[Q] Need some advice for a noobie

[Q] Need some advice for a noobie - Nexus 7 (2013) Q&A

Hi first time posting so please take it easy on the noob. So i just rooted my nexus 7 2013. The main reason was because i wanted to be able to extend battery life and the main thing is that i bought a micro usb host otg cable with power and want to be able to charge as well as power my external hard drive. now i read that elementalx kernel allows you to do that. Would i flash the elementalx kernel first or do i flash a rom before a kernel. I'm pretty confused on where to go to download and which one i flash first.

Welcome to an experience with a great tablet! You want to flash a kernel after a ROM. As the intro to ElementalX says,
Installing a new ROM
If you install a new ROM, it will probably replace this with the stock kernel and will definitely overwrite /etc/init.d/99elementalx and /etc/elementalx.conf so you will lose your settings and certain features. So always reinstall the kernel after installing a ROM.

Pandae said:
Welcome to an experience with a great tablet! You want to flash a kernel after a ROM. As the intro to ElementalX says,
Installing a new ROM
If you install a new ROM, it will probably replace this with the stock kernel and will definitely overwrite /etc/init.d/99elementalx and /etc/elementalx.conf so you will lose your settings and certain features. So always reinstall the kernel after installing a ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
can you install any rom with any kernel. are their roms that will be more compatible with certain kernels. lastly is flashing a rom and kernel the same process of wiping out all the cache then installing while in recovery mode?

j0hnnyyyy said:
can you install any rom with any kernel. are their roms that will be more compatible with certain kernels. lastly is flashing a rom and kernel the same process of wiping out all the cache then installing while in recovery mode?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For the most part there will be two types of ROMs
#AOSP based ROMs
#Cyanogen based ROMs
Each kernel and ROM developer will state in the OP (original post; first post of the thread) which source they built their ROM off of.
As a general rule, flash AOSP based kernels for AOSP based ROMs and Cyanogen based kernels for Cyanogen based ROMs.
Flashing a ROM usually requires a factory reset in recovery (apps will be gone, but your personal data/media will be intact) if coming from another ROM. For example you are on ROM A and want to try ROM B, you must factory reset and wipe caches and flash ROM B.
Once you are on ROM B and if the developer updates ROM B, you can sometimes flash ROM B without the factory reset and only perform the wiping of the caches (this is called a dirty flash).
** IMPORTANT ** Each ROM might have their own special instructions for installation, so always read the first 2 or 3 posts of the thread to get all the important info you need.
If you need help:
1. Check the OP
2. Use the search function in the thread
3. Google it
4. After you have done that and still can't find an answer, post in the respective thread about your problem and provide as much detail as possible.
The reason for this is because threads sometimes get spammed with the same questions over and over again, which clog up the thread unnecessarily. Your question might have been asked before, so searching to see if the question has been asked can also lead you to the answer!
Another thing I've learned is to use the thanks button for those developers whose ROM or kernel you use and like, and people who have helped you. Sometimes donating money to developers to show support isn't a viable option for some, but using the thanks button to show appreciation can go a long way as well!
Hope this helps!
- Another noob

Protomartyr said:
For the most part there will be two types of ROMs
#AOSP based ROMs
#Cyanogen based ROMs
Each kernel and ROM developer will state in the OP (original post; first post of the thread) which source they built their ROM off of.
As a general rule, flash AOSP based kernels for AOSP based ROMs and Cyanogen based kernels for Cyanogen based ROMs.
Flashing a ROM usually requires a factory reset in recovery (apps will be gone, but your personal data/media will be intact) if coming from another ROM. For example you are on ROM A and want to try ROM B, you must factory reset and wipe caches and flash ROM B.
Once you are on ROM B and if the developer updates ROM B, you can sometimes flash ROM B without the factory reset and only perform the wiping of the caches (this is called a dirty flash).
** IMPORTANT ** Each ROM might have their own special instructions for installation, so always read the first 2 or 3 posts of the thread to get all the important info you need.
If you need help:
1. Check the OP
2. Use the search function in the thread
3. Google it
4. After you have done that and still can't find an answer, post in the respective thread about your problem and provide as much detail as possible.
The reason for this is because threads sometimes get spammed with the same questions over and over again, which clog up the thread unnecessarily. Your question might have been asked before, so searching to see if the question has been asked can also lead you to the answer!
Another thing I've learned is to use the thanks button for those developers whose ROM or kernel you use and like, and people who have helped you. Sometimes donating money to developers to show support isn't a viable option for some, but using the thanks button to show appreciation can go a long way as well!
Hope this helps!
- Another noob
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks this helped out a lot and completely understand about not trying to repost questions that have been answered. Just one question if i flash a rom and do a backup. then flash a completely different rom and do a backup for that as well I'm guessing ill have back up for both roms. my question is i use twrp and have the app online nandroid backup, would it be better to go into recovery and backup or is it safe to use the app? Also after flashing a rom is it the same process to flash the kernel?

Yes, it is the same process. Some flashable zip packages are included with the AROMA installer, which is a simple interface to give you options as you flash. Be sure to wipe Cache and Dalvik Cache after flashing roms and kernels.
Don't bother asking for the best Rom and Kernel combo. Try them out for yourself, if you truly want to learn more about what you are doing. Please don't become another user looking for a quick fix. (You called yourself a noobie, so I assume that you intend to learn more.)
Read, read, read! Follow the advice of the users who replied to you! It could save your life! Or, at least, save you a brick.
Most importantly, DON'T PANIC when your device doesn't get past the boot animation. Most likely, you asked something that doesn't work well with the Rom/kernel/MOD combo. Reboot into recovery, wipe, and try again.
Extra tips: clean flash whenever you can. You tend to lose track of stuff that you have flashed when you dirty flash a few times, and not every mod gets removed completely. Backup often as well.
Feel free to come back if you need more help.
_______________________________________
Phone: HTC EVO 4G LTE
Sense 5, S-Off
Tablet: ASUS Nexus 7.2
Rooted, Custom Rom & Kernel
_______________________________________

