Develop Bugs

[Q] n00b rooting help please

Was wanting some more help with rooting my Evo for the first time. I know there are a lot of guides for n00bs out there but this stuff moves too fast and they are out of date.
Anyways, my phone is stock:
-Android 2.2
-Software number 3.29.651.5
-PRI version 1.77_003
-PRL version 60671
My intention was to use Unrevoked 3.21 but I read through ALOT of information from different sites and am thoroughly confused. Since my phone has all the recent OTA updates can it be rooted with this? And if so, I most definitely need to not take the Sprint OTA updates and wait for the "rooted" versions correct?
I like the Sense UI (but never used any others) and am happy with the phone the way it is. My hope is being able to use the hotspot feature and remove the bloatware from the phone.
Can anyone walk me through some of this (specific to my need)? As said before, I know there are already some n00b walkthroughs out there but most are too dated and some things apply and some don't which makes it very confusing.

Unrevoked 3.21 is the way to go. I just used it to root my replacement evo and it worked beautifully. Here is the thread for it, just read it and follow the relatively easy instructions and you won't have any issues.

Great.....thanks. This one is the most current I have seen.
I have read that if I take this route the phone could still be flashed back to a stock state in case warranty service (by Sprint) is needed. Am I still correct in assuming this?

Absolutely. It is very easy to unroot and return your phone to stock.

I'm going through the process now. However, my phone has rebooted and unrevoked3 has been sitting doing nothing for awhile. It still says:
Waiting for root...(safe to restart if this doesn't work)
Recovery image: ClockworkMod Recovery
This has been on there for around 5 min now. Do I re-run unrevoked at this point? Do I need to do anything with my phone? What happens if I re-run it and same thing happens?
Thanks.

That happened to me the first time I did it. It worked fine the second. You're ok to run it again.

Nice....it was a success the second time. Thanks.
Now all I have to do is find out what to do from here! lol

You can find info on anything that you might want to do by searching the forums here at xda and by using google. I recommend reading up as much as you can before you start deleting or flashing anything.
The best piece of advice I can give you is to do a nandroid backup before you modify ANYTHING on your phone. That means do one right now so if by chance you screw something up, you can always restore it and be back to where you started. If you don't know what a nandroid is or how to do one, use the search feature here or once again, google.
Good luck and welcome to the xda community

Sorry to jump in on the post but metalhead has been so helpful to how I would like to root. I have searched for nandroid, nandriod backup, and back up nand. None of theme gave a clear path for tutorial. If you could lead me in the right direction I think that this should be made a sticky.
Thanks in advance.

mainstang said:
Sorry to jump in on the post but metalhead has been so helpful to how I would like to root. I have searched for nandroid, nandriod backup, and back up nand. None of theme gave a clear path for tutorial. If you could lead me in the right direction I think that this should be made a sticky.
Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you know what recovery you flashed? regardless, there are two ways to go about it. 1. turn your phone completely. hold Power and VOL - until the boot menu appears, use volume to move the selection and power to select. pick recovery. nandroid backup.
2. get Rom Manager(market). it has a one-touch button to reboot into recovery. easy peasy.
each recovery is different. Whether you have RA or Clockwork or some other third thing, you will get the same result, you just have to go about it differently.
good luck!!

I'm back post root! However, have some questions that I haven't been able to find answers to.
1) Am I OK to take my phone out of USB debug mode, or does it need to stay like that?
2) Can I re-install HTC sync and will it work with all ROMS?
3) I downloaded ROM Manager and Titanium Backup (both paid). When flashing a new ROM, all settings are gone as well as apps from the market. Is there a way to restore a rom without having to go back and re-download ROM Manager from the market then use it to restore? It takes to darn long to reboot the phone into recovery and restore that way.
Also with Titanium Backup, since it just backs up apps what is the point of doing a backup with it? If a complete image is saved by whichever backup you do, all apps in that image will be restored as well. When would anyone ever need to restore just the apps from before with the same rom?
4) Can I do a batch flash with a custom ROM and a custom theme? Or should I do the ROM first then the theme? I wouldn't think the theme can be applied until the ROM is flashed first. I'm not sure if ROM Manager will do this in a specific order.
Thanks.

