Develop Bugs

[Q] Unrooting questions

If I were to un-root my Droid Incredible, would I loose all the data I have.
e.g, SMS messages, contacts, applications+data for them.
If so, is there an application to back this up for un-rooted droid users?
Also, I never made a backup of the stock before flashing a new ROM, is it still possible to un-root?
Lastly, when un-rooting via downgrading, can I re-upgrade to 2.2?
Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Bump...
Any help will be greatly appreciated.

MyBackup or Titanium Backup can do this i believe.
This is what you need to get back to stock - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=786436

I thought those apps only work when it's rooted though...

i'm not 100% sure, but you won't lose your contacts because those are synced with your google account.
Why do you want to go back to stock?

there's a way to save all your contacts, go to people, then hit the menu button and then press import/export. Export all your contacts to your sd card, and you can save your contacts that way. You won't be able to use titanium backup because it requires root and you're trying to unroot. Unrooting will ultimately bring you back to 100% stock, and you'll lose all your data and apps. If you want to unroot, just follow the directions i gave you in the last forum, and if you have questions ill answer them later.
To be frank, there's no true purpose to being unrooted just so you can make a backup. The only reason you would unroot is if you want to stay unrooted. There's a bunch of ROMs you can use so staying rooted would be more beneficial for you

The main reason I want to be un-rooted is because I miss having stock. :/

Meetii said:
The main reason I want to be un-rooted is because I miss having stock. :/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what features are you missing? there's a lot more that you can do with an unrooted phone, faster speeds, better UI feel, more functionality, wireless tethering for free, but it's entirely your pick

Well I mean I like being rooted, but I can't seem to find a decent looking ROM that I like. The one I'm using now is http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=799679&highlight=droid+incredible+rom and that's the closest one to stock that I can find. I just prefered the stock look over the ROMs I've seen.
I'm about to flash the MIUI because it looks amazing, but do you have any suggestions for decent looking ROMs?

Meetii said:
Well I mean I like being rooted, but I can't seem to find a decent looking ROM that I like. The one I'm using now is http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=799679&highlight=droid+incredible+rom and that's the closest one to stock that I can find. I just prefered the stock look over the ROMs I've seen.
I'm about to flash the MIUI because it looks amazing, but do you have any suggestions for decent looking ROMs?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats all about preference, some people like a stock looking rom, others like a highly tweaked rom.
skyraider 3.5 - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=764787
Check out that rom for a stock look but with many customization options so you can make it how you want basically.

Thanks, I'll revert to that if I don't like MIUI. Do I need to do anything special before flashing MIUI?

nope, everything needed for any rom you flash will be included with the rom and installed along with the rom when you flash it.

Alright, thanks a bunch. I also have two more questions.
What's the difference between a ROM and a theme?
And what's a kernel?

g00s3y said:
Thats all about preference, some people like a stock looking rom, others like a highly tweaked rom.
skyraider 3.5 - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=764787
Check out that rom for a stock look but with many customization options so you can make it how you want basically.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it's exactly like how he puts it, it's all a matter of preference. What you like might not be what i like. There's a whole bunch of themes on top of the ROMS you use, so just take a while and go through each one until you find one that you really like. I prefer to the new sense roms and that's why i'm sticking with Uber Sense Rom. all a matter of what looks and feels good for you!

Meetii said:
Alright, thanks a bunch. I also have two more questions.
What's the difference between a ROM and a theme?
And what's a kernel?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A rom is basically the base of everything, the tweaks in software and all of that is your rom. So to put it into perspective, it's windows 7. And what you have with themes is the overlay that goes over that. If you prefer a black overlay, if you prefer your start menu somewhere else, everything can be changed according to how the developer feels like. Some developers primarily do ROMs, others do themes, rarely do any do both.
A kernel is harder to explain, if i had to think of a way to relate it to computers, it would be the equivalent of BIOS. It gives you tweaks in speed and battery life. With a properly done kernel, you're phone will have a LOT more battery life, and have faster speeds. Now, not all people's phones react the same way to kernels. What kernel works for me, might not work for you. The kernel i use might give me days of battery life, while when you use it, it might end up giving you hours of battery life. Everyone's phone reacts different, there's no universal kernel that works best for everyone.