aarsyl said:
Yes, it is the same process. Some flashable zip packages are included with the AROMA installer, which is a simple interface to give you options as you flash. Be sure to wipe Cache and Dalvik Cache after flashing roms and kernels.
Don't bother asking for the best Rom and Kernel combo. Try them out for yourself, if you truly want to learn more about what you are doing. Please don't become another user looking for a quick fix. (You called yourself a noobie, so I assume that you intend to learn more.)
Read, read, read! Follow the advice of the users who replied to you! It could save your life! Or, at least, save you a brick.
Most importantly, DON'T PANIC when your device doesn't get past the boot animation. Most likely, you asked something that doesn't work well with the Rom/kernel/MOD combo. Reboot into recovery, wipe, and try again.
Extra tips: clean flash whenever you can. You tend to lose track of stuff that you have flashed when you dirty flash a few times, and not every mod gets removed completely. Backup often as well.
Feel free to come back if you need more help.
_______________________________________
Phone: HTC EVO 4G LTE
Sense 5, S-Off
Tablet: ASUS Nexus 7.2
Rooted, Custom Rom & Kernel
_______________________________________
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks. I flashed cleanrom and wiped all the cache before doing so. then i flash elementalx but i didn't wipe cache. one of my friend told me it doesn't really matter that much for kernels but does for roms. he also suggested i wait before rebooting after installing a rom in recovery mode. can you answer any of the part of waiting a certain period of time to let the rom and kernel set?

j0hnnyyyy said:
thanks. I flashed cleanrom and wiped all the cache before doing so. then i flash elementalx but i didn't wipe cache. one of my friend told me it doesn't really matter that much for kernels but does for roms. he also suggested i wait before rebooting after installing a rom in recovery mode. can you answer any of the part of waiting a certain period of time to let the rom and kernel set?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your friend was correct on both accounts.
Wiping cache is not really necessary when flashing kernels.
It it's also usually a good practice to wait a bit before your first reboot after flashing a ROM. From my understanding, it allows the code to "settle"and make sure everything completes in the initial boot.
I'm not too sure about the reasoning, so if someone knows then feel free to chime in!
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app

Protomartyr said:
Your friend was correct on both accounts.
Wiping cache is not really necessary when flashing kernels.
It it's also usually a good practice to wait a bit before your first reboot after flashing a ROM. From my understanding, it allows the code to "settle"and make sure everything completes in the initial boot.
I'm not too sure about the reasoning, so if someone knows then feel free to chime in!
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
he tried explaining to me over text but confused so go into recovery mode wipe all cache. then click install. find file swipe to install then page comes to reboot. on that reboot page is that when you wait or click reboot then wait?

j0hnnyyyy said:
he tried explaining to me over text but confused so go into recovery mode wipe all cache. then click install. find file swipe to install then page comes to reboot. on that reboot page is that when you wait or click reboot then wait?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Once you get to the reboot screen in recovery, go ahead and reboot. It's after you reboot that first time that you should wait some time.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app

Protomartyr said:
Your friend was correct on both accounts.
Wiping cache is not really necessary when flashing kernels.
It it's also usually a good practice to wait a bit before your first reboot after flashing a ROM. From my understanding, it allows the code to "settle"and make sure everything completes in the initial boot.
I'm not too sure about the reasoning, so if someone knows then feel free to chime in!
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, I didn't know that about Nexus devices. I always wipe caches for my phone, because I will enter a bootloop if I do not do so. This is my first Nexus device, and I'm learning a lot of new things myself.
_______________________________________
Phone: HTC EVO 4G LTE
Sense 5, S-Off
Tablet: ASUS Nexus 7.2
Rooted, Custom Rom & Kernel
_______________________________________

I have a question about backups. I've been researching and reading lot but there are a lot of different opinions . so I installed cleanrom with elemntalx kernel. Would it be best to make a backup in recovery mode or use online nandroid backup. I read something like online nandroid backup works only on certain Roms. Also I have titanium backup but I read that it isn't good to use titanium backups on different Roms? So if I backup through titanium backup and flash let's say a different ROM like cyanogenmod ROM I can't use the backup I created when I had cleanrom flashed?

j0hnnyyyy said:
I have a question about backups. I've been researching and reading lot but there are a lot of different opinions . so I installed cleanrom with elemntalx kernel. Would it be best to make a backup in recovery mode or use online nandroid backup. I read something like online nandroid backup works only on certain Roms. Also I have titanium backup but I read that it isn't good to use titanium backups on different Roms? So if I backup through titanium backup and flash let's say a different ROM like cyanogenmod ROM I can't use the backup I created when I had cleanrom flashed?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nandroid and Titanium backups are used for different purposes.
Titanium backups deal with apps and app settings. They are useful when after flashing a ROM Update. For example, you are using ROM A revision 1 and the developer has posted a new update ROM A revision 2. Since it's usually recommended to clean flash updates of a ROM (read the OP of the ROM thread for further info), this would result in you having to reinstall all your apps and reapply settings and such (which takes time). However with titanium backup, all you have to do is make sure you backup apps/settings when on revision 1. Then after you flash revision 2, you can restore your titanium backup and now you have all your apps and settings.
** IMPORTANT ** Titanium backups should not be used when moving to a DIFFERENT ROM. This may cause problems/incompatibilities.
Nandroid Backups are basically system images. So basically it just takes a snapshot of the current state of your phone, and when you restore it it will be the same as if nothing has changed. This is especially helpful in two situations:
1) when trying different ROMs (i.e. you flash another ROM but don't like it, you can easily switch back via the nandroid backup)
2) when messing with system files and reverting to a previous state (i.e. you are trying to mod your navigation bar or some other customization and decide you don't like it or accidentally messed up. You can use the nandroid backup to revert those changes)
It's also usually helpful to take backups at the appropriate time and name them accordingly. For example, this is the process I take when flashing a custom mod.
1) Nandroid backup before you apply custom mod A. I name the backup "Before applying custom mod A"
2) Apply custom mod A
3) If all goes well and mod A works, I also make a nandroid backup after this and name it "Applied custom mod A"
OR
If custom mod A messes up my phone, I just restore the backup named "Before applying custom mod A"
The reason why I also make a nandroid backup after successfully applying mod A (and decide to keep the mod) is so that I can have an up to date restore point. If you make modifications to the phone and decide to keep them, make an updated nandroid so you don't have to reapply the modifications again.
Sorry for the long wall of text, but hope this helps!

