***original post copied verbatim******************************************************************
So I was rummaging around the dev section, QA, so forth. And I have seen numerous threads, questions, posts, where people have had issues with ROMs or just general left field issues that were resolved by going back to square 1 doing a fresh clean install of "rom.zip..
My goal with this thread is to contribute some insight and experience with customizing android devices in the way we all do... at square one, clicking the download button.... we also do not have a thread dedicated to this one subject alone, so here it is. I feel stickying this thread would be extremely useful, as so many people could see it right from the get-go and get valuable information from it. Also, I would recommend this be posted in the dev section as this is where people go to install ROMs, not the QA section. People go to QA after they have an issue. This is meant to be preventative, not a fix for an already broken device.
Just getting right into it, I will say this, I have flashed (I'm sure) damn near 1,000 ROMs to various devices. Mine. Friends. Etc. And never once have I installed a corrupt zip file to these devices. This should never happen, and among other important details to any installation of a ROM, this one is the most important...
VERIFY THAT YOUR DOWNLOADS ARE GOOD!
How do you do this??? Well I will show you... it is with this handy little app called md5 checker from the play store. EVERY. SINGLE. ONE OF US.... should have this app, guys (and gals, because I know you are out there it is a free app. No excuses
What is an MD5 checksum? Trusty link to get the gist of it.. http://www.fastsum.com/support/md5-checksum-utility-faq/md5-checksum.php
Making this simple - I will break this down into steps. Follow this meticulously and 99.9% of the time you will not have an issue or be one of the random bugs popping up when everyone else seems fine.
1. Download md5 checker.
2. Download all zip files needed for your ROM. (whether you do this from your mobile device or a desktop/laptop it doesn't matter, because you WILL verify the file AFTER you have transferred it to where it needs to be allocated - your device). Basically, download it, transfer it.
3. Open md5 checker, the app is pretty easy to use. Much like a file explorer in its layout with the obvious differences.
4. Retrieve md5 for your zip files.
5. Verify them with ROM developer, or others using that particular ROM. Any discrepancies - back to step 2.
6. All is well? Boot to recovery.
7. Wipe data 3 times (you don't need to wipe dalvik cache, that directory is found in the data partition - wiping data = wiping dalvik cache)
8. Wipe cache 3 times (this sometimes does not need to be done either depending on whether or not your recovery wipes cache with data.. most recoveries will spit out some text during the wiping phase letting you know the details of the process and you'll see see something like this when wiping data)..
"Wiping /data...
"Wiping /cache
If you see cache being wiped, you are good. No need to manually wipe cache.
9. Format your system partition through recovery 3 times
10. Install your ROM. Reboot. Let it sit for a minute or two, reboot it again. If you are not installing a custom kernel, stop here. You are done, and winning.
11. Reboot to recovery, wipe cache partition 3 times AND dalvik cache. They are both there as options, for this reason - the goodies we install after a full ROM install.
12. Flash kernel zip. Reboot. Let it sit for a minute or two, reboot it again. You are done, and winning.
Interesting fact about all the ROMs I have installed over the years, NOT ONCE, have I ever installed something corrupted, and every issue/bug I have ever had with a ROM was a known issue. This also doesn't mean your particular device is always going to be able to run for weeks on end without needing a quick reboot. Sometimes its good to do the dishes, I get that. But my disclaimer here is for all to note, if you follow these steps meticulously, you will ALWAYS be able to say to yourself with confidence "nope, did it right, there is something else going on here." And thus you will be a greater problem solver and contributor to the community as a whole every single time you pose a thought or question regarding any problems you are having.
"Do it right once, instead of doin it wrong twice before doing it right."
We are nothing useful without useful information. Useful information = posting in a thread in this tone...
"Hey, installed ROM correctly/thoroughly, verified downloads, XXX is buggy blah blah etc etc... can somebody else here verify if they are or aren't having this issue? Thanks!"
Based on people's response you'll know if it is just you or a legitimate issue, in which case, you brought it to the attention of us all, and the dev(s), and you have now been very useful.
What you don't want to do is this....
"My phone keeps rebooting!!! Haaaalp"
The reason why you shouldn't post like that is because you will ALWAYS get a sour response or people will just ignore you. Or, they will reply with questions you should have already asked yourself... "did you verify your downloads were good??? Did you do a clean and thorough install???"
Long post, but I hope somebody will find it useful and utilize it. It will increase your experience with your android device in a positive way, as it has for me. Cheers
posting a link to youtube would be an awesome way to show us noobs how to Exactly go about it also..when i had my captivate i flashed a rom called cognition,super easy following the guy on the video
What about other ROM's?
Can you show us how to flash ROM's from another carrier such as AT&T? There are a couple of ROM's I am really interested in trying out but have no luck doing so because of me not knowing what the heck I'm doing or how to do it. If you could post instructions that would be really nice.
Since I'm already rooted I can't make a video on how to root but ill make a how to flash a rom once you're rooted for the note 2 if you guys are interested
Interesting!
Next time I flash a ROM, I will wipe thrice, as you say.
But do you know why it is important to wipe thrice? Does the extra two times really do something additional to scrub the disc?
I am truly interested, and I would like more insight on *why*
Also, the dev for the Jedi ROM suggests fixing permissions after the first boot.
In my experience, this has led to better performance on other devices in addition to the GNII - perhaps that is also worth mentioning.
techn0crat said:
Interesting!
Next time I flash a ROM, I will wipe thrice, as you say.
But do you know why it is important to wipe thrice? Does the extra two times really do something additional to scrub the disc?
I am truly interested, and I would like more insight on *why*
Also, the dev for the Jedi ROM suggests fixing permissions after the first boot.
In my experience, this has led to better performance on other devices in addition to the GNII - perhaps that is also worth mentioning.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There has been debates forever about the wiping more than once theory. I have always done this out of habit. You could compare it rinsing a dish in the sink that has some food on it... you wash it once really quick... you see nothing on the dish... you throw it in the cabinet. Later you see some small smudging on it and end up cleaning it again. Same idea. Just being thorough. As I said in the OP I have always done it this way simply to be thorough. And I have never once been the rogue user with an isolated issue.
