Database Info

[Q] ROM for Captivate.

First, my phone info as reported by Settings/About Phone:
Model: Samsung-SGH-I897
Firmware: 2.1-update1
Baseband: I897UCJH7
Kernel: 2.6.29 [email protected] #2
Build Number: ECLAIR.UCJH7
I have visited the ROM section and I probably dont need to tell you that it is just a little bit confusing (for me anyway)as to which ROM to use.
I would like to flash a new ROM to bring me up to FroYo and I "think" I want to use the Andromeda ROM. I have a couple of questions though.
First, (for the Devs) should I go ahead and flash to FroYo or wait for am Android 3.0 ROM (assuming one is forthcoming)?
Second, is the difference between the "themed" and "un-themed" ROM just cosmetic? Do they both function the same?

There are a few "how to" threads on flashing. They are very detailed and take you step by step. I'd suggest you read or watch the videos.
The questions about Andromeda are well covered in the thread. You just need to read through it. Flashing now or waiting is purely up to you. There's not a GB ROM that's stable enough to run day to day. There's only one that I know of and they are still working a lot of problems out of it.

Thank you.

TayzGpa said:
Second, is the difference between the "themed" and "un-themed" ROM just cosmetic? Do they both function the same?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, just prettier (in some cases that is).

I'm really looking for a ROM that is as close to "stock" Froyo as possible that will work well with my U.S. phone. I understand Cognition is built on the just released Rogers build, but should I use a Canadian build on my U.S. phone?

I'm using Cognition and find it really nice. No Canadian phrases coming out of it.

If you are going to flash your first rom make sure you read through the forums and figure your what you need to do. Everything that you need are in them. I just flashed my first rom this weekend. Forums are very helpful!!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897. Using Cognition, Firebird, and JL2 modem.

TayzGpa said:
I'm really looking for a ROM that is as close to "stock" Froyo as possible that will work well with my U.S. phone. I understand Cognition is built on the just released Rogers build, but should I use a Canadian build on my U.S. phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I live in Canada and use an American captivate using the cognition ROM and it works just fine.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897

Serendipity 5.x is by far the best Captivate ROM out there, in my opinion. Fast, clean, stable, bloat-free, and tastefully themed.

I just flashed the un-themed version of Andromeda, needless to say I was and am still very pleased with it. It was my first time flashing a ROM and went very smoothly, I guess I just got sick of AT&T jerking around.
I might make a quick video comparing Andromeda 1.0 on the captivate to a stock captivate (my bro's). That is if there is any interest in one.
Btw does any one know when the over clocked kernels will be released, I'm pretty anxious to try them out.

How do you like Andromeda? I started with cognition, then used phoenix for a while and liked both of them. I switched to serendipity last week and it has been rock solid to be honest, but I am always wanting to tinker with this thing. I flashed the KNP1 modem today to see if I get the better data speeds people are reporting and am hoping to gain a little battery life.

I guess everybody has thier own favorite ROM. I am kind of leaning toward either Cognition or Phoenix but cant decide which one. I want as close to "stock" 2.2 (or 2.3) as possible and it looks like Cognition might be the way to go. I have read through the Cognition Wiki and cant determine which flavor of Android (2.2/2.3) Cognition 3.04 is based on (unless I missed it). Anyone know?

TayzGpa said:
I have read through the Cognition Wiki and cant determine which flavor of Android (2.2/2.3) Cognition 3.04 is based on (unless I missed it). Anyone know?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
2.2
10char

There are some videos on you tube that walk you trough the flashing process that I found to be really helpful for my first flash. I also had a written walk thru up from this site. I had no problems with my first using these 2 restorers. Good luck. And andromeda looks very cool. There are also rom reviews on you tube that show you what the rom does. Good luck
Sent from my SGH-I897 using XDA App

jferg5 said:
There are some videos on you tube that walk you trough the flashing process that I found to be really helpful for my first flash. I also had a written walk thru up from this site. I had no problems with my first using these 2 restorers. Good luck. And andromeda looks very cool. There are also rom reviews on you tube that show you what the rom does. Good luck
Sent from my SGH-I897 using XDA App
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Click to collapse
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=877652

If you haven't already please read through the guide in my sig.

ademarne said:
If you haven't already please read through the guide in my sig.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I read through the guide "Guide for choosing the right rom for YOU" that you link to in your sig; and i see nothing about choosing the right ROM For me.
The title suggests that there is a guide to choosing a ROM - maybe a matrix of features, or a questions list to help someone decide. Instead the closest thing i find is one sentence "Go to the Android Development Section and read through different [ROM] threads to see what features will work best for you. I have also found it useful to read through the last couple of pages to see what other users think about the current version of the rom"
Did i miss something? Where is the guide to choosing the right ROM for me?

alphadog00 said:
I read through the guide "Guide for choosing the right rom for YOU" that you link to in your sig; and i see nothing about choosing the right ROM For me.
The title suggests that there is a guide to choosing a ROM - maybe a matrix of features, or a questions list to help someone decide. Instead the closest thing i find is one sentence "Go to the Android Development Section and read through different [ROM] threads to see what features will work best for you. I have also found it useful to read through the last couple of pages to see what other users think about the current version of the rom"
Did i miss something? Where is the guide to choosing the right ROM for me?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree. Something like "answer these 20 questions and here's the ROM that most matches what you want" would be great. I am still trying to figure it out.
What I am looking for is, if AT&T (or Samsung for that matter) were to finally release FroYo, here is what it would most likely look like and how it would probably perform. I'm still thinking Cognition is the closest since it was based on the Canadian FroYo release but *MAN* can it be confusing.

