Develop Bugs

[Q] I need a little guidance... (I'm desperate)

Hello everyone. I'm quite new to this whole fiddling with my S3 thing. I mean, I successfully flashed a previous version of Danvdh's Dandroid ROM a few months ago but was not pleased when it would not pick up ANY GPS satellites even after 20 minutes of waiting to get a fix. Of course I tried everything from tightening screws (none of my screws were loose) to that aGPS patch (for which it gave me the wrong location even after trying what the notes suggest).
Having said that, yesterday, I tried flashing other ROMs (like Beanstalk) in hopes of getting better GPS. Now Beanstalk worked fine and gave me GPS, but with that I then ran into problems mounting and formatting a new SD card. So then I flashed the newest version of Dandroid and successfully mounted the SD card, but it still gave me GPS problems, at which point I was kind of disheartened and decided to give saranhai's StockMOD ROM a try.
I ran into all kinds of problems.
1. I'm sure this isn't the dev's fault, but my CWM version 6.0.3.7 (is that old?) won't recognize any kind of change in my internal SD card since late yesterday. My desktop and ES file explorer both register the same files and folders, but CWM still sees old files like the zip files for Beanstalk and Dandroid which don't appear on my computer??? And it won't see any new files??? What did I do wrong? Therefore, I flashed things from my external SD card from there. (Was that wrong to do?) Also, every time I try to reboot through CWM, it says root access may have been lost and asks if I want to try and fix it. I say no because my SuperSU still works?
2. After FIRST flashing Dandroid 5.1 I noticed Wi-Fi wasn't working. A post from the Dandroid thread said to flash a kernel "or update to the newest bootloaders." I flashed the kernel he provided and found out too late that it was for T999L or something and my phone is T999. I'm kinda surprised my phone didn't brick then. Anyway, I got Wi-Fi, but whenever I tried to turn on mobile data, it said to insert a SIM card?? I'm sure it's because I flashed that wrong kernel. When I go into Settings > About Device it says the Baseband version is unknown and the Kernel version is as follows:
3.0.31-1804024
[email protected]
Sat Oct 5 00:13:48 KST 2013
and the build number: JSS15J.T999UVUEMJC
EDIT: I FOUND OUT MY PHONE WAS ACTUALLY T999L NOT T999. Currently trying to fix things. I'll get back to the thread.
3. So hoping saranhai's StockMOD ROM would give me the fresh start I so desperately needed, I followed his instructions step by step from flashing the right modem FIRST then flashing the ROM, but alas, the same "Insert SIM card...." error still plagued me. You would not believe how sad I got. (I'm still pretty sad.) At that point I tried REALLY hard to familiarize myself with what I was doing, reading the thread carefully, looking through that glossary thread to help me keep up with the techie terms, and searching for instructions on how to get it fixed, but I couldn't find anything and I was stuck.
4. This morning I flashed the Insecure kernel the StockMOD ROM thread provided and I still get the error.
5. I tried to restore from a backup I made last week on CWM, but it kept saying "checking MD5 files" and them giving me an error about not being able to restore.
As you all can see, I probably made a HUGE mess out of my phone and it might come as a huge surprise that I haven't bricked it completely. I'm extremely desperate at this point and I've admitted that I don't know what I'm doing. :crying:
It's come to the point where I just want a stable handset that will give me the services I want (GPS, mobile data, Wi-Fi, etc.) and I'm beginning to think this root lyfe isn't for me. I searched for guides on how to return to stock and unroot, but all the guides are different and I'm so confused and overwhelmed as to what I should do at this point. Please, please, please! A little guidance would be GREATLY appreciated!
Thanks for your time!