Thanks guys, I really like the MIUI theme so I'm going to stick with it. I don't think I'm going to mess with kernels though. Being that I don't want to mess up my phone again.

if you find that you want to flash a kernel later, it's pretty simple. Download the file, then flash like you would a rom, pretty simple haha.

Slight issue...
On the MIUI ROM, I downloaded a theme with the application it came with for downloading theme. After doing so, I went to install it on said application and now it's stuck on the MIUI booting screen and it's been about 15 minutes. Should I unplug the battery...or what?
EDIT: Problem solved.

Adding Rom's thru ROM Manager

I just recently got rid of my Epic for the EVO and was wondering about some things with ROM manager. I never really used it that much because all ROM's on the Epic were basically all suppose to be done by going straight to CW. I understand everything in general but my question is basically can I have a ROM like MikFroyo 4.4 installed on the phone and use ROM manager to download and install something like MYN's Rom without having to "return to stock"? Or is it best to return to stock before adding a different ROM/Kernel? I backed up my original stock ROM but was just curious since I want to try a bunch of ROM's. I know I really like the MikFroyo ROM but I usually can only last about 1 or 2 weeks with the same ROM before I need to flash something, LOL. Which is why I got rid of the Epic because the DEV community was very slim compared to the EVO's. Thanks in advance.

I've used ROM manager but I prefer to make sure I have a 100% clean slate before flashing. I download the rom, put it on my sdcard. Then I use "format all" by Calkin, then flash the downloaded ROM thru clockwork/annonRA. This way I am 100% sure everything was wiped as clean as possible before going into a new rom. ROM's like MIUI seem to have issues if you don't do it this method....
*shrug* for what its worth.

Sounds good to me.

A good wipe always works well but many have also flashed tons via Rom Manager with no issues. I have used it many times also with no issues. I'd say use it and if for some reason you end up getting a few f/c issues then reflash manually after wiping directly from recovery.
If good devs like Myn are going to take the time to have it listed in RM then might as well take advantage.

CCallahan said:
A good wipe always works well but many have also flashed tons via Rom Manager with no issues. I have used it many times also with no issues. I'd say use it and if for some reason you end up getting a few f/c issues then reflash manually after wiping directly from recovery.
If good devs like Myn are going to take the time to have it listed in RM then might as well take advantage.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
While I do agree, I know for 100% sure if you don't format_all on MIUI you'll end up with random reboots; yes some still do no matter what but 99% of people the format_all cure 'em. That's enough proof for me to always follow this method -- better to be 100% safe and eliminate as many potential problems as possible. OP - either way will work... do what works best for you.

CCallahan said:
A good wipe always works well but many have also flashed tons via Rom Manager with no issues. I have used it many times also with no issues. I'd say use it and if for some reason you end up getting a few f/c issues then reflash manually after wiping directly from recovery.
If good devs like Myn are going to take the time to have it listed in RM then might as well take advantage.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is that "because it's there, it works" mentality. Yes, ROM Manager is safe, however it is not the best method for installing ROMs. I agree with the above statement of Calkulin's format all. I won't flash a new ROM now without it, and I have noticed a performance increase

[Q] New user with ILWT rom questions

Hey guys, I just rooted my DZ and now I’m ready to switch to a custom rom (I’m currently on stock 2.2 sense rom). After doing some reading I think I want ILWT. As I have never done this before I would feel more comfortable knowing what I’m doing rather that regretting something latter. So here goes
First of all, if I first wipe data/cache with superwipeG2 and do a nandroid backup, will the backed up rom work after restore? (I would like to back up the stock rom, without the apps I installed).
Second, I know I need to wipe everything with superwipeG2 before going to ILWT, but should I also do a factory reset?
The most important thing is will ILWT run ok without eng-hboot, as I did not flash it during rooting (I didn’t feel comfortable with that)? From what I understand ILWT will automatically flash a new kernel with all kinds of goodies? I don’t need a super extra fast rom, I just want it to be reasonably stable so I’m guessing I’ll go with ILWT kernel. Also, how wide spread are the GPS issues, does everyone suffer from it or it just happens to some people?
So what do you think about my choice and is there anything else I should know before I proceed? All your answers would be much appreciated, thanks