alphadog00 said:
I read through the guide "Guide for choosing the right rom for YOU" that you link to in your sig; and i see nothing about choosing the right ROM For me.
The title suggests that there is a guide to choosing a ROM - maybe a matrix of features, or a questions list to help someone decide. Instead the closest thing i find is one sentence "Go to the Android Development Section and read through different [ROM] threads to see what features will work best for you. I have also found it useful to read through the last couple of pages to see what other users think about the current version of the rom"
Did i miss something? Where is the guide to choosing the right ROM for me?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The point of that is so that you figure out what is best for you, not that I am telling you what to do. I am simply trying to GUIDE new users on how to go about making informed decisions on which ROM they choose. Too many people rely solely on what others say instead of trying things for themselves, which is why I created that post encouraging people to discover new things.
If you have questions about a certain rom, post in the ROM thread in the dev section. If you don't have 10 posts yet and still have questions, then post in the Q&A section, not captivate general.
What I don't think new users understand is that almost every person has a different preference about what ROM, kernel and modem combo work best. Me personally, I love di11igafs ROMs, but many other people prefer different things. Its pretty much like asking a group of random people, "what is the best car on the market and what options would get with said car?" Almost everyones answer will vary slightly.

TayzGpa said:
I agree. Something like "answer these 20 questions and here's the ROM that most matches what you want" would be great. I am still trying to figure it out.
What I am looking for is, if AT&T (or Samsung for that matter) were to finally release FroYo, here is what it would most likely look like and how it would probably perform. I'm still thinking Cognition is the closest since it was based on the Canadian FroYo release but *MAN* can it be confusing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Like you, I recently started trying to figure this out after getting an AT&T Captivate and I agree about the need for a better listing for features (or lack of) for each ROM. A good matrix to compare would be nice, but I fear there are so many people working on these things and it all moves so fast, it would be a full-time job just to keep it up. Reading through all this stuff is quite overwhelming. However, I honestly think it's not bad once you figure out the basics and understand the ropes. By the time you get the things to load on your phone, with Clockworkmod Recovery, Odin and some other tools, life is pretty simple--the devs have done all the hard work, you're just flashing the stuff and figuring out what you like best.
Here is what I can tell you that may help and like I said, I'm pretty new at this, so someone *please* correct me if I'm wrong. I would not want to mislead anyone:
1. Cognition is an "Americanized" version of the Rogers 2.2 Captivate release. If you want 2.2.1 you have to use another custom ROM. Everything with Cognition appears to be well done, stable and smooth. I spent a couple hours trying to get wireless tether to work only to figure out MobileAP is built in and works
2. Look up the videos on YouTube by MobileTechVideos. They are very good and well produced, plus he looks at all the different ROMs. There is a 3-part video on loading Cognition on a captivate. I used it to load 3.04 on mine in almost real time right with the video. The only thing I would caution you on is if you use Titanium Backup to restore apps, be careful about "select all" like he says you can do in the video. I'm not sure if I had backed up system data and accidentally restored it or what--didn't go back that far to check, but after I did my restore I thought everything was fine and I could not make outgoing calls the next day. I reloaded from scratch following the videos again and this time use TB to restore one app+data at a time and was very picky about what I did and it worked wonderfully.
3. Once I got everything working I started to get curious about kernels. Once you have your ROM loaded, you can flash a new kernel (has to be same version as the ROM) and you can get enhancements with speed and other things by doing so. However, I loaded Firebird and did not notice in the thread that Bluetooth doesn't work yet, so I'm trying to figure out if I can go back or if I have to start over. Not a big deal to start over since I know what I'm doing now, just want to push the limits a little cause that's how I roll For some reason after Firebird I also seen duplicate photos on my SD card, even though there were only singles. It's like thumbnails were duplicated or something. I moved the pics off to my PC and it left blank thumbnails behind. I deleted them from the gallery and put the pics back and everything cleared up. I've seen stranger things--no biggie.
4. Battery life was fairly bad at this point, dropping 10-15% or more per hour. My phone came with the JH7 modem (last digits of your Baseband version in Settings -- About Phone). Cognition 3.04 comes with JL1 and many others were reporting great battery life with JL2 so I flashed it and everything seems to be much better so far. I haven't reset the battery stats and such, but I will at some point. Looks like a lengthy process that may or may not help.
5. I see a lot of "do I have to flash to stock first" questions posted and from what I understand, it's best practice to follow the instructions and don't ask why--just do it. Learn how to backup and restore apps+data (not system data) using TB and it's no big deal.
6. I read a lot about different builds of the Captivate--lots of posts about 1006, 1007, 1008's so I was concerned about the issues discussed. I'm guessing these were the early releases. I got mine at the end of January and it's a 1012. Look under your battery right under the serial number.
I suppose once I have this part of it working well and figured out, I will probably start looking into themes and digging deeper. It's pretty addictive so once you start, you just keep wanting more and more and making it better and better. Thanks to all the devs out there. I plan on making a few donations soon, especially to Designgears since his stuff is mostly what I've worked with so far.
My advice is to take a day or two and read *A LOT*. The old carpenters saying is "Measure twice and cut once" and that is pretty much how I look at this stuff. After you figure out how the puzzle pieces fit together, you lose the fear.
Hope this helps and if I would appreciate it if someone more advanced can confirm my statements or correct me.

