So I'm getting tired of waiting for Sprint to roll out the damn ICS OTA...and even when they do, the Touchwiz leaks I've seen don't look terribly interesting. So I'm considering going to CM9 Alpha 2, having already experienced it on my HP Touchpad and loved it.
My original thought process was: backup all apps and settings, use QBking's guide to install CWM, do an additional nandroid backup and move that onto my PC, and install CM9 A2.
My problem is that I'm currently on completely stock Gingerbread EL29. No root. So I can't use Titanium Backup in case I have to go back to GB. I guess theoretically then I could go: Stock -> Stock Root -> Titanium Backup -> CM9A2...but I'm aware that you install CWM as part of the CM9 installation, so trying to shove TB into the mix might be redundant.
My questions are the following:
1. Is a nandroid backup sufficient for this kind of move, or should I be looking to fit Titanium into the mix as well? My understanding is that Titanium would be more or less required to actually get those apps to cross the GB-ICS threshold, short of downloading them all again. But it seems like more work.
2. QBking has videos on how to go from stock GB to CM9A2. But what do I do if I want to go back to EL29 GB, on the offchance I decide to go for Sprint's OTA?
3. Assuming I do go back, can the nandroid backup I made before installing CM9 be used to restore my stock GB settings (after I reinstall the EL29 kernel), or will that brick my phone?
Thanks in advance.
Aganar said:
So I'm getting tired of waiting for Sprint to roll out the damn ICS OTA...and even when they do, the Touchwiz leaks I've seen don't look terribly interesting. So I'm considering going to CM9 Alpha 2, having already experienced it on my HP Touchpad and loved it.
My original thought process was: backup all apps and settings, use QBking's guide to install CWM, do an additional nandroid backup and move that onto my PC, and install CM9 A2.
My problem is that I'm currently on completely stock Gingerbread EL29. No root. So I can't use Titanium Backup in case I have to go back to GB. I guess theoretically then I could go: Stock -> Stock Root -> Titanium Backup -> CM9A2...but I'm aware that you install CWM as part of the CM9 installation, so trying to shove TB into the mix might be redundant.
My questions are the following:
1. Is a nandroid backup sufficient for this kind of move, or should I be looking to fit Titanium into the mix as well? My understanding is that Titanium would be more or less required to actually get those apps to cross the GB-ICS threshold, short of downloading them all again. But it seems like more work.
2. QBking has videos on how to go from stock GB to CM9A2. But what do I do if I want to go back to EL29 GB, on the offchance I decide to go for Sprint's OTA?
3. Assuming I do go back, can the nandroid backup I made before installing CM9 be used to restore my stock GB settings (after I reinstall the EL29 kernel), or will that brick my phone?
Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello! Welcome to the AOSP club.
1. Restoring data is usually a no-no for these ROMs because they might cause force closes and slow downs etc. Ultimately, your mileage will vary, but I wouldn't try because
AOSP roms automatically install all the apps you have installed from the market! It's an awesome feature. If some apps aren't automatically installed, then you can find them in data/app or system/app of your nandroid and push it through root explorer or manually install them
2. I would head over the dev section and look for sfhub's oneclick el 29 root. Whenever I want to flash an ICS rom and I'm on ICS, I first use sfhub's oneclick to go back to stock rooted gingerbread, then I go about and install stock el26 cwm and flash etc etc. I don't know if stock root can accept OTA, but I'm sure you'll find a way to back to stock stock in that thread, or in the sticky of dev section that says Auto Root package.
3. It will brick your phone. As a general rule of thumb, don't do anything in the recoveries provided by ICS Roms, as over the past month the E4GT community have seen a high rise in bricks due to them. It will hopefully be resolved once samsung released ICS Source for epic 4g touch, and we can get a real kernel to mess with.
Good luck and have fun! Remember, once you go AOSP, you can never go back.
Why cm9 rather than a leaked version of ics? Im not trying to be an ass or concince you otherwise just curious. From my viewpoint the leaks are stable and some are in odin so its baaically a 1 click install after rooted? Everything about an alpha version makes me nervous and cm9 doesnt seem ready to me so i wonder if im missing something.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk
cm9
someguyatx said:
Why cm9 rather than a leaked version of ics? Im not trying to be an ass or concince you otherwise just curious. From my viewpoint the leaks are stable and some are in odin so its baaically a 1 click install after rooted? Everything about an alpha version makes me nervous and cm9 doesnt seem ready to me so i wonder if im missing something.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
u must not have used a2 because there is less wrong with it than any tw leak there has been ....
just because its a alpha doesnt mean anything its a daily for alot of people almost everything works ....even stuff you will never get on tw like naitive tether and blue tooth controllers like ps3 wii etc
Well I went ahead and did it. No issues to report just yet.
A few post-CM9 install questions though:
1. How do I set speed dials on my phone contacts? I've been searching around and can't quite find it.
2. After ODIN'ing the phone but before installing CM9, I was able to boot to CWM recovery by turning the phone off then holding vol-up + power. But now when I do that it boots into Android recovery. How do I boot to CWM recovery again?
Aganar said:
2. After ODIN'ing the phone but before installing CM9, I was able to boot to CWM recovery by turning the phone off then holding vol-up + power. But now when I do that it boots into Android recovery. How do I boot to CWM recovery again?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is my first Samsung. I have been on HTC until now. I have been wondering the same thing about recovery. I also tried to reinstall CWM from the included Rom Manager it just freezes. Also, I had a problem this morning where I had to use ODIN to put CWM back on and I wiped cache and dalvik and then it would no longer boot. I tried to restore my back up and the same thing. Just froze at boot screen. I had to start over. Luckily I had a pretty current Titanium backup to quickly put my programs back on it.
