Database Info

D2G Dec 2010 update

Update just got pushed to my D2G.
Find it here on megaupload ... I can't post URLs yet, so sorry about the format.
www[dot]megaupload[dot]com/?d=R7THKZ2V
Blur_Version.2.4.29.A956.Verizon.en.US.zip
(I guess the name of the file is the currently installed one. The date of the file was today, and the contents mention 2.4.330)
I had root when I updated, and the update succeeded ... however I lost root after the update.
z4root re-established root.
Versions after update are:
System version: 2.4.330.A956.Verizon.en.US (new)
Android version: 2.2
Baseband version: N_01.48.05R (new)
Kernel version: 2.6.32.9-g9e2c63d (new)
PRL version: 52169

great thanks for that i have been looking for this bc i cant get the update over wifi only afaik, have you tried using z4root after the update?

Yes - z4root works fine after the new update.

I just downloaded the update OTA and tried to install it, i got an update failed message not sure why. Do you have to restore the phone to factory settings (unroot) before you can install the update?
I watched my phone try and install it this time and an icon appeared on the sceeen that looked like a cigarette box with an arrow coming out of it.. what does this mean? haha

i wouldnt think you would have to do a hard reset before you do the update

Vexorg said:
I just downloaded the update OTA and tried to install it, i got an update failed message not sure why. Do you have to restore the phone to factory settings (unroot) before you can install the update?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mine was rooted, but I had not changed any of the standard packages.
The only thing I used root for was to underclock it for slightly better battery life.
If you have removed/replaced any packages on the phone, you probably need to restore them back to the system default again. A device wipe might not even fix that as the packages will still be the replaced versions.

Hmm i froze a bunch of programs with titanium back and up and renamed a few things with root explorer , perhaps this is why.

Official OTA update from VZW will always fail if you have changed anything at all in the system directory. The updater script has checksum routines for all parts of the system and must be completely stock or it won't work.
This is true for all new Motorola phones from VZW.

^^^ that is exactly the case! Restore all stock and try again.
Being rooted will not fail the update, but altering anything in /system will.

leobg said:
^^^ that is exactly the case! Restore all stock and try again.
Being rooted will not fail the update, but altering anything in /system will.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok hmm i have made various restore points with rom manager since starting, im just not sure how to restore my backups? Where do you go within the rom manager directory?

I deleted some stock apps would a hardreset restore them? So I could do the update

No, hardreset will not bring the deleted stock apps back. You need to manually restore them.

Hmm anyone on how to restore your old back ups using rom manager? .. i cant seem to find a decent guide

Anybody noticing lower call volume since the update?

Vexorg said:
Hmm anyone on how to restore your old back ups using rom manager? .. i cant seem to find a decent guide
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
with koush's bootstrap recovery it's just reboot into recovery. go to backup and restore and choose your backup to restore. If you only have Rom manager you might be out of luck because afaik it's recovery doesn't work on the D2, D2G, or DX.

My wifes droid 2 global had lots of apps frozen. Update installed fine from OTA. Lost root, havn't tried to reroot yet.

newk8600 said:
with koush's bootstrap recovery it's just reboot into recovery. go to backup and restore and choose your backup to restore. If you only have Rom manager you might be out of luck because afaik it's recovery doesn't work on the D2, D2G, or DX.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah i realize what ive done wrong ... i didnt know you had to have bootstrap installed along with clockwork recoveryy in order to make a backup hmm. Going to need a rom of stock d2g lol.

[Q] Stuck at Red (Stink) Eye

Need anybody's help!
I rooted back in June, so here's what I had (from memory),
PBJ kernel, voodoo lagfix, and CWM recovery (might be old).
Anyway, I edited the secgps.conf in another post about fixing GPS. I made
a back-up of the original. Anyway, in the other post, he states to reboot,
then it will take awhile but after the first GPS lock, it should work faster.
Well...I rebooted, and it was still way-off...even worse than before. After 10 minutes, I rebooted...then got stuck with the Red Eye at boot.
I took out the battery, plugged back in, etc. Still stuck at Red Eye...even plugged into outlet...letting it go...still that way for over an hour.
Any method of getting in, and just replacing the secgps.conf with the original, then try rebooting? What are my options? Don't want to wipe out everything, especially if I have the voodoo lagfix?
Help! Thanks in advance,
Sara :$

