Database Info

[Q] Newbie needs help with custom roms and rooting

I'm not really a newbie on XDA, but I just got my Transformer TF101 today and have a few questions. I know I risk repeating some existing questions, but still have no clear answers after searching and reading this forum for a couple of days and would appreciate some advice.
I have a serial number on the bottom of the device as B50KASxxxxxx - I've read about B60 rootable and B70/B80 non-rootable. What's my B50? Is it safe to root? Did I get an older model (from newegg.ca) - any disadvantages? Edit - I found this one, looks like it's rootable.
I have firmware 8.2.3.9-20110423 - should I install OTA update before rooting and custom rom, or just do custom rom install right away?
What is considered the best and most stable custom rom that has a status bar hide option?
At this moment, what is the must up to date and easiest guide to safe rooting and installing custom rom? The ones I found seem a bit outdated, not sure which one to follow...
Some (or all?) custom roms have status bar hide option included, but none mentions how to control it, hide/restore bar. How does it work in practice? Annoying bar is my main reason to root it...
In your opinion, is it better to root it and use stock roms, or install custom roms?
Thanks!

not a noob? so.....your familiar with searching? guess not. the time it took you to type all of that you could have searched and found your answer yourself. heres 1 of the 50 million threads made on the subject...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1294687

uploder said:
not a noob? so.....your familiar with searching? guess not. the time it took you to type all of that you could have searched and found your answer yourself. heres 1 of the 50 million threads made on the subject...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1294687
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't guess. Yes, I'm familiar with searching and was searching a reading for two days before writing this. I might have missed something but there is too much information. BTW thank you for your link but it does not have any reference to B50, which was one of my questions.
An even if I missed answers to some of my questions, there are no clear anwers to others, or they might be outdated.

your right.that thread wasn't the answer. i said it was a start.it DOES mention the B50. and 2 days of searching? come one man there's @ least 3 threads in general alone that answer this. Do i know the answer? yes. will i tell you? no. SEARCH HARDER. i dnt care if you think im not being helpful but the fact of the matter is im trying to help you help yourself. good luck buddy

uploder said:
your right.that thread wasn't the answer. i said it was a start.it DOES mention the B50. and 2 days of searching? come one man there's @ least 3 threads in general alone that answer this. Do i know the answer? yes. will i tell you? no. SEARCH HARDER. i dnt care if you think im not being helpful but the fact of the matter is im trying to help you help yourself. good luck buddy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You might have issues with understanding what I write, or you just have not read it. I don't mind you not reading it - you don't have to after all, but if you do - please pay attention before replying in quite an arrogant way. As I said - I only get my TF101 today - an hour ago actually, so I could not possibly search for B50 for two days, duh! I added this question to others when typing this message, to avoid writing several messages.
As I also said, some of my questions can possibly be found through searching (although it's always good to get an up to date opinion), while others I can't find so far. Yes, I found an answer to B50 question - although not in your thread. But others are still relevant to me.
You don't have to help me - but it won't hurt to be polite and avoid arrogant replies even to ones that in your opinion did something wrong.

-I have a serial number on the bottom of the device as B50KASxxxxxx - I've read about B60 rootable and B70/B80 non-rootable. What's my B50? Is it safe to root? Did I get an older model (from newegg.ca) - any disadvantages?
B50 is rootable
-I have firmware 8.2.3.9-20110423 - should I install OTA update before rooting and custom rom, or just do custom rom install right away?
Make no different since you're installing custom ROM anyway.
-What is considered the best and most stable custom rom that has a status bar hide option?
They're all good IMO. Best if you flash them and decide for yourself. IIRC Revolver has the option to hide status bar. There are apps to do it. I'm using HoneyBar on Prime (Hidebar is good too).
-At this moment, what is the must up to date and easiest guide to safe rooting and installing custom rom? The ones I found seem a bit outdated, not sure which one to follow...
NVFLash
-Some (or all?) custom roms have status bar hide option included, but none mentions how to control it, hide/restore bar. How does it work in practice? Annoying bar is my main reason to root it...
Usually just have to press a button or somewhere on the tab, not too hard to figure out.
-In your opinion, is it better to root it and use stock roms, or install custom roms?
That's for you to decide, everyone is different. Keep in mind all the "custom" ROM right now are base on stock ROM but tweaked to be faster ect....