Protomartyr said:
Nandroid and Titanium backups are used for different purposes.
Titanium backups deal with apps and app settings. They are useful when after flashing a ROM Update. For example, you are using ROM A revision 1 and the developer has posted a new update ROM A revision 2. Since it's usually recommended to clean flash updates of a ROM (read the OP of the ROM thread for further info), this would result in you having to reinstall all your apps and reapply settings and such (which takes time). However with titanium backup, all you have to do is make sure you backup apps/settings when on revision 1. Then after you flash revision 2, you can restore your titanium backup and now you have all your apps and settings.
** IMPORTANT ** Titanium backups should not be used when moving to a DIFFERENT ROM. This may cause problems/incompatibilities.
Nandroid Backups are basically system images. So basically it just takes a snapshot of the current state of your phone, and when you restore it it will be the same as if nothing has changed. This is especially helpful in two situations:
1) when trying different ROMs (i.e. you flash another ROM but don't like it, you can easily switch back via the nandroid backup)
2) when messing with system files and reverting to a previous state (i.e. you are trying to mod your navigation bar or some other customization and decide you don't like it or accidentally messed up. You can use the nandroid backup to revert those changes)
It's also usually helpful to take backups at the appropriate time and name them accordingly. For example, this is the process I take when flashing a custom mod.
1) Nandroid backup before you apply custom mod A. I name the backup "Before applying custom mod A"
2) Apply custom mod A
3) If all goes well and mod A works, I also make a nandroid backup after this and name it "Applied custom mod A"
OR
If custom mod A messes up my phone, I just restore the backup named "Before applying custom mod A"
The reason why I also make a nandroid backup after successfully applying mod A (and decide to keep the mod) is so that I can have an up to date restore point. If you make modifications to the phone and decide to keep them, make an updated nandroid so you don't have to reapply the modifications again.
Sorry for the long wall of text, but hope this helps!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks very helpful so using the online nandroid backup app is the same thing as making a backup in twrp recovery mode

Related

Tmobile Galaxy S III ROM Help.

First of all, I don't know that much about ROMS but I know that they will make you save battery and let you customize it better. I just don't know how to install the correct and best ROM for my device. I would like some help with this and need someone to explain everything about ROMs please. Thank you in advance.

garciaomar0203 said:
First of all, I don't know that much about ROMS but I know that they will make you save battery and let you customize it better. I just don't know how to install the correct and best ROM for my device. I would like some help with this and need someone to explain everything about ROMs please. Thank you in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First, there is no correct or best rom for a device. You find a rom that has the features that you want. The "best" rom will be different for most everybody. Just flash a rom, try it out. When you get bored, nandroid the current rom, then flash another rom. Repeat until you're satisfied. Some people are just too chicken **** to mess around on android phones, but barring complete idiocy (like flashing an ill-matching rom) or an EFS corrruption, you won't screw anything up.
As for the "explain everything about roms," go onto the home page of the XDA forums. Go into each "general" forum of each phone subforum and I GUARANTEE you will find a newbie [GUIDE] to android/roms/flashing/anystupidnewbquestion.

erikikaz said:
First, there is no correct or best rom for a device. You find a rom that has the features that you want. The "best" rom will be different for most everybody. Just flash a rom, try it out. When you get bored, nandroid the current rom, then flash another rom. Repeat until you're satisfied. Some people are just too chicken **** to mess around on android phones, but barring complete idiocy (like flashing an ill-matching rom) or an EFS corrruption, you won't screw anything up.
As for the "explain everything about roms," go onto the home page of the XDA forums. Go into each "general" forum of each phone subforum and I GUARANTEE you will find a newbie [GUIDE] to android/roms/flashing/anystupidnewbquestion.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One more question. What is the adama kernel? I want to install the sonic team rom but don't know if to still the adama kernel. It is optional

I'd recommend against it. Until you know what "normal" behavior is for modded roms, you don't want to convolute the whole thing by modifying the kernel as well.

Basically what you do is make a backup in clockwork mod recovery and then put the rom on the root of your sd card then you reboot back into recovery then do the wipe data/factory reset then you wipe cache then go in to the advanced tab and wipe dalvic cache then go to install zip from sd card and install the rom and then once again wipe cache and dalvic then fix permissions and reboot then your good

[Q] AT&T S3 (Flashed via s3 toolkit) question on roms

I have a AT&T samsung galaxy S3 rooted by using the samsung galaxy toolkit http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1746665
I'm interested in flashing the following CM10 Nightly rom http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1778270 to my phone but have a few questions before I proceed.
1) What precautions should I take before flashing a custom rom? I understand I first need to make a nandoid backup (which I have done) and verify that I have the correct rom for my specific phone model that I will be flashing to. If I were to choose the CM10 Nightly rom, the link from the post goes to http://get.cm/?device=d2att which appears to be correct for my AT&T Samsung Galaxy S3 SGH-1747.
2) Since I flashed with the samsung galaxy toolkit, it flashed the following recovery "CWM-Based Recovery v5.5.0.4 - Do I need to use a different recovery in order to use the CM10 Nightly roms or is this one compatible? If not, how do I go about changing to another recovery?
3) What is the steps for flashing properly? Would I need to update kernel or model or just simply download rom, save to SD card, boot to recovery, then flash the rom in zip form?
I appreciate any your responses in advance. I tend to over analyze and I feel i've read enough about the process of flashing custom roms but I want to be certain. Thank you!

