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[Q] What's the deal with kernels?

Since I was an android virgin until just before Christmas, I'm still trying to get to grips with all the cool stuff that can be done.
I've rooted the phone and unlocked the bootloader. Everything else is currently stock.
I don't want to go to Clockwork recovery, or Cyanogen/MoDaCo ROMs. Not yet. I'm still savouring the "Google Experience".
However, I have three questions (which may turn into many more ) about flashing new kernels, and I don't want to clog up any specific kernal thread with noob questions.
1) Does flashing a kernel wipe the whole phone the way unlocking the bootloader did?
2) If you're running stock ROM with new kernel, will you still pick up OTA updates as before?
3) How do you get the original kernal back if you don't like the new one (or if it just goes totally tits up)?
Thanks guys
EDIT: Yes, I realise there is a search and this may well have been asked before. But before someone points this out, I'd like to mention that if you do a search for "android kernel", you get approximately 1 bajillion hits...

Mr.Clark said:
Since I was an android virgin until just before Christmas, I'm still trying to get to grips with all the cool stuff that can be done.
I've rooted the phone and unlocked the bootloader. Everything else is currently stock.
I don't want to go to Clockwork recovery, or Cyanogen/MoDaCo ROMs. Not yet. I'm still savouring the "Google Experience".
However, I have three questions (which may turn into many more ) about flashing new kernels, and I don't want to clog up any specific kernal thread with noob questions.
1) Does flashing a kernel wipe the whole phone the way unlocking the bootloader did?
2) If you're running stock ROM with new kernel, will you still pick up OTA updates as before?
3) How do you get the original kernal back if you don't like the new one (or if it just goes totally tits up)?
Thanks guys
EDIT: Yes, I realise there is a search and this may well have been asked before. But before someone points this out, I'd like to mention that if you do a search for "android kernel", you get approximately 1 bajillion hits...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) No, you should not wipe anything before flashing a kernel. You should however do a NANDroid backup.
2) You should be able to but it will wipe your kernel.
3) Restore your backup from #1

Mr.Clark said:
Since I was an android virgin until just before Christmas, I'm still trying to get to grips with all the cool stuff that can be done.
I've rooted the phone and unlocked the bootloader. Everything else is currently stock.
I don't want to go to Clockwork recovery, or Cyanogen/MoDaCo ROMs. Not yet. I'm still savouring the "Google Experience".
However, I have three questions (which may turn into many more ) about flashing new kernels, and I don't want to clog up any specific kernal thread with noob questions.
1) Does flashing a kernel wipe the whole phone the way unlocking the bootloader did?
2) If you're running stock ROM with new kernel, will you still pick up OTA updates as before?
3) How do you get the original kernal back if you don't like the new one (or if it just goes totally tits up)?
Thanks guys
EDIT: Yes, I realise there is a search and this may well have been asked before. But before someone points this out, I'd like to mention that if you do a search for "android kernel", you get approximately 1 bajillion hits...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
flashing a kernel doesnt wipe your phone, it simply replaces whatever kernel is in your phone at the moment.

kenvan19 said:
1) No, you should not wipe anything before flashing a kernel. You should however do a NANDroid backup.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Right. Guess what my next question will be
kenvan19 said:
2) You should be able to but it will wipe your kernel.
3) Restore your backup from #1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
2) Is fine, as once I've figured out how to NANDroid backup, re-flashing it should be easy enough. 3) Is fine, once I've taken the backup in the first place.
simms22 said:
flashing a kernel doesnt wipe your phone, it simply replaces whatever kernel is in your phone at the moment.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Excellent, thanks!
Ok. So all the NANDroid guides I've seen here start with ADB and Fastboot (which I remember doing when I rooted the phone), but then they say about flashing alternative recovery images... is that necessary? Or is that what the fastboot thing was?
I've just checked and ADB still works, so if fastboot is an alternative recovery image, am I good to take a NANDroid backup, and if so, how do I do that?
If Fastboot is not an appropriate recovery image, do I need Clockwork Recovery (is that different to the "CWM" I see mentioned around here?)?
The Nexus S guide I read said that there was a NANDroid option in the Clockwork Recovery. Now this isn't in my recovery options, obviously, but I assume with ADB, a command prompt and a few instructions, I can do it manually. Maybe.
Bear with me guys, I'll get there eventually...