[Q] WOOWOO!!

so I need some closure here! After I upgraded from eclair to froyo (2.2.1) using Kies, after rooting my phone via SOC. I pushed my SGS I5000 to 2,500 on the benchmark (antutu, slightly above the HTC desire's benchmark score) and lanpack I hit nearly 18 one time (overclocking using tegrak 13.5 ghz) and I have not even got halfway close to what my phone can do! It can be frustrating at time's if i may say so!! I ran the pc monitor and the advanced task killer to smooth out my frame rate's and all that junk. The question of the day for you guy's is can anyone give me clean and clear directions to flash the voodoo kernel. I downloaded the otb reloaded zip file to my sd card, but the problem that occured is when I go into recovery mode it fails. So how exactly can I get this done and be happy? XD

I started a post, and deleted it. It just sounded too condescending, and that's not cool. So I'll try to be brief instead ((aaaand fail, long post warning, LOL)). XD
By way of correction, note that your phone model is SCH-I500, assuming your have the Samsung Mesmerize from US Cellular. Note also that a couple different phones bear that model number: the Samsung Fascinate form Verizon, and the Samsung Showcase from Cell South. So, referencing an SCH-I500 may or may not refer to any of those phone models. That's mostly just academic though.
Stickied at the top of the Mesmerize General forum, you'll find the thread titled:
[GUIDE] Newbie's Step-by-Step: From Stock USCC Mesmerize -> Custom Rom/Kernel
This walks you through customizing your phone step-by-step.
BUT BE WARNED! A lot of people rush through things, skip a step by accident, and brick their phones. This is NOT something to be attempted without a fairly strong degree of patience. It is highly recommended to read the thread, read it from the top once more, and read it a third time. Be sure you are very familiar with the process and follow the steps exactly, or you can end up with, as I've heard it it put, a Mesmerize-shaped paperweight. There are also instructions for how to get your phone back to stock Froyo linked in that thread.
I'm kinda bombarding you with warnings because it's really easy to get yourself in over your head and do it wrong. I did it myself the first few times, and yes, I did use the "How to get your phone back to stock" instructions. Back your data up however you can, just in case you need to flash back to stock.
Advice and warnings out of the way, the Guide thread I linked above is the way to do it. I personally really like MIUI; any of the AOSP ROMs are VERY fast, you'll definitely be impressed by the benchmarks. Pair those with a kernel that lets you overclock (know that they can potentially drain your battery faster by overclocking), and you can have a SCREAMING fast phone, which sounds like what you're after. I think I've even seen a 300% increase over stock Quadrant scores, but you'll hear people tell you that Quadrant isn't all that accurate. Still. *shrug*
Hope that helps!
Lastly, if I might take a moment to toot my own horn, check out the Mesmerize Glossary linked in my signature--it should go over pretty much all the terms you might come across around the forums here.
Good luck! Let us know how things go!

magnifique! MIUI v8 look's amazing! (not jocking your ROM lol) but nonetheless its superior to the other one's (yes I did take the painstaking time out to try each and everyone that I could) but it was well worth it! thank the android god's for creating XDA!! XD and thank you for the remarkable reply!

Stock vs Infused ROM

Can anyone tell the important and practical advantages of rooting and installing Infused ROM? I Am just looking for a useful reason to waste my time
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using XDA App

Read the change logs in the very first post, if nothing there appeals to you than don't bother, if nothing makes SENSE to you, read more like I did before diving in lol.
Short answer is, because its fun, addicting, customizing, unlocks features, removes bloatware.....makes it YOUR PHONE, not AT&T's (assuming you don't have Rogers.) Things like Wi-Fi tethering and GPS lock on times are fixed or improved. Stuff like that, plus the whole process can be somewhat addicting. Lol
Infused

Hehe..... So, no usefulness in rooting I guess.... Can you post the link by the way...
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using XDA App

Not sure how, on my phone. Lol, but if you go to the infuse developers section, you CANT miss it. Big huge title says something along the lines of, [Infused, V2.#.# (gingerbread) blah blah blah] haha.
But ATM the download portion is down because the Canadian release doesn't use 4g, so he's fixing a little quirk with it right now, than it'll be back up I'm sure, gtg is pretty quick.
Also, rooting is different than flashing a Tom, rooting gives you complete control over your phone, gets rid of market branding (I think), and allows 3rd party apps (be carefully)
Flashing a ROM is replacing the current operating system with the SAME one but streamlined and bareboned, or a better one that's streamlined and bareboned. (Or at least that's how I think of it.) Usually involving better apps, updates, and unlocked features.
So yes there is a benifit I guess lol.
Infused

So, what is infused ROM? I suppose it is custom ROM... Right?... So, what the hell is CWM then?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using XDA App

All of this info is readily available, when I first got my android I was a little confused to, hell, I still am =P
But here is the skinny,
Root simply means you are granting the phone or yourself super user access. What does that mean you ask... well, it pretty much gives you ultimate admin rights. From here, you can theme, mod, install roms, alter/move/delete system files etc.
Roms are the creations of enhanced versions of the stock os all ready available, and sometimes not available ie gtg's gingerbread rom. The benefits to these"aftermarket" roms vary from rom to rom. You will need to research each one specifically to see what fits your desires.
Although your question seems simple, it its infact a big question that is far to vague, simply put, custom roms made by experienced developers will 99.9% always be superior to stock, but for different reasons. So please research and you will see that there are varying types of directions... Unless you want gb on infuse, kinds only one direction for that at the moment.
Infused with gingerbread **** thanks GTG465X

Thanks, you articulated my thoughts better lol.
CWM is ClockWorkMod, used commonly for its rom manager feature, it helps make flashing the rom's easier, and can install a clockwork recovery mode that replaces the stock 3e recovery the phone comes with, and is far more useful.
Infused

You need root. Normally I'd suggest going with a ROM, but right now the only ROM actively being developed is Infused. However, this is the first ROM where I have gotten very bad response from those who develop the ROM, as well as backlash for the community when I bring up bugs on the releases. Any other phone has developer communities that are helpful and very nice, and receptive to constructive criticism, but it's like Apple sent their goons over for Infused, and both the developers and the fanboys of the developers act like it's some gift from god. Everything released from the Infused team has had some fairly significant bugs, right now the bug is poor data speeds (kinda silly since we bought the phone for it's "4G" being the primary function), but as always, enter at your own risk.

