - one, if you're going to do a lot of flashing, and especially with CM10, you will want to install ROM Manager from the Google Play Store. It will make managing your updates/downloads easier
Two, there is a dedicated thread to CM10 in the "T-Mobile Galaxy S III Original Android Development" forum here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1778217
Read a lot first - before you do anything.. unless you are a very experienced user.
If you have specific questions I will be happy to help

i have a question
ingenious247 said:
Two things - one, if you're going to do a lot of flashing, and especially with CM10, you will want to install ROM Manager from the Google Play Store. It will make managing your updates/downloads easier
Two, there is a dedicated thread to CM10 in the "T-Mobile Galaxy S III Original Android Development" forum here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1778217
Read a lot first - before you do anything.. unless you are a very experienced user.
If you have specific questions I will be happy to help
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i've downloaded the CWM pro and the TB pro. i was wondering what exact ROMS i can use. There is also the difficulty of understanding which rom is exactly which. Is there a way to view the Change log? i'm a super noob. i'm really sorry.

Changelogs won't do you much good.
I recommend flashing everything through CWM (make sure you have 6.0.1.2 Touch - in my signature if not). I wouldn't use ROM Manager at all. Having automated tools is great, but learning how to do it yourself is even better. Plus, if you break something, knowning what you are doing makes it easier to fix. Automated tools hurt more than they help.
As for roms, your options pretty much are as follows:
CyanogenMod: AOSP, the closest thing we have to the stock Google firmware.
AOKP: Pretty much CyanogenMod with some extra options. Nothing extraordinary about those extra options, just some nice things like center clock, swagger toggles, and unicorns.
MIUI: iPhone look for Android.
ParanoidAndroid: Scalable - for tablets (imo).
Then you have the neverending amount of customized stock (TouchWiz) roms.
They are all under constant development. If you want "stable", stay on your stock firmware. All of the roms listed above are stable enough to use as a daily driver. They all have threads in the two Dev forums. But if you don't know what to pick, use CyanogenMod.

I still think ROM Manager is a great tool, it's how I started years ago and I still managed to learn what I needed to over time flashing manually
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium

[Q] I need in depth real help figuring this out

So to start I have Fibromyalgia and as a result I have trouble understanding and doing some things. I have the epic 4g touch and recently it was running horribly, so I thought about restoring it and trading it in at best buy mobile, well even doing that I don't have enough money for a new phone so f*ck them.
So now my phone is restored, stock, unrooted and I need someone to help me figure out what rom to use because I need to theme it because the stock UI makes me want to vomit. I can't quite explain what I need or want all I know is I've previously tried just about everything and everything had some sort of a problem but it's been months so I don't know if anything new will do what I want or not. I just can't figure it out and need someone with patience and time to help me go step by step figuring out what to do.
I appreciate your help immensely.

The guy who will walk you thru it step by step is qbking77 and his YouTube videos. He also covers a lot of different roms in his videos. I suggest starting there and then asking questions once you decide on a rom.

rististien said:
So to start I have Fibromyalgia and as a result I have trouble understanding and doing some things. I have the epic 4g touch and recently it was running horribly, so I thought about restoring it and trading it in at best buy mobile, well even doing that I don't have enough money for a new phone so f*ck them.
So now my phone is restored, stock, unrooted and I need someone to help me figure out what rom to use because I need to theme it because the stock UI makes me want to vomit. I can't quite explain what I need or want all I know is I've previously tried just about everything and everything had some sort of a problem but it's been months so I don't know if anything new will do what I want or not. I just can't figure it out and need someone with patience and time to help me go step by step figuring out what to do.
I appreciate your help immensely.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What are you looking for in general? GB, ICS or JB? TW themed or AOSP/CM based? Toss out some ideas of what you're looking for theme and function wise and ill help you find something that fits you, even tho it might not happen on the first try cuz you may find something in the rom that bugs you or doesn't work that doesn't affect me.
We are legion, for we are many

-EViL-KoNCEPTz- said:
What are you looking for in general? GB, ICS or JB? TW themed or AOSP/CM based? Toss out some ideas of what you're looking for theme and function wise and ill help you find something that fits you, even tho it might not happen on the first try cuz you may find something in the rom that bugs you or doesn't work that doesn't affect me.
We are legion, for we are many
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ok, I hate ICS prefer G no idea what JB is...... Don't know about theme based.... all I know is I use LauncherPro and I have my wallpapers for background and widgetlocker lockscreen. I really wish I could manage MIUI to work because that's the only ICS I don't mind because you can do so much but it just refuses to work on my phone. I also can't OTA update my phone for ANYthing, even with it fully stock and unrooted it gets not even half way then stops and shows a triangle with ! I'm actually thinking of just selling this damn thing and going for the III because a friend has one and it's much prettier so I won't feel the need to go crazy changing things. I just don't have it in me to deal with such a vast phone. Give me too much rope and I'll just hang myself with it. I tried Calkulin ROM last time and it worked for a bit until everything was just ****, freezing rebooting not getting calls.... I just want a phone to do what I want it to!!! I tried starburst and it did nothing, haven't tried miui in awhile.... never had any luck with Cyanogenmod whatsoever. I don't understand how phones all made the same way can be so different and temperamental like people? wtf is the point of buying a specific phone if your friends does this awesome thing but you have the exact same phone and you can't!!!!

rististien said:
ok, I hate ICS prefer G no idea what JB is...... Don't know about theme based.... all I know is I use LauncherPro and I have my wallpapers for background and widgetlocker lockscreen. I really wish I could manage MIUI to work because that's the only ICS I don't mind because you can do so much but it just refuses to work on my phone. I also can't OTA update my phone for ANYthing, even with it fully stock and unrooted it gets not even half way then stops and shows a triangle with ! I'm actually thinking of just selling this damn thing and going for the III because a friend has one and it's much prettier so I won't feel the need to go crazy changing things. I just don't have it in me to deal with such a vast phone. Give me too much rope and I'll just hang myself with it. I tried Calkulin ROM last time and it worked for a bit until everything was just ****, freezing rebooting not getting calls.... I just want a phone to do what I want it to!!! I tried starburst and it did nothing, haven't tried miui in awhile.... never had any luck with Cyanogenmod whatsoever. I don't understand how phones all made the same way can be so different and temperamental like people? wtf is the point of buying a specific phone if your friends does this awesome thing but you have the exact same phone and you can't!!!!
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Click to collapse
JB is jelly bean android 4.1.x the newest build. ICS has come a long way on this phone since the ff18 ota. Cm9 is really stable now that its on beta1. For TW themed I'd suggest blu kuban as it seems to be a forum favorite. I personally prefer aisle/cm based roms. I run aokp or paranoid android for the customization, theme manager makes changing the look as simple as installing an app, selecting it in themes and rebooting. :thumbup: from the symptoms you're describing with your issues and loading new roms seem to be from "dirty" flashing, not fully wiping in recovery before flashing the rom.
We are legion, for we are many

-EViL-KoNCEPTz- said:
JB is jelly bean android 4.1.x the newest build. ICS has come a long way on this phone since the ff18 ota. Cm9 is really stable now that its on beta1. For TW themed I'd suggest blu kuban as it seems to be a forum favorite. I personally prefer aisle/cm based roms. I run aokp or paranoid android for the customization, theme manager makes changing the look as simple as installing an app, selecting it in themes and rebooting. :thumbup: from the symptoms you're describing with your issues and loading new roms seem to be from "dirty" flashing, not fully wiping in recovery before flashing the rom.
We are legion, for we are many
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Click to collapse
thanks for all that, I'll sift through it all when I get home and can relax a bit lol

rististien said:
thanks for all that, I'll sift through it all when I get home and can relax a bit lol
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Click to collapse
When flashing a new rom, make sure you wipe data/factory reset, wipe cache, and wipe dalvik cache(under advanced menu in cwm) otherwise the issues you described pop up, Force closes, random reboots, lagging, freezing etc. Also make sure to use a "safe" recovery, there are several choices but I prefer el26+cwm5 or twrp.
We are legion, for we are many

-EViL-KoNCEPTz- said:
When flashing a new rom, make sure you wipe data/factory reset, wipe cache, and wipe dalvik cache(under advanced menu in cwm) otherwise the issues you described pop up, Force closes, random reboots, lagging, freezing etc. Also make sure to use a "safe" recovery, there are several choices but I prefer el26+cwm5 or twrp.
We are legion, for we are many
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Click to collapse
ya I always do proper wiping and all that, I got my phone restored to where it was so of course back to all the problems I was having. I'm hoping I can just sell the phone and have someone else deal with it.

[Q] My introduction and help request- Im rooted, now what?

Hi everyone. I've been a lurker here for some time and I finally signed up. 1st off, I have to say that all you guys do an amazing job.
I used to have the Tmo gs4g and always managed to get all my questions answered just by searching enough.There was one thread that was particularly helpful to noobs. It was a basic walkthrough for your first root and rom flash. It even offered up a few kernals and ROMs that were good for your 1st flash.
Now I have the Tmo sgs3 and there just seems to be so much to sift through. I've been at this for the past 2 days straight and while I've learned quite a bit, I just don't feel like I'm confident enough to take the plunge. I've bricked a couple of the sgs4g.
I've managed to root my gs3, get CWM to stick by flashing it through ROM manager (still says I'm living in 1970 but I can live with that) and flashed the adrenaline injector.
I think I'm ok with the stock ROM. The only thing that really bothers me is waiting for the keyboard to popup when I want to type something. It probably takes about 5 seconds to come up but it feels like forever. I'd really like a kernal or a ROM that's close to stock that will improve battery life and give the CPU a kickstart, if that's possible.
Some of the ROMS look pretty cool (like Liquidsmooth and Darthstalker) and what they can do, I'm just a little worried I might get a little over my head with how complex they seem.
If any of this rambling makes sense to you, I'd appreciate it if someone could share the links of what I might be looking for.

nataku199 said:
Hi everyone. I've been a lurker here for some time and I finally signed up. 1st off, I have to say that all you guys do an amazing job.
I used to have the Tmo gs4g and always managed to get all my questions answered just by searching enough.There was one thread that was particularly helpful to noobs. It was a basic walkthrough for your first root and rom flash. It even offered up a few kernals and ROMs that were good for your 1st flash.
Now I have the Tmo sgs3 and there just seems to be so much to sift through. I've been at this for the past 2 days straight and while I've learned quite a bit, I just don't feel like I'm confident enough to take the plunge. I've bricked a couple of the sgs4g.
I've managed to root my gs3, get CWM to stick by flashing it through ROM manager (still says I'm living in 1970 but I can live with that) and flashed the adrenaline injector.
I think I'm ok with the stock ROM. The only thing that really bothers me is waiting for the keyboard to popup when I want to type something. It probably takes about 5 seconds to come up but it feels like forever. I'd really like a kernal or a ROM that's close to stock that will improve battery life and give the CPU a kickstart, if that's possible.
Some of the ROMS look pretty cool (like Liquidsmooth and Darthstalker) and what they can do, I'm just a little worried I might get a little over my head with how complex they seem.
If any of this rambling makes sense to you, I'd appreciate it if someone could share the links of what I might be looking for.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The keyboard lag is probably due to all the stock bloat. I suggest buying TitaniumBackup. Not only to back up your app data, but it can (amongst other things) also disable the system apps that you can't disable through the built-in app manager. I love ROM Toolbox, but I've been noticing some problems with it lately. It's kind of a bug fest. Anyhow, use TiBu to freeze the garbage you don't want.
Make a nandroid with CWM, then:
Download Ashaman (debloater) here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1732039. It's easy to use (flash with recovery), and safe. There is another debloater in our section, but it's a bit over aggressive imo.
If you want to stay stock, that's fine, but I recommend a couple things, one is flashing a kernel, like this one: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2291368. You want "Touchwiz JB (4.1.1 & 4.1.2) VERSIONS:" from post 2.
If you have other specific questions, you can get me on Hangouts with the same name.

I did use titanium backup to get rid of some of the apps I knew I didn't need but I'll check out Ashaman (debloater) and see what else I can get rid of. Thanx for that.

Hey man i came from the GS4G too! I felt the same way and asking questions and plenty of reading is what led me to where i am today. If you're interested you should flash a custom rom+kernel. With a custom kernel, you can adjust how you want your CPU and other stuff to perform. And with custom rom, you'll get the best out of your phone, in my opinion. I'm running LiquidSmooth right now and I'm waiting for the Illusion update. If you need any help, feel free to ask, there are plenty of people here to help. If you like stock tw, you should try flashing a tw rom such as wicked, darthstalker, imfamous or any other 4.1.1-4.1.2 roms. If you like a pure google experience, flash a AOSP rom like LS, Cyanogenmod, or another 4.2.2 rom. It's up to you honestly but if you want to take the dive, always read the OP and ask questions if you're confused! Best of luck!
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2

TheKucho said:
Hey man i came from the GS4G too! I felt the same way and asking questions and plenty of reading is what led me to where i am today. If you're interested you should flash a custom rom+kernel. With a custom kernel, you can adjust how you want your CPU and other stuff to perform. And with custom rom, you'll get the best out of your phone, in my opinion. I'm running LiquidSmooth right now and I'm waiting for the Illusion update. If you need any help, feel free to ask, there are plenty of people here to help. If you like stock tw, you should try flashing a tw rom such as wicked, darthstalker, imfamous or any other 4.1.1-4.1.2 roms. If you like a pure google experience, flash a AOSP rom like LS, Cyanogenmod, or another 4.2.2 rom. It's up to you honestly but if you want to take the dive, always read the OP and ask questions if you're confused! Best of luck!
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2
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Click to collapse
So if I decided to go with the darthstalker rom or liquid smooth, how do I know which kernal would b best for me? Trial and error? I've been reading up on them but I'm not always sure about what's compatible with what.

nataku199 said:
So if I decided to go with the darthstalker rom or liquid smooth, how do I know which kernal would b best for me? Trial and error? I've been reading up on them but I'm not always sure about what's compatible with what.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Most people seem to like ktoons kernal.
The two roms you've mentioned are very good ones but also very different.
Just know with liquidsmooth or any AOSP rom, your files in your internal sd card will get sent to a /0 folder and you won't have touchwiz features smart stay, camera, palm screenshot, nor wifi calling etc.
If you flash this it's fine(I've used LS, loved it) but just know if you don't like it, I recommend to Odin. Going from 4.2.2 to 4.1.2 through recovery has always given me fc's and reboots. I'm speaking from my personal experience, others may tell you different which is fine.
I'm just giving you a heads up before you flash liquidsmooth and think it wiped your internal storage, ask where's wifi calling, etc.
I wouldn't mess with kernels if everything is working fine.
Stockorama, Wicked, Liquidsmooth, Illusions, etc. All fantastic roms. Read OP's and replies just to make sure you know exactly what to expect.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app

Before messing with kernels, I'd start by getting used to some of the custom roms first. Try a few out for a few days each and choose the one you like best.
As stated, Darthstalker and Liquid Smooth are both popular choices around here. There's also the tried-and-true CM 10.1, if you feel more comfortable with it.
Personally, I'm using CarbonRom nightlies and its been pretty stable for the SGH-T999 d2tmo (T-Mobile SGS3).
[ Sent from my WHAT!? ]

IXChicharitoXI said:
Just know with liquidsmooth or any AOSP rom, your files in your internal sd card will get sent to a /0 folder and you won't have touchwiz features smart stay, camera, palm screenshot, nor wifi calling etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So wifi calling doesn't work with any AOSP roms or just liquidsmooth? I'll read up on any rom I choose but I use wifi calling a lot and if that's the case then this just saved me a ton of reading. We've been having reception problems at our house so I've been forced to used wifi calling while at home. Tmobile claims it's my phone (they're sending me a new one this week even though I told them it's not the phone and that I really didn't want a new one) even though 3 out of the 4 phones in the household suddenly have lousy reception.
Since I'm getting a new phone this week, that brings me to my next question-restoring. Since you guys are constantly wiping your phones, what's the fastest way to restore it? I mean, restoring all the little settings like ringtones, homepages, etc... Let's say I flash a rom. Now Titanium Backup should take care of my apps but what about all the settings? Can I just go into CWM's advanced recovery and hit recover data? Is there anything else under advanced recovery I would want to hit?

Wifi calling is in touchwiz based roms only.
If you had several phones all of a sudden suffer signal problems, it will most likely be a network issue. Or they may be upgrading your area. Give it a few days to a week to see if it improves.
TiB can back up your settings too. Or you can just restore a nandroid backup and be done with it. Never heard of data recover options in recovery. Nandroid is the option you probably want.
Sent from my SGH-T999L using xda premium

nataku199 said:
So wifi calling doesn't work with any AOSP roms or just liquidsmooth? I'll read up on any rom I choose but I use wifi calling a lot and if that's the case then this just saved me a ton of reading. We've been having reception problems at our house so I've been forced to used wifi calling while at home. Tmobile claims it's my phone (they're sending me a new one this week even though I told them it's not the phone and that I really didn't want a new one) even though 3 out of the 4 phones in the household suddenly have lousy reception.
Since I'm getting a new phone this week, that brings me to my next question-restoring. Since you guys are constantly wiping your phones, what's the fastest way to restore it? I mean, restoring all the little settings like ringtones, homepages, etc... Let's say I flash a rom. Now Titanium Backup should take care of my apps but what about all the settings? Can I just go into CWM's advanced recovery and hit recover data? Is there anything else under advanced recovery I would want to hit?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you need wifi calling, stay away from AOSP roms then. There's plenty of great touchwiz roms to try though so don't worry.
I use nova launcher so I make a back up of my home screens through nova.
I restore everything the way it was before after I finish restoring apps/data from titanium backup.
I only use nandroids(cwm backups) if something is broken. Otherwise I don't touch it.
Titanium restores your apps and data with apps if you choose so. I always restore game data, alarm settings, notes I've written, etc.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app

DocHoliday77 said:
Wifi calling is in touchwiz based roms only.
If you had several phones all of a sudden suffer signal problems, it will most likely be a network issue. Or they may be upgrading your area. Give it a few days to a week to see if it improves.
TiB can back up your settings too. Or you can just restore a nandroid backup and be done with it. Never heard of data recover options in recovery. Nandroid is the option you probably want.
Sent from my SGH-T999L using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Go into CWM, hit recovery, advanced recovery, hit which ever backup you want then it brings you to a screen that says restore boot, restore system, restore data, restore cache, restore sd-ext. I'm assuming you can use that if you only want to restore certain things.

Correct
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium

Well after much consideration and research I decided to start out with Wicked rom. It was a tough decision between Wicked and Darth Stalker but Wicked seemed like it might be a little more noob friendly (not to mention it has some really cool themes).
This is really exciting for me. I really get off on this kind of stuff. My gf always thought it was weird that I'd get excited every time an update was released. :victory:
Anyway, Thanx to everyone for their patience and help.

nataku199 said:
My gf always thought it was weird that I'd get excited every time an update was released.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol, well, you're not alone, and I think you came to the right place! Good luck and have fun!
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium

nataku199 said:
Well after much consideration and research I decided to start out with Wicked rom. It was a tough decision between Wicked and Darth Stalker but Wicked seemed like it might be a little more noob friendly (not to mention it has some really cool themes).
This is really exciting for me. I really get off on this kind of stuff. My gf always thought it was weird that I'd get excited every time an update was released. :victory:
Anyway, Thanx to everyone for their patience and help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great choice. Wicked v9 was my first rom I ever flashed, got to the rooting scene two or three months ago.
It's a brilliant rom and so much better than stock.
Enjoy!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app