Database Info

[Q] [Poll] How many backups do you keep?

Right now I've got 6 back ups of different ROMs, including a stock ROM. This seems somewhat high to me, but perhaps you guys keep more?

I use to backup every time before I flashed a ROM, and probably had a stockpile of like 4-5 backups. Then I realized those backups are worthless to me. Titanium Backup makes a backup of my apps and all other data is synced to some other system in one form or another.
The only reason I was making backups was because I thought I might need to revert back to one in the case of a bad flash. In reality, if I have a bad flash...the first thing I'm going to do is use Odin to restore to JF6 and try the flash again, NOT restore my Nandroid backup.
Once I had that realization, I saved quite a bit of time in my ROM flashing "procedures" since I didn't have to wait for a Nandroid backup to complete, and then move it off the phone to a desktop.

^ what he said
Edit
I think the nandriod backup is mostly best used for phones like the evo. With us, we have roms and builds and kernals and modems from galaxy s devices all over the world. Sometimes clockwork doesn't save all that to the backup, so going stock is the best thing to do before reverting back.
From a phone

I've just come to that realization after a bad flash with Axura. The ROM is great, but I tried Nandroiding and doing CWM recovery and neither time did my back up work. This has happened before and I'm sure as hell glad I bought Titanium Backup. I don't regret that one bit; same goes for ROM Manager Premium.

I back up the last 3 I used .....but save some apks from earlier ROMS. I used to have all of them but there is no point in having earlier Beta ROMS that were flashed months ago and since improved. They are ususally available online anyway.
This doesntl count the original Stock ROM and 1 click Odin.....Always need that one

boborone said:
^ what he said
Edit
I think the nandriod backup is mostly best used for phones like the evo. With us, we have roms and builds and kernals and modems from galaxy s devices all over the world. Sometimes clockwork doesn't save all that to the backup, so going stock is the best thing to do before reverting back.
From a phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
^^this^^
So I can't answer that poll because there is no zero option. I've never had a nandroid backup work.

[Q] Some pressing questions about ROMs

Alright so I recently rooted my phone. And it is cool and all, but now I want to test some ROMs, and MIUI. So I have a couple of questions that I could find no where else. Also I'm using Froyo 2.2.1 if I update to the latest version can I root it again, or when I update will it still keep the root?
Question 1- What should I use to backup my phone, and, this is important, is there a way to do it without backing it up ON my phone. I only have a 2gb sd card and backing it up is nearly impossible seeing how I have way more than 2gb of stuff that would needed to be backed up.
Question 2- How do I put MIUI on my phone and is it worth it?
Question 3- ROM manager is apparently not compatible with my phone, so what do I use in place or is there a way to make it compatible.
Sorry for it being a long post, I just really need help.

GuidoZebra said:
Alright so I recently rooted my phone. And it is cool and all, but now I want to test some ROMs, and Cyanogenmod. So I have a couple of questions that I could find no where else. Also I'm using Froyo 2.2.1 if I update to the latest version can I root it again, or when I update will it still keep the root?
Question 1- What should I use to backup my phone, and, this is important, is there a way to do it without backing it up ON my phone. I only have a 2gb sd card and backing it up is nearly impossible seeing how I have way more than 2gb of stuff that would needed to be backed up.
Question 2- How do I use Cyanogenmod and is it worth it?
Question 3- ROM manager is apparently not compatible with my phone, so what do I use in place or is there a way to make it compatible.
Sorry for it being a long post, I just really need help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't use cwm from rom manager. THe i9000 version works perfect but you should really familiarize yourself with heimdall. Once 2.3.5 drop it will be the only way to root. There is obviously also Odin but heimdall is more reliable.
All you need to do to root is to flash any custom kernel thats compatible with the rom as all the kernels in the infuse section have a root script to root on first boot.
These kernels also have a Voodoo lagfix specific version of cwm baked in
Also you can add root to the rom dump/odin images with magic iso. Su goes in xbin. And superuser.apk goes in /system/app all in the factoryfs.rfs image.