It looks like you got all you ducks in a row, on behalf of the community thanks for being a smart user :good:.
1) You nailed it....make absolutely certain you are downloading the correct software for your device, flashing an incompatible ROM can leave you with a really sexy, expensive paper weight. The d2att identifier is unique to the AT&T variant of the SG3 (i747). Before you flash any new rom or kernel (or anything else for that matter in my opinion) make a nandroid or equivalent backup from your recovery. I do this even for the smallest mod, tweak, theme whatever if for nothing else incase i dont like it it an easy undo 'button'. Besides that i like to keep a fairly recent backup on something other than my phone.
2) For all intensive purposes that version of CWM will work, atleast currently. I would recommend you update it however as that version is several builds behind and there are sometimes updates in the more current ROM builds that may not play nice with older recoveries. The easiest way to do this is download Clockwork Rom Manager from the play store, on the main app screen at the very top is the option to install the latest recovery. It will download, preferably on wifi to minimize downloading errors as much as possible, and then install automatically. There is also atleast one other alternative recovery that i know of, TWRP, which is worth checking out in my opinion. Just keep in mind the backups from the different recoveries are NOT interchangeable.
3) It always best to follow any and all directions in the OP of whatever ROM you are installing as most differ. The generally accepted order for flashing goes something like this although everyone will have an opinion on this i'm sure. ROM > Gapps (if required by the rom) > Reboot > Kernel > Reboot. If you are really concerned you can always just flash one at a time allowing a full reboot in between each flash, personally i think this is overkill but thats just my opinion.
One last personal suggestion, I always keep a copy of my rom, kernel, and any required supporting software on my external sd just in case. It comes in handy if for some reason you try something that doesn't work out the way you had hoped and you are away from a computer and your phone is unable to boot into android. Some would argue that a nandroid makes this unnecessary but with 32 gigs in my current setup its not like im hurting for space. Hope this helps to clarify some things for you, good luck!

dntesinfrno, Thank you very much for your reply and kind words
A lot of the information has been posted on the boards but it can be a little confusing and too much information at once.
You mentioned that I can simply use Rom Manager then click "Flash ClockworkMod Recovery", are there any reports of there being problems in using rom manager to flash the recovery or is the S3 fully supported?
As for the kernel flashing.. I'm really only interested in flashing custom roms (CM10), is it necessary to flash the kernel as well when flashing custom roms? I didn't see anything on the other thread stating anything about flashing kernels so i'm guessing it's not needed?
I'm for sure going to take your recommendation and make a backup of current rom and kernel. Would you recommend Rom Manager to backup the current rom? I see an option that says "Backup current rom" in the application. How do you go about backing those up?
Thank you again! :fingers-crossed:

since I have the cwm-based recovery v5.5.0.4 i'm wondering if I were to use rom manager and flash the latest clockworkmod recovery, would it actually stick after the reboot?

found the following thread here and it looked almost identical to mine: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1801534&highlight=cwm-based+recovery
Ended up using rom manager to flash clockworkmod and after rebooting multiple times and booting into recovery, the official clockworkmod recovery is installed. (showing "ClockworkMod 6.0.1.2" now)
As for backing up kernel and everything else, will rom manager do that as well?
Thank you

A few questions regarding install custom ROMs

hi, i recently got an ATT note 2. The phone I got already got Clean ROM 3.5, so I presume it is rooted, with custom recovery (TWRP when I checked). I am thinking of flashing to a diff rom and just want to ask a few questions.
1-do I need to run triangle away every time I flash to a diff rom?
2-since the phone already has a custom rom, I should not have to root it, am I correct?
3-If I want to install custom, ROMs, can I just put the ROM in the external SD and flash it that way (of course with clear cash, davik, etc as states in the rom).
4-I am thinking of playing with the CleanROM 4.2.4 or the ACE version? any issue with either one compare to the 3.5 that I am using now? any recommendation?
5-anything I need ot watch out before I flash it? I have flashed a coupole of time with htc phone and this is my first samsung phone so I don't watn to brick it.
thanks a lot guys, XDA rocks.

PUTALE said:
hi, i recently got an ATT note 2. The phone I got already got Clean ROM 3.5, so I presume it is rooted, with custom recovery (TWRP when I checked). I am thinking of flashing to a diff rom and just want to ask a few questions.
1-do I need to run triangle away every time I flash to a diff rom?
2-since the phone already has a custom rom, I should not have to root it, am I correct?
3-If I want to install custom, ROMs, can I just put the ROM in the external SD and flash it that way (of course with clear cash, davik, etc as states in the rom).
4-I am thinking of playing with the CleanROM 4.2.4 or the ACE version? any issue with either one compare to the 3.5 that I am using now? any recommendation?
5-anything I need ot watch out before I flash it? I have flashed a coupole of time with htc phone and this is my first samsung phone so I don't watn to brick it.
thanks a lot guys, XDA rocks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. No you do not need to run triangle away usually only have to run it if you are going back to stock and may want to return the phone.
2.Nope it has a Rom you are rooted !
3.That is what I do when installing a new rom factory reset wipe davlik and cache and install you may have to fix permissions with some installs as well after installing.
4.From the bit I played with the new Clean rom it is very stable with minimum if any grief Jedi 9 is also a awesome ROM and my current fave.
5.Just read up lots before you do it follow every step they tell you to take your time it is easy just make sure ya know what you are doing before you start.
6.Enjoy they are a awesome phone !!