So, I have the same question as you about CWM and also wiping cache/delvik and restoring the backup.
caseyatbt said:
This is my first Samsung. I have been on HTC until now. I have been wondering the same thing about recovery. I also tried to reinstall CWM from the included Rom Manager it just freezes. Also, I had a problem this morning where I had to use ODIN to put CWM back on and I wiped cache and dalvik and then it would no longer boot. I tried to restore my back up and the same thing. Just froze at boot screen. I had to start over. Luckily I had a pretty current Titanium backup to quickly put my programs back on it.
So, I have the same question as you about CWM and also wiping cache/delvik and restoring the backup.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Never touch rom manager for this phone as of now it is not compatible and could brick you. To answer both of your questions about recovery, I do not recommend flashing a different kernel with CM9 the dev did this for your own safety to prevent bricks, and they're really is no need for it on CM9 until you need to update it. Play safe and save your phone, try to save time and you'll brick it
O...k...
That poses problems for my next question. Namely, my signal seems to have taken a nose-dive since installing ICS. I don't know if the signal has actually degraded, since I'm no longer on a Touchwiz-based ROM, or if it only seems like it's degraded, because perhaps the ICS signal detector is more accurate than the GB one and my signal indicator was incorrect before. But I just had a few calls earlier today and there was more static than I'm used to.
So, how do I go about getting another PRL? The workaround I saw for that involved "flashing" a version of the stock kernel onto the SD card long enough to get another one. But if I can't get into CWM...
Can any one answer why I can't restore a CWM backup or even reboot after performing cache or dalvik wipe? I really like this phone, but it sure seems like rooting/recovery/roms work the same as it did on my HTC phone.
Aganar said:
So, how do I go about getting another PRL? The workaround I saw for that involved "flashing" a version of the stock kernel onto the SD card long enough to get another one. But if I can't get into CWM...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
caseyatbt said:
Can any one answer why I can't restore a CWM backup or even reboot after performing cache or dalvik wipe? I really like this phone, but it sure seems like rooting/recovery/roms work the same as it did on my HTC phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here's a link to an FC22 CWM Recovery. ODIN this guy into your phone - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1563547&highlight=fc22
@Aganar - The way I've been getting the whole PRL / Profile thing is ---- Get all setup in CM9 the way you like it, fast backup everything via your preferred user land method (titanium, smsbackup, call log backup, etc). Roll back to a Stock GB ROM (calkulin EL29). Update PRL / Profile. Immediately upgrade to ICS but dont wipe the cache. Restore apps & logs from backups. Havent had a single issue...
takes about 10 min round trip.
I guess my concern is, if the flash from GB to ICS is what caused the signal degradation in the first place, why would flashing back to GB in order to update the PRL have any benefit, if I have to flash back to ICS again?
You won't lose the PRL update after you reflash.
---------- Post added at 08:35 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:35 PM ----------
CyberMacGyver said:
Here's a link to an FC22 CWM Recovery. ODIN this guy into your phone - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1563547&highlight=fc22
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you sure? There are all sorts of warnings about that recovery and ICS.
I am kind of stuck and have searched endlessly...
I am rooted and running AOKP - d2att (4.2.1 JOP40D) Build 1.17.2013
AT&T Samsung Galaxy SIII i747
I am trying to update the Rom - Everytime I have updated, I get the "unfortunately, android keyboard (aosp) has stopped" error. I just restore a backup and go to my older version again.
I was preparing to make another backup and noticed I'm out of space, my System Data is taking up 7,938MB!!! I have no idea why or how it got so out of control. I attempted to just do a Factory Reset, it looked as if it worked... however nothing was wiped.
Right now I'm just at a crossroads. I like the custom Rom (minus some serious flaws) but want to be able to update and have some free space. But I'm starting to think returning it to the stock firmware and just settling might be easier?
Any ideas on where I can clear up some space or what I can do to battle the AOSP error? Is there another Rom that may be a better choice, iI know they aren't "better" but an equal alternative maybe. I'm fairly new to all of this but have a decent understanding, I made a switch to Android after owning purely Iphones since the 3G.
SynysterNate said:
I am kind of stuck and have searched endlessly...
I am rooted and running AOKP - d2att (4.2.1 JOP40D) Build 1.17.2013
AT&T Samsung Galaxy SIII i747
I am trying to update the Rom - Everytime I have updated, I get the "unfortunately, android keyboard (aosp) has stopped" error. I just restore a backup and go to my older version again.
I was preparing to make another backup and noticed I'm out of space, my System Data is taking up 7,938MB!!! I have no idea why or how it got so out of control. I attempted to just do a Factory Reset, it looked as if it worked... however nothing was wiped.
Right now I'm just at a crossroads. I like the custom Rom (minus some serious flaws) but want to be able to update and have some free space. But I'm starting to think returning it to the stock firmware and just settling might be easier?
Any ideas on where I can clear up some space or what I can do to battle the AOSP error? Is there another Rom that may be a better choice, iI know they aren't "better" but an equal alternative maybe. I'm fairly new to all of this but have a decent understanding, I made a switch to Android after owning purely Iphones since the 3G.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you tried reflashing the ROM completely again from scratch with a full wipe ?
HOw are you installing the ROM ? When people say update I wonder if they mena a full wipe and flash of the ROM or are you using an updater
hednik said:
Have you tried reflashing the ROM completely again from scratch with a full wipe ?
