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[INFO] What you need to know about ICS and your Atrix 2

I have been seeing MANY threads lately involving questions such as, "How do I get on ICS?", "Should I update to ICS?", "I think I am bricked, how can I fix this?", and "How do I FXZ back to GB?" So I am creating this thread as an information only thread to answer these questions and more with links to proper threads that have already been posted for your benefit. Unless otherwise noted by the OP's or myself the following threads apply to the AT&T MB865. So without further ado....
What you need to know about ICS and your Atrix 2
The first link you need to look at is the Noob thread. I am going to be using terms like "Bootloader", "Soft-Brick", "Hard-Brick", "FXZ", "Fastboot", "OTA", and the like and user/developer JRW28 has posted a FANTASTIC thread to help you familiarize yourself with certain Android terminologies and certain HOWTO's that will help you understand and accomplish much of what I am going to be referring to. So with the Atrix 2, if you are confused with something. START WITH THE NOOB THREAD. Find it here: JRW28's NOOB Thread
Done? Well read it AGAIN.
Oh, what's that? You read it twice and memorized it? Okay, moving on....
The first question that needs to be answered is:
SHOULD I UPDATE TO ICS?
Well, we have all been waiting for ICS to come out, and it has officially been running on the Atrix 2 for a while via a find through Cheesecake. The initial leak is NOT the final OTA that is still trickling out. You need to first understand that. Is ICS better than GB? Of course it is. No one will argue that here, but what we are tackling is, should you upgrade to it?
When it comes to XDA, we are always looking for ways to improve our phones. That's why we're all here right? This is a DEVELOPERS site. With developing comes trials, and with trials comes ERRORS. Now when it comes to the Atrix 2 (A2 from here on) we have a locked bootloader. This means that recovering from developing, and/or modding errors is not as easy as recovering from errors and mistakes with phones that have unlocked bootloaders. Normally, on phones with unlocked bootloaders, it is easy enough to jump into Clockwork Recovery and restore a previously saved nandroid backup, because with unlocked phones the modified recovery REPLACES the original. Poof. Back to normal.
On locked down phones such as the A2, we have to depend on either a bootstrap recovery or the like to make up for the lack of our locked phones. Do we have recoveries? Sure, but they DO NOT replace the original stock recovery and therefore we depend on things such as Bootmenu and Safestrap to makeup for this. While this works it is definitely not ideal. So what happens when the recovery get's borked, ROM goes belly up, or your phone is stuck at the splash screen and won't boot into recovery?
Well this is where the ICS upgrade question comes into play. This phones DEPENDS on FXZ's (see noob thread for more info). If the above scenario(s) happen then we depend on being able to jump into Fastboot (FB from here on) and reflash our phone back to stock. With Gingerbread this was easy enough as we had an FXZ for GB.
With ICS, ONLY THE FIRST LEAK IS ABLE TO REFLASH BACK TO GB! WE HAVE NO WAY TO REFLASH BACK TO GB WITH THE LATEST LEAKS AND THE SOON TO BE OTA UPDATE!!!!!!
Only when we find an ICS FXZ will this be possible!
Now I can hear it now. Some might say at this point, "Well once I'm on ICS, I won't want to go back to Gingerbread." The point, my friend, is not WANTING to go back to GB, it is needing a way to fix your phone. I myself have a paperweight for an A2 for EXACTLY this reason. I was running the latest of the leaks (NOT the first, which we can go back with). I had made a couple of mods, as bootmenu was working for it, and I made a backup. Well, I flashed a mod, rebooted and BOOM. Bootloop. No biggie, I thought, I will just restore my backup. But apparently I had deleted my backup. I tried, with the help of Devs (whom will be named later) to FXZ back and quickly found that this was impossible to do at this point. Now I have a phone that is able to boot in FB, with no way of restoring it. Fastboot does us no good without a proper working FXZ to flash.
So upgrading to ICS at this point, is fine, but be warned, if you make just the littlest boo boo, you might have a paperweight on your hands. Myself, many of the other Senior Members, and many of the A2 developers are recommending to run the first leak, because it is the most stable and dependable as far as getting yourself out of a jam. Also, many of the the more stable leaks have been baked into the current ICS ROMS we have. Now once you are on the first leak, you will have no problems flashing these ROMS with the more stable versions on them, but you MUST be on the first leak beforehand!!!!! As always read carefully the install instructions from the developer and if you're unsure, ask a question in the ROM's thread before flashing!!!!
UDPATE 9/20/12 It seems as though Moto and AT&T are now releasing OTA updates to our leak! Remember the reasons as to why we are advising against them! IF YOU GET A MESSAGE TO UPDATE WHILE ON THE FIRST LEAK, COMPARE THE FIRMWARE INFO WITH THOSE LISTED IN THE THREAD BELOW BEFORE UPDATING!!!!!
THREAD WITH INFO ON OTHER ICS LEAKS AND WHY WE ARE ADVISING AGAINST THEM AT THIS POINT. Originally posted by alteredlikeness
The rest of this will mainly be references to threads as most questions have already been answered in other threads as I just felt we needed a place to consolidate all the info out there on this. Here goes...
In the following theads, PLEASE thank the OP's!
HOW DO I UPDATE TO ICS?
Other than the OTA method that has been trickling out at this point, I am ONLY going to refer you to the thread to get you onto the initial leak. Because at this point many of us see this is as the safest leak. As you have a way out. Because we want to do what is best for you and YOUR phone.
NOTE: The rest of these threads (unless otherwise specified) refer ONLY to the first leak, and to NOTHING ELSE!!!!
How to get your phone on ICS, and how to root it: Originally posted by Jimbridgman
Ok so now that you are comfortably running ICS and rooted.....
HOW DO I INSTALL A RECOVERY?
We currently have two recoveries for the first ICS leak. Both are very stable and work well, but are slightly different. Read each of the following threads for how to install and the differences between them.
BOOTMENU RECOVERY Originally posted and developed by lukensteinz and Whirleyes
SAFESTRAP RECOVERY Originally developed and posted by Recognized Developer Hashcode
And FOR PETE'S SAKE, now that you have a slick recovery working MAKE A BACKUP!. And then copy it and put one on your desktop!!!!
I MADE A MISTAKE, HOW DO I FXZ BACK?
You are ONLY going to be doing this if you somehow messed up a MOD, didn't make a backup, and now you are in a bootloop. REMEMBER, THIS IS ONLY FOR THE FIRST LEAK. I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE IF YOU DID NOT READ THROUGH FAR ENOUGH AND BRICK YOUR PHONE. If you managed to try and FXZ back while NOT on the first leak, or your phone won't turn on or go into FB, then, well sorry mate, but you are HARD-BRICKED. But if you are on the first leak then the following should work.
HOW TO FXZ BACK TO GINGERBREAD FROM THE FIRST ICS LEAK Originally posted and developed by Jimbridgman
ROMS TO INSTALL BASED ON THE FIRST LEAK
NOTE: You must be on the first ICS leak in aforementioned post to properly install the following ROMS, unless otherwise noted by the devs! And as always read CAREFULLY the installation procedure as laid out by the developer!!!
ScV7 - ICSupercharged Originally developed and posted by rdavisct
De-odexed and De-bloated basic ROM Originally developed and posted by timmytim
ROMS THAT ARE STILL A WIP:
MIUI PORT FOR A2 V4 2.8.17 Originally developed and posted by rdavisct
CYANOGENMOD 10 - JELLYBEAN Originally posted and ported by wanggjghost with continued help and fixes by rdavisct and Jimbridgman
In closing, hopefully this will answer all your who's, what's, and how's of ICS on the A2. Please DO NOT post questions regarding the threads themselves here. Post those in the appropriate posted thread, as this is what this is for. TO KEEP THINGS ORGANIZED!!!!!
If I need to update the OP, or have left something out. Feel free to post it here.
Enjoy ICS! And remember! ALWAYS MAKE A BACKUP!!!!!!!
Special thanks to the following: Jimbridgman, rdavisct, alteredlikeness, Apex_Strider, DX2Trip, Mtnlion and any others I left out.

