Okay, silly question here:
(First of all, YES, I did a brief search through the forums for this exact question. Couldn't find an answer.)
Background: I am a ROM junkie (but a newbie, I admit). I have flashed and re-flashed EVERY ROM on this site (and others) on to my HTC Wildfire S (rooted, but S-ON). Soon, I will release a "report" with all of my findings, comparing each ROM against each other, etc.
With that, I am *quite comfortable* flashing ROMs and tweaking them afterwards. What I do not know is whether it's possible (after flashing a ROM) to subsequently go back an upgrade ONLY the Android version (from 2.3.3 to 2.3.5, for example).
I'm aware of the OTA updates that a "normal" user would be entitled to. But, with a customized ROM, it seems like I am exempt from those upgrades.
N.B.
If anyone replies: "Just find a modified ROM that runs the version of OS you need, and then flash that onto your phone!"... that is not an option (...unless it's the ONLY option!)
If you don't know, don't guess. (Sorry, but I've seen some of the "quality" answers that come back from certain users who are just trying to up their post count, I assume.)
Thanks in advance, to all those who answer.
- Anthony
It is not possible, because the system image (the OS) IS the rom. In fact, if you change anything in your system partition, you change the ROM.
there are no different memory locations for ROM and OS.
You could download an official rom that contains 2.3.5 here:http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1074445
The rom is the os mate.
Thanks theq86,
So, to be clear, if I am running a custom ROM that happens to be GB 2.3.3, there is no way for me to apply a GB 2.3.5 "upgrade" (if such an animal exists)? The goal here is to leave the rest of the ROM (apk's, settings, internal data, etc.) intact.
Well... that's a tad disappointing, but thanks so much for your answer.
- Anthony
intel007 said:
You could download an official rom that contains 2.3.5 here:http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1074445
The rom is the os mate.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh yeah? And do what with it?
(Go back and read my "N.B." from my original post.)
p.s. The ROM is not the OS. You're not the first person who's said this, though.
- Anthony
Tigger31337 said:
Thanks theq86,
So, to be clear, if I am running a custom ROM that happens to be GB 2.3.3, there is no way for me to apply a GB 2.3.5 "upgrade" (if such an animal exists)? The goal here is to leave the rest of the ROM (apk's, settings, internal data, etc.) intact.
Well... that's a tad disappointing, but thanks so much for your answer.
- Anthony
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can keep the apks and data(but not settings) if you don't wipe.But that can cause ptoblems on some roms.
Sent from my LG-P350 using XDA premium
Thanks nerot, that's kinda the path I was heading down myself (install, without wipe).
The only thing is that I don't wish to install a ROM over another ROM. I was hoping to somehow sneak just a GB upgrade (into an update.zip, let's say) and then flash that through the recovery menu. That way (in theory) the only thing that gets refreshed in my current ROM are the actual Android OS files.
[Hint: Think of the way you would perform an OS upgrade in the Windows world... one does not have to flash an entire Windows image over the existing one. One could simply upgrade the OS, while keeping applications and settings intact. ]
I see no reason, in principal, why this isn't possible with Android and, quite frankly, I'm surprised some clever XDA hacker hasn't done it already.
- Anthony
Tigger31337 said:
Thanks nerot, that's kinda the path I was heading down myself (install, without wipe).
The only thing is that I don't wish to install a ROM over another ROM. I was hoping to somehow sneak just a GB upgrade (into an update.zip, let's say) and then flash that through the recovery menu. That way (in theory) the only thing that gets refreshed in my current ROM are the actual Android OS files.
[Hint: Think of the way you would perform an OS upgrade in the Windows world... one does not have to flash an entire Windows image over the existing one. One could simply upgrade the OS, while keeping applications and settings intact. ]
I see no reason, in principal, why this isn't possible with Android and, quite frankly, I'm surprised some clever XDA hacker hasn't done it already. An one more thing if ypu don't wipe its like you flashed an upsate.zip but as i sai not wiping when switching between roms can cause problems.
- Anthony
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I dont think it is possible to use a update.zip on custom roms because they are modified and even if it was possible i think it would be easier for the developer to just compile the whole rom again.
Sent from my LG-P350 using XDA premium
Tigger31337 said:
Thanks nerot, that's kinda the path I was heading down myself (install, without wipe).
The only thing is that I don't wish to install a ROM over another ROM. I was hoping to somehow sneak just a GB upgrade (into an update.zip, let's say) and then flash that through the recovery menu. That way (in theory) the only thing that gets refreshed in my current ROM are the actual Android OS files.
[Hint: Think of the way you would perform an OS upgrade in the Windows world... one does not have to flash an entire Windows image over the existing one. One could simply upgrade the OS, while keeping applications and settings intact. ]
I see no reason, in principal, why this isn't possible with Android and, quite frankly, I'm surprised some clever XDA hacker hasn't done it already.
- Anthony
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
nobody wants to bother, so find the updated version of the rom you wish to install, make titanium backup of your apps, and move on ..
b02 said:
nobody wants to bother, so find the updated version of the rom you wish to install, make titanium backup of your apps, and move on ..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, what a very clever answer.
Keep in mind I'm not asking what YOU would do; I'm merely asking if something is technically possible.
While it would be nice to find "the updated version of my ROM", it does not exist (because it's a heavily customized version of an already heavily customized version.)
It's perfectly tweaked the way I like it (and yes, I've been backing up the ROM along the way)... so now, my question is (as before): is it POSSIBLE to overwrite ONLY the Android files, thus giving me a newer version of the OS?
