Looking through the forums can be a little scary...mostly because of all the "phone stuck" and "PLEASE HELP" threads. My old phone was pretty much hard to brick, if something went wrong... just flashed back to stock (using ODIN). But the risk seems greater with the Hox. I can understand why people root and flash, obviously. But theres always that little voice saying, "If you f**k up, then you dont have a phone". How did you convince yourselves to take the risk?
roguly said:
Looking through the forums can be a little scary...mostly because of all the "phone stuck" and "PLEASE HELP" threads. My old phone was pretty much hard to brick, if something went wrong... just flashed back to stock (using ODIN). But the risk seems greater with the Hox. I can understand why people root and flash, obviously. But theres always that little voice saying, "If you f**k up, then you dont have a phone". How did you convince yourselves to take the risk?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
right now, there honestly is really little chance for you to f**k up the hox unless you do something really stupid like flash an international hox rom or... idk what. stick to the tried and true methods: use twrp, wipe before flashing, and stick to att hox roms. Worst case scenario, if you get into a situation where you cannot boot and recovery says sd card not mounted (like I did a few weeks ago), easy peasy. Boot into bootloader and fastboot, then oem fastboot relock and flash ruu. RUU right now is almost like a get-out-of-jail card for any soft brick you might have (unless you hard brick it or mess with hboot). tbh, I know that I bought this phone to be able to flash roms and mod. If I am scared of that little risk, then I should go back to my iPhone LOL
roguly said:
Looking through the forums can be a little scary...mostly because of all the "phone stuck" and "PLEASE HELP" threads. My old phone was pretty much hard to brick, if something went wrong... just flashed back to stock (using ODIN). But the risk seems greater with the Hox. I can understand why people root and flash, obviously. But theres always that little voice saying, "If you f**k up, then you dont have a phone". How did you convince yourselves to take the risk?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Read and reread if you don't know what your doing. It's pretty hard to brick this phone. Just read the install instructions. The benefits out way the risks.
Sent from my HTC One X using xda premium
When I joined I never flashed a rom before let alone root and unlock and soff.
I found this forum and read the helpful guides, read them again asked my questions before I proceeded and have never had a problem.
You'll find 99% of the time when someone posts a problem its because they didn't follow instructions.
roguly said:
Looking through the forums can be a little scary...mostly because of all the "phone stuck" and "PLEASE HELP" threads. My old phone was pretty much hard to brick, if something went wrong... just flashed back to stock (using ODIN). But the risk seems greater with the Hox. I can understand why people root and flash, obviously. But theres always that little voice saying, "If you f**k up, then you dont have a phone". How did you convince yourselves to take the risk?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ya know, this forum is a funny place. For each one of those help threads you see there is someone trying to intentionally brick their phone so they can send it back for replacement.
Personally I think they're scumbags for doing so and should have to live without a phone, but there's nothing you can really do about that.
I guess I convinced myself to start flashing stuff on my brand new $600 gadget because I had something else in line if something went wrong. I had my eye on this super neat Sony Experia Active phone, which is only $250 new (its waterproof and scratch proof. You should check it out!). If something goes wrong I can always get that. My financial situation this summer is pretty good (for once) so I can afford the risk.
Sent from my HTC One X using xda premium
Flashing something on the HOX is safe compared to the thought of randomly losing your imei like on the sgs3. Just stay with stuff you find in these forums.
The steps seem complicated but the guides are pretty much step by step, you just have to be patient. There was a couple times where I thought my phone wasn't going to boot back up because it was taking too long, but I just gave it time. Flashing new ROMs every couple days is a habit for me, so there's no way I could own an Android device and not root. Right now the benefits may not be good enough for you to flash because we still lack source code, but to me the ROMs we have now are 100000000x better than the stock ROM. Yeah stock is fast, but these are much faster and have tweaks that really make the phone "you" and not something you can just pick up off the shelf.
roguly said:
Looking through the forums can be a little scary...mostly because of all the "phone stuck" and "PLEASE HELP" threads. My old phone was pretty much hard to brick, if something went wrong... just flashed back to stock (using ODIN). But the risk seems greater with the Hox. I can understand why people root and flash, obviously. But theres always that little voice saying, "If you f**k up, then you dont have a phone". How did you convince yourselves to take the risk?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All those "phone stuck" and "PLEASE HELP" threads are posted by n00bs who jump in the deep end without learning to swim. Or even READ about swimming. If you follow the instructions for whatever you are trying to do to your HOX, be it root, unlock, flash a ROM, etc., there is very little risk of turning your phone into a paperweight. Even if something goes wrong, a RUU will fix your problem 99 times out of 100. There is always a risk, but the very minimal risk is well worth the boundless gains. You think the HOX is a bad ass device stock? It's 1000 times better rooted and ROM'd.
_MetalHead_ said:
All those "phone stuck" and "PLEASE HELP" threads are posted by n00bs who jump in the deep end without learning to swim. Or even READ about swimming. If you follow the instructions for whatever you are trying to do to your HOX, be it root, unlock, flash a ROM, etc., there is very little risk of turning your phone into a paperweight. Even if something goes wrong, a RUU will fix your problem 99 times out of 100. There is always a risk, but the very minimal risk is well worth the boundless gains. You think the HOX is a bad ass device stock? It's 1000 times better rooted and ROM'd.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree, it gets much better with a rom and radio installed. Also the main bricks out there arent from everyday rom flashing. They are from s-off attempt testing and yes from not following instructions. Be careful with apps from playstore that install a recovery. Best to do that manually.
roguly said:
Looking through the forums can be a little scary...mostly because of all the "phone stuck" and "PLEASE HELP" threads. My old phone was pretty much hard to brick, if something went wrong... just flashed back to stock (using ODIN). But the risk seems greater with the Hox. I can understand why people root and flash, obviously. But theres always that little voice saying, "If you f**k up, then you dont have a phone". How did you convince yourselves to take the risk?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Read before you flash and you'll be okay.