To answer your q about permissions, if the ROM dev suggests that for his ROM, do it. It is not always required. But if instructed to do so, it should be done.
Is there a reason why it suggests to wipe three times?
I think it may go back to floppy disk days, or hard disks possibly leaving "footprints" on it, old images or data but im not sure. Just a theory.
G●Note~2 {Jedi X5}
Yes please add a section to the OP about flashing roms from other carriers. The steps are identical, except you flash a modem. We onky have the one availabke now so its very easy. Keep in mind n7100 roms will not work, and n7105 roms need minor porting. But you can take any rom from the us variants and flash it. Reboot, let it sit a bit, etc, flash modem. Its very easy and the att forum seems to be getting more love anyway
Sent from my SGH-T889 using Tapatalk 2
I don't promote people flashing ROMs that are not built for that specific device so I will not do it. Sorry.
krayzielilsmoki said:
Since I'm already rooted I can't make a video on how to root but ill make a how to flash a rom once you're rooted for the note 2 if you guys are interested
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you could unroot and then do a step by step vid. this guy is so good at explaining it,for example,,http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsafJ-9uRqk yeah i know its for the captivate,but i didnt know anything at all about rooting and flashing . i just followed him and iwas a happy man after being stuck on eclair cause at$t was so slow to update,,,any how just an idea,seems like alot of work but i think it would kill off many questions,i know i ask enough now as it is..lol
cobraboy85 said:
I don't promote people flashing ROMs that are not built for that specific device so I will not do it. Sorry.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have to agree with this. If you need flashing instructions, flashing ROMs meant for other devices is probably not the best idea at this point.
G●Note~2 {Jedi X5}
This is great advice about the MD5 verification. Everyone should check before flashing, it will ensure you have a good download with 100% confidence. If the MD5 doesn't match, don't flash it! And if a developer doesn't provide an MD5 with each download, ask them to.
However, wiping three times (or any other number of times except one) is nonsense. Would you format a USB thumb drive 3 times? An external hard drive? Android partitions are no different.
If it makes you feel better to wipe multiple times, go ahead, it won't hurt anything. You're just wasting time.
^kind of agree with you there. I would ask anybody here why they wipe dalvik cache when flashing a kernel then, considering the /data/dalvik-cache/ partition is nothing more than dex opted files of all your apks. I will also say that recently I have gotten in the habit of never wiping dalvik when flashing a kernel and it has not made a single difference in stability.
... point I am trying to make is what you said here, if it makes you feel better, do it lol. Doesn't hurt anything.
Indeed, cache wipes are seldom needed too. In fact, a lot of flashable .zip files have scripts which wipe the appropriate partitions automatically anyway when you install them. I guess old habits die hard...
I would also add that after flashing a ROM and you reboot that ROM, for use, you should wait at least 10 minutes before doing ANYTHING with your phone. That will allow the phone to fully and properly build cache and dalvik cache.. after a flash I let my phone just sit for 20min. Doing this has saved me from lags and bugs.
First I just wanted to say great job to the OP on creating this thread. I also strongly believe that this type of post really should be in the Development section, and you definitely nailed the reasoning for it. I've always considered writing up a thread like this myself, but I never got around to it unfortunately (<--Procrastinator ). There's just a few thing's I'd like to chime in with because I really believe they can help people who are new to the world of rooting. First and foremost (imo) I strongly believe that insecurity plays a huge role in determining whether or not you'll be successful with rooting and Android in general. I completely understand that statement can be applied to almost anything in life, but there's a very good reason why it's especially true when it comes to rooting. It simply boils down to people not wanting to feel (or look) stupid, and it seriously impacts the way a person handles different situations. My advice is to be comfortable with saying "I don't know what I'm doing" and "It's most likely not working correctly because I missed something or I didn't follow the directions exactly". I am not saying that to be ignorant or joking whatsoever, because if you have little to no experience when it comes to this stuff, it's nothing more than the hard truth. It doesn't make you stupid if you don't know how to fly a jumbo jet if you've never done it before, so why would it make you stupid for not knowing how to root a phone if you've never done it before? It doesn't and that's the entire point. If you try flashing a rom and it doesn't boot up or something isn't working correctly, 99.999998 percent of the time it's because you messed something up along the way. Especially when you see tons of posts in the thread like "awesome rom" or "it works great", because it's WAY more likely that you messed something up, versus you happening to have the one messed up phone out of thousands that are working perfectly. That's not saying you're stupid or incapable of doing it, again it's nothing more than the hard truth. It's also not impossible for that to happen either because it has, but it's few and far in between whereas making mistakes or forgetting something is a frequent occurrence for all of us. I can't tell you how many times I've seen people complaining about how something didn't work right, when the vast majority aren't having those issues (or just the known issues). Those types of posts are another example of what you should never do, because in reality you're blaming everybody else since you're apparently incapable of making mistakes. You'll be surprised how many times a problem you're having will turn out to be from forgetting something, even though you were absolutely positive you've done everything correctly. Anyway I really think that accepting the fact that you don't know what you're doing (yet), can make it WAY easier to learn in the long run. One last thing that I'd recommend especially if you're new to this whole rooting world, is to get in the habit of making nand backups (especially before you flash anything) because the 5 minutes it takes to do one can save you hours of frustration. Hope this helps somebody anyway
Paragraphs man. They make reading easier by separating thoughts.
I'm sure what you have to say is insightful but a megablock of text is tough to get through.
Don't sell yourself short by making your posts impossible to ponder.
Hastily spouted for your befuddlement
True in most cases but in our case every lte note two in the world regardless of carrier is identical. the only differences are minor software ones.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using Tapatalk 2
I also think wiping three times is a waste of time. These devices are digital not analog (the plate analogy is much more fitting in the analog world). A wipe is a wipe, doing it more than once seems like voodoo to me .
Related
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE WIKI
I have decided to open a Questions and Answers thread on this section of the forum. This is a good way to keep the number of new threads with questions down to a minimum, which will make new threads essentially for people that are contributing to the Samsung Epic 4G. This includes, but is not limited to, people that are providing the following:
- Roms & Kitchens
- Programs & Apps
- Fixes & Tweaks
- Skins & Themes
- Tips & Tricks
I would like to request the help from other members to keep the thread in order and in check. This will have the added side effect of creating an ever self updating knowledge base that will far extend the content of the Wiki. This will in turn save us from having to answer the same question a billion times...