Don't worry about whether or not it's something YOU would do... that's missing the point. And don't worry about whether or not certain apps would break after I perform the upgrade... that's my problem. (I suspect that going from 2.3.3 --> 2.3.5, or 2.3.5 --> 2.3.7 would not cause my phone to explode.)
Simply: is it POSSIBLE to perform an OS upgrade on an EXISTING ROM?!
I've heard one answer so far (of "No") but it seems like that was a "most people don't do this" or "it's not practical"-type of answer.
I'm looking for someone knowledgeable enough (because I'm not) to say whether or not it's technically possible. For me, I don't see why it wouldn't be. If someone can confirm it, then I'll get to work and try creating a flash package to get the job done.
Danke,
- Anthony
Tigger31337 said:
Simply: is it POSSIBLE to perform an OS upgrade on an EXISTING ROM?!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A custom ROM (Read Only Memory) as it is so often referred to, is the OS (Operating System) packaged to be flashed into the ROM, which can include the kernel, system, boot image and or other file like data, radio etc.. This is why it is loosely called a custom built ROM.
Yes, it is possible to JUST flash the upgraded files into the OS in the ROM.
The issues most have is when updating some main system files like the systemiu.apk or framework.jar is the /data/data setting files. If those file are not compatible with the newer files you flashed you will get a boot loop issue. I know this since I am modifying my own OS this way from time to time.
Now I am not a expert or a have advance knowledge but I know I what I have done, and the manufactures also do the same with their OTA(Over The Air) updates.
-Mark
The answer IS no.
The files of the rom are the same files of the os.
you can upgade the only the os, but ...
you will not able to start the upgraded os unless you wipe caches and data partition
So you need to:
- backup your apps
- backup your pim data
- upgrade the os (or ROM, whatever term you like more)
- recover pim data
- recover apps
- do the phone settings
having os upgraded and data not wiped is an inconsistent system state.
the only way to upgrade as you like is done by a FOTA update. From 2.33 to 2.35 all the settings and data were kept.
...and so we have a DIRECT contradiction:
One user says it CAN be done; one says it CAN'T.
theq86, although your answer is detailed, here is why I'm having a problem accepting it:
- First, you keep equating OS to ROM. A customized flashable ROM is more than the OS. For example, a ROM can be deodexed, overclocked, embedded with system apps, themed, tweaked, yadda yadda yadda. The OS is merely one component of a ROM package. Please stop equating the two.
- Second (as you already identified) it actually IS possible to do an OS-only upgrade because we are able to receive those types of upgrades today (in the form of OTA updates).
That's my difficulty. Surely, if my phone can handle a package that's designed to upgrade ONLY the OS (say, from 2.3.3 to 2.3.5) then it's just a matter of finding out how that upgrade is packaged and delivered (zip flash, update.zip, whatever) and then re-creating that process offline so that I can apply the upgrade manually.
Here's another description, so you get the picture: Imagine you absolutely LOVE a custom ROM called TiggerROM. It's the best thing you've ever seen in your entire life (you don't get out much) and it happens to be based on GB 2.3.3. Now imagine the author of your custom ROM gets hit by a bus and dies a horrible, twitching death. (There will be no more updates to TiggerROM, sadly). A week after his funeral service, GB 2.3.5 has been released. Your other friends (who have NOT modded their phone) are freely getting the 2.3.5 upgrade OTA, and it does not affect the rest of their phone (i.e. they do not have to re-install all their apps, they did not lose their wallpaper of their pet dog, they did not have to reconfigure their WiFi and Google accounts, etc.) Now, you are saying to yourself, "I want that too! I want to keep my current ROM+settings+tweaks and all I wish to do is upgrade Android from 2.3.3 to 2.3.5" (because you're just the kind of guy who likes to have the latest OS).
...so, what would YOU do?
- Anthony
Tigger31337 said:
...and so we have a DIRECT contradiction:
One user says it CAN be done; one says it CAN'T.
theq86, although your answer is detailed, here is why I'm having a problem accepting it:
- First, you keep equating OS to ROM. A customized flashable ROM is more than the OS. For example, a ROM can be deodexed, overclocked, embedded with system apps, themed, tweaked, yadda yadda yadda. The OS is merely one component of a ROM package. Please stop equating the two.
- Second (as you already identified) it actually IS possible to do an OS-only upgrade because we are able to receive those types of upgrades today (in the form of OTA updates).
That's my difficulty. Surely, if my phone can handle a package that's designed to upgrade ONLY the OS (say, from 2.3.3 to 2.3.5) then it's just a matter of finding out how that upgrade is packaged and delivered (zip flash, update.zip, whatever) and then re-creating that process offline so that I can apply the upgrade manually.
Here's another description, so you get the picture: Imagine you absolutely LOVE a custom ROM called TiggerROM. It's the best thing you've ever seen in your entire life (you don't get out much) and it happens to be based on GB 2.3.3. Now imagine the author of your custom ROM gets hit by a bus and dies a horrible, twitching death. (There will be no more updates to TiggerROM, sadly). A week after his funeral service, GB 2.3.5 has been released. Your other friends (who have NOT modded their phone) are freely getting the 2.3.5 upgrade OTA, and it does not affect the rest of their phone (i.e. they do not have to re-install all their apps, they did not lose their wallpaper of their pet dog, they did not have to reconfigure their WiFi and Google accounts, etc.) Now, you are saying to yourself, "I want that too! I want to keep my current ROM+settings+tweaks and all I wish to do is upgrade Android from 2.3.3 to 2.3.5" (because you're just the kind of guy who likes to have the latest OS).
...so, what would YOU do?