HOw are you installing the ROM ? When people say update I wonder if they mena a full wipe and flash of the ROM or are you using an updater
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Once I download the update I reboot into recovery. wipe cache and dalvik cache. I make a backup and then..
-install zip from sdcard
-choose zip from sdcard
then pick the downloaded update and then repeat the process with the gapps.
Once it loads, all my contacts and things appear there.. with the AOSP error.
I think after explaining this and reading your post, I should do a full wipe and install the newest version of the ROM. I hate to be a pest, what would be the best way to do this. I have Titanium Backup Pro. I really only care about my contacts and text messages and some apps.
SynysterNate said:
Once I download the update I reboot into recovery. wipe cache and dalvik cache. I make a backup and then..
-install zip from sdcard
-choose zip from sdcard
then pick the downloaded update and then repeat the process with the gapps.
Once it loads, all my contacts and things appear there.. with the AOSP error.
I think after explaining this and reading your post, I should do a full wipe and install the newest version of the ROM. I hate to be a pest, what would be the best way to do this. I have Titanium Backup Pro. I really only care about my contacts and text messages and some apps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You have have to flash the updated gapps if you aren't. They are made for 4.2.2 and nothing earlier. If you flash the same gapps as you flashed earlier you'll get loads of issues.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda app-developers app
KorGuy123 said:
You have have to flash the updated gapps if you aren't. They are made for 4.2.2 and nothing earlier. If you flash the same gapps as you flashed earlier you'll get loads of issues.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, so I have ran the update gapps as well previously. A current status update. I backed up all my pictures, contacts and ran backup of system data with Titanium Pro. I wiped cache, cleared the Delvik cache, wiped data.. just realized I wasn't going into Mounts and Storage and not doing a format /system. That might explain why it was getting so massive. After doing those in the correct order, I flashed the ROM and Gapps and new Kernal. Its currently booting...
Success.. Its up and running the new Rom, however.. I have a new question. I have no apps and everything is back to how it all started. I know I can run titanium backup and restore things. But google is automatically installing my apps back one by one. There has to be a correct way to do this? I'm patiently waiting for it to install titanium so I can restore my texts and settings.
SynysterNate said:
Knew I was missing something.. I'm stuck now, I don't have enough free space for the new Rom, Gapps and a backup.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you dont have to make a backup every single time you want to update. thats whats taking up all your internal memory. i have 1 stock backup that i made the day i flashed aokp 4.1.2 and then 1 backup of my current setup. if i ever want/need to restore, i'm all set. if you want to make a backup every single time, move the older files to your PC and keep your most recent 1 or 2 on the phone. that'll give you enough space to move forward
SynysterNate said:
But google is automatically installing my apps back one by one. There has to be a correct way to do this? I'm patiently waiting for it to install titanium so I can restore my texts and settings.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Google restoring apps is an option you set during the one time initial setup.
you shouldn't be restoring system data, and it sounds like you're doing that. there are apps to restore texts easily. one that I use is sms backup and restore, which works well and takes maybe a minute.
it's cumbersome to remember every setting so I'd suggest writing them down or something similar.
sent from my i747 with xda-premium
Hey guys I need help. Anyone have a link to the latest rooted stock rom? How is cynogenmod these days? Is it worth making the switch? Whats the most popular rom these days?
jkj said:
Hey guys I need help. Anyone have a link to the latest rooted stock rom? How is cynogenmod these days? Is it worth making the switch? Whats the most popular rom these days?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Freeza always has the latest stock rooted ROM over in this thread. It's always updated shortly after each OTA is dropped (currently at MB1).
You can see my setup in my sig. I like it a lot!
CM10.1 nightlies are good, and a lot of the AOSP (4.2.2) ROMs are really stable. There are a lot of reasons to stay with TW ROMs and a lot of reasons to move over to AOSP, AOKP, and other ROMs (MIUI, etc). My recommendation would be to update your recovery to the latest (see my sig for the link to the latest TWRP, search for the latest CWM) and just flash away. As long as you stick to Sprint ROMs and nandroid up whenever you can, it's getting difficult to brick your phone.
jkj said:
I downloaded the stock odexed zip and odin but it doesnt seem like the right file type for odin to flash?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First off, you're going to need to have a custom recovery, if you don't already have one (most people do after they originally flash their phone). There are many guides to do this, just follow one of qbking77's great tutorials. I'd recommend using TWRP, but the latest CWM works well also.
Now that you have a custom recovery, you can try the following and it might get you out of the bootloop:
In the custom recovery, clear (wipe) both cache and dalvik cache. Then reboot the phone (reboot menu -> system).
If the above doesn't work to get you through the bootloop, try the instructions below:
Now that you have a custom recovery, you need to get the files onto your phone. Since you cannot turn your phone on to download it or connect through USB, you'll have to do it through recovery. Since I use TWRP, I'll walk you through the menu's for that (CWM should be similar).
Connect USB cable to computer -> Mount Menu -> Mount USB Storage.
Now your computer should see a "removable disk" with the contents of your SD Card on it. Now you can copy the ROM you downloaded over to the SD Card.
Now that the file is actually on the phone, you can flash the ROM zip in recovery. Whenever you do this, it's best to do what is called a "full wipe" in the recovery. You'll lose all your apps, settings, etc but it's much better than having a paperweight. In TWRP, what I always do is the following:
1) Nandroid backup: I normally name it something along the lines of "2013-03-14 - ROM NAME - ROM VERSION." This way, when I look through my backups, I can easily see what I was running (what I'm restoring when I want to restore).
2) Wipe Menu - Factory Reset. This will wipe all custom data off of the phone. For me, this is a must before flashing any new ROM. Other people will "dirty flash" Roms on top of each other. For me, that's a recipe for disaster, as any leftover settings/code will inevitably interfere with the new ROM and will mess things up.