Thanks a lot for your prompt reply. It heped a lot. I will definitelycheck the roms. I am using 3.5 and it runs really good and hate to ruin it.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using xda app-developers app

PUTALE said:
Thanks a lot for your prompt reply. It heped a lot. I will definitelycheck the roms. I am using 3.5 and it runs really good and hate to ruin it.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
do a backup in twrp before flashing a new one, you can always come back

thanks for the info. That brings me to another question with TWRP, when I do TWRP backup, should I backup everything, modem, efs, etc. Also, if I use that backup and I do restore, does it restore everything, program, rom, setting, etc?
Also, if I want to flash the stock ROM, would that mess up my root, recovery etc? Do I need to do anything if I flash the stock ROM? From my past experience, sometimes, it is good to flash the stock rom once in awhile since that seem to do some sort of clean up and it also helped to keep the modem and such up to date.Probaby won't keep the stock for a long time but just thought I may flash it to play with it and keep the modem files up to date. Then flash custom rom. I also read that if I want to use triangle, I must be on stock rom or it will brick my phone, so I want to make sure before I start playing with diff roms.
thanks a lot guys

PUTALE said:
thanks for the info. That brings me to another question with TWRP, when I do TWRP backup, should I backup everything, modem, efs, etc. Also, if I use that backup and I do restore, does it restore everything, program, rom, setting, etc?
Also, if I want to flash the stock ROM, would that mess up my root, recovery etc? Do I need to do anything if I flash the stock ROM? From my past experience, sometimes, it is good to flash the stock rom once in awhile since that seem to do some sort of clean up and it also helped to keep the modem and such up to date.Probaby won't keep the stock for a long time but just thought I may flash it to play with it and keep the modem files up to date. Then flash custom rom. I also read that if I want to use triangle, I must be on stock rom or it will brick my phone, so I want to make sure before I start playing with diff roms.
thanks a lot guys
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is one of nice features of TWRP... ability to backup/restore individual partitions. Android stores various blocks in different partitions. To name a few, System, Data, Modem, Recovery, Boot, Cache, etc. If you just want to backup your modem for example, just check the "modem" box (and I recommend naming the folder to something significant so down the road you'll know which modem it is). When you restore, that folder will only have your modem.. so you can restore a different modem without having to change your rom, (etc). Kernels are stored in the "boot" partitions.. again, if you want to change kernels, backup the boot partition and name it properly if case you want to reflash that kernel. Generally, after my first flash of a new ROM, kernel, modem, I'll create a "boot" backup, "modem" backup, and ROM (system/data/boot) partition backups. If you look in the TWRP folders themselves, you can see the blocks which are backed up... or will be restored. Hope that helps.

PUTALE said:
thanks for the info. That brings me to another question with TWRP, when I do TWRP backup, should I backup everything, modem, efs, etc. Also, if I use that backup and I do restore, does it restore everything, program, rom, setting, etc?
Also, if I want to flash the stock ROM, would that mess up my root, recovery etc? Do I need to do anything if I flash the stock ROM? From my past experience, sometimes, it is good to flash the stock rom once in awhile since that seem to do some sort of clean up and it also helped to keep the modem and such up to date.Probaby won't keep the stock for a long time but just thought I may flash it to play with it and keep the modem files up to date. Then flash custom rom. I also read that if I want to use triangle, I must be on stock rom or it will brick my phone, so I want to make sure before I start playing with diff roms.
thanks a lot guys
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When I back up in TWRP, I usually just go with what is default checked off. You will not mess up your root unless you really really tried to. The last time I ever had to flash back to stock then to a custom was on my Xperia X10a... You should be fine flashing a new rom without having to go back to stock as long as you do a good wipe (Wipe System, Factory Rest, Davlik, and Cache is what I do only because it doesn't hurt... I've read you do not need to do all those steps but I do them nonetheless). Do not use Triangle Away unless you plan on returning your phone or send it in for warranty. Only then should you start asking questions about that tool.
The only issue that may cause SOME confusion (not too much but some) is flashing back and forth between a 4.1.2 and a 4.2.1 since the SD card adjusts to User settings (some folders open up for individual users on 4.2 but as far as my experience goes, I have not had any issues with it, I just needed to study my SD card after each flash).
So you should be fine... just do backups, rename them to make sure you know which rom belongs to which backup, delete the old ones from the RESTORE menu in TWRP in case you are backing up the same rom to save you some space (my backups take around 2 gigs sometimes EACH) and you should be good to go... Enjoy tweaking out on your roms!

DoctorQMM said:
This is one of nice features of TWRP... ability to backup/restore individual partitions. Android stores various blocks in different partitions. To name a few, System, Data, Modem, Recovery, Boot, Cache, etc. If you just want to backup your modem for example, just check the "modem" box (and I recommend naming the folder to something significant so down the road you'll know which modem it is). When you restore, that folder will only have your modem.. so you can restore a different modem without having to change your rom, (etc). Kernels are stored in the "boot" partitions.. again, if you want to change kernels, backup the boot partition and name it properly if case you want to reflash that kernel. Generally, after my first flash of a new ROM, kernel, modem, I'll create a "boot" backup, "modem" backup, and ROM (system/data/boot) partition backups. If you look in the TWRP folders themselves, you can see the blocks which are backed up... or will be restored. Hope that helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Much appreciated for your detail explanation on the TWRP. I did a quick backup and selected all of the option and now I see the files in my external SD:
modem.emmc.win
data.ext4.win
cache.ext4.win
recovery.emmc.win
boot.emmc.win
efs.ext4.win
data.ext4.win
system.ext4.win
Quick question. If I understand correctly, the modem and efs is not ROM backup, so if I just want to revert to the rom I am currently running with all apps and such, I only need to backup system, boot, data, am I correct?
Also, is there any way that I can retain my data, settings, and apps, without re-download and re-configurate everything after I flash to a new ROM? I am thinking that maybe data will do such thing but not too certain. In the past, whenever I flash to a new rom, I always download all apps again from market and setup everything again, a bit hassle but that's how I did
[email protected] said:
When I back up in TWRP, I usually just go with what is default checked off. You will not mess up your root unless you really really tried to. The last time I ever had to flash back to stock then to a custom was on my Xperia X10a... You should be fine flashing a new rom without having to go back to stock as long as you do a good wipe (Wipe System, Factory Rest, Davlik, and Cache is what I do only because it doesn't hurt... I've read you do not need to do all those steps but I do them nonetheless). Do not use Triangle Away unless you plan on returning your phone or send it in for warranty. Only then should you start asking questions about that tool.
The only issue that may cause SOME confusion (not too much but some) is flashing back and forth between a 4.1.2 and a 4.2.1 since the SD card adjusts to User settings (some folders open up for individual users on 4.2 but as far as my experience goes, I have not had any issues with it, I just needed to study my SD card after each flash).
So you should be fine... just do backups, rename them to make sure you know which rom belongs to which backup, delete the old ones from the RESTORE menu in TWRP in case you are backing up the same rom to save you some space (my backups take around 2 gigs sometimes EACH) and you should be good to go... Enjoy tweaking out on your roms!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks for the info/warning on the triangle. I read that it can brick the phone and also needs to be on the stock to use it. Also read that if there's too many counts, it may not work. I guess for now, I just won't touch it.
Since there's no 4.2 roms available (at least not what I have seen and want to play, CleanRom or Jedi as they are highly rated), I guess for now I do not have to worry much on the SD card issue. It will be safer I guess for now just stick with 4.1.2 until the kinks are worked out.
For the wipe system, factory, davlik, cache, do I do that before flashing it?watched a couple of video and instruction and they all have diff answers. Some people said do factory reset, flash, and then wipe davik and cache.
Again, really really appreciate all of the support guys.

PUTALE said:
Much appreciated for your detail explanation on the TWRP. I did a quick backup and selected all of the option and now I see the files in my external SD:
modem.emmc.win
data.ext4.win
cache.ext4.win
recovery.emmc.win
boot.emmc.win
efs.ext4.win
data.ext4.win
system.ext4.win
Quick question. If I understand correctly, the modem and efs is not ROM backup, so if I just want to revert to the rom I am currently running with all apps and such, I only need to backup system, boot, data, am I correct?
Also, is there any way that I can retain my data, settings, and apps, without re-download and re-configurate everything after I flash to a new ROM? I am thinking that maybe data will do such thing but not too certain. In the past, whenever I flash to a new rom, I always download all apps again from market and setup everything again, a bit hassle but that's how I did
thanks for the info/warning on the triangle. I read that it can brick the phone and also needs to be on the stock to use it. Also read that if there's too many counts, it may not work. I guess for now, I just won't touch it.
Since there's no 4.2 roms available (at least not what I have seen and want to play, CleanRom or Jedi as they are highly rated), I guess for now I do not have to worry much on the SD card issue. It will be safer I guess for now just stick with 4.1.2 until the kinks are worked out.
For the wipe system, factory, davlik, cache, do I do that before flashing it?watched a couple of video and instruction and they all have diff answers. Some people said do factory reset, flash, and then wipe davik and cache.
Again, really really appreciate all of the support guys.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Think of your Nandroid (TWRP) backup as a roll back to what you are comfortable with (check everything off so you do not lose a thing if you want) in case you find that the new thing you flashed isn't all that it was cracked up to be for you or something messes up. The Nandroid backup is EVERYONE's friend.
As for flashing a new ROM and having to start all over, I will use this as an example: I have two backups; one for Paranoid Android (4.2.1 AOSPA) and Clean 4.2.5 (4.1.2). When I originally flashed my stock to Clean, I must've gotten lucky by just wiping the system (ROM only and not a factory reset) and all my data transferred over just fine with no issues... but when flashing to PA, I had to do a full wipe then start from scratch (which was not bad if you sync your apps and contacts thru Google). Also, you might want to get another backup system such as Super Backup to back up your contacts and SMS messages (be careful with backing up call logs if you go to 4.2.1 ROMs because for some reason, things went wacky for me). Titanium is a good system to use for power users but sometimes, to keep it as simple as possible, count on Google at first for your app syncing (and if you get Amazon App Store, you will have to get that APK to download the apps from that store).
Anyway, from there (if you want to play with multiple ROMs) you now have a foundation. Dirty flashing (flashing a new version of a ROM you currently have without doing a full wipe... just in case you didn't know... for me, I just wipe System [no factory reset] then flash the upgrade) should be fine... again, I'm typing from experience because there are some people who do run into issues dirty flashing and is usually not supported by the devs unless you do a full wipe and flash. I have not had any issues whatsoever dirty flashing both PA and Clean versions.
As for methods of wiping, honestly they're all right... I just posted what I usually do when I want to do a full wipe. Only if you want to do a dirty flash, you won't have to wipe or do a partial wipe (I partial wipe e.g. Clean 4.0.5 to 4.2.5: Delete last Clean Rom backup through the Restore menu, Nandroid Back Up current working Clean Rom 4.0.5, Wipe System, Install the new 4.2.5, wipe Davlik and Cache (again, I do this just in case but some devs say it's unnecessary), then reboot and wait for the apps to reset... all was where it was when I left 4.0.5.

PUTALE said:
Quick question. If I understand correctly, the modem and efs is not ROM backup, so if I just want to revert to the rom I am currently running with all apps and such, I only need to backup system, boot, data, am I correct?
Also, is there any way that I can retain my data, settings, and apps, without re-download and re-configurate everything after I flash to a new ROM? I am thinking that maybe data will do such thing but not too certain. In the past, whenever I flash to a new rom, I always download all apps again from market and setup everything again, a bit hassle but that's how I did
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes... if you're retaining your current modem and recovery... to restore a rom just as it was when you backed it up, restore boot (which has the kernel), system and data. One your second question, when restoring a different rom , it's best to always restore system/data/boot together. You can use TiBu to restore your user app DATA, and individual apps usually have their own backup files you can restore (like Nova/Apex launchers [which can restore your widgets], calendar, etc).

much appreciated guys. thanks so much. I think I got it. Will get ready to pick a good ROM and starts flashing.
one little thing, I saw this rom here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2124182
it says stock rooted, does that mean that it is essentailly identical to what is found on the stock rom except that it will not mess up with my recovery and rooting if I use it to flash as oppose to the guide I saw online to flash to completely stock using ODIN.
Also, I did the unlock with what I found on the thread, would that mess got messed up when I flash to different ROM?

PUTALE said:
much appreciated guys. thanks so much. I think I got it. Will get ready to pick a good ROM and starts flashing.
one little thing, I saw this rom here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2124182
it says stock rooted, does that mean that it is essentailly identical to what is found on the stock rom except that it will not mess up with my recovery and rooting if I use it to flash as oppose to the guide I saw online to flash to completely stock using ODIN.
Also, I did the unlock with what I found on the thread, would that mess got messed up when I flash to different ROM?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have never used that rom so I can't say for sure. Try it out and see what happens. If you don't like it, restore your backup.

PUTALE said:
much appreciated guys. thanks so much. I think I got it. Will get ready to pick a good ROM and starts flashing.
one little thing, I saw this rom here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2124182
it says stock rooted, does that mean that it is essentailly identical to what is found on the stock rom except that it will not mess up with my recovery and rooting if I use it to flash as oppose to the guide I saw online to flash to completely stock using ODIN.
Also, I did the unlock with what I found on the thread, would that mess got messed up when I flash to different ROM?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That rom is one of the most recent 7105 (note2 international) samsung firmware releases... supposedly better battery life than LL7 or LL4. It's the stock MA6 pre rooted (i.e., has SuperSU app and binaries included). No other features added like you would find with CleanROM 4.2.5 for example. It includes rom and kernel... so it will write to your system, data, and boot partitions. Whatever custom recovery you have now and flash this with will not be touched.

thanks again.

[Q] OTA and root?

Hi i want to apply the OTA (MD4) and keep my root acces, so my question is, if is possible to use voodoo root keeper app to apply this update. thanks in advance

juancaperez2000 said:
Hi i want to apply the OTA (MD4) and keep my root acces, so my question is, if is possible to use voodoo root keeper app to apply this update. thanks in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey Juan,
I'm assuming you just got the notification for the OTA. You actually don't have to apply it to get the latest and greatest for our phone. All you have to do is flash Freeza's Stock Rooted Rom (You'll want the DeOdex MD4 Rom). It'll give you the most up-to-date Stock Rom with Root. I've linked and quoted a previous post I made which will give you directions to flash it. Also, CNexus has done a great guide about OTAs over in the general sub-forum. I suggest giving that a look-through.
Also, just a note on the flashing sequence below: In step 4 below, if you're coming from a stock Rom and you're going to a stock Rom, all you have to do is wipe Cache and Dalvik Cache. If you're going to a different Rom, it's best to do a full wipe (in my opinion).
Ok, let's start at the very beginning (it's a very good place to start).
Before we get started, I'm going to make the following assumptions:
You successfully rooted your phone through Odin.
You currently have a custom recovery (either TWRP or CWM).
You have a Rom you'd like to flash on either your internal storage or your SDcard (I'd recommend the SDcard, but that's your prerogative).
If either of the first two is not true, I'd recommend going back to qbking77's thread and check out the videos on how to use Odin to gain root and a custom recovery.
If number 3 above is not true, download a ROM (nor someone new to flashing/custom Roms, I'd recommend Freeza's stock rooted Rom, as it's identical to stock TW, but just with Root). Once you download a Rom, check it's md5sum to verify that it's a good download. Copy the file to your SD card and get ready to flash (make sure you have decent battery life left, I try to keep at least 50% or more when flashing Roms, although it shouldn't take too long.
I'll give directions on how to flash a Rom below. The instructions will be for TWRP, but CWM has similar options/settings
Turn your phone completely off (hold down power for 3-5 seconds)
Boot your phone into recovery. Hold Up, Menu, and Power for a few seconds (until SAMSUNG appears on your screen and the phone vibrates)
Make a Nandroid backup. I can't emphasize this enough. In flashing, it's almost a certainty that one time, something will mess up. When that happens, you want to be able to restore a backup. In TWRP, just go into Backup Menu and choose where you want it (internal vs. External storage). It takes my phone a few (5-10) minutes to completely backup my data.
In TWRP, click the wipe button, then system. This will completely wipe the Rom from your phone. Doing this will allow you to get a "clean" install, without any settings or leftover files from your old Rom getting in the way. Instead, you could only wipe data (factory reset), which is good enough for most Roms. I'd still recommend a system wipe, though.
Also while in the Wipe menu, wipe Cache and Dalvik Cache.
Go back to the TWRP main menu.
Click Install, then find your Rom zip file (may have to switch from internal to external storage).
Let TWRP do it's thing.
If you're installing a TW-based Rom, chances are it had gapps already installed. If not, you should now flash the correct gapps package from goo.im. Make sure you're flashing the correct one, as if you don't, your google apps will force close upon use.
Reboot into system and give it time to boot (first boot sometimes takes a couple of minutes).
Set up your phone the way you like.
These should be the directions to follow whenever you flash a new Rom. Some Roms have the Aroma installer, so you'll have more options once you choose to flash the Rom zip, but those are typically easy to follow (and vary from Rom to Rom, so I won't be able to give you a good guide on that).
Hope this helps!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