- Anthony
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you put it that way it is impossible to do that because you don't know what was edited in the custom rom and os compared to the stock ones it would cause instability an probably boot loop or the system not starting at all.Its almost like you want to upgrade from custom froyo to stock gingerbread using a ota.So the finnal answer is no.
Sent from my LG-P350 using XDA premium
And as for keeping all the other stuff i think that during the update it's all temporarily backuped somewhere(probably the sd card) and then restored.But i think it depends on the update itself for example there is no need to delete apps and google accounts for a Wi-Fi fix but it is necessary to do that when upgrading from froyo to gingerbread(unless my backup theory is correct)
Sent from my LG-P350 using XDA premium
you can not separate os and rom the way you do.
see, android is an OS that has a lot of dependencies. among these dependencies there are apks, themes and all the other stuff of the ROM.
it is sure possible to only upgrade the minimal dependencies that allow you to update your os and keep the rest (possible like: it's possible to fly)
the problem is: everything providers release are ROMs and no OS diffs. So what you want to do is very impractible.
no one does and want to struggle with those OS diffs. If you want to do, feel free. But you are the 1st one here.
so, yes it is possible, as it is possible to catch a fish with your hands. but the amount of work is much more than it it practicable.
Anyway, I got what you want. And the best thing you can do now:
- take a stock rom
- import it into a rom kitchen
- add your holy stuff
- cook your new rom and be careful not to be caught by a bus, because then the next one will arrive here crying that is favourite rom developer has died.
Try to only update the needed files would take you months of work just to find out what you can update.
nerot said:
If you put it that way it is impossible to do that because you don't know what was edited in the custom rom and os compared to the stock ones it would cause instability an probably boot loop or the system not starting at all.Its almost like you want to upgrade from custom froyo to stock gingerbread using a ota.So the finnal answer is no.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, no, no.
In the examples I've been giving, I've always said that the change is minimally incremental (going from 2.3.3 --> 2.3.5, or 2.3.5 --> 2.3.7, for example). In theory, I'm sure you could go from Froyo to GB, but that's never an example I gave (nor something I'd want to do in real life). The bigger the version jump == the bigger the risk!
I am saying, (to repeat, yet again) that I would be working off a ROM that was GB 2.3.3 and then (somehow) apply a patch that would upgrade the bare minimum to get that Android up to 2.3.5. No other parts of the ROM would be touched. Whether or not **** breaks after the OS upgrade - well, that would have to be dealt with after the fact. I suspect not much would break, but that's not my question/concern right now. I'm saying can it be done TECHNICALLY. Is there a delivery method to apply an OS upgrade patch to a ROM. Don't worry about boot loops or broken apps... that's my problem, not yours.
And, if such an OS upgrade zip doesn't exist, then why not? Are they hard to make? Has anyone tried? Wouldn't such an update be HUGELY beneficial to the custom ROM community?
- Anthony
theq86 said:
you can not separate os and rom the way you do.
so, yes it is possible, as it is possible to catch a fish with your hands. but the amount of work is much more than it it practicable.
.
.
.
Try to only update the needed files would take you months of work just to find out what you can update.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay thanks. I think I'm getting the sense that it's just too much trouble than it's worth.
Thanks so much, everyone who replied.
I guess we are stuck in the hands of the ROM chefs (unless we take the time to learn to cook ROMs ourselves
Thanks again, take care!
- Anthony
Yes, it's technically possible. BUT you'll need to get whoever made the ROM you like to provide another ROM with the Android upgrade already in it. This may not be an insignificant task.
Nicknoxx said:
Yes, it's technically possible. BUT you'll need to get whoever made the ROM you like to provide another ROM with the Android upgrade already in it. This may not be an insignificant task.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, but that's just another way of saying "you'll need to flash a new ROM" which is what we're trying to avoid here (because, by flashing new ROM, you'll lose everything - embedded apps, tweaks, themes, Link2SD data, etc.)
We're trying to keep our existing ROM and just change ONLY the Android version (from 2.3.3 to 2.3.5 for example, not a major version change).
Related
Hi All,
Before I start, I want to apologize for the lengthy post.
I just got an EVO 5 days ago and am ready to root it. I’ve been reading these boards for a few weeks and I gotta say I’m overwhelmed. I’m coming from a Palm Pre, which I hacked the **** out of, but it was more simple on the Pre. There was one method for hacking it and one source (Preware) for getting everything from homebrew apps to themes. Trying to keep up with all the different posts about kernels, themes, roms, rooting methods, etc. makes me feel like I’m in over my head.
Here’s my Evo:
Android Version: 2.2
Baseband Version: 2.15.00.09.01
Kernel Version: [email protected] #17
Build number: 3.30.651.3 CL272076 release-keys
Software number: 3.30.651.3
Hardware Version: 003
I don’t what my hboot is or where to find it, so I’m leery about using unrevoked.
So, I guess I’m asking for the best way to get started hacking my phone. I have a few other questions to fill in my background knowledge of this too.
What is the best way to root my phone?
Can I root and keep the stock rom?
If so, can I delete the bloatware that comes with the phone?
If so, can I still receive OTA updates?
What other roms are available that preserve full phone functionality (ie: 4g and full camera use, I know cyanogen-mod has issues with that)
What does nandroid do?
What does odexed/deodexed mean? (I think it has something to do with theming)
What do you guys do with all those Kernels I’ve been seeing posted?
I’ve already looked here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=841330
And that help with some of the questions I have, but again, I’m completely overwhelmed.
Sorry for the epic post, I hope to get off on the right foot and become an active member of the community here.
Thanks for your help and patience,
Grey
Bump for noobness?