3) Wipe Menu - Dalvik Cache and Cache: If I recall correctly, the Factory Reset does both of these, but it doesn't hurt to do it again.
4) Install: This is where you find the ROM zip file you downloaded and install it. Should take less than a minute, but some larger ROMs could take a little longer (not 10 minutes, though).
3) Wipe Menu - Dalvik Cache and Cache: Again, not technically required, but I tend to wipe the cache and dalvik cache very often.
3) Reboot Menu - System: Pretty self-explanatory, but it'll reboot your phone and you can set it up all over again.
In the future, it's best to have Titanium Backup to back up apps and data (For me it's worth the cost to upgrade to Pro). I have mine set up to backup all data every night at 3 am, with a maximum of 5 backups per app. This gives me almost a week of backups that I can restore for every app I have installed. The only thing to keep in mind with TiB is that you can backup/restore system apps that won't work with a new ROM. For example, if I backed up the Samsung Connection Optimizer on the stock rooted ROM and tried to restore it to LiquidSmooth (a 4.2.2 AOSP ROM), it wouldn't work. In fact, it could mess things up on my new ROM. So you might want to pick and choose system apps (RED items) carefully when you're restoring. Next time you want to try out a new ROM (or if you need to restore again because of a bootloop), you can just restore your apps/settings through TiB and not go through 2 hours of setting up all your settings again (for me I like that I can restore all the wifi access spots settings... saves me from explaining why I need my friend's WEP key for the fifth time this month).
Anyways, this post has turned into a novel. Please let me know if you have any more questions (and CNexus or anyone else can correct anything that's wrong)
I got it going by wiping cache and data. I should've tried with just cache wiped. Its annoying to have to redo everything but better than a brick.
Now for some reason my wifi wont turn on. Reflashed again now I'm good to go.
DISCLAIMER:::: This Is my second thread.I AM A LOWLY NOOB..PLEASE GREAT ONES HELP::
Rather than bury this question in another long thread I made another if I am wrong in this please delete or move to proper thread(mods).
Anyway.
As stated before my phone keeps having hard resets. I believe its due to improper installation due to recovery. I am currently on CWMR v6.0.1.2
I want to know if there is a way to update this to a more up to date version so that I may install and run the wicked sensations v.4 or any other modern ROM. I was running a older version of PHANTOM Blaze (last years or so model) I really am new to the rooting game and I am trying to understand the lingo as I want to help others unlock the power and potential of their "smartphones".I guess what i need to know is how do I update from the version of CWMR i am running to one with ODIN (a newer model). I think if I do this I can destroy the random hard resets.
Any advice? (thanks will be given.)
I do not believe your resets are caused by the recovery at all. Also CWM has nothing to do with Odin, two separate programs. CWM works with the phone itself. Odin is a program which you run on your computer and connect your phone to the computer and you put the phone in download mode. There is a Mobil Odin also available.
To answer your question the easiest way to update CWM is to download Rom Manager app from Google Play Store. Within that app it gives you the ability to check for updates for CWM and flash it right through the app.
Sent from the future via Tapatalk 4
Notice the very first on top thing once you open Rom Manager.
View attachment 2037396
Sent from the future via Tapatalk 4
edfunkycold said:
I do not believe your resets are caused by the recovery at all. Also CWM has nothing to do with Odin, two separate programs. CWM works with the phone itself. Odin is a program which you run on your computer and connect your phone to the computer and you put the phone in download mode. There is a Mobil Odin also available.
To answer your question the easiest way to update CWM is to download Rom Manager app from Google Play Store. Within that app it gives you the ability to check for updates for CWM and flash it right through the app.
Sent from the future via Tapatalk 4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
so any idea whats causing the hardresets..i updated my cwm like you said now what?
It says i now have Rom Manager premium v5.5.2.8 and teh current recovery is: Team Win Recovery Project. Im not sure what I should do now.
M F Money said:
DISCLAIMER:::: This Is my second thread.I AM A LOWLY NOOB..PLEASE GREAT ONES HELP::
Rather than bury this question in another long thread I made another if I am wrong in this please delete or move to proper thread(mods).
Anyway.
As stated before my phone keeps having hard resets. I believe its due to improper installation due to recovery. I am currently on CWMR v6.0.1.2
I want to know if there is a way to update this to a more up to date version so that I may install and run the wicked sensations v.4 or any other modern ROM. I was running a older version of PHANTOM Blaze (last years or so model) I really am new to the rooting game and I am trying to understand the lingo as I want to help others unlock the power and potential of their "smartphones".I guess what i need to know is how do I update from the version of CWMR i am running to one with ODIN (a newer model). I think if I do this I can destroy the random hard resets.
Any advice? (thanks will be given.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can use the Rom Manager App to install the latest CWM recovery (see this thread)
Can you boot into recovery mode? If you can, Naddict has created recoveries that are able to be flashed from the recovery itself. That might be one was to upgrade to the latest. Also, CNexus has created an aroma installer that can switch recoveries on the fly. It's a really neat program, but also requires access to recovery mode.
topherk said:
You can use the Rom Manager App to install the latest CWM recovery (see this thread)
Can you boot into recovery mode? If you can, Naddict has created recoveries that are able to be flashed from the recovery itself. That might be one was to upgrade to the latest. Also, CNexus has created an aroma installer that can switch recoveries on the fly. It's a really neat program, but also requires access to recovery mode.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i can go to recovery but what is it taht is causing the hard resets?
