Database Info

Guide to Install/Flash Custom Kernal

I was very skeptic in beginning on installing Custom Roms. But once i say the guide on how to do it and on how easy it was, its eased the pressure and i caved in a installed a Rom. Now that i have gotten the taste of playing around with my phone I want to take a crack at installing a Custom Kernal, but i have no clue how or where to start.
There are guides for installing and flashing everything for the Evo. I myself have just started using custom Roms and now i want to try a Custom Kernal, Yet i have no clue as how to flash/install a Kernal onto my Evo. I did a forum search and i didnt see anything. Can someone please guide me in the right direction on how to install a Custom Kernal. I know this is prob not the proper section to post this in but i thought if this is the place where all the guides are to Roms and other goodies why not post this here.
Also if i do manage to Install/flash a Kernal is there anyway to undo that kernal and go back to stock kernal ?
Thank You, Very Much Appreciated

ummmmm you flash it just like a rom in recovery... it doesnt get any easier than that....

Freelancerx said:
ummmmm you flash it just like a rom in recovery... it doesnt get any easier than that....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is there anything else ? If I install it will it be automatically Overclocked ??

you need set cpu to coverclock the right way buy it off the market to support the dev

I just downloaded setcpu and it looks like an extremely interesting depth app. I wouldn't even know where to start using an application like that with all if its settings. Its there a more user friendly app that does the same thing?
Sent from my Evo using Tapatalk

rumessingwitme said:
I just downloaded setcpu and it looks like an extremely interesting depth app. I wouldn't even know where to start using an application like that with all if its settings. Its there a more user friendly app that does the same thing?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its really not that bad. For now, just look at the main page. It tells you your current Mhz at the top in big letters. Then it'll say how its scaling (probably ondemand). Below that there will be a max and a min. Change the max slider bar to change the maximum speed you want the processor to work at. Change the minimum to change the minimum speed you want it to work at. I'd recommend leaving scaling alone for now. On demand just means that when the phone needs more processing power, it will automatically work faster, and when it doesn't need it, it will slow down. Setting it to Performance makes it run at the top speed continuously (this could be very harmful to your phone if you leave it alone for too long) Thats about it. If you want I can help you with profiles too.

Rudementry said:
Its really not that bad. For now, just look at the main page. It tells you your current Mhz at the top in big letters. Then it'll say how its scaling (probably ondemand). Below that there will be a max and a min. Change the max slider bar to change the maximum speed you want the processor to work at. Change the minimum to change the minimum speed you want it to work at. I'd recommend leaving scaling alone for now. On demand just means that when the phone needs more processing power, it will automatically work faster, and when it doesn't need it, it will slow down. Setting it to Performance makes it run at the top speed continuously (this could be very harmful to your phone if you leave it alone for too long) Thats about it. If you want I can help you with profiles too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
WOW Thanks a million. I really appreciate all of your help. I dont really know what profiles are pertaining to overclocking. Also where can i get the stock Kernel from if i ever want to go back? I have the Evo with the 003 Screen but i had the version that came with the non update. Its totally rooted and everything.

question...
Ok, so do you need to do a wipe of everything when you flash a custom kernel?
(The irony is I flashed netarchy kernel 3.7.8 about 2 wks ago, but was late and drinky when I did it, and can't remember if I did all that. Wanna flash his new 4.x kernel)
Thanks in advance.
Scott

scottspa74 said:
Ok, so do you need to do a wipe of everything when you flash a custom kernel?
(The irony is I flashed netarchy kernel 3.7.8 about 2 wks ago, but was late and drinky when I did it, and can't remember if I did all that. Wanna flash his new 4.x kernel)
Thanks in advance.
Scott
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
clear davlik if anything

[email protected] said:
clear davlik if anything
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey, thanks. I just couldn't remember if I did a full wipe of everything before. I now just wiped cache, and dalvik, and it worked without a hitch. Flashed 4.0 kernel. Crazy fast. But, now wired tether for root is no longer working. If anyone can get it working in froyo, please let me know. I've searched and find nothin. Don't want pdanet or easy tether because they require the host to have special drivers, wired_tether_for_root_users works on anything you plug into, no extra drivers reqd. Just doesn't work with newer version of kernel. Anyone knows anyhow, please fill me in.
Thanks to all

New To Android - Nexus S questions

So on the 10th I bought my first Android phone. I picked up a Nexus S, because I like things pure and untouched as far as the OS goes, I didn't want to be required to use a custom rom in order to remove HTC Sense, Motoblur, TouchWiz or whatever.
I also like the fact that the update process is much quicker on Google Nexus phones then on the other branded phones. I have no issues with the base Android 2.3 and Im really getting use to it. But I am curious about some of the issues I have read about with the Nexus S and custom kernels. I am going to root my phone. I did find the how-to on that.
Now I am curious about the custom kernels. I do have linux experience on the back end with some of my workstations I use. But I was thinking about if I could go the route of doing these things without needing to completely reflash a custom kernel.
I would like to switch my phone completely to EXT4 and yes I even mean the 16GB internal for the speed boost and performance. I would like to install a better kernel that allows for the VooDoo Audio (I have noticed a few of the audio issues with my phone) and also the BrainFuckScheduler option as well. Could someone please help point me in the right direction for these or maybe with some how-tos.
As far as mounting my phone's internal SD for storage. I can use it on my linux box for EXT4 support if i need to copy files over. but I am using wireless sync for my music and movies so that shouldn't be a major issue.

You could flash netarchy's kernel in the dev section. It essentially has all that you're asking for: BFS, voodoo sound, and ext4 hack. It comes clocked at stock speed unless you choose to overclock it.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App

So what would be the best recommended option, as far as battery and performance goes is the stock ROM great or would a custom ROM really fair me much better performance and battery power.
When I mean stock I mean the stock ROM with the custom kernal with extra additions like ext4.
by the way that ext4 will change all mount points over to ext4 correct? requiring a wipe of the phone and start from stratch

BrokenWall said:
So what would be the best recommended option, as far as battery and performance goes is the stock ROM great or would a custom ROM really fair me much better performance and battery power.
When I mean stock I mean the stock ROM with the custom kernal with extra additions like ext4.
by the way that ext4 will change all mount points over to ext4 correct? requiring a wipe of the phone and start from stratch
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd be interested in hearing everyones opinion as well.
So far, I've installed CM7 (now on RC1) and Netarchy's 1.2.3 CFS kernel. I just installed the kernel from Team Whiskey today and can't tell if it's either faster or better with battery. Would be interested in hearing what the community has to say about that. One difference is that the Team Whiskey kernel can OC up to 1.6 if your phone can handle it.
CM7 does seem to do better than the stock kernel, but I dont' think any of the custom launchers beat the stock launchers in terms of buttery smooth app drawer. I think it's because the stock one is hw accelerated but none of the other launchers are.
Installing the ext4 mod will not wipe your phone. There's a forum in the development section with the mods that you need. You will have to root your phone though (there's also a way to do that without wiping your phone, check the forum).
Hope that helps, and I hope other people weigh in on the kernel question.

I have rooted my phone, I choose to not unlock the bootloader cause after looking it, it doesn't seem like something I really need for what I want to do.
I installed the Trinity Stock kernel which has Voodoo Audio, BFS, and says EXT4 with no overclocking.
I ran a quadrant and my highest scores after 3 runs in a row where:
Stock Kernel: 1660
Trinity Kernel: 1675
Im not sure if there really is a major performance improvement or not or am I missing something here. The audio does sound better and the analog control of the headphone amp is amazing.

BrokenWall said:
I have rooted my phone, I choose to not unlock the bootloader cause after looking it, it doesn't seem like something I really need for what I want to do.
I installed the Trinity Stock kernel which has Voodoo Audio, BFS, and says EXT4 with no overclocking.
I ran a quadrant and my highest scores after 3 runs in a row where:
Stock Kernel: 1660
Trinity Kernel: 1675
Im not sure if there really is a major performance improvement or not or am I missing something here. The audio does sound better and the analog control of the headphone amp is amazing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I get 2100+ with CM7 + Netarchy 1.2.3 CFS; also, benchmarking doesn't really mean much. it doesn't record the performance on a daily basis.
I highly recommend trying out CM7; you could perform a nandroid backup; wipe dalvik/cache/factory and then flash CM7 and gapps. Don't like it? (I seriously doubt it; you wont be disappointed) then just nandroid restore and you're back to where you were before
P.S. I'm not responsible if you get addicted to flashing ROMs

zephiK said:
I get 2100+ with CM7 + Netarchy 1.2.3 CFS; also, benchmarking doesn't really mean much. it doesn't record the performance on a daily basis.
I highly recommend trying out CM7; you could perform a nandroid backup; wipe dalvik/cache/factory and then flash CM7 and gapps. Don't like it? (I seriously doubt it; you wont be disappointed) then just nandroid restore and you're back to where you were before
P.S. I'm not responsible if you get addicted to flashing ROMs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How is CM7 so much better than the stock ROM as far as increasing the performance? And is there a good how-to to get it flashed to the most recent build and also to return to stock if I'm not happy
I tried the Netarchy kernel and its benching at 2425 on the stock 2.3.2 ROM, and it boots so much faster and feels overall snappier after a bit of use. LOVE THIS!!!

So I got things figured out still working on customization a bit, figured I would try out some launchers and things, right now Im using LauncherPro.
But my main questions now are how do yall encode video for your phones? I have tried a few settings on HandBrake and they seem to crash doubletwist and not play in the default media player. So if someone could help me with the settings yall use, perfer not to get another application cause I use Handbrake for other encoding needs as well.
Does anyone know of any widgets that will show me the cell strength and my data connection type (wifi, 3g, edge) so that I can move those to my home screen and not be required to have the notification bar.

BrokenWall said:
So I got things figured out still working on customization a bit, figured I would try out some launchers and things, right now Im using LauncherPro.
But my main questions now are how do yall encode video for your phones? I have tried a few settings on HandBrake and they seem to crash doubletwist and not play in the default media player. So if someone could help me with the settings yall use, perfer not to get another application cause I use Handbrake for other encoding needs as well.
Does anyone know of any widgets that will show me the cell strength and my data connection type (wifi, 3g, edge) so that I can move those to my home screen and not be required to have the notification bar.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Video Player: I recommend RockPlayer, you don't have to encode anything. it plays it natively with the exception of 720p (sadly.. 720p, it lags.. but everything else is fine).

[Q] Nexus S 4G Noob Questions

Hello World
I am an old-head member from the G1, Mytouch, and Vibrant forums. I have recently switched to Sprint and I'm looking at options for my Nexus S4G. I have a few questions before I get started.
My ideal setup is to stick with the Stock ROM and use and OC Kernel. But I am curious about the file system. I have seen Voodoo mentioned a few times in these forums. Voodoo was a big deal on the original Galaxy S phones because they came stock with their crummy implementation of RFS. Does the Nexus S use the same RFS file system? If so, are you guys enabling Voodoo to improve performance? And if so, is it included on the Kernel side or does it take a complete ROM flash?
I can pretty much figure everything else out by reading the forums, so thanks in advance to anyone who takes the time to answer for me.

Androidawg said:
Hello World
I am an old-head member from the G1, Mytouch, and Vibrant forums. I have recently switched to Sprint and I'm looking at options for my Nexus S4G. I have a few questions before I get started.
My ideal setup is to stick with the Stock ROM and use and OC Kernel. But I am curious about the file system. I have seen Voodoo mentioned a few times in these forums. Voodoo was a big deal on the original Galaxy S phones because they came stock with their crummy implementation of RFS. Does the Nexus S use the same RFS file system? If so, are you guys enabling Voodoo to improve performance? And if so, is it included on the Kernel side or does it take a complete ROM flash?
I can pretty much figure everything else out by reading the forums, so thanks in advance to anyone who takes the time to answer for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To answer your first question, no the NS comes with ext4 and not RFS. The Voodoo fixes you'll see around here deal with the color temperature of the screen (some devices were yellowy before the 2.3.3 patch and some, like mine, were perfect so this fix allows you to adjust the color temperature manually) and to make the sound quality better. These are kernel enhancements so by using a non-stock kernel you'll most likely get them (they're included in pretty much every kernel I've seen).
To answer a question NOT answered, OCing is a blast but it can kill your battery. If you want performance AND amazing battery life try Morfic's TEUV kernel. Its phenomenally fast (considering it is UCed to 880mHz) and can give you massively good battery life.

Thanks. 10char

[Q] Information overload, What kernal/Rom combo best fits my needs?

Howdy, So I just got my first smart phone a few weeks ago, the AT&T Skyrocket. Kinda odd since I have been in IT works for many years that it took so long but could never afford the upgrade, my cars sap every spare penny lol.
After getting the phone I spent a few days getting to know it and then rooted it so I could use Titanium backup.
Now long story short due to an unrelated issue with ATT they sent me another phone to fix an issue I told them was on their end (and sure enough, it is, I think I figured it out though, anyone else get charged for a text message when the ATT family map "pings" the device?).
So for the time being I have 2 skyrocket phones and figured this was as good a time as any to try out another rom/kernal on the 2nd phone in case I don't like it my phone will remain untouched (I am picky about how my computers are setup).
So that is the history lesson, I have read sooo much the last few weeks it has gave me a good handle on the general process ect. My issue is picking out an actual rom/kernal to use, I have read so much they are all just one big garble of random info and I could use some advice to pick out what would work for me.
Here is what I want out of a rom/Kernal:
Clock speeds/voltages unlocked, I am an oldschool overclocker so naturally I feel everything can be made better.
Better battery life, Right now the battery life is ok but a bit too close for my tastes and I also feel it is just draining too fast for what I am doing (about ~8-10%/Hour average).
Some improvements like the light meter being linear vs having big steps would also be nice, I know the sensor itself can do it from the the screens but the software just goes in steps I guess.
Stable! I want something rock solid stable that I can count on for a long time to come.
Thats about it, The stock rom works fine for my needs minus those complaints. The clock/voltages being the biggest complaint if I had to go with only a kernal to keep a stable ROM.
So what suggestions do ya'll have? Is there by any chance a modded stock rom that is just debloated ect but will still be stable, that would work nice if it helped battery life some combined with a kernal I think.
I don't mind trying a few combos of roms/kernals but only have a week or 2 before I have to send this phone back and would need to fully test each one so I figure I only have time to do that on a handful in that time frame (I am very through)
Rom I have no clue what would work best for me. Kernal the Faux looks pretty good for my goals but I am not sure.
Any advice would be great.

From personal experience, anything made by forum member mhx is incredible. His ROMs are always super stable and and stripped of bloat. It also has the best battery out of all the ROMs I've tried.
Mhx's Gingerbread ROM
Mhx's ICS ROM
This is the kernel that I use Faux's Kernel

Kagenui said:
From personal experience, anything made by forum member mhx is incredible. His ROMs are always super stable and and stripped of bloat. It also has the best battery out of all the ROMs I've tried.
Mhx's Gingerbread ROM
Mhx's ICS ROM
This is the kernel that I use Faux's Kernel
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, Those roms look nice for sure!
That brings up another question I have. I keep reading all this stuff about ICS but have not been able to figure out why it is such a big deal. Looks like just a different theme to me or is it more then that?
Is it more like going from windows 95 to 98? Or like 98 to Windows 7?
Is it worth going with ICS over the gingerbread?
Lastly I notice that they say they come with kernels, Does that mean I have to use those kernels? I assume this is not the case since you are using a different kernel but better safe then sorry.
Thanks for the help!

Texas_Ace said:
Thanks, Those roms look nice for sure!
That brings up another question I have. I keep reading all this stuff about ICS but have not been able to figure out why it is such a big deal. Looks like just a different theme to me or is it more then that?
Is it more like going from windows 95 to 98? Or like 98 to Windows 7?
Is it worth going with ICS over the gingerbread?
Lastly I notice that they say they come with kernels, Does that mean I have to use those kernels? I assume this is not the case since you are using a different kernel but better safe then sorry.
Thanks for the help!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you are wanting a rock solid stable phone I would avoid the ICS madness for now, it's not quite perfected yet. You don't have to use the kernel they come with.

xcrazydx said:
If you are wanting a rock solid stable phone I would avoid the ICS madness for now, it's not quite perfected yet. You don't have to use the kernel they come with.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, I was kinda thinking that. For future reference, what does ICS offer that Gingerbread doesn't?
So I take it that this means there are stable gingerbread roms that should at least come close to stock for reliability/functionality long term? Any opinion on the above mentioned rom/Kernal combo?

Texas_Ace said:
Thanks, Those roms look nice for sure!
That brings up another question I have. I keep reading all this stuff about ICS but have not been able to figure out why it is such a big deal. Looks like just a different theme to me or is it more then that?
Is it more like going from windows 95 to 98? Or like 98 to Windows 7?
Is it worth going with ICS over the gingerbread?
Lastly I notice that they say they come with kernels, Does that mean I have to use those kernels? I assume this is not the case since you are using a different kernel but better safe then sorry.
Thanks for the help!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This article sums it up nicely.
http://www.androidauthority.com/android-2-3-gingerbread-vs-android-4-0-ice-cream-sandwich-37742/

Kagenui said:
This article sums it up nicely.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for that, I had not seen a list of the features listed out like that before. I think I am starting to see what all the buzz is now.
I plan on flashing the rom/kernel you posted earlier tonight, if anyone else has a suggestion for a follow up combo to try feel free to share!

Last I heard OCing of ICS is not possible yet, so since you mentioned that, ICS is out for a good while.

edgex said:
Last I heard OCing of ICS is not possible yet, so since you mentioned that, ICS is out for a good while.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah, yeah that would put that off for a little while. Think I might try it out before returning the phone so at least I know if I am interested in it but just gonna stick with the most stable gingerbread rom for now.

Texas_Ace said:
Thanks, I was kinda thinking that. For future reference, what does ICS offer that Gingerbread doesn't?
So I take it that this means there are stable gingerbread roms that should at least come close to stock for reliability/functionality long term? Any opinion on the above mentioned rom/Kernal combo?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah there are a number of stable GB roms. nexusmod4, mhx superlite, seanz skyics, tpcv3, silver ROM. Read through the threads and see what people think. I prefer nexusmod as my daily, but all those are good
Sent from SKYROCKET
NexusMod 4.0
Romracer 0.3

xcrazydx said:
Yeah there are a number of stable GB roms. nexusmod4, mhx superlite, seanz skyics, tpcv3, silver ROM. Read through the threads and see what people think. I prefer nexusmod as my daily, but all those are good
Sent from SKYROCKET
NexusMod 4.0
Romracer 0.3
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, out of those the MHX, nexus and silver rom look to be the most up my alley, should at least give me a good idea if an aftermarket rom is for me.
One question I have is they all mention needing new Modem files flashed? This is different then the radios? Anything I should know about that aspect of it?

xcrazydx said:
Yeah there are a number of stable GB roms. nexusmod4, mhx superlite, seanz skyics, tpcv3, silver ROM. Read through the threads and see what people think. I prefer nexusmod as my daily, but all those are good
Sent from SKYROCKET
NexusMod 4.0
Romracer 0.3
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
agreed, all those x listed have proven to be extrememly stable. For best battery life with OC'ing and undervolting support use any of those roms with faux's 010m kernel. I was getting 1% battery almost every two hours with that, fauxclock app undervolt -100mV, and tpc v3, before i switched to ics

Texas_Ace said:
Thanks, out of those the MHX, nexus and silver rom look to be the most up my alley, should at least give me a good idea if an aftermarket rom is for me.
One question I have is they all mention needing new Modem files flashed? This is different then the radios? Anything I should know about that aspect of it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, modern = radio. I always flash the radio before the ROM
Sent from SKYROCKET
NexusMod 4.0
Romracer 0.3

icenight89 said:
agreed, all those x listed have proven to be extrememly stable. For best battery life with OC'ing and undervolting support use any of those roms with faux's 010m kernel. I was getting 1% battery almost every two hours with that, fauxclock app undervolt -100mV, and tpc v3, before i switched to ics
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just flashed the 010m kernel on the stock rom to play with that first and ran into something I am not sure about.
I tried both system tuner and fauxclock, at first everything was working as it should then I noticed that the 2nd core said "offline" and it won't seem to come on no matter what even while running stress tests. Any ideas?

Texas_Ace said:
That brings up another question I have. I keep reading all this stuff about ICS but have not been able to figure out why it is such a big deal. Looks like just a different theme to me or is it more then that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's more than that. It's a lot smoother and faster, better performance in everything, hardware accelerated UI, better multitasking.
It's the biggest update the OS has ever gotten, period. Yeah, it's still Android at the end of the day, but it's a pretty big refinement.

Frogacuda said:
It's more than that. It's a lot smoother and faster, better performance in everything, hardware accelerated UI, better multitasking.
It's the biggest update the OS has ever gotten, period. Yeah, it's still Android at the end of the day, but it's a pretty big refinement.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I am starting to see that.
Back to the issue of the 2nd core going offline, After some playing around the only way I could seem to get it to come back online was to install SetCPU along with fauxclock. This seems to make the 2nd core come online but I am worried that running both apps will cause issues with them fighting over who has control?
I much prefer setCPU for the clock speed controls due to the profiles I can create but no voltage control. Is it possible to use the faux for voltage and the setCPU for clock speed control? Or am I asking for problems?

Texas_Ace said:
Yeah, I am starting to see that.
Back to the issue of the 2nd core going offline, After some playing around the only way I could seem to get it to come back online was to install SetCPU along with fauxclock. This seems to make the 2nd core come online but I am worried that running both apps will cause issues with them fighting over who has control?
I much prefer setCPU for the clock speed controls due to the profiles I can create but no voltage control. Is it possible to use the faux for voltage and the setCPU for clock speed control? Or am I asking for problems?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Definately asking for problems. Only use ONE cpu controlling app. SetCPU does have better profiles but fauxclock has a few. Which rom were u using it with? It does disable the 2nd core by default to save battery, but enabled it as soon as it is required (i.e. games and/or benchmark.) TO check run a force close setcpu and run a benchmark, then home back to menu and run setcpu, it will show 2nd core as active.

icenight89 said:
Definately asking for problems. Only use ONE cpu controlling app. SetCPU does have better profiles but fauxclock has a few. Which rom were u using it with? It does disable the 2nd core by default to save battery, but enabled it as soon as it is required (i.e. games and/or benchmark.) TO check run a force close setcpu and run a benchmark, then home back to menu and run setcpu, it will show 2nd core as active.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried that, the 2nd core stays offline no matter what I do unless I run setcpu.
I would just run setCPU but then I would not be able to undervolt. I wounder if I could use one of these scripts http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=20946429&postcount=574
That would take care of the undervolt and then use setcpu to handle the clock speeds? That would seem to be the best of both worlds.

not recommended. Use system tuner instead. It has almost as much profile control as setcpu, but the voltage control of fauxclock. It also has an option to force both cores online.

icenight89 said:
not recommended. Use system tuner instead. It has almost as much profile control as setcpu, but the voltage control of fauxclock. It also has an option to force both cores online.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried it but didn't care for it. Still didn't have the profiling options I want. I like the setcpu since I can set it to have different CPU speeds at different times/situations. Maybe that is not worth the power savings. Whats wrong with setcpu?
I also had the same problem with system tuner as well, it would not bring the 2nd core online.

Best, Stable ROM?

So frustrated with this stupid phone. My daughter has been using it and it's slow, crashes a lot and always running out of internal storage.
Is there a STABLE ROM that has all working features that would help with the issues I'm having? I'd like something where everything (i.e. camera, wifi calling, rotation, decent battery life, etc.) is working as it should. Don't necessarily need the newest version of android, just something that will alleviate the problems I'm having without breaking anything.
Do the custom ROMs fix the problem of the extremely limited internal storage on this phone?
Thanks in advance.

Look for AntonX's Barebones in the Dev section. If you have any curiosity regarding the ROM - read through the ROM thread.

I'll second that.

Like lumin said, barebones is your best bet if you want every feature working.

The most stable ROM out there is stock. Other than that Barebones.

Good advice. I actually wound up going that way before I saw these replies.
I installed Basic with a Twist kernel, which then gave me CWM and then installed Barebones.
Went smoothly, no need at all for a data wipe. It freed some extra internal storage. Seems to be a lot smoother now, but that's really just my initial observation.
I came from stock/rooted KJ6. What's the details behind it actually running smoother with the new kernel and ROM? What exactly makes it faster if anything?

I agree, I'm running Barebones with the basic with a twist kernel. Excellent in terms of functionality and stability. Just throw on a nice launcher and enjoy! Also been on the battery for 13 hours, with moderate use. (Light Facebook and texting, app downloading) and barely at 45% battery life.
I believe the custom Kernel that antonx designed is the reason for the speed/smoothness.

These threads usually get axed by a moderator, because the best rom is the one you like.
It's a preference.
I still like gb valhalla black by RaverX3X with my Blastoff v2.5 kernel. But that's what I like. Then, of course I use a different launcher, and tweak the rom to my liking, by the time I'm done making the rom perfect, I blow it away with another cm9-aries build that is still broken.... :sigh:
The problem with these threads is someone will say that a rom someone else likes sucks and the trolls feed on this negativity and multiply in numbers until someone finally gives in and reports the thread. (usually me)

bhundven said:
These threads usually get axed by a moderator, because the best rom is the one you like.
It's a preference.
I still like gb valhalla black by RaverX3X with my Blastoff v2.5 kernel. But that's what I like. Then, of course I use a different launcher, and tweak the rom to my liking, by the time I'm done making the rom perfect, I blow it away with another cm9-aries build that is still broken.... :sigh:
The problem with these threads is someone will say that a rom someone else likes sucks and the trolls feed on this negativity and multiply in numbers until someone finally gives in and reports the thread. (usually me)
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I understand. I did give my definition of what a "best" ROM is so I'd expect that people would make suggestions geared to that, not necessarily what they like. From reading some of the threads, it seems like my needs would eliminate any ICS ROM.
I did have one random reboot with the basic with a twist/barebones combo, so that's something I have to keep an eye on.
This is my daughter's phone. I really have no interest in constantly tweaking this or getting too far away from stock. All I wanted was a to have something that wasn't as slow/laggy and to free up some system space.
Right now, I'm good with what I have. I'm still curious as to why either the kernel or the ROM would reduce lag/improve speed?
Which of these features contributes most to that and why when comparing to pure stock? ext4 file system? jhash3? build.prop/init.d tweaks? I really have no idea.
Thanks again to everyone.
Kernel
Features
initramfs from TeamAcid, including CWM5, SuperSU, forced ext4, etc.
Usual CIFS, TUN. I didn't include FUSE, if anybody needs it let me know.
BLN. Use BLN Control app from market to activate.
Voodoo Sound so paid app is not needed. Voodoo Sound app from market is required. Once installed, enable Smart Amplifier, it's the best thing you can do to improve music listening experience with our phone.
jhash3 for faster hash calculations. Used widely across the kernel, especially in networking.
OC/UV support with extended frequency table. Added 600Mhz, 900Mhz, 1.1Ghz, 1.2 Ghz, 1.3 Ghz, 1.4 Ghz. Use SetCPU or Xan's Voltage Control to enable and control frequency and voltages. Tegrak can be used only with no-OC/UV version.
ondemandX and smartassV2 governors. One of these should probably be preferred over stock ondemand. Change with SetCPU or similar.
TinyRCU. More lightweight version, it fits better our single CPU system.
Swap support, although I don't recommend using it.
SIO and BFQ I/O schedulers in addition to noop, deadline, and cfq that we already have.
ROM
Features
Will not wipe your programs or data, /data is preserved upon install
Heavily debloated. Most essentials apps are still there (like WiFi Calling)
No extra programs added, you need to add your own
ODEXed to save space in /data
CarrierIQ is completely removed
Extended Power Menu (including Screenshot)
Extended Quick Panel (10 buttons, including Data toggle)
1% battery (horizontal)
CRT-Off
Time zone version 2012b
/etc/hosts to cut ads out of the box (keep up to date with AdAway or similar)
Few conservative presets in build.prop and init.d
Basic with a Twist 1.1.3 kernel included

Hey man, from what u said bout the storage, I recommend u buy a 16/32 GB class 4-10, format it w 1-4 GB ext4 and use the app2sd or link2sd script then u dont have to worry bout those internal low storage
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daothanhduy1996 said:
Hey man, from what u said bout the storage, I recommend u buy a 16/32 GB class 4-10, format it w 1-4 GB ext4 and use the app2sd or link2sd script then u dont have to worry bout those internal low storage
Sent from my SGH-T959V using xda premium
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I have an SD card, I have app2sd and link2sd, but there's only so much I can move over. I'm still down to 110MB of internal storage.
I'm not sure what you mean by formatting part of the sd card as ext4. Is that some additional trick that allows me to move more things to it? Is there a thread for that somewhere?

Take a look at fota fix in the play store (market). It frees up some room. At this point, Samsung probably won't send us an update.

champ1919 said:
Take a look at fota fix in the play store (market). It frees up some room. At this point, Samsung probably won't send us an update.
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That bumped me up to about 177MB. I guess that'll hold me over for a bit.

Titanium backup has a couple cool features. Integrate updates into Rom and integrate dalvik cache into Rom. That should free up some more room.

Vote for cm9.1 unofficial w/ LZ kernel and never look back.
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Can't wait for jellybean
If I helped out, hit the thanks button.

For me i've found AntonX's Barebones to be the most stable.

I can relate, my 14yr old daughter's phone is also the SGS4g, actually my buddy Krylon's old phone, so you know it's got some miles on it, lol. (Sorry shameless name dropping, I know)
For her we went with AOKP from Team Acid and Team Kang. Phenomenal battery for a custom ROM, thanks to a great kernel and a little diligence to make sure the phone hits deep sleep. The ROM has been rock solid and has a ton of fun features for her to play with.
I was very worried about the battery draining fast during the day and the phone being dead when she might need it most. Any custom ROM would be a bit of a risk. To state the obvious here, cell phones are a critical line between child and parent these days and this phone and ROM have not let us down at all. I was very concerned for reliability and chose this phone and ROM over my old Vibrant. The Vibrant has far more options and development behind it, but so many times I would pick it up and have a problem.. for me it was big fun, but for my daughter we needed a more stable platform. Certainly nothing to take lightly.

I had the same problem with mine being slow and having a lack of internal storage. I installed remics with the hefe kernel and before I started installing apps I had 324 mb of internal storage free and my phone runs much faster and much more stable then when I was on stock or Gingerbread roms. My phone was running so badly before doing this that most games wouldn't even work and now all games that I have tried work well and I'm not running out of internal storage anymore.
PS. Switch to Nova Launcher which runs much better then the default launcher.

Best battery life: stock or stock based ROMs
Best stability: stock
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