Thanks, this helps. But I also need a little help on the whole back up situation, is there a way to back up externally or will I have to back up on my phone. Like I said I only have a 2GB SD card so backing up is impossible with 5+gbs of stuff that would be backed up.

From my experience, unless you wipe the SD card everything that is stored on it will be kept (other than Apps and texts), but your pictures, music, etc. will be saved. Sync your contacts to google so you don't have to worry about saving those.
I used Cyanogenmod on the HTC Aria and it was great, but I haven't tried it on the infuse - it's updated regularly but you have to decide if it's the set up you want.
I actually am using MIUI now and I love it. Very customizable and different than the typical ASOP ROMs. I flash new ROMS constantly, but I am actually sticking with MIUI right now.

Alright, so MIUI it is then. So can someone help me with this back up problem of mine, I just need to know how to back up, externally if possible, and how to flash roms, because in ROM manager when I go to flash clockworkmod recovery the INfuse is not on the list.

GuidoZebra said:
Alright, so MIUI it is then. So can someone help me with this back up problem of mine, I just need to know how to back up, externally if possible, and how to flash roms, because in ROM manager when I go to flash clockworkmod recovery the INfuse is not on the list.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Buy a larger SD card? Or backup with Titanium Backup. This requires that you wipe everything at the beginning of the rom installation process, though. I backed up Titanium, installed Infused 2.2.3, and all my apps were gone when the phone booted back up. Went to the Market, installed Titanium Backup again, and voila: all of my apps and data were backed up. Took about 5 minutes to restore it all, and my phone is running like a dream.
In rom manager you want to pick "Samsung I9000."

GuidoZebra said:
Alright, so MIUI it is then. So can someone help me with this back up problem of mine, I just need to know how to back up, externally if possible, and how to flash roms, because in ROM manager when I go to flash clockworkmod recovery the INfuse is not on the list.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you want to back up everything, use Titanium Backup. If all you want to do is backup pictures/videos, they are located inside the /DCIM folder. Just take the pictures/videos and place them on your desktop or whatever. Then, put them back in /DCIM.
As to how to flash ROMs, use CWM. Every ROM has their flashing instructions on their thread. I don't like using ROM Manager unless its just to install/remove add-ons on Infusedv2.x.x.
To flash MIUI, you don't need ROM Manager. It's all done through CWM.

GuidoZebra said:
Alright, so MIUI it is then. So can someone help me with this back up problem of mine, I just need to know how to back up, externally if possible, and how to flash roms, because in ROM manager when I go to flash clockworkmod recovery the INfuse is not on the list.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you want cwm use heimdall to flash a custom kernel. On 2.2.1 stock this would be the comunity kernel or defuse kernel. If the kernel is zipped up or in a .tar then extract (7zip is good for this) it and only look for "zimage" that is the actual kernel, anything else in there is not relevant to heimdall Also if you never used heimdall before I recommended v1.1 because it is more self explained. You can also use odin but need the kernel in a .tar archive. You can tar the zimage in 7zip but may have permissions problems doing this in windows. There may be other. Tar specific apps that let you set Linux permissions but I haven't used any.
If you want the old fashioned way then use the i9000 version in rom manager. But first you need to push modded 3e recovery. Do some searching on 3e and signature verification failure. I can't write a full tutorial on every questions thread. God knows the tutorials exist all over this and every galaxy s forum.

lukas_s said:
Buy a larger SD card? Or backup with Titanium Backup. This requires that you wipe everything at the beginning of the rom installation process, though. I backed up Titanium, installed Infused 2.2.3, and all my apps were gone when the phone booted back up. Went to the Market, installed Titanium Backup again, and voila: all of my apps and data were backed up. Took about 5 minutes to restore it all, and my phone is running like a dream.
In rom manager you want to pick "Samsung I9000."
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Alright so once I back up with TI BU, how do I get it back once I have a new ROM? And also, Where do I get CWM?

I found out how to CWM, but I don't need to back up my phone before I install it do I?