First off don't get disheartened. You did demonstrate a genuine attempt to help yourself and try your best on your own. Yes mistakes happen. We all do that. For what its worth, no one is born knowledgeable in these areas. We all learn.
Ok so what do we do next ? Lets start with a clean slate and put that all behind you. Yes your current recovery CWM is indeed dated and that's the reason for some of the issues you have.
Follow these steps.
1. Take UVDMD5 version of Root66 from here. Use ODIN to flash it to your phone. If you need a guide on how to use ODIN, read this thread carefully.
2. Once that Stock firmware has been updated and your phone boots fine, check if you have GPS and all the other features working to your satisfaction. Given your problems with GPS, I strongly recommend taking a GPS fix at this time.
3. Once that's working fine, flash the latest CWM Touch Recovery (version 6.0.4.5 for D2TMO). You can use Rom Manager from Play store.
4. Take a Nandroid before proceeding. When you do, uncheck the generate MD5 and enable Compression.
5. Now its your choice. You could flash Saranhai's Stock Mod or Danvdh's Dandroid. Both are good Roms and its your call. Check the GPS working after you flash Rom of your choice.
If you do choose to go after Saranhai's Rom and get into the Wi-Fi Problems, post here before you try any solutions. With Danvdh's Rom, there are certain steps to enable Root. You can't just flash SuperSU and hope to gain Root.

Perseus71 said:
First off don't get disheartened. You did demonstrate a genuine attempt to help yourself and try your best on your own. Yes mistakes happen. We all do that. For what its worth, no one is born knowledgeable in these areas. We all learn.
Ok so what do we do next ? Lets start with a clean slate and put that all behind you. Yes your current recovery CWM is indeed dated and that's the reason for some of the issues you have.
Follow these steps.
1. Take UVDMD5 version of Root66 from here. Use ODIN to flash it to your phone. If you need a guide on how to use ODIN, read this thread carefully.
2. Once that Stock firmware has been updated and your phone boots fine, check if you have GPS and all the other features working to your satisfaction. Given your problems with GPS, I strongly recommend taking a GPS fix at this time.
3. Once that's working fine, flash the latest CWM Touch Recovery (version 6.0.4.5 for D2TMO). You can use Rom Manager from Play store.
4. Take a Nandroid before proceeding. When you do, uncheck the generate MD5 and enable Compression.
5. Now its your choice. You could flash Saranhai's Stock Mod or Danvdh's Dandroid. Both are good Roms and its your call. Check the GPS working after you flash Rom of your choice.
If you do choose to go after Saranhai's Rom and get into the Wi-Fi Problems, post here before you try any solutions. With Danvdh's Rom, there are certain steps to enable Root. You can't just flash SuperSU and hope to gain Root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks so much for your detailed reply!
After a little bit of browsing the forum, I found that my IMEI seems to be missing and simply flashing the correct modems/kernels/whatever you call them does not fix it. I will go through your instructions and then report the results.
I read on here that sometimes it just happens randomly after flashing 4.3 ROMs? Well I certainly hope I get back my IMEI and hope it's not blacklisted :/ Apparently I can't access signal or data without it.
Thank you again!
EDIT: Does an "Unknown" IMEI mean I've totally lost it?
EDIT 2: Okay now I know God hates me. I downloaded the Root66 file and Odin will NOT let me flash it onto my phone. Keeps giving me aboot (???) errors no matter what port I use! I know I took a risk tinkering with my phone but I don't think I deserve this!
Honestly now I don't want anything to do with rooting and custom ROMs anymore. I think I'm too stupid for this. I think I just want it back to the way it was when I bought it. Could you please help me to do that?
I'm done with this root stuff, I can't do it anymore.
Sorry, I honestly don't mean to come off as whiny or ungrateful, I've just spent two days trying to figure this stuff out and it's getting me VERY tired and VERY irritated.

Oops I think I forgot to mention that you will have to put the phone in Download mode before you plug it in for ODIN. In order to get into Download mode you turn off the phone and press Volume Down AND HOME AND POWER simultaneously. If you are doing it for the first time, it may seem hard. Be patient.
Yes I suspected you to be "Missing IMEI". That's why suggested going to Stock. Your Call & Data problems come from there.
My steps do take you back to Stock.