Thanks! I appreciate your help.

I successfully rooted it (with kit) and flashed Revolver

[Q] Updating my new Desire S

Hello,
First of all, thanks for this great forum, i'm new to android and being here is really helpful.
I've read some of the guides posted, still i'd like to have some tips and infos.
I'm from Italy and my Desire S is still working on Gingerbread (!). I would like to update the firmware, if not to Jelly Bean (since the custom one is still beta, but advise me here), at least to ICS, but i don't know the routine to follow (ROOT, then Flash one of the custom ROMS? Being in S-Off mode is needed i guess). Another thing i don't get is flashing radios..
Help would be really appreciated, THANKS.

There is nothing to tell you that you can't find by reading the stickies and understanding what to do.

SimonTS said:
There is nothing to tell you that you can't find by reading the stickies and understanding what to do.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i know, im asking just because im new and not secure of the routine to follow. thanks anyway

el_d4rio said:
Hello,
First of all, thanks for this great forum, i'm new to android and being here is really helpful.
I've read some of the guides posted, still i'd like to have some tips and infos.
I'm from Italy and my Desire S is still working on Gingerbread (!). I would like to update the firmware, if not to Jelly Bean (since the custom one is still beta, but advise me here), at least to ICS, but i don't know the routine to follow (ROOT, then Flash one of the custom ROMS? Being in S-Off mode is needed i guess). Another thing i don't get is flashing radios..
Help would be really appreciated, THANKS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you haven't messed with your phone, i.e. rooted it, flashed any fancy thirty party rom, etc, and the phone is running official HTC ROM and in the exact same state as you bought it, I'd suggest OTA and upgrade to official ICS since you are new to android. Go to setting - about phone then update from there.
If you'd like to try other ROMs then there's plenty guide in this forum already.

Imo official 4.0.4 is a bad idea.
1) It has bugs
2) hboot 2.02 cannot be downgraded without htcdev
Sent from my HTC Desire S

amidabuddha said:
Imo official 4.0.4 is a bad idea.
1) It has bugs
2) hboot 2.02 cannot be downgraded without htcdev
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My Desire S is new and "untouched". For what i had got, the official htc release is to be installed manually and has some issues, so I had thought a custom and more recent ROM would have been better.

el_d4rio said:
My Desire S is new and "untouched". For what i had got, the official htc release is to be installed manually and has some issues, so I had thought a custom and more recent ROM would have been better.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Then use revolutionary (S-OFF) not unlock via htcdev.com, 4ext recovery and you are good to go
If you are on Sense 3 you will have to downgrade in order to use Revolutionary.io
And of course I concider the ROM in my signature as the best to date

amidabuddha said:
Then use revolutionary (S-OFF) not unlock via htcdev.com, 4ext recovery and you are good to go
If you are on Sense 3 you will have to downgrade in order to use Revolutionary.io
And of course I concider the ROM in my signature as the best to date
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, after revolutionary (i'm on sense 2) rooting? Is yours a JB ROM? Anyway, checking on updates from the phone, i got a client FOTA Update. Should i do it?

el_d4rio said:
Thanks, after revolutionary (i'm on sense 2) rooting? Is yours a JB ROM? Anyway, checking on updates from the phone, i got a client FOTA Update. Should i do it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you are going custom better not use OTA
Revolutionary will install custom recovery so the next thing will be a backup of your stock ROM and installing the Rom.zip from the sdcard via the recovery. No rooting, because all custom ROMs are pre-rooted.
My ROM is ICS, there is no complete stable JB yet but once you have s-off you can try them all within minutes. And do not forget to sync/backup your data (contacts, etc) to Google or with some app from the Play Store. And read some guides before starting anything. I am just giving you directions not a tutorial
Sent from my HTC Desire S