Just got Galaxy S3! New to rooting, ROM, etc....

Hey guys! I just bought the Galaxy S3 and I'm really loving it so far. However, it is my first Android device, so I'm still pretty new to all this rooting, flashing, ROM, etc. All I know is that rooting is similar to jailbreaking in iPhone (which I understand pretty well and use to do all the time) in that it allows you to do things you wouldn't originally been able to do. Because of that, I decided to root my Galaxy S3 following a Youtube video, which turned out really well and was pretty simple. After that, I watched another video to "flash a rom" (I think that's how you say it...) and installed CyanogenMod 10. I wanted Jelly Bean over TouchWiz ICS, so I'm liking it so far. Everything runs smoothly and that Project Butter is uh-mazing! However, I think I've noticed some bugs. For example, the camera's exposure settings don't work and every once in a while, my home button doesn't respond when I'm trying to wake it up from lock! I actually had to pull my battery out yesterday because it wouldn't respond and just froze ...Is there anyway that I can fix this? My Dolphin Browser doesn't play flash anymore too, but that's a little fine with me, since the stock browser is able to. And also, I noticed that when I flashed the rom, it pretty much wiped my phone clean, so is there a way to install all my apps and data back the way I wanted previously? I heard about somethings like Titanium Backup, but then I'm also confused about what the hell all that custom backup and recovery and ClockWork Mod and Rom Mananger is about ...Is it also ok that I installed Apex Launcher after getting CyanogenMod 10? I like how I can still customize it and whatnot.
Sorry for making this post so lengthy! I'm just really excited and curious about how all of this works. It's definitely a lot more complex (but a ton more fun and interesting! ) than just jailbreaking an iPhone. I've looked around the forum and have read some 101 Basics, but it's still quite a lot to understand all in one day. Anyways, if anyone can please provide some feedback, I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you! :laugh:

I was using SynergyRom v1.7 for a few days but was really laggy on my device. Ive since switch over to CleanRom 2.0 SP1 running CleanKernel 1.0, using CWM 6.0.1.0 recovery, and so far seems to be running alot smoother and faster than Synergy. The only problem ive found with it is the Rom comes with the cpu set up to 1.9 Ghz even when I have it set at 1.5 on SetCPU, and if im putting a heavy load on my device, the back gets pretty warm. There is a post I remember seein something about that issue but cant find it.
If you would like to give this ROM a try, you can find it here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1832070

The current version of cm 10 is nightly is not done and there is bugs. the only thing I got was the wake up thing but it never froze for me.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app

fr8cture said:
The current version of cm 10 is nightly is not done and there is bugs. the only thing I got was the wake up thing but it never froze for me.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So your's doesn't wake when you push the home button too?! Thought it was just me...And do you know when CM10 will be fully stable? Or are there other roms out there that are?

lilaznandyx said:
So your's doesn't wake when you push the home button too?! Thought it was just me...And do you know when CM10 will be fully stable? Or are there other roms out there that are?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not using cm 10 anymore but try waking it with the power button, I'm currently using paranoid android and don't have the problem and its based off cm10
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app

lilaznandyx said:
And also, I noticed that when I flashed the rom, it pretty much wiped my phone clean, so is there a way to install all my apps and data back the way I wanted previously? I heard about somethings like Titanium Backup, but then I'm also confused about what the hell all that custom backup and recovery and ClockWork Mod and Rom Mananger is about ...Is it also ok that I installed Apex Launcher after getting CyanogenMod 10? I like how I can still customize it and whatnot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
welcome! i'm still a noob too but customizing and flashing roms is definitely a whole lot of fun. A few things:
before you continue I suggest that you backup your IMEI if you have not done so. There are currently 3 methods to doing this:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1852255
you can do all 3 methods just to make sure you are safe.
TitaniumBackup is an awesome program that can save your apps and their data, your contacts, your sms, all to your SD card so that when you need to wipe your data clean you can easily restore all your apps and such again. There is a free version in the appstore that I think is a must have.
ClockworkMod is a custom recovery for our device and basically what we use to flash new roms and kernels. Also we can create Nandroid backups (basically a snapshot of our system that we can restore at a later time) through CWM.
As for launchers you can feel free to use Apex, Nova, Holo, any of these launchers with the different Roms. They will generally come pre-loaded with one but if you have a preference you can just install that launcher and set it as the new default.
Welcome to Android and xda!

