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I hate me [n00b question]

So I have a I-9020A with at&t. I have rooted followed by flashing -su and roms instructions using instructions on the net. But after following that process and then going backwards (flashing stock w/ no root locking bootloader) I have realized after that I have more questions.
So first: Unlocking the Bootloader erases the phone. Unlocking the bootloader is needed to flash CWM and SU. I have read many many things about NANDROID, how is NANDROID different from CWM?
So I guess my next question is: How does one remove SU? In the process of rooting and flashing CWM and ROMs I make a backup prior to going to deep... that Backup will have SU, I have unrooted, but SU is still on the phone and I cannot seem to remove it.
Another question is: where are the data files on the phone for apps like Plants vs Zombies? I would like to move them off my phone prior to root, though I'm not sure if that is possible (is it?).
The last question is: If I wanted to muck around with ICS and the source code, is it as simple as flashing the source as explained on the google site? because they make it sound rather easy.
Thanks for any and all help,
toonhead

toonhead85 said:
So I have a I-9020A with at&t. I have rooted followed by flashing -su and roms instructions using instructions on the net. But after following that process and then going backwards (flashing stock w/ no root locking bootloader) I have realized after that I have more questions.
So first: Unlocking the Bootloader erases the phone. This process is needed to flash CWM (but not -su?). I have read many many things about NANDROID, but I have no idea what that is except a backup of a stock rom. When I power my phone off and press Vol up and power on then go to recovery I get an Android w/ a triangle with an exclamation and cant do anything at that point.
So I guess my next question is: How does one backup a stock rom (like you would using CMW) without rooting? or is there not a way and I should just except that when I root for the first time I should expect to loose everything and take off things like pics ect before hand.
The last question is: If I wanted to muck around with ICS and the source code, is it as simple as flashing the source as explained on the google site? because they make it sound rather easy.
Thanks for any and all help,
toonhead
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like you should have read more.
When you open the bootloader (the lock) it will wipe your personal data off the phone (not SD storage). This just means you get it as if you just bought it from the store. There is no way around it but happens only once and you'll never have to do it again. Unless you lock it back
Once the bootloader is unlocked you can now flash a custom recovery such as CWM which will let you manage and back up your phone with whatever ROM you want/have.
Once recovery is on your device you also have to root the phone. For this you'll need a zip flashable file with the superuser apk and SU binary files. Flash it in recovery and you should be good to go.
The last step is to install a ROM of your choice. You can just run what the phone has and it will work fine and even take updates without a problem. However, every time you want to flash something you'll need to flash CWM again because the stock image flashes the default recovery on reboot. There is a file you can delete to prevent this from happening. I forgot the path so look around. However, I would recommend you flash a stock ROM which already comes loaded with good stuff and all other things are done for you Just stop by the development section and pick a ROM you like.
Naroid is just a backup.
Oh, and BTW, mocking around with ICS... I would leave that for later. First get your head around basic flashing/rooting stuff. Changing the source code requires knowledge of code and even phone hardware. I'm guessing it's not for you just yet

obsanity said:
Sounds like you should have read more.
When you open the bootloader (the lock) it will wipe your personal data off the phone (not SD storage). This just means you get it as if you just bought it from the store. There is no way around it but happens only once and you'll never have to do it again. Unless you lock it back
Once the bootloader is unlocked you can now flash a custom recovery such as CWM which will let you manage and back up your phone with whatever ROM you want/have.
Once recovery is on your device you also have to root the phone. For this you'll need a zip flashable file with the superuser apk and SU binary files. Flash it in recovery and you should be good to go.
The last step is to install a ROM of your choice. You can just run what the phone has and it will work fine and even take updates without a problem. However, every time you want to flash something you'll need to flash CWM again because the stock image flashes the default recovery on reboot. There is a file you can delete to prevent this from happening. I forgot the path so look around. However, I would recommend you flash a stock ROM which already comes loaded with good stuff and all other things are done for you Just stop by the development section and pick a ROM you like.
Naroid is just a backup.
Oh, and BTW, mocking around with ICS... I would leave that for later. First get your head around basic flashing/rooting stuff. Changing the source code requires knowledge of code and even phone hardware. I'm guessing it's not for you just yet
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i was going to write something similar. toonhead85 you should do a bit more research and reading before you start hacking on your phone. youve hearts in the right place, but youre not quite ready just yet. at least take small steps at first