[Q] Quick question about stock recovery

Hello all, this is my first post. I'm looking for a little clarification on which stock recovery I should use so I can do OTA updates.
First, a little background. This is the first device that I've ever unlocked and rooted. I did a lot of reading before I started, but sometimes you don't really learn until you get your hands dirty. I started with an AT&T HTC One M8. I used HTCdev to unlock the bootloader, then used TWRP recovery. After that, I used Hasoon2000's All-in-one-toolkit for the Perm Root. All went as expected. I then loaded the Xposed framework and tried a couple of things with it. Suddenly, my phone started re-booting every 30 seconds or so. After panicking a bit, I figured out that there was a problem with the SuperSU. I re-applied that and all has been happy again. Since then, I also tried to obtain S-Off using the firewater method, but it failed with the Whelp message so I still only have S-On. I've now uninstalled the Xposed framework and I want to revert back to a stock recovery so I can do future OTA updates.
When I use getvar all, my version-main is blank. From what I have read, this is a common problem so I'm not worried about it. But, isn't this the number that I need to determine which stock recovery to use? Is this the same number that shows up in the Settings->About->Software information->Software number? Does the cid have any determination in which stock recovery to use?
After I do find the correct stock recovery, it is my understanding that I just flash that back to the device and it should be safe for OTA updates in the future. Is this correct?
Sorry... I'm a little gun shy after my reboot problem and I'm just looking for a little confirmation that I'm understanding things correctly before pulling the trigger again.
Thanks!
Ron

ericksonline said:
Hello all, this is my first post. I'm looking for a little clarification on which stock recovery I should use so I can do OTA updates.
First, a little background. This is the first device that I've ever unlocked and rooted. I did a lot of reading before I started, but sometimes you don't really learn until you get your hands dirty. I started with an AT&T HTC One M8. I used HTCdev to unlock the bootloader, then used TWRP recovery. After that, I used Hasoon2000's All-in-one-toolkit for the Perm Root. All went as expected. I then loaded the Xposed framework and tried a couple of things with it. Suddenly, my phone started re-booting every 30 seconds or so. After panicking a bit, I figured out that there was a problem with the SuperSU. I re-applied that and all has been happy again. Since then, I also tried to obtain S-Off using the firewater method, but it failed with the Whelp message so I still only have S-On. I've now uninstalled the Xposed framework and I want to revert back to a stock recovery so I can do future OTA updates.
When I use getvar all, my version-main is blank. From what I have read, this is a common problem so I'm not worried about it. But, isn't this the number that I need to determine which stock recovery to use? Is this the same number that shows up in the Settings->About->Software information->Software number? Does the cid have any determination in which stock recovery to use?
After I do find the correct stock recovery, it is my understanding that I just flash that back to the device and it should be safe for OTA updates in the future. Is this correct?
Sorry... I'm a little gun shy after my reboot problem and I'm just looking for a little confirmation that I'm understanding things correctly before pulling the trigger again.
Thanks!
Ron
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes you can go to software number to get the info you need. To do an OTA you need a stock sense ROM (NO CHANGES TO ANY SYSTEM APPS) you then need to flash the correct recovery for your software number and [IMPORTANT] relock the bootloader. You then can reboot into your system and take the OTA while still being able to unlock the bootloader and flash a custom recovery afterwards.

No need to relock the bootloader for an ota. People should stop spreading that info

Thanks for the replies!
Just to check my understanding, since I simply unlocked the bootloader, used the TWRP recovery, added SuperSU, installed then uninstalled Xposed framework, that means that I should still be on a stock sense ROM (with no changes to any system apps), right?
There is a lot to learn with all of this when you are first starting out. I'm reading a lot, but sometimes you do find conflicting information. I'd rather be a little cautious than do something stupid!
Thanks again!