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
You've got the wrong software number for easy rooting dude. (some people have camera freakouts when doing the hard root for your software number as well) Instructions for your sotware number are somewhere on this site. (sorry, don't know where)
You can root and keep stock
You can delete bloatware from kept stock
I believe you can still receive OTA updates, but you won't want to as they could break root. Wait for people here to release a rooted version of the OTAs
I think most Sense-based ROMS preserve all functionality. I'm a fan of Myn's Warm which does.
nandroid performs a backup of your system image essentially
odexed/deodexed has to do with something or other that I forgot, but the differences are explained elsewhere on the site
Kernels ar eused for performance, overclocking and underclocking CPU
First, I'm not familiar with the new rooting methods (I got my Evo on launch day) so I can't be of much help there.
greymalken said:
I don’t what my hboot is or where to find it, so I’m leery about using unrevoked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pretty sure you'll need to know what hboot you have in order to root. To find out: Turn off your evo. Hold down the volume down key, and simultaneously hit the power button to turn the phone back on. You'll be presented with a white screen (you can release the volume key now) with various information, including your hboot version. When you're finished, pull your battery, put it back in, and power on your evo as normal.
greymalken said:
Can I root and keep the stock rom?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, but what's the fun in that? Custom roms provide additional functionality, performance, and themes that you can't get with the stock rom.
greymalken said:
If so, can I delete the bloatware that comes with the phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes. You can delete literally anything, no guarantee your phone will still work afterwards though.
greymalken said:
If so, can I still receive OTA updates?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No. OTA updates are disabled in custom roms. There's no need to, however. Updating would cause you to lose root. Instead, you can/will flash the updates (whether it be updates to the rom, kernel, radio, etc).
greymalken said:
What other roms are available that preserve full phone functionality (ie: 4g and full camera use, I know cyanogen-mod has issues with that)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Basically there are two kinds of roms. The majority of them are based off of the stock HTC rom and include HTC Sense, and full functionality (since no underlying components are being altered). The other type is AOSP (Android Open Source Project) which are roms that are compiled directly from the source code of Android. It's much harder to develop an AOSP rom, but these roms can include many features unavailable to htc-based roms. Unfortunately, AOSP roms do not yet have support for 4G or HDMI, as these elements are closed-source and therefore can't just be copied over from an htc rom. The two main AOSP roms are CyanogenMod and MIUI.
greymalken said:
What does nandroid do?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Basically, think of a nandroid backup as a copy and paste of your phones internal memory. The rom, kernel, user data, etc are stored in nandroid backups. Generally you create these whenever you are going to do anything that may cause your phone not to boot properly. In such a case, you can restore your phone from a nandroid and it will work exactly the way it did when you made the backup.
greymalken said:
What does odexed/deodexed mean? (I think it has something to do with theming)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All you really need to know is that a rom must be deodexed in order to be theme-able. In contrast, odexed roms perform somewhat better. I doubt you'll find an odexed rom, other than stock, as the small performance hit is worth the ability to customize it.
greymalken said:
What do you guys do with all those Kernels I’ve been seeing posted?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A kernel is essentially the underlying framework that connects the rom (operating system) to the phone's hardware. Various kernels and have different features, such as over/underclocking, over/undervolting, I/O scheduler's, cpu governers, etc. Flashing different kernels will change your phones performance, battery life, and stability.
greymalken said:
Sorry for the epic post, I hope to get off on the right foot and become an active member of the community here.
Thanks for your help and patience,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad to help that's what we're here for.
Hey guys thanks for the replies. I'm probably going to try to root tonight after work (and after backing everything up).
Any leads on what to use to root my version number? (I'll try searching later, I can't whilst I'm at work)
I found my HBOOT, it's 2.02.0000.
Can I use that for anything?
Thanks again,
-- Grey
Hi,
I'd be really grateful to anyone who can answer my newbie questions.
I'm looking to follow the guide to downgrade my non-network-branded (i.e. sim-free) Desire HD, so I can permanently root it. Then I intend to follow the other guide so I can still update to the latest official release. My primary requirement for rooting is just so I can make complete backups of my phone's state in future. Though I'll probably play about with other community ROMs too!
Sorry if answers to my questions are elsewhere, and feel free just to point if that's the case. I've searched but haven't found definitive answers. Knowing these things will increase my understanding. Although I'm used to tinkering with things a little am in no way a programmer and my last phone was a Nokia E65!
1) Please can someone list the different parts of the phone's memories, including which are impossible to write over and which are. E.g. my understanding is:
--One flash chip with:
- 'bootloader', which to me sounds like a PC's BIOS or the kind of app you can boot into on a standard desktop PC when choosing which OS to boot into;
- factory image partition;
- separate partition for over the air updates;
- 1GB partition for user-writeable memory for things like apps installed on the phone, contacts, etc.
--Physically separate 'radio' chip that can be overwritten (I don't understand the difference between this and the OS though)
--RAM;
--microSD card.
2) After following the two guides mentioned above, will I still be able to receive over the air HTC updates in future? And if not, does that mean I'd be relying on the community to make available any official updates? I bought my DHD through an official UK retailer.
3) After following the two guides mentioned above, will it still be possible to restore my phone to its factory state in future, e.g. for resale or sending back to HTC, so everything that we unlock ('eng s-off', 'radio s-off', etc., which fries my brain right now) is locked again? If so, can a guide to this process be linked to?
4) I understand it's possible to switch between custom ROMs easily. When this is done, does that mean all system settings, such as phone contacts and app settings are also switched, or are these settings written to a different part of the phone memory?