A little more clarification or nandroid backups:
Nandroid is a specific type of backup of the phone's system files. I think that includes system rom and radio. I not sure if any data is included in the backup. You should make a nandroid backup of the stock rom bbefore you flash any custom roms. If something goes wrong with a rom flash or if you want to restore to a previous stock or custom rom, you can restore from the backups you have made. You create these nandroid backups by booting into recovery and selecting the backup option (I think maybe named backup and restore). Backups are usually found on your SD card, but you can copy them to your computer to save additional copies.
If you want to also backup apps, get a good backup program from the market. Two that I have used are Titanium Backup for Root and MyBackups for Root. They can backup and restore apps and data as well as system data.

Thanks for all of the amazing replys. I do know that I am not at the point where I wanna muck around in the system to much as this is my one and only phone. But I would like to at some point.
But something I wanna know is this: If in flash CWM, can I use it without root? Say to make a backup of the stock rom before flashing SU? I only ask because I am currently at work and can't test the idea.
Another question is this: I know how to get to the stock recovery, but from what I read you use the VOL UP to get the "Menu". When I push any (hardware) button I get nothing and the image being displayed is an Android with a triangle and there is an exclimation point in it. Any thoughts?

a nandroid saves everything in your phone, just how it is at that moment. and when you restore it, your phone goes back to that very moment you made that nandroid backup. all your data remain. everything. its like you didnt do anything in between backing up and restoring

simms22 said:
a nandroid saves everything in your phone, just how it is at that moment. and when you restore it, your phone goes back to that very moment you made that nandroid backup. all your data remain. everything. its like you didnt do anything in between backing up and restoring
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
and you need root to use NANDROID? Or just an unlocked bootloader and to flash it over?

toonhead85 said:
and you need root to use NANDROID? Or just an unlocked bootloader and to flash it over?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
unlocked bootloader

FANTASTIC!!! Thank you all so very much!!

simms22 said:
unlocked bootloader
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And CWM recovery.
You don't need root to backup but remember that when you reboot it will flash back to stock recovery (the triangle). You can simply repeat the adb command to flash CWM again.
Sent from my Nexus S 4G

And CWM recovery.
You don't need root to backup but remember that when you reboot it will flash back to stock recovery (the triangle). You can simply repeat the adb command to flash CWM again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So I could flash unlock my bootloader > flash CWM > Make a backup and save it to my computer then when i reboot my phone it would automatically reflash the stock recovery? and if this is correct, then all i would need to do is flash CWM to restore the saved backup?
So here's a question, is it the action of flashing SU that keeps the phone from removing CWM and reinstalling stock recovery?

You must rename the /system/etc/install-recovery.sh file or it will keep replacing the stock recovery. See this post, item 2.

[Q] How do I change ROMS??