M F Money said:
i can go to recovery but what is it taht is causing the hard resets?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I seriously doubt that Recovery is causing reboots.
Did you restore any data or apps from Titanium Backup?
Any apps you recently installed that might be causing it?
topherk said:
You can use the Rom Manager App to install the latest CWM recovery (see this thread)
Can you boot into recovery mode? If you can, Naddict has created recoveries that are able to be flashed from the recovery itself. That might be one was to upgrade to the latest. Also, CNexus has created an aroma installer that can switch recoveries on the fly. It's a really neat program, but also requires access to recovery mode.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i can go to recovery but what is it that is causing the hard resets?
M F Money said:
i can go to recovery but what is it taht is causing the hard resets?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Most likely your reboots are caused by rogue app and or bad data. The only way to isolate this is by reflashing the rom on a full clean install. Then loading apps all fresh not from a backup.
Sent from the future via Tapatalk 4
edfunkycold said:
Most likely your reboots are caused by rogue app and or bad data. The only way to isolate this is by reflashing the rom on a full clean install. Then loading apps all fresh not from a backup.
Sent from the future via Tapatalk 4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What Ed said.
I'm 90% sure you've been restoring data (or not wiping enough when flashing the new ROM).
My standard procedure when flashing a ROM (even when just upgrading my current ROM to a new build) is the following:
Investigate ROM: If a ROM catches my eye, I always read the 1st post in great detail to understand the ROM and it's features. I also look for things like "known bugs" and installation instructions. I then read the last 5-10 pages of the thread to see what the users have to say about the ROM (bugs, issues, fixes, etc). Once I understand the pros and cons of the Rom, I decide if I want to flash it. A lot of "noobs" on here don't read the last 5-10 pages and get into trouble when flashing because of it. I always read at least that much and recommend doing so to others.
Download ROM and check md5sum: I download the ROM to my computer, check the md5sum, and copy it to my phone. Then I check the md5sum again.
Make a backup: Just in case (and it's saved me many a time).
So Fresh and so Clean Clean Wipe: Wipe /data, /system, cache and dalvik cache. This removes all remnants of my previous OS (/system) and any app data that could be left behind (/data). Sometime, if I'm looking for a really fresh start, I'll wipe the internal memory. But that's typically not necessary.
Install Rom: If the ROM has an Aroma installer, I just follow the instructions on it. They're typically straight forward. If there's no Aroma installer, I just flash the ROM and let it do it's thing. If it's an AOSP Rom, I also flash the appropriate gapps, which you don't have to do for TW Roms (gapps are included for them).
Re-download your Apps from Play Store: I know it's quicker to just hit "restore" on TiBu, but since you're having issues with reboots, that's the last thing you should try. The Play Store keeps a record of all of your previously-installed apps, so it's easy to re-install them.
If you follow the above, you shouldn't have any issues with your Rom (that aren't ROM-related).
If you're interested, you can also troubleshoot what was causing the reboots:
Slowly restore data to your apps that need it: Here is where you want to be very careful. In TiBu, if you just go through and restore all data for all apps, you won't know what's causing boot loops. What I'd do is prioritize your data restores. Restore the ones you need most often.
Restore one App's data: If there's an App that must have data restored (game saves), restore only that app's data.
Check to see if the phone has reboot problems: Use the phone normally for a while (a few hours) and see if it reboots. If it doesn't then that app wasn't the cause of the bootloops.
Rinse and Repeat: Repeat steps 2-3 for each app you must have the data restored for. Many apps, like Dropbox, don't need their data restored, you just need to log in again. Again, prioritize which apps you need to restore.
Hope you get your reboots worked out!
so i recently dove into rooting my s4 after first spending a lot of time reading this great board, thought i had a handle on it, thought things were going very well, but i've hit a snag, which came while attempting my first restore - i'm hopeful someone will give me a little help,
a little background:
1. before rooting i backed up my phone with titanium, also backed it up by copying all of its contents to my pc.
2. i followed the excellent "[SGH-M919] CF-Auto-Root" instructions and it worked without a hitch, it was a quick and easy process, no surprises.
3. confirmed that i was rooted using "root checker", all systems were go.
4. once the root was done i made another backup using titanium and sms backup. i also made a full system backup using online nandroid pro and, to be extra safe, i also backed up efs using efs backup tool.
5. i then moved some folders and files to my external card and once again backed up my phone as before, including to my pc.
6. feeling confident that i could now restore my system to its rooted stock state if things went south, i decided to flash my first rom with cwm, i went with cm11 m7 4.4.3 - i saved the cm11 and gapps zips to my external card using rom tool box pro, rebooted into cwm recovery, selected the two files, and flashed. i also did a data and cache wipe before doing so.
6. needless to say i was thrilled when cm11 loaded perfectly, it worked great, and it was just what i was hoping for.
7. having been bitten by the apparent ease of flashing roms, i decided to restore my system to it's pre cm11 state, to it's rooted stock rom state, and try another rom, rather than just flash another rom from cm11 - i wanted to make sure that returning to my rooted stock rom state would be a simple matter.
and that's where i've run into problems.
1. as i mentioned i made two system backups of my stock rom before flashing cm11, one right after i rooted my phone, and one after moving some folders and files to the external card.
2. after doing a wipe, i chose to restore the second backup, the one i made after moving files and folders, and it didn't quite work out - everything appeared to restore perfectly, but my device was immediately inundated with pop up warnings about stopped apps, i also got a persistent warning that the system had stopped responding as well, prompting me to choose between "wait" or "stop it". not only was the restored backup mired in popup screens, but it was impossibly slow, impossibly "laggy".