pyunny said:
welcome! i'm still a noob too but customizing and flashing roms is definitely a whole lot of fun. A few things:
before you continue I suggest that you backup your IMEI if you have not done so. There are currently 3 methods to doing this:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1852255
you can do all 3 methods just to make sure you are safe.
TitaniumBackup is an awesome program that can save your apps and their data, your contacts, your sms, all to your SD card so that when you need to wipe your data clean you can easily restore all your apps and such again. There is a free version in the appstore that I think is a must have.
ClockworkMod is a custom recovery for our device and basically what we use to flash new roms and kernels. Also we can create Nandroid backups (basically a snapshot of our system that we can restore at a later time) through CWM.
As for launchers you can feel free to use Apex, Nova, Holo, any of these launchers with the different Roms. They will generally come pre-loaded with one but if you have a preference you can just install that launcher and set it as the new default.
Welcome to Android and xda!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for replying! Sorry for asking, but what is an IMEI and why should I back it up? And what is the difference between a Nandroid backup and a Titanium backup?

lilaznandyx said:
Thanks for replying! Sorry for asking, but what is an IMEI and why should I back it up? And what is the difference between a Nandroid backup and a Titanium backup?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nandroid Backs up your whole system and Titanium just backs up your apps and app data, Not exactly sure what a IMEI is but if you don't have it you wont have any service.

an IMEI is a code unique to your device that allows your phone to be identified by your provider. Without it you won't have a phone signal nor data. You should back it up as it has been reported that rarely users can lose their IMEI upon flashing a rom.
The devs have been hard at work at learning what triggers this to happen and ways we can get rid of the problem altogether but until then, it's wise to backup the IMEI and save the backups in a safe place.

Most have lost their Imei when flashing aosp roms but not all. Some have reported it with touchwiz roms as well.
The are 3different methods to back it up though not 100% .
All are featured in development section.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

lilaznandyx said:
Thanks for replying! Sorry for asking, but what is an IMEI and why should I back it up? And what is the difference between a Nandroid backup and a Titanium backup?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
International Mobile Equipment Identity
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Mobile_Equipment_Identity

CleanRom 2.1 just came out today in case anyone is interested...im gonna install it and give it a shot...heard it was much more stable and smoother than v2.0 which im running now.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1832070

nighthawk34691 said:
CleanRom 2.1 just came out today in case anyone is interested...im gonna install it and give it a shot...heard it was much more stable and smoother than v2.0 which im running now.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1832070
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How's the new rom? And if I want to install this new rom, do I just do the same thing I did with CM10 (flash, backup, recovery, etc.)?

fr8cture said:
Nandroid Backs up your whole system and Titanium just backs up your apps and app data, Not exactly sure what a IMEI is but if you don't have it you wont have any service.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where is everything backed up to? Like say I want to flash a bunch of roms, and later decide to go back to my stock rom, what do I do?

All nandroid backups (cwm) by default are saved to the root of the internal SD card. They typically are small compressed files and really no need to ever move them, though you can have as many as you want, just label and sort them in cwm app.
Titanium defaults to internal SD (again root file that won't be wiped when wiping data), but you can easily change this location to your external to make you feel safer.
Same deal with rom zip files, if you drag and drop through your desktop, you can drop on either sd card or external. If you download through your phone it will be on internal in downloads file, safe from a wipe. You can then move if needs be using a file explorer app. Just remember your location when flashing so you can find your zip in recovery.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium

annoyingduck said:
All nandroid backups (cwm) by default are saved to the root of the internal SD card. They typically are small compressed files and really no need to ever move them, though you can have as many as you want, just label and sort them in cwm app.
Titanium defaults to internal SD (again root file that won't be wiped when wiping data), but you can easily change this location to your external to make you feel safer.
Same deal with rom zip files, if you drag and drop through your desktop, you can drop on either sd card or external. If you download through your phone it will be on internal in downloads file, safe from a wipe. You can then move if needs be using a file explorer app. Just remember your location when flashing so you can find your zip in recovery.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ahhh ok. So I'm pretty sure that I did a nandroid backup. So if I want to go back to my old rom, do I just reboot into recovery and click restore or something like that?