If I am using this forum improperly or asking too many questions on one thread that don't fit together, please inform me kindly.
Stock on 2.3.4 hboot 1.18 I rooted with revolutionary, and installed teamwin recovery. I am using the newest CM7 from the rootzwiki I believe. This is what I flashed anyway - update-cm-7.1.0-SelfKANG10-Sensation-signed.zip. Now I am 2.3.7 kernel ver 2.6.35.13_CyanogenMod+ [email protected] #1
ROM Manager app is now on my phone, but it says I need Clockwork recovery to use it. I also read through google and forums that just flashing between ROMs you have to have like same kernels and stuff like that, which I am very noob too.
I'm having Google framework FC issues and no GPS on CM7.
I think I want to switch from CM7 to this MIUI zip I got at MIUI.us - MIUI.us_pyramid_1.12.9.01_Eng_Deo_ZipA_Signed.zip
Which recovery SHOULD I be using? If clockwork is way to go, can I just go to my ROM manager app where it says, "flash Clockwork to this phone"?
If I want to change ROMs, what do I need and NOT need to backup? What exactly is "nandroid" back up, is it better than backup apps? Do I need to backup ROMs, and what exactly is that and what is proper way?
Do I have to wipe then restore everytime? Had some issues with this first time from stock sense to CM7, couldn't get Titanium or mybackup pro to restore my apps, and my contacts are quadrupled in size and organized oddly.
What is the best way to switch ROMs, flashing, ROM Manager, something else?
IF I wanted to run only one ROM for lets say 6 months, after I flash it, can I delete that zip from sd card, and phone will still work?
Suggest a ROM for me if you like also

_DavidWebb said:
If I am using this forum improperly or asking too many questions on one thread that don't fit together, please inform me kindly.
Stock on 2.3.4 hboot 1.18 I rooted with revolutionary, and installed teamwin recovery. I am using the newest CM7 from the rootzwiki I believe. This is what I flashed anyway - update-cm-7.1.0-SelfKANG10-Sensation-signed.zip. Now I am 2.3.7 kernel ver 2.6.35.13_CyanogenMod+ [email protected] #1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So standard CM7, use the CM7 thread here on XDA as the reference.
ROM Manager app is now on my phone, but it says I need Clockwork recovery to use it. I also read through google and forums that just flashing between ROMs you have to have like same kernels and stuff like that, which I am very noob too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I personally don't use ROM Manager but use ClockworkMod alot. There is a thread here on CWM 5.0.2.0 somewhere, if I remember I'll add it.
Kernels need to be Compatible with the ROM. This compatibility requitement is in terms of Kernel revision (i.e. old Kernel might not work with a newer ROM). More importantly though there are two basic typed of ROM on the Sensation, namely Sense and AOSP based ones. These two varieties have completely different Kernels so you will need one from that branch. For example Faux makes two Kernel types AOSP (e.g. for CM7 and MIUI) and all the Sense derivatives.
I'm having Google framework FC issues and no GPS on CM7.
I think I want to switch from CM7 to this MIUI zip I got at MIUI.us - MIUI.us_pyramid_1.12.9.01_Eng_Deo_ZipA_Signed.zip
Which recovery SHOULD I be using? If clockwork is way to go, can I just go to my ROM manager app where it says, "flash Clockwork to this phone"?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd just install CWM directly from the PG58IMG.zip file, but as I said I don't use ROM Manager.
If I want to change ROMs, what do I need and NOT need to backup? What exactly is "nandroid" back up, is it better than backup apps? Do I need to backup ROMs, and what exactly is that and what is proper way?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Nandroid backup performs a backup of the various phone partitions onto the SD-Card. This allows for a point in time backup and recovery of the phone.
ALWAYS do a Nandroid backup before playing with a new ROM or Kernel, JUST IN CASE **** happens.
Do I have to wipe then restore everytime? Had some issues with this first time from stock sense to CM7, couldn't get Titanium or mybackup pro to restore my apps, and my contacts are quadrupled in size and organized oddly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Never had this issue with contacts, I keep all mine synced with gmail. New ROM and they automatically update. I don't often use TB, others can probaby advise.
What is the best way to switch ROMs, flashing, ROM Manager, something else?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I manually install the ROM Zip from CWM then wipe cache, Dalvik Cache and Fix permissions, YMMV.
IF I wanted to run only one ROM for lets say 6 months, after I flash it, can I delete that zip from sd card, and phone will still work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes
Suggest a ROM for me if you like also
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Depends if you want a Sense or ASOP based phone.