topherk said:
Hey Juan,
I'm assuming you just got the notification for the OTA. You actually don't have to apply it to get the latest and greatest for our phone. All you have to do is flash Freeza's Stock Rooted Rom (You'll want the DeOdex MD4 Rom). It'll give you the most up-to-date Stock Rom with Root. I've linked and quoted a previous post I made which will give you directions to flash it. Also, CNexus has done a great guide about OTAs over in the general sub-forum. I suggest giving that a look-through.
Also, just a note on the flashing sequence below: In step 4 below, if you're coming from a stock Rom and you're going to a stock Rom, all you have to do is wipe Cache and Dalvik Cache. If you're going to a different Rom, it's best to do a full wipe (in my opinion).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks!!! i tought that i need do like qbking77 did on his videos using oding for i can keep my data but you'r right dirty flash can work too (stock to stock)

juancaperez2000 said:
thanks!!! i tought that i need do like qbking77 did on his videos using oding for i can keep my data but you'r right dirty flash can work too (stock to stock)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's right, dirty flashing should work fine. If you're noticing any major issues (FCs, reboots, etc), you might want to use Titanium Backup to back up your important stuff and do a clean flash. But hopefully the dirty flash will be good.

I saw this post earlier, and was going to reply pretty much the same thing. Then I said to myself nope im going to leave it alone Topherk will come by soon enough with a way better reply and exact instructions!! :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:
Keep up the great work
Transmitted with a portable device using Xparent Blue Tapatalk 2

edfunkycold said:
I saw this post earlier, and was going to reply pretty much the same thing. Then I said to myself nope im going to leave it alone Topherk will come by soon enough with a way better reply and exact instructions!! :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:
Keep up the great work
Transmitted with a portable device using Xparent Blue Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks Ed, I appreciate the feedback.
Thankfully, I put the hard work in a while ago, so now (for most questions) all I have to do is paste that one post and I'm good to go.
As an aside: yesterday I helped a friend root his GS3 and realized I'm much better at explaining things here on XDA than I am in real life. I kept jumping ahead of myself and trying to explain about wiping /system before I even explained what a custom Recovery is. I should've just asked him to post a question "how do I root" and I could've done a better job explaining it, haha.

[Guide]Fix your ROM issues that other's are not having before posting for support.

Ok I wrote this for the OP of my ROM because the issues some people were PMing me about were just plain out dumb, This phone has been out quite a long time and still almost every thread I goto, you got people flashing in way's I didn't even know were possible and posting weird issues that were not being reproduced by the community. so I'm just gonna post this guide for all the developers sake and in hopes the people that actually need this information, receive it before posting and clogging up development threads
If you're having issues on rom's that no one else is reporting, or the DEV has not reproduced on his phone, read the following.
1) Full wipe
2) Do not restore System data or data from CWM
3) Do not dirty flash from other ROM's
4) When was the last time you did a odin to stock? this is important in my opinion and I'm not saying you need to do one but I just want to explain that custom zip's that I make and other dev's make in the shape of "roms" only affect
a few partitions on your device, other's do not get touched and can get messy/corrupt over the months (This explains why the GPS icon disappears in some peoples cases during rom switch) and this is why I get posts in this thread about people wondering why their baseband hasn't been updated after flashing my rom when my post states "MF1"
With this being said my personal rule of thumb is to odin to stock latest and then boot into stock recovery and factory reset, wipe cache/dalvik (BACKUP YOUR SD CARD TO YOUR COMPUTER), this gives your phone fresh partitions everywhere, a fresh system to root and the latest bootloader (which you need for any AOSP 4.2 rom). This is also a good time to unlock your phone if you have not already, then reroot and install custom recovery, update the recovery if need be and flash again on a brand new system. here are my steps
1) backup all user apps and data with titanium backup, DO NOT BACKUP SYSTEM APP'S
2) backup internal storage onto PC
3) Odin to stock latest
4) wait for phone to boot then reboot into stock recovery and full wipe and clear all cache
5) reboot and root the phone and custom recovery
6) flash away and put what you need on your internal storage back onto your phone via usb, see my 2nd set of instructions below
this fixes more issues then you will realize. some of the way people flash rom's on XDA and complain to me with problems is rather funny considering I have the install instructions in the OP, not to mention many of you rooted your phone when you first got it in the ICS 4.0.4 day's and haven't done an odin to stock jellybean to update all your partitions including your bootloader, now I will go over my every day flashing step's.
1)backup all USER APPS/DATA with titanium backup, DO NOT BACKUP SYSTEM APP'S (skip this if you did a odin flash to stock)
2)reboot recovery
3)nandroid (skip this if you did a odin flash to stock)
4)factory reset, wipe system, wipe both cache/dalvik
5)install rom
6)boot system
7)*(OPTIONAL) reboot to install a kernel now if needed, always wipe cache/dalvik and fix permissions after installing a kernel
8)setup phone and download titanium backup from the market
9)restore all user apps and data (you will have to put the titanium backup folder that is backed up on your computer back onto your internal storage via usb first)
Every 6 months, backup internal storage to PC and I odin to stock, much like formatting a computer
6 months is actually a long time considering how much I flash, but this device can take a beating let me tell you =P
I DO THIS WITH EVERY ROM I INSTALL, AOSP or TW

Great explanation and should really help out with those with issues. Thanks!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2

TheKucho said:
Great explanation and should really help out with those with issues. Thanks!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is great advice, but here's the problem.
Every new thread pushes this farther down the list. And if no one comments, eventually it's gonna be on the back door of this thread.
The OP may want to consider getting this stickied, or maybe copying it to each one of his rom threads.
Like I said, it's really great info, but will do no one any good on page 4 or farther back.
jus' my one cent worth (government took the other penny for taxes)
Sent from my SGH-T999 using XDA Premium HD app

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