ILWT is the best and stable ROM if you ask me. I just recently left it to play with the ICS ROMs floating around. I had no issues with the GPS while I ran ILWT. I have GPS issues now with the ICS ROMs, but I expected that. I would flash the hboot if I were you. While it seems intimidating, it actually isn't and very easy to do as long as you follow all the instructions on the rooting guide.
I didn't do a factory reset, but I did do a superwipe and wiped cache/data/davlik just to be safe.
As far as the OEM ROM goes, http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1442988 is a GREAT resource to go back to OEM specs and has a nifty directory with all the official OEM ROMs.
Hope this helps a bit. I'm also a noob at this ROM thing and have learned a ton while reading all the info on this forum.

ILWT is the best in stability and speed, and it is a super extra fast rom
i think superwipeG2+ will wipe your /system partition too, which contains the rom, so if you super wipe, then backup, you won't be backing up anything... maybe
what i'll doo is just wipe data/factory reset and then flash ILWT, and then reboot... that's it

Thanks for the advice guys. I’ll flash the rom first thing in the morning

liud said:
Thanks for the advice guys. I’ll flash the rom first thing in the morning
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No prob... I'm happy to help
———————————————
i didn't mean to flame you, nor to mock you in any kind of way

If you want a nandroid of your current rom without the apps and such just do a factory reset before you do the nandroid. Of course this may be silly for you would have the same affect as just flashing the rom later. Get an engineering hboot, well worth it. Then do a superwipe (I also wipe everythin else cause I'm a little ocd, even fastboot -w) and then flash away. Remeber when you have a rom the way you like it, even a week or more for now, do a backup and then if you screw up in the future you'll be saved
Sent from my HTC Vision using xda premium

ILWT is about as fast and stable as they come. If you are used to Sense, and like things such as the Sense widgets and camera, you may miss them. Otherwise, ILWT is one of the best out there, and you will not be disappointed.
Anyway, if you make a nandroid, you can always go back if you don't like ILWT (or any other ROM for that matter). Nandroid is pretty awesome, as it will restore the complete image of the system when you backed up, with apps and data intact, just as you left it before flashing the new ROM.
I'd say the GPS issue only happens to a small minority of people on ILWT and other versions of CM7. I didn't have the issue with the GPS not connecting at all, but apparently some people do. And its an issue that has popped up for some people from time to time, on various CM7 builds in the past. I did have an issue with GPS fix being slower than on stock Sense (maybe 2 minutes versus 5-10 seconds), and the following fix did the trick, and got me consistent GPS fix in seconds:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1472870
At least one user used the same to fix his issue of no GPS fix, after I suggested it:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1616627

Again, thank you all for your help
My DZ just got some ILWT love and its running perfectly ))

Does anyone remember Pyromod Mecha Micro ROM? I am still using that rom, and it was the fastest and saved a ton of battery life.
Is this ILWT rom better then pyromod mecha micro?

Call echo on every ROM? Try this...