ericksonline said:
Hello all, this is my first post. I'm looking for a little clarification on which stock recovery I should use so I can do OTA updates.
First, a little background. This is the first device that I've ever unlocked and rooted. I did a lot of reading before I started, but sometimes you don't really learn until you get your hands dirty. I started with an AT&T HTC One M8. I used HTCdev to unlock the bootloader, then used TWRP recovery. After that, I used Hasoon2000's All-in-one-toolkit for the Perm Root. All went as expected. I then loaded the Xposed framework and tried a couple of things with it. Suddenly, my phone started re-booting every 30 seconds or so. After panicking a bit, I figured out that there was a problem with the SuperSU. I re-applied that and all has been happy again. Since then, I also tried to obtain S-Off using the firewater method, but it failed with the Whelp message so I still only have S-On. I've now uninstalled the Xposed framework and I want to revert back to a stock recovery so I can do future OTA updates.
When I use getvar all, my version-main is blank. From what I have read, this is a common problem so I'm not worried about it. But, isn't this the number that I need to determine which stock recovery to use? Is this the same number that shows up in the Settings->About->Software information->Software number? Does the cid have any determination in which stock recovery to use?
After I do find the correct stock recovery, it is my understanding that I just flash that back to the device and it should be safe for OTA updates in the future. Is this correct?
Sorry... I'm a little gun shy after my reboot problem and I'm just looking for a little confirmation that I'm understanding things correctly before pulling the trigger again.
Thanks!
Ron
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ericksonline said:
Thanks for the replies!
Just to check my understanding, since I simply unlocked the bootloader, used the TWRP recovery, added SuperSU, installed then uninstalled Xposed framework, that means that I should still be on a stock sense ROM (with no changes to any system apps), right?
There is a lot to learn with all of this when you are first starting out. I'm reading a lot, but sometimes you do find conflicting information. I'd rather be a little cautious than do something stupid!
Thanks again!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup you're good ROM wise. Just flash the stock recovery and you should be good to go.

You can be unlock and have OTA.
You just need a stock recovery.

HTC ONE M8 fails to load up after failed software update
Hello guys, this is my first post. I really need your help as I'm at risk of loosing all my phone data. My phone internal memory had been exhausted and I bought an external SD card. I am unable to transfer data to the external SD card. I was doing a software update on my phone that failed to install, there was a warning sign on the phone screen for a few minutes then it try to power on but has failed, as it's seem to stuck on the screen that display htc powered by android. I tried the recovery holding down the power button and the column up button, the phone power off and back on but is still stuck on this screen (htc powered by android). I tried connecting the phone to my laptop to try and recover my data, but it's not mounting to the laptop. Please can someone help me. Thanks in advance.

Similar to the post above ie rooted and kept on stock. Also loaded a few Xposed modules but when I connected to my wifi I had over 30 updates so loaded all of them and once loaded the old bootloop started. I restored my nandroid backup from TWRP (this is an essential backup) and I was back in action. Phew!!!! I no longer had Xposed. So I did the updates again and the same thing happened. I am now updating one at a time which is painful when you've got so many. I also tried wiping the caches but that didn't work.
I noticed there were a lot of HTC apps eg HTC sense input, service pack, blinkfeed etc. I also notice a super SU update. ericksonlines post above said he had a problem with superSU. What kind of problem? What does he mean by reapplying? Flashing from TWRP?
So the big question. Which app(s) update did the damage???
Any apps I shouldn't update eg HTCs?
Has this happened to anyone else? What did you then do? Is the new updated superSU the problem
Apologies for cross posting on an Australian site but I'm a bit frazzled with all of this.

jbarr3 said:
Similar to the post above ie rooted and kept on stock. Also loaded a few Xposed modules but when I connected to my wifi I had over 30 updates so loaded all of them and once loaded the old bootloop started. I restored my nandroid backup from TWRP (this is an essential backup) and I was back in action. Phew!!!! I no longer had Xposed. So I did the updates again and the same thing happened. I am now updating one at a time which is painful when you've got so many. I also tried wiping the caches but that didn't work.
I noticed there were a lot of HTC apps eg HTC sense input, service pack, blinkfeed etc. I also notice a super SU update. ericksonlines post above said he had a problem with superSU. What kind of problem? What does he mean by reapplying? Flashing from TWRP?
So the big question. Which app(s) update did the damage???
Any apps I shouldn't update eg HTCs?
Has this happened to anyone else? What did you then do? Is the new updated superSU the problem
Apologies for cross posting on an Australian site but I'm a bit frazzled with all of this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello! It is possible that an update came through that caused my phone to start into the boot loop. I'm not sure because it worked fine for a few hours before the problem started happening all of the sudden. My guess is that something updated that broke SuperSU. As soon as something would try to use SuperSU (or maybe the rights granted by SuperSU), the phone would crash and reboot. To fix the problem, I rebooted into the bootloader (TWRP) and re-installed SuperSU from there. After I re-installed, everything began working nicely again. I have not had a problem since and the problem occurred a few months ago now. I have also recently updated to the new version of SuperSU with no problems at all.
I hope this helps!
Ron