Please refer to the Wiki first before asking any questions though! It can be located here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/wiki/index.php?title=Samsung_Galaxy_S/SPH-D700
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE WIKI
Any idea when the OTA push for2.2 will start?
jg187211 said:
Any idea when the OTA push for2.2 will start?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately, we don't have anyone in the community who has inside access to that information. Some of our members are affiliated with Sprint, and so have slightly more reliable rumors, but even their sources have thus far been wrong if they quoted a specific date...
So I hope you understand that I'm not being a jerk when I say, we won't know until it actually happens (and this will probably always be the case)
That being said, this most recent leak (DK28) seems stable so far IMO, so it could potentially become our official update
ok im a total noob to all this stuff. i followed the guide to update my epic to 2.2. the problem is, that the camera, gallery, and a couple other apps dont work. Can someone help me? Should i go back to 2.1, if so, how do i do that?
EDIT: Angry rant removed, thanks to the mods for a quick response (and to the member who's post was removed: no hard feelings, I hope you understand)
Just remember to read before posting, to make sure your post will be relevant and not redundant
jayzn210 said:
ok im a total noob to all this stuff. i followed the guide to update my epic to 2.2. the problem is, that the camera, gallery, and a couple other apps dont work. Can someone help me? Should i go back to 2.1, if so, how do i do that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Whenever flashing a ROM using either recovery, it's always a good idea to wipe the phone (as in factory reset - I'm not referring to wiping the cache or the dalvik cache, although both steps are also usually recommended)
If you used the odin method described in this thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=861213
then you might have flashed the wrong tar - DK05 and DK17 both had the camera problem, make sure you have the DK28 file.
If you have the right tar, then you could have an incomplete download... I doubt that though, when that happened to me, my phone wouldn't boot at all. But you might want to redownload the tar just to be sure (double check the filesize after it finishes and before you flash, if it seems too small then it messed up again)
That's the best general advice I can offer, but if you'd like to provide more details about the method you used (especially a link to the guide you used, if it isn't the one I provided), someone here might be able to identify where you're going wrong
i followed the instructions from http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=861213. i didnt use odin, i just used the .zip method. it took me a lot of tries cause i kept getting errors. the second mirror link worked for me, but like i said, my camera, gps, gallery and some other apps dont work.
oh and everytime i try to flash again, i get the error.
It sounds like you're either starting from the wrong rom or not wiping the phone before flashing the zip. All of the zip updates I have seen require you to start from DI18 stock (root an clockwork seem to be okay in my experience, all other mods must be removed) - if you have installed any custom roms, your best bet is to follow the odin method using the stock DI18 tar - so you may as well just skip the zip methodand odin to the stock DK28 tar
And you absolutely must wipe the phone (again, factory reset - I suspect many people are just wiping the cache and/or the dalvik cache).
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
Odin flashing
I've got a quick question. I'm looking to move to a build using the DK28 information release and it requires that I update the pit and modem files on my phone using Odin. Do I need to flash a 2.2 rom right away or am I safe to boot into my current rom first?
KaiXXV said:
I've got a quick question. I'm looking to move to a build using the DK28 information release and it requires that I update the pit and modem files on my phone using Odin. Do I need to flash a 2.2 rom right away or am I safe to boot into my current rom first?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you doing the strictly odin method (full froyo in a tar file)? Or an update.zip?
The odin method *should* include the modem and everything (and you use the updated pit in the same process) - you'll have to read the particular thread that you got the download link from, but I haven't noticed any odin tar files that required the modem separately
For the update.zip method, I don't know if it matters whether you flash the modem before or after applying the zip through recovery - I don't think either one overwrites the other, but that's a part of the process I can only guess about. But regardless of when you odin flash the modem, that's when you'll use the new pit file (the same as the odin-only method above).
As far as I know, the primary difference is that the update.zip doesn't inherently overwrite user data (but you'll probably have broken programs that FC all the time, which means a wipe is necessary, making this somewhat null). I prefer the odin method because it is a fresh flash of the entire system (I usually let it repartition as well - no one else has posted about that feature so I have no idea if it's a fluke that it hasn't given me problems)
Hope that helps
which is the best
so i have updated to dk28 froyo 2.2 i like battery life and performance can anyone offer info on which is the best rom for me or just some insight on which rom is the best overall
How do I stop running applications from starting every time I restart my phone?? I have the start up auditor but for some reason everytime I restart my phone the apps I have disabled keep restarting themselves and I have to go into the running programs and disable them manually. WTH?? Doesnt programs constantly running in the background kill the battery life?? How do I disable apps from starting?
youngpro83 said:
How do I stop running applications from starting every time I restart my phone?? I have the start up auditor but for some reason everytime I restart my phone the apps I have disabled keep restarting themselves and I have to go into the running programs and disable them manually. WTH?? Doesnt programs constantly running in the background kill the battery life?? How do I disable apps from starting?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How I understand it, especially with Froyo, you shouldn't have to kill programs in the background, if said 'background' process or service is working normal or efficiently. I still kill the DRM process when I reboot my phone, and not sure if it's still causing drain issues.
Also (someone else confirm this), I believe that constantly 'killing' certain background processes actually uses MORE battery, since it has to constantly restart itself. I've had a much more stable device *not* using auto killers, and just sniping one here and there that I know to cause drain.
Some reading material on GC, tho, in regards to memory management
Ignore me!
devo52 said:
so i have updated to dk28 froyo 2.2 i like battery life and performance can anyone offer info on which is the best rom for me or just some insight on which rom is the best overall
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A lot of it is personal preference - this early in the game, the primary differences between the roms are going to be mostly cosmetic. So for now, the best advice I can offer is to try each of them and decide which theme you like. Regardless of how you upgraded, you had to use odin, so you have succeeded at the most difficult step of the process - and odin can bring your phone back to life if something goes wrong, so it's an invaluable skill to have.