amidabuddha said:
If you are going custom better not use OTA
Revolutionary will install custom recovery so the next thing will be a backup of your stock ROM and installing the Rom.zip from the sdcard via the recovery. No rooting, because all custom ROMs are pre-rooted.
My ROM is ICS, there is no complete stable JB yet but once you have s-off you can try them all within minutes. And do not forget to sync/backup your data (contacts, etc) to Google or with some app from the Play Store. And read some guides before starting anything. I am just giving you directions not a tutorial
Sent from my HTC Desire S
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So why do you "root"? Just to unlock the phone without touching the FW?
Going custom i guess it's the only way, because htc is not going to update anymore, so better learn how to.
Anyway THANKS A LOT, it's more clear now

el_d4rio said:
so why do you "root"? Just to unlock the phone without touching the FW?
Anyway THANKS A LOT, it's more clear now
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes you can root your current software (the stock one) if you need just root for an app or something specific without changing the software.
But going custom means to run Android and Sense version which you will never have officially. And they all come pre-rooted
Sent from my HTC Desire S

One last thing amida... What's the difference between the various Sense versions? Just the theme? Will it be updated along with the installation of a custom ROM?
THANKS AGAIN

el_d4rio said:
One last thing amida... What's the difference between the various Sense versions? Just the theme? Will it be updated along with the installation of a custom ROM?
THANKS AGAIN
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They have different versions, because they are ported from different devices and there are difference between them. Not only visual but also performance.
More info about each ROM you will find in the first post of its thread.
Sent from my HTC Desire S

hello amida, i'm starting to update now... so im gonna do: s-off, recovery, 4ext choosing one of the customs. Which step should i do an image of my stock ROM in (so i can go back if needed) and how? Can you also recommend me an application for my datas backup?
THANKS

el_d4rio said:
hello amida, i'm starting to update now... so im gonna do: s-off, recovery, 4ext choosing one of the customs. Which step should i do an image of my stock ROM in (so i can go back if needed) and how? Can you also recommend me an application for my datas backup?
THANKS
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The best app for applications and data backup is titanium backup. It also allows you to make a flashable update zip you can flash after installing a new rom
Research is what I'm doing when I don't know what I'm doing. ~Wernher Von Braun

jugg1es said:
The best app for applications and data backup is titanium backup. It also allows you to make a flashable update zip you can flash after installing a new rom
Research is what I'm doing when I don't know what I'm doing. ~Wernher Von Braun
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, and for saving an image of my stock ROM, just in case i need to go back?

Nandroid backup is a part of the recovery and not an app.
Start reading instead of asking, please. The procedure is covered a million times in a million places.
To the answering guys, (almost) off-topic:
I have a riddle for you, or actually, a somewhat sad observation to share and see your opinions. Since this thread is one of the examples for what I'm going to talk about, and it's useless anyway, I won't feel any remorse diverting it.
I've seen several threads during the last couple of weeks where a random noob got the best out of one of the knowledgeable members of the community - in this and other forums - and they helped him instead of sending him to read stuff that he was supposed to be reading to know the answer.
In absolutely all of those threads, noob questions continued and deteriorated to the most basic ones. There wasn't even one thread where the noob wouldn't continue with flood of basic FAQ-sort of questions.
I've wrote in a couple of them more or less what I wrote here - an unpleasant message to stop the flood of baby questions.
All of the noobs were offended.
All of the noobs actually searched and found their answer after that message, and stopped the flood (with a message that here, they were so great they actually found everything themselves).
It's kinda sad, don't you think? Quite a few times bad treatment seems the most efficient way to achieve the best results... Guess there's no miraculous other way I'm missing, or maybe there is?
(P.S. I'm also moderating a local motorcyclists forum, and keeping the same harsh line in technical sub-forum. Works 100% for >5 years already. But sometimes it gets you wondering about human nature...)