Seriously bella? the only issues I have seen with this community has been antagonized by you. Hell, out of curiosity I check done of your post history... Surprise surprise, most of the post are you complaining. This thread case in point, seriously had to drag your bull **** to another thread, grow the hell up.
just get your sg2 already and take your negativity to another forum. All you ever do is ***** like a whiny baby. Good luck and good riddance, we won't miss you.
Infused with gingerbread **** thanks GTG465X

Krant, don't let Bella's bs confuse you, this phone has to notch devs, with fantastic roms and kernels. Apparently if the devs can't part the seas and build a rom that get 100 hours of staight heavy use batt life then they don't deserve to give us free development
Infused with gingerbread **** thanks GTG465X

Krant, welcome to the forums.
I disagree with Bella - we have an excellent community here, the only problem is that we have an unusual number of people who post in the ROM threads in development when it is clear they have not even read the first post of the thread. We also have people who complain about a ROM without any evidence to back up their complaint, and get hostile when a dev asks them to run a specific test.
On the positive side, the level of coordination we have between developers is FAR better than most other devices. That's why right now you don't really see any junky "hey look I can deodex too!" ROMs.
So far you're off to a good start, you didn't post in the dev forum and you're making an effort to learn. I suggest you take some time to do some research and Googling.
Another thing adding to the confusion here is that with Android, there are two portions of the system that can be separately customized. The kernel is the base operating system, with hardware drivers and such. The ROM is actually what us kernel hackers call "userland" - the stuff layered on top of a kernel to produce a nice usable system.
Most ROMs include a custom kernel, but in many cases you can flash other kernels over it.
Never flash a ROM/kernel intended for another device. (An exception to this rule may eventually come for userland ROMs, but for now that's the rule.)
CWM is a low-level "recovery" tool that allows new files to be flashed to your device that often can't be flashed to a running system. It's most often used for flashing new ROMs, but can sometimes be used for flashing tweaks to a ROM.

And things like that will only scare people away from these forums, i sincerely feel like there are an alarming number of negative, rude people on XDA, and those who AREN'T, are usually Dev's or working with them, Hence my post from like, a month ago in an ENTIRELY different subject lol. And also why i try so hard to be informative, even with what little knowledge i have. please dont go because of a few bad apples, ive seen it ruin peoples experience with there phones.
Hellion_zk said:
Ive cruised these forums for about 8 months now, and i have to say, out of all the forus ive ever been apart of, (PC, Truck, Motorcycle, you name it) this is filled with the worst ratio of rude, abrasive people ive ever seen on a forum, and am surprised that the mods make no attempt to instill respectful comments to one another.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And it got Thanked,... twice... and it wasnt even by the people getting chewed out, (Although for a valid reason. DONT post nonsense in a Dev thread....oh my GOD they take that seriously here lol)

theraffman said:
All of this info is readily available, when I first got my android I was a little confused to, hell, I still am =P
But here is the skinny,
Root simply means you are granting the phone or yourself super user access. What does that mean you ask... well, it pretty much gives you ultimate admin rights. From here, you can theme, mod, install roms, alter/move/delete system files etc.
Roms are the creations of enhanced versions of the stock os all ready available, and sometimes not available ie gtg's gingerbread rom. The benefits to these"aftermarket" roms vary from rom to rom. You will need to research each one specifically to see what fits your desires.
Although your question seems simple, it its infact a big question that is far to vague, simply put, custom roms made by experienced developers will 99.9% always be superior to stock, but for different reasons. So please research and you will see that there are varying types of directions... Unless you want gb on infuse, kinds only one direction for that at the moment.
Infused with gingerbread **** thanks GTG465X
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the raffman explained root acces well indeed. I heard another explain it as gaining root access to your phone is the same as logging in to your computer with admin rights; you can make all sorts of changes. However, not having root access to your phone is like logging in to your computer as guest; you can change very little.
I rooted my phone a few days out of the box. Don't get me wrong; I was impressed with its performance. Since then I've flashed roms, kernels, bricked my phone, brought it back to life with odin3 many times. It is exciting and wicked fun to push this phone to its limits. Props to all the devs that enable my habit. Root and flash and I am sure you will never look back.

Root and flash and I am sure you will never look back.[/QUOTE said:
And make sure you do tons of research on how to unbrick it, and know what NOT to do.
Infused
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Entropy512 said:
Another thing adding to the confusion here is that with Android, there are two portions of the system that can be separately customized. The kernel is the base operating system, with hardware drivers and such. The ROM is actually what us kernel hackers call "userland" - the stuff layered on top of a kernel to produce a nice usable system.
Most ROMs include a custom kernel, but in many cases you can flash other kernels over it.
Never flash a ROM/kernel intended for another device. (An exception to this rule may eventually come for userland ROMs, but for now that's the rule.)
CWM is a low-level "recovery" tool that allows new files to be flashed to your device that often can't be flashed to a running system. It's most often used for flashing new ROMs, but can sometimes be used for flashing tweaks to a ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Entrophy512,
I've had my superInfuse for over a month now, I have it rooted, flashed Infused 1.53, 2.0Beta1,2,3,stable2.00, 2.01, 2.02 and used CWM, SGS Kernal Flasher, etc. I thought I understood this all pretty well but you summed it up excellently!!! Thanks so much for that!

