Ok, for anyone who finds this. I'm writing out a quick guide for what I was led through. I've borrowed a few lines from some other threads as well
This guide will take an original stock SideKick 4g that has not otherwise been modified, flashed, etc and lead you through the steps to running a custom ROM. This should lead to a smoother running system with less lag, longer battery life, etc.
[Edit] I was pointed later to a nice FAQ by xmeatizmurderx, which, while not a guide, does have some questions answered you might have, along with some definitions and whatnot that might help make things clearer for you or if you just like know what it is something actually does or is. ^..^
I personally updated to Gingerclone v2, BUT any of the custom ROMs are installed exactly the same way. I do not list links to all of them, so you might have to find the one you want when you get to that stage if you do not want to use Gingerclone.
While I did originally update to GCv2, I had some issues and we're not sure why. So I changed over to CleanFusion v3. It's much more similar to the stock system in looks and all. I would also suggest, make sure you have a backup of all your stuff (contacts in particular) off your sim, on another card/phone/google/whatever. Most of my contacts dissapeared, we think because it's an old sim that likes to be wonky with some of the new phones. But still, be forewarned.
After the device is rooted, you can use MyBackup Root (free in the market) to backup all your applications and data to your SD, which you can then copy to your computer as well.
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First, download SuperOneClick from http://shortfuse.org/ . Whatever the most recent version is.
The file you downloaded of SuperOneClick is a .zip file. You'll need to extract it to its own folder (if you don't have a program to do this, download .7zip here http://www.7-zip.org/download.html).
Download the Samsung drivers ~ In this case, the Samsung Vibrant drivers work for the Sidekick 4g. Drivers found under the 'software' tab here http://www.samsung.com/us/support/downloads/SGH-T959ZKDTMB
Install the Drivers to your computer and reboot it.
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With the phone unplugged, enable USB Debugging. On the home screen of the phone select Settings > Applications > Development and then select USB Debugging so that a Check appears on the selection box.
When enabled, connect the phone to your PC.
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Run SuperOneClick (the .exe file) which is on your computer. When the program has opened click 'Root'.
The program will pop through a bunch of windows, if it asks to install something like mine did, say yes. When it finishes, it asks if you would like to test it. Say yes.
Your phone is now rooted.
I disconnected from the computer and rebooted the phone (turn off and then on again).
Plug the phone back into the computer.
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Next step is to go to this thread here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1124453
[EDIT/UPDATE] Krylon360's files moved or something, find the recovery.zip and update.zip here http://db.androidspin.com/Developer_Display.asp?DeveloperID=248
I was advised to go through the first post, as I’d learn more. But apparently there’s an automated script somewhere in this same thread if that’s your preference. I quite enjoyed learning how to access everything myself, in case I ever need to use it for something.
You will need Root Explorer ($3.99) from the android market. I tried Astro File Manager, and it’s lovely, except for the fact that you need to buy the Pro edition in order to access the /system files. >:C
(Basically you need a file manager on the phone that will allow you to copy files into your /system/bin file on the phone.)
Download both of the files listed in the thread I just gave. You will mount your SD card (on the home page of your phone, drop down that little black menu thing at the very top, select USB storage and enable it).
Place the file ‘recovery’ and the zipped file ‘update’ onto your SD card. Nowhere in particular, just in that main area that appears when you open the SD.
Now is a good time to put the ROM you want to flash onto the SD as well.
[EDIT]: Please keep in mind I'm not a developer and I don't plan to live on this forum. So new ROMs will be developed and I probably won't be around to update this list. So make sure to look around for threads about new ROMs to start with or update to. ^..^
Those suggested to me were :
Gingerclone: Apparently themed very green.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1231021 (check Dev forum for a newer version)
TouchMIUIwiz: Very similar to Gingerclone, but more greys.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1207328 (check Dev forum for a newer version)
Smooth Maximus: Themed very blue and black
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1158250 (check Dev forum for a newer version)
Clean Fusion: Clean and pretty.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1204131 (check Dev forum for a newer version)
Of course, there are likely other ones out there, these are just the main ones my supporter knows intimately enough to note. He had a really hard time recommending just one. XD
Whatever you go with, it's always a good idea to have a backup of your phone system, which we go through later in the guide when you need it, so don't fret.
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Feel free to use whatever new ROM you'd like, either listed above or another on the Development Forums, I was told all the following steps would be exactly the same, just using a different custom ROM.
I’m going with Gingerclone v2, as I was informed that while it did crash on my helper once, it seems to be overall the most consistent one that he’s tried.
The above linked thread for GingerClone has two files, I’m using the top one, as I do not have the original release installed.
This .zip file you just downloaded can be copied onto the SD root menu (the main menu available when you access the SDcard from 'My Computer').
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Unmount your SDcard from the computer (that little black bar on the top of your phone's home screen, turn off the usb connection). Disconnected from the computer even if you want.
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Open Root Explorer. Navigate to access the SD card (it has its own file in the root menu you start off in). Copy the ‘recovery’ file, navigate back and paste it into /system/bin (to get there, navigate back by tapping the top option 'parent directory', select 'system', select 'bin', paste it in there). Do not delete the original 'recovery' file in here. It will automatically ask if you want to overwrite the file. Say yes.
If it give you the error “you cannot paste here because the file system is read-only.’ Then at the top, tap the “R/W” square so that it then reads “R/O”. Paste again, select ‘yes’ to overwrite the file.
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Next you’ll turn the phone off so you can boot into recovery mode. To do this, while turned off, you’ll hold the volume up and volume down buttons together, then, while holding them, press the power button. Let go of all three together once the screen starts up.
If you get some blue text, a little warning looking sign over the droid dude, and some yellow text, then you're in the right place.
In here use the volume up and down buttons to navigate through the options and use the power button to select something.
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Highlight “reinstall packages” and use the power button to select it once it’s highlighted.
You’ll have orange text now. So first, let’s backup the phone, JUST IN CASE something goes funky. (nothing went wonky for me)
Navigate to ‘backup and restore’ and select it.
Navigate to ‘backup’ and select it.
It should be backing up now, with a little nasty coloured yellow progress bar at the bottom.
Once the backup is done, you should be back at the original orange texted screen.
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This next bit is important:
Navigate to ‘mounts and storage’ and select it.
It should read:
unmount /chache
mount /data
mount /sdcard
unmount /system
(My phone said “unmount /sdcard” which isn't important. The only thing that NEEDS to read correctly is 'unmount /system' - If it says 'mount system', you need to navigate to it and select it so that it reads correctly)
If your list reads like the above, then you’re good. Click the ‘back’ button, which is the arrow on the bottom left corner of the phone (if you're holding it the way I am. ;p).
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Navigate to ‘wipe data/factory reset’ and select it.
Navigate to the ‘yes -- delete all user data’ and select it.
Repeat this twice more. (That’ll be three times total.)
Navigate to ‘wipe cache partition’ and select it.
Navigate to ‘yes -- Wipe Cache’ and select it.
Repeat this twice more. (Again, three times total.)
Next, navigate to ‘advanced’ and select it.
Navigate to ‘wipe Dalvik Cache’ and select it.
Repeat this twice more. (Three times total.)
I was told to go back to the mounts and storage menu to make sure it still says ‘unmount /system’. Mine did still say this. If it doesn't read correctly, it won't boot right. Fix it if you need to.
---
Next I’m going to install GingerClone.
To reiterate, if you want to use a different custom ROM, go for it, the steps are the exact same, you just need the correct ROM download (which should be a .zip file).
Go back up a menu, navigate to ‘install zip from sdcard’ and select it.
Navigate to ‘choose zip from sdcard’ and select it.
Navigate to the GingerClone.zip (the name is longer than that, but you should know what I’m talking about.) and select it.
It’ll go through installing GingerClone now, with that ugly yellow progress bar at the bottom again.
When it’s done installing. Go back again to the ‘mounts and storage’ menu to check that the system is still unmounted (should still read ‘unmount /system’) Mine did mount my SDcard, but that’s fine. If it reads ‘mount /system’ then navigate to it and select it so that it reads ‘unmount /system’.
Good job so far! Go back to the main menu and navigate to ‘reboot system now’ and select it.
---
Bit odd seeming. It did take longer to boot up. First my phone talked to me, which I was told was the Voodoo LagFix. Then it started blowing sparklers into an X which is also good as that means it’s booting up. (I'm not sure, but it might look different for other custom ROMs.)
The normal screen that’s still ‘locked’ before you would go to the home screen should have the options to slide up (Start Using) or down (Tune a few things first). I was told to go ahead and do the tune bit and “just hit next a buncha times and get rid of it.” ;p It’s pretty straight forward setup stuff.
In case you’re wondering, that ‘update.zip’ that you downloaded earlier when you downloaded the recovery file? Well, when you reinstalled packages, it did that one automatically. So it's taken care of, no worries.
From now on, if Voodoo LagFix is on and you go into recovery mode (when you turned it off and held the volume buttons and turned it back on) then the text should be red. You can check if you want though it's not necessary, the red just indicates that Voodoo LagFix is indeed installed.
I was told that there are options in recovery mode to disable Voodoo LagFix or to convert back to the original file system. I haven't messed with them and don't plan to so long as this keeps working nice for me.
So. Yay! Have fun exploring and customizing your improved system!
I may have typed this sucker up, but basically all credit goes to the hours of support given to me by yogi2010 who is entirely awesome.
If there *is* anything that's a bit off or inaccurate, place the blame on me as interpreter, I just wrote out what I did, and if I thought it might be necessary, how something worked to the best of my very limited knowledge.
Great work!
I tried installing a new rom on my sk4g a few months ago and couldn't get it to work so i left it alone in fear of bricking my phone. I finally got the balls to try again and used this link and it worked perfectly. Thanks so much and good work yogi2010 and Kediil!
DirtyNateDog said:
I tried installing a new rom on my sk4g a few months ago and couldn't get it to work so i left it alone in fear of bricking my phone. I finally got the balls to try again and used this link and it worked perfectly. Thanks so much and good work yogi2010 and Kediil!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad you got it all working!
Why do you think posting a noob/how to guide after we have like 4 is a good idea? How many of these guides do we need already? This forum is getting filled with junk and overposting
xmeatizmurderx said:
Why do you think posting a noob/how to guide after we have like 4 is a good idea? How many of these guides do we need already? This forum is getting filled with junk and overposting
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If there's another guide that has all the steps, from very beginning to finish, I'd suggest you find someone to sticky it. I spent three days going through the forums and could not find a single guide that took me through everything, step by step, which is why I put this together, assuming that because I could not find it, it did not exist.
Be it this one or another, there needs to be a guide for a know-nothing-noob such as myself to follow without having to hunt down the separate bits and hope I put them together in the right order, and it needs to be stickied in the top of one of the forums, preferably in the General or Development area.
that has all the steps, from very beginning to finish, I'd suggest you find someone to sticky it. I spent three days going through the forums and could not find a single guide that took me through everything, step by step, which is why I put this together, assuming that because I could not find it, it did not exist.
Be it this one or another, there needs to be a guide for a know-nothing-noob such as myself to follow without having to hunt down the separate bits and hope I put them together in the right order, and it needs to be stickied in the top of one of the forums, preferably in the General or Development area.[/QUOTE]
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1135634
It's the 3rd post down in the development section and takes everything from start to finish, you obviously didn't search very hard
xmeatizmurderx said:
Why do you think posting a noob/how to guide after we have like 4 is a good idea? How many of these guides do we need already? This forum is getting filled with junk and overposting
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Wow, I find that comment extremely rude and out of place. I personally find this guide much easier to follow, and many may agree with me. I don't see anything wrong with having different tutorials on the same operation. Look around, I guarantee you will see it happening everywhere, not just on these forums. So long as it doesn't purposely mislead people, I don't see the harm in it. In fact, it seems to me that, your comment is the one adding more 'junk' to the forums. As you have now posted a reply that does not benefit the community at all, instead its provoking unnecessary posting. If it is so bothersome to you, and if this post really falls into your 'junk' category, discuss it in private if your position in these forums allows it, but not here where you are making a comment which puts down someones good-hearted attempt to help out the community.
@Kediil Thank you for this post. There can never be 'too many' helpful people.
xmeatizmurderx said:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1135634
It's the 3rd post down in the development section and takes everything from start to finish, you obviously didn't search very hard
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I did go through, and I did see that one, but I had no idea what it was. The name of the thread didn't make it obvious to me, who knew absolutely nothing, that it was a guide. I didn't know what rooting was, or if I needed to do it, or how (for all there's a guide within the rooting thread). I didn't know what CWM was. I didn't know what a kernal actually was, or how to 'flash' it.
Looking at the guide you linked, if you know more or less what you're doing, then it could prove helpful, if a bit blunt. But coming at it from the perspective of knowing absolutely nothing, it didn't help me in the least.
I know it can be difficult to know something and have to deal with people who know nothing, but if there's no sure-fire, solid way for the new person to learn without needing a knowledgeable person to help, then you'll just continue to be needlessly frustrated.
@ merman123 Thank you very much for the support. ^..^ It's already helped at least one person, so I'm satisfied. There will always be haters or frustration or drama. It's the internet! ;p
Kediil said:
I did go through, and I did see that one, but I had no idea what it was. The name of the thread didn't make it obvious to me, who knew absolutely nothing, that it was a guide. I didn't know what rooting was, or if I needed to do it, or how (for all there's a guide within the rooting thread). I didn't know what CWM was. I didn't know what a kernal actually was, or how to 'flash' it.
Looking at the guide you linked, if you know more or less what you're doing, then it could prove helpful, if a bit blunt. But coming at it from the perspective of knowing absolutely nothing, it didn't help me in the least.
I know it can be difficult to know something and have to deal with people who know nothing, but if there's no sure-fire, solid way for the new person to learn without needing a knowledgeable person to help, then you'll just continue to be needlessly frustrated.
@ merman123 Thank you very much for the support. ^..^ It's already helped at least one person, so I'm satisfied. There will always be haters or frustration or drama. It's the internet! ;p
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Posting several threads that say basically the same thing is annoying and clutters the threads making it hard for people to find what they need. It has also annoyed the **** out of a lot of us on here and driven away several developers for this phone because noobs come on and post new threads constantly about the same couple of things.
Being a noob is fine, we all are at some point but learning to search and pm some of the senior members for help will help keep the forums clean and the devs happy, I find it hard to believe you came across xda without knowing what rooting was but honestly I don't care, just please be mindfull and spend time searching thoroughly before posting.
xmeatizmurderx said:
Posting several threads that say basically the same thing is annoying and clutters the threads making it hard for people to find what they need. It has also annoyed the **** out of a lot of us on here and driven away several developers for this phone because noobs come on and post new threads constantly about the same couple of things.
Being a noob is fine, we all are at some point but learning to search and pm some of the senior members for help will help keep the forums clean and the devs happy, I find it hard to believe you came across xda without knowing what rooting was but honestly I don't care, just please be mindfull and spend time searching thoroughly before posting.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I came across XDA by typing 'sidekick 4g lag fix' into google, obviously because I was experiencing lag and was hoping for a fix. One of XDA's threads was the first thing listed and people here seemed to know what they were doing and talking about here. I did spend quite a lot of time searching. I would gladly take full fault for posting something unneeded if anyone would but show me a link to a full, step by step, easy to follow guide. *shrugs* I'll eat my words if there is one.
I need help
So I'm trying to run a custom rom on my new SK4g but no matter what I do, I keep softbricking it... just gets stuck on the sidekick logo during boot. I've followed this guide STEP BY STEP a few times and with different roms, same result. After the rom install is complete I confirm the mounts are correct and then reboot to system but it never gets to system. I end up having to start over from stock via ODIN
HELP HELP HELP... what am I doing wrong. The only POSSIBLE thing I can think of is when it comes time to overwrite the recovery binary, I use adb shell and mount the system with:
Code:
# mount -o remount,rw -t ext3 /dev/block/mmcblk0p25 /system
then I copy the file with:
Code:
# cp -f /mnt/sdcard/recovery /system/bin/
Code:
# reboot recovery
please someone help me and tell me what im doing wrong
not too sure what's wrong, but if you are flashing ROMs, you probably are getting into ClockworkMod properly. are you checking your mounts BEFORE you install the ROM as well as after?
xmeatizmurderx said:
Posting several threads that say basically the same thing is annoying and clutters the threads making it hard for people to find what they need. It has also annoyed the **** out of a lot of us on here and driven away several developers for this phone because noobs come on and post new threads constantly about the same couple of things.
Being a noob is fine, we all are at some point but learning to search and pm some of the senior members for help will help keep the forums clean and the devs happy, I find it hard to believe you came across xda without knowing what rooting was but honestly I don't care, just please be mindfull and spend time searching thoroughly before posting.
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Click to collapse
Wow, your a real ass. I think this guide is probably the best one here. Very clean and very thorough. Its not people like him that cause developers to leave. Its people like you with no respect and a big attitude. And a HUGE head!!
Sent from my SGH-T839 using xda premium
Thanks so much for this post
Thanks for explaining in layman's terms how to do this. It is very helpful for me and I too had trouble making sense of the other how-to posts. With something as sensitive as flashing hardware it is really important for a novice to clearly understand the steps. I for one really appreciate and applaud your efforts Kediil and Yogi2010!
I'm glad that this has helped some people! I know for those that have been around here a while, it is basically the same thing we already know, but I do think this guide was very clearly written, and is helpful to those who are completely new to this and don't have any idea where to start, and just want to get their phones rooted and modded. kudos to kediil for the great write-up!
I get mad everytime i try to do this because whenever i try to reinstall the packages it just says failed to verify whole signature or whatever then it aborts it , help me please , im tired of this **** ass stock rom
JayNycWepa said:
I get mad everytime i try to do this because whenever i try to reinstall the packages it just says failed to verify whole signature or whatever then it aborts it , help me please , im tired of this **** ass stock rom
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It sounds like the modified recovery didn't get properly moved into system/bin. Have you followed the steps and pasted the recovery file you downloaded into system/bin, replacing the recovery file that was already there?
Kediil said:
I came across XDA by typing 'sidekick 4g lag fix' into google, obviously because I was experiencing lag and was hoping for a fix. One of XDA's threads was the first thing listed and people here seemed to know what they were doing and talking about here. I did spend quite a lot of time searching. I would gladly take full fault for posting something unneeded if anyone would but show me a link to a full, step by step, easy to follow guide. *shrugs* I'll eat my words if there is one.
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http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1206991
Like I said, SEARCH BEFORE POSTING
It took me all of 10 seconds to find this, it's on the second page of the development section and there are only 4 pages. It took you far longer to type this up than it would have to search.
The reason we don't have stickies is because moderators don't pay attention to us because we have no developers anymore (this is about to change though one of our members was recently sent an invite)
If this were any other phone this overposting wouldn't be tolerated, you guys treat the forums like it's facebook and would rather start a thread than take the time to search for your answer, and it clutters everything up with useless threads. When I joined XDA and had a G1 I didn't post anything for like 2 years because I was able to find the answers by searching.
I am an asshole, so get used to it but I mean you no harm. I am trying to give advice because I have been on here since day one and personally seen devs leave out of irritation with the members lack of forum etiquette. If we can all try and keep the forums clean then we have a better chance of getting support, and this will also help you guys in the future when you move onto more popular devices. If you think I'm a **** you have no idea what some of the senior members can be like lol
---------- Post added at 05:51 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:22 PM ----------
dw9906 said:
Wow, your a real ass. I think this guide is probably the best one here. Very clean and very thorough. Its not people like him that cause developers to leave. Its people like you with no respect and a big attitude. And a HUGE head!!
Sent from my SGH-T839 using xda premium
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That's what she said
Alright I'm done trolling now
xmeatizmurderx said:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1206991
Eat 'em up bro
Like I said, SEARCH BEFORE POSTING
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Um, you posted a link to a FAQ, not a step by step guide...
xmeatizmurderx said:
Alright I'm done trolling now
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Quit trolling, noone is impressed. Unlike you, Kediil is actually adding to this forum.
vitriolix said:
Um, you posted a link to a FAQ, not a step by step guide...
Quit trolling, noone is impressed. Unlike you, Kediil is actually adding to this forum.
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faq, guide, whatever
I have posted several links that tell you in plain terms how to root and put roms on from stock. If people find this one easier to read for some reason then good for them, I don't have the power to moderate the forums
My point has been made, I don't know why you are responding to me if you don't like what I have to say
P.S.
I have sent in a request to have this thread stickied for you guys
Related
Hello all,
I notice when syncing and also using explorer to look at files on my Tilt that there are what looks like multiple folders with the same name, such as My docs, my pics and so on.
Can I delete them and somehow dorect the device and Active sync to all use the card for file storage?
What has to do with ROM development??? "No i don't want an answer"
Please post somewhere more relative to your subject matter.
abovenbeyond said:
Hello all,
I notice when syncing and also using explorer to look at files on my Tilt that there are what looks like multiple folders with the same name, such as My docs, my pics and so on.
Can I delete them and somehow dorect the device and Active sync to all use the card for file storage?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try it and see !
Where else di you post this, I seem to remember helping someone with this same question not long ago ?
I did not post this question before, and I looked around and saw nothing...
And Stylez... WTF dude or Dudett... I asked it here because it has everything to do with the ROM. You see after I flash the ROM I have several duplicate folders, some right in the mobile device root, then some in the My docs folder, and then some on the card when I put it in...
Sheesh my concern about just deleting them is 1) some are tagged as system files so I can't. 2) I don't want to delete one that say the camera is going to try to save to, and 3) Outlook/Exchange, where does it store its data on the device?? If it is on the main memory I would like to change it so it will be saved to the card.
I seem to recall years ago either JasJamming, or Custel, or Maybe it was Dutty had a ROM or maybe a CAB that forced all anything to be saved to the card.
So if the ROM is pointing say to one folder, and active sync to another, and the default OS uses a third, I thought maybe this could all be corrected in ROM cooking and so I asked it here...
Now then, with that said... instead of responding with a NON answer, either speak up with a answer or if you don't know... well pardon my frence but "Shut the F*** up!"
PS: To all you that will read this as me being rude and possibly hurting my ability to get an answer, well I am sorry. But I hate when all someone has to say is to bit*h about anything but an answer.
Your question has to do with active sync & documents
Chill ya beanz no need for a response like that, but please post in the correct sub forum "Software or General" up to you really
You can move the doc to the storage card. Use advanced config and set it there. This is controlled by active synch keys in the registry which you could have found in a few threads...i know because I wrote answers about how this is controlled in several threads and even made a cab for someone to use in my roms to move them back to main memory because Phoenix roms store my documents/pictures/camera/audio files on the storage card and for some reason the change made by advanced config was not taking in the registry. You should do more research about the structure and FYI unless you use a file manager other than the default one, you can't delete system files which is good because you shouldn't delet things unless you understand them.
You can download this from http://www.touchxperience.com/
Good luck and this really does belong in the general kaiser thread.
Also stylez is a great contributor here. So you probably should apologize and your response was off the chart rude here. I should NOT have answered this out of respect for my friend but felt like giving you an answer and a chance to apologize. The mods should NOT close this thread until that occurs.
abovenbeyond said:
I did not post this question before, and I looked around and saw nothing...
And Stylez... WTF dude or Dudett... I asked it here because it has everything to do with the ROM. You see after I flash the ROM I have several duplicate folders, some right in the mobile device root, then some in the My docs folder, and then some on the card when I put it in...
Sheesh my concern about just deleting them is 1) some are tagged as system files so I can't. 2) I don't want to delete one that say the camera is going to try to save to, and 3) Outlook/Exchange, where does it store its data on the device?? If it is on the main memory I would like to change it so it will be saved to the card.
I seem to recall years ago either JasJamming, or Custel, or Maybe it was Dutty had a ROM or maybe a CAB that forced all anything to be saved to the card.
So if the ROM is pointing say to one folder, and active sync to another, and the default OS uses a third, I thought maybe this could all be corrected in ROM cooking and so I asked it here...
Now then, with that said... instead of responding with a NON answer, either speak up with a answer or if you don't know... well pardon my frence but "Shut the F*** up!"
PS: To all you that will read this as me being rude and possibly hurting my ability to get an answer, well I am sorry. But I hate when all someone has to say is to bit*h about anything but an answer.
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parleyp said:
Also stylez is a great contributor here. So you probably should apologize and your response was off the chart rude here. I should NOT have answered this out of respect for my friend
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The part I agree with ..............................
I would have let this thread die a fast and unanswered death.
P.S..... the last two threads you started got locked for being redundant and irrelevant. This is going to make three in a row. Nice Job !
denco7 said:
The part I agree with ..............................
I would have let this thread die a fast and unanswered death.
P.S..... the last two threads you started got locked for being redundant and irrelevant. This is going to make three in a row. Nice Job !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What a track record. I have only actually started one thread in my whole time here!
I really want to get Android running on my Fuze, I heard it works well. But none of the sites I checked ever really get to the directions on how to do it. I did find one site and downloaded a .RAR file, put the TMP folder in the root of my memory card, and ran the .EXE file. But it gets stuck at a command line screen.
So does anyone have step-by-step instructions on how to get this working on a Raphael?
could you use the search next time. or scrolled down slightly to read the other posts on this that are really recent. android does not work well on the fuze. you will have to wait for something that can be used like a real os for the phone. if you want more information, search or scroll. i really dont want to have to type this out again.
If you didn't wanna have to type it, you could've just not typed anything at all. Try that next time.
I did read that thread, that's what got me interested in this. I read a lot of pages in a lot of threads but they were mostly filled with people asking unanswered questions about it after they got it to work. In any case I got it to work on mine but I don't think there's any audio. Definitely not a day-to-day OS but it seems like something to play with.
So I am stealing this from another forum, hopefully it will cut down on some of the repeated threads. Copy and pasted to reduce the strain on my brain and typing.
Stolen from the Sprint Hero board on AndroidForums.com - Props to PDragon for typing it all. I have slightly modififed.
ROM - Read Only Memory
While the term has changed a bit from it's original meaning, it's essentially computer memory that does not require power to store it's data (non-volitile). In the sense of a smartphone like the Hero, it's the Internal Memory where the OS is stored. From what I've gathered, the Internal Memory is just Flash Memory (a special type of ROM) partitioned into two parts, one for the OS and the rest for apps to use. So, the OS partition essentially is true ROM, unless you root the phone. The software that groups like xda-developers make available are called ROMs because they're a ROM Image.
For the Hero this size is 512MB.
SDcard is a larger capacity external Flash Memory card.
Recovery Rom - I would assume enough said, but. This is the recovery partition of the phone for when things go bad, typically how you will load your ROM packages, some times refered to as "Update.zip" files.
Vanilla Rom
All the fancy bells and whistles have been pulled out so that its as minimalist as possible, users can then build on this for their own custom setup.
RAM - Random Access Memory
This is where current processes that are running are stored and keep the data they need immediately available to them. This is the memory you see when you run any of the Task Managers showing you currently running apps and the available memory. It's a completely different part of the phone from the Internal Memory discussed above. Data stored in RAM requires constant power and does not survive a power cycle of the phone (volitile).
For the Hero this is 288MB.
Root
This is the term being thrown around for modifying a smartphone to put custom software on it that normally wouldn't be allowed through means included with the phone (Android Market or an .apk file for a non-Market app). "Root" is the common term chosen because, in a Unix environment, the "root" user has complete and total control of the entire operating system of the computer. So, "rooting" the phone means taking complete control over its operating system. This is usually done by means of finding a flaw somewhere in the phone's firmware to allow access to the restricted Internal Memory where the OS resides. You then install a custom ROM (see above) to let you use your phone from then on.
Android is a bit more unique than any of the previous smartphones in that you don't really need "approval" from a higher power (ex, the Apple store) to install an app that hasn't made it onto the Market. Just uncheck the box Settings -> Application settings -> Unknown sources and you're free to install any .apk file you wish. So Android phones are more like a regular computer in that you're free to install whatever software you want from whichever source you want. Just be careful of where you get apps from outside of official Market sources. Also like a regular computer, you could open yourself up to having your personal data stolen.
Rooting still gives some advantages for power users, but for normal or even intermediate users, you probably don't need to root the phone to enjoy it as much as you'd have needed to for previous smartphones.
For further discussion, please see our Developer Forums.
Tethering
This is the term used for using your phone as an Internet access point to allow an attached computer to access the Internet. It turns your phone into a mobile modem. Please don't discuss Tethering here. See the thread Does Tethering work? to discuss this further.
*Let me know if we should add other terms. Maybe a MOD can stickie this.*
but where are the guides
jtadeo said:
but where are the guides
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I think all of the guides have been Stickied on the first page of the board. Do you need one in particular??
At the bottom of the main forum is a dictionary for anyone to use. I don't see the point in this unless it is made for lazy people that just want what they want now and can't take time to research.
tdavis42 said:
At the bottom of the main forum is a dictionary for anyone to use. I don't see the point in this unless it is made for lazy people that just want what they want now and can't take time to research.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you think we would have as many of the new user questions repeated over and over if they did take time and do the research? Think not... You must have some real faith in humanity if you think people won't take the easy way out if it is offered. Hence my copy and paste from another forum.
What was a SDcard? and I'm not understanding the concept or RAM....
hahaha, just joking..
Nice work, I'm sure this will come in handy for some folks!
for all other definitions check out : http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index.php?pagename=Glossary
N0J said:
What was a SDcard? and I'm not understanding the concept or RAM....
hahaha, just joking..
Nice work, I'm sure this will come in handy for some folks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am not making fun of anyone, I have been there my self. But I have seen the above questions on other forums! lol.
I must say XDA members tend to be a little ahead of the learning curve.
Search Button!
jtadeo said:
but where are the guides
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Search button is your FRIEND!!!
Kcarpenter said:
I am not making fun of anyone, I have been there my self. But I have seen the above questions on other forums! lol.
I must say XDA members tend to be a little ahead of the learning curve.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol, yeah
xda is good
jjjjayd13 said:
Search button is your FRIEND!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
but the search button is terrible, lol
I've even seen a disclaimer on a mod's signature saying that it sucks and to use google, haha!
I don't know anything about this programming. I am a complete idiot when it comes to this stuff. I rooted the phone because I wanted to be have full control over it's capabilities going forward, but I didn't realize I'd need to use these programs on my computer to do it. I thought things would be available through simple downloads.
Anyway, I've spent the last several hours attempting to become at least functional so that I could install another OS on my phone. I have no idea what rebooting in recovery or clearing caches or any of this is. I know it's probably simple, remedial stuff to practically everyone reading this but I am clueless.
I'm sure I could learn and was willing to do so. I downloaded SDK and Java update and Eclipse and painstakingly followed installation instructions several times from several sources. And I can't get the adb to function. My computer won't recognize the path. I'm pretty certain that I've installed everything completely and updated the path accurately, etc. I go through cmd, type in adb and it says it's not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file.
I've gotten to the point where I just want to set my phone back to the way it was when I bought it 2 days ago. I want to go back to being a simple lemming and just oblivious to this whole world. I don't belong over here. I'm out of my league and I know it.
Now the problem I have is that it's supposedly easy to "unroot" the phone. You just have to download 3 things and "flash" them. I don't even know what the **** that means though. And if it invloves using adb (or abd...I don't even know that), then I'm screwed.
I'm really frustrated guys. I'm tired. I should have never attempted this, but it all sounded so easy and awesome. Now I just want my normal, restricted phone back. Can anyone help me?
OK. I got the phone back to it's original state. I know some of you are probably shaking your heads at the decision, but it makes me feel a lot more comfortable.
Maybe if I could figure out how to access adb, it would be different but I just felt handcuffed without it. Well there eventually be ROMs that are more easily installed like re-installing the original was? Will there be ways to just steam it through HTC Sync?
i think one reason why u didnt manage to get adb working is because u didnt set up the environmental variables for java. Go into command prompt and type java. See what that returns.
SupremeBeaver said:
i think one reason why u didnt manage to get adb working is because u didnt set up the environmental variables for java. Go into command prompt and type java. See what that returns.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for the response. That command produced a long string of information. Is there something in that I should be looking for, or was this just a test to see if it would be recognized?
it was a test to see if java was working fine. By string of commands do u mean like this:
http://img682.imageshack.us/img682/8440/48798806.jpg
Otherwise the problem may be that you havent specified the environmental variables for the android sdk.
Right click on My Computer and go to properties, under the Advanced tab, hit the Environment Variables button, and in the dialog that comes up, double-click on Path (under System Variables). Now what u need to do is add the location of ur sdk to the end of the "Variable Value".
So if u put the adroid sdk folder in the root of ur C drive, then u would add this line
;C:\Android\tools
to the end of the Variable Value line. This depends on where u put the skd folder though. Whats important here is u dont replace whats already there! Just add the line to the end, even the ";" symbol.
Hope this helps. let me know how it goes
Thank you again for the response. Yes, that looks to be the same screen information that appears when I run java in command.
I have the SDK in a folder named AndroidSDK on the root of my C drive. I have added the line ";C:\AndroidSDK\tools" to the end of the path. One thing I just realized is that when I double click the AndroidSDK folder, the next screen contains a single folder named "android-sdk-windows". When I double click that folder I see subfolders for add-ons, platforms, tools, SDK readme, and SDK setup. I'm wondering now if I need to include that "android-sdk-windows" in the path line in order for it to find adb in the tools.
I would really like to solve this adb issue. I still want to learn enough about this stuff to root the phone again and feel comfortable working with it. I'm completely obsessed with this right now. It's driving me mad.
in that case the line you should add would be
;C:\AndroidSDK\android-sdk-windows\tools
I can't believe it was that simple!
Actually I can believe it. Thank you so much for your help. Sorry if I came off as a bit of a drama queen in the OP, but I have just spent about 6 hours messing with this if you include the rooting.
Ok. I think I'm going to give it all another shot. Thanks again. I may be back to this thread again if I end up running into another dead end though.
Glad it worked
Dont worry about it, i can understand ur frustration because this is by no means straight forward.
Hope u enjoy playing with ur soon to be rooted EVO
If you have time to answer another question, I went through the OTA Simple Root process again and everything appears to have worked. But I don't think that finishes the phone in root. I don't have a Superuser app, for instance.
Isn't there something else I need to do? (Install a custom rom maybe?)
If so, how do I accomplish it in the least technical way possible?
Im not too sure with that actually. I dont have an EVO (or any android phone for that matter). But yeah i think the superuser app should appear without flashing a custom rom.
I think you might want to create a thread in the EVO section where im sure many EVO owners will help u out with this. Or maybe a mod could move this thread?
JelloB said:
If you have time to answer another question, I went through the OTA Simple Root process again and everything appears to have worked. But I don't think that finishes the phone in root. I don't have a Superuser app, for instance.
Isn't there something else I need to do? (Install a custom rom maybe?)
If so, how do I accomplish it in the least technical way possible?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Disclaimer - I have not used the simple root method.
That being said I have helped a few people with this and it seems that the last img file that it flashes does not have super user access. You need to flash a custom ROM in order to fix that. I will post a link to the thread that I was helping in and that should answer some of your questions on how to do that.
Hope that helps
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=722194
Sent via the Sprint HTC EVO
Just wanted to update this. I finally was able to put it all together. I was previously unaware of the "extras" tab on the OTASimpleRoot program. Just didn't read the instructions in post well enough, which is the story of my life....but I digress.
Anyway, I was able to root the phone again, flash recovery and now I have even gotten to the point where I understand a little bit how to install custom roms. In fact, I just installed my first using Baked Snacks latest update. I've also downloaded ROM manager so in the future I should I have no trouble at all (even though I'm pretty comfortable doing it the "long" way now).
Thanks again to both of the guys above who took the time to read and respond to a complete newbies questions.
I now that I have successfully loaded a custom ROM onto my EVO that it is full root and I don't have to worry about that anymore. I don't have a "superuser" app that I can tell, but I do have a "dev tools" app and folders which I don't think were on the phone before.
Alright, I do have a superuser permissions app. When I click it nothing happens though. I don't know if that's normal or not.
The issue I'm having now is that when the phone was rooted it took it back to the 1.17.651.1 software version. I went through the steps in the "How to start over: Fully rooted stock 1.47..." thread but the phone doesn't appear to be reading the PC36IMG.zip file. It doesn't ask if I want to update it. I tried it a couple times and then skipped to the second file in that thread (su-2.1-e-unsecure-signed.zip) and got a message about ....something "build". Went ahead with the install but I don't see anything different. Still says I'm on software 1.17.....
Wireless tethering app doesn't work for me, which was the impetus to dig further into this....deeper down the rabbit hole.
Ok. This will be my last update but I'm pretty excited because something has happened to correct issues I was having.
I thought I would go through the root process from start to see if I could get the 1.47 software. Once I got to the second step and did the factory reset, upon reboot it took me to the recovery screen which was different and made me a little nervous. I found the cue to install BakedSnack again from the sdcard and chose that function.
This time things were different than before. For instance, upon booting the phone I got a cool screen saver with streaming, trippy colors instead of the 4G and Sprint crystaline logos. I don't remember this happening the first time I installed this ROM. Once I got into the phone I noticed some minor changes I didn't notice the first time. The music widget wasn't on the second page, nor the nascar or football crap either. I think they were there before. Then I went into apps and saw ROM manager installed and superuser and Wifi tethering. Went straight to wifi tethering and low and behold it works like a charm.
Last but least, I went to check the software and I am now running 1.47. I don't know why it's on their now. This is all still a little mysterious to me. I could swear this Baked ROM is a little different than the first time I had it on the phone. Maybe that's my imigination. Maybe the factory wipe did something. I don't know but I'm very happy now.
Congrats
SupremeBeaver said:
Congrats
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks again man!
What a difference 24 hours can make. At this point last night I was ready to pull my hair out in frustration. By noon today I had unrooted the phone and re-installed the most recent OTA software update and was ready to just stick with that. Now I have re-rooted, somehow managed to get the updated software back on the phone, and have installed and am running an incredibly awesome custom ROM.
I love my new phone. Thanks again to both of you guys who offered help. I think I'm going to be good from here on.
When I first got my G-tab I was baffled by all the instructions and the literally thousands of posts in the forum. Even now, I haven't been able to find exactly how (or why) I should update my kernel. That said, I have TNT Lite running and I love my g-tab. Exploring the possible uses and utilities on it provides hours of fun. Now - here is my question. I stumbled on some instructions for installing the ROM and I have used those same instructions to install several patches to the Rom. I see all this commentary on Clockwork, side loading, etc. and I wonder if I am missing something. Today I just installed the .25 patch for TNT-Lite. I downloaded the rar file, unzipped it on my PC to get the Recovery folder and the update.zip file. I plugged the g-tab into the pc and switched it to usb mode. Then I moved the old recover folder and update.zip to a folder (cautious me) and put the new ones in the root. I disconnected the usb and started the g-tab in recovery mode (holding the power and volume+ key. It rebooted, applied the patch and I was done. That seems simple enough. It would seem that this would work for switching roms, applying patches and probably even upgrading the kernel (If I knew where it was and why I should do it). Am I missing something? Everything seems to work.
Sounds like you got the basics ok.
The real main reason to update the kernal as i see it is to add things like driver support for devices like gps and g3, so on, also minor fixs. If your not using your gtab for anything like this you maybe happy to stay stock. But if you like myself like to use your gtab to surf with g3 or as a sweet gps, then thats what the kernal updates allow. Im sure others can correct me if ive got anything wrong or add to what ive said.
You got the basic steps right, but installing ClockWorkMod Recovery has a lot of benefits.
First, built in backup and recovery will save your skin if the gTab get "cranky".
Second, installing ROMs and/or updates saves you a few steps. From "tar" files (TnT-lite), extract the update.zip file to a folder (I created a folder named "xda", just an example) and name it after the version of ROM/update.
CWM will flash "*.zip" file. This way you can keep multiple ROMs/updates on the card and switch between them.
CWM lets you clear cache, wipe Data partition, clear Dalvik-cache (use caution there), fix permissions and so much more! It is a great tool.
Sent from my gTablet-TnT-Lite-4.2.5 using TapatalkPro
So now we peel back another layer
OK so now the question of multiple roms comes up. I am not clear about the role of the rom - can I switch roms and keep all of my apps and data intact? I'm thinking like changing style sheets on a web page - presentation is different but the underlying data is still the same? Is it that easy?
And... if I am doing that perhaps I need to "clear cache" or "wipe data partition" but although I like to investigate new things I'm not willing to just walk up and push the big red button without knowing what it is for. So why would I "clear" or "wipe" things?
I get the impression that I could switch between ROMs just like switching between browsers on a pc - today Chrome, tomorrow, Firefox and never Internet Exploder... Is that correct? It took me quite a while to get the market working and it still doesn't work optimally but I'd hate to undo all the work I've done getting the g-tab humming along by switching roms. Can I?
So - anyone care to expound on the structure and how it all hooks together? What parts can be swapped out and what parts form the foundation? I'd hate to brick the little guy in my ignorance.
One final note if you know and you answer - where did YOU learn about this. Is there a book somewhere to read?
Thanks again for sharing your knowledge.
The Need for A Wiki
I'm in the same boat as enigma. I'm not even sure what ROM is an acronym for, though I think it means operating system. A wiki would be a big help for many people. I bet people would be glad to contribute.
Well, I don't know about Android book, especially about "hacking android book" , but this (and others) forum has plenty of reading material and guides. Not to mention people (a lot more knowledgeable and experienced than me) who will offer advice and lend a hand. And Google search comes in handy too.
Switching ROMs is almost like switching the OS, or a flavor of. Very much like switching between Linux distributions; the base OS is the same, but the overlay changes the user experience. Some things do change deep down inside, that's why is advisable to clear data.
Android, like Linux which it is based on, uses separate partitions for different parts of the OS, like boot, recovery, data, cache and user data. Plenty of write ups and discussions on the web on that.
So when flashing a ROM, you'll rewrite boot and system. Your user apps and data/preferences pertaining to those apps are stored in data partition, and since you are changing the 'OS', the apps need to be recompiled for it. Backup apps, like Titanium Backup, come extremely handy here: backup and restore apps AND appdata with a few clicks.
Backups are stored on sdcard, which is a lot like Linux /home directory, and do not get wiped during flash. Also the CWM (sometimes called Nandroid) backups are also stored there. A backup-of-the-backup is always a good habit (copy of /sdcard to your PC for safekeep).
This is just a quick rundown, hopefully that answered some of the questions.
There is a world of information available out there in "ether-world", Google is your friend.
[EDIT]:
Some links:
http://android-dls.com/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page
http://lifehacker.com/#!5596108/how-to-choose-the-right-android-rom-for-you
and of course:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=841
(use the search on top of the screen)
Sent from my gTablet-TnT-Lite-4.2.5 using TapatalkPro
Doesn't my sticky on how to flash the roms help at all? I can try to make it clearer if you have suggestions.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=892090
TeamSpeed said:
Doesn't my sticky on how to flash the roms help at all? I can try to make it clearer if you have suggestions.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=892090
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, your Sticky is as clear as Florida sky.
I just installed Thumb Keyboard on my gTab last night and I guess I got carried away getting used to it!
Yes, I have found some very good step by steps (reflashed to vegan after reading that one). Step by steps are great but I 'd like to understand why I'm doing it. The market fix...I can follow the steps and it works but why? I wish I had time to research all these things but there are so many forums,so many posts to read! The explanation that did surface in this thread was great though. Thanks. I'll keep asking questions. There are a lot of smart people out there!