3. so i decided to restore the other stock backup, the one i made before i moved folders and files, and the results were the same, pop screens for apps not working, system warnings, severe lags, etc., identical to the first backup.
then i panicked.
1. i decided to flash my phone with the "[SGH-M919] CF-Auto-Root" file again, again with odin, hoping that it would put me where i started - i didn't stop to think that my phone was already rooted, that the file was was for unrooted phones.
2. not only did the reflash not work (my phone just booted as normal, as if the flash didn't get a chance to finish), but cwm recovery in boot mode was gone, replaced by what appears to be the andorid stock recovery screen, a screen with an animated dying/collapsing robot, - the screen was titled: "android system recovery <3e> and asked for an "update" from the external storage or cache.
3. not knowing what "update" it was looking for, i selected a backed system files (the first rooted stock rom backup i made, the second rooted stock backup i made, and even the cm11 file) - none worked.
4. i then downloaded a clean stock rom from cwm's website, converted it from zip to tar, and tried to flash it using odin with my device in upload mode, it didn't work either.
so how badly did i mess up my phone? any help would be greatly appreciated.
aeneas1 said:
so i recently dove into rooting my s4 after first spending a lot of time reading this great board, thought i had a handle on it, thought things were going very well, but i've hit a snag, which came while attempting my first restore - i'm hopeful someone will give me a little help,
a little background:
1. before rooting i backed up my phone with titanium, also backed it up by copying all of its contents to my pc.
2. i followed the excellent "[SGH-M919] CF-Auto-Root" instructions and it worked without a hitch, it was a quick and easy process, no surprises.
3. confirmed that i was rooted using "root checker", all systems were go.
4. once the root was done i made another backup using titanium and sms backup. i also made a full system backup using online nandroid pro and, to be extra safe, i also backed up efs using efs backup tool.
5. i then moved some folders and files to my external card and once again backed up my phone as before, including to my pc.
6. feeling confident that i could now restore my system to its rooted stock state if things went south, i decided to flash my first rom with cwm, i went with cm11 m7 4.4.3 - i saved the cm11 and gapps zips to my external card using rom tool box pro, rebooted into cwm recovery, selected the two files, and flashed. i also did a data and cache wipe before doing so.
6. needless to say i was thrilled when cm11 loaded perfectly, it worked great, and it was just what i was hoping for.
7. having been bitten by the apparent ease of flashing roms, i decided to restore my system to it's pre cm11 state, to it's rooted stock rom state, and try another rom, rather than just flash another rom from cm11 - i wanted to make sure that returning to my rooted stock rom state would be a simple matter.
and that's where i've run into problems.
1. as i mentioned i made two system backups of my stock rom before flashing cm11, one right after i rooted my phone, and one after moving some folders and files to the external card.
2. after doing a wipe, i chose to restore the second backup, the one i made after moving files and folders, and it didn't quite work out - everything appeared to restore perfectly, but my device was immediately inundated with pop up warnings about stopped apps, i also got a persistent warning that the system had stopped responding as well, prompting me to choose between "wait" or "stop it". not only was the restored backup mired in popup screens, but it was impossibly slow, impossibly "laggy".
3. so i decided to restore the other stock backup, the one i made before i moved folders and files, and the results were the same, pop screens for apps not working, system warnings, severe lags, etc., identical to the first backup.
then i panicked.
1. i decided to flash my phone with the "[SGH-M919] CF-Auto-Root" file again, again with odin, hoping that it would put me where i started - i didn't stop to think that my phone was already rooted, that the file was was for unrooted phones.
2. not only did the reflash not work (my phone just booted as normal, as if the flash didn't get a chance to finish), but cwm recovery in boot mode was gone, replaced by what appears to be the andorid stock recovery screen, a screen with an animated dying/collapsing robot, - the screen was titled: "android system recovery <3e> and asked for an "update" from the external storage or cache.
3. not knowing what "update" it was looking for, i selected a backed system files (the first rooted stock rom backup i made, the second rooted stock backup i made, and even the cm11 file) - none worked.
4. i then downloaded a clean stock rom from cwm's website, converted it from zip to tar, and tried to flash it using odin with my device in upload mode, it didn't work either.
so how badly did i mess up my phone? any help would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If it boots at all you didn't kill it.
Not sure what rom you got from the CWM site. They do recoveries, not roms. The ROM manager app does allow you to download roms, but you can't just convert those from zip to tar. That doesn't make them flashable in Odin.
Here's what you do. Get the stock ROM from either here on XDA (use the search feature to find it) or from Sammobile.com.
Flash that in Odin.
Then you can start over.
---OR---
If you want to try to fix what you've got now, download CWM or TWRP RECOVERY (nor ROM) and flash that in Odin. Boot to recovery, wipe data and system, and flash any other rom you want. That will start you over with a fresh rom of your choice.
Skipjacks said:
f it boots at all you didn't kill it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hallelujah!
Skipjacks said:
Not sure what rom you got from the CWM site. They do recoveries, not roms.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
my apologies, i meant that i downloaded recovery files from the cwm website, not a rom files - i got them from https://www.clockworkmod.com/rommanager - i downloaded both (touch & non-touch) s4 t-mobile versions (6.0.4.7). i'm assumed those were recovery files?
Skipjack" said:
The ROM manager app does allow you to download roms, but you can't just convert those from zip to tar. That doesn't make them flashable in Odin.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
again, my apologies - i meant that i downloaded *.img files, not zips, and converted them to tars for odin use. i used a batch file to convert them from img to tar, found at xda, here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2281287 - it seemed to do the job, odin ran and reported success. wrong files? wrong conversion?