Ok, scratch the NANDroid questions. NANDroid is a backup tool contained in the Clockwork Mod recovery image.
Using Fastboot, you can boot from the recovery image without flashing it (using this guide here), so I've still got whatever recovery image I got when I did Paul's rooting technique, but have booted into CWM once to do the NANDroid backup.
I may flash CWM later, that's a task for another day.
So. Now I've got the backup (and thus, booting from that image again later, the ability to restore from it), I can try flashing the kernel. Which I can do from the regular recovery image.

Mr.Clark said:
Ok, scratch the NANDroid questions. NANDroid is a backup tool contained in the Clockwork Mod recovery image.
Using Fastboot, you can boot from the recovery image without flashing it (using this guide here), so I've still got whatever recovery image I got when I did Paul's rooting technique, but have booted into CWM once to do the NANDroid backup.
I may flash CWM later, that's a task for another day.
So. Now I've got the backup (and thus, booting from that image again later, the ability to restore from it), I can try flashing the kernel. Which I can do from the regular recovery image.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To flash from the stock recovery you must rename files update.zip just FYI. I've said it before and I'll say it again; there are no possible negative repercussions from flashing a non-stock recovery image.

Apparently it was unsigned, so the stock recovery wouldn't do anything with it.
Back in CWM and it worked fine. I may have to flash that, it's damned useful...
So now I have a new kernel!
Thanks for all your help

Mr.Clark said:
Apparently it was unsigned, so the stock recovery wouldn't do anything with it.
Back in CWM and it worked fine. I may have to flash that, it's damned useful...
So now I have a new kernel!
Thanks for all your help
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is very useful indeed! Enjoy your kernel

Ah, am I right in thinking that if I flash CWM, I can't revert back to stock if I want to?
I'm hoping to do nothing permanent at this point...

Mr.Clark said:
Ah, am I right in thinking that if I flash CWM, I can't revert back to stock if I want to?
I'm hoping to do nothing permanent at this point...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, you can flash back. Not only can you but depending on how you did flash the recovery the phone may revert it on your behalf. I know mine has several times, like any time I reboot. There's ways to stop it from doing that but I don't mind.
To get the stock recovery back if it isn't automatically restoring means flashing an NAND from the Dev section here.

I didn't want to open a new thread just to ask this so I hope it's OK to post it here.
I'm very interested in getting supercurio's voodoo sound and ext4 mod on my Nexus S but I don't need/want the overclocked frequencies and other stuff included on most of the kernels out there. You guys know any kernel that I could flash to get those and keep my stock fequencies?
Thanks
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App

nicholasbgr said:
I didn't want to open a new thread just to ask this so I hope it's OK to post it here.
I'm very interested in getting supercurio's voodoo sound and ext4 mod on my Nexus S but I don't need/want the overclocked frequencies and other stuff included on most of the kernels out there. You guys know any kernel that I could flash to get those and keep my stock fequencies?
Thanks
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use overclocked with voodoo and setcpu...you can keep it set to 1000 and not over the stock limit.

Bionix 1.3 is solid and no OC
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App

nicholasbgr said:
I didn't want to open a new thread just to ask this so I hope it's OK to post it here.
I'm very interested in getting supercurio's voodoo sound and ext4 mod on my Nexus S but I don't need/want the overclocked frequencies and other stuff included on most of the kernels out there. You guys know any kernel that I could flash to get those and keep my stock fequencies?
Thanks
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you flash the Trinity max kernel and do not adjust the clock you will have everything your asking for. This kernel boots at stock and has Voodoo and ext4 built in.

icandy75 said:
If you flash the Trinity max kernel and do not adjust the clock you will have everything your asking for. This kernel boots at stock and has Voodoo and ext4 built in.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So your saying the trinity max kernel has voodoo built in?
Sent from my bionix nexus s

mrnexus said:
So your saying the trinity max kernel has voodoo built in?
Sent from my bionix nexus s
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is exactly what he is saying, yes =)

Thanks guys, I'm gonna take a look at your recommendations as soon as I get some spare time.