Sara100 said:
Need anybody's help!
I rooted back in June, so here's what I had (from memory),
PBJ kernel, voodoo lagfix, and CWM recovery (might be old).
Anyway, I edited the secgps.conf in another post about fixing GPS. I made
a back-up of the original. Anyway, in the other post, he states to reboot,
then it will take awhile but after the first GPS lock, it should work faster.
Well...I rebooted, and it was still way-off...even worse than before. After 10 minutes, I rebooted...then got stuck with the Red Eye at boot.
I took out the battery, plugged back in, etc. Still stuck at Red Eye...even plugged into outlet...letting it go...still that way for over an hour.
Any method of getting in, and just replacing the secgps.conf with the original, then try rebooting? What are my options? Don't want to wipe out everything, especially if I have the voodoo lagfix?
Help! Thanks in advance,
Sara :$
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well if it won't boot you can't replace the original file, unless you know about ADB and how to use it... you may need to go back to stock with the PIT file and start over, its not a huge deal and doesn't take long plus the roms out now are way better than the older ones

Dear anoninja118,
I actually let the phone sit for an 3 hours while I worked...it finally got through boot.
However, I thought I had lost root... most of my apps were gone...bloatware came back that I had frozen.... getting force closures on all the apps.
I went into ADB and I still have root (although Superuser app shows no listing ).
I put back that original GPS file rebooted...but nothing..things remained the same as previously stated.
All my files are all intact, have CWM, but it states no voodoo lagfix. Any ideas on how to repair? Can I just switch to another ROM? Keep my files/data?
Thanks,
Sara

Sara100 said:
Dear anoninja118,
I actually let the phone sit for an 3 hours while I worked...it finally got through boot.
However, I thought I had lost root... most of my apps were gone...bloatware came back that I had frozen.... getting force closures on all the apps.
I went into ADB and I still have root (although Superuser app shows no listing ).
I put back that original GPS file rebooted...but nothing..things remained the same as previously stated.
All my files are all intact, have CWM, but it states no voodoo lagfix. Any ideas on how to repair? Can I just switch to another ROM? Keep my files/data?
Thanks,
Sara
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well what rom were you running? you could just reflash it (shouldn't need to wipe) to return it to 'normal'... also if root was lost I can upload superuser.apk, just flash it and you'll get root back
Sent from my SCH-I510 using XDA App

Yikes...being new to all this stuff, and I did it a few months back, I don't believe I flashed a ROM. I think I did jt1134's kernel (Root / Voodoo Lagfix / CWM Recovery), then I might flashed the PBJ kernel that was available at that time.
Ironically, I've been having many issues with bluetooth and GPS problems recently, and heard that there was a new Gingerbread update. I wanted to wait for the official release, then have one of the programmer gods make a new kernel/ROM. I am not ready to jump to GB yet, and I want to keep all my files. I backed-up many of my apps with Titanium back-up, and saved via DropBox.
Anyway, I thought about reflashing...but if I do the jt1134 scenario...it's via Odin..won't that erase everything. I guess all my stuff is on the SD card, right?
Thanks so much for helping out a damsel in distress,
Sara

Sara100 said:
Yikes...being new to all this stuff, and I did it a few months back, I don't believe I flashed a ROM. I think I did jt1134's kernel (Root / Voodoo Lagfix / CWM Recovery), then I might flashed the PBJ kernel that was available at that time.
Ironically, I've been having many issues with bluetooth and GPS problems recently, and heard that there was a new Gingerbread update. I wanted to wait for the official release, then have one of the programmer gods make a new kernel/ROM. I am not ready to jump to GB yet, and I want to keep all my files. I backed-up many of my apps with Titanium back-up, and saved via DropBox.
Anyway, I thought about reflashing...but if I do the jt1134 scenario...it's via Odin..won't that erase everything. I guess all my stuff is on the SD card, right?
Thanks so much for helping out a damsel in distress,
Sara
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes any Odin flash will wipe all data thats not backed up, if you use titanium backup for apps, export a contact list to your sd card that you can import later and you should be fine you'll just lose settings and things like login info for apps which you will have to set up again after... and yes you could do jt1134's method again or you could just flash debloated rooted stock EE4 in CWM (which will be exactly like what you're using) as well as one of the newer kernels, if you want to go the Odin route I would suggest Gummy FE 2.0 or Humble 1.6 as they are both very stable and tweakable/themeable plus come with all the goodies like root, CWM, custom rom and kernel (however if you wiped data and both caches in CWM you could also just flash the rom .zips right over what you're using instead)

Thanks for helping again. So, if I understand correctly, I could use CWM to get debloated rooted stock EE4, and I would still have my data?
Sorry I got confused with "(however if you wiped data and both caches in CWM you could also just flash the rom .zips right over what you're using instead)". So instead of Odin, I could just use CWM with wipe data and cache to flash a new ROM, correct?
That's what confuses me...when to use CWM and when to use Odin? Oh, should I update to the newest CWM (I hope that's easy) first?
Thanks so much...hate to bug you on the weekend, but I need to get this fixed before Monday for work!
Sara