[Q] How To Either Un-Root Or Mod Further?

I will do my best to keep this short and also hope it hasn't already been answered for the sanity of the fantastic developers on this site. I know you guys hate repetition.
I've recently gone through a breakup with my now-ex, and we are not on speaking terms because of his inability to maintain sanity in some situations. My problem here is that he enjoyed continuously staying updated with the most recent updates and mods for my Charge. I have no clue how to do any of this modding, and since we are not on speaking terms, I don't know what to do about my laggy, hasn't-been-modded-in-months phone.
Before I ended communication, he spoke of a possible ICS update for my Charge. He told me it was solely open-ended developer stuff, no official update or anything, but that it was surprisingly stable. Even with him not in contact with me at this time, I would still like to see if I could do this 'update' myself. Is it possible for a complete noob like myself to do it? Or should I just leave it alone and find someone entirely more experienced to help me through it? If it's going to brick my phone with the slightest mistake, I'd rather not even try. But, like I said, you guys are the experts.
I would enjoy any kind of assistance, if possible, to install this pseudo-ICS; unless I can wait another however long the official update is for Verizon, un-root back to stock, and have the official ICS.
I guess my basic questions are:
When will the official ICS become available for my Charge through Verizon? I know it's available stock with the Galaxy Nexus (which I want quite badly) already.
Could a complete noob like myself do this with the help of you guys giving me links and step-by-step instructions (if you would be so kind)?
How easy is it to mess up without clear instructions?
I really appreciate any kind of input. MANY thanks for reading!
-Megan

No ics. No word on official update for ics. If I were you I would go back completely stock. Links are in dev section
mmassacurr said:
I will do my best to keep this short and also hope it hasn't already been answered for the sanity of the fantastic developers on this site. I know you guys hate repetition.
I've recently gone through a breakup with my now-ex, and we are not on speaking terms because of his inability to maintain sanity in some situations. My problem here is that he enjoyed continuously staying updated with the most recent updates and mods for my Charge. I have no clue how to do any of this modding, and since we are not on speaking terms, I don't know what to do about my laggy, hasn't-been-modded-in-months phone.
Before I ended communication, he spoke of a possible ICS update for my Charge. He told me it was solely open-ended developer stuff, no official update or anything, but that it was surprisingly stable. Even with him not in contact with me at this time, I would still like to see if I could do this 'update' myself. Is it possible for a complete noob like myself to do it? Or should I just leave it alone and find someone entirely more experienced to help me through it? If it's going to brick my phone with the slightest mistake, I'd rather not even try. But, like I said, you guys are the experts.
I would enjoy any kind of assistance, if possible, to install this pseudo-ICS; unless I can wait another however long the official update is for Verizon, un-root back to stock, and have the official ICS.
I guess my basic questions are:
When will the official ICS become available for my Charge through Verizon? I know it's available stock with the Galaxy Nexus (which I want quite badly) already.
Could a complete noob like myself do this with the help of you guys giving me links and step-by-step instructions (if you would be so kind)?
How easy is it to mess up without clear instructions?
I really appreciate any kind of input. MANY thanks for reading!
-Megan
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my SCH-I510 using XDA App

Girls?! On the internet?!
If you're not comfortable with any of this stuff then just go back to stock. There isn't any ICS, and there probably won't be, at least for a long time. best you can do is flash a theme or something.
Sent from my SCH-I510 using xda premium

My vote? Just learn how to mod the phone! It's really not that hard. Here's a post to get you familiar: http://rootzwiki.com/topic/4847-guide-new-users-guide-everything-how-to-root-rom-kernels-radios-cwm/
Don't flash the Froyo or Gingerbread links at the bottom tho, they'd a bit dated. Just check that post out to get familiar with the terms and process. While you're there, download and install ODIN (there's a link in that post).
***Before we move on...do you have Titanium Backup in your app drawer? If not, spend the $7. It's so worth it because you can save the vast majority of your data. It's worth the $7 (you may have it already because the exbf may have bought it/installed it). Get it and Google how to use it--make a full backup of system apps, users apps, and data before doing anything else.**
So, once you've read that post on RootzWiki, have downloaded ODIN, and made a backup with Titanium Backup, come back here and flash THIS file (follow the link in the 2nd paragraph for detailed instructions): http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1380430
OK. At this point you will be unrooted and have the latest Verizon updates on your phone. You can... choose to quit... or choose to mod more. Keep in mind, if you've figured out how to flash to stock, you know how to flash mods and can continue to mod.
If I were you, I'd check out TweakStock at this point. Flash the version WITHOUT the customized kernel. Probably your best bet. Themes should be coming out for TweakStock soon, so maybe you'll find something you like.
And yeah, regarding Ice Cream Sandwich... Not happening, at least for awhile. Don't worry about it--only the Galaxy Nexus has it right now anyway.