ericksonline said:
Hello! It is possible that an update came through that caused my phone to start into the boot loop. I'm not sure because it worked fine for a few hours before the problem started happening all of the sudden. My guess is that something updated that broke SuperSU. As soon as something would try to use SuperSU (or maybe the rights granted by SuperSU), the phone would crash and reboot. To fix the problem, I rebooted into the bootloader (TWRP) and re-installed SuperSU from there. After I re-installed, everything began working nicely again. I have not had a problem since and the problem occurred a few months ago now. I have also recently updated to the new version of SuperSU with no problems at all.
I hope this helps!
Ron
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're dead right Ron. Supersu was the culprit. Just simply updating from the playstore caused this. I restored an android backup which got me back. I went into the old SuperSu (V1.94) and clicked "clean up when updating from google play" or similar, did the update again (v 2.04 from google) and while this didn't cause rebooting, I couldn't install the binary. I chose "normal" (maybe I should have chosen TWRP) and it didn't work. So I flashed my old v1.94 from TWRP and that got me back. So some questions on updating SuperSu.
1. Is flashing the zip file through TWRP the best way to install a new version?
2. Should I delete or uninstall the old version or will flashing do that for me? Did you simply flash over the top of the other one?
3. Should I stick with 1.94, which works, or should I update to a new and improved version?
4. I think 2.16 is the latest. What version are you running, is it stable and do you recommend it ?
5. I assume I get the zip file from chainfire. They are way ahead of the google playstore for updates

jbarr3 said:
You're dead right Ron. Supersu was the culprit. Just simply updating from the playstore caused this. I restored an android backup which got me back. I went into the old SuperSu (V1.94) and clicked "clean up when updating from google play" or similar, did the update again (v 2.04 from google) and while this didn't cause rebooting, I couldn't install the binary. I chose "normal" (maybe I should have chosen TWRP) and it didn't work. So I flashed my old v1.94 from TWRP and that got me back. So some questions on updating SuperSu.
1. Is flashing the zip file through TWRP the best way to install a new version?
2. Should I delete or uninstall the old version or will flashing do that for me? Did you simply flash over the top of the other one?
3. Should I stick with 1.94, which works, or should I update to a new and improved version?
4. I think 2.16 is the latest. What version are you running, is it stable and do you recommend it ?
5. I assume I get the zip file from chainfire. They are way ahead of the google playstore for updates
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm no expert, but I'm happy to share my experience. I do believe that flashing from TWRP is the best way to install. That is what I did to fix my reboot problems. I don't recall uninstalling the previous version in any way. I think the old file was still on there. I browsed to it in TWRP and installed it. I'm not sure what version I was on when I did this. Recently, a new update (2.16) was available that downloaded through the Play Store. When I went to update, it recommended that I use TWRP to install. I didn't go this route because I had already switched back to the default bootloader and didn't want to reinstall TWRP if I didn't have to. So, I just used the "normal" method. It updated successfully and I've had no problems. I am now running 2.16.

ericksonline said:
I'm no expert, but I'm happy to share my experience. I do believe that flashing from TWRP is the best way to install. That is what I did to fix my reboot problems. I don't recall uninstalling the previous version in any way. I think the old file was still on there. I browsed to it in TWRP and installed it. I'm not sure what version I was on when I did this. Recently, a new update (2.16) was available that downloaded through the Play Store. When I went to update, it recommended that I use TWRP to install. I didn't go this route because I had already switched back to the default bootloader and didn't want to reinstall TWRP if I didn't have to. So, I just used the "normal" method. It updated successfully and I've had no problems. I am now running 2.16.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks erick but given what's happened I don't think I'll ever update from the playstore again. I'll load 2.16 using TWRP and report back. I can't stress enough how important it is to have a nandroid backup. I reckon its the best reason to load a custom recovery. Its got me out of trouble twice now and gives me piece of mind. I've actually gone overboard on this and I have two backups on my phone which I have copied to my PC..

vm54 said:
You can be unlock and have OTA.
You just need a stock recovery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And stock ROM.