CCallahan said:
I'm back post root! However, have some questions that I haven't been able to find answers to.
1) Am I OK to take my phone out of USB debug mode, or does it need to stay like that?
2) Can I re-install HTC sync and will it work with all ROMS?
3) I downloaded ROM Manager and Titanium Backup (both paid). When flashing a new ROM, all settings are gone as well as apps from the market. Is there a way to restore a rom without having to go back and re-download ROM Manager from the market then use it to restore? It takes to darn long to reboot the phone into recovery and restore that way.
Also with Titanium Backup, since it just backs up apps what is the point of doing a backup with it? If a complete image is saved by whichever backup you do, all apps in that image will be restored as well. When would anyone ever need to restore just the apps from before with the same rom?
4) Can I do a batch flash with a custom ROM and a custom theme? Or should I do the ROM first then the theme? I wouldn't think the theme can be applied until the ROM is flashed first. I'm not sure if ROM Manager will do this in a specific order.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) i would leave it enabled. it doesn't hurt anything and there are a lot of programs and modifications that use it.
2) in the half dozen roms i've tried, HTC sync does work. i am curious though. what are you using it for?
3) i'm not 100% clear on what you want, but i'll try my best. if all you're wanting to do is restore to a previous rom(for instance, if you flashed a rom to test it out and hate it) as long as you did a nandroid backup BEFORE flashing the rom, you can restore with all your settings and apps in place.
with TB i back up with it in such a way that it preserves all my settings and apps(including PLACEMENT of the apps on my docks and home screens) This is very useful. i'm not really sure why you don't see the significance in TitaniumBackup. it would be an absolute PAIN to restore all your apps from the market. or even better, REMEMBER which apps you had installed after a flash.
4) i would ALWAYS flash a rom first, reboot, check it out to make sure it loads properly. i know it takes a while but it's better to wait, then to try and flash everything at once and frag your phone. it's your phone of course, so do as you wish, but my advice is to flash the rom, reboot, then flash your theme.
good luck!!

Good stuff to know.....thanks.
In response to #2........I'm using HTC sync to sync my contacts/calendar between the phone and Outlook. I do not like using Google apps for this and HTC makes it easy to sync with this program.
In response to #3......You did answer my question. Just wanted to know if there was a faster way to recover (maybe a trick through ROM Manager) that I didn't know about.
To explain more about my Titanium Backup question......now that i think about it I guess if a custom ROM is flashed, one can re-download Titanium and restore all apps/locations on the new ROM setup, which would make things incredibly easier than downloading/placing/sizing apps individually. But, will it also restore widgets with the size/screen placement as well?

CCallahan said:
But, will it also restore widgets with the size/screen placement as well?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yessir, it did for me

(Q) After rom is applied..

Yes i am new to the rooting scene so please bare with me. When the new unrevoked is released, i will be using it to root my phone. Ive been researching things ahead of times, and just recently became interested in applying a custom rom. To my knowledge, from what ive read, u must wipe the phone before u apply the rom in order to avoid running into any problems. Obviously u would make a nandroid backup first, but once the rom is applied everything would be missing, correct? I think im missing something here, but im just confused one what can be restored on the new rom and how....yet again i apologize but better to ask then rush in and regret it, backup or not. Thanks you.

NickDroid said:
Yes i am new to the rooting scene so please bare with me. When the new unrevoked is released, i will be using it to root my phone. Ive been researching things ahead of times, and just recently became interested in applying a custom rom. To my knowledge, from what ive read, u must wipe the phone before u apply the rom in order to avoid running into any problems. Obviously u would make a nandroid backup first, but once the rom is applied everything would be missing, correct? I think im missing something here, but im just confused one what can be restored on the new rom and how....yet again i apologize but better to ask then rush in and regret it, backup or not. Thanks you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use and recommend Titanium Backup to backup and restore all of the downloaded apps. I've heard you're not supposed to restore system apps and their data, just chose app only. I'm almost 100% sure that you can restore user (downloaded) apps with data and not have problems. I've always done that and have had no problems as of yet. Anything else you need cleared up?
Sent from my Droid Incredible running Myn's Warm Two Point Two RLS4.