Sara100 said:
Thanks for helping again. So, if I understand correctly, I could use CWM to get debloated rooted stock EE4, and I would still have my data?
Sorry I got confused with "(however if you wiped data and both caches in CWM you could also just flash the rom .zips right over what you're using instead)". So instead of Odin, I could just use CWM with wipe data and cache to flash a new ROM, correct?
That's what confuses me...when to use CWM and when to use Odin? Oh, should I update to the newest CWM (I hope that's easy) first?
Thanks so much...hate to bug you on the weekend, but I need to get this fixed before Monday for work!
Sara
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you can use either one CWM or Odin, unfortunately you will lose data no matter what... I only said that you could use CWM instead since you already have it and it might be a little easier that way, but both ways will work

okay..thanks for helping. No matter what I choose...I'll cross my fingers!

Sara100 said:
Thanks for helping again. So, if I understand correctly, I could use CWM to get debloated rooted stock EE4, and I would still have my data?
Sorry I got confused with "(however if you wiped data and both caches in CWM you could also just flash the rom .zips right over what you're using instead)". So instead of Odin, I could just use CWM with wipe data and cache to flash a new ROM, correct?
That's what confuses me...when to use CWM and when to use Odin? Oh, should I update to the newest CWM (I hope that's easy) first?
Thanks so much...hate to bug you on the weekend, but I need to get this fixed before Monday for work!
Sara
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You shouldn't have rooted your phone. Sounds like you don't know what you are doing at all. So I would google "how to flash with odin", then go back to totally stock.

Masterpiece Finishes said:
You shouldn't have rooted your phone. Sounds like you don't know what you are doing at all. So I would google "how to flash with odin", then go back to totally stock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you gotta learn sometime, its trial and error... I was in the same position asking the same questions when I got my first android phone over a year ago
blazing through on my 4G Droid Charge

Please use the Q&A Forum for questions Thanks
Moving to Q&A

Thanks on Gummy Charge FE 2.0. GPS works too!
Got the kinks out... my data was saved.
OG was a lot easier to root back in the day...
Thanks for your help and kind words!
Sara

Sara100 said:
Thanks on Gummy Charge FE 2.0. GPS works too!
Got the kinks out... my data was saved.
OG was a lot easier to root back in the day...
Thanks for your help and kind words!
Sara
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
glad to hear you got it working, you'll like it
blazing through on my 4G Droid Charge

[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?

Cant restore backup CWM!

So I finally got my wife to trust me the other night and went for it. All I did was install clockwork mod then root by installing Imoseyon's v.4.0 Kernel. This allowed me to keep all her data and use the voodoo lagfix as it has helped a few other friends phones that I have rooted.All was well till the following day when she complained her phone froze several times and needed a battery pull to restart. So being the compulsive person I am I had her go into voodoo control and uncheck the enable lagfix box. Once restarted she was unable to open any app that was on the SD card. They were just grayed out as if they werent even there. Now she is very unhappy.
I have tried to access the backup I created in CWM before i messed with anything. I get an error. Next I tried flashing the recovery files found here on XDA. Then restore back up. Still an error. So now i have flashe Tweakstock which works but she wants the phone back to stock. I tinker with my phones and friends phones constantly and can usually figure things out when they go wrong but I am really lost here. Any and all help is greatly appriciated.
This is the link for the root method I used: http://www.chargeforums.com/forum/droid-charge-hacking-guides/1264-how-root-your-droid-charge.html

snowride20 said:
So I finally got my wife to trust me the other night and went for it. All I did was install clockwork mod then root by installing Imoseyon's v.4.0 Kernel. This allowed me to keep all her data and use the voodoo lagfix as it has helped a few other friends phones that I have rooted.All was well till the following day when she complained her phone froze several times and needed a battery pull to restart. So being the compulsive person I am I had her go into voodoo control and uncheck the enable lagfix box. Once restarted she was unable to open any app that was on the SD card. They were just grayed out as if they werent even there. Now she is very unhappy.
I have tried to access the backup I created in CWM before i messed with anything. I get an error. Next I tried flashing the recovery files found here on XDA. Then restore back up. Still an error. So now i have flashe Tweakstock which works but she wants the phone back to stock. I tinker with my phones and friends phones constantly and can usually figure things out when they go wrong but I am really lost here. Any and all help is greatly appriciated.
This is the link for the root method I used: http://www.chargeforums.com/forum/droid-charge-hacking-guides/1264-how-root-your-droid-charge.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which version of CWM did you use?