Skipjack said:
Here's what you do. Get the stock ROM from either here on XDA (use the search feature to find it) or from Sammobile.com.
Flash that in Odin.
Then you can start over.
---OR---
If you want to try to fix what you've got now, download CWM or TWRP RECOVERY (nor ROM) and flash that in Odin. Boot to recovery, wipe data and system, and flash any other rom you want. That will start you over with a fresh rom of your choice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
given a choice, i'd like to do what's bolded in red - but that's what i thought i was doing by flashing the cwm file i downloaded from the cwm website - but after the flash attempt it wouldn't boot into cwm, it would just boot into (i'm assuming") the stock rom i restored, which was a mess. i also unchecked auto-boot to see if that helped - but when i manually booted it didn't boot into cwm, it booted into the stock recovery, with the animated android.
i'll try downloading cwm from the sources you provided, and see if that does the trick. btw, why do you think i was able to flash the cm11 rom with (seemingly) perfect success, but wasn't able to restore either one of the full system (android) backups i made after i rooted my phone?
anyway Skipjack, thanks a ton for your assistance and i'll report back after i give your sources a try. fwiw, it sure is a great charge when a newbie like me sees a custom rom load for the first time, displaying a new ui as it boots, fun stuff.
Just download the ready yo flash tar files. Cwm has them. Twrp has them.
success Skipjack thanks to your generous time and assistance!
i ended up downloading the latest odin zip i could find and philz_touch_6.08.9-jfltetmo.tar.md5... my first try didn't take, with auto-reboot checked, my phone simply rebooted into the same problematic rom i had restored. i then tried it with auto-boot unchecked and manually booted when odin reported pass/success, and it worked. what struck me as odd was how long it took to flash, to report pass/success, around 3-5 minutes if i had to guess, a big difference compared to when i first used odin to root my phone with the["SGH-M919] CF-Auto-Root *.tar.md5 file - i'm guessing that's why it didn't work with auto-boot checked, just took too long?
anyway once i booted into philz_touch recovery i executed the wipe data/factory reset > clean to install a new rom command and then flashed the cm11 m7 (snapshot) rom, which i had flashed once before, right before i attempted to restore the stock rom it had replaced. and as was the case the first time around, it installed without a hitch and is running smooth and fast.
however now when i boot the phone, as soon as the cyanogen logo appears, very tiny text appears in the upper left hand corner which reads (i had to use a magnifying glass!) - it doesn't seem to effect the performance of he device but i'd like to get to the bottom of it, i've already searched and it appears to be a rather common issue.
kernel is not seandroid enforcing
set warranty bit: kernel
btw, i forgot to mention, when i purchased my sgh-m99 it already had 4.3 installed - when i flashed my first rom (cm11 m7) it included kitkat 4.4.2... could this be what caused my problems? did trying to go back to (restore) a 4.3 rom after flashing a 4.4.2 rom screw things up? can this even be done successfully?
and finally, at the risk of bugging the heck out of you, what roms do you prefer for your s4, assuming you have an s4? do you like aosp roms or touchwiz? does one type have a better reputation of being more stable? the primary reason i wanted to rot my phone was to get rid of a bunch of t-mobile / samsung bloatware, which i thought i could do by installing a lean custom rom. any suggestions, which are your favorites? thanks again Skipkack.
ouhned after
re the two lines of text i now get in the upper left hand corner of the screen whenever i boot, the kernel message:
kernel is not seandroid enforcing
set warranty bit: kernel
well after a lot of searching and reading, including coming across dozens of "fixes" and "solutions" that didn't seem to work for many folks, these two responses seemed to make some sense, what do you think?
eclpsues said:
I'm not an expert in Android OS but I think this is not an error. It is more of a notification that the STOCK KERNEL has been change to a CUSTOM one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Joku1981 said:
You are right.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2594483
aeneas1 said:
re the two lines of text i now get in the upper left hand corner of the screen whenever i boot, the kernel message:
kernel is not seandroid enforcing
set warranty bit: kernel
well after a lot of searching and reading, including coming across dozens of "fixes" and "solutions" that didn't seem to work for many folks, these two responses seemed to make some sense, what do you think?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2594483
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The tiny text on the boot screen is basically telling you that Knox has been tripped. You are right. It does not affect the performance of the phone.
Skipjacks said:
The tiny text on the boot screen is basically telling you that Knox has been tripped. You are right. It does not affect the performance of the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks skipjack... btw i'm really liking the cm11 m7 rom but, via the learning curve process, i've discovered it does not support wifi calling, something that apparently all aosp rom lack, guess i'll have to go with a touchwiz rom even tho the selection seems to be few and far between. also, is it possible to revert back to 4.3 once 4.4.2 has been flashed? seems like there's a lot of mixed opinions on this, altho in terms of those opinions it's hard for me tell who the pros are that should believed, and who the other guys are that really don't know. thanks again.
aeneas1 said:
thanks skipjack... btw i'm really liking the cm11 m7 rom but, via the learning curve process, i've discovered it does not support wifi calling, something that apparently all aosp rom lack, guess i'll have to go with a touchwiz rom even tho the selection seems to be few and far between. also, is it possible to revert back to 4.3 once 4.4.2 has been flashed? seems like there's a lot of mixed opinions on this, altho in terms of those opinions it's hard for me tell who the pros are that should believed, and who the other guys are that really don't know. thanks again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Once you are rooted you can flash any custom ROM 4.3, 4.4, 4.2, etc. and then go back to stock 4.3. And only TW ROMs allow wifi calling
Sent from my SGH-M919 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Kriptik210 said:
Once you are rooted you can flash any custom ROM 4.3, 4.4, 4.2, etc. and then go back to stock 4.3. And only TW ROMs allow wifi calling.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
very interesting... i guess i misunderstood the posts i read on the subject, maybe they were discussing whether or not you could revert to 4.3 from 4.4.2 on non-rooted phones, which i'm guessing isn't possible. anyway, as i mentioned previously, i fist rooted my 4.3 phone, did a full system backup (using online nandroid), flashed a 4.4.2 rom which worked perfectly, then tried to restore my 4.3 backup only to encounter a bunch of problems, thought going from 4.4.2 back to 4.3 may have caused the problems but i guess not?