That's it. I have several nandroid backups of various rom's and configurations that I can then choose from in recovery. Just remember that if one of your recoveries is original stock (which you should have done), just remember that after flashing that backup, you probably will need to reinstall cwm or similar recovery. You won't need to do that with anything other than stock. I'll do my best to answer any other questions, and please tap the thanks button if this helped!

annoyingduck said:
That's it. I have several nandroid backups of various rom's and configurations that I can then choose from in recovery. Just remember that if one of your recoveries is original stock (which you should have done), just remember that after flashing that backup, you probably will need to reinstall cwm or similar recovery. You won't need to do that with anything other than stock. I'll do my best to answer any other questions, and please tap the thanks button if this helped!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh ok. But if flash the stock rom, will it wipe my phone clean, or will I stay rooted? And do roms take up a lot of storage? I had quite a lot of free space, but after CM10 I lost about 1-2 gb I think.

Yes, roms do take up alot of storage, so its a good idea to put the zip files on your external sd card to keep your internal as free as possible, especially if you have multiple roms that your playing around with. As far as flashing stock, if you mean restoring your stock rom from a backup in recovery mode, then the answer is yes to staying rooted, and no to wiping it clean. It will be in the same state that your phone was in when you made the backup. However, if you flash on an original stock rom it can unroot you and wipe everything depending on how its flashed in. This method really should only need to be done if a backup was not made of your stock rom, or if you have bricked your device in some manner.

Oh okay. So I should be fine then. Which rom do you recommend for this S3? I'm trying to find one that is really stable and is hopefully jelly bean. I'm looking at CleanRom right now, because I like how it incorporates some touchwiz, but I think it's ICS?
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

[Q] A complete backup?

My phone has root using MotoChopper but I am still using the stock ROM. I really don't want to go through the effort of custom ROM.
The nice thing about the Galaxy S3 was the Kies software that backed up everything important. Is there something like that for Motorola? I have an SD car installed with plenty of space.
Is there something in the Motorola recovery menu that would allow me to perform a backup, or an app? I have titanium backup installed by the way.

Search for recoveries
As you know TB doesn't do a full backup. But as long as you are rooted there are options open to you other than getting another rom installed to do a full Nandroid Backup. Do a search for "Recoveries". I have preferred CWM http://www.clockworkmod.com/ with my past phones but there are a few more you may want to peruse before flashing one.
The great thing about recoveries is that you can Nandroid backup your current rom before flashing a new one. And if you don't like the new one, or it has issues you don't like, just use the recovery to flash back.
I hope this helps you in some way.

gps4213 said:
As you know TB doesn't do a full backup..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've used CWM with previous Android phones. Yes I liked it. A few follow ups ....
1. If all I care about was retoring apps and their settings to the Stock Moto ROM -- could I trust TB for that purpose?
2. Supposing I had the bootloader unlocked -- could I install CWM and just keep the ROM that I have or would I be forced to install a custom ROM?