In the meantime, keep watching the threads (quietly, unless you have a question that hasn't been asked already - we're working on cleaning up the forum to make it easier for everyone to find answers... but I digress...)
It's too early to be sure of any of the fixes out there - we have at least three separate fixes for the GPS issues; some people find success with one, others with another, and a lucky few don't need the fixes at all... so in summary, we can't say which is better or worse just yet, stay tuned and decide whether you want to experiment on the bleeding edge, or wait for these things to be stable and thoroughly tested.
And if you have any doubts, just stick with the stock DK28 for now
tl;dr, questions in BOLD.
Okay, after spending the entire night scouring the internet/this forum and starting from absolutely zero-knowledge about the Android OS, I managed to update my Epic to 2.2, and root the phone. Now, I'm kinda stuck as far as customization goes. I see all these cool skins and battery life mods and stuff, but they don't exactly offer any steps as to how to install them. Since I don't exactly know what file-types do what, I'm kinda shooting blindly at trying to update/install something "custom" onto the phone. So, my question(s) is/are:
What does the ROM do?
What does the ROOT do?
I know the root basically "unlocks" your phone, but that's all I know. The process of customizing the phone still remains a mystery. (that's the problem with following step-by-step instructions, rather than actually knowing what you're doing.)
I also don't understand the purpose of flashing a phone. Flashing, in my experience is to update something, like say a BIOS. But that sets the system back to square 1 as far as all settings go, in this particular example.
If I flash, with say Odin, after having updated to DK28 and "rooting," won't this make all the "customization" that I've done prior basically 'null' because I've just flashed the phone into a blank-state?
Sorry if these are questions easily answered by searching, but I just spent my entire sleep-cycle trying to find the answers to these questions, and managed to only get so far. I look forward to the answers On another note, I am now EXTREEEEMELY pleased with my phone. Before this evening, I was just the regular, old run-of-the-mill enduser. I liked the cool built-in customizations and all the apps and what not, but never dreamed of being able to customize my phone to THIS EXTENT. So, now it's something I'm very interested in doing..it makes my phone truly mine.
zdavidi said:
What does the ROM do?
What does the ROOT do?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you see the link to the Wiki in the original post of this thread? That's where I started when I first got here, it helped me understand the basics.
zdavidi said:
If I flash, with say Odin, after having updated to DK28 and "rooting," won't this make all the "customization" that I've done prior basically 'null' because I've just flashed the phone into a blank-state?.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It depends on what you flashed with Odin. If you only flash a modem file, then your customizations and apps are untouched. If you flash an entire ROM in "tarball" form then not only does it re-write the modem but it also overwrites all user data. Think of the latter as resetting the phone to stock and works even if you cannot boot up.
When can we expect a custom Kernel with netfilters for wifi tethering?
n00b question.
If an SDK version is released (say, like, Gingerbread today), does that mean chefs could take it and cook up a ROM for ANY phone (say, like, the Epic)? Or do they need something else to do that?
Remove Touchwiz Launcher (consequences?)
Hey-- I'm using Quantum 2.0.0 ROM, and I never use the touchwiz launcher. Does anyone know if it's safe to just remove the apk? (TouchWiz30Launcher.apk) or is there other functionality tied to it?
I use LauncherPro, fyi.
Please forgive my ignorance... I've searched the forums, looked at the wiki...
I use titanium backup and am now running the DK27 froyo build by noobnl. My question... How do I restore my e-mail accounts to the phone everytime without having to re-type them in? I've been flashing a rom every other day on average since I got the phone and it's getting REALLY old.
ok so i know you can backup your apps through titanium or rom toolbox or something else but what i want to know is there a nandroid like backup that backups everything but the rom...so i can freely switch the rom as i like and then tap 1 thing and have all my apps, data, settings, lock screen / background photos, etc etc back in place. basically what i want to accomplish is to be able to swap roms...is that something that is out there or at least an idea that is the works / maybe something someone would see and have the motive/skill set to make for us. i believe it would be an amazing tool. just go into cwm and not have to wipe data or anything else, just select new rom and the cwm would take care of everything, deleting the rom you have installed and replacing it with the new rom.
any information would be greatly appreciated.
Unless the rom you're running has an update based on the same build and all its features on the update are compatible with your current rom, what you're asking is not possible, every rom or software our devs make made by compiling files and scripts, that take tame to decompile then put back together to make things work properly if not close to it unless you read, if you read the installation suggested methods and it says DO A FULL WIPE, in order to have a successful installation, unless you want a 500$ paperweight, keep on dreaming on your cool idea
Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2
It would be a nice idea and make things a lot easier, but as suprakarma said it's unfortunately not possible. This is probably the biggest reason I don't flash custom ROM's. It's fast to wipe, format and install a new ROM. But then takes time reinstalling and setting up everything again, just like if you were to get a brand new phone.
If I have time on a weekend or am bored then I have given it a try in the past, but with 2 kids and always being on the go it's just not an option to play around with my settings so I just stick with stock. Everything works, everything is set the way I like and I don't have to keep wiping/installing and reconfiguring everything again.
I am missing out on a lot of great ROM's though and would love to give some a try even if for a couple days. Just not in the cards at the moment. Peace.
thank you i didnt think it was possible but was just thinking that it would be cool, like when you go to install a new rom, it would do a backup of your info/data on to your sd card then do a full wipe, install the new rom and then insert your info/data so everything is the way it was (when i say info/data i mean like photos, music, contacts, texts, wifi passwords, apps, so basically combine titanium with cwm and have it all run together in nice move)
suprakarma said:
Unless the rom you're running has an update based on the same build and all its features on the update are compatible with your current rom, what you're asking is not possible, every rom or software our devs make made by compiling files and scripts, that take tame to decompile then put back together to make things work properly if not close to it unless you read, if you read the installation suggested methods and it says DO A FULL WIPE, in order to have a successful installation, unless you want a 500$ paperweight, keep on dreaming on your cool idea
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I actually don't really agree with this post. First of all, I don't think you can create a paperweight by restoring a /data partition.. this just sounds like fear-mongering (I often try doing an advanced restore of /data just in case - It often causes problems, but sometimes it works perfectly and everything is as it was before I flashed).