Updated to v 2.16. Piece of cake!!!
Loaded through TWRP, rebooted and that was it. It didn't even ask about installing the binary. Same binary I guess.
It worried me, however, when I saw over 700 pages on this version xda. Most with problems.

jbarr3 said:
Updated to v 2.16. Piece of cake!!!
Loaded through TWRP, rebooted and that was it. It didn't even ask about installing the binary. Same binary I guess.
It worried me, however, when I saw over 700 pages on this version xda. Most with problems.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awesome! I'm glad to hear that it worked!

On VS98510B, just want to upgrade to latest android, please help.

I have a VS985 LG G3. I was running marshmallow yesterday, but after trying to root and unlock mobile tethering and hotspot (because I am on unlimited data) I managed to brick my phone while typing in adb commands because my phone decided to randomly shut off. So after plugging it into the USB and figuring out a way to put it into download mode, I flashed it to VS98510B. After that, I rooted with Stump Root and installed SuperSU, following some guides. It works fine once again but I'm not where I want to be.
After multiple times trying to open adb shell and get it to just recognize my device, I'm done. I know there are people out there who know this stuff by heart, so please, at this point, just tell me what to do step by step so I can do it and move on with my life. I have spent hours upon hours on this and it never seems to just work. Please.
All I want is to be able to install the latest TWRP or whatever is recommended., and then install either the SkyDragon Rom or the stock marshmallow VS98546A rom, but with the verizon apps disabled since in one guide it warns that those report for modified device, which I am not sure what that means but it doesn't sound good.
I'm on VS98510B. Rooted and SuperSU installed.
I want to be able to use mobile hotspot and tethering.
There's just information overload to the extreme, I'm overwhelmed.
Thanks again if any help is possible.

If you're already rooted with TWRP installed, the hard part should really be over. You shouldn't need to be plugging into a computer and running adb commands at this point. You also said you need step by step instructions, and to really spell it all out would be a lot, but considering how far you already got I don't think you really need every little detail, so I'll give you the general idea then if you have questions I can try to fill those gaps.
Basically you'll need to find and download the new ROM you want. The easiest thing to do is download it directly from your phone so you don't have to mess around with transferring it from your computer to your phone. Many custom ROMs will also require Gapps, but if you're flashing a stock ROM (or a custom ROM based on stock) you don't need to do this because it's included in the ROM.
After you've downloaded the ROM (should just be a zip file), you need to reboot to recovery (TWRP). If you don't know how to do this, there's an app called Quick Reboot that can do it for you (01400) personally haven't used it but I assume it works).
Once you're in recovery, you normally want to make a backup first in case anything goes wrong. This is done by selecting the backup button. After you have a backup, you want to "wipe" data before installing. Select the wipe button, then I click advanced and select everything except internal data and external data. This will wipe all apps, settings, etc. from your phone so make sure you're ok with that before you do it,
After wiping, you're ready to install. Back at the first main screen of TWRP, select Install, then browse to where you downloaded the ROM and select it, then select the Install button and swipe to confirm. Assuming all goes well, when it's finished it'll give you the option to reboot. Do this and it should start booting up to your new ROM.
Also, you mentioned SkyDragon, but I just wanted to point out that this isn't the latest version of Android, I believe that's still Lollipop (not Marshmallow). You also mentioned not wanting your rooted status to be reported to Verizon, but if you're currently on stock, rooted, and don't have any apps disabled, then you already are running this risk.
Let me know if you have any questions. I think this will be easier than me trying to walk you through every detail and confirmation screen.

I don't have TWRP installed. What is the best course of action to take to install it?
As far as disabling verizon apps, is it as simple as just going into the application manager and disabling them or is there a tool I need to download?
Thanks for all the help so far!