Do all the trinitys have voodoo
Sent from my bionix nexus s

mrnexus said:
Do all the trinitys have voodoo
Sent from my bionix nexus s
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, only the most recent ones.

kenvan19 said:
No, only the most recent ones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Such as:
Sent from my bionix nexus s

[Q] Phone force boots into recovery [Solved]

So here's the deal:
I've been working with a pretty decently running version of Cognition for the last two weeks on my Captivate. I decided to give Perception II a try and check out some gingerbready goodness. That's where the problem started. Perception for some reason wouldn't allow me back into Recovery Mode no matter what I try so I forced the phone to download and flashed back to 2.1 stock with ODIN. I then reinstalled CWM Recovery and tried to flash back to my Cognition backup I made in ROM manger.
The process looks like everything completed fine but when my phone boots, it loads the AT&T screen for a minute or two and then reboots into recovery mode.
What's the deal?
The details I had when using Cognition was:
CWM Recovery (I believe with LagFix)
Overstock Kernel
It didn't work with my original 2.2 backup either, I still get the same boot into recovery problem.
Any ideas?

Nandroid backups don't actually restore the rom, just your settings and **** of that particular rom. You have to Flash cognition then restore the backup and it'll be like you never changed anything.

Handalaan said:
So here's the deal:
I've been working with a pretty decently running version of Cognition for the last two weeks on my Captivate. I decided to give Perception II a try and check out some gingerbready goodness. That's where the problem started. Perception for some reason wouldn't allow me back into Recovery Mode no matter what I try so I forced the phone to download and flashed back to 2.1 stock with ODIN. I then reinstalled CWM Recovery and tried to flash back to my Cognition backup I made in ROM manger.
The process looks like everything completed fine but when my phone boots, it loads the AT&T screen for a minute or two and then reboots into recovery mode.
What's the deal?
The details I had when using Cognition was:
CWM Recovery (I believe with LagFix)
Overstock Kernel
It didn't work with my original 2.2 backup either, I still get the same boot into recovery problem.
Any ideas?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let me guess, you didn't convert back to RFS before flashing??
Try Factory reset. And don't use the backup you have for Cognition, Flash a fresh full ROM. Your backup could be messed up.
EDIT: Studa beat me to it.. Grrrr

studacris said:
Nandroid backups don't actually restore the rom, just your settings and **** of that particular rom. You have to Flash cognition then restore the backup and it'll be like you never changed anything.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is exactly what I needed to do. Apparently, (after finding a link I somehow overlooked before posting this) it had something to do with the format of the partition so upgrading the Stock to Cognition forced the RFS to EXT3 change allowing -all- of my backups to work. Thanks guys for getting me in the right direction.

Perhaps Im a little Slow
So Im suffering the same issue. Running Serendipity 7 update 2
I looked down at my phone one day and it was in clockwork recovery v2.5.1.2
I figured I had loaded it by an errant button press. So I selected reboot system now. It goes back into Clockwork right after the serendipity 7 splash screen.
Tried Factory Reset
Tried doing a restore
Tried doing a serendipity 7 re install Original and update.
I can install zips from sd card including the external one.
Any Recommendations ?

First time rooting *** HELP***

I just got a galaxy s 4g and trying to research how to root my phone. but i cant seem to find anything. Can anyone point me the right direction??
Sent from my SGH-T959V using xda premium

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1470716
Hit thanks.

There's also the Wiki...
@nativesmiley:
The Wiki will also help you... going forward. That should always be your first step... before posting a question. You will learn much.
@lumin30:
That is an excellent post and I have thanked you for it as well. Would you, please, please, please, re-formulate into a page within the Wiki??

[email protected] said:
@lumin30:
That is an excellent post and I have thanked you for it as well. Would you, please, please, please, re-formulate into a page within the Wiki??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! I will work on that for us.

Lumin
Told you it's wikiable.

my phone well not boot up. it just stays at the Galaxy S 4g logo. i can not get back into CWM. help!

nativesmiley said:
my phone well not boot up. it just stays at the Galaxy S 4g logo. i can not get back into CWM. help!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What method are you using... and are you being impatient?
And what have you done so far... if you want help you need to provide details.

i am trying to reflash a rom or get into CWM. i press the up+down & power button and it just stays at the screen. but i can get into download mode though

i have flashed multiple roms already and my phone was already rooted before. i wanted to get back to stock and i restored from backup and thats when this happened. so im kinda of lost when u say "what method"...sorry!