Jack_R1 said:
Nandroid backup is a part of the recovery and not an app.
Start reading instead of asking, please. The procedure is covered a million times in a million places.
To the answering guys, (almost) off-topic:
I have a riddle for you, or actually, a somewhat sad observation to share and see your opinions. Since this thread is one of the examples for what I'm going to talk about, and it's useless anyway, I won't feel any remorse diverting it.
I've seen several threads during the last couple of weeks where a random noob got the best out of one of the knowledgeable members of the community - in this and other forums - and they helped him instead of sending him to read stuff that he was supposed to be reading to know the answer.
In absolutely all of those threads, noob questions continued and deteriorated to the most basic ones. There wasn't even one thread where the noob wouldn't continue with flood of basic FAQ-sort of questions.
I've wrote in a couple of them more or less what I wrote here - an unpleasant message to stop the flood of baby questions.
All of the noobs were offended.
All of the noobs actually searched and found their answer after that message, and stopped the flood (with a message that here, they were so great they actually found everything themselves).
It's kinda sad, don't you think? Quite a few times bad treatment seems the most efficient way to achieve the best results... Guess there's no miraculous other way I'm missing, or maybe there is?
(P.S. I'm also moderating a local motorcyclists forum, and keeping the same harsh line in technical sub-forum. Works 100% for >5 years already. But sometimes it gets you wondering about human nature...)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
don't worry i'm not offended... i read most of the stuff and guides out here, not taking just a minute to post the thread and having everyhting done by someone else.. i just needed directions! Anyway, if you don't want this kinda stuff in the forum, just put it in the registration form, newbies not accepted, and the prolem is solved

There is another thing that's floating around
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmvCpR45LKA

yup

[Q] BEST ROM for Atrix4G

Hi! I'm a newbie to the forums and I have recently rooted my phone with gingerbreak and i've unlocked the bootloader.
I have rom manager and clockworkmod all set for the new rom installation, and i just backed up my old rom.
Now, can anyone tell me what's the BEST ROM for atrix 4g MB860 out there?
Thanks.

Shaxxi said:
Hi! I'm a newbie to the forums and I have recently rooted my phone with gingerbreak and i've unlocked the bootloader.
I have rom manager and clockworkmod all set for the new rom installation, and i just backed up my old rom.
Now, can anyone tell me what's the BEST ROM for atrix 4g MB860 out there?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You'll need to checkout the Atrix 4G Android Development section for finding all ROMs available for the device. Read through user reviews and select the best one of your choice. Also, when asking about which is the Best ROM, you'll get 10 different opinions from different people. So its all upto your needs to use the one of your choice.

Thread closed
I would move it for you, but there's a good chance it would get closed in that forum too. Best ROM threads/questions are generally frowned upon around here due to the type of responses (mostly negative) and bickering they tend to generate. Try them out for yourself and see what works for you.

Just got my N5 and I have a few questions

Since Im a complete newbie I wanted to ask a few questions before doing anything stupid.
1. I noticed people are already posting new ROMs and kernels. Do I need them? I mean, I like the stock and everything but there are a few things I can't do. Why do YOU root and change ROMs?
2. I found a lot of kernels, and I understood that it can improve my performance and battery life. I would very much like to improve my battery life. The thing is, I don't know how. I do know that people are UVing and OCing their CPU, etc but what can a noob do who is not only a noob but also just bought a phone that the rooting thing is new to it. So no everything is fully developed, optimized and ready to go in a few clicks. Do I still need to wait a couple more weeks to change my kernel? I always read kernel threads and their changelogs but it is like jibarish to me. I can't even decide which one to pick.
3. I would really like to change my icons in the quick settings panel. Am I able to do that? How?
4. I tried setting Hebrew as my default language but that just moves the whole interface left. Because in Hebrew we write right to left. It wasn't like this when I had my GS3. I used a few CM Roms on my s3 and they were fine until the update to 4.3. Then it did the same thing on the S3 but I didn't know it would be like this on the N5. Is it something that can be fixed? Can I email Google or call them about this?
5. Is there anyone who is willing to recommend personally some ROMs, mods, apps or any modifications at all?
Thank you in advance!