Thank you! This was very helpful. I'm glad you pointed it out; yes, I do have Titanium. He had the paid version, signed in my phone with his Google account, and DL'd it onto my apps.
But here is another problem I have thought of-- I don't know what kind of ROM or Kernal I have...at all. No clue. Like I said, he was the expert. He always tried to show me how to do stuff, but it always went in one ear and out the other. I'm a girl who needs to be shown something from the beginning, by trial and error, and he would simply show me something 'cool' if he came across it and show me how to install it. Haha. Not saying that was ever a bad thing, I'm extremely interested in learning, but we never really had the time, and I don't want to be alone if I screw up.

go to settings> about phone and look at your firmware version. If it's 2.3.x you're on gingerbread. (you should be, if not your bf was a noob)
If you go to Settings and you see TSM Parts you're on Infinity.
If you see poop brown as a main color theme you're stock rooted.
If you go to your lock screen and it says TweakStock in the upper right hand corner you're on TweakStock.
GummyCharged and Humble are hard to distinguish. But chances are if you're not on any of the above, you're running Humble.
For kernel: if you run a program called Voodoo Control and it says status: ext4 active near the bottom, you're running imoseyon's repacked kernel. Anything else, you're either on stock or imnuts' repack.
Sent from my SCH-I510 using xda premium

kvswim said:
go to settings> about phone and look at your firmware version. If it's 2.3.x you're on gingerbread. (you should be, if not your bf was a noob)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that made my morning! LOL

I agree, that made me LOL as well as the 'poop brown' color reference for stock root.
Well, I took a look and it turns out I have 2.3.4. Model number is GummyCharged GBE 2.0. Of course, I have no idea what this means at all. I'm just letting you guys be in the know in case you still feel like helping me. Haha.

mmassacurr said:
I agree, that made me LOL as well as the 'poop brown' color reference for stock root.
Well, I took a look and it turns out I have 2.3.4. Model number is GummyCharged GBE 2.0. Of course, I have no idea what this means at all. I'm just letting you guys be in the know in case you still feel like helping me. Haha.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, the name of the ROM you're running is GummyCharged GBE (Gingerbread Edition) 2.0. It's very outdated now. Have you ran the batch backup for everything in Titanium yet?

mmassacurr said:
I will do my best to keep this short and also hope it hasn't already been answered for the sanity of the fantastic developers on this site. I know you guys hate repetition.
I've recently gone through a breakup with my now-ex, and we are not on speaking terms because of his inability to maintain sanity in some situations. My problem here is that he enjoyed continuously staying updated with the most recent updates and mods for my Charge. I have no clue how to do any of this modding, and since we are not on speaking terms, I don't know what to do about my laggy, hasn't-been-modded-in-months phone.
Before I ended communication, he spoke of a possible ICS update for my Charge. He told me it was solely open-ended developer stuff, no official update or anything, but that it was surprisingly stable. Even with him not in contact with me at this time, I would still like to see if I could do this 'update' myself. Is it possible for a complete noob like myself to do it? Or should I just leave it alone and find someone entirely more experienced to help me through it? If it's going to brick my phone with the slightest mistake, I'd rather not even try. But, like I said, you guys are the experts.
I would enjoy any kind of assistance, if possible, to install this pseudo-ICS; unless I can wait another however long the official update is for Verizon, un-root back to stock, and have the official ICS.
I guess my basic questions are:
When will the official ICS become available for my Charge through Verizon? I know it's available stock with the Galaxy Nexus (which I want quite badly) already.
Could a complete noob like myself do this with the help of you guys giving me links and step-by-step instructions (if you would be so kind)?
How easy is it to mess up without clear instructions?
I really appreciate any kind of input. MANY thanks for reading!
-Megan
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Megan... I love you...and I am sorry... I'm not sure if you were hoping i'd find your thread.
But heres the info needed incase.
It's the most recent rootzwiki gummycharged, it's outdated, but it's at least bloatfree. Stock leaked kernel from way back, but it was for sure 2.3. I don't play with ancient software.
When I said upadte, Verizon had finally gotten an Official 2.3, over the leaked, which I urged you to update to for stability, even with bloat, since most roms will now be based off the OTA. When I spoke of ICS, I meant on my phone, and I guess it's hard to exactly explain what open source is, roms, and ota's. But given a Dev and the right sources from Sammy and Google, it can run it. This phone just seems to lack the strong community it did with imnuts, like the fascinate.
Enjoy Inifinty. I'll be a better person someday in the long run, but right now, i've got a lot more to work on with myself rather than phones (which is why my ICS is kinda not a big deal to me as).
GL.

Windst said:
Megan... I love you...and I am sorry... I'm not sure if you were hoping i'd find your thread.
But heres the info needed incase.
It's the most recent rootzwiki gummycharged, it's outdated, but it's at least bloatfree. Stock leaked kernel from way back, but it was for sure 2.3. I don't play with ancient software.
When I said upadte, Verizon had finally gotten an Official 2.3, over the leaked, which I urged you to update to for stability, even with bloat, since most roms will now be based off the OTA. When I spoke of ICS, I meant on my phone, and I guess it's hard to exactly explain what open source is, roms, and ota's. But given a Dev and the right sources from Sammy and Google, it can run it. This phone just seems to lack the strong community it did with imnuts, like the fascinate.
Enjoy Inifinty. I'll be a better person someday in the long run, but right now, i've got a lot more to work on with myself rather than phones (which is why my ICS is kinda not a big deal to me as).
GL.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LMAO! Best.Post.Ever.
Sent from my SCH-I510 using xda premium

Well, ****. This is awkward. ABANDON THREAD!
Sent from my SCH-I510 using xda premium

Charge Insufficient Memory On Device
I rooted a Droid Charge for my boss using the altered beast method, and now no matter what I do. When I try to download from the market, it tells me there is insufficient space on the device. When there is plenty of room on the sd card, and internal. Can someone please help me, I've tried a reset, and clearing the cache, and download history in the market. Any help someone could offer would be much appreciated.