Everything will make sense once you root and physically go through the steps, instead of "studying".
Rule #1 is wipe data and cache before applying a new rom. Sometimes if going from one Rom to an update of the same ROM, you dont have to, but it never hurts.
Rule #2 Always create a back-up. I like to use Rom Manager to do this because you can name the file easily, instead of a date/time
Rule #3 When applying a theme, you dont wipe.
For me I dont usually use Titanium backup to restore on the incredible, mainly because the market is so fast on this and I dont have tons of apps. But, as said earlier, you can restore the market apps with no negative consequences, just may run into problems with restoring system apps and data.
Oh yeah, Rule #4 Have Fun, and tell the significant other that it could be worse. You could be out drinking or womanizing

Thanks to both of you, haha i feel better now...ill make sure and post some screenshots with the final product

NickDroid said:
Thanks to both of you, haha i feel better now...ill make sure and post some screenshots with the final product
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No problem, and sounds good!
Sent from my Droid Incredible running Myn's Warm Two Point Two RLS4.

[Q] Installed applications are hidden

Hello,
I got my Desire HD a few weeks ago, it was locked on Three UK and I rooted and sim unlocked it to use it in Italy where I live.
I was playing with the application manager and noticed that there are a few apps that are installed on the phone (some Three UK apps, Bejeweled and so on) that are not showing at all in the apps list. They are in the installed applications of the application manager, but I can't do anything with them as all the controls for these apps are gray (not selectable). Anyone has any idea about what is happening?
I was also thinking to flash a stock ROM to get rid of all that unusable stuff and speed up the phone a bit (the Three splash screen makes boot crazy long), but I want to be sure I can go back to this ROM, if needed. I have a backup made with ClockworkMod, is it all I need or should I save something else first?
What stock ROM would be better for me to flash?
I am currently with OS build 1.37.771.3 and Radio 12.28b.60.140eU_26.03.02.26_M
Thanks in advance for the help!

No advice at all?
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App

My guess is that those apps are part of the ROM and so you will not easily be able to remove them.
You could try using something like Titanium Backup to see if that will remove them but unlikely.
"What ROM should I use" is a question that should be banned from this site. It is up to you what ROM you like the most. I, along with others can only tell you what ROM works best for them. Pick one, try it. Don't like it then choose another.

Mr_JMM said:
My guess is that those apps are part of the ROM and so you will not easily be able to remove them.
You could try using something like Titanium Backup to see if that will remove them but unlikely.
"What ROM should I use" is a question that should be banned from this site. It is up to you what ROM you like the most. I, along with others can only tell you what ROM works best for them. Pick one, try it. Don't like it then choose another.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay, I think I explained myself the wrong way
I didn't want somebody to tell me what ROM is better as I know it really depends on personal preferences, that's the reason why there are so many different ones, right? What I meant is: what is the latest stock ROM that allows me to root the phone using Visionary+? Do I have to worry about OTA updates or can I just download and apply them?
For now I just want to have a "clean" phone, custom roms and further playing will come in the future
And, the second part of the question is if a system backup done using ClockworkMod is sufficient to get back to what I have now, if ever needed, or I do need to backup something else first.
Thanks!

I'm afraid I can't recall the latest version that will still work using Visionary+ The last time I researched it was 1.32 I believe but don't hold me to that. If you have a look at the Android Development forum the Visionary threads will tell you.
If you use CWM Recovery to do a (NAND) backup of the current ROM then that is all you will need to do. THat will back up ROM, settings, apps, messages etc. Everything.

Mr_JMM said:
I'm afraid I can't recall the latest version that will still work using Visionary+ The last time I researched it was 1.32 I believe but don't hold me to that. If you have a look at the Android Development forum the Visionary threads will tell you.
If you use CWM Recovery to do a (NAND) backup of the current ROM then that is all you will need to do. THat will back up ROM, settings, apps, messages etc. Everything.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Would I need to somehow backup Radio too? Or CWM backup saves it as well?