so if i'm using a 4.4.2 custom rom and want to restore a 4.3 backup i should be able to boot into recovery and restore from there? or would i need to do a 4.3 flash first, before restoring a 4.3 backup?
aeneas1 said:
very interesting... i guess i misunderstood the posts i read on the subject, maybe they were discussing whether or not you could revert to 4.3 from 4.4.2 on non-rooted phones, which i'm guessing isn't possible. anyway, as i mentioned previously, i fist rooted my 4.3 phone, did a full system backup (using online nandroid), flashed a 4.4.2 rom which worked perfectly, then tried to restore my 4.3 backup only to encounter a bunch of problems, thought going from 4.4.2 back to 4.3 may have caused the problems but i guess not?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you wipe before you restored? And do not misunderstand this, you cannot downgrade firmwares once you go 4.3 and up, but you can downgrade the system, which is what you did with your backup
serio22 said:
Did you wipe before you restored? And do not misunderstand this, you cannot downgrade firmwares once you go 4.3 and up, but you can downgrade the system, which is what you did with your backup
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks very much for the clarification, i was under the impression that firmware and system were somewhat synonymous in this context, i.e. if you upgraded firmware you were in effect upgrading the system, but i see that's not the case, again thanks. and yes i did do a full wipe before trying to restore the backup, was i not supposed to?
aeneas1 said:
thanks very much for the clarification, i was under the impression that firmware and system were somewhat synonymous in this context, i.e. if you upgraded firmware you were in effect upgrading the system, but i see that's not the case, again thanks. and yes i did do a full wipe before trying to restore the backup, was i not supposed to?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Updating firmware does update the system. Based on your previous comment the only thing you did was update the system by flashing a ROM which only contains the system, data, and kernel, so you can still flash the 4.3 firmware. Firmware consists of bootloader, recovery, modem, and system, what you cannot downgrade is the bootloader, the flash will fail every time because it will try to downgrade it. And you should not experience any issues restoring your back up. What were this problems?
btw serio22, do you have a favorite tw rom?
Yea serio22, what is your favorite TW ROM?
Sent from my SGH-M919 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
serio22 said:
Based on your previous comment the only thing you did was update the system by flashing a ROM which only contains the system, data, and kernel, so you can still flash the 4.3 firmware.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
but the cm11 rom zip i flashed included 4.4.2, before flashing i was using 4.3 - so didn't i update (or change) both the system and firmware?
btw, fwiw, - now that i'm up and running thanks to skipjacks help, i decided to try restoring my 4.3 backup again. when i tried this in the past it would restore to the same state as it was before but it was virtually unusable because of severe lags and multiple app not working popups that made navigating almost impossible. well now when i try to restore it fails and i get the following message:
checking md summs...
md5 mismatch
serio22 said:
Based on your previous comment the only thing you did was update the system by flashing a ROM which only contains the system, data, and kernel, so you can still flash the 4.3 firmware.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
but the cm11 rom zip i flashed included 4.4.2, before flashing i was using 4.3 - so didn't i update (or change) both the system and firmware?
btw, fwiw, - now that i'm up and running thanks to skipjacks help, i decided to try restoring my 4.3 backup again. as i mentioned, when i tried this in the past it would restore to the same state as it was before but it was virtually unusable because of severe lags and multiple "app not working" popups that made navigating almost impossible. but now when i try to restore the 4.3 backup it fails and i get the following message:
checking md summs...
md5 mismatch
update:
well it looks like the *.md5 file was pointing to my internal drive rather than external which is where i had moved the 4.3 backup (and apparently the *.md5 file didn't update or account for the move), anyway i copied the backup to my internal drive and, viola, no more md5 mismatch errors. more importantly, it restored the 4.3 backup perfectly, in the exact same state as before, without all of lagging and pop up issues i was having before, so i'm one happy camper! not sure what i did the first time around, but all is good now, for he time being, sure wish i knew what i mucked up to cause the problems in the first place, i really have no idea, other than being a newbie at this. also, fwiw, the tiny text in the upper left hand corner that appears during boot (kernal message) no longer appears now that i have restored the 4.3 system backup... fwiw2, i'm liking the philz_touch_recovery but it sure has taken some getting used to, the commands are so close together and the thing is so sensitive, very easy to accidentally select the wrong option, and some of the wrong options aren't too friendly if it wasn't what you had intended to select.
aeneas1 said:
but the cm11 rom zip i flashed included 4.4.2, before flashing i was using 4.3 - so didn't i update (or change) both the system and firmware?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Read my previous post more closely below. Good to see you up and running though! And no I don't have a favorite tw Rom
serio22 said:
Updating firmware does update the system. Based on your previous comment the only thing you did was update the system by flashing a ROM which only contains the system, data, and kernel, so you can still flash the 4.3 firmware. Firmware consists of bootloader, recovery, modem, and system, what you cannot downgrade is the bootloader, the flash will fail every time because it will try to downgrade it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse