Defining technical "rooting" terms - Android General

Ok, the vid said to be brief. I admit I am a noob, but you have to start somewhere...
To start I have found exactly what I was looking for, a tutorial on how to root my Wildfire S (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1195275), my problem is that it is chock full of terms that I really have no definition for. And google doesn't really help. "bootloader", "XTC-Clip", "S-On", "S-Off", this last one seems very important since it's the first step, but I just don't know what it means.
I understand many of these things are probably programs that I need to install, but I'm not sure if they are installed from the Android marketplace and put onto my phone, or if they are installed to my desktop and then used from there.

Related

Newbie guide to rooting Inspire 4G?

So I'm curious if anyone can point me in the direction of a good guide for a first-time rooting experience.
I am BRAND NEW from the iPhone world. Over there I was very comfortable jailbreaking, with the process and terms, and ins and outs of the jailbreaking world.
Now I just got my inspire 4g and I'm lost in trying to learn the root\flash\rom process. I feel like such an idiot because I always get pissed when people ask for step by step newbie process in the iOS jailbreak forums, now I'm doing it, lol
My goal is to root is for the sole purpose of enabling the HSUPA feature. I'm unlocked already (bought an unlock code), so that's really the primary reason for unlocking for me.
An additional benefit would be able to remove the AT&T bloatware, which is annoying me. Does anyone actually use the ATT branded barcode scanner? LOL.
Anyhow, if anyone is willing to help, I would appreciate it greatly.
Thanks!
check out this video guide.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=957559
epicKA8 said:
check out this video guide.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=957559
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Click to collapse
I followed this video.. this is my first Android phone and first time rooting a phone... the video was perfect and rooted and installed a custom ROM with no problem.
epicKA8 said:
check out this video guide.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=957559
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I seriously can't be this stupid. LOL. I have watched this 20x and I figure I can follow it step by step and have success, but the question I have is this:
- Is there a way to not have to do step 1 then step 2 to correct the audio? In other words has anyone compiled a video or written step by step on a process that does it without having to go back and fix the audio?
- If I do this method, when I re-login to google, will it re-download all the apps I had previously downloaded? And will it re-add the email accounts, or do I have to set it all up as new?
- I see many referring to the "stock ATT" ... so that'll bring back the ATT stuff, but remove the limitation and allow HSUPA? And does it re-add bloatware but I can then delete it? Do all the stock themes\apps come loaded still?
Thanks, I really wish there was a "here's exactly what to do, step by step, keystroke by keystroke" kinda to-do style list... I know many prefer seeing on youtube, but I'm more of a process\step-list type, and it's confusing because the forum has about 10 sets of instructions, some say they have audio problems, others have an amendment to fix the audio after, some say it's possible not to have the issue to begin with, just trying to make sense of it all as I'm totally new to Android.
I an having nothing but trouble also!
Finally I can make it to the bootloader screen but any option I choose locks thephone with the "Scary Emblem" and I have to remove the Battery to restart it.
Anybody able to help?
Please?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=11908710
bella92108 said:
I seriously can't be this stupid. LOL. I have watched this 20x and I figure I can follow it step by step and have success, but the question I have is this:
- Is there a way to not have to do step 1 then step 2 to correct the audio? In other words has anyone compiled a video or written step by step on a process that does it without having to go back and fix the audio?
- If I do this method, when I re-login to google, will it re-download all the apps I had previously downloaded? And will it re-add the email accounts, or do I have to set it all up as new?
- I see many referring to the "stock ATT" ... so that'll bring back the ATT stuff, but remove the limitation and allow HSUPA? And does it re-add bloatware but I can then delete it? Do all the stock themes\apps come loaded still?
Thanks, I really wish there was a "here's exactly what to do, step by step, keystroke by keystroke" kinda to-do style list... I know many prefer seeing on youtube, but I'm more of a process\step-list type, and it's confusing because the forum has about 10 sets of instructions, some say they have audio problems, others have an amendment to fix the audio after, some say it's possible not to have the issue to begin with, just trying to make sense of it all as I'm totally new to Android.
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Click to collapse
Please let me know if you find instructions like that. I am the same way. I literally have had my Inspire from ATT for 2 days after having six BlackBerry's and all I get are rude remarks, links to videos that assume I've done this before and absolutely no questions answered. I was referred to use the Unrevoked3 which is supposed to be "painless" and could work with the Inspire since it's similar to Desire, but all I got was a link to the download and if I try to ask questions, I'm not allowed because I'm a noob or I get the "Google it" response...which...duh..that's how I found this place. Every Android forum reminds me of my Business Calculus professor. When asked if he could walk us through a six page homework problem, he threw a desk at the wall and called us names. LOL I guess only elite are allowed info. I can't even get a response as far as whether or not Unrevoked3 will actually work on the Inspire! Sigh. *smh*
StoopidNoob said:
Please let me know if you find instructions like that. I am the same way. I literally have had my Inspire from ATT for 2 days after having six BlackBerry's and all I get are rude remarks, links to videos that assume I've done this before and absolutely no questions answered. I was referred to use the Unrevoked3 which is supposed to be "painless" and could work with the Inspire since it's similar to Desire, but all I got was a link to the download and if I try to ask questions, I'm not allowed because I'm a noob or I get the "Google it" response...which...duh..that's how I found this place. Every Android forum reminds me of my Business Calculus professor. When asked if he could walk us through a six page homework problem, he threw a desk at the wall and called us names. LOL I guess only elite are allowed info. I can't even get a response as far as whether or not Unrevoked3 will actually work on the Inspire! Sigh. *smh*
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Click to collapse
I have found all the information I have needed to date by reading first. It's not an attitude unique to this forum... it happens elsewhere on the internet.
With processes like this, I would think one would want to be armed with as much knowledge prior to starting, as possible.
People get stuck on unique problems, and ask for help, and nearly without exception, if some degree of effort has been made by the person asking, then people are pretty willing to assist.
If people come in an ask questions that would have been easily answered had they taken the extra five minutes to check if it had been addressed already, it shows... its easy to tell if someone has made even the slightest effort to educate themselves first, or if they're just expecting free technical support.
Sent from my Inspire 4G using Tapatalk Pro
Can't we all just get along?
For any newbies wanting to get started and have step-by-step instructions, you should visit the Hack Kit thread, download the zip file, and read that readme!
Link to hack kit thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=952352
To be honest, I think if the hack kit thread was made into a sticky it might get more attention from the new inspire owners.
EDIT: Just to be clear. The hack kit contains a full step-by-step procedure. The only change to this I recommend is using the gold card maker in the following thread (unless it's now included with the kit) :
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=970157
Give a man a fish and he'll eat tonight teach a man to fish and he'll eat the rest of his life, or something.
[harsh mode]This stuff isn't brain surgery. If you want root badly enough you'll figure it out. [/harsh mode]
gunnyman said:
Give a man a fish and he'll eat tonight teach a man to fish and he'll eat the rest of his life, or something.
[harsh mode]This stuff isn't brain surgery. If you want root badly enough you'll figure it out. [/harsh mode]
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Click to collapse
LOL, i get that, but you cant throw him a pole, a hook, and bait and say, read this and learn.
I think there is an important difference between a newbie who wants the answers spoonfed to them, and a newbie who is genuinely trying but just doesn't get it. Some people (myself included) need a little hand holding through the process. It's sort of like pulling someone out of a third world country who's never seen a car, and expecting them to learn to drive by reading a drivers ed manual.
Sent from my Inspire 4G using XDA App
I've seen a few please root my phone for me threads. These people make me crazy. I don't know what else to say. We have bubbys super easy method and the hack kit which has a easy to follow step by step and a video. I've only had one phone that was 1 click root capable, the Captivate. The others were work, so I learned. I was a noob once, we all were. But I educated myself. There are folks which don't want to even try to do that.
Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk
I have to say, I'm with NOOB here.
As far as "bubby's" super easy one click, ya, maybe IF I had time to read through 238 pages of geekchat banter and decode the "FAQ" that was written in a haphazard method.
Nothing personal, but maybe YOU guys know how to do this but many of us do not.
I've spent 3 days going over instructions, videos and other how-to's only to find myself frustrated at the process and procedures.
I'm now at the point where I can get to my boot loader but no matter what mod.zip file I have on the root of the card I get a black screen.
2 things RIGHT off the top of my head that were not discussed (or at least I didn't find them in).
1- The original CID I sent to have a gold card made from was bunk. Only during my (IDK) 10th attempt at running bubby's one click root did I notice the CID had changed and sent that one in for a gold card did it work.
2- NO where in any instructions or FAQ did it mention to hold the "UP" button when rebooting to access the recovery mode. Which BTW, still doesn't work properly.
Maybe I got a bunk phone. Who knows. But I do know this. It took my less time to root my nexus one and even less time to quickpwn my iFails.
You would think with all the knowledge that exists in this forum, someone would sit down and make a step by step guide on how to root your HTC Inspire from start to finish INCLUDING potential pitfalls and errors.
Instead, new users such as myself and NOOB are left to decypher and piece together a way to root the phone.
No one has asked you to root their phone. All the NOOBS like myself are asking is for you to pool your collective intelligence and come up with a GUIDE even an IDIOT like myself can follow.
... and make it a sticky with NO additional chatter on the thread.
corbin dallas said:
I have to say, I'm with NOOB here.
As far as "bubby's" super easy one click, ya, maybe IF I had time to read through 238 pages of geekchat banter and decode the "FAQ" that was written in a haphazard method.
[...] No one has asked you to root their phone. All the NOOBS like myself are asking is for you to pool your collective intelligence and come up with a GUIDE even an IDIOT like myself can follow.
... and make it a sticky with NO additional chatter on the thread.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I mean no hatred, but rooting this phone isn't an easy process. I've been hacking windows phones for years but this was my first android root and it took me over 4 horus start to finish - and i had to troubleshoot a lot of problems on my own since it was 6 am with no one on xda. the problem with creating a complete hacker's guide is that there are SO MANy unique issues that people have, that there's no way to account for all of them if you're able to do it on your own successfully - then in that case why would you go back and try to mess stuff up to create a page about waht to do if XXXXXX happens? I had some issues during my root process, but I posted somewhere asking for help, detailing exactly which steps i had taken prior to having trouble, what my issues were specifically (including code), as well as what i did to FIX my issues after I had figured it out. People here don't like being asked vague and general questions about why xxxxxxx isn't working, which is why usually tehy like for people to be as specific as possible. I'm not angry with your or any other person that has issues rooting, but i'm simply trying to explain why other people get pissy and are brief when a little morehelp would do. a lot of people just need to read a bit more before they post, which is what pisses everyone off, but hey, we all need to start somewhere right?
as for your specific issues, did you use the CID1 or the CID2? The guides (video and hack kit) both call for you to use the CID2 so if you didn't use that right off the bat, that's waht your issue was. As for your black screen, what step are you talking about? Are you able to downgrade your rom? or is taht where you're having issues? and i didn't use any of bubby's one click stuff, but what's teh mod.zip file supposed to do? I followed the hack kit and video walk through both and adb sent the downgrade rom to my phone, it rebooted into recovery (ON ITS OWN - i didn't have to get it into recovery myself) and i had to scroll to tell it to load the rom and that was it. maybe your issue is that you're skipping steps? do you have a good connection to your phone between your comp/is teh whole downgrade rom being transferred to your phone? I know i had that issue where after 4 or 5 commands from the command prompt, it would lose connection with my phone and i would have to restart before i could send another command through adb...
lastly, to answer your question about the one click rooting, i think we all wish tihs phone had that, but it doesn't and it sucks. as i'm sure you've read, the only way to do this is through a radio exploit in a downgraded rom thanks to att being a bi***a** about sideloading and whatnot. it is waht it is.
anyways, i hope i answered your questions adn maybe even helped you out with the rooting. if you need more help, feel free to start another thread and PM me the link to it. hopefully i'll check my PM's and be able to help you with it. jsut remember, be as descriptive as possible and no one will flame you
Scott_S said:
I have found all the information I have needed to date by reading first. It's not an attitude unique to this forum... it happens elsewhere on the internet.
With processes like this, I would think one would want to be armed with as much knowledge prior to starting, as possible.
People get stuck on unique problems, and ask for help, and nearly without exception, if some degree of effort has been made by the person asking, then people are pretty willing to assist.
If people come in an ask questions that would have been easily answered had they taken the extra five minutes to check if it had been addressed already, it shows... its easy to tell if someone has made even the slightest effort to educate themselves first, or if they're just expecting free technical support.
Sent from my Inspire 4G using Tapatalk Pro
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
/begin rant
You read my mind...
Honestly people, the development thread has practically every answer to any question that could come to mind throughout the process, but you have to be willing to put in the effort to read pages upon pages of advice.
A few days of reading and learning will reward you with a perfectly rooted device, but you can't be lazy about it.
If after sifting through the development thread (and using a handy little tool called google...) you still can't make any sense of this, maybe you should ask yourself if you should really be doing this in the first place?
These developers work hard to put out what we have available today and they really jumped on this particular phone rapidly, and the methods available today work. I used bubby323's "HTC Inspire 4G Simple Root and S-Off" and from start to finish I rooted two Inspires and loaded them with custom ROMs in under an hour.
At least meet them halfway in the effort department people.
/end rant
Keep in mind also that those of us who rooted had to read through pages and pages and pages if we got stuck, it's rather annoying to read "I didn't want to have to go through that huge thread to find my answer" What makes you so special?
corbin dallas said:
I have to say, I'm with NOOB here.
As far as "bubby's" super easy one click, ya, maybe IF I had time to read through 238 pages of geekchat banter and decode the "FAQ" that was written in a haphazard method.
Nothing personal, but maybe YOU guys know how to do this but many of us do not.
I've spent 3 days going over instructions, videos and other how-to's only to find myself frustrated at the process and procedures.
I'm now at the point where I can get to my boot loader but no matter what mod.zip file I have on the root of the card I get a black screen.
2 things RIGHT off the top of my head that were not discussed (or at least I didn't find them in).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where exactly are you at in the process? Do you have S-OFF and can you confirm you are rooted? If so, you have already done the hard part. Am I reading correct that when you try to get into recovery mode (via rom manager or by Vol-Down + PWR) that the phone reboots and then fades to black?
this would require you to do eng s-off, i had the same issue with inspire
I researched for a. Week...reading everything I could find....which included 238 pages and an faq that...was written haphazardly (though I found useful) prepared myself for any eventuality.

Dear all wooters, please don't try to do modding yoga

I may be imagining it, but it seems like there's a steady increase of "help, I bricked my gtab" threads as people are starting to receive their woot's gtabs. Please stop and think. Have you ever done something like modding an android device before? Is it worth it?
If it ain't broken, don't try to fix it.
I currently got 2 gtabs. One I have modded the hell out of and the other I'm keeping the stock rom. What you can do is go to settings and set it to classic. The annoying weather TnT thing will go away and your gtab will work just fine. Very fast. Very sexy. Love you long time.
I beg you, please help yourself and consider just staying with the classic stock rom. I've been playing with it and I see nothing wrong with it. Works wonderfully.
One user on here came and said when he first started playing with the gtab in office depot he was expecting the worst screen ever because of all the negative reviews about the screen. But to his surprise, it turned out to be very pleasant. Why? Because people on the internet like to exaggerate.
And in this case, people really did exaggerate the unusability of the stock rom. If you're not doing aerobics and yoga with the gtab, you won't notice it. Please do yourself (and us all) a favor by not simply plunging into modding as soon as your gtab arrives. Play with the stock rom first. Make sure you set it to classic. Give it a couple days before you decide to whether put a custom rom on there or not.
Please think about what I just said. Amen.
+1 good advice!!!!!!
x2. And please read up on things like adb and nvflash BEFORE you you start modding. Imo, anyone modding their device should have these tools handy, in advance.
"adb", for example, is almost a standard requirement in other Android phone forums. But for some reason it's not stressed here - I am guilty of that as well. I think that, if you are taking the risk (and it IS a risk) to mod your device, you should have the tools to save yourself from yourself. There's a nice writeup on nvflash that I posted (and "Rev" wrote) and adb instructions are all over the place, not just here.
Thanks!
i dont understand where all the problems come from. if you do it just like the guide tells you, shouldnt it work? i havent dont it myself but ive read and reread the guides. arent they all exactly the same out of the box if there ota version is the same? is it people are just not following directions? cause its seems pretty simple to me even though i havent done it before.im planning on doing it and if i follow the directions exactly and it doesnt work, im just gonna throw it out the window.
Also, I forgot to add.
I work in a research lab. Even though I'm an engineer, I'm really the acting tech guy. As a side job, occasionally I make house calls to fix people's computer problems.
It is my experience that not-so tech savy people always manage to find problems that us techies would never find. Not only that, not-so tech savy people most of the time can't remember what they did and can't verbalize what they did. This makes it 100x harder on us techies.
You see, there are unspoken rules in the world of tech. For example, dealing with system files is risky. Deleting them is bad. Things like that. Not-so tech savy people don't know these rules and so they just stumble all over the place finding and creating problems that the tech people would never find.
What I just said above means that when you find (or create) a problem and you didn't follow the proper procedures, you're not always going to find someone that knows a solution. Why? Because the rest of us never dared to go down that dark narrow alley that you decided to run into. We don't know what's in there. And if you manage to find a 3 headed troll, how are we to know what to do since we've never been down that alley?
Take it for what it's worth. If I haven't detered you, at least have adb and nvflash ready. And make sure you know what you're doing with those.
fridge011 said:
i dont understand where all the problems come from. if you do it just like the guide tells you, shouldnt it work? i havent dont it myself but ive read and reread the guides. arent they all exactly the same out of the box if there ota version is the same? is it people are just not following directions? cause its seems pretty simple to me even though i havent done it before.im planning on doing it and if i follow the directions exactly and it doesnt work, im just gonna throw it out the window.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
(1) Not-so tech savy people like to take short cuts for whatever reason. They also sometimes skip important steps in a procedure even though it's right there in front of them. At least one wooter has already bricked his gtab without backing up.
(2) No, they're not all exactly the same out of the box. Nothing is ever all exactly the same out of the box.
(3) Everything seems simple to me, too. But according to my experience, what seems simple to someone with experience isn't always simple to everyone else.
Just last week, I went to a woman's house to help her with computer problems. She made it sound like life and death on the phone. The only reason I tolerate her is because she might be my in law one day. Anyway, it turned out that the problem was she thought the monitor was the computer. We have explained to her over and over that it's only the monitor and that the box sitting below is the computer. Seems silly to us, but there it is.
fridge011 said:
i dont understand where all the problems come from. if you do it just like the guide tells you, shouldnt it work? i havent dont it myself but ive read and reread the guides. arent they all exactly the same out of the box if there ota version is the same? is it people are just not following directions? cause its seems pretty simple to me even though i havent done it before.im planning on doing it and if i follow the directions exactly and it doesnt work, im just gonna throw it out the window.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My transition from stock 3588 to tnt lite 5 now twotapsx went smooth as butter however some devices moving from other mods back down to 3588 and then to twotapsx had problems!!! The biggest issue was a confusion on using clockwork mod recovery as those who tried it with the ttx mostly found themselves semi-bricked which led to a literal borkathon . Most issues were from user error but on some cases there were oddball problems that just popped up!! So my point is that in Modding your tablets to anything other than stock you are risking a BORK but if you follow directions and have the proper backouts tools ready such as nvflash and adb you should be ok.
goodintentions said:
(1) Not-so tech savy people like to take short cuts for whatever reason. They also sometimes skip important steps in a procedure even though it's right there in front of them. At least one wooter has already bricked his gtab without backing up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+100 on this one. I have a friend that I had to help with rooting her evo and Gtab, and had to ask her every step she took to make sure she actually took them. Luckily she learned early on to use Nandroid and keep a backup of the stock rom and any working roms before you switch to another one.
fridge,
I've skipped posts after yours to answer you, so I apologize if I duplicate something.
YES, if you do everything right bad things CAN happen:
1. Android is not a well-documented operating system and something you just "think" your doing it right.
2. The G-Tablet can be cranky. Unexpected things happen. The other day my pristine, perfect tab
was shut down properly. Next time I turned it on I had huge
"android.process.acore" errors and I had to fix it.
3. I don't know of anyone who has revealed themselves on this forum that thoroughly
understands the structure of the OS software on the G-Tablet. Read all the posts
on boot.img and partition structure. It really would help us all if we knew more.
4. There are a lot of good people who "help" others on this forum Most give good
advice most of the time -- but those of us that are human make mistakes once in a while.
And honestly, some helpers may not give good advice -- don't do it if you don't
understand and feel good about it.
5. Some people don't abide by good IT practices. I saw someone trying to get help
the other day that had barely gotten started with the G-Tab and already had CWM and had
tried three or four ROMS and other related software -- and had a soft-brick!
People need to move slow and check things out more carefully.
6. And some of the software posted here for your use may not even work right. I know a
couple of programs I have seen associated with lots of crashes. If a program
is listed in the threads with lots of crashes around it -- you better be careful!
I could go on for a long while further. If you REALLY read the forum and what's going
on instead of just looking for things to install, you will see these patterns.
Rev
Agreed completely with the intention of this post but I don't think the increase of people messing theirs up is due to woot just yet. I ordered one from the woot sale and i am fairly sure that it hasn't even shipped yet, the email said within 5 days. They aren't the fastest at shipping stuff.
It's probably more so just due to the dropping price in general.
People who have not done any moding of other android devices before should absoltely so slow and wait on loading whole roms until they get familiar with it and read up a lot and do their homework otherwise they will risk breaking their device.
Sent from my ACS frozen Epic
May or may not be Wooters but several *have* posted that they have recieved them.
Adding one small thing I've learned over the years: sometimes an install/upgrade/mod just doesn't take the first time. Or the second. Or the third. Patience is a key to sucess in these things. If it doesn't work the first time, come back the next day and try it again.
Repeating again: READ the forums and all the old threads. Go back and read them again.
And if you don't do backups, I have no pity for you.
iamchocho said:
Agreed completely with the intention of this post but I don't think the increase of people messing theirs up is due to woot just yet. I ordered one from the woot sale and i am fairly sure that it hasn't even shipped yet, the email said within 5 days. They aren't the fastest at shipping stuff.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, mine from woot is due to arrive tomorrow. May be that's because I ordered mine 10 minutes after midnight.
But regardless, people need to think twice before deciding to take the plunge.
Edit.
And I'm just cranky because I just found out this morning I've been a victim of credit card fraud. Someone's been doing a lot of shopping online with my credit card. Mostly games, so I'm guessing it's some spoiled brat somewhere who got lucky at hitting random numbers and got mine.
roebeet said:
x2. And please read up on things like adb and nvflash BEFORE you you start modding. Imo, anyone modding their device should have these tools handy, in advance.
"adb", for example, is almost a standard requirement in other Android phone forums. But for some reason it's not stressed here - I am guilty of that as well. I think that, if you are taking the risk (and it IS a risk) to mod your device, you should have the tools to save yourself from yourself. There's a nice writeup on nvflash that I posted (and "The Rev" wrote) and adb instructions are all over the place, not just here.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've been lurking on the gTab forums here for the last several days, and have been trying to absorb all of the info I can. I tend to research everything in depth before I plunge into anything. While much information is here, it is fragmented, and what is easy to follow for a developer is not as easy to follow for others. roebeet, you do the best of any I've seen, and I appreciate it. I've done a lot of searches which have helped some. I'm not new to Android (or XDA) as I have a stock Droid Incredible, but I am new to mods to Androids. I have also used Linux in the past, and modded kernels for newer drivers using cookbook approaches, so little scares me if I have enough information. I've sort of figured out how to install and use nvflash, ADB, and CWM using the various guides, but I'm missing some fundamental knowledge on WHEN and WHY I should really be prepared to use them. I've also tried to do some reading on Nandroid, but have found little pertinent to the gTab. So here goes:
1. What is the primary use of each of the following tools, nvflash, ADB, and CWM? When should I expect to have to use each of them? Are there gTab specific guides to their uses and the options for each outside of ROM installation guides, etc? Specific examples of when I should use each, and even more important, when NOT to use them, would be helpful. I've read all of the ROM, nvflash and ADB installation guides, and the various FAQs, and I understand HOW to install each of, just want to understand the best practices for each.
2. After reading a lot, it appears that having a complete backup of my particular ROM would be a good idea since partitions seem to differ even on stock gTabs. I've read posts here that refer to Titanium, and the use of ADB and CWM to do backups, and others that refer obliquely to Nandroid. What is the use of each of the above to do backups? It appears that Nandroid is a piece of CWM, but I may be mistaken. And if I install TnTlite using roebeet's guide, I'm not supposed to use CWM anyway. So how do I do a backup?
3. I plan to use my gTab as I get it, allowing it to do OTA updates only, for a few days, playing with the TNT and normal Android interfaces. I understand that a major OTA may be imminent anyway, possibly based on the leaked 3991 ROM, so my current plan is to wait for it, at least for a week or two. I plan to explore the guts of the file system carefully to fully understand the various instructions I've found here. Is there a way to safely install nvflash and ADB and explore more, or do I need to have an already rooted ROM installed on the GTab.
4. Some people recommend updated to newer or tweaked kernels. I've found the kernels, but haven't found any good step by steps on how to install them. Any links you can point to?
As an aside, I think roebeet's idea of a good wiki for this forum is a good one. The main XDA wiki is about useless. I would expect to see beginners guides to nvflash, ADB, CWM, etc.
Thanks for your help.
Jon
Suggestion. If you are going to install a ROM, pull the detailed instructions from one of the reputable Devs here, paste it into a word processor and add a check box before each step ( can use bullet tool) Then make sure you go thru one step at a time and check the box just in case you get interrupted. If you are unclear on a step ( ie clear cache) research it before you do anything.
thanks for your replies guys, it is definitely good to know that even if i do it perfectly it might still not work the 1st time. ill just nvflash it and try again. this is a really informative forum.
I think a centralized FAQ and / or Wiki is needed, for all the concerns you stated.
"How do I setup adb? What is it used for?"
"What is nvflash? How do I backup all my partitions?"
"What's the difference between clockworkmod and standard recovery? What are the pros and cons of both?"
"What are the difference ROMs available and what are their differences?"
"What is a customized kernel and why would I use it?"
"I have an error <fill in the blank> -- what do I do?"
etc etc. With potentially hundreds of Woot users about to jump into XDA, I think this would be a fantastic thing to have. Heck, it would a good thing to have for ALL of us, myself included.
It's NOT an easy task, however. I would argue that it's a very arduous task and something that would need to be ongoing. But I think it would ease some of the repeat questions here, and give new users a good guide to understand some of the basics.
lamchocho,
Wrong! The wooters are here!
And as the days go by there's going to be more.
Gonna be interesting.
Rev
jonalowe said:
I've been lurking on the gTab forums here for the last several days, and have been trying to absorb all of the info I can. I tend to research everything in depth before I plunge into anything. While much information is here, it is fragmented, and what is easy to follow for a developer is not as easy to follow for others. roebeet, you do the best of any I've seen, and I appreciate it. I've done a lot of searches which have helped some. I'm not new to Android (or XDA) as I have a stock Droid Incredible, but I am new to mods to Androids. I have also used Linux in the past, and modded kernels for newer drivers using cookbook approaches, so little scares me if I have enough information. I've sort of figured out how to install and use nvflash, ADB, and CWM using the various guides, but I'm missing some fundamental knowledge on WHEN and WHY I should really be prepared to use them. I've also tried to do some reading on Nandroid, but have found little pertinent to the gTab. So here goes:
1. What is the primary use of each of the following tools, nvflash, ADB, and CWM? When should I expect to have to use each of them? Are there gTab specific guides to their uses and the options for each outside of ROM installation guides, etc? Specific examples of when I should use each, and even more important, when NOT to use them, would be helpful. I've read all of the ROM, nvflash and ADB installation guides, and the various FAQs, and I understand HOW to install each of, just want to understand the best practices for each.
2. After reading a lot, it appears that having a complete backup of my particular ROM would be a good idea since partitions seem to differ even on stock gTabs. I've read posts here that refer to Titanium, and the use of ADB and CWM to do backups, and others that refer obliquely to Nandroid. What is the use of each of the above to do backups? It appears that Nandroid is a piece of CWM, but I may be mistaken. And if I install TnTlite using roebeet's guide, I'm not supposed to use CWM anyway. So how do I do a backup?
3. I plan to use my gTab as I get it, allowing it to do OTA updates only, for a few days, playing with the TNT and normal Android interfaces. I understand that a major OTA may be imminent anyway, possibly based on the leaked 3991 ROM, so my current plan is to wait for it, at least for a week or two. I plan to explore the guts of the file system carefully to fully understand the various instructions I've found here. Is there a way to safely install nvflash and ADB and explore more, or do I need to have an already rooted ROM installed on the GTab.
4. Some people recommend updated to newer or tweaked kernels. I've found the kernels, but haven't found any good step by steps on how to install them. Any links you can point to?
As an aside, I think roebeet's idea of a good wiki for this forum is a good one. The main XDA wiki is about useless. I would expect to see beginners guides to nvflash, ADB, CWM, etc.
Thanks for your help.
Jon
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm quoting Jon's post in its entirety because he both perfectly articulates a number of my questions as well as captures my sense that after days worth of information mining on this site, I'm semi-well-informed enough to do the kind of damage that will surely add to the confusion you all seem to realize is imminent here.
I may be able to help with question 4. Buried in Clemsyn's kernel thread (52 pp!) ...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=895825
...is this:
INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS:
1. ROOT, Flash CWM Recovery (if you haven't done this yet)
2. Create a FULL nandroid backup (optional since its just a kernel)
3. Download a kernel of choice
4. Put the kernel on root of sd
5. Boot into Clockwork MOD recovery (either from ROM Manager or manually- hold volume up and down at same time and press power button, then select "apply sdcard: update.zip"
6. In recovery select "Install zip from sd card"
7. Select "Choose zip from sd card"
8. Navigate to the kernel file and select it
9. Let it install, it will take a few minutes...screen will go weird (black with big blue letters) then take you back to recovery.
10. Reboot phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
goodintentions said:
Just last week, I went to a woman's house to help her with computer problems. She made it sound like life and death on the phone. The only reason I tolerate her is because she might be my in law one day. Anyway, it turned out that the problem was she thought the monitor was the computer. We have explained to her over and over that it's only the monitor and that the box sitting below is the computer. Seems silly to us, but there it is.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just a fair warning, they (the in-laws) never change.
A little note as to why we'll probably start seeing a lot of uninformed people here is because Viewsonic actually has a link to XDA on the "Favorite gTablet Apps and Resources" page of their site, which is accessible from the main G Tablet home page
It's in the developer resources section, but as everyone already knows that doesn't stop some people.

all noobs problem

hello everyone,
I have spent quite a few days researching around the forum, and eventually managed to root, s-off,change cid and install dark forest rom for sensation xe.
I must say that this is THE most comprehensive concentration of information available everywhere.
However i have to add that, not all of us "brainiacs" is capable understanding what you masterminds write. If eventually we "brainiacs" suceed to make something work,believe me it is pure luck.
Some step by step instructions would be more than welcome, and by that i am not saying that there arent any, but for me as a noob, it was quite challenging to filter what i need, what is a must do step, and what i dont need. And when i finally understood what i have to do, that was not enough, because i still did not know how to do it.
All in all you guys are THE authority for every gizmo there is.
Thank you
Each person does it their own way, some skip NAND backup, some dont wipe, etc. Generally, backup, wipe and check md5 sums before flashing, if you skip any of those steps, thats up to you, problems may occure and they may not. For an example, I dont check md5s. So far, I never needed to restore NAND backup, but things could go wrong one day, so I make them. Wiping is a must, we want our mobile fresh new, dont we? (unless chef says dont - InsertCoin Sense 4 Beta 4 for an example)
NAND backup:
1. Boot into recovery
2. Find backup
3. Confirm everything
4. Wait like 10 minutes
5. DOne
Wipe:
I use Mike1986's script for wiping, just put on sd card and flash it
MD5 Checksums:
1. Get a md5 checker
2. Since each of them work differently, I wont give you manuals on this, you do development stuff, you should be smart enough to figure it out yourself
Flashing ROMs:
1. Again, some might have aroma installer, some just simple touch recovery, some just need waiting and its done.
Btw. IMO if you dont know how to do these things, you arent qualified for flashing roms
svrecar said:
hello everyone,
I have spent quite a few days researching around the forum, and eventually managed to root, s-off,change cid and install dark forest rom for sensation xe.
I must say that this is THE most comprehensive concentration of information available everywhere.
However i have to add that, not all of us "brainiacs" is capable understanding what you masterminds write. If eventually we "brainiacs" suceed to make something work,believe me it is pure luck.
Some step by step instructions would be more than welcome, and by that i am not saying that there arent any, but for me as a noob, it was quite challenging to filter what i need, what is a must do step, and what i dont need. And when i finally understood what i have to do, that was not enough, because i still did not know how to do it.
All in all you guys are THE authority for every gizmo there is.
Thank you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for using search, writing in a thoughtful manner and beign humble.
It has become rare to see people like you here on XDA
svrecar said:
hello everyone,
I have spent quite a few days researching around the forum, and eventually managed to root, s-off,change cid and install dark forest rom for sensation xe.
I must say that this is THE most comprehensive concentration of information available everywhere.
However i have to add that, not all of us "brainiacs" is capable understanding what you masterminds write. If eventually we "brainiacs" suceed to make something work,believe me it is pure luck.
Some step by step instructions would be more than welcome, and by that i am not saying that there arent any, but for me as a noob, it was quite challenging to filter what i need, what is a must do step, and what i dont need. And when i finally understood what i have to do, that was not enough, because i still did not know how to do it.
All in all you guys are THE authority for every gizmo there is.
Thank you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree, if you want something done, you have to do a lot of searching and reading. I don't see that as a bad thing, by searching and reading through the forum you get to learn more about the possiblity's of our phone and why certain things happen or need to be done.
I use the search button very often just like you and learned a lot more then when i would just follow a step by step guide for everything. But i agree, sometimes the forum just looks like a soup with information
As you said.
There is so much info and often quite a few different ways to do the same thing, that makes it really hard to follow any guide if you are a noob as i am.
Every noob should first spend a few hours reading through the forum to be able to use search function properly, because you have to know what to search for
And if you dont find what are you looking for, just search in inteligent way. Believe me you will find what you need. Everything is on here.
If you want to root, su, cid....etc like i wanted, find a guide for flashing any custom rom for instance, and look at the steps usually at the begining of the guide, where is written that for succesfull flashing of xx custom rom, you have to do root first, then install this as second...etc.
From this steps you cam learn....aha i have to root my gizmo...so your next step should and must be search function with key elements as....root htc sensation xe....in my case, and voila you are on the way to do what you want
Br,
Saso
well, all you can find here are guides, not deep explaination of how your device works...
I came in android world 3 months ago...and I followed so many guides, understanding nothing!....doing just what there was written...
now, after three months, I think I can understand everything about...roms, flashing, ecc...I flash roms in 5 minutes, few time ago I did it in 5 hours!....
take your time to learn....try different things, and ask someone if you have doubts...this is a forum, we can ask, share....
Just follow what they say
Feel free 2 ask here, i think xda members dont mind 2 help
PS: Actually, i am a noob 2
Sent from my Galaxy Tab 10.1 using XDA
You'll eventually start understanding more around the three month level. For now, just follow instructions and learn. I didn't know anything about android when I first started, but hanging around these guys broughtme up to speed quickly.
Sent from my HTC Sensation

Open source... but not simple

Hi everyone
I'll be honest : I'm a noob in android.
I know that android is an open system. You can do all the modding you want. But holy cow, it's seem really complicated for me. Why? Because I have a SGH-T959D from Telus. It's not a standard phone like a I9000 or a Google Nexus.
But why is that so complicated to flash the firmware? To check compatibility with kernel x.x.x.x.? The Jig usb is necessery?
Google tells it's an open system, but it seems that I have to read a thread with 100 pages of posts for 3 hours to study if I can do it or not? I know open system does not mean simple or ez to work with but...
I've got 2 big posts to read for the SGH-T959d. But one is dated of january 2011. I don't think it's up to date but is this ok if I use that? I don't know...
What's your taughs about that???
yaaa4?
It is true....
Root is indeed not a stock process. It needs some knowlidge, you will get the skills by learning. And learning process needs some time investment. Stock Android is securer, as it must be "idiots-safe" but therefore it is also very limited and not so interesting.
For beginning, you can also start searching for the proper topics from XDA site in Google. When you get used a bit to this site, it will be easy to start with "find your device" and then go to "development" topics made for your device. The opening topic consist usually the last stand of the development. Also when it is an older topic.
Don't use workflow for other devices, only for yours. Also don't ever flash any files for other devices. Reading through the topics helps to learn a lot. Did it help to start?

[Q] In way over my head regarding a Android stick (Mk809III)

Hi guys
First of all, I am not a programmer.. Not even very tech savyy, so if "ordinary" people isn't allowed to ask around here, I apologize. I would also like to mention that english isn't my primary language, so also please forgive me for my bad english.
My problem is that I am in wayyy over my head. I bought an android (hdmi)stick over Ebay and actually kind of expected it to be plug and play. After a bit of playing around and reading up on it I realize that this is far from the case.
The item is an Azurill MK809III
I have the following problems:
When I am trying to use apps that requires a rooted device, they say it isn't rooted. When trying to use apps that doesn't allow rooted devices, the app says it is. I am quite convinced that it is, but I don't know why various apps (also apps which only purpose is to check for root) says it isn't. I would, solely for that reason like to find another (still mediacenter-friendly) rom.
I also find the movies kind of choppy. According to various posts on the internet, it's because of a problem in the way the stock "kernel" handles things. I've read various recommendations of which alternative kernel that should be used. I don't know if another rom will solve this problem also?
The problem is that it's a JUNGLE out there. I honestly don't know how to flash a rom, and when reading up on it it seems VERY complicated. I know from earlier escapades that tech-things often look more complicated in writing, but what worries me the most is that all the guides that I found includes some kind of code.. Is that Linux? And does that mean that I need to have a computer running Linux to do this?
I am a totally virgin when it comes to tampering with things on this level.. I honestly thought it would be a nice "out of the box" alternative to a Chromecast, but boy was I wrong.
Can anyone save me? Either by guiding me through the whole process or maybe just tell me if this is possible without Linux and pointing me in the right direction(s)? I fell over something called "Rockchip Batch tool", but I don't know if that can be used for the process or only to flash back to the stock rom (or maybe I totally misunderstood what its for)
I am of course kind of afraid of breaking my device, so I don't dare to start following some guide on my own initiative, unless someone assured me that it is the right thing to do.
Thank you in advance.. :fingers-crossed:
Christina
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