I see, it's been a couple years since I installed TWRP and I was thinking it was part of the rooting process. I believe this is the post I followed to install TWRP: http://forum.xda-developers.com/lg-...mp-unlock-lg-g3-twrp-d852-d852g-f400-t2900614
Like I said, this was a few years ago and it's kind of a one-time thing. I don't know if there's something better available now or what, and I don't remember the details. I don't remember running into any problems, so if you happened to have any I'm not sure how good I could help.
As for disabling things, the things that need to be disabled are system apps and can't just be disabled from the stock application manager (Verizon doesn't want to make it easy for you to disable their software ). There are different ways this can be done, but I personally use Titanium Backup to disable (or "freeze" as they call it) apps. It will let you freeze anything, which also means it gives you the ability to break things, so don't just go in freezing random things. I don't remember if freezing requires the paid version of the app or not, but you can get it from the play store and find out.
Sent from my VS985 4G using Tapatalk

As far as Titanium Backup goes, is it along the same lines as TWRP? Like do they do the same things? Do you recommend I do one over the other?
Also as far as verizon apps reporting root, what do they do and what does that matter?
Also, I'm currently dealing with the LG DemiGod Crash Handler problem that seems to have started up on my phone the other day. I'd never rooted or messed with my phone in any way and that started happening, I thought perhaps flashing a new ROM might fix it, but I guess not. If you have any sort of tips on how to fix that, other than replace the battery (which I have not yet done, but supposedly that can solve the problem) I'd be grateful.

Titanium Backup and TWRP are two different things. Titanium Backup is a "normal" app that you can get from the Play store, while TWRP is a custom recovery and isn't ran from within your ROM. TWRP lets you do full image backups of your phone (like your entire phone in a single backup) and can also be used to install ("flash") ROMs. Titanium Backup lets you backup, freeze, and uninstall specific apps.
I use them both because they both serve a specific purpose. You have to use TWRP to install ROMs, then as far as backups, I use TWRP to make a backup of everything in case I flash a ROM that I end up not liking (I can use the backup to easily go back to my previous ROM and still have apps and everything all setup just like they were). If I do like the new ROM I flashed, I'll use Titanium Backup to restore a lot of my apps/data to the new ROM (ex. text messages, my alarm clock app, etc.)
As far as Verizon knowing about your root status, honestly I'm not sure what all that would mean. I'm sure they wouldn't like it, rooting voids your warranty so you probably couldn't get things replaced under warranty, if you have insurance through Verizon they would maybe use your root status as a reason to deny a claim, etc. I don't think you'd have to worry about them calling you up or cancelling your service or anything like that, but getting them to assist you with problems might be more frustrating than usual
Regarding the demigod crash thing, I know what you're talking about but I don't really know much about it. A while ago I would get those every once in a while and it was frustrating. I think at the time I kind off wanted to try a new ROM anyways and I think I did but I still got it occasionally. Now that you mentioned it though I haven't had one in quite a while. I'm not sure if those ROMs both happened to cause it, if it was a Lollipop thing (doesn't seem like I've had it since Marshmallow), or if it's all just a coincidence or I've just been lucky. I haven't gotten a new battery though, so that's definitely not it (for me anyways).
Sent from my VS985 4G using Tapatalk

New to flashing/upgrading

Hi folks,
I'm after some information. My Nexus 4 is about kaput now with the battery lasting about 4 hours or so with a full charge so I am looking to move over to my S4 mini for a while before buying an upgrade.
However i don't fancy rolling back to 4.4.2 from 5.1.1 as have got accustomed to it now. so there for I am looking to upgrade/flash it or whatever.
I am quite the novice and have not done this on any phone before so I am looking for a bit of help,
I have looked over xda and read some bits but think someone just telling me would be better, i'm not a tech dunce but I am not 100% confident in this at the moment as there seems to be more than one way of doing this.
What do i need to do first and foremost to make the process go as planned?
I take it I need to "root" the phone first (what does this do ? give me access to the firmware level? is that it?) using a "recovery tool" as they are called (is that right?)
Then after I have done that I can install a fresh ROM onto the phone and basic app's etc.
I have seen these guides:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2364980
and
http://forum.xda-developers.com/gal...i9190-i9195-cyanogenmod-13-0-s4-mini-t3276141
Is it just a matter of following them or are there other things I need to do first, in between or after?
I am not bothered about anything being saved on the s4 mini it can be wiped clean and start a fresh, I don't need any of my data on it backed up
A quick bullet guide or acknowledgement of the two threads above or pointing me towards some better ones would be great and any pointers or descriptions of the acronyms or places in menu's which may have had their names changed or have been moved.
Many thanks Everyone,
Dahools

Hi!, you dont need to worry about anything, the only thing that you need is follow these guides, but make sure if you have the correct variant.