[Q] [i9023] ICS/2.3.6 based Roms, Manual ICS update, Titanium Backup

Hi guys sorry for the several topics in my subject line but there are several questions that I have.
So I just signed up because I'm a bit confused and I'm quite new to the scene. I actually posted this on another forum which I'm already a member of, but I felt it would be better posting here since this is obviously more specialised.
After reading the rules, I've realised that it's quite hard to do a search for existing topics with my questions. I've already tried to do individual searches on each topic though, with varying success.
I've just rooted my Nexus S (i9023, AUS version) for the first time simply because I wanted to be able to use DroidWall (to only allow certain apps to use data).
1) If I manually update to ICS, will I lose root?
2) Does installing a custom ROM cause you to lose all your data? - I've done some searching on this and it seems to depend. Some do and some don't. I don't quite get it though.
3) Kernels - seem to control battery life and how the operating system runs. This slightly confuses me because it makes me think, what affects battery life more: the kernel or the ROM?
4) Most people like to overclock their phones in the interest of power. Would it be reasonable to underclock it in the interest of battery life? Sometimes I don't think I really need 1GHz.
5) It seems like the OTA for ICS for i9023 has not been released yet but has been for i9020?
I'm trying to find the best 2.3.6 Custom ROM from here but none of these are 2.3.6 based! All of them are 2.3.4 or older. I'm hesitant upgrading to ICS for three reasons:
1) Hasn't been released OTA officially
2) Worried of app compatibility
3) Worried of shorter battery life
For these reasons, I'm looking for a 2.3.6 based custom ROM otherwise I'd be happy to look at ICS custom ROMs.
None of the ICS ROMs seem to have any distinctive features about them, especially after watching the video reviews. It's all pretty much "it's a great ROM that doesn't lag when browsing the web and it's fast". Nothing really distinguishes one from another.
Sorry for the mildly long post, but I'd rather ask as many questions as I can at a time rather than making a couple of threads for each. Hope I can get some help =)
Thanks in advance!

I bought 9023 in hk. Upgraded to ics by ota.
If you want, you may do it manually. Flash the rom by yourself. Ota is no longer available. Check it out at nexusshack.com
I don't have battery problem. But don't know why.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App

xdaillum said:
Hi guys sorry for the several topics in my subject line but there are several questions that I have.
So I just signed up because I'm a bit confused and I'm quite new to the scene. I actually posted this on another forum which I'm already a member of, but I felt it would be better posting here since this is obviously more specialised.
After reading the rules, I've realised that it's quite hard to do a search for existing topics with my questions. I've already tried to do individual searches on each topic though, with varying success.
I've just rooted my Nexus S (i9023, AUS version) for the first time simply because I wanted to be able to use DroidWall (to only allow certain apps to use data).
1) If I manually update to ICS, will I lose root?
If it is the update you probably will (not 100% sure), if it is the full OTA you certainly will. But it is not a major issue either way, and i would actually recommend backing up with TB (AND a Nandroid), wiping everything and then installing the Full OTA ROM and just root again, then restore your backup.
2) Does installing a custom ROM cause you to lose all your data? - I've done some searching on this and it seems to depend. Some do and some don't. I don't quite get it though.
They will generally lose any system data, apps, modifications, etc. Titanium Backup will copy over most of it anyway, particularly apps and their settings/data. Keep in mind that you should always have a CWM backup (Nandroid) ready in case something goes wrong.
3) Kernels - seem to control battery life and how the operating system runs. This slightly confuses me because it makes me think, what affects battery life more: the kernel or the ROM?
Both. ROMs can do more or different functions which can cause battery drain. Kernels allow you to change your own settings (most of the time) to actually balance performance and drain. I would say at the moment with ICS, the kernel and the settings you give it is the biggest contributor.
4) Most people like to overclock their phones in the interest of power. Would it be reasonable to underclock it in the interest of battery life? Sometimes I don't think I really need 1GHz.
That is correct. Many people can get the same speed with a lower voltage, lowering battery drain. Others also use something called "LiveOC" and increase the clocks by 10% (or more), changing the bus speed and giving similar speeds to 1000mhz at only 880mhz, again saving power. Just remember every CPU batch has different variations - some can undervolt and overclock like crazy, whereas some struggle with a 5% increase.
5) It seems like the OTA for ICS for i9023 has not been released yet but has been for i9020?
The i9023 and i9020T has been released. The i9020A has not, and the same with the Nexus S 4G (D720 i believe). It sometimes doesnt show up though. Either try a manual command which i can't remember in the dialpad or just update manually (manually is best ).
I'm trying to find the best 2.3.6 Custom ROM from here but none of these are 2.3.6 based! All of them are 2.3.4 or older. I'm hesitant upgrading to ICS for three reasons:
1) Hasn't been released OTA officially
2) Worried of app compatibility
3) Worried of shorter battery life
For these reasons, I'm looking for a 2.3.6 based custom ROM otherwise I'd be happy to look at ICS custom ROMs.
None of the ICS ROMs seem to have any distinctive features about them, especially after watching the video reviews. It's all pretty much "it's a great ROM that doesn't lag when browsing the web and it's fast". Nothing really distinguishes one from another.
Sorry for the mildly long post, but I'd rather ask as many questions as I can at a time rather than making a couple of threads for each. Hope I can get some help =)
Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lots of words, i'm getting a little confused up there. Anyway, if you are rooted (and i assume your bootloader is unlocked), there is nothing to worry about as long as you backup. I personally love ICS and have no issue with it, as do many others. A minority of people however tend to have some problems, whether its battery or force closes. My experience so far has been that a proper wipe fixes most of these anyway.
ICS is still new. Once Cyanogenmod 9 is officially released i'm sure we'll see much more variety than the same look and feel, as alot is based off their code. And also, practically no phones have ICS yet. I've not found app compatibility a problem though, i think the main gripe is viber (which should work soon).
I hope this can help you, just let us know if there is anything else you're after. Also, there is a TON of information around the site (and Nexus S forums in particular). A good amount of reading and going through a couple of pages of some of these threads can go a long way. That is why you came here after all, isn't it?