[Q] Before I Flash my First ROM

I'm relatively new to this ROM flashing business and, before I flash my first custom ROM, I have three quick questions that I would be very grateful if one of you more advanced developers could answer.
1. Is it possible to return to the stock ROM (or on the DInc, HTC Sense) without unrooting, or would I have to unroot and reroot?
2. What is the possibility of bricking my phone? I have seen a lot of warnings about bricking, but what is the actual probability that this will happen?
3. By using Titanium Backup, how much am I actually backing up and how much will I have to do myself to re-customize my phone?
Thank you.

1) Yes, by backing prior to your first flash you can always revert back to your backup. You could also download a stock rom and flash to that as another method of returning to stock.
2) Bricking and reading information on flashing have an inverse relationship a.k.a the more you read the less likely you brick and the less you read the more likely you brick. If you use that thing called google you will almost certainly not brick your device.
3) Not sure I can answer this one as I don't use titanium for anything. To get my phone back to the point I had it after each flash I only need to spend about 5 mins tweaking CPU, voltage and placing my clock widget where I want it. Google handles apps and contacts so that isn't a problem. You can backup your messages and what not with numerous programs. Customization can become endless i.e. themes, display tweaks etc but I don't really know how far into that you have gone.

You can follow my step-by-step tutorial, found here-Rooting Droid Incredible- for a very easy way to root.

Backup stock rom first. Don't be like me.
Where's ma rosie at?

I flashed the Optimized Shift ROM, and everything worked very well. However, I do have one more question - a patch for the ROM was posted today, and how do I install that? Do I just flash it like a normal ROM, or do I do something else?

The dev (newtoroot) should have said whether it was something you could flash over or do a full wipe (like before first installing a rom). You just flash the updated version like you did initially.

Whenever I try to restore to my backup of stock Sense/Froyo, my phone gets stuck on the white "HTC Incredible" screen, and I have to take out the battery and reboot into Optimized Sense. Because of this, it appears I may be stuck in a custom ROM. Is there anything I can do?

teentech said:
Whenever I try to restore to my backup of stock Sense/Froyo, my phone gets stuck on the white "HTC Incredible" screen, and I have to take out the battery and reboot into Optimized Sense. Because of this, it appears I may be stuck in a custom ROM. Is there anything I can do?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Make sure you do a full wipe, the same thing you'd do before flashing a new ROM, and then restore the backup.

RMarkwald said:
Make sure you do a full wipe, the same thing you'd do before flashing a new ROM, and then restore the backup.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you. Unfortunately, I just tried that, and it once again wouldn't boot up. Is there anything else I can do?

First things to do when I get my Galaxy Nexus?

I am getting my Galaxy Nexus Tomorrow. This is my first smartphone. I would like to back up the phone completely so that I would have a way to "restore" the phone to it's original state, should I mess something up when I begin to customize the phone. This would also be good if I decide to sell the phone later should the Galaxy Nexus 32GB model become available, I could put the phone back to its original state.
What is the best way to back up my Galaxy Nexus out of the box?
In addition to backing up the phone, what are some other things that you guys do when you first get a new smartphone?

In terms of backing up, simply create a Gmail Account before-hand, or make one right on the device and check all the boxes that say "Backup my data to Google's servers". It will keep all contacts, apps, WiFi passwords, and even your wallpaper backed up (if you want to delete the backup, there's an option in settings as well). If you prefer local backups, there is a way to do that and even encrypt the backups, but I believe you need to be an Google Apps Account holder.

Enjoy your new phone...... Google backs most everything up so you can hit the ground running!! Being your first smartphone you will have plenty of exploring to do!
Danny

You don't need to back it up. There's an option to restore to factory settings which wipes all your data and returns it to out of the box state.
Even if some disaster happens and it won't boot, you can boot into recovery and restore it from there.
And, Even if the sky falls and recovery doesn't boot you can put it into a low level state called fastboot and flash the stock update using your computer!
Don't panic, there isnt anything you can do to take it to an unrecoverable state, unless you root it, and even then the chances are sooooo low.
The first thing i'd say you should do it look into getting a case or pouch (my personal preference). Especially if you're not use to a touch screen phone you'll probably need a bit of time getting use to the idea that it s a little more delicate.
Next, make sure you charge it overnight.
Lastly just play around with the settings and mess around as much as you like. Figure out what you do and don't like settings wise without worrying about returning the settings back. Then restore to factory settings from the settings menu, and set it up properly with everything you learnt from your playing!
EDIT: I read from your post you wanted to backup the phones virgin state, if you meant data backup, the other posters covered that

Wow, this is going to be easier than I thought. Thanks for all of the great replies and suggestions so far. I am really going to enjoy this phone!!!
edit. I tried to thank all of you guys, but I am only allowed 5 thanks a day and I ran out.

Yes, and this is a great smartphone to start with!! The new settings are really user friendly!

First thing to do when you get this beast is admire it, Its truly a fantastic device. Id recommend watchin a few 1080p HD videos on youtube with the screen brightness at 100% you will looovvveee the screen its truly amazing

I ordered the phone this evening. Since it's Sunday tomorrow I suppose it will dispatch on Monday and arrive this Tuesday.
I'll probably give it a go normally for a week or two, before I customise it (in terms of unlocking the bootloader, rooting, and installing custom roms).
What would be the process of customising once I'm ready?
1) Unlock bootloader
2) Install CWM
3) Root device
4) Install custom ROM
Or is there other appropriate steps? Also, when do I take backups? I understand I should back up with CWM or something?
I'm coming from a BB9700 so this will be a big (good) change for me.

darrendm said:
I ordered the phone this evening. Since it's Sunday tomorrow I suppose it will dispatch on Monday and arrive this Tuesday.
I'll probably give it a go normally for a week or two, before I customise it (in terms of unlocking the bootloader, rooting, and installing custom roms).
What would be the process of customising once I'm ready?
1) Unlock bootloader
2) Install CWM
3) Root device
4) Install custom ROM
Or is there other appropriate steps? Also, when do I take backups? I understand I should back up with CWM or something?
I'm coming from a BB9700 so this will be a big (good) change for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just unlocked the bootloader and rooted and installed CWM right off so I didn't havetoo mess with the unlock deleting anything (backup with CWM). I'm still happy with the stock 4.0 so thats what im running now.

Danny80y said:
I just unlocked the bootloader and rooted and installed CWM right off so I didn't havetoo mess with the unlock deleting anything. I'm still happy with the stock 4.0 so thats what im running now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh right yeah. I will most probably unlock the bootloader first (as soon as the device comes) because that does wipe everything right? Does rooting wipe everything too or can that be done later?

No, root can be flashed whenever you want. I just wanted it all done so when I do flash I have a CWM backup of the stock ROM.

Danny80y said:
No, root can be flashed whenever you want. I just wanted it all done so when I do flash I have a CWM backup of the stock ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Right thanks, and lastly must the phone be rooted for CWM to work?

First thing to do? Patch that damn volume bug If you ever get the patch....

This is the guide I used.... http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1362957 Once you flash root just get Rom Manager from the market when your ready and flash CWM. But thats the easy step so you might as well....lol
---------- Post added at 08:51 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:48 PM ----------
IvanDobskey said:
First thing to do? Patch that damn volume bug If you ever get the patch....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You have had issues with it?? I haven't yet.....

Cheers for all the info Danny!

Danny80y said:
This is the guide I used.... http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1362957 Once you flash root just get Rom Manager from the market when your ready and flash CWM. But thats the easy step so you might as well....lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Will this affect the warranty?

it _could_. Basically you can relock and flash back to a stock rom to take it back to how it was. But if your phone melts or something while overclocked with a custom rom, and no longer powers up - so you can't relock/restore) , they could blame the rom and void your warranty.
Having said that there's not much chance of that happening if you're not a developer trying extreme things. And even then the chances of them trying (/being able) to check the lock in that state is unlikely.

For completeness, there's a guide on how to return an i9250 to stock here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1366806
It even provides a dl link to a backup from a phone with the volume bug OTA update.