You restored from back up... what ROM/Kernel were you on when you made the back up? And what ROM/Kernel were you on when you tried to restore?
Add: You were trying to root in your first post and now you are flashing... that is why I was asking what method. CWM/ODIN/Heimdall....

i was on the stock everything when i made the backup, that was before i flashed my first rom. and i was on the "{rom}Cwm-GB-2.3.6-Octane-V3.0 XPLOD NO CIQ EDITION 12-10-11 now with power menu mod" when i tired to restore. i use the CWM on my first flashed of rom.

nativesmiley said:
i was on the stock everything when i made the backup, that was before i flashed my first rom. and i was on the "{rom}Cwm-GB-2.3.6-Octane-V3.0 XPLOD NO CIQ EDITION 12-10-11 now with power menu mod" when i tired to restore. i use the CWM on my first flashed of rom.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Stock GB? Stock GB doesn't have CWM to make a nandroid back up. How did you make the back up?
If your phone will turn on, regardless on it's state, you can more than likely flash stock through ODIN or Heimdall. I read most people have problems restoring nandroid backups.
ROM-ODIN-2.3.6-Gingerbread Offical
The KJ6 Heimdall One-Click Collection

i was on stock "everything" when i did the backup and when i was on "{rom}Cwm-GB-2.3.6-Octane-V3.0 XPLOD NO CIQ EDITION 12-10-11 now with power menu mod" when i tried to restore. i flashed my first rom with CWM.

Ok... I guess. You were on Stock everything and had CWM?
Use ODIN or Heimdall and flash back to stock.

i did the backup from CWM. i was already rooted when i did the backup, i just didnt have a custom rom at the time. what is the best method? heimdall or odin?

nativesmiley said:
i did the backup from CWM. i was already rooted when i did the backup, i just didnt have a custom rom at the time. what is the best method? heimdall or odin?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess what I am trying to tell you is... if you had CWM you could not have been on stock everything. CWM comes with a custom kernel you flashed. That is the only way to have CWM. That is why I was trying to determine what CWM you were in. Because nandroid backups/restores are not compatible with in different versions of CWM.
You are in a bootloop.
I use ODIN. Others use Heimdall. I prefer ODIN. Others say Heimdall is easy. If you have used either before, use the one you already have on your machine. If you haven't used either before, read how to use both and pick the one you think you can do without messing up your phone.
Here is thread about kernels and CWM and the very last post says it all.

okay. thanks man. i appreciate it

[Q] I need help fixing my phone - Tried downgrading the rom, now won't boot

So I used to run the CM7 rom, then upgraded to a ISC WIP. Well, it was pretty unstable, and wanted a stable rom, so tried restoring my old CM7 backup, and now when I turn on my phone, it shows the HTC splash screen, the goes black (screen still on), and won't go past that. I realize now I downgraded the firmware, and you can't do that.
My buddy said I need to get some toolkit and reset EVERYTHING back to stock roms, re-root and all that. So can some generous person link to all that? I see a lot of it in the Inspire 4G forums, but want to make sure I have it all. And after I flash all the stock stuff, can I restore that CM7 backup (clockwork recovery mod)?
Thanks in advance for the help/reply, much appreciated.

If you can get into hboot, this may help you:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1396229

pazzo02 said:
If you can get into hboot, this may help you:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1396229
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's what I was looking at, wasn't 100% sure if it's the right tut for me. Thanks for the reply!

Do I need to reinstall recovery, or flash the stock rom?

Oathdynasty said:
Do I need to reinstall recovery, or flash the stock rom?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You should follow the steps to reinstall recovery, then go to flashing a rom. You only need to go through the "flashing a stock rom" section if you had problems reinstalling recovery. Just read through all the steps and you'll get it.

Oathdynasty said:
Do I need to reinstall recovery, or flash the stock rom?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you are S-OFF you just can flash a new recovery image and then flash any rom you want. You will have to do it from command prompt...
if you need help in doing that, just let me know...

glevitan said:
If you are S-OFF you just can flash a new recovery image and then flash any rom you want. You will have to do it from command prompt...
if you need help in doing that, just let me know...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I could use some help haha. I tried downloading the stock rom (PD98IMG.zip) from multiupload, but it'd down, and the mirror says it'll take several hours.

Oathdynasty said:
I could use some help haha. I tried downloading the stock rom (PD98IMG.zip) from multiupload, but it'd down, and the mirror says it'll take several hours.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Look in the second post in that thread. The OP noted last month that there were probs with multiupload and posted an alternate dl.

pazzo02 said:
Look in the second post in that thread. The OP noted last month that there were probs with multiupload and posted an alternate dl.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got it. I went on the cyanogenmod irc, and they helped me. I didn't have to flash anything stock, I rebooted into my bootloader, went into recovery, wiped system, data, dalvik, cache.... All that, flashed cm7 and restored
Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk

Good. Glad you got it fixed

Oathdynasty said:
I got it. I went on the cyanogenmod irc, and they helped me. I didn't have to flash anything stock, I rebooted into my bootloader, went into recovery, wiped system, data, dalvik, cache.... All that, flashed cm7 and restored
Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad you got it sorted out, To be honest that is the first thing you do when a rom wont boot. Whenever you restore a backup it is best to wipe first

Clockworkmod not working anymore.

Well I have been a CWM(and sometimes also TWRP) user for years. But I am stumped. I recently started having issues staying connected to AIO/Cricket(voice not even staying connected). As I am running a custom ROM I decided to try Stock and see if the problem persists, thus it may be a hardware issue with the radio or something. So I did a current backup, and restored one from a few weeks back. It's the same ROM but I thought it was worth a shot. It restored fine but the problem persisted. Then I decided to restore my new backup from the hour before. It failed. Gave me an MD5 Mismatch error(I think I have that right). So I made another new backup, same thing. I am unable to restore any backups made right now. I can still restore the one from a few weeks ago. I am running the very latest CWM touch. I tried flashing TWRP to see if that might help(using Rom Manager to do so). This has always worked before. It said that it works, and even tells me it's rebooting into TWRP when I reboot to Recovery. But the broken version of CWM is still what is loading. I am at a loss here.

your issue here is that you are using rom manager. rom manager doesnt fully work, it is broken, stop using it. you can flash a new recovery the right way, via fastboot. you can also flash twrp using the flashify app(yes, it works).

simms22 said:
your issue here is that you are using rom manager. rom manager doesnt fully work, it is broken, stop using it. you can flash a new recovery the right way, via fastboot. you can also flash twrp using the flashify app(yes, it works).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you! Gonna try flashing TWRP that way now!

Landara said:
Thank you! Gonna try flashing TWRP that way now!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
btw, i highly doubt that twrp will be able to restore a cwm backup. but if you have space on your device, it should at least create a backup.

simms22 said:
btw, i highly doubt that twrp will be able to restore a cwm backup. but if you have space on your device, it should at least create a backup.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First thing I did. I was able to backup with TWRP. Since I am currently running the restore from that NANDROID from a few weeks ago, it's all good! I am restoring the TWRP i just made, just to be sure. Seems to be restoring fine though. With my NANDRIOD problem solved, I can work on getting this radio issue fixed. I am really hoping it's just ROM related and I can salve it by flashing something else. I'm going to flash STOCK and see if it persists now.

simms22 said:
btw, i highly doubt that twrp will be able to restore a cwm backup. but if you have space on your device, it should at least create a backup.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually one fast question, if I may. Would it be at all risky to flash the stock radio onto a custom ROM? That seems the easiest fix, if it is a fix at all. I downloaded the correct stock radio for my 820 from here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/goo...-android-4-4-2-kot49h-rooted-busybox-t2557523
If I just flash it over Nikxus would there be a problem?

Landara said:
Actually one fast question, if I may. Would it be at all risky to flash the stock radio onto a custom ROM? That seems the easiest fix, if it is a fix at all. I downloaded the correct stock radio for my 820 from here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/goo...-android-4-4-2-kot49h-rooted-busybox-t2557523
If I just flash it over Nikxus would there be a problem?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no problem, in stock or custom roms the radios are the same

simms22 said:
no problem, in stock or custom roms the radios are the same
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks!