Database Info

Need good primer

Just purchased my first Android phone (Aria). I noticed that there is a lot of bloatware on this phone and that there are several things missing that I would like to have. Namely, I would like swype and active wallpapers, but I'm sure there is much more.
I have spent the day looking through webpages around how to install these things and remove the bloatware. The furthest I have gotten is to get the phone to root. I am a developer by trade but have just a little Java experience.
Can someone point me in the right direction on a primer on how to install these things and remove the bloatware?
I notice that people refer to different ROMS a lot. I would be interested in learning how to install these as well.
Sorry for the newb question, but I need a little context to be able to get to work.
Thanks!

Check the stickies
Sent from my Liberty using XDA App

nm.
Thanks for all your gracious help.

photoghog said:
Just purchased my first Android phone (Aria). I noticed that there is a lot of bloatware on this phone and that there are several things missing that I would like to have. Namely, I would like swype and active wallpapers, but I'm sure there is much more.
I have spent the day looking through webpages around how to install these things and remove the bloatware. The furthest I have gotten is to get the phone to root. I am a developer by trade but have just a little Java experience.
Can someone point me in the right direction on a primer on how to install these things and remove the bloatware?
I notice that people refer to different ROMS a lot. I would be interested in learning how to install these as well.
Sorry for the newb question, but I need a little context to be able to get to work.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
for removing the bloatware you have a couple options now that you're rooted. You can install a custom ROM, search this forum for CM6.1.1 or Liberated for that. Installing these ROMs is detailed in their respective threads here in the Development section. Or to just remove the bloatware and keep your stock ROM search for a thread called "alternate method for removing bloatware". That details how to remove whatever system apps you dont want using adb.
As for Swype, thats a little more tricky. The only "legit" way to get it is to sign up for the beta at Swypes website, but the beta currently closed and who knows when it will open again. The other option is to just search google for someone that has a pirated version available for download. Swype beta is free so you shouldnt feel too bad for downloading it unofficially The newest version is 2.15.56. You will also need to search for a thread about sideloading apps to install swype if you dont want to install a custom ROM. As for live wallpapers on a stock aria, I have no idea on that one, sorry.
Good Luck

Check out the liberated ROM using the 2.1 eclair or even the latest liberated Rom running froyo
Sent from my HTC Liberty using XDA App

photoghog said:
Just purchased my first Android phone (Aria). I noticed that there is a lot of bloatware on this phone and that there are several things missing that I would like to have. Namely, I would like swype and active wallpapers, but I'm sure there is much more.
I have spent the day looking through webpages around how to install these things and remove the bloatware. The furthest I have gotten is to get the phone to root. I am a developer by trade but have just a little Java experience.
Can someone point me in the right direction on a primer on how to install these things and remove the bloatware?
I notice that people refer to different ROMS a lot. I would be interested in learning how to install these as well.
Sorry for the newb question, but I need a little context to be able to get to work.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you can check out my guide HERE. plenty of info all in one spot. most of the information is based on what i have learned here at XDA. Great people, great community. keep it up guys

Wow, thanks for all the great information guys. I got a liberated ROM loaded last night but it is certainly a "learn as you go" exercise! The ROM I got was a stock minus the AT&T bloatware. Still haven't gotten live wallpapers to work yet, but I'll tinker with it as I get time.
That being said, which ROM do you guys feel is the best?
Thanks again, the last 3 or 4 posts have been extremely helpful!

congrats bro, i personally recommend the Liberated FR008, or CM6 FroYo. they are both excellent stable ROM's, and they both include live wallpapers too
BTW, if someone's post helps you, dont forget to click the "Thanks" button

photoghog said:
That being said, which ROM do you guys feel is the best?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My Rom of choice is definitely Cm6.1.1. But that's just my preference. The liberated roms are also great roms. Try them both. Regardless of which you choose both have excellent support from the community and the devs which its very important.
Sent from my cm6.1 Aria using XDA App

I agree with the previous two posts, you really can't go wrong with either of the two Froyo (Android 2.2) ROMs -- Liberated FR008 or CyanogenMod 6.1.x. One very important thing to remember is before you install any new ROMs, boot into Clockwork Recovery (With the phone off, hold the volume down and power button simultaneously). Once there, click on NANDROID and then make a back-up. After you make the back-up, reboot the phone and then copy the back-up folder to your computer just to be safe. It's in the Clockwork folder on your SD card. Once you've done that, you can feel comfortable installing different ROMs knowing that you have that back-up you can always return to if you run into problems.

Oh and one more thing, although it probably isn't totally necessary, I also delete data/Factory reset, delete cache and delete dalvik cache prior to installing a new ROM. This isn't necessary if you're just installing an update to the same ROM you already have running, but it's a pretty good way to ensure a trouble-free installation on a new ROM. The downside is that you have to install all your apps from scratch afterwards, but that can also be a good thing, allowing you to edit out the apps you really aren't using anyway.
Make sure all of your contacts are GOOGLE contacts before you start flashing ROMs as well. This will ensure that you don't lose any with a new ROM install. One of the ROMs (Cyanogen, I think) doesn't allow you to view contacts from the SIM card, so if you haven't moved them all to Google, you'll essentially lose them until you go back to a different ROM.

zedbra said:
you can check out my guide HERE. plenty of info all in one spot. most of the information is based on what i have learned here at XDA. Great people, great community. keep it up guys
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've tried to follow this link a couple of times, and I've never been able to do so successfully. It appears as though registration is necessary?

got live wallpapers working today. Again, thanks for all the help. If any other noobs need help, holler at me: I'd be happy to help - although I will say that I followed most of the stickies and was able to do what I needed. Thanks given out all around!

BuckMulligan said:
I've tried to follow this link a couple of times, and I've never been able to do so successfully. It appears as though registration is necessary?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hmmm, sorry for that. maybe i'll just copy the guides over here

[Q] No one's playing with the LG LS840 'Viper'?

Ok, so having transferred back to Sprint after an arduous ordeal with Verizon, I now have my new LG LS840 'Viper'[A.os v2.3.3] and have rooted the system. This was definitely not my preferred choice (I wanted the HTC Evo LTE), but it seems like you all got to them first. Now having said this, I find it alarming how few (if I manage to find any @ all) posts there are about the above mentioned LG.
I have run into a few problems. As in things like; I have root and su# capability. System apps. which require root seem to work fine(i.e. mem. optimizers and CPU controls etc.). That is until I try Clockwork Recovery which sends the device into reboot. Also, trying to access the bootloader in the common android fashion (Pwr+Vol.Dn) does nothing more than send me to a 'Factory Data Reset' option.
Now please understand that I am new to LG, as all my experience is with HTC, both at Sprint prev.(HTC EVO 4G wi-max) and at Verizon (HTC Thunderbolt LTE) I think I simply got conned into this fone.
So, If any one reading this post has any experience with the LG Viper, or any other LG device, or both (preferably), Please, give me the run down on how these devices work or any input on the above listed issues.
Also, any links to information (etc.) will be highly appreciated.
Thank You, JLM

p.s.
I should also probably mention that I rooted the device using the SuperOneClick method listed @ Androidcentral.com

I have LG P509 Optimus T to access recovery home, volume up and power. I'm using AmonRa 3.0.6 but same button combination for Clockworkmod recovery.
Sent from my LG-P500 using XDA

Have you installed a cutom recovery yet? You will need it to flash rom's and make backups.

fdaconta said:
Have you installed a cutom recovery yet? You will need it to flash rom's and make backups.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not yet. I thought that S1C would load it. I have currently found a user program that is supposed to work with LG viper. I have yet to try and run it. Here is the url address http://d-h.st/GFZ. with a little more time maybe I can have it worked out.

JzMac said:
Not yet. I thought that S1C would load it. I have currently found a user program that is supposed to work with LG viper. I have yet to try and run it. Here is the url address http://d-h.st/GFZ. with a little more time maybe I can have it worked out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Perhaps I should mention that the SuperOneClick version I used successfully was v.1.7 and not the v.2.3.3 that is listed in the Androidcentral Forum. With v.2.3.3 it always froze trying to load Superuser.apk

I jut got one of these todays. Cannot figure out how to get to the boot-loader yet.

JzMac said:
I should also probably mention that I rooted the device using the SuperOneClick method listed @ Androidcentral.com
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
^^ boss

LG
LG is a good brand was thinknig of getting it

I've had this phone for about 6-8 weeks now and still cannot find any roms to flash.

Jelly Bean release
I get the feeling the Viper is suffering because of LG's decision to release it with GB when ICS had been available for so long. Maybe there's some light at the end of the tunnel. I did find at least one rumor saying it will get a Jelly Bean Update in the Sept/Oct time frame. It might be enough to get some interest back into the device. Without some interest on the part of Devs, this isn't going to move much at all. It might already be past a critical adoption time too.
Since I'm a noob, I can't post a link, but go ahead and Google:
List of AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile Phones that will get Jelly Bean

Its actually a pretty slick little device for the price. Can't beat free
Sent from my LG-LS840 using xda app-developers app

Give it some more time. Things are in the works.
Sent from my LG-LS840 using Tapatalk 2
---------- Post added at 11:38 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:34 PM ----------
If anyone is that desperate ... Donate to one of the hard working dev teams...i can name a few...once we get fully stable clock work mod recovery we're of to the races.
Sent from my LG-LS840 using Tapatalk 2

Name em when I get paid ill donate
Sent from my LG-LS840 using xda app-developers app

I'm quite disappointed with this phone and the lack of development. It's been a great phone despite the fact that something fried inside my first one, and now my 2nd may be suffering from the same thing. I might keep this phone as a spare and upgrade to something better soon.

I'll have to agree with earlier, this little thing (my main is a SII Epic 4g Touch) is not bad. My girl had got one, said she was having problems so I switched, giving her my Photon 4g, but since I've had it, and rooted it, I haven't had a lick of problem out of it. One thing that has surprised me is also the what has seemed an extreme lack of support on it (I've had a custom rom on every one of my phones since my first cappy 3 years ago). Another is the external speaker....my goodness!! this thing is twice as loud as my SII....of course LG has been slowing falling off the bandwagon, but somehow holding on in the android race. And tho I'm a Galaxy S freak, this phone is alright. For free, a hell of a deal.

Net-Jester said:
I've had this phone for about 6-8 weeks now and still cannot find any roms to flash.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
from what ive found on the internet the only way to have custom roms on the lg viper is to flash back to GB with the lg flashtool and then flash a rom. I think the bootloader is locked and that's why you cant do anything with it. I haven't tried to unlock with any programs or anything cause I don't think im that advanced but if you want to try go ahead. this is all just info ive gathered from the internet though. I have managed to root ics zvk though. just don't freeze or uninstall google play movies and tv. it gives a security error.
if you want to root zvk follow these steps though;
1) install lg flashtool and flash phone to zvi
2) root with Root_with_Restore_by_Bin4ry_v15
3) install ota root keeper(voodoo ota rootkeeper)
4)temp unroot in ota rootkeeper
5)install update to zvk
6)restore root in ota rootkeeper
7)enjoy!!!

It's late, but I'm playing with it. I'm using a thread to summarize what I find.

[Bounty] Someone who will help me root/unlock bootloader/flash stock android rom

Hey,
I'm offering a $20 bounty to whoever would like to have a Skype chat with me (video preferably) and help me root/unlock bootloader/flash a rom. I come from the land of jailbreaking iPhones and this whole root stuff seems a hella more complicated.
Here is my situation:
I am updated to the latest version of android (4.0.4) with the latest OTAs from Verizon. My baseband is the latest VRLG7 version. I would like someone who has gone through this whole process or someone with credibility on XDA.
There is so much compatibility checks that you must do that it is too hard for a newbie like me to risk my $600+ device.
I am running stock TouchWiz with no mods or root or anything.
Please reply and I will PM you shortly.
Thanks!

There is still the option of posting your doubts here on XDA, and paying nothing..
If you are still unsure of what you are doing, then perhaps you should read up on this stuff, and maybe even watch some videos on people doing things like this. Modifications to the firmware of the phone should not be attempted unless you know what you are doing.

I would help you for free. But I'm at work for another five hours. So I'm no help right now.
There's a root tool you can use.
From there, use unlock boot loader app from market.
Install Rom manager. Flash recovery.
Install room as needed. I have files at home to use. I can upload them later.
There are guides all over the forum. Look in the development section.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app

Biggest mistake you can make is to pay someone else to walk you thru this and in the process, learn nothing about your new phone.
Everything you need is in these forums. Read all the stickies ... read them again ... and then, again. Rooting and unlocking your bootloader are pretty much one click propositions.
Then, when you are ready to play with root privileges, you will understand modems, kernels, ROMs, rom themes, build.prop tweaks, etc. ... and won't do something stupid, like trying to flash an I9300 ROM to your I535.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium

pdinphx said:
Biggest mistake you can make is to pay someone else to walk you thru this and in the process, learn nothing about your new phone.
Everything you need is in these forums. Read all the stickies ... read them again ... and then, again. Rooting and unlocking your bootloader are pretty much one click propositions.
Then, when you are ready to play with root privileges, you will understand modems, kernels, ROMs, rom themes, build.prop tweaks, etc. ... and won't do something stupid, like trying to flash an I9300 ROM to your I535.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, everything you need is in these forums, but I could definitely see it being more reassuring, less stressful, and less time consuming to have someone explaining the process as it's happening. Hands on learning and instruction.
The fact that he is willing to pay someone $20 for their time and expertise is pretty cool of him. A lot of users on here just expect tech support for free, lol.
If you still want a live walk through, I'd do it.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium

click on the link in my sig and donate the 20.00 to Team Sbrissen Mod to help them get a s3!
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1908591

I completely understand the fear. I've been rooting and roming since the Original Droid and I still get nervous each time I try doing it with a new phone. However some amazing people here put together some truly impressive tools and tutorials. Follow them step by step and you'll succeed. Destroying the phone to a point where it's not fixable is usually not that easy.
Personally I used this guide: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1762709 and everything was SUPER easy.
Once you do it a few times you really do lose the fear, in my case it always comes back with each new phone.
Just for the record, I'm very happy with my S3 and the only reason I even rooted was to make it not turn on when the home button was pressed. I had it in a pouch and it kept getting pressed in my pocket.

Wow. Just a few hours and I got PM's from people showing me how to do it all for free. You guys are truly amazing. It's so great that we have such a large community on XDA with such helpful and supportive people.
My new reasons that people should switch to android.
1. Great OS with endless customization
2. A rock star community of wonderful people
Thanks so much guys.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app

Welcome to freedom , just read up because everything you need to know is either in this forum/YouTube or you can Google it .if you need help I can helpyou with the basics.(for free)first golden rule after you root is make a backup of your system using cwm..ez-recovery.can't stress enuff how that will get you out of trouble and head aches.all I can say is read read and read more....

To unlock the bootlaoder make sure u get ez unlocker v1.2 i heard the later version arent working right if u want i have a copy of the v1.2 us loaded in my dropbox this is a link of it
http://db.tt/4zyQrkwa
Oh and back up ur imei
Sent from Land Line using Clean Rom 2.½ PayPhone

[Q] New here.. Desprately need help..

Hi.. I'm going to be as brief as I can..
I had to get my phone replaced because it got all "defective" on me.. No joke.. it wouldn't Charge, wouldn't call, txt, turn off, tried everything.
called tmobile they said that it was a known issue and that I would have to call samsung about the warrantee. Called Samsung "Call Tmobile"
called tmobile "can't help sorry". Took the phone into the store.. "oh you have the $7.99 insurance! call them" Called Insurance.. "It's not covered call Tmobile". called tmobile "call insurance". finally got someone to actually listen to me after about 6 hours of being on my husbands phone! Got tmobile to send me a replacement. It was the very same SGS4G that I have loved for years.. Then I turned it on... New Load Screen... Gingerbread... (I was on froyo 2.2 before and NEVER had a problem with anything until the phone went completely nuts)
So now my phone....
Can't Send txts without it being MMS
Bounces from 4G to Searching whenever it wants (most of the time it's in searching or just enough signal to make calls)
takes forever to download even the smallest apps..
Basically it's become a phone that I want nothing to do with..
So I talked to my dad knowing that he did alot of rooting stuff to his Droid
He told me "Root the Phone! Put the Rom you want on it and Make it work how you want it. Look up Xda-developers" <-- for a solution it didn't seem to get better than that!
That was my Headache.... Now for my Problem..
As I was reading through tons of stuff on here I saw that there was Slim ICS.. then I saw the "Not Working" section..
then there were different programs that are needed to install different things...
not to mention that I don't want to over work my processor which is a 1Ghz processor
As for a Modem... no clue which to pick... I just need a better connection altogether..
Could You please let me know which things run the best together..
Which programs do I need to root, install etc.. these things
and I'm soo confused right now it's not even funny.. My dads droid was soo easy for him to root and change that he's confused at the process that the SGS4G needs..
Any advice or help at all would be amazing!
I will be eternally grateful for any help at all!
Please feel free to laugh at my situation.. I know I am..
This all started as a desperate cry for something better than what my phone has become.. although I think that this whole thing is going to become one big funny story lol

First of all, you need to root your phone, then we'll talk after that. Go read the how to root thread in this forum. It is an easy process. Read this http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1375517
Sent from my SGH-T959V using xda premium

gizmoscoop said:
First of all, you need to root your phone, then we'll talk after that. Go read the how to root thread in this forum. It is an easy process. Read this http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1375517
Sent from my SGH-T959V using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One Slight problem with rooting it lol... from all of the info I'm getting here on the site it says I need to download something to root it...
I would really love to get all of the stuff needed so that once I root I can just get the whole process done with.
My dad is also on thephone with me right now.. yes at 3:35am lol..
He's trying to help me look through Roms and help me pick the best one. However he doesn't know much about my phone because he's with verizon...
What I need to know is what stuff works best together.. You know, the least amount of bugs and problems. I want to know from someone more experienced than ether me or my dad because We have been looking at this stuff for almost 10 hours... o_0 and it's not getting any less confusing lol.
Thank you
Serenity

Read this http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=, it has all the download links.
Sent from my SGH-T959V using xda premium

Follow the guides to root your phone. Then start looking at roms.
Most likely you'll want to start out with a GB rom and move around from there, you still have to root it to install those.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium

vopezy said:
Follow the guides to root your phone. Then start looking at roms.
Most likely you'll want to start out with a GB rom and move around from there, you still have to root it to install those.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I already have GB... that's what is messing me up badly.. I don't want to have GB anymore.

gizmoscoop said:
Read this http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=, it has all the download links.
Sent from my SGH-T959V using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
so the link told me..... "No thread specified. If you followed a valid link, please notify the administrator"
as far as the first link.. there are different programs to root your phone with... which one works the best.
The first one that you sent me to which is the One-Click thingy... sounded great at first! However I also have to download some C ++ thingy and something else before I could even use the program to root the phone..
Honestly a good program would be 1 program to root, one program to install. That kinda thing..
not 1 program to root... wait before you root install these 2 programs then stand on your head and download program 3... i mean honestly that kind of multi program stuff makes me wonder where the "Take this survey to unlock your download" screen is gonna be... lol

What would be the fun if you just clicked a button and everything worked.. Clearly something happened to your phone and you paid good money for it to work the first time. Luckily all this is free.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium

vopezy said:
What would be the fun if you just clicked a button and everything worked.. Clearly something happened to your phone and you paid good money for it to work the first time. Luckily all this is free.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hear that lol... although it took my phone 2 1/2 years to mess up lol.. but yes this is free.. and very very very confusing... but free lol

The least confusing way to do this is a heimdall one-click. Yes, you gotta have Java and the c++ runtime for windows installed but the links are provided right in the first post of the thread.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1358498
Starting from stock gb if you wanna go to ics download Eollie's one-click in the second post.
Now you should have the correct recovery to get to ics.
Currently the most functional ics rom I think is aokp which has auto-brightness working right out of the box.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1733097
A few things here and there aren't quite working on any ics rom:
Wifi calling
Tv out
...can't think of more now but those are probably most notable.
All you gotta do is follow instructions on the links I just posted. That's as easy as it gets. Really.
O. I forgot, to get into download mode turn off phone, hold volume up and down, plug phone into pc.
To get into recovery turn off phone, hold volume up and down, hold the power button until the second screen comes up, keep holding volume buttons. Recovery will come up.

You should also understand that as great as ICS is, you sacrifice some battery life over GB. There are so many great ROM's for this phone, you just need to see which works best for you. Check out this link... All of the information you need regarding ROM's, kernels, modems, etc. can be found here.
http://http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1464066

Wait! This thead again?! Yay! Like we haven't answered it already about a thousand time.

Serenity8525 if you haven't bricked your device because you were linked to advanced level posts. Click on the purple link in my signature. In that thread there is a guide linked by lumin30 called fresh out of the box now what? Read that thread. Yes it is long and might take a while to get through, but once you are done and did not rush through you should be comfortable enough to use the one click linked in my signature.
For the others that have attempted to help. Remember in the future lumin30's guide should always be linked to new people. It is very detailed and noob friendly.

Dude you gotta get that stickied

TwitchyEye said:
Dude you gotta get that stickied
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Report it and ask to have it stickied. I believe lumin30 stated once he didn't like having those posts stickied because people ignore the stickies. /shrug
Plus if you want to help people its best to know what all is available and easiest for a complete noob.

eollie said:
Report it and ask to have it stickied. I believe lumin30 stated once he didn't like having those posts stickied because people ignore the stickies. /shrug
Plus if you want to help people its best to know what all is available and easiest for a complete noob.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
eollie said:
Serenity8525 if you haven't bricked your device because you were linked to advanced level posts. Click on the purple link in my signature. In that thread there is a guide linked by lumin30 called fresh out of the box now what? Read that thread. Yes it is long and might take a while to get through, but once you are done and did not rush through you should be comfortable enough to use the one click linked in my signature.
For the others that have attempted to help. Remember in the future lumin30's guide should always be linked to new people. It is very detailed and noob friendly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
chrisbo4 said:
You should also understand that as great as ICS is, you sacrifice some battery life over GB. There are so many great ROM's for this phone, you just need to see which works best for you. Check out this link... All of the information you need regarding ROM's, kernels, modems, etc. can be found here.
http://http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1464066
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok so I would like to say thanks for everyones help... No the device isn't bricked because I haven't even rooted yet.. I want to get all the info all the things that I will need, understand the process then start the process of "NOT Bricking my phone" lol...
I don't think that it's possible to sacrifice some battery when my phone only stays alive for 20-30 minutes... the GB update messed the phone up soo bad it's not even funny... if I was still on Froyo I wouldn't have any desire to Root or change the OS.
As far as that link.... it's not usable... it's listed there 2 times back to back. I did however shorten it until it worked and thank you
Just I do know how to get into DL and Recovery mode I have had to do this a million times over when on the phone with Tmobile trying to trouble shoot the issues that have come up since i got the replacement phone with GB. I can not begin to count the number of factory resets this phone has on it...

Serenity8525 said:
If I was still on Froyo I wouldn't have any desire to Root or change the OS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Heh, I said that about going to GB, then going to ICS. Now I dread when I have to run GB to see how things worked "back then" when doing dev work.
The good news is that with the one-click-back-to-stock packages now available, along with a good backup utility like Titanium Backup Pro, it is a lot easier that it once was. I won't say it's "fool proof" as there are many people who are foolish enough not to read current threads about how to flash and upgrade an SGS4G, or foolish enough to flash a ROM, kernel, or "tweak" that isn't intended for the SGS4G or the Android version they are running.

Serenity8525 if you know how to get into DL mode download the one click in the purple link it will get you onto stock plus root with custom recovery. Then from there follow the directions in the ICS thread you want to flash. Just make sure it is from this forum and not the sister phones. As long as you follow the directions you will be hard pressed to brick the phone.
Like jeffsf stated once you get on a working form of either ics or gb you will wonder how you ever dealt with froyo. I suggest however to flash a different rom once you get the one click in my sig flashed. And just for safety's sake flash it twice and the second time click the flash bootloaders box.

eollie said:
Serenity8525 if you know how to get into DL mode download the one click in the purple link it will get you onto stock plus root with custom recovery. Then from there follow the directions in the ICS thread you want to flash. Just make sure it is from this forum and not the sister phones. As long as you follow the directions you will be hard pressed to brick the phone.
Like jeffsf stated once you get on a working form of either ics or gb you will wonder how you ever dealt with froyo. I suggest however to flash a different rom once you get the one click in my sig flashed. And just for safety's sake flash it twice and the second time click the flash bootloaders box.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sounds like a plan... although i know it will ultimately come down to personal preferences but is there a specific setup that works best?
setup as in...
Rom
Modem
Kernel
etc...?
honestly thats what the main question was. Yea I gave background and what not. Yes I asked what program was easiest to use. People have answered those. However what people didnt answer was the setup variations that work well together.
I mean after all the rooting and rom gets installed and im still on GBis there a combo i can use to get my signal going again? Right now if I want to make a call I have to use wifi calling... since that isnt working in ICS... I dont want to get ICS and not be able to make anycalls. I have a tower about 2-3 miles away from me and never have signal. If rooting the phone doesnt fix the signal what would i need to change to get it working?
so I'm gonna start out simple..
Root with GB cause from what I can tell WIFI calling still works on a GB Rooted phone.
I'm guessing that just rooting my phone and staying with GB will mean that better Kernels and modems will not be compatible?
If that's true then my signal will still be nothing..
but with
ICS
I will need ether wifi calling to work or upgrade the Kernel or Modem... so...
I need setup ideas
GB rooted
Kernel?
Modem?
etc...
and just to play it safe if you guys could help with the ICS setup too
ICS rooted (I think the post was about AOPK?... which has the most stuff working. so that will be the one I would use)
Kernel?
Modem?
etc...
Again Thank you everyone who has been helping me

eollie said:
Serenity8525 if you know how to get into DL mode download the one click in the purple link it will get you onto stock plus root with custom recovery. Then from there follow the directions in the ICS thread you want to flash. Just make sure it is from this forum and not the sister phones. As long as you follow the directions you will be hard pressed to brick the phone.
Like jeffsf stated once you get on a working form of either ics or gb you will wonder how you ever dealt with froyo. I suggest however to flash a different rom once you get the one click in my sig flashed. And just for safety's sake flash it twice and the second time click the flash bootloaders box.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So looking further into the Roms... went to..
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1733097
They gave me a quite a bit of info but they also had other links there like the feature list and what not... anyways I eventually ended up here...
http://rootzwiki.com/topic/28279-aokp-galaxys4gmtd-july-08-milestone-6/
not quite sure what to do cause one place says to install one way and the other talks about gapp... don't know what gapp is lol

[Q] why root? flash?

i am new to the one s but not to flashing. i am coming from a galaxy s sprint epic. while i was on that, cm10.1 & 10.2 were great advancements to the stock gb which always seems to take forever for updates. but with this huge leap in smartphone power, do i really need to root & flash? even with all the bloatware that i don't use, the phone is very fast. and i can get two days easily from my battery (which i charge every night so that's not an issue). i used to flash just to have the latest but i think i just want functionality. also, i don't put that much on my phone so 16g should be plenty, even with all the bloatware. not that i wouldn't flash to get better use out of my device but i just don't think i need to. please convince my otherwise.

Root just to try new roms or mods that improve your experience. Otherwise no need
Sent from my HTC One S using xda app-developers app

The stock experience is great IMO. Only point in rooting is to remove bloatware
Sent from my HTC VLE_U using xda app-developers app

I'm surprised--
You joined in 2008 and still posted in wrong section
You have flashed roms before and still curious to the benefits of rooting
No disrespect--just a thread you would expect a new member/user to start
Either way, Happy New Year to you and all--

thedarkside44 said:
Root just to try new roms or mods that improve your experience. Otherwise no need
Sent from my HTC One S using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Once youve been rooted, you cant be without root, regardless of ROM.
There are plenty of benefits in rooting even on stock roms.
Infact, a non-rooted device is like a windows PC with only access to your desktop...

rugmankc said:
I'm surprised--
You joined in 2008 and still posted in wrong section
You have flashed roms before and still curious to the benefits of rooting
No disrespect--just a thread you would expect a new member/user to start
Either way, Happy New Year to you and all--
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
should i have posted in Q&A? i thought i did. i even had to go through statistics to see where i started this thread because i couldn't find it in Q&A. if i should've posted somewhere else, whoops, feel free to move.

Goatshocker said:
Once youve been rooted, you cant be without root, regardless of ROM.
There are plenty of benefits in rooting even on stock roms.
Infact, a non-rooted device is like a windows PC with only access to your desktop...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
explain why?

why?
i guess i wasn't clear. i know the benefits of root. i've been flashing roms on my last 3 devices. the answers i was trying get were more along the lines of what are the main changes people are making to their stock phones. does all the bloatware inhibit speed or limit space? are there roms or tweeks that people can't live without? or do people unlock, root and flash just because they like to mess with their phones/have the latest even if it doesn't work correctly?

only1penny said:
should i have posted in Q&A? i thought i did. i even had to go through statistics to see where i started this thread because i couldn't find it in Q&A. if i should've posted somewhere else, whoops, feel free to move.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, it is in General--It's all good--
When I get my Note 2/3 I will probably only root for Nandroids and Titanium BackUp. I think that phone and maybe SGSIV may stand on their own without a need to flash roms. Might be wrong though-- There are still more sweets after Jelly Beans--

Your last question answered your own question. Today's smartphones don't really require root, UNLESS you like tweaking your phone.....which most of us love to do, otherwise we wouldn't be here. You can easily get rid of bloatware with a new launcher. IE: Nova or Apex are my favorites. Just disable and hide them, you'll never see them again. Back in the day people rooted mainly to get the latest OS quicker....these days the newer smartphones already come with the latest OS, so it's all a matter of whether you like tweaking your phone or not. There are still great benefits to rooting, but these days it's more personal preference over flashing the latest OS.
Just my 2 cents.
tap'n

only1penny said:
explain why?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can explain it in one word: Control.
I want to be in charge of the device, not letting the device be in charge of me. If you want that you might as well go with apple, who makes good devices with a terrible OS, imo.

Well I will root my htc one s because the latest update to 4.1 is crap. My battery drains so fast. So if I don't find a solution for this I might downgrade back to ics 4.04 or maybe a better custom rom...otherwise I would've kept the rom not rooted. Especialy because now we can disable an app that it is not usefull.
Sent from my HTC One S using xda app-developers app

TheFreediver said:
Well I will root my htc one s because the latest update to 4.1 is crap. My battery drains so fast. So if I don't find a solution for this I might downgrade back to ics 4.04 or maybe a better custom rom...otherwise I would've kept the rom not rooted. Especialy because now we can disable an app that it is not usefull.
Sent from my HTC One S using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
is it just the official update that is bad? or is it a jb thing that hasn't been worked out. battery is huge for me.

only1penny said:
is it just the official update that is bad? or is it a jb thing that hasn't been worked out. battery is huge for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can't comment on stock but Blackout rom has been good for me.

I root because you can never seem to turn the screen brightness down far enough without root access, that and I don't like being locked out of a file system by manufacturers who don't trust my common sense.
I flash only when a device is older and/or no longer getting updated and something like CM gives me a major improvement.

Even if you want to run a stock ROM, unlocking/rooting (and flashing a custom recovery) enables you to make and restore nandroid backups and use tools like Titanium. It's also makes it easier to repair if you ever run into trouble like boot loops.