I'll be sure to thank (and donate) for your time. Many thanks in advance as well!
Hi, I just bought the DHD 3 weeks ago and it is still difficult to understand to understand all this android stuff sometimes
1) I was a little lost at the beginning too, I don't know if this is what you are looking for but this is what I understood.
There are 4 flashable "things" :
- ROM OS (android OS)
- Linux Kernel (linux kernel)
- ROM radio (another ROM that manage ONLY the hardware stuff like 3G, Wi-Fi, bluetooth, GPS...)
- bootloader (exactly like a bios) and contains a recovery menu (that can be flashed by clockworkmod for example)
The ROM radio seems independant and you can flashed it separatly from the other it doesn't bother. The last versions improve battery life or GPS startup etc...
The ROM OS (android) need to be flashed with the kernel otherwise you can have some problem (wi-fi or data network that doesn't work anymore...).
S-Off means security off and it is necessary to do it if you want to write a new recovery on the bootloader or flash a new radio ROM...
Ther is two kind of S-Off but I'm not sure of the meaning so I let you watch about it.
When you install through the official ways :
1 OTA : You need to have the official recovery from the bootloader otherwise it will NOT work (no OTA with clockworkmod)
If your phone is network-branded you need a goldcard here and/or superCID (I don't really understand here lol)
After the installation I think you keep the S-Off but you're not root anymore.
2 RUU : It will install/reinstall everything (ROM OS, kernel, ROM radio and bootloader).
It is even capable of reseting your CID (your not concerned here because your phone is non-network-branded)
If think you loose the S-Off (or ENG S-Off -> SHIPS S-Off), you're not root anymore...
If you want to keep S-OFF, SuperCID and ClockWorkMod you need to :
1 flash the ROM OS through the ClockWorkMod recovery -> update.zip (you can give it the OTA file .zip, it will only flash the ROM OS)
2 flash the kernel manualy with fastboot (you can also use the boot.img contain in your OTA file)
3 flash the ROM radio (there is the excellent tuto here on XDA about this)
2) OTA will not be possible if you want to use clockworkmod. I was a little anxious about that too at the beginning! But you can find the official
ROMS REALLY easily on XDA probably before your provider send it to you. And when you do everything manually, you can CHOOSE wich radio ROM you want,
you can do backup REALLY quickly with clockworkmod and you can come back (things you can't do if you use OTA)... The last point that confort me
in doing all of this is that you can download OTA but not install it to pick up the ROMs inside and the kernel ! I did it last week and my phone
is now running the two ROMS that was contained in the OTA file AND the kernel. This is why I'm not worried anymore.
3) I never tried to restore my phone to its exact factory settings but I think you can...
4) I don't really now. In my case, I decided to use Google for my contact too, so when I flash, a few minutes later I have all my contacts
I hope my english is not too bad for explainations like this
Hi poumpoum,
Firstly, thanks so much for taking the time to help. Your English is ten times better than my Française! If you've a PayPal account you'd like to Personal Message me, or just the name of your preferred charity, I'd like to say a little thanks that way too.
Okay: so I understand that doing these cool things to my phone means I won't be able to update it over the air. You've convinced me this isn't a problem because any updates find their way to the community.
I'm also convinced I can restore my phone completely to factory defaults due to this thread (the thread's for a different region but the principle still stands).
Thanks for clarifying the radio ROM shares the same physical chip as all the other memory (including the RAM actually, I found this out).
This thread also explained some of the jargon to me.
You're welcome
Hi, I have the desire, and well I'm board with it, I want to mess around with different roms like miui, gingerbread extra. But I don't understand, please could someone help me with some of my questions? Thank :
1) What are the chances of breaking it through rooting, and what could happen, and would should you do it it does happen?
2) what does bricked mean, and is there away of unbricking?
1) what do you do if a bad rom breaks?
1.5) what are the chances of things going wrong?
2) Can you have more than one rom installed at a time, and switch between them, a bit like you can with launchers, and uses the same apps and data on those roms?
2.5) Is unrevoked the best way to root?
3) I you can have more than one rom, can you have a gingerbread rom, side loaded with a froyo from?
4) How do you switch between the roms?
5)Does rooting affect battery life?
6) Using unrevoked, is there anyway to unroot?
7) where do you find roms, and does the rom manager in the market allow you to install them without flashing?
8)Is there a good htc sense hd or gingerbread rom that works well?
9) With different roms increase the speed of the device, like the n1 is faster than the desire, yet they have the same hardware?
I know that a lot of questions but i am really nervousness about this and I can't seem to find todate answerers to these questions. If someone could help me with these questions I would be very great full, as I want to get more our of my device. Thanks ( I know there are a lot of rooting threads, but I really need to find out as much as i can before I undergo this, I love my desire too much to allow it to break when there was something that i could have done)
There is a remote chance (0.00000001%) of anything going wrong as long as you follow the steps to the rooting process and S-Off. If you become bricked then there is a topic on how to unbrick.
Easiest and best way to root is to using unrevoked 3.32. Make sure you download the HBoot drivers from their website. After rooting, it is also good to make your device S-Off'd. Your able to flash HBoot templates to change partition sizes and also change the splash and remove system apps and so on.
You can only have 1 rom installed at a time. You have to flash roms as well, that's how you install them and other zip files through the recovery. If a rom breaks, you can just flash it again. Installing a rom takes 5 mins, if that really.
You find roms in the Android Dev section. You can use Rom Manager but you have to pay or something.
You can have a fast rom or a "slower" rom. It depends on how it's been built and stuff but also the kernel can help to speed things up. (Speed isn't always the answer). There is no best or crappiest rom either. It's best to test many out for yourself.