5.0.2.7 I think, its blue and has a dancing banana in the backround.

In cwm, go to backup/restore, advance, and just restore data

Yes I've had bad luck with that version of cwm. I would try first using the 0817 cwm release to restore the backup. If that doesn't work, i would extract the tar files using 7zip or something similar on your pc, grabbing the files you need, and pushing them back to the proper locations.
Sent from my SCH-I510 using Tapatalk

buhohitr said:
In cwm, go to backup/restore, advance, and just restore data
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That would fail for the same reason.
Sent from my SCH-I510 using Tapatalk

nismology said:
Yes I've had bad luck with that version of cwm. I would try first using the 0817 cwm release to restore the backup. If that doesn't work, i would extract the tar files using 7zip or something similar on your pc, grabbing the files you need, and pushing them back to the proper locations.
Sent from my SCH-I510 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Intall in PDA, right? Nothing else with it and while on TweakStock ROM? She will be home in about an hour with her phone. Ill let you know how it goes.

Agree on 0817 CWM
I have to agree I had no luck trying to use CMW 5, I tried it several times with the same results. CWM 0817 worked perfect and have used it multiple times.

snowride20 said:
Intall in PDA, right? Nothing else with it and while on TweakStock ROM? She will be home in about an hour with her phone. Ill let you know how it goes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Correct. Place it in PDA and flash it.
It can be found here: http://rootzwiki.com/topic/189-recoveryclockwork-mod-recovery/
Sent from my SCH-I510 using Tapatalk

So i flashed the 0817 version of CWM. All is well but it still wont restore. I have double checked and everything is in the clockwork folder on the sd card. How do I manually flash them using ODIN? Is this even possible?

So i will be a little more clear with what files I have in the backup folder. There is:
.android_secure.vfat
boot.img
cache.rfs
data.rfs
datadata.rfs
nandroid.md5
recovery.img
system.rfs

snowride20 said:
So i flashed the 0817 version of CWM. All is well but it still wont restore. I have double checked and everything is in the clockwork folder on the sd card. How do I manually flash them using ODIN? Is this even possible?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you try to restore just data? Make sure you mount all your /data before try it. when you select restore did you see your old backup? Also what sms app you used, stock?

buhohitr said:
Have you try to restore just data? Make sure you mount all your /data before try it. when you select restore did you see your old backup? Also what sms app you used, stock?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Didnt work. I do see my old backup and stock sms.

First of all, which cwm did you make your backup in? If it was orange then you have to restore with orange cwm. If it was blue then make sure you have the newest version of it. The older ones had problems with restores.
If it doesn't work then you might be out of luck. Maybe you had the old blue cwm and the underlying problem was that it made bad backups but restored good backups fine? I don't really know then.
I have had zero problems with the newest cwm by the way.
Sent from my pocket-sized, Linux-based computer using electromagnetic radiation... and Tapatalk.

Well thanks everyone. I think im just out of luck. I went back to stock using the directions at the top of the Charge development section and now when I sign into the market on my computer to push some apps to the phone, it doesnt recognize it. Any clue here?

can you download apps from the market from your phone? If not try boot into cwm and do the following:
1. mount /system, /data etc.. all of them. Once done they should all displayed unmount in front of all.
2. wipe factory/data, cache, davik cache.
4. reboot and sign in with google account then try to download from the market.

To sort of finish the CWM question, CWM 4.X and CWM 5.X do backups differently. Thats why there are problems with restoring with the wrong one.
With that said, sometimes backups don't work.
Also, you flashed the wrong kernel. Imo4.0 is made for EP4P, not the current OTA for the charge, which is EP4D. Imnuts 0130 PBJ Kernel is the only one made for the Gingerbread OTA.

buhohitr said:
can you download apps from the market from your phone? If not try boot into cwm and do the following:
1. mount /system, /data etc.. all of them. Once done they should all displayed unmount in front of all.
2. wipe factory/data, cache, davik cache.
4. reboot and sign in with google account then try to download from the market.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can get to it from the phone and im already back to stock. Just when I log on from my desktop it says there is no android phone attached to the account or something like that.

MidnightNinja said:
To sort of finish the CWM question, CWM 4.X and CWM 5.X do backups differently. Thats why there are problems with restoring with the wrong one.
With that said, sometimes backups don't work.
Also, you flashed the wrong kernel. Imo4.0 is made for EP4P, not the current OTA for the charge, which is EP4D. Imnuts 0130 PBJ Kernel is the only one made for the Gingerbread OTA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks ninja I just wish I had that info about an hour ago. The way I read it I was good with Imo4. Guess I should stick to messing with my Rezound.
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using XDA App

I don't have any problems with imo 4 except bass boost in voodoo sound. I am on ep4d stock deodexed. ep4d and ep4p are nearly identical...
I can backup and restore on orange cwm perfectly.
You might as well take the opportunity to trick out her phone. Besides, what are u gonna lose besides text messages?
Sent from my SCH-I510 using XDA App

[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!