I think the OP has a great idea, and I think it is entirely possible. In all honesty though.. although I am a software developer, I am not an android dev, so I could just be talking tripe.
We all know that some apps can be restored along with their data across roms and even across roms with a different Android OS. The problem is that there is some data that is not. What we need is a mechanism (perhaps an app) that will identify and 'export' metadata for the system data that is potentially not compatible. Of course, it wouldn't be able to export passwords for accounts etc, but those could be easily re-entered during an "import" of this metadata and could in fact perform all the manual installation and data entry (usually done by the end-user) in an automatic way.
Theoretically, data content shouldn't need to be changed, just the way its stored/read/written, so it might just need to get reformatted with each new rom (there may be exceptions of course).
Practically speaking, this is a beast of a project, and may not be feasible for any dev to undertake. It will likely cause more grief to end-users than anything until all the bugs are worked out (which may be never) and will be difficult to maintain across many devices.
Just wanted to point out that it could be possible in thoery. I would love to hear arguments to the contrary though (love to learn!)
As long as new devices keep on merging they become less development Friendly, and in order for this to be possible, every ROM would need to be equal, meaning no room for development choices, and this feature would need to be on a specially made recovery, what this idea means is to disclosure a nandroid backup, leaving only what is needed for the new ROM, this may have been plausible on gingerbread, and there are much more rom development in progress for developers in order to make what we have to work properly if not close to it instead of working on a project like this, therefore, at least for our device is not possible and there are many threads of users bricking their devices by not following instructions, whipping correctly, not reading etc and I stand for my statements without meaning to flame
Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2
So I was rummaging around the dev section, QA, so forth. And I have seen numerous threads, questions, posts, where people have had issues with ROMs or just general left field issues that were resolved by going back to square 1 doing a fresh clean install of "rom.zip..
My goal with this thread is to contribute some insight and experience with customizing android devices in the way we all do... at square one, clicking the download button.... we also do not have a thread dedicated to this one subject alone, so here it is. I feel stickying this thread would be extremely useful, as so many people could see it right from the get-go and get valuable information from it.
Just getting right into it, I will say this, I have flashed (I'm sure) damn near 1,000 ROMs to various devices. Mine. Friends. Etc. And never once have I installed a corrupt zip file to these devices. This should never happen, and among other important details to any installation of a ROM, this one is the most important...
VERIFY THAT YOUR DOWNLOADS ARE GOOD!
How do you do this??? Well I will show you... it is with this handy little app called md5 checker from the play store. EVERY. SINGLE. ONE OF US.... should have this app, guys (and gals, because I know you are out there it is a free app. No excuses
What is an MD5 checksum? Trusty link to get the gist of it.. http://www.fastsum.com/support/md5-checksum-utility-faq/md5-checksum.php
Making this simple - I will break this down into steps. Follow this meticulously and 99.9% of the time you will not have an issue or be one of the random bugs popping up when everyone else seems fine.
1. Download md5 checker.
2. Download all zip files needed for your ROM. (whether you do this from your mobile device or a desktop/laptop it doesn't matter, because you WILL verify the file AFTER you have transferred it to where it needs to be allocated - your device). Basically, download it, transfer it.
3. Open md5 checker, the app is pretty easy to use. Much like a file explorer in its layout with the obvious differences.
4. Retrieve md5 for your zip files.
5. Verify them with ROM developer, or others using that particular ROM. Any discrepancies - back to step 2.
6. All is well? Boot to recovery.
7. Wipe data 3 times (you don't need to wipe dalvik cache, that directory is found in the data partition - wiping data = wiping dalvik cache)
8. Wipe cache 3 times (this sometimes does not need to be done either depending on whether or not your recovery wipes cache with data.. most recoveries will spit out some text during the wiping phase letting you know the details of the process and you'll see see something like this when wiping data)..
"Wiping /data...
"Wiping /cache
If you see cache being wiped, you are good. No need to manually wipe cache.
9. Format your system partition through recovery 3 times
10. Install your ROM. Reboot. Let it sit for a minute or two, reboot it again. If you are not installing a custom kernel, stop here. You are done, and winning.
11. Reboot to recovery, wipe cache partition 3 times AND dalvik cache. They are both there as options, for this reason - the goodies we install after a full ROM install.
12. Flash kernel zip. Reboot. Let it sit for a minute or two, reboot it again. You are done, and winning.
Interesting fact about all the ROMs I have installed over the years, NOT ONCE, have I ever installed something corrupted, and every issue/bug I have ever had with a ROM was a known issue. This also doesn't mean your particular device is always going to be able to run for weeks on end without needing a quick reboot. Sometimes its good to do the dishes, I get that. But my disclaimer here is for all to note, if you follow these steps meticulously, you will ALWAYS be able to say to yourself with confidence "nope, did it right, there is something else going on here." And thus you will be a greater problem solver and contributor to the community as a whole every single time you pose a thought or question regarding any problems you are having.
"Do it right once, instead of doin it wrong twice before doing it right."
We are nothing useful without useful information. Useful information = posting in a thread in this tone...
"Hey, installed ROM correctly/thoroughly, verified downloads, XXX is buggy blah blah etc etc... can somebody else here verify if they are or aren't having this issue? Thanks!"
Based on people's response you'll know if it is just you or a legitimate issue, in which case, you brought it to the attention of us all, and the dev(s), and you have now been very useful.
What you don't want to do is this....
"My phone keeps rebooting!!! Haaaalp"
The reason why you shouldn't post like that is because you will ALWAYS get a sour response or people will just ignore you. Or, they will reply with questions you should have already asked yourself... "did you verify your downloads were good??? Did you do a clean and thorough install???"
Long post, but I hope somebody will find it useful and utilize it. It will increase your experience with your android device in a positive way, as it has for me. Cheers
very nice and clear. thanks so much. I just flash LIquidsmooth rom. Very happy for a newbie like me:good:
Fantastic work.
This guide, albeit it simple, is very clear and concise.
Newbies (like myself) are able to follow these instructions to ensure that flashing ROMS always turn out smooth.