Battery life again depends on the rom and the kernel.
Things To Download
To root a device
To S-Off your device
Roms and alsort of other nice things
Hope this helps you out.
Thanks very much , but do you need to install "S-Off" as I don't quite understand what it does, and which one to download and how to install it. Thanks
You don't need to install S-Off after a root. S-Off just allows you to do more things like uninstall system apps, change the splash screen, change the HBoot (not quite sure what else). If your not going to be doing them sort of things then stay away from it.
When you root, the unrevoked utility roots it and changes the recovery to ClockworkMod 2.5.1.8. That recovery allows you to boot into it and install roms through it. It has a menu and you use your optical tracker to navigate through them. That is how you install different roms.
With the roms, you need to see which one you like. I've been through almost all of them and I have one I stick to now. I can't say which is the best, that's for you to decide. The Gingerbread roms are Android 2.3 and I THINK, emphasis on the THINK, that the rest of the roms are Android 2.2.
I think at first your like, oh what if I mess things up and stuff but you won't if you follow instructions. When I first did it, I completely messed up and couldn't even boot into a rom at all and was wondering how to sort it out. I got there in the end but still. I also forgot to mention, if you want the stock rom back, you can install one of the RUU's. It will wipe everything and you will have to root again, but you will have stock.
Thanks very much , when change roms will you lose all of your apps, and data?
Yes. When your changing roms, you have to erase all data. It is a must and everything will go, apps, user data including texts and contacts, EVERYTHING!!!.
Thanks so much for all your help, i'm going to do it now, and use cyanogen mod 7 or 6.x. Thanks again
No worries. If you get stuck, just message me or something.
Completely IGNORE S-OFF if you're a n00b, it shouldn't be recommended to anyone who:
1. Doesn't know what it is
2. Doesn't actually need it
Concentrate on rooting and running a custom ROM first
Not actually true. When I S-Off'd my Desire, I didn't have a bloody clue, other than it disables all security, what it was. You eventually learn things like I did and read a little more. S-Off is a great tool to have on your phone because it gives you all the more freedom to do what ever you want with your device. I will say for all the "n00bs" out there that if you are S-Off'ing then please read it all carefully, unlike me because I could have messed it all up.
You were lucky - better to learn first, do second
I saw recently a wiped imei which made me cautious
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App
Thanks for all you help, I have rooted and now have a custom rom (cm 6.1). Thanks
EddyOS said:
Completely IGNORE S-OFF if you're a n00b
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would add that if you're a n00b, don't even try to get your device rooted!
Lothaen said:
I saw recently a wiped imei which made me cautious
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would ask if that's even possbile. Apparently it is.
Delete the efs storage without a backup... doh
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App
I had a stock Desire and wouldn't move from it. Then the niggles in the current build just annoyed me enough to actually go down the root route (see what I did there? )
So I rooted and after a few mishaps along the way (make backups of everything, phone and SD card, especially if you partition it!) I am very happy with my Ginger Villain ROM. A few things still niggle (Me avatar in texts blank, phone reboots randomly to name a few), but its not as bad as it used to be. I can live without Sense as well surprisingly enough.
I also did the same for a friend, and stuck them on LeeDroid 2.3d and as they are technically challenged, it works for them sweet as.
stringent said:
I had a stock Desire and wouldn't move from it. Then the niggles in the current build just annoyed me enough to actually go down the root route (see what I did there? )
So I rooted and after a few mishaps along the way (make backups of everything, phone and SD card, especially if you partition it!) I am very happy with my Ginger Villain ROM. A few things still niggle (Me avatar in texts blank, phone reboots randomly to name a few), but its not as bad as it used to be. I can live without Sense as well surprisingly enough.
I also did the same for a friend, and stuck them on LeeDroid 2.3d and as they are technically challenged, it works for them sweet as.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haha that made me laugh. As for your contact icon of yourself, you need to add yourself. Your own number and name and then you can add a picture. Yes it is annoying a little because Android natively doesn't have like a "contact card" for yourself.
Rooting and S-Off is the best thing I did by far
GoogleJelly said:
Haha that made me laugh. As for your contact icon of yourself, you need to add yourself. Your own number and name and then you can add a picture. Yes it is annoying a little because Android natively doesn't have like a "contact card" for yourself.
Rooting and S-Off is the best thing I did by far
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
bump creates a contact card for yourself...
right at the top of the phonebook called 'My Contact Card'
Lothaen said:
bump creates a contact card for yourself...
right at the top of the phonebook called 'My Contact Card'
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Odd, I don't have that, I had it in the Sense UI, not on the stock Ginger Villain ROM, unless I am missing something ...
I've spent some time on another area in this forum, as an owner of an HTC Touch Pro 2, running WinMo and booting into Andriod from there. On that side of the world all I had to figure out was if I wanted a cab installer or a rar'd installation, and how to work up a startup.txt file.
Quite the different ball game over here.
My new phone comes in the mail tomorrow and I've spent the last few days digging through this place, google, wikis, all over trying to absorb some of this info. Here's what I think I know so far, I would appreciate your knowledge and tell me if I'm on the right track.
1. First I will want to root my phone with unrevoked3, then do a nandroid backup, which I believe is like a backup image of my current setup that I can fall back to if I have issues.
2. Next I would do an unrevokedForever which is like a full and permanent root, and sets my phone to S-OFF to allow for potentially disastrous things to happen.
3. Third step is I may or may not want to update the radio, which may make connections, call quality, and download speeds better or may make them worse.
[Q] - Do some roms require a certain version of radio firmware?
4. Radio updated or not, I would choose which rom I want to run. Lots of choices, seems like a few good standouts for a new user to learn the ropes with.
5. With a rom loaded, I may or may not want to update the kernel to something other than what was released with the rom package.
[Q] - From what I read, it looks like people run kernels from different developers, not necessarily from the dev(s) of the full rom, correct?
I hope I'm off to a good start. Any tips you can send my way is much appreciated.
Sounds good to me. You got the steps down.
And yea kernels are usually not by the rom dev. Just make sure your using a sense rom with a sense kernel or aosp rom with aosp kernel.
Sent from my Incredible using XDA App
Answers/responses in red below
ramma2 said:
I've spent some time on another area in this forum, as an owner of an HTC Touch Pro 2, running WinMo and booting into Andriod from there. On that side of the world all I had to figure out was if I wanted a cab installer or a rar'd installation, and how to work up a startup.txt file.
Quite the different ball game over here.
My new phone comes in the mail tomorrow and I've spent the last few days digging through this place, google, wikis, all over trying to absorb some of this info. Here's what I think I know so far, I would appreciate your knowledge and tell me if I'm on the right track.
1. First I will want to root my phone with unrevoked3, then do a nandroid backup, which I believe is like a backup image of my current setup that I can fall back to if I have issues.
Correct - PRE-ROOT - you may want to make a complete copy of your SD card on your PC first, and ensure you have ample room on the SD. Further, you should verify your contacts are synched to Google, not saved as phone contacts. Absent that, back them up to the SD before copying SD contents to PC - then they'll be on device and PC.
2. Next I would do an unrevokedForever which is like a full and permanent root, and sets my phone to S-OFF to allow for potentially disastrous things to happen.
Not correct - the current version of UnrEVOked does S-OFF for you - users have no choice in this.
3. Third step is I may or may not want to update the radio, which may make connections, call quality, and download speeds better or may make them worse.
Recommend you wait on this to see how your newly rooted device does with different ROMs, then read all you can find about radios, then consider whether you like what you have, or consider a different radio.
[Q] - Do some roms require a certain version of radio firmware?
Radio requirements, if any, should be stated in the ROM specifications/features listing - required radio upgrades are few/far between
4. Radio updated or not, I would choose which rom I want to run. Lots of choices, seems like a few good standouts for a new user to learn the ropes with.
5. With a rom loaded, I may or may not want to update the kernel to something other than what was released with the rom package.
[Q] - From what I read, it looks like people run kernels from different developers, not necessarily from the dev(s) of the full rom, correct?
Recommend reading up on kernels. Note that there are 2 types of ROMs - Sense and AOSP - only Sense kernels run on Sense ROMs and vice-versa. Kernels are a personal preference depending on whether you want battery life, speed, etc. etc. They vary, so reading up on this will benefit you.
I hope I'm off to a good start. Any tips you can send my way is much appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Recommend backing up the SD card to the PC every 6 weeks or whatever frequency seems right to you. Why? SD cards fail, and when they do, you have a quasi-recent backup of your card.
hth
Hi guys! After purchasing a Droid X that I thought was a Droid X2, I've now purchased a Droid Incredible from Ebay. For context, it's for my 12 yr old daughter who is on PagePlus. I've got her on one of the talk and text plans wiht no data.
I've read the wiki and a number of threads but couldn't find a clear answer to my question: What should I do with this before I give it to her?
Things I'd like to do:
1. Get rid of/freeze bloatware
2. Address the short battery life issue (if possible)
3. Give her the ability to change the theme, preferably without installing a program
4. Limit data to wifi since I don't want her using PP minutes for data inadvertantly
So, what would you do with a new phone?
TIA,
CheapDad
CheapDad said:
Hi guys! After purchasing a Droid X that I thought was a Droid X2, I've now purchased a Droid Incredible from Ebay. For context, it's for my 12 yr old daughter who is on PagePlus. I've got her on one of the talk and text plans wiht no data.
I've read the wiki and a number of threads but couldn't find a clear answer to my question: What should I do with this before I give it to her?
Things I'd like to do:
1. Get rid of/freeze bloatware
2. Address the short battery life issue (if possible)
3. Give her the ability to change the theme, preferably without installing a program
4. Limit data to wifi since I don't want her using PP minutes for data inadvertantly
So, what would you do with a new phone?
TIA,
CheapDad
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi from another Page Plus user!
#4 is easy: just turn Mobile Data off in the phone's settings.
For only #1: Root the phone and install Titanium Backup. Follow the first part of this guide:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1600904
You do not need to follow the full guide and get s-off unless you want to, for what you want to do just having root will be enough. Follow steps 1, 2, and 3. Once Superuser and Titanuim Backup are installed, you will be able to remove any apps you want. Plus, you'll have a custom recovery installed, which will allow you to continue:
For #2 and #3: Follow the guide as stated above, and flash a ROM with Theme Engine support, such as Cyanogenmod:
http://download.cyanogenmod.com/get/jenkins/21410/cm-7-20130301-NIGHTLY-inc.zip
...that is a link for the last official Cyanogenmod nightly, which is Gingerbread. It will have much better battery life than stock, and there are still lots of free themes around for CM7.
(There are some pretty good Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean unofficial builds, but the video camera is broken on most anything newer than Gingerbread. You can even put KitKat on your Droid Incredible if you want to, but that breaks picture messaging as well as the video camera.)
Thanks very much, musical-chairs! Your post summarized everything very nicely. Unfortunately, my phone didn't come with an SD card, so I've got one on order from Newegg. Once it gets here I'll get started.
One question - if I use Titanium Backup, can I back up the AOSP ROM so that I can restore the phone to stock? Or is there a better way of doing that?
Second question - does CM already address the 149 MB storage issue, or do I still need to apply a fix to that?
CheapDad
CheapDad said:
One question - if I use Titanium Backup, can I back up the AOSP ROM so that I can restore the phone to stock? Or is there a better way of doing that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When you say "back up the AOSP ROM," I think back up the entire ROM. Titanium doesn't do that, that's a nandroid, done in recovery.
What Titanium does, is back up individual apps (and their app data). That's ok, as long as you're backing up user apps (apps that live in /data/apps). It's not ok, and known to cause problems, to back up system apps (apps that live in /system/apps).
PonsAsinorem said:
When you say "back up the AOSP ROM," I think back up the entire ROM. Titanium doesn't do that, that's a nandroid, done in recovery.
What Titanium does, is back up individual apps (and their app data). That's ok, as long as you're backing up user apps (apps that live in /data/apps). It's not ok, and known to cause problems, to back up system apps (apps that live in /system/apps).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pons:
Forgive the inaccurate language. What I 'm thinking is that I'd like the option of restoring the phone to its original state, ideally with the most up to date firmware issued by the HTC or Verizon (it's a Verizon phone). I assume I should do that before I change anything. How do I do that?
CheapDad
CheapDad said:
Pons:
Forgive the inaccurate language. What I 'm thinking is that I'd like the option of restoring the phone to its original state, ideally with the most up to date firmware issued by the HTC or Verizon (it's a Verizon phone). I assume I should do that before I change anything. How do I do that?
CheapDad
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As Pons said, you can back up your stock rom before flashing a new one, in recovery (aka make a nandroid backup) and restore it at any time. Also, you can wipe the phone and install a stock image, you can find those here: http://dinc.does-it.net/Stock_Images/
I mentioned Titanium not so much for making backups as for uninstalling bloatware. Of course, if you decide to flash a custom ROM like CyanogenMod, that is a non-issue.
The 150Mb data issue requires a separate fix, flash that after flashing a ROM. The thread for that is here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1623038 You're looking for the 'no data limit' variant of the mod.
musical_chairs said:
As Pons said, you can back up your stock rom before flashing a new one, in recovery (aka make a nandroid backup) and restore it at any time. Also, you can wipe the phone and install a stock image, you can find those here: http://dinc.does-it.net/Stock_Images/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I received a 32GB SD card yesterday in the mail from Newegg and I plan to follow all of the steps you suggest tomorrow. I went to the link for the stock images to save one locally and I can't figure which one to use. My phone has the following:
Build Number
4.08.605.19 CL539174 release keys
Software number
4.08.605.19 710RD
This doesn't seem to make any of the file names at the stock image site. Can you help me identify the correct one?
CheapDad
CheapDad said:
I went to the link for the stock images to save one locally and I can't figure which one to use. My phone has the following:
Build Number
4.08.605.19 CL539174 release keys
Software number
4.08.605.19 710RD
This doesn't seem to make any of the file names at the stock image site. Can you help me identify the correct one?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The newest full stock image there is 4.08.605.15: http://dinc.does-it.net/Stock_Images/4.08.605.15/
Then there is the 4.08.605.19 OTA update patch: http://dinc.does-it.net/Stock_Image...WE_4.08.605.19-4.08.605.15_release_305224.zip
...the stock images are flashed through HBOOT rather than recovery, so they wipe everything, including your custom recovery and the bootloader unlock. I think you would rename the OTA update to PB31IMG.zip (just like the full stock image) and flash it through HBOOT as well, so that after flashing them both you would have a completely stock, locked, unrooted phone. These can be useful if you want to sell the phone or if something gets crashed or messes up in a really bad way. 4.08.605.15 has that annoying bug where it likes to keep rebooting at 2:00 am, but it would be fine for recovering your device.
Alternately, there are odexed and deodexed stock images in the main directory of http://dinc.does-it.net/ that you would flash through recovery. They would return the ROM to stock but would leave the recovery in place and the bootloader unlocked. Also, the guide recommends that you make a nandroid backup of your stock ROM as soon as you're in clockworkmod recovery, so you could always restore your backup and get the ROM back to stock (but leave the bootloader unlocked.)
On the bright side, if your phones are on 4.08.605.19, you will already have the latest HBOOT, so unlocking via htcdev will be nice and simple - no need to download and run the RUU update as the guide says in part 1 section 2, just run the fastboot commands and click along in htcdev.
Sorry, this post got kind of messy...
To close the loop, I spent the better part of yesterday going through the process described by musical_chairs. First, I unlocked and rooted using HTCDev. I installed CWM and made a stock rom backup. I flashed/installed CM7.2. Once I did that, I realized that I didn't have Google Apps, so I followed the same process and installed that. (adb push) Lastly, I fixed the 150 mb storage limit.
As few thoughts on the process from the perspective of a noob with some computer/technical knowledge, but zero linux/android knowledge:
1. The instructions were great. The more detailed the better and pictures are even better yet. A few times I had to google when I got an unexpected outcome to find a youtube video or something to show me a picture so I could determine what I had done wrong.
2. I used the "downgrade to froyo" instructions but just changed the file name to match CM7.2. While I got this done, a set of instructions that are generalized (to flash a new rom, enter this command "adb push (name of file) /location/) would have been better because I would not have had to extrapolate. I appreciate that his comment reduces the simplicity to the absurd, but for someone doing this for the first time, absurdly simple is important.
3. The support here is phenomenal. I couldn't have done this without the guidance provided. Thank you!
CheapDad