strike3 said:
1. If all I care about was restoring apps and their settings to the Stock Moto ROM -- could I trust TB for that purpose?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, but if all you want is app backups with the ability to restore (Not data just apps) I prefer appsaver. But if you want data as well then TB is superb.
strike3 said:
2. Supposing I had the bootloader unlocked -- could I install CWM and just keep the ROM that I have or would I be forced to install a custom ROM?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Having root and or an unlocked boot loader (As phones used to come with) does not mean you have to use any other rom. I plan on keeping the stock rom on my phone as I like it over the present roms.
Remember, you will never be forced to use any rom. With the unlocked boot loader you can use any you choose including stock.
---Edit---
CWM does not yet have a stock recovery for the XT926, give it time and they will. You did not state your exact phone version but I would guess it is the 925/926.
As I just rooted my self I am also looking for a recovery to do a Nandroid backup.
I did find this thread that has some answers IF your boot loader is unlocked...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1973904

gps4213 said:
Yes, but if all you want is app backups with the ability to restore (Not data just apps) I prefer appsaver. But if you want data as well then TB is superb.
Having root and or an unlocked boot loader (As phones used to come with) does not mean you have to use any other rom. I plan on keeping the stock rom on my phone as I like it over the present roms.
Remember, you will never be forced to use any rom. With the unlocked boot loader you can use any you choose including stock.
---Edit---
CWM does not yet have a stock recovery for the XT926, give it time and they will. You did not state your exact phone version but I would guess it is the 925/926.
As I just rooted my self I am also looking for a recovery to do a Nandroid backup.
I did find this thread that has some answers IF your boot loader is unlocked...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1973904
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the 926. I used the recently posted MotoChopper - April 2013 edition -- from DJR bliss to root. I don't know if that unlocks the bootloader as well. Perhaps someone could clue me in.

strike3 said:
I have the 926. I used the recently posted MotoChopper - April 2013 edition -- from DJR bliss to root. I don't know if that unlocks the bootloader as well. Perhaps someone could clue me in.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope, that JUST allows root access. To unlock the boot loader you need a tad more. Search this forum for droid razr HD utility by Mattlgroff. It has every thing you need to root (And that can be undone) and unlock the boot loader (THIS CAN NOT be undone). Linky
--FYI--
I do not recommend flashing the 4.1.2, but as I said if you are unlocked you can do what ever you want. Being just rooted (Or even not rooted) you can flash 4.0.4 and 4.1.1, when you flash to 4.1.2 you can NOT go back to 4.0.4 or 4.1.1 with out an unlocked boot loader.
And the droid razr HD utility has the CWM custom recovery included!
Bonus!
Any more questions that I can answer before I go to sleep tonight?

Thanks for everything you did -- you deserve sleep. I already had 4.1.2 when i ran MotoChopper. I don't plan on going back or doing a custom recovery or custom ROM. I know I am not using the droid to its full potential however -- i'm just thankful to end the 2 months of banging my head against a wall. As I mentioned on another thread I bought the iPhone 5 on verizon 4 times and returned it all 4 times. I bought the S3 for Verizon once and returned it. 3 of the iPhones and the S3 had chronic wifi issues. I was beginning to think it was me. It was not. With no other variables in my work flow changing -- the Razr HD had none of these problems. I'm sure the M and the Maxx HD would have been fine also. However, I wanted something slightly better than the M and I would have had a hard time squeezing the Maxx HD with a case into my shirt pockets.

strike3 said:
Thanks for everything you did -- you deserve sleep. I already had 4.1.2 when i ran MotoChopper. I don't plan on going back or doing a custom recovery or custom ROM. I know I am not using the droid to its full potential however -- i'm just thankful to end the 2 months of banging my head against a wall. As I mentioned on another thread I bought the iPhone 5 on verizon 4 times and returned it all 4 times. I bought the S3 for Verizon once and returned it. 3 of the iPhones and the S3 had chronic wifi issues. I was beginning to think it was me. It was not. With no other variables in my work flow changing -- the Razr HD had none of these problems. I'm sure the M and the Maxx HD would have been fine also. However, I wanted something slightly better than the M and I would have had a hard time squeezing the Maxx HD with a case into my shirt pockets.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just install twrp as your recovery and make a full backup that way. unlocked bootloader required.
Yes you can trust tibu for app backup and recovery. I flash several times per week and it's the app I use and trust.
Sent from my XT926 using Tapatalk 2

koftheworld said:
Just install twrp as your recovery and make a full backup that way. unlocked bootloader required.
Yes you can trust tibu for app backup and recovery. I flash several times per week and it's the app I use and trust.
Sent from my XT926 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you Kofthworld, I will give that a whirl as well. CWM is still my pref until I find better though.