First Install Kies and connect your phone to it( For correct phone drivers). And after phone connect wells, Close kies from task manager.
You Need Odin to install a recovery software in your phone(TWRP, Clock Recovery, Philip). I only used twrp now.
Here is link below with instruction. Download recovery for your variant(i9190,i9192 or i9195 base on your model).
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2678420
Suppose if you install TWRP. Boot into recovery, And click Wipe, Do a factory reset , Clear Devil cache, Then go back and install your Firmware(cm12.1 or cm13 for your intended model). And flash Gapps as well. Then reboot. And you are done.
I have tried TWRP for both i9190 and i9192 model. and installed custom roms. Work fine.
Good Luck.

thanks fellas
I went for it with the original links and it worked. (eventually) A bit of user error on my part missing recovery mode on reboot first time and thinking it was done when it wasn't. Only putting the first bit in (root kit v2) then not realising how to flash the next parts. A bit of persistence paid off.
I have a I9195 model and rooting with that clockwork worked then loading the CM13 and then the Gapps. All one after the other in one go finally worked for me! so so far so good, just getting used to Android 6 now I think everything is working though, not put my sim in yet. will do that tomorrow.
If anyone was to follow what I did the big tip I would say is copy everything onto the SD card before you start anything, not as I did at first just putting the first bit on then thinking I can copy the next bit on later . . .

Stuck on Boot Animation after Update :(

Hi, I'd like to start off by saying I'm new here, and have went over all the newbie threads as best as I can. I appreciate how welcoming this forum is, I never took that much of a deep look at it besides looking at threads in the past for multiple things. Still very new to all this stuff in general. Due to being stuck rn, I cannot provide a proper signature, apologies.
Couple Days Ago- Unlocked bootloader on my Oneplus 7 Pro using adb, flashed TWRP for the then current version for the 7 Pro Guacamole referenced from the post here, then sideloaded Lineage through TWRP. Started using the device and it seemed to have went well and like a pretty average install as far as I can tell.
Note- I'm not sure if I installed TWRP properly, as I was able to boot into TWRP through power button and volume up, but I remember also accidentally booting into the Lineage Recovery at some point after my phone was already rooted after the next step, but idk honestly. I note this bc I seen that there might be another step to permanently install twrp once inside after flashing, but not sure, apologies. My lack of knowledge feels inexcusable with how abundant it is here.
I rooted the device soon after with magisk, which I installed the zip (which was simply placed in main directory) through TWRP, then finished the install in the OS and that seemed to be good. Mention I didn't actually know that the device was rooted after the first time, dumb ik, but I did this maybe 3 times before realizing that the device was indeed already rooted and I did it extra times.
Today I got the notification for a Lineage OS update in the OS. Because I know it's coming, yeah, ik how stupid this was to not make backups beforehand as I already have a good bit on there I don't wish to lose, although I have MEGA for all my super important stuff like my password database, etc. Needless to say, I have learned my lesson. Nonetheless, I downloaded the update and pressed the install button. It said installed and would need a reboot, so I did. Then it got stuck in the boot animation for 1.5+ hours.
Force shutting it off and into fastboot, I could boot into the updated lineage recovery, but no TWRP. I have tried reflashing the previous version of the lineage recovery and it did not make a difference. I also tried flashing the next newest version of TWRP for the 7 Pro running guacamole, but then I couldn't get any further than the bootloader.
I ended up reflashing the up to date version of the lineage recovery and it sat doing nothing for a while, so it's off now. I presume that Nebrassy and other devs for TWRP are working on a version for the new update, but idk how long that takes, not complaining though. (mad respect for all who make lineage, twrp and all this possible) (not to mention I don't even know the root of the problem)
Any thoughts or help would be much appreciated, and feel free to ask questions. I would preferably not have to wipe it all and restart, so I'm looking for solutions, although I'm willing to accept this might be for nothing and take the L. Lastly sorry if I have done anything "wrong" in this thread, lmk if I can do anything better, I appreciate it.