Bei60 said:
Since Im a complete newbie I wanted to ask a few questions before doing anything stupid.
1. I noticed people are already posting new ROMs and kernels. Do I need them? I mean, I like the stock and everything but there are a few things I can't do. Why do YOU root and change ROMs?
2. I found a lot of kernels, and I understood that it can improve my performance and battery life. I would very much like to improve my battery life. The thing is, I don't know how. I do know that people are UVing and OCing their CPU, etc but what can a noob do who is not only a noob but also just bought a phone that the rooting thing is new to it. So no everything is fully developed, optimized and ready to go in a few clicks. Do I still need to wait a couple more weeks to change my kernel? I always read kernel threads and their changelogs but it is like jibarish to me. I can't even decide which one to pick.
3. I would really like to change my icons in the quick settings panel. Am I able to do that? How?
4. I tried setting Hebrew as my default language but that just moves the whole interface left. Because in Hebrew we write right to left. It wasn't like this when I had my GS3. I used a few CM Roms on my s3 and they were fine until the update to 4.3. Then it did the same thing on the S3 but I didn't know it would be like this on the N5. Is it something that can be fixed? Can I email Google or call them about this?
5. Is there anyone who is willing to recommend personally some ROMs, mods, apps or any modifications at all?
Thank you in advance!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1 & 2 - I recommend reading the FAQ first, stickied at the top of this Q&A Section. This should give you a good starting knowledge
3 - would need an AOSP based ROM with this feature (CM / AOKP perhaps?)
4 - sorry, can't help
5 - No. This is against what XDA stands for. Read "No best rom threads" sticky in this forum.

1. All your answers can be found here for why you should root. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2510966 or http://lifehacker.com/top-10-reasons-to-root-your-android-phone-1079161983
2. Franco Kernel is very friendly to use and once rooted everything can be done from his paid google play app. check it out
3. Once rooted and with customer rom installed like cyanogenmod or paranoid android the themes you download from the google play store will sometimes change the settings icons too
4. i believe cyanogen mod roms have a good hebrew compatibility
5. Just start off very simply. use the cyanogenmod installer from the playstore and wait for the nexus 5 to become compatible. wait for the device to get into more peoples hands and youll see an influx of great roms and mods
good luck and welcome to the nexus community.

rootSU said:
1 & 2 - I recommend reading the FAQ first, stickied at the top of this Q&A Section. This should give you a good starting knowledge
3 - would need an AOSP based ROM with this feature (CM / AOKP perhaps?)
4 - sorry, can't help
5 - No. This is against what XDA stands for. Read "No best rom threads" sticky in this forum.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
bigballa said:
1. All your answers can be found here for why you should root. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2510966 or http://lifehacker.com/top-10-reasons-to-root-your-android-phone-1079161983
2. Franco Kernel is very friendly to use and once rooted everything can be done from his paid google play app. check it out
3. Once rooted and with customer rom installed like cyanogenmod or paranoid android the themes you download from the google play store will sometimes change the settings icons too
4. i believe cyanogen mod roms have a good hebrew compatibility
5. Just start off very simply. use the cyanogenmod installer from the playstore and wait for the nexus 5 to become compatible. wait for the device to get into more peoples hands and youll see an influx of great roms and mods
good luck and welcome to the nexus community.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for your comments.
Kinda hard to decide wether to flash a different ROM or not. Hell, I haven't even rooted my device because I got it 7 hours ago
I'll be rooting it for sure, but I guess I'll wait a bit till CM or PA will come out. What did you guys install?

Bei60 said:
Thank you for your comments.
Kinda hard to decide wether to flash a different ROM or not. Hell, I haven't even rooted my device because I got it 7 hours ago
I'll be rooting it for sure, but I guess I'll wait a bit till CM or PA will come out. What did you guys install?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Still rocking stock. Waiting for PA to release
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

Bei60 said:
Thank you for your comments.
Kinda hard to decide wether to flash a different ROM or not. Hell, I haven't even rooted my device because I got it 7 hours ago
I'll be rooting it for sure, but I guess I'll wait a bit till CM or PA will come out. What did you guys install?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My choice was to stay with Stock ROM. I am new to Nexus devices so I wanted to see the subtleties between stock and AOSP.
That said, De-odexed roms are easier to modifiy so I flashed one of those

rootSU said:
My choice was to stay with Stock ROM. I am new to Nexus devices so I wanted to see the subtleties between stock and AOSP.
That said, De-odexed roms are easier to modifiy so I flashed one of those
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How are they easier to modify? I mean, how does it come to use? Can you give me an example?
Also, I see you wrote your ROM, kernel and UVing settings in your signature. How is your battery life?

Bei60 said:
Since Im a complete newbie I wanted to ask a few questions before doing anything stupid.
4. I tried setting Hebrew as my default language but that just moves the whole interface left. Because in Hebrew we write right to left. It wasn't like this when I had my GS3. I used a few CM Roms on my s3 and they were fine until the update to 4.3. Then it did the same thing on the S3 but I didn't know it would be like this on the N5. Is it something that can be fixed? Can I email Google or call them about this?
Thank you in advance!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Go to settings > About > tap build version 10 times to enable developer options.
Go in to developer options and you can change the screen alignment.

I second the FAQ at the top of this forum. Incredibly helpful and informative for anyone new to rooting. That should have everything you need, but I guess if I were to add anything to what the above guys (or girls) said, it would be to root FIRST before playing around with your N5 too much. Not sure if it's really obvious or not yet, but the rooting process will result in wiping your device, so it's generally recommended to get that out of the way.
That being said, once you're rooted, I can't recommend Titanium Backup enough for making sure all your stuff is available after any future ROM changes.
Lastly, welcome to the Nexus family =) Glad to have ya

abtekk said:
Go to settings > About > tap build version 10 times to enable developer options.
Go in to developer options and you can change the screen alignment.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it didn't work
it works when my system is in English but not when its in Hebrew.. It still shows left to right and I need right to left
b.spec said:
I second the FAQ at the top of this forum. Incredibly helpful and informative for anyone new to rooting. That should have everything you need, but I guess if I were to add anything to what the above guys (or girls) said, it would be to root FIRST before playing around with your N5 too much. Not sure if it's really obvious or not yet, but the rooting process will result in wiping your device, so it's generally recommended to get that out of the way.
That being said, once you're rooted, I can't recommend Titanium Backup enough for making sure all your stuff is available after any future ROM changes.
Lastly, welcome to the Nexus family =) Glad to have ya
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thank! yea I watched a couple of videos and tutorials about rooting. I'll use Chainfire's tool that unlocks the BL + roots the device.
I'll stick to stock in the meanwhile, I'll just install Franco Kernel.

Bei60 said:
How are they easier to modify? I mean, how does it come to use? Can you give me an example?
Also, I see you wrote your ROM, kernel and UVing settings in your signature. How is your battery life?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its just easier. Every system app has an .odex file too that requires extra modification by a themer / developer. Deodexed systems don't need that
-----------------------
Sent via tapatalk.
I do NOT reply to support queries over PM. Please keep support queries to the Q&A section, so that others may benefit

[Q] Custom ROM..which to go for?

I got my N5 yesterday, and I guess there is a lot more one can derive out of the phone once rooted (something I havent done yet, will probably do it today). I wanted to know which would be the best custom ROM to install on my N5, one that has the least (or no) bugs. It would be awesome if you guys could suggest the most stable custom ROM for N5. There are too many cus ROMs here, it proved to be a painstaking task to go through each and every one of them and going through the threads to find out what bugs it has..

abysstheking said:
It would be awesome if you guys could suggest the most stable custom ROM for N5.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awesome and against the rules.

Best ROM/Stable ROM/Good to go threads are against the FORUM rules.
Take some time, read search and find yourself something suitable for you.