gps4213 said:
Thank you Kofthworld, I will give that a whirl as well. CWM is still my pref until I find better though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I understand where you're coming from. I used to use cmw since the og droid. Twrp has supplanted it fully imo. all of the devs prefer it and it's easy to use. Nonetheless both exist for the xt926. Use this utility for the recovery of your choice.
http://www.droidrzr.com/index.php?/...Ver.3 {UPDATED-4/16/13} More Options Manually
Sent from my XT926 using Tapatalk 2

I think I should have screwed this one up -- and should have done the custom recovery to make a FULL backup. I backed up all my apps using TB. did a complete wipe -- not just a system reset from Settings but -- a motorola AP fastboot style wipe -- with the stock 4.1.2. I re-rooted. Then logged in to Play installed TB.
I think the problem i created occurred when I tried to reinstall system stuff -- not just user apps. I have stock recovery, root at this point. After restarting once i restored those apps and their data I am perpetually stuck on the Droid eye.

strike3 said:
I think I should have screwed this one up -- and should have done the custom recovery to make a FULL backup. I backed up all my apps using TB. did a complete wipe -- not just a system reset from Settings but -- a motorola AP fastboot style wipe -- with the stock 4.1.2. I re-rooted. Then logged in to Play installed TB.
I think the problem i created occurred when I tried to reinstall system stuff -- not just user apps. I have stock recovery, root at this point. After restarting once i restored those apps and their data I am perpetually stuck on the Droid eye.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok -- I reflashed a stock recovery under AP Fastboot, re-rooted, and then installed TB, doing a 'restore missing apps' - meaning the user installed apps. hopefully ill be ok now.

[Q] n00b seeking help with custom ROM installation

Long time lurker (though I can't say I always understood everything I read), first time poster.
I've had several iPhones in the past and I finally decided to try the other option. I got a Verizon GS3 last November and I couldn't be happier.
However, like many others, I'm looking to get more from my phone. I do like TouchWiz (I have used a Nexus 4 for a week and didn't like the stock android), so I want to stay with about the same UI that I have now. I did some research and found that Synergy is probably the best option for me in terms of getting a bit more from my phone but still staying with (mostly) the same UI. Of course, getting rid of all the annoying Verizon apps is a huge bonus too.
This is what I have done already:
Used this method to root and unlock my bootloader: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2332825
Used TWRP to make a full backup of my phone to an external SD card
Used Titanium Backup to make a full backup of my apps to an external SD card
Here are my questions:
I have the latest Verizon OTA installed (June 20th, I535VRBMF1). I have read all the posts from the last 14 days on the Synergy thread and I think I understand that since my phone has a newer firmware than the one in the latest synergy ROM, I will need to downgrade my firmware before installing the ROM to avoid camera and wifi problems. Is this correct? Someone linked there to I535VRBMB1_firmware.zip. How do I install this firmware? I have ODIN but when I choose PDA it will not let me choose the zip file. When I extract it, ODIN doesn't find anything too.
What kind of wipe should I perform before I flash to Synergy? Should I take my SD card out for the wipe or leave it in? Do I even need to wipe?
Can I install the ROM from ROM Manager or should I always use recovery mode and TWRP?
Is it recommended to just restore my Titanium full backup after the wipe? Should I have backed up everything except verizon apps if I don't want these? Should I just restore those apps where I want my old data (like game progress)?
Thanks in advance for any help. I have learned a lot from these forums but I feel I need a bit more clarifications before I proceed with a task that may be damaging for my device.