Sent from my HTC One X using xda app-developers app
Root & Rom is synonymous with Android. I can't imagine owning an android device and not rooting it. I normally give every device the prerequisite 2 weeks stock before I root. The hox I gave a month because I was loving it so much.
Eventually though I always root. Been doing since the days of the G1 when htc actually came pre installed with aosp lol.
Sent from my HTC One X using xda app-developers app
Everything has a risk to it. Change a light bulb in a lamp, and you run the risk of knocking the lamp over and breaking it. But nobody in their right mind is going to replace the whole lamp whenever it needs a new bulb, just because they are afraid of breaking it. Overly simplistic comparison, for sure. But you see what I'm getting at.
Follow instructions, read the warnings, and read up as much as you can on each step along the way, and you will most likely be fine. If things go wrong, flashing the RUU will fix a soft brick 99% of the tiime.
Read and read more. Watch a you tube tutorial maybe. I did both for days and got my hox, then I read more on here for 3 days before starting. Went slow, took me 2 hours to root, unlock bl, install recovery and finally a rom I liked and still liked.
Print out the directions if you have to. I had my iPad out open to the problems others had lol.
Is really not all that hard overall
Sent from my HTC One X
Related
Note: I'm posting this on multiple forums to receive more varied feedback, so if you see it in a couple places, please don't get upset.
I'm thinking of getting rid of my Inspire for a Nexus One. I'm frankly disappointed in the battery life and the customization options available to me. I've been reading these forums for quite awhile, so I'm very aware of all the options I have with my Inspire -- telling me that I can root "following this guide" or whatnot isn't going to be a game-changer for me.
What are your thoughts? What will I miss going from the Inspire to the Nexus One? What might I like better about the Nexus One? Is the trackball really that exciting?
If I do end up looking to do it, what do I have to look for when getting one? I know they sold them for TMo only first, and then brought out an AT&T compatible one. I've heard that there were two different screens available for them, does anyone have a preference or know what the difference might be? If I do end up looking for one, where should I look? Do you think there would be people willing to trade a Nexus One for an Inspire plus some cash?
I've already done a backup to the SD card via My Backup Pro - if I get a Nexus One, should I just have to insert the SIM and SD card and restore everything, or do I have to worry about more than that?
Any thoughts or advice is welcome! Thank you!
What customization options are you disappointed about? Just remember the Inspire is just 2 months old and look how far we have gotten with it so far.
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA Premium App
True, I do recognize that I'm posting in the XDA forums! I'm speaking of a stock, unrooted Inspire. I'm not willing to root this phone -- after reading nearly everything there is to read on it, I'm convinced I will break it or get lost. I know my limits, and this is it. If there was a way to root without needing a gold card or downgrading or any of that, I might be in. There are many phones out there that can even be rooted without losing your info! This is complicated. At this point I'd simply be following directions whose actual meaning I'd be completely lost to, and just hoping that everything was done right in the right order. And if something went wrong, I'd have no idea where or how in between S-off, gold cards, downgrading, radios, sound issues, Eng S-off, etc.
I'm not knocking the people here, you have done amazing things with a phone that did NOT want to be rooted/customized. I'm just not able to take advantage of what you've done, because to be honest -- it is all above my head. And I'm not willing to be one of those people with the "Help! I think I turned my Inspire into a rabbit" threads.
Silas0220 said:
True, I do recognize that I'm posting in the XDA forums! I'm speaking of a stock, unrooted Inspire. I'm not willing to root this phone -- after reading nearly everything there is to read on it, I'm convinced I will break it or get lost. I know my limits, and this is it. If there was a way to root without needing a gold card or downgrading or any of that, I might be in. There are many phones out there that can even be rooted without losing your info! This is complicated. At this point I'd simply be following directions whose actual meaning I'd be completely lost to, and just hoping that everything was done right in the right order. And if something went wrong, I'd have no idea where or how in between S-off, gold cards, downgrading, radios, sound issues, Eng S-off, etc.
I'm not knocking the people here, you have done amazing things with a phone that did NOT want to be rooted/customized. I'm just not able to take advantage of what you've done, because to be honest -- it is all above my head. And I'm not willing to be one of those people with the "Help! I think I turned my Inspire into a rabbit" threads.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
rooting is easier then you think!
HTC Inspire on CM7. Beast ROM. If I helped Thank me
I wouldn't touch a Nexus One with a ten foot pole. I am too used to using modern tech. That phone is very dated and feels every month of it. It would be like me giving up my Inspire for an iPhone 3G. If I were to move to the Nexus, I'd definitely be looking at the Nexus S. It's still an older tech phone, but has a nicer screen, it's lighter, and has a great support community.
However, I really can't think of anything you could do with the Nexus One that you can't with the Inspire... Every rom you could think of is here on this phone. The Captivate devs are almost all over here now, so we have that going for us. Of course, I'm in an HSPA+ area, so I'd also be taking a nose dive in data speed.
Oh yea, and using the newest version of the LeeDroid rom with SetCPU on the "Smartass" governer, I'm just now pluggin my phone in at the 34 hour mark with 5 hours of screen time... That's pretty damn good, if I do say so my damn self.
Many of your points involve rooting, which I've already said worries me. I'm a perfectly capable computer person, but the phone tech is daunting to me. I don't know where to start, and most of the terminology is worrying. You say it's easier than it looks, but that's because you've done it! To me looking in from the outside, it's so far beyond me it's like wanting to live on a base on the moon...
Silas0220 said:
Many of your points involve rooting, which I've already said worries me. I'm a perfectly capable computer person, but the phone tech is daunting to me. I don't know where to start, and most of the terminology is worrying. You say it's easier than it looks, but that's because you've done it! To me looking in from the outside, it's so far beyond me it's like wanting to live on a base on the moon...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't sweat it, man. Just hop into the "One Click Root" thread in the Development forum. It'll outline what you need to have before starting the process. It will guide you step by step through what you need to do. It's a headache when you first do it, but after that you'll be flashing like a champ. It's addictive. Feel free to PM me if you want to go through it together. I'll be more than happy to help. Just make sure you do everything with a fully charged battery.