I have noticed a few people complaining of call echo with AOSP ROMs (even with "noise suppression" checked), as well as some stock based ROMs. I was having the same problems. Stock based ROMs were better, but echo was still there. I tried several radios without avail.
What finally worked for me was going back to stock through Kies (keep in mind this will wipe your internal sd as well, so move your backups off your phone). I have since been able to flash PACman ROM without call echo. I have not tried any others but I assume the result would be the same. If someone is willing to test other ROMs/radios and report back that would be great. I just don't have the time.
Also, I did not flash a different radio after going back to stock. I assume it would be okay to do so, but I am not a dev so that is only a guess. What I think going back to stock fixes is some missing/corrupted libraries that are somehow surviving ROM flashes (like in a protected storage or something like that).
Anyway, I hope this helps someone else.
EDIT: This doesn't work all the time, and has only really worked for me once. I have done it twice and it worked great the first time, and not really the second. It's worth a shot, but just keep this in mind.
:::Specifics:::
Essentially all I did was go to the latest stock rom image from T-Mobile. Kies upgraded my phone to UVLI1, which is T-Mobile's latest 4.0.4 stock rom. Kies essentially wiped everything from my phone (except external storage) and imaged it with the latest factory image which includes the latest radio. I have since been able to root, install TWRP and flash an AOSP based rom without degradation in call quality. I did not flash over the radio that was installed by Kies, and I did not wipe android secure in TWRP (don't know if that made a difference).
What you should try if you are having call quality issues:
1. Go back to stock unrooted (use your method of choice, I used Kies but that doesn't work for everyone so try Odin or Heimdall)
2. If you didn't go to the latest stock unrooted image from T-Mobile and Samsung, do that through Kies which should now work for almost everyone (as of Jan. 1, 2013, the latest stock image is UVLI1/TMBLI1)
3. You should now be able to root and flash any rom you like without call quality degradation (if this is not true for you please let me know --- see above for what I did at this point)
I'd be interested in getting some feedback from this. Keep in mind that I am not always available and may only be able to reply once a day or less. Again, this is just what worked for me, it may not work for you. Please give yourself plenty of time when going through this process as Kies is not very fast (at least in my opinion).
UPDATE:
Here is how I got Kies to update my phone while still rooted and even running an AOSP rom. As always, do this at your own risk. I accept no responsibility for broken devices or lost data/pictures/music/etc. However, I have done this twice now, so just read and understand what you're doing and you should be fine.
Keep in mind that this WILL WIPE YOUR INTERNAL STORAGE! You have been warned.
1. Disconnect your phone from your computer
2. Launch Kies and click on Tools>Firmware Upgrade and Installation
3. Input model number (it's case sensitive !?) and hit OK
4. Input serial number (found under battery) and hit OK
5. Hit okay on windows until it starts downloading the latest firmware for your phone
6. After it's finished downloading it will tell you to put your phone in download mode and connect it to your computer. Do it, check "I understand..." and hit OK (I also opted out of the sending of information to Samsung)
7. Wait until it's finished. It will likely launch a window saying it's downloading a file for emergency recovery of your device.
8. When it's (finally) done it will tell you it was successful (hopefully). Your phone will automatically reboot and all will be well with the world and your phone.
Hope this helps.

kies fails recognize my phone. already have the phone drivers installed.

You have an interesting post, but it would be of more use to people if you specified the exact information about what's on your phone. Such as which stock ROM version you were able to flash through Kies and what radio version you are currently using.
There are different stock ROMs and radios on the forums, so it doesn't solve anything if you haven't told us what exactly works with your phone that others should try.

Here is the rub. I haven't been on stock unrooted rom since buying the phone in March. I have bounced around roms and radios quite a bit (probably at least one or two a week on average). My wife has complained of call echo for a long time (multiple roms, multiple radios and AOSP and touchwiz based roms). Touchwiz based roms had better call quality but echo was still present. I decided to Odin back to stock unrooted and see if it was a hardware issue or not. It wasn't a hardware issue because call quality was great. So I rooted the phone, installed the latest TWRP (2.3.3), but wasn't happy with stock rooted so I decided to try an AOSP rom. I wiped only cache, dalvik cache, system and data (not android secure, don't know if that made a difference or not). It works great; i.e. no call quality issues. I did not flash a radio.
So, essentially what I did was:
1. Went back to stock unrooted (Kies put me on latest 4.0.4 from T-Mobile, which flashed a radio, the rom and cleared internal storage)
2. Rooted and installed TWRP
3. Flashed my rom of choice, but not a radio and I didn't wipe android secure (not sure if that matters)
Honestly I don't know what about that process fixed the echo issues, all I know is it did. If you can't go back to stock unrooted through Kies then use Odin. There are great threads giving step by step instructions on how to do that. I just decided using Kies would be easiest for me, and it worked for me.
I hope these are the details you are looking for FineTalent. And thanks.