Ok ill try to hit all the points for you. First you can use any recovery you like (cwm, twrp, 4ext) but Rom manager will only work with cwm. You can get to your recovery 2 ways, either hold the power button and select reboot then recovery (note some roms don't have this) second power off your phone completely and hold vol down and power until you get to hboot and select recovery (note fastboot must be turned off in settings). Personally I don't recommend using Rom manager to flash your roms go to the recovery itself.
Flashing roms: it is recommended to wipe data wipe cache and wipe dalvik cache (its sometimes found under advanced like in cwm) and when you get that part down it isn't always neccesary but wipe system partition... Never ever wipe anything else... Unless your cleaning your battery stats but let's stick to the basics.
If you are just flashing an update to a Rom sometimes you don't have to wipe anything (i.e. cm7 v9 flashing to cm7 v10) but anytime you change Rom bases always wipe. Especially if you are going from cm7 to a sense 3 Rom and also sense 3.5 and vice versa. Also there are several superwipe files from several devs. I suggest using one of these. All you do is flash it like a Rom in recovery. They automatically wipe for you.
Kernels are labeled with the base you need I.e cm7 or sense review the kernels threads for more info.
Next, if you haven't wiped and tried a couple Roms that explains the contact problems and GPS issues.
A nandroid put simply is just a backup of your current Rom. Go to backup in your recovery and backup your current Rom. Is saves every little bit of your current Rom. You need to do this in case something goes wrong or if you don't like the new one. Then you can simply restore it if you need to.
After you flash a Rom it is in your phones memory. You can delete it off your sdcard no problems, unless you want to flash it again at another time. You can also delete old nandroids if you need to just keep at least the last one you made. They are large sometimes.
I have used about every Rom here I suggest mikes hdrevolution or cdtdroids Roms if you don't want cm7 (which is often referred to as aosp) if you want to try another aosp Rom try hypersensation it works good too.
And you used this forum perfectly asking questions in the q&a good job some people don't get that.
Edit: he beat me to the answers while I was typing lol. Also I hate autocorrect had to clean up my post hope it didn't confuse you.
Sent from my HTC Sensation XE with Beats Audio using xda premium

gol_n_dal;20335770
The Nandroid backup performs a backup of the various phone partitions onto the SD-Card. This allows for a point in time backup and recovery of the phone.
ALWAYS do a Nandroid backup before playing with a new ROM or Kernel said:
I also can't get the multi quote to work like you did, how does that work lol?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Ok, this forum is awesome, and I will defintely check out the other forums for kernels and other topics. I am understanding most of your replies, but as you see I get other questions from some answers lol. I did just wipe everything(data factory reset) again, and installed the MIUI and when I signed in my google on setup, all my apps started downloading from market and my contacts were all there in a little bit better fashion than before. Also, when I put CM7 that was my FIRST ROM and immediately after my FIRST time attempting and successfully doing a root s-off. Now MIUI makes my 2nd ROM. I'm sure if I hang around here enough I'll get the hang of it all and start to figure it all out better. I vultured around these forums for 4 months with a stock phone before I did anything, and my phone isn't bricked so I'm happy about that.

For some more detail try checking out the stickies in the development section there are some awesome guides and answers there too.
Sent from my HTC Sensation XE with Beats Audio using xda premium

royally fudged up custom rom

So I used rom manager to try and flash cleardroid and when it started up i dont have a notification bar so i cant really operate it, also in my stupidity i wiped my sd card and phone which had titanium backup and my old rom. sooooo now i have no clue how to get any kind of rom on my phone and no notification bar to do any of this. Any help would be great.

First of all, what state is your phone in right now?

hkdflip2 said:
So I used rom manager to try and flash cleardroid and when it started up i dont have a notification bar so i cant really operate it, also in my stupidity i wiped my sd card and phone which had titanium backup and my old rom. sooooo now i have no clue how to get any kind of rom on my phone and no notification bar to do any of this. Any help would be great.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Use a microsd Adapted to copy a rom to the zip. Then flash the rom. Also might want to flash 4ext recovery as alot of roms dont support rom manager to flash them as Rom manager uses a version of CWM that doesnt work well. To be honest not many people even use Rom manager any more.

my phone is in Illinois. And yeah i thought i remembered hearing that noboody uses rom manager but i wants something simple to try and flash a custom rom. Ill try and find my SD adapter and try and flash a rom. Is 4ext recovery kind of like Rom manager?

hkdflip2 said:
my phone is in Illinois. And yeah i thought i remembered hearing that noboody uses rom manager but i wants something simple to try and flash a custom rom. Ill try and find my SD adapter and try and flash a rom. Is 4ext recovery kind of like Rom manager?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
4ext is a recovery...it is similar to ClockWorkMod, but not to Rom Manager. You will be able to flash a rom, make backups among other things, but there is no app, just gotta boot into recovery manually.

glevitan said:
4ext is a recovery...it is similar to ClockWorkMod, but not to Rom Manager. You will be able to flash a rom, make backups among other things, but there is no app, just gotta boot into recovery manually.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is an app. It called 4ext recovery. Check it out in the market.

[Q] A few questions about wiping data and ROMS

I have looked really hard to find the answer to this, but I couldn't find it.
I have a HTC EVO Shift, which was already flashed to Boost Mobile before I bought it.
After looking at the Boot Animations and apps, I realized the phone was also running the MikShifted-G ROM.
I have been using the phone for some time now, but after I found that my phone was not getting the upgrade to ICS, I decided that I wanted to switch ROMs, especially ones that were ICS and stuff.
I followed many tutorials and I have done the following:
-I have rooted my phone.
-I have installed ROM Manager, and I have gotten ClockWorkMod to work.
-I backed up my data with the backup option.
Here are the questions I have:
-It says on most ROMS to "wipe everything." If I choose to Factory Reset/Wipe All in ClockWorkMod, will that un-flash my phone back to Sprint? I do not want to factory reset if my phone will not run on Boost Mobile, hence it is a lot cheaper.
-If I install another ROM and decide to go back to the ROM my phone used to have, does installing ROM Manager again on the new ROM allow me to use the backup I made to go back to how my phone used to be?
Thanks,
Sarcasticphoenix

I can't say for sure but doing a full wipe and flashing a ROM shouldn't have any affect on your phone working with boost. Search the EVO threads, I'm sure you'll find a lot of people on boost flashing various ROMs and kernels.
As far as actually flashing the ROM, you should get familiar with using recovery manually, not just relying on ROM manager to do everything for you. Here's a nice guide on how to flash ROMs http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1266885. Be sure to make a nandroid backup before flashing any ROM (If you already made a backup using ROM manager it can be restored either via recovery or the ROM manager app.)

Also consider using Dread 7 Us's modified recovery. Based off Clockwork Mod but with some great differences: super wipe where you can choose which partitions to wipe and do it multiple times automatically(much less tedious than Clockword Mod's wipe each once method) and it also removes the ton of 'NO's' you have to scroll through to confirm an action in Clockwork Mod and others upgrades I don't recall.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/sho...RECOVERY] CW-Enhanced [v1.1b] Updated 5/22/12
Flash it just like Clockwork Mod but do a nandroid before just in case. Make sure to also flash the updated one as the first version had MD5 check issues.

roms
if i put a rom into my phone and do a backup... can i go back to rooted stock and put another rom and i i dont like it restore to the other rom?

tello2323 said:
if i put a rom into my phone and do a backup... can i go back to rooted stock and put another rom and i i dont like it restore to the other rom?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As long as you have s-off nandroid restore will work fine. As far as the roms it depends on if the roms have the boost mobile apn's in them or not. A.F.A.I.K. CM7 roms and variants have the most apn support. Might want to do a search on google if cm7 supports boost or not.

HELP! In Rooting

so i need some help in rooting my tab 7+ p6200
so basically i dont know anything about rooting and all the other stuff about android..
so can someone explain to me some guidelines about rooting
is it safe? if ever i brick my device, will there be a way to unbrick? just some questions about rooting
and please kindly explain these terms that i dont understand
1. flashing
2. CWM
3. Firmware recovery
4. kernel
5. and so many more stuff
so if someone out there who can help me.. it will be a big help..
THANKS!

theejay0625 said:
so i need some help in rooting my tab 7+ p6200
so basically i dont know anything about rooting and all the other stuff about android..
so can someone explain to me some guidelines about rooting
is it safe? if ever i brick my device, will there be a way to unbrick? just some questions about rooting
and please kindly explain these terms that i dont understand
1. flashing
2. CWM
3. Firmware recovery
4. kernel
5. and so many more stuff
so if someone out there who can help me.. it will be a big help..
THANKS!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don;t have a 6200 so i don't know how to root it, it could be the same as the 6210 but I'm not sure. Look in the development section.
I can answer a couple of these other things but you could really get the answers quickly by googling them.
CWM
Clockwork Mod Recovery, a custom recovery as opposed to the stock recovery. You have to have a custom recovery installed in order to flash custom ROMs.
ROM
The operating system (OS)
Kernel
Facilitates communication between the OS and the hardware.
Flashing
A general term for installing a custom ROM, the stock firmware, a mod or an update. There are many ways of flashing and not all devices do it the same way. Samsung uses Odin and also certain files can be flashed in the stock recovery if it is unlocked. With HTC you can flash certain files directly in hboot if the device is unlocked otherwise you need a custom recovery.
Recovery
This is a software layer that you can flash to your phone that allows you to boot the phone into a utility state where you can install roms, flash things like patches or modifications, backup your rom/kernel, etc. When people refer to a nandroid backup, they are referring to a backup made here. It's a snapshot of your phone that lets you mess with things and restore back to that point in time should you screw something up. You pretty much can't brick your phone at this level - it's all just files and filesystems. You can also mount your SD card to reader mode for connection to a computer, do a factory reset of data, and a few other fun things like root your rom here. You should only root your rom if it is a stock rom that has not been rooted yet. Rooting a rooted rom will usually unroot your root so you don't have root. (copied from tspderek in the Rezound forum)

kzoodroid said:
I don;t have a 6200 so i don't know how to root it, it could be the same as the 6210 but I'm not sure. Look in the development section.
I can answer a couple of these other things but you could really get the answers quickly by googling them.
CWM
Clockwork Mod Recovery, a custom recovery as opposed to the stock recovery. You have to have a custom recovery installed in order to flash custom ROMs.
ROM
The operating system (OS)
Kernel
Facilitates communication between the OS and the hardware.
Flashing
A general term for installing a custom ROM, the stock firmware, a mod or an update. There are many ways of flashing and not all devices do it the same way. Samsung uses Odin and also certain files can be flashed in the stock recovery if it is unlocked. With HTC you can flash certain files directly in hboot if the device is unlocked otherwise you need a custom recovery.
Recovery
This is a software layer that you can flash to your phone that allows you to boot the phone into a utility state where you can install roms, flash things like patches or modifications, backup your rom/kernel, etc. When people refer to a nandroid backup, they are referring to a backup made here. It's a snapshot of your phone that lets you mess with things and restore back to that point in time should you screw something up. You pretty much can't brick your phone at this level - it's all just files and filesystems. You can also mount your SD card to reader mode for connection to a computer, do a factory reset of data, and a few other fun things like root your rom here. You should only root your rom if it is a stock rom that has not been rooted yet. Rooting a rooted rom will usually unroot your root so you don't have root. (copied from tspderek in the Rezound forum)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you sir for your answers! really cleared a lot..

theejay0625 said:
Thank you sir for your answers! really cleared a lot..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I should also add that Rooting (root) is just adding the superuser binaries to the system/bin folder and nothing else. Its pretty much the same thing as an administrator in windows, it allows you access to system folders. Rooting and installing a custom recovery are not the same thing, two different animals, though some devs will included both in their method for rooting a device. I prefer to do mine separately as I don't always want to install a custom recovery.