One Click Root thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=961406
Also, there's a video in the top part of the first post. It's for an earlier version of the root app, but it's still very viable and lets you watch someone do it before you go through it.
Maybe he will like that with the N1 you can have a dirty trackball(since most are used now) that can change colors? You know colors with a "Brownish" tint.
The only thing advantage I could think of is there is a chance to use a cheaper data plan with the N1. But then again, the last time I used a N1 was a yr ago, so now the IMEIs may be recognized by ATT. But not sure if the OP realizes that you can do this.
Yeah, I've kinda dismissed the whole "Stick it to AT&T and use a $10 data plan!" thing. From what I can tell, the ones who do it are pretty much just lucky at this point. If you can say being stuck on Edge is lucky...
*takes a deep breath* Okay, maybe I'll look into this whole rooting business. I'd say I've been through about 1/3 of the pages in that one click root thread... Seems like a fair few people are getting things mucked up -- would you say they're pretty much the ones who are messing with things I'd likely never touch? Do I ever need to worry about a radio? Does the stock rooted ROM that's loaded at the end of it allow for better battery life and overclocking? Those are really my two biggest concerns if I'm going to root (and yeah, I get that they're counterproductive!).
I know I'm asking all the noob questions over again, most of which have already been answered many times here. People tend to get impatient with people like me getting into this kind of stuff, which is one reason I chose to stay away from it. This editorial (http://www.androidcentral.com/sometimes-root-isn’t-answer) also made me think twice (or three times)...
If I get into this, what I'd like to be able to do is to copy all my SD card files onto my computer, keeping the whole thing intact, copy it all back once this thing is done and I no longer need the gold card, fire up My Backup Pro, and have everything end up right back where it was. I really feel as if this is asking too much...
I know the feeling of everything looking really complex and hard. I came from a black berry, the key to rooting with either method is reading the directions. The directions are extremely watered down. What exactly scares you about rooting, what terminology? We are here to help you. The inspire is an amazing little device.
Thank you all for being willing to be so helpful. I'd say I was mostly turned off to rooting by going through the Hack Kit and One Click threads and reading about all the people who actually know what they're talking about having issues and breaking things. I figured if they were breaking things, I'd be SURE to mess something up big time.
I'll be keeping you guys at my fingertips for PMs if this goes badly, and I really do appreciate you being willing to help.
For those of you who do this ROM swapping thing often, is there any way to have some program make a snapshot of your homescreens so you don't have to re-configure them every time? Seems like it'd be a pain.
Silas0220 said:
Thank you all for being willing to be so helpful. I'd say I was mostly turned off to rooting by going through the Hack Kit and One Click threads and reading about all the people who actually know what they're talking about having issues and breaking things. I figured if they were breaking things, I'd be SURE to mess something up big time.
I'll be keeping you guys at my fingertips for PMs if this goes badly, and I really do appreciate you being willing to help.
For those of you who do this ROM swapping thing often, is there any way to have some program make a snapshot of your homescreens so you don't have to re-configure them every time? Seems like it'd be a pain.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Breaking things not so much . No one has completely bricked their inspire. There are a few things here and there that pop up and usually already have a fix posted for them.
Check out the guide to flashing at the top of this forum, I tried to get as detailed as I could.
Honestly no, Flashing a new rom (not an patch/upgrade) will be like booting your phone up for the first time. Though you can back up your sms,apps, and contacts. Everything else you will have to set up again. It can be a pain, but the pros far out weigh the cons !
Any reason you can see for me to use the hack kit over the one click?
Sent from a solid block of aluminum.
They are both good, the hack kit lets you be a little more involved with the rooting process. Where the GUI is more automated. The GUI has the potential to flash the h-boot wrong after it is rooted and s-off, leading to a black cwm screen. You can find a fix for that in the guide that is stickied.
Ooooookay, taking a deep breath and diving in. I'll let you know when I come up for air...
Silas0220 said:
Any reason you can see for me to use the hack kit over the one click?
Sent from a solid block of aluminum.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I say the only reason you should use the hack kit is to understand adb commands a little bit better. I've used both methods and felt a tiny bit more accomplished with the hack kit. Don't worry about messing up, there are plenty of people willing to lend a hand.
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA Premium App
Currently downloading the One Click with about 7 minutes to go. Is there an easy way to tell what ROMs allow for overclocking and to what point? I don't exactly see the need at the moment (I've never noticed my Inspire running slowly), but it'd be nice for future-proofing. I've been able to gather that OC requires more to do with the kernel than the ROM, and that not every ROM includes a kernel (I'm not even sure what I'd do with a kernel if I got one...). I'm figuring it's safe to assume that the stock rooted ROM that is loaded by the One Click doesn't have any OC abilities.
EDIT: I believe from most of my reading that I'm most interested in the LeeDroid ROM and accoutrements. Someone earlier mentioned that they are using this right now -- from going through his thread, it looks like that involves kernels and radios in addition to ROMS. I'm not asking for anyone to do anything special for me, but is there a step-by-step on how to go from post-One Click to happy LeeDroid?
Silas0220 said:
Currently downloading the One Click with about 7 minutes to go. Is there an easy way to tell what ROMs allow for overclocking and to what point? I don't exactly see the need at the moment (I've never noticed my Inspire running slowly), but it'd be nice for future-proofing. I've been able to gather that OC requires more to do with the kernel than the ROM, and that not every ROM includes a kernel (I'm not even sure what I'd do with a kernel if I got one...). I'm figuring it's safe to assume that the stock rooted ROM that is loaded by the One Click doesn't have any OC abilities.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unless they changed it no (GUI).
Most devs will put OC or [OC] in the threads title, most of the time the kernel will flash along side of the rom. Though if it isn't and it is an optional kernel, the best method is to flash the the rom, then reboot, then flash the kernel. Most are overclocked to 1.8ghz some are 1.5ghz.
edit: You flash a kernel like you would a rom, except when flashing a kernel you don't do a full wipe, but it is best to wipe cache and dalvik cache.