+1
Yeah I figured it will would be a useful guide. I'm just glad others feel the same. Beauty of open source - doing things because you like it and to benefit the community
Sent from garaxy
Great summary! Subscribed and will link to this thread when the next noob comes along and says, 'haaaaaalp!'.
Sent from my HTC Incredible 4G on Verizon's periodically blazing fast and mostly reliable 4G LTE network using xda-developers app
thx!
Cobraboy,
I have linked this thread to my signature, is that ok with you ?
saldebot said:
Cobraboy,
I have linked this thread to my signature, is that ok with you ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Perfectly fine man
Sent from garaxy
I say just read the OP instruction
thanks but
cobraboy85 said:
Perfectly fine man
Sent from garaxy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am going to update with links thanks. Your instructions are clear but I will add the links.
thanks again
Do i have to clean data and cache 3 times?
picture99 said:
Do i have to clean data and cache 3 times?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Personally, I say no. A few people aparently found it to sometimes be necessary on a previous phone and are just more comfortable continuing to do it that way. I never have wiped more than once, and never had any problems.
Its just what you're more comfortable with in the end. It shouldnt hurt anything, so its not a wrong way, just unnecessary imo.
Sent from my SGH-I747 using xda app-developers app
Thanks for this very useful information.
I would wipe, wipe dalvik, flash rom, flash gapps, reboot.
No problem here so far....any problem doing it this way?
how do you wipe system partition thru recovery? i don't see system partition when i load TWRP
th1nkm4d said:
how do you wipe system partition thru recovery? i don't see system partition when i load TWRP
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's just called System inside the Wipe menu.
thx for this crystal clear tutorial.
Are all contacts/text messages/ and phone logs deleted when wiping everything?
gyggyty said:
Are all contacts/text messages/ and phone logs deleted when wiping everything?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Only when data is scrubbed
cobraboy85 said:
Only when data is scrubbed
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I followed these steps and worked for me. THANKS!
I'm suddenly having storage issues with every ROM that I flash after running a ROM with some script that isn't widely used.
First I'll give you a brief idea of my problem. I"m running out of storage and get notifications from the market saying as much after I download and reasonable amount of apps. The thing is... It show's I have used 738MB of ext4 out of 1.5 so that isn't the issue. The problem is internal memory. My phone won't move dalvik cache for some reason. When I run any ROM with a2sd or m2sd they both say that there is a problem and leave the dalvik cache where it is.
I think my internal folders are jacked up from 40ad2sdx or a zip that was used to clear memory before the ROM. There was a ext4 superwipe cleaner to load before the ROM. I did that without researching first. When I did go looking for the thread about it, it plainly said that it was for one phone only, and it wasn't my phone. I believe it was the Galaxy S3, but I can't be certain. It was a week ago. It was advised not to use it on any other phone because part of what it did was reset the internal folders. Does this mean I can now flash a ROM for the galaxy s3? Lol Just kidding.... Seriously, the second part is all my speculation and I have been wrong many times concerning android. Will somebody help me get my phone back in oem condition please?
Okay, I'm not even sure what you did here, because not knowing the script, anything could have happened.
Try wiping everything and flashing stock rooted here, then go from there with other roms after that.
If that doesn't work. Here's what I would do. It might be a major pain, but it is almost a surefire fix.
Unroot and return to stock, then root again.
[UNROOT]
[ROOT]
For future reference, NEVER flash anything that is meant for another device. (Obviously, if it's a port then you're ok.)
ALSO EXTREMELY IMPORTANT: Backup your SD card, and wipe that puppy clean!! Only partition using Amon-RA recovery, otherwise it will screw you up quite often. I repeat, if you do not have the partition done correctly, then odds are that A2SD or equivalent won't work.
nate234 said:
Okay, I'm not even sure what you did here, because not knowing the script, anything could have happened.
Try wiping everything and flashing stock rooted here, then go from there with other roms after that.
If that doesn't work. Here's what I would do. It might be a major pain, but it is almost a surefire fix.
Unroot and return to stock, then root again.
[UNROOT]
[ROOT]
For future reference, NEVER flash anything that is meant for another device. (Obviously, if it's a port then you're ok.)
ALSO EXTREMELY IMPORTANT: Backup your SD card, and wipe that puppy clean!! Only partition using Amon-RA recovery, otherwise it will screw you up quite often. I repeat, if you do not have the partition done correctly, then odds are that A2SD or equivalent won't work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did the wipe and flash to stock earlier today, then flashed the Pac man ROM but the issue is still there. I had looked at unrooting my phone earlier today also. I'm glad to read this because it lets me know that I do have some idea of what to do. Thanks for the reply. I'll post here again with the results. Check back soon.
EDIT----> Man, my phone is okay. I loaded up a fairly recent ROM by Tronit, and it worked fine. It was the ROMs. Just to be sure, I went back to the last two ROMs just to see, and they did the same thing again. Now I'm on the AOKP Unnoffical and it's working just fine. The a2sd is working perfectly like it should, and my dalvik cache is moving to ext4. It was just coincidental that the last three ROM's I loaded all have issue with the a2sd. It's funny how nobody else see's problems but me. I looked in the bin file of one of them and it's missing part of the a2sd file. The other two have weird init.d files that I don't know anything about. I'm assuming the a2sd problem is related to that. It's funny how I see lots of problems, and report them, but I get blown off by some people as a noob who is making mistakes. I am a noob, and I do make mistakes, but I know some of my theories about problems are correct...... I gotta get me some respect by compiling my own ROMs.
Status update..... My phone is jacked up for sure. It does work with the AOKP Unofficial by Tronit, but this morning when I cleared my cache with Smelkus Recovery, it had major problems with almost every app. Clearing the cache in recovery is something I've done with every ROM and this has never happened. I uninstalled all the apps and reinstalled them. Got them working again. Everything seemed to be okay. However, when I cleared my cache with Android Tuner, again it ruined every app. I've used android tuner every day for two months to clear the cache and never had problems like this. Something is very wrong.
*****edited and deleted for the sake of peace*****
Long story short, I flashed something made for another phone. I can't explain why I did this without taking up lots of pages, and it doesn't even matter really. Lets just focus on the solution. Here is the link. I flashed both of the zips in the link.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1477955
So I think my permissions for the files on my phone are out of whack. Is that what I"m reading is the possible outcome of flashing these if your phone is not the one listed? Please post your thoughts. I need them.
Try backing up your SD card on a computer and format you SD card and repartion it
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk 2
g2435 said:
Try backing up your SD card on a computer and format you SD card and repartion it
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did that. Both with Smelkus, and Mini partition wizard. Same problems. I just tried to fix permissions with smelkus 4.3 on the AOKP Unofficial ROM and it took a minute for it to do it's thing. The line of dots was two full rows. So when It loaded back up, I suddenly see the same disk Icon in my notification bar, and now this ROM says it it out of memory. Man, it was working fine. I had twenty more apps on it too and I uninstalled them. It was working fine then, so with twenty less apps, it shouldn't suddenly say "Running out of Storage space."
I have told you this already: Please do not flash things meant for other phones, it could mess up. If it's meant for another device, it might screw yours up. To stay on the safe side: If it's not generic (works for every Android phone) or phone specific (exclusive to the Evo 4G) then don't flash it.
nate234 said:
I have told you this already: Please do not flash things meant for other phones, it could mess up. If it's meant for another device, it might screw yours up. To stay on the safe side: If it's not generic (works for every Android phone) or phone specific (exclusive to the Evo 4G) then don't flash it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I flashed this about a eek ago, when I was looking for the ext4 wipe. I thought it was the same thing as another zip despite what it said. Stupid... I know. I think this may be the cause of my problems, but I can't be sure. I don't know at all really. Just speculations. I reflashed the CWM touch and used to flash a stock ROM. Gonna try that again. I ran the test on CWM touch and it said that the
/sys/class/android_usb/android0 was missing and unable to perform the test. Can this be the cause of my problems?
Don't beat yourself up man, it was an honest mistake, just learn from it and you'll be alright.
Now the optimal recovery for this device would be the Amon-RA recovery, and I recommend redoing what I said in my first post once you have Amon-RA installed. Amon-RA is an awesome recovery, and it's super easy to install. Check out this easy-to-follow video on how to install by clicking here.
Do that, then do what I said in the previous posts. Let me know what happens, because I'm almost certain this should work.
nate234 said:
Don't beat yourself up man, it was an honest mistake, just learn from it and you'll be alright.
Now the optimal recovery for this device would be the Amon-RA recovery, and I recommend redoing what I said in my first post once you have Amon-RA installed. Amon-RA is an awesome recovery, and it's super easy to install. Check out this easy-to-follow video on how to install by clicking here.
Do that, then do what I said in the previous posts. Let me know what happens, because I'm almost certain this should work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried loading the Pacman ROM again with CWM and it wouldn't even load. It gets stuck in a bootloop. After that I flashed smelkus and went back to the Stock Rom.
*****edited and deleted for the sake of peace****
RADIO EDIT------
Sent from my PG86100 using xda app-developers app
edited and deleted for the sake of peace
As I stated in my pm give me a day or so till I get back home and I will check into a fix for you. Only don't expect any one on one help. If the fix works cool if not I will dig further. TNN strives to help with any issue no matter who is at fault. I will look at the wipe script you flashed and see if it can be undone. Just be prepared of the possibility that your phone may never work correctly again.
Sent from my PG86100 using xda app-developers app
I was finally able to get my phone straightened out. I loaded up a stock ROM then decided to use my SD Maid to look around. I found a file with completely different dates on it, but it wouldn't let me remove it. I ended up copying everything else in the subfolder and then deleted the parent folder. Then added everything else back. Wah lah.... magic. I don't know what that file was or where it came from but it was killing my internal memory. I'm wondering how it stayed from ROM to ROM. I dunno, but it's gone, and the Pacman ROM is lovely now. BOOM!!!!
jlmancuso said:
As I stated in my pm give me a day or so till I get back home and I will check into a fix for you. Only don't expect any one on one help. If the fix works cool if not I will dig further. TNN strives to help with any issue no matter who is at fault. I will look at the wipe script you flashed and see if it can be undone. Just be prepared of the possibility that your phone may never work correctly again.
Sent from my PG86100 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Whatever I did only fixed part of the issue. I'm left with in a situation where every time I go into recovery my downloaded apps stop working. It is cutting part of them off whether I clear cache or not. All I have to do is power off into recovery, and when I reboot, all of my downloaded apps begin giving messages that "Unfortuately such ans such has stopped." My phone becomes inoperable. The only way I can keep it working is to send a new launcher to my phone from the market, let it install, then open it up and uninstall all the downloaded apps. I'm pretty sure this is an easy fix for someone like you Mancuso. I have a logcat and it show LOTS of errors that I have never seen before on any of my other logcats. What are my options? Tell me what to do to get my phone back to absolute OEM and then I'll reroot. UNLESS you know of some fix.
I've supplied a logcat from Catlog if you or anybody else wants to have a look. I'd really appreciate some help here. I love my Evo and I love learning this stuff. If somebody can help me positively identify the problem, I can most likely figure it out from there. Please give me your suggestions here. I'm nothing without some guidance on this. It's way out of my scope.
I've included a link to the ext4 script wipe that I used. How I got to this page, I do not know. However, I ran it because this page said it COULD POSSIBLY work on other phones despite the fact that it was made for another phone.
http://www.xda-developers.com/android/darkside-super-wipe-easily-wipe-partitions-when-flashing-roms/
And I flashed both zips from the thread that the story links users to. Here is the link for the two zips.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1477955
I'm not sure this is the problem. I'll try to find the Vold.fstat thread that I tried on my own before you came up with the 40ad2sdx solution for the MIUI ROM.
This is the memory fix I tried as mentioned above.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2246909
Please note that you see before and after pics of sd storage. You can see that my pics clearly resemble the after pics shown in this thread. I believe this is my problem. How can I undo this?
This post reflects the only things I did outside of normal flashing. My problem is here somewhere...
The fix you used is for samsung devices. That could have caused your problems.
My Samsung Galaxy SIII from Sprint just freezes from time to time and I have to hold down the power button for 10 seconds to manually shut it down and boot it back up, sometimes whenever it boots up it has deleted all of my contacts and text messages. The phone also just reboots randomly, and during some of the times I turn the phone back on it says some applications have crashed, usually it was always Skype so I uninstalled it and it still crashes.
Can anyone help? I've tried unrooting, restoring, factory reset, flashing different roms, nothing changes!
bump
bump
I just said I have rooted and unrooted and the only way(that I know of) to do that is with Odin, anyway, yes, I've completely restored(as mentioned in original post) and I've used many different ROMS, like MOAR, Cyanogen, MIUI and a few others with the same results, I've used both CM and TWRP recoveries.
I know this is silly but sometimes it is as simple as going into recovery and wiping cache and dalvik.
Sent from my Wicked GS3
Well OK then @icytux. I apologize for trying to help. I come across many people who fail to do all of these things and 99% of the time it is "USER ERROR" I'm sure you wiped as you were flashing the roms what I was referring to is after the rom loads and your problems start. That's when you should go into recovery and wipe data and dalvik and maybe fix permissions. Also some people tend to think the are performing a full wipe and they are actually not. I use twrp and go to advanced wipe and select data, system, cache, and dalvik. I also do a recommended triple wipe and don't restore all of my apps with data through Tibu. People do this with system apps not knowing what they are doing and that is some things that cause some people's issues. I have no idea of your level of knowledge but what I do know is you seem to be rude to the people who are trying to help you out. I'm sure next time you have an issue and start a thread, myself and @Jessooca will probably not be trying to help you out since you basically just spit in Our face. HAVE A NICE DAY
Sent from my Wicked GS3
@mikeman45
Look, I'm sorry for sounding like an ass and insulting you if I did, I really didn't mean to come by that way but I did know to format , Data, System, Cache, Dalvik Cache three times or more before installing a new ROM or before flashing with ODIN, I've used different USB cables, re-downloaded files, ports and even different computers, the one thing I did not know from everything everyone here has said was fixing permissions, I'll try that, thanks.
PS.
The one thing I won't do is crack open my S3 as I don't know if that will negate the ability to trade the phone in to Sprint for a new one when the contract expires.
Thread cleaned of childish and off topic junk. Users are reminded that respect is a requirement for members here, that includes members who have titles attached to their accounts.
Be nice or get out. Next time, report offending posts and do not reply.
icytux said:
@mikeman45
Look, I'm sorry for sounding like an ass and insulting you if I did, I really didn't mean to come by that way but I did know to format , Data, System, Cache, Dalvik Cache three times or more before installing a new ROM or before flashing with ODIN, I've used different USB cables, re-downloaded files, ports and even different computers, the one thing I did not know from everything everyone here has said was fixing permissions, I'll try that, thanks.
PS.
The one thing I won't do is crack open my S3 as I don't know if that will negate the ability to trade the phone in to Sprint for a new one when the contract expires.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mr. Icy, it does appear that you have taken the right steps to alleviate your issues... May I suggest reformatting your internal (phone) memory and either reformat your sd card, get a new one or take it out all together?? I know this sounds strange but it appears as if your memory isn't formatted correctly, possible has a virus, or may just be bad... If its bad and you have exhuasted all your resources here I would let sprint know and get a replacement... I had a bad S3 once (it was the port though)... Let us know and good luck! I really hope you get it fixed I know it can be VERY fustrating!
icytux said:
@mikeman45
Look, I'm sorry for sounding like an ass and insulting you if I did, I really didn't mean to come by that way but I did know to format , Data, System, Cache, Dalvik Cache three times or more before installing a new ROM or before flashing with ODIN, I've used different USB cables, re-downloaded files, ports and even different computers, the one thing I did not know from everything everyone here has said was fixing permissions, I'll try that, thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's OK I understand your frustration. I am a mechanic /electrician and work on half a million to 1 million dollar equipment everyday and when there is a problem I start off with the simple stuff and just keep eliminating things until I find the problem. That's all I was trying to do with my advice to you. Now since we know you went through all that simple stuff I would do like Vectus said and wipe your internal as well. Save the important stuff obviously so you can transfer it back to phone from your computer. I would also backup your sd card and reformat it. Then download the rom you want and make sure you have the matching firmware /modem /kernel ect .... That you will need. That would be my next step if I was you and if it all works good put the Stuff that you want /need back a few at a time so if it happens again it will be easier to pin point if you have a corrupted file somewhere. Keep us updated as we will try our best to continue to help.
Sent from my Wicked GS3
mikeman45 said:
It's OK I understand your frustration. I am a mechanic /electrician and work on half a million to 1 million dollar equipment everyday and when there is a problem I start off with the simple stuff and just keep eliminating things until I find the problem. That's all I was trying to do with my advice to you. Now since we know you went through all that simple stuff I would do like Vectus said and wipe your internal as well. Save the important stuff obviously so you can transfer it back to phone from your computer. I would also backup your sd card and reformat it. Then download the rom you want and make sure you have the matching firmware /modem /kernel ect .... That you will need. That would be my next step if I was you and if it all works good put the Stuff that you want /need back a few at a time so if it happens again it will be easier to pin point if you have a corrupted file somewhere. Keep us updated as we will try our best to continue to help.
Sent from my Wicked GS3
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you, I will be doing this tonight, I'll update the status in a day or two to see if it worked or not.
icytux said:
Thank you, I will be doing this tonight, I'll update the status in a day or two to see if it worked or not.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Any good news?
Sent from my Wicked GS3
Hey, sorry for the long wait, my ISP thought it would be funny to cease my internet connection even though I paid this month, anyway.
Sadly no luck, the phone continues to do random reboots, shut downs and such, thankfully contacts, text messages or apps haven't been deleted, so I guess that' one problem fixed.
bump
icytux said:
bump
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
bump
I know this is a long shot. But back in the day I had an OG EVO 4G with a bad factory battery. The battery was causing an intermittent short ( it was a manufacturing defect in the battery) . Thereby causing the voltage to fluctuate wildly, causing reboots. So with that in mind. Have you tried a different battery ? Just trying to eliminate possibilities.