I got the OTA for ICS back around 20th Dec 2011, but I chose not to update it because I was going to be away from a computer for a few days and had no backup phone. When I wanted to update it a few days later, the update had disappeared from my phone so I looked it up online. Apparently the OTA disappeared for Nexus S's due to some bugs or incompatibility issues. I've never seen the update come up on my phone since. Even when I go to Settings->About phone->System update, it says "your system is up to date". So I've always been under the impression that ICS for Nexus S (at least for my variant, i9023) has never been re-released to us OTA.
Harbb, thanks for your answers. The only one I'm not so sure about is the underclocking one. It seems a little beyond me in terms of technicality. I am definitely interested in doing it though. Would you be able to tell me if adjusting clock speed requires an app?
I am rooted and bootloader is unlocked (I thought you could only root if bootloader was unlocked?).
So does that mean all these custom ROMs around at the moment are mostly based around Cyanogenmod, which is why they're very similar? As I was saying, I was looking at getting a custom ROM installed and noticed most of them are ICS custom ROMs, and the video reviews all say "this ROM is fast and does not lag when web browsing. It's a great ROM and it's fast and smooth."
The custom ROMs just don't seem to be "promoted" too well because I can't see what makes one better than the other, or what features of one custom ROM are intended to be the standout ones.
I notice you (Harbb) are using Stock ICS 4.0.3 (according to your sig) - so you are not using a custom ROM? Am I able to install a custom ICS ROM without first installing ICS? I am still running 2.3.6 at this point.
Viber does not work at the moment? That's not too bad. I can live with that.
I've done quite a bit of reading so far. It has certainly helped, but still a long way to go, but thanks for giving me a great start!
I will start backing up my apps using TB and CWM (Nandroid)!

xdaillum said:
I will start backing up my apps using TB and CWM (Nandroid)!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Best line i've read in days
I have tried several custom ROMs once they started surfacing but i didn't feel like they gave me anything special enough to switch to right now and Stock is setup and running very nicely. Stock ICS colours are fine and other apps now can provide Notifications Widgets. I havn't noticed any particular differences in speed either.
Brainmasters ICS tweaks, custom kernel and Flavours of ICS runs beautifully. The OTA varies with where it shows up. To force a check, type this in dialer: *#*#checkin#*#* [AKA, *#*#2432546#*#* ]
If you are rooted it won't work anyway. Just update manually. There is no need to currently on ICS to flash custom ICS ROMs. I would advise that when going from GB to ICS though (and often between some custom ROMs) that you go into CWM and do a factory/data wipe and format /system. After backing up of course.
At the moment most are not based on CM9, however several do use bits and pieces of code (ie. notification power widgets) from it. Not sure why most ROM descriptions are the same
First thing i'd consider is getting a custom kernel, and then the NSTools app (market). Lots of stuff to mess around with and full control of the CPU (governors, IO, overclocking, undervolting, etc).

Harbb said:
Best line i've read in days
I have tried several custom ROMs once they started surfacing but i didn't feel like they gave me anything special enough to switch to right now and Stock is setup and running very nicely.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
agree with u. for 4.0.3, stock is my favorite, sad to say that.
for 4.0.4, while stock for NS not available, IMM26 ROM ported from NS4G seems good, if you like the stock rom feel.

Hmm I bricked my phone.
I've done the Nandroid and Titanium Backup and have it sitting on my computer ready once I recover this damn thing. Following the backups, I attempted to manually update to ICS with the zip file on this page: http://www.androidcentral.com/how-manually-update-your-gsm-nexus-s-ice-cream-sandwich
Now I'm following these two threads to try and recover the phone:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1397393
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1396056
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=20382688&postcount=16
Hopefully I will get this back up and working. I'm still confused as to why it got bricked though. Updated via clockworkmod "update from sdcard" and then rebooted system. After that, it just bricked. Can't get any lights to come up on the device whatsoever. Plugging it in to computer, wall charger, pressing all the buttons, taking the battery out and putting it back in.

Odd. Best of luck getting it working, i'm sure the resurrector will work for you so don't stress too much. That's the right file so i'll probably just put the issue on a bad flash or bad download (wise to hash check before flashing). At this point i'd say it's wise when you get it working again, just flash the Full OTA file, and do a wipe of /data, /cache, /system and /boot beforehand.
Sad to hear about your troubles buddy.

So it looks like everything worked out for me. I managed to restore my phone with the help of the threads above. I have to admit though, the guides given on this forum aren't too "complete" - there's always a step or two missing from the guide that the reader has to figure out themselves. And not all the files are provided in the topics either! I'm also kind of concerned why it seems so many people ended up bricking their phone like that. Quite concerning.
In the end, I managed to reflash the stock ICS ROM for i9023 Nexus S which I found in this thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1445635
So I scrapped the one that I downloaded initially from Android Central. The difference in size was surprisingly roughly 30MB (160MB instead of the 130MB Android Central one).
I'm just using stock ICS, but rooted. Downloaded a few apps which require root, but haven't tried adding any mods or kernels. I might look into that later. But it seems like with 4.0.4 coming out, there might be some interesting new additions!
Thanks for all your help!!

Did you flash this ics from stock recovery?
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App

Congratulations on resurrecting it! Are you guys saying that there is a risk of bricking a phone, while installing official update? I did a manual update, 3 weeks ago, unrooted, and ICS has been nothing but amazing for me.
I have a question. In case, I ever brick my I9023 (hope not).
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=20382688&postcount=16
This post states that I must be running Ubuntu on my PC. Does that mean I can't use Windows? And if I must use Linux, can I just do it with Wubi, or with Online Server?