Divinedark said:
Don't sweat it, man. Just hop into the "One Click Root" thread in the Development forum. It'll outline what you need to have before starting the process. It will guide you step by step through what you need to do. It's a headache when you first do it, but after that you'll be flashing like a champ. It's addictive. Feel free to PM me if you want to go through it together. I'll be more than happy to help. Just make sure you do everything with a fully charged battery.
One Click Root thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=961406
Also, there's a video in the top part of the first post. It's for an earlier version of the root app, but it's still very viable and lets you watch someone do it before you go through it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have to chime in here and say that I have rooted and flashed my old Nexus one many times and I was totally lost with the Inspire root methods. I literally got a migraine just reading through the one-click thread the first time.
What are you having trouble understanding about it?
I look at some forums on how to do it and I'm pretty positive I can do it. But what exactly are the risks?
Is there a chance of brick?
Will I lose data?
Is it even a necessary upgrade?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA Premium App
Yes, there is a chance for a brick but that is rather minimal. It's the same risk that you take each time you use ODIN one click to return to stock.
Before you flash be sure to do a backup using TiBu for your apps and I use "export to external SD card" for my contacts.
Necessary upgrade? That is all up to you to decide. I did it because I wanted something new.
McKillroy11 said:
I look at some forums on how to do it and I'm pretty positive I can do it. But what exactly are the risks?
Is there a chance of brick?
Will I lose data?
Is it even a necessary upgrade?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1.Of coarse there is a chance of a brick. Anytime you flash your device there is a potential of something going wrong. Doesn't happen that often, but it does happen. Luckily, we have lots of ways of getting out of a jam.
2.You shouldn't lose any data if you back up properly. If you need to use a computer and manually drag your pictures and music or whatever to a safe spot, or like the user above me use TiBu and make a backup of your apps and data and stuff.
3.It is not a necessary upgrade, but it is indeed exactly that.. an "upgrade"
I'm not gonna talk up which gingerbread ROMs I like, but I will say i cannot go back to froyo. The smooth, lag-free experience i have had with gingerbread has been more than pleasant.
But as always read the OP and instructions...and of coarse re-read just to be sure.
Like Nike, just do it.
Coreym said:
1.Of coarse there is a chance of a brick. Anytime you flash your device there is a potential of something going wrong. Doesn't happen that often, but it does happen. Luckily, we have lots of ways of getting out of a jam.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Is not true. You DON'T risk bricking EVERYTIME you flash ANYTHING. The only time you risk a brick (and I mean brick as in not a thing coming out of the phone, nothing not one little sign of life at all. Nothing. Anything other than that is NOT a brick) is when you are flashing bootloaders, but if you are not flashing bootloaders, which most of the time you aren't you can not brick the worst that can happen is a situation that is commonly (and stupidly) called a "soft brick" that's just when something is broken and it can't boot all the way to a functioning OS, but again that example isn't a brick at all because it's 99.9% of the time recoverable.
OP you are flashing bootloaders so in this case there is a small risk of a brick. But like was said it's the exact same risk as odin one click.
studacris said:
1. Is not true. You DON'T risk bricking EVERYTIME you flash ANYTHING. The only time you risk a brick (and I mean brick as in not a damn thing coming out of the phone, nothing not one little sign of life at all. Nothing. Anything other than that is NOT a brick) is when you are flashing bootloaders, but if you are not flashing bootloaders, which most of the time you aren't you can not brick the worst that can happen is a situation that is commonly (and stupidly) called a "soft brick" that's just when something is broken and it can't boot all the way to a functioning OS, but again that example isn't a brick at all because it's 99.9% of the time recoverable.
OP you are flashing bootloaders so in this case there is a small risk of a brick. But like was said it's the exact same risk as odin one click.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't mean to be so critical .. I more meant to say what I said in my second sentence about something COULD go wrong but thanks for explaining it better for the OP
Sent from my SGH-I897 using XDA Premium App
Even if you do brick it's nothing to freak out about. 9 times out of 10 just putting the phone into download mode and using Odin again does the trick. Even if you need to build/buy a jig, the chances that it's so bricked that you'd need to JTAG it or send it in are ridiculously small.
Superalpaca said:
Even if you do brick it's nothing to freak out about. 9 times out of 10 just putting the phone into download mode and using Odin again does the trick. Even if you need to build/buy a jig, the chances that it's so bricked that you'd need to JTAG it or send it in are ridiculously small.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
See it's this kind of stuff I'm talking about. This loose use of the term brick.
If you can recover it by any means other than jtag it's not a brick. There are no different degrees of bricking, if it's bricked it doesn't do a anything. Not a single solitary bit of computing, it just sits there doing nothing no matter what. Dead. A corpse.
It's either bricked or not. Just because the kernel/rom is broken and it doesn't boot properly does not mean it's bricked at all. If the bootloaders are intact and it tries to boot but fails at the kernel/rom level that is easily fixed. Throwing the term brick around in that situation, even when you add the retarded "soft brick" modifier, will just scare the poop out of a noob who just needs to remain calm and take the proper steps to have a working phone.
studacris said:
See it's this kind of stuff I'm talking about. This loose use of the term brick.
If you can recover it by any means other than jtag it's not a brick. There are no different degrees of bricking, if it's bricked it doesn't do a damn thing. Not a single solitary bit of computing, it just sits there doing nothing no matter what. Dead. A corpse.
It's either bricked or not. Just because the kernel/rom is broken and it doesn't boot properly does not mean it's bricked at all. If the bootloaders are intact and it tries to boot but fails at the kernel/rom level that is easily fixed. Throwing the term brick around in that situation, even when you add the retarded "soft brick" modifier, will just scare the **** out of a noob who just needs to remain calm and take the proper steps to have a working phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hear ya and totally agree. But you do realize not that long ago, A LOT of people referred to the phone-!-computer screen as being "bricked". We know now that we are pretty far off from having an actual "bricked" phone in a lot of situations. But even the devs used to refer to that as a bricked device. Just gonna take some time for everyone to figure it out.
For me I went on YouTube and found joshs' video on how to flash continuum. It was very helpful and gave me the main idea of how the process is
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
Coreym said:
I hear ya and totally agree. But you do realize not that long ago, A LOT of people referred to the phone-!-computer screen as being "bricked". We know now that we are pretty far off from having an actual "bricked" phone in a lot of situations. But even the devs used to refer to that as a bricked device. Just gonna take some time for everyone to figure it out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which is why I'm trying to nip that in the bud from now on, or actually about a month ago when I coined the phrase, "soft bricked" is now called "clayed" because there is no such thing as a soft brick in the real world or the phone world, if a brick is soft it hasn't been baked yet in the kiln so it's still just clay, but it works in phone terms too if you have a brick you can't mold it or change anything about it, it's a brick. With clay it's still moldable and able to be worked with.
And the phone....!....pc seen just means a flash was incomplete. flashing anything successfully, even a modem, will get rid of that screen.
Granted if the kernel/rom is still incomplete it won't boot completely and be working, it'll just be "clayed" in a bootloop. So a complete odin rom is probably needed to have a working phone, but like I said flashing anything successfully will at least get rid of that screen.
dreezy1209 said:
For me I went on YouTube and found joshs' video on how to flash continuum. It was very helpful and gave me the main idea of how the process is
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You got that URL for the YouTube video?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA Premium App
McKillroy11 said:
You got that URL for the YouTube video?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOyx5JQ_8_I
in the video he uses talon kernel, i wouldnt suggest that because now most roms are not based on jvb which that talon is, so if yoou fallow the steps with that kernel and flash a jvh based rom it will bootloop, i suggest a kernel in this thread:http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1042543
if its a jvh rom grab this one:I9000_reoriented_vG.1.2_novoo.tar
studacris said:
Which is why I'm trying to nip that in the bud from now on, or actually about a month ago when I coined the phrase, "soft bricked" is now called "clayed" because there is no such thing as a soft brick in the real world or the phone world, if a brick is soft it hasn't been baked yet in the kiln so it's still just clay, but it works in phone terms too if you have a brick you can't mold it or change anything about it, it's a brick. With clay it's still moldable and able to be worked with.
And the phone....!....pc seen just means a flash was incomplete. flashing anything successfully, even a modem, will get rid of that screen.
Granted if the kernel/rom is still incomplete it won't boot completely and be working, it'll just be "clayed" in a bootloop. So a complete odin rom is probably needed to have a working phone, but like I said flashing anything successfully will at least get rid of that screen.
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Click to collapse
"clayed"... I like it.. It makes a lot more sense than "soft-bricked" I myself will start to use that phrase thanks!
studacris said:
See it's this kind of stuff I'm talking about. This loose use of the term brick.
If you can recover it by any means other than jtag it's not a brick. There are no different degrees of bricking, if it's bricked it doesn't do a damn thing. Not a single solitary bit of computing, it just sits there doing nothing no matter what. Dead. A corpse.
It's either bricked or not. Just because the kernel/rom is broken and it doesn't boot properly does not mean it's bricked at all. If the bootloaders are intact and it tries to boot but fails at the kernel/rom level that is easily fixed. Throwing the term brick around in that situation, even when you add the retarded "soft brick" modifier, will just scare the **** out of a noob who just needs to remain calm and take the proper steps to have a working phone.
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Click to collapse
I agree, but it's a term that everybody uses. Sort of like how a ton of metal music is called "hardcore", even when it's not hardcore. Etc. I guess I just assumed that when I gave different conditions for each degree of "brick"(or clay, whatever the terminology), a noob or otherwise inexperienced person could distinguish the difference rather than see "brick" and freak out.
I dunno, I've "bricked" my phone to the point of requiring a jig before, it's super easy and nothing to get freaked out about. If anything, it's a wonderful learning experience, which is something people should be expecting when they do this sort of stuff anyways. It isn't an iPhone.
I watched the video and I don't know how to downgrade to 2.1. Also will I need to re-root my phone after going to gingerbread or the downgrade?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA Premium App
Superalpaca said:
I agree, but it's a term that everybody uses. Sort of like how a ton of metal music is called "hardcore", even when it's not hardcore. Etc. I guess I just assumed that when I gave different conditions for each degree of "brick"(or clay, whatever the terminology), a noob or otherwise inexperienced person could distinguish the difference rather than see "brick" and freak out.
I dunno, I've "bricked" my phone to the point of requiring a jig before, it's super easy and nothing to get freaked out about. If anything, it's a wonderful learning experience, which is something people should be expecting when they do this sort of stuff anyways. It isn't an iPhone.
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Click to collapse
ive done it on purpose out of curiosity and wanting to see for myself, like i mentioned earlier the phone...!....pc just means a flash was marked incomplete so a fun learning experience: Flash a kernel with odin and yank the chord halfway through the flash. you might get a screen with a pretty color followed by the phone....!.....pc screen. now flash a modem with odin and let that finish like normal, the phone...!...pc screen will no longer be there, it will still be clayed because the kernel is broken, but it wont have that screen anymore. then flash the kernel like normal and it will be fixed likje nothing ever happened. this has no risk of bricking whatsoever because there are no bootloaders involved in the flash.
ive never had to use the jig i built my button combos have always worked, i still built one cause its super easy and handy to have if i ever need it but i just never have
McKillroy11 said:
I watched the video and I don't know how to downgrade to 2.1. Also will I need to re-root my phone after going to gingerbread or the downgrade?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if you are flashing a custom rom and not staying on stock gingerbread then it will already be rooted.
to return to stock everything (stock bootloaders also) use odin one click. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=731989
to return to a stock rom but still retain the gingerbread bootloaders use this package http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=995143
both of those methods of returning to stock would be an out of the box unrooted stock rom.
McKillroy11 said:
I watched the video and I don't know how to downgrade to 2.1. Also will I need to re-root my phone after going to gingerbread or the downgrade?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Use odin3 oneclick downloader. That will put you back at stock 2.1
Here it is. But if you don't know how to use it. You should really learn it.
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=SBSMALFJ
here's a vid for Odin:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDtxnH4lFuk
Sent from my SGH-I897 using XDA Premium App
studacris said:
Which is why I'm trying to nip that in the bud from now on, or actually about a month ago when I coined the phrase, "soft bricked" is now called "clayed" because there is no such thing as a soft brick in the real world or the phone world
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree the term "brick" is thrown around too liberally, but I was under the impression that a "soft brick" was a SOFTware problem, and a "hard brick" was a HARDware problem. I guess I was mistaken, since "hard bricks" can still be the result of software issues. (right?)
Sent from a phone inside a phone inside a KFC inside a McDonald's.
twvance said:
I agree the term "brick" is thrown around too liberally, but I was under the impression that a "soft brick" was a SOFTware problem, and a "hard brick" was a HARDware problem. I guess I was mistaken, since "hard bricks" can still be the result of software issues. (right?)
Sent from a phone inside a phone inside a KFC inside a McDonald's.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A hard brick occurs when the bootloaders are written improperly or gingerbread and froyo bootloaders are mixed. Completely software. If the bootloaders can't load the boot sequence you get absolutly nothing from it.
You can still recover from a hard brick with jtag, if it was a hardware problem like severe water damage there is no coming back from that at all. So I guess that's just called a broken phone.
Hi ! Well technically im not new to the forum b/c i have a nexus one and use that ... part of the forum a lot but im tryin to help a friend right now.. He has a thunderbolt, and got it pretty close to initial release. He's had many problems with it like periodic need of restarts, and losing like a decent portion of is battery AFTER restart (example before start, 50%, after restart, 40-45%...), text msging problems like (example... "Hi" to John Doe, *send*... it does not appear in the window, go back to the messaging home screen... u see "Hi" sent to Harry Potter instead.. doesnt happen a lot but business wise, once or twice can cause the lost of business... =/ luckily clients have forgave him so far...
and of cos theres like other problems thats hes been experiencing but those are two that came to mind just now..
so wondering, what procedures to help him root/flash a new rom so he can get a better and faster use of his phone (OH another thing, its working quite slow... D i was lookin around the thunderbolt forum, theres roms like synergyrom and of cos cm7 that are really popular.. then reading in some areas, using the revolutionary method is a good way to start to..root? is the revolutionary method the way to get the bootloader or what.. lol yah im noob >_> surprising i got cm7 on my n1 lol
Many people would ***** at ya for not reading the stickies... naughty naughty. In any case yes you want revolutionary. And yes it provides s-off and an unlocked bootloader. Alternatively for the random SMS problem you can just download an alternate messaging app. I use chomp. If I helped ya hit the thanks!
My name is Revos I'm a recovering flashaholic running Liquid Gingerbread 3.0
All your questions answered Here
i actually did read it.. just didnt really understand it cuz it was different then how it was done for my nexus one...
If there are parts that you do not completely understand go ahead and ask specific questions. Nobody will be upset if you are trying to make sure you know what your doing. Which parts did you not understand?
so what i understand so far... you need to obtain S-Off and unlocked boot loader..
theres a few ways in obtaining that? mr1/ota permroot or revolutionary.. there are people saying revolutionary (or the quick n easy way) has a higher chance in bricking phone.. is that true? b/c i wanna use the way that has the lowest or one of the lower chance to brick the phone.. Yah i want it done fast but i want it done the safest way too.. was reading the instructions and it says it uses the clockwork recovery.. iirc.. there was between clockwork and amun-ra ??
for the most part it looks kind of similar to the process i did with my nexus one..
after it being rooted and having the bootloader... do i just look for those custom firmware packages like uhm cm7 or synergy (or what do you people recommend that you like??) and flash it from sd card in bootloader??
Of all the reading I did about revolutionary I didnt notice anyone bricking their phone. I'm not saying it didn't happen, but it seemed to run smooth for most everyone that followed the directions.
You will install CCW while your running the revolutionary.
And to answer your last question, yes you will just download whatever rom you choose to the root of your sdcard, flash it from recovery.
*sigh* friend hesistant to get it done because he has insurance on the phone... guess ill wait until he's willing ahaha thx for the help !
All the more reason to root. Worst case he bricks it. If he doesn't brick it he will learn how much more fun and enjoyable the Tbolt is with the ability to flash new roms, or change whatever he wants.
Insurance covers phones "accidentally" dropped into the toilet...
yah hes worried if it gets bricked.. hes all for the fixing ...
The only way you are going to brick your phone is if you don't follow the directions. Just make sure you do a nandroid backup through the bootloader and go from there. If your friend is to afraid to do it I'm sure you can check Craigslist for people to root it for you. I'd do it for you but I don't know if the forum allows it.
Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk
Tell him to grow some and root. Hes gonna have to eventually do it anyways to avoid issues like hes been having. Of he does an insurance claim they're just gonna send him a refurbished one and who's to say all the issues were solved with that one after it was sent back? I don't get how people can complain, ask for help and then be reluctant. Whatever you do make sure you sit him down and walk him through it otherwise if he has any issues he'll be calling and blaming you. Been there and laughed and laughed. Good luck.
Sent from my HTC ThunderBolt using XDA App
I'm ashamed to admit it, but I'm in the same boat almost. I still haven't rooted and rom'd yet for similar reasons. That said, I'm pretty close, especially with the logging fiasco. From what I've read, there haven't been any legit reports of bricking due to Revolutionary, at least used correctly. Most people say it's only when you try an old method of rooting or otherwise don't follow directions.
ponyboy82 said:
I'm ashamed to admit it, but I'm in the same boat almost. I still haven't rooted and rom'd yet for similar reasons. That said, I'm pretty close, especially with the logging fiasco. From what I've read, there haven't been any legit reports of bricking due to Revolutionary, at least used correctly. Most people say it's only when you try an old method of rooting or otherwise don't follow directions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Trust me... It's a LOT less scary after you do it than before. I've helped walk some people through the old ADB method with success and Revolutionary is idiot proof by comparison.
Does ODIN somewhat scare you also? Positive and Negative experiences, i have heard more of the latter. What if we gather some devs. and develop a new flashing tool. Yes ODIN is works, and the features are great, but for "newbies", it can be quite scary for them, and they, as well as us, have a great chance of bricking our devices. Let me know what you think. Cheers!
No problems whatsoever with it. There is something else out there...Heimdall. It actually is scary.
Honestly, the only thing you could do to make it any better is take away some of the "don't touch" options. Remove Phone, remove EFS clear. You aren't going to make it any safer than it is when used properly, because you're still goign to be using the same protocols.
shrike1978 said:
No problems whatsoever with it. There is something else out there...Heimdall. It actually is scary.
Honestly, the only thing you could do to make it any better is take away some of the "don't touch" options. Remove Phone, remove EFS clear. You aren't going to make it any safer than it is when used properly, because you're still goign to be using the same protocols.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats a great idea! And maybe make it a bit more user friendly, "easier" to flash your ROMS, at least until they get CWM on their devices, then it's a piece of cake, but we all know that's a lie
I just follow the directions in the stickys and all is good. I use it and if I forget just look it back up.
blueis300 said:
I just follow the directions in the stickys and all is good. I use it and if I forget just look it back up.
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Click to collapse
I just don't want that 13 year old kid bricking his brand new 4G device he got for his birthday
rosenbaa29 said:
I just don't want that 13 year old kid bricking his brand new 4G device he got for his birthday
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Click to collapse
Because then they come and yell at us.
rosenbaa29 said:
Because then they come and yell at us.
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Click to collapse
Never an issue flashing through Odin. The check boxes should be right as soon as you open the program. All you should have to do is click PDA then select the file and hit "start." If you ever need walked through the process, you can send me a message on GTalk @[email protected]
rosenbaa29 said:
Does ODIN somewhat scare you also? Positive and Negative experiences, i have heard more of the latter. What if we gather some devs. and develop a new flashing tool. Yes ODIN is works, and the features are great, but for "newbies", it can be quite scary for them, and they, as well as us, have a great chance of bricking our devices. Let me know what you think. Cheers!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope not scared at all follow directions and everything is golden, screw it up and it can be fixed. See imnuts post how to fix your phone.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1111486
Almost impossible to brick a sammy phone so quite being a little girl and flash with odin
Scared???? all you have to do is follow directions....and click.....why be scared....very hard to brick this baby!!!
I think it is the most straight forward rooting phone out!
Questions or Problems Should Not Be Posted in the Development Forum
Please Post in the Correct Forums and Read THIS
Moving to Q&A
rosenbaa29 said:
Does ODIN somewhat scare you also? Positive and Negative experiences, i have heard more of the latter. ...they, as well as us, have a great chance of bricking our devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The reason you have heard more of the latter is because those people need help and come here to look and ask for it (which is expected). Those that have success using ODIN don't post that they successfully used it (except for cases like this thread).
I've used ODIN for over a year now on both my Fascinate and now my Charge, and I can only remember one issue where the flashing with ODIN didn't complete properly. That was because of a bad download. I tried it again, and when it didn't flash for the 2nd time, I came back here and downloaded the file a 2nd time, and that worked perfectly. It is almost impossible to hard brick your phone (won't work again) with ODIN. You might get your phone to not boot up, but you should be able to use ODIN again to get it flashed correctly and working.
The simple answer is if you read directions, then double and triple check everything before you click start, you'll be fine. If your still scared you shouldn't be rooting your phone! Or fork out the dough and send your phone in for un-brickable mod and never worry again!
~Sent using my Humble Charge~
Have flashed with ODIN dozens of times. After all that, I had only a couple of occasions where the phone would boot-loop. That was easily overcome by following the "How to fix your phone" instructions.
Hello there... this is probably going to get laughed at by the more experienced users on the site, but what the hell, here it goes.
I've had a Droid 2, an HTC Thunderbolt, a Dell Streak 7 tablet, and now, my pretty new TF300 tablet. I've never rooted any of them (the Thunderbolt looks scary as f*** to root), mainly because I was scared. I want to unlock all the capabilities of my device, but the idea of bricking anything I have just scares the piss out of me.
I've heard people say that the Transformer (not necessarily the TF300, mind you) is fairly easier to root than other devices because ASUS provides you the software you need to root it. Well, to my surprise, that software was nowhere to be found when my tab showed up. So I guess it's up to me to seek out the details and do some hardcore tab rooting... but damn am I scared.
Bottom line: I'm verrry inexperienced at rooting things... I probably couldn't root my way out of a paper bag. I see the lingo people use in the topics where they talk about rooting their device, and I am just totally lost. I guess I'm looking for input from others who were new to rooting until they hit this device, or input from pros about how risky it is, the ease of the rooting process, a more in-depth explanation of the rooting process... anything. The more, the better. Anything anybody could say to help me nut up enough to root my device, I'm looking forward to hearing it.
All you have to do, if you're still on the OG firmware (.17), is find the app called Sparkyroot, open it, and follow the directions. There is no danger of a brick by using Sparkyroot.
Note that if you've updated to .26 or .29 firmware, you'll have to downgrade to root, which could potentially cause a brick. But really, as long as you can control your attention span and follow directions, you should be fine.
Check out this thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1645029
I'm a computer programmer and I rooted only because I wanted to remap the keys on the dock. If you are so hesitant, and don't have a good reason to root, maybe your tablet is just fine the way it is. If you don't have a good reason to root, but you have time to kill, and want to learn new things, then it may be a good thing to do.
As a first safe step, on your laptop you can just install the android sdk with platform-tools, install the usb driver for tf300t, and see if you see anything when you type "adb devices" in command prompt. Maybe doing this will give you a better idea on things that you'll need to do.
Honestly, I'd wait until you have a real need or reason to root. You say you want to "unlock all the capabilities" of your TF300. But what do you mean by that? Is there a specific app you want to run?
I rooted my phone because I wanted free WiFi tethering. I haven't rooted my TF300 because I haven't yet run into any increased functionaliy that I feel I really need or want.
Another thing to consider is that OTA updates can fail or brick a rooted device (or you may simply lose root). So if you want an OS update, you sometimes have to flash an older, un-rooted stock ROM on your device, then take the upgrade. A bit of a hassle. I expect that, since the TF300 is so new, we'll be seeing a few OTA's over the coming months. Until things settle down I, personally, am happy as is.
You're gonna think this is so stupid... but the reason I want to root is so I can run an app called GameCIH, which would help me cheat in a game. lol
In my own defense, the developers have made that game so difficult that your only real hope is to buy in-game currency for real money. Enough other people say, "Cheating is wrong, but in this case, it's pretty warranted."
Lol, you have piqued my curiosity. What game? And its stupid easy on .17. I did it about 4 hours after receiving. If you wish to waive your warranty, you can unlock, install CWR(clock work recovery), then flash the SU(super user) zip.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using XDA
The game is called Defender II from Droidhen. If you go to Play, you'll see a whole poop ton of one-stars, people complaining that the game basically became impossible after the last few updates.
Now, since I'm such a know-nothing when it comes to stuff like this, I don't feel bad asking: I saw that Asus released a bootloader thing for unlocking the TF300 today. Is unlocking different from rooting, and can I hack that game having just used the bootloader apk? I tried using the GameCIH app, but it told me my device wasn't rooted so I couldn't use it.
And to answer somebody's earlier question, I have provided my device with all the firmware updates supplied it over the air by Asus. Does the bootloader app I downloaded tonight make that any less problematic?
-Tim
Here are my reasons to root:
- app backups/restore with saves (mostly games )
- tune settings (look at http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1641219)
- some apps require root access for more functionality (nova laucher, titanium backup)
- I'm a linux user so I like having god-like control over my system even if I don't use it offen
- and many more...
The only reason to not do this is loosing your warranty.
At this moment I have root only in my phone (Galaxy S II) but I'm also thinking about rooting my TF300T
^^
Another good reason would be to overclock imo. I've seen threads on XDA where people are getting 1.5 or 1.6 from root/overclocking, which is +EV imo.
If you can follow directions, you should be ok. At some point, everyone roots for the first time. I had no clue about any of this either (and I'm still not the best, especially with adb commands on the comp) but once I rooted my first device, I found it to be pretty interesting and now I do it with anything I get.
I'd advise you to read the root threads thoroughly, you will see a lot of Q&A which will show you where people tend to get stuck in the process. You also might want to just use it as-is for a week or two and make sure you don't have any defects, since your warranty could be void, and you wouldn't want to find out about an unrelated problem later that you can't get fixed.
I'm extra hesitant because it sounds like the downgrade is more dangerous than anything else, and damn it, in every thread, they use so many technical terms that I don't understand...
Make sure the blob file is in there with ADB tools and *circus music playing in my head*
Haha, trust me, I know where you are coming from. Rooting may be a good place to start actually, if you truly screw it up I don't think they will be able to know that it's rooted and will still cover it (someone else can chime in here if I'm wrong). Unlocking, however, apparently sends them information and will void your warranty for sure.
The only way to learn it is to do it
Then again, if things are working well for you, leave it as-is, won't hurt anything to run it stock.
Yeah, if that's the case though, then I really wish I didn't unlock it... I thought it was like rooting but it did nothing for me except kill my warranty and OTA updates... so until I nut up enough to root it, I guess I'm stuck on .29. Not a bad update, mind you, but as they keep upping the tab, I'm going to be stuck in the stone age. That kind of sucks.
Can someone reply to this ASAP:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1668173
Does following the steps in that post allow for a much easier root than I would have had to do less than a week ago? It sounds like it's a cinch to install CWM onto the tab (which, by the way, I know zip-**** about), and then after that, it says to "flash" a file to achieve root.
And on a side note, what the Bejesus does it mean to flash a file?
If you are unlocked, then yes that's the best way to go. Just to confirm, when you boot up, it says "bootloader unlocked" in the top left?
Flashing a file means to install the .zip from CWM.
In the top left, it says "Device UnLocked" or something like that. It's not near me at the moment, but yeah, it definitely says the word unlocked when I boot her up.
And thank you for the clarification
Sack up, and Root it!
It's FUN!
nordis,
I've flashed CWM onto my tab and I'm navigating it now, but I'm still unclear about how to root it.
The step says:
"After flashing CWM, you might also want root. It's easy, just flash the attached zip "
How! What?! Damn it! Can somebody detail what he means, or if I have to enter a specific command using my computerizer, what do I have to input? Because if I have to guess, I'll do it wrong, and this bastard will detonate in my arms.
Edit: I'm also in the process now of backing up my device. I don't know if rooting makes me wipe everything, so why the hell not. If I'm making a mistake doing this, then someone post back right away and I'll fling my tablet at the wall and hope for the best.
Edit: I did it! I'm rooted! I'm the smartest man alive! Nobody else needs to answer any questions I asked about this then
See, it ain't so bad. Pretty fun figuring this stuff out really. Now get to work rooting your phone and all your friends phones and tablets immediately
-T-mobile SGS2 Hercules
Tim 13 said:
I've flashed CWM onto my tab and I'm navigating it now, but I'm still unclear about how to root it.
The step says:
"After flashing CWM, you might also want root. It's easy, just flash the attached zip "
How! What?! Damn it! Can somebody detail what he means, or if I have to enter a specific command using my computerizer, what do I have to input? Because if I have to guess, I'll do it wrong, and this bastard will detonate in my arms.
Edit: I'm also in the process now of backing up my device. I don't know if rooting makes me wipe everything, so why the hell not. If I'm making a mistake doing this, then someone post back right away and I'll fling my tablet at the wall and hope for the best.
Edit: I did it! I'm rooted! I'm the smartest man alive! Nobody else needs to answer any questions I asked about this then
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can anyone explain what flashing CWM is and how it's relevant to rooting? It has nothing to do with unlocking the tablet right?