Excellent lol. If you own the d30 case from tmobile take it off. Worked for me as well.

I do have the d30 case but taking it off didn't seem to make a difference. Besides, the wife didn't like the idea of my phone going commando.

I used odin to go back to stock and the call quality was great. But as soon as i installed an AOSP rom (All Star Rom V6) the echo was back.

I did not know that LI1 was the latest 404 ROM ?
I can only get VLH1 as the latest ROM.
I know there is a LI1 radio available, but have never seen the LI1 rom itself, especially not on SamMobile/Firmware site.
Any links to the "official LI1 ROM"
Thanks

bert269 said:
I can only get VLH1 as the latest ROM.
I know there is a LI1 radio available, but have never seen the LI1 rom itself, especially not on SamMobile/Firmware site.
Any links to the "official LI1 ROM"
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It was simply the latest one Kies found for my phone. I believe it was labeled as UVLI1/TMDLI1, but I suppose I could be mistaken. If you install Kies on your computer (shudder, I know) and plug your phone in it will compare the rom version on your phone to the latest known rom from tmobile/samsung. You will need your phones serial number I believe. At least, it was needed when I "upgraded" anyway.

whytechapel_x said:
I used odin to go back to stock and the call quality was great. But as soon as i installed an AOSP rom (All Star Rom V6) the echo was back.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you give the following information:
1. Method of obtaining root
2. Custom recovery odined when obtaining root (I assume it's cwm 5.0.2.7)
3. Custom recovery used to flash AOSP rom
4. Steps taken to flash AOSP rom (I don't want this thread to become a "this is how I flash" thread, but I want to know what was different between your experience and mine, so wipe and install steps would be great)
5. Any mods flashed/done before testing call quality (or was it completely clean, i.e. just rom and gapps)
6. Which gapps did you flash (mine was latest for 4.1.2, so gapps released on oct. 11, anything later is for jb 4.2 and not compatible with 4.1.2 according to release notes)

monkeybuttons said:
Can you give the following information:
1. Method of obtaining root
2. Custom recovery odined when obtaining root (I assume it's cwm 5.0.2.7)
3. Custom recovery used to flash AOSP rom
4. Steps taken to flash AOSP rom (I don't want this thread to become a "this is how I flash" thread, but I want to know what was different between your experience and mine, so wipe and install steps would be great)
5. Any mods flashed/done before testing call quality (or was it completely clean, i.e. just rom and gapps)
6. Which gapps did you flash (mine was latest for 4.1.2, so gapps released on oct. 11, anything later is for jb 4.2 and not compatible with 4.1.2 according to release notes)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1.Well i didn't root my stock phone. After using odin
2.I used cwm 6.0.1.5
3.Same.
4. Well i followed the steps in the all star thread which is wipe data/factory reset. Then flashing rom and wiping cache and dalvik cache.
5. The all star rom is heavily modded so idk. I tried it with "noise suppression" on and off.
6. All star gapps.
I want to point out that as soon as i flashed jedi knight 6, the call echo was gone but i want to be able to use my AOSP roms without call echo.

Since I'm not a dev I can't really diagnose the problem. I only hoped that what worked for me would work for others as well.
When I went back to stock I rooted, but didn't like stock. TWRP has been my go to recovery for a while now and the options available in PACman rom have me by the heart strings, so those are the first things I tried. I wish I had time to fiddle around with it and truly try to find out why it worked for me but I just don't have that option right now. Sorry I'm not of more help.

Its OK. But can a dev clarify if maybe clockworkmod is what is causing the call echo? Probably not flashing AOSP ROMs right?

whytechapel_x said:
Its OK. But can a dev clarify if maybe clockworkmod is what is causing the call echo? Probably not flashing AOSP ROMs right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
CWM is in no way linked to the call echo issue, however, using the latest version will assist in ensuring your ROMs installs properly. Rather than using CWM I recommend flashing ROMs through TWRP 2.3.3.0, it is the most up to date recovery system for our phones at the moment.

FineTalent said:
CWM is in no way linked to the call echo issue, however, using the latest version will assist in ensuring your ROMs installs properly. Rather than using CWM I recommend flashing ROMs through TWRP 2.3.3.0, it is the most up to date recovery system for our phones at the moment.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK. I went on and installed TWRP anyways and flashed tweakwiz and got call echo once more. I am aware that it flashes the blaze radio but still. Does this mean that my phone came out defective? But why is it that i get absolutely no echo on stock ics and luckily, jedi knight 6 neither? When i was using jedi knight 6,i was using the stock radio uvlh1? But if i have this same radio on AOSP roms or in other ones, i still get call cecho.

whytechapel_x said:
OK. I went on and installed TWRP anyways and flashed tweakwiz and got call echo once more. I am aware that it flashes the blaze radio but still. Does this mean that my phone came out defective? But why is it that i get absolutely no echo on stock ics and luckily, jedi knight 6 neither? When i was using jedi knight 6,i was using the stock radio uvlh1? But if i have this same radio on AOSP roms or in other ones, i still get call cecho.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am not able to exactly help you with your issue as I am using a different ROM than you. However, if you have tried different radios and they did not seem to fix the issue, can you possibly try installing a different kernel? Also, check the phone settings and see if there is an option to turn on 'Noise reduction' which has been mentioned on here before, it seemed to have worked for some people.

So i noticed that i get call echo on all jellybean roms no matter if they are touchwiz or not...frustrating

whytechapel_x said:
So i noticed that i get call echo on all jellybean roms no matter if they are touchwiz or not...frustrating
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Keep in mind the Touchwiz jb roms are actually built off the leak for the Skyrocket. The same thing happened with ICS way back when and call echo was a rampant problem then as well. I don't recall if anyone really solved the problem before official ICS dropped for Hercules, but I know a lot of devs were working on it.
Call echo in stable AOSP based roms shouldn't be happening. That's what we're trying to correct here.
If you have the time (or are willing), go back to stock unrooted (so you get the radio and everything) and try flashing cm10 stable. Then report back and let us know if call echo still exists. I'm not trying to knock All Star roms, I am just trying to get to the root of your problem and that involves avoiding flashing a radio. As far as I can tell, the flashing of the radio is the biggest difference between your experience and mine.

monkeybuttons said:
Keep in mind the Touchwiz jb roms are actually built off the leak for the Skyrocket. The same thing happened with ICS way back when and call echo was a rampant problem then as well. I don't recall if anyone really solved the problem before official ICS dropped for Hercules, but I know a lot of devs were working on it.
Call echo in stable AOSP based roms shouldn't be happening. That's what we're trying to correct here.
If you have the time (or are willing), go back to stock unrooted (so you get the radio and everything) and try flashing cm10 stable. Then report back and let us know if call echo still exists. I'm not trying to knock All Star roms, I am just trying to get to the root of your problem and that involves avoiding flashing a radio. As far as I can tell, the flashing of the radio is the biggest difference between your experience and mine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
will do. but if i remember, i would still get call echo on aokp milestone 1

whytechapel_x said:
will do. but if i remember, i would still get call echo on aokp milestone 1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you tried any ICS based AOSP roms? Like cm9.1 or AOKP (I can upload the file for you if you want; it is no longer on goo.im). I think I kept ICS AOKP the longest of any rom.

[Q] A rooting question?

I'm a noob to the S3 development. It is configed for me a lot now. I dont want to have to reset my phone and have to do everything all over again. I have stock 4.1.2. All I want is to be able to have wifi tether and keep the stock rom. Will rooting it erase everything, and I will have to start back fresh, because when I had an HTC it did. Last question, when Sprint comes out with more stock roms as in updates, I know I would have to flash instead of doing them OTA which I know you can't do, will it restart/erase the phone when I flash those new stock roms on in the future?

mystical80 said:
I'm a noob to the S3 development. It is configed for me a lot now. I dont want to have to reset my phone and have to do everything all over again. I have stock 4.1.2. All I want is to be able to have wifi tether and keep the stock rom. Will rooting it erase everything, and I will have to start back fresh, because when I had an HTC it did. Last question, when Sprint comes out with more stock roms as in updates, I know I would have to flash instead of doing them OTA which I know you can't do, will it restart/erase the phone when I flash those new stock roms on in the future?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let's tackle this question one piece at a time:
Rooting: "Getting Root" will not reset anything on your phone. You can go ahead and Root it and when you turn it back on most everything will be exactly the same as you had it before. You'll have a custom recovery (CWM or the recommended TWRP) and root access, but it won't format anything off your phone (apps, settings, etc.)
Wifi Tether: As far as I'm aware, you'll have to flash a custom ROM in order to get wifi tether working. I haven't flashed a TW ROM in a while (been sticking with AOSP 4.2.2 Roms for a bit), but I know that Freeza typically puts together a really nice ROM that is really close to stock. I don't think the one I linked has Wifi tether on it. There's also Kennyglass123, who put together The People's ROM (TPR), which I really liked and includes wifi tether. Also, with TPR, you can easily use Morphology to do all your customization.
The only thing about using custom ROMs is that the best procedure is to do a "full wipe" (factory reset, cache, dalvik) before flashing the ROM. The good news is that there are many programs available to help you get your programs/settings back up and running. I personally use Titanium Backup, but ROM Toolbox Pro also has this capability as well as a lot of other cool customization features. My only warning is that trying to restore system apps (the RED ones in Titanium Backup) can mess things up for your phone if you're switching between TW and AOSP or between versions of Android.
OTA Updates: Once you're rooted, you won't be able to flash OTA updates without going completely back to unrooted stock. The good news is that this process is relatively easy, just some Odin commands. The better news is that with the XDA community, you only have to wait a couple of days before they've come up with updated ROMs that include the OTA updates. Freeza is particularly speedy when it comes to that.
Last Note: I know flashing ROMs and "starting over" with your phone can be a daunting experience, but I've found that custom ROMs are the way to go. Nowadays, they're extremely stable, get amazing battery life, and include customizations that can really make the phone "your own." When I first got into flashing ROMs, I stayed really close to stock, but now I'm really enjoying AOSP ROMs such as Slim Bean, Liquid Smooth, and my current ROM, Carbon.
Hope I've answered your questions!

Thank You very much!!!
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app

To add on to the above, theres the TreveMod Wifi tether app that you can use on any rom, its specifically modded to work with the Galaxy S3
And yes, like he said, it can be overwhelming, we've all been there...but once you get started, there are some really cool roms out there, you just gotta find what it is you look for and what features you want
But trust me, you picked an awesome device to get started with
Good luck!
Oh and one last thing, do NOT flash roms/mods made for the international versions, or for other carriers. Chances are that you will either bork some functionality or brick your phone

CNexus said:
To add on to the above, theres the TreveMod Wifi tether app that you can use on any rom, its specifically modded to work with the Galaxy S3
And yes, like he said, it can be overwhelming, we've all been there...but once you get started, there are some really cool roms out there, you just gotta find what it is you look for and what features you want
But trust me, you picked an awesome device to get started with
Good luck!
Oh and one last thing, do NOT flash roms/mods made for the international versions, or for other carriers. Chances are that you will either bork some functionality or brick your phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here is the link to TrevE's wifi app over in the Verizon SG3 Section. The late November version has been verified to be working on Sprint Stock (but rooted) MA6 roms. I haven't personally used it (don't have 4G in my area and the 3G is too slow to tether with), but others have and said that it works. It's also the app/mod that all the TW ROMs (with tethering baked in) are based off of.
Hope this helps!
-Topher