Slartibartfast_ said:
Long time lurker (though I can't say I always understood everything I read), first time poster.
I've had several iPhones in the past and I finally decided to try the other option. I got a Verizon GS3 last November and I couldn't be happier.
However, like many others, I'm looking to get more from my phone. I do like TouchWiz (I have used a Nexus 4 for a week and didn't like the stock android), so I want to stay with about the same UI that I have now. I did some research and found that Synergy is probably the best option for me in terms of getting a bit more from my phone but still staying with (mostly) the same UI. Of course, getting rid of all the annoying Verizon apps is a huge bonus too.
This is what I have done already:
Used this method to root and unlock my bootloader: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2332825
Used TWRP to make a full backup of my phone to an external SD card
Used Titanium Backup to make a full backup of my apps to an external SD card
Here are my questions:
I have the latest Verizon OTA installed (June 20th, I535VRBMF1). I have read all the posts from the last 14 days on the Synergy thread and I think I understand that since my phone has a newer firmware than the one in the latest synergy ROM, I will need to downgrade my firmware before installing the ROM to avoid camera and wifi problems. Is this correct? Someone linked there to I535VRBMB1_firmware.zip. How do I install this firmware? I have ODIN but when I choose PDA it will not let me choose the zip file. When I extract it, ODIN doesn't find anything too.
What kind of wipe should I perform before I flash to Synergy? Should I take my SD card out for the wipe or leave it in? Do I even need to wipe?
Can I install the ROM from ROM Manager or should I always use recovery mode and TWRP?
Is it recommended to just restore my Titanium full backup after the wipe? Should I have backed up everything except verizon apps if I don't want these? Should I just restore those apps where I want my old data (like game progress)?
Thanks in advance for any help. I have learned a lot from these forums but I feel I need a bit more clarifications before I proceed with a task that may be damaging for my device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1 - You can roll back to MB1, or flash a kernel that supports the camera w/MF1. The camera not working seems to be the primary issue. I know Ktoonsez kernel works as do a couple of others.
2 - Wipe system, cache and Dalvik. You don't need to do anything with your card.
3 - At least the first time, I'd recommend using TWRP in recovery mode to flash your new ROM. Someone else may have a different opinion, but you'll already be in TWRP to wipe everything.
4 - Different people have different experiences with TiBU. Most would recommend not restoring system data, but apps(non-system) and app. data is usually okay.

lvgdgts said:
1 - You can roll back to MB1, or flash a kernel that supports the camera w/MF1. The camera not working seems to be the primary issue. I know Ktoonsez kernel works as do a couple of others.
2 - Wipe system, cache and Dalvik. You don't need to do anything with your card.
3 - At least the first time, I'd recommend using TWRP in recovery mode to flash your new ROM. Someone else may have a different opinion, but you'll already be in TWRP to wipe everything.
4 - Different people have different experiences with TiBU. Most would recommend not restoring system data, but apps(non-system) and app. data is usually okay.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I appreciate your detailed response!
I'm probably going to attempt this tomorrow. Will report back with what my results. It looks like BoneStock might be another good option for me + save me the kernel replacement or firmware flash. I have some reading to do now

Slartibartfast_ said:
Here are my questions:
I have the latest Verizon OTA installed (June 20th, I535VRBMF1). I have read all the posts from the last 14 days on the Synergy thread and I think I understand that since my phone has a newer firmware than the one in the latest synergy ROM, I will need to downgrade my firmware before installing the ROM to avoid camera and wifi problems. Is this correct? Someone linked there to I535VRBMB1_firmware.zip. How do I install this firmware? I have ODIN but when I choose PDA it will not let me choose the zip file. When I extract it, ODIN doesn't find anything too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just to add onto lvgdgts' post: files ending with ".zip" are flashed in recovery, files ending with ".tar" or ".tar.md5" are flashed via Odin.

SlimSnoopOS said:
Just to add onto lvgdgts' post: files ending with ".zip" are flashed in recovery, files ending with ".tar" or ".tar.md5" are flashed via Odin.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks!

I decided to go with BoneStock 3.1. Whole process took less than half an hour. Used TWRP manager to wipe+install the ROM. Restore from Titanium restored 95% of my stuff, only needed to manually restore my text messages.
Thanks for the help!