One quick question what does bootloader, hard-brick and fastboot mean. JK
Thanks for the write up. I hope this saves alot of question's from being posted.
Sent from my MB865 on ICS

Good post man. Answered alot of my questions

Thanks for this, plenty of good information.

rdhoggattjr said:
One quick question what does bootloader, hard-brick and fastboot mean. JK
Thanks for the write up. I hope this saves alot of question's from being posted.
Sent from my MB865 on ICS
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Consider your bootloader a prison warden. Nothing happens unless the bootloader says so. Pretty much plain and simple really. It's the partition on your device, which initiates first. And it checks to make sure the OS is a legitimate one. Ultimate security. If it thinks everything is in order (after communicating with the kernel), it boots the OS. This is the security most devs have to work at, to allow installation of custom recovery and roms.
There are 2 types of "bricks". A hard and soft brick. Soft bricks you can usually recover from. A hard brick, well, it's not impossible, but difficult. Typically with a hard brick, your device is basically dead. No response, or stuck at the logo screen forever more. forever more. forever more...... Edgar Allen Poe. You always want to avoid a hard brick. In essence, your device becomes nothing more than a ....brick.
Fastboot, is a part of the Android SDK. It allows some types of files to be "flashed" to certain partitions of the device, without a need for a custom recovery. For example a boot.img (kernel for easier terms), a recovery image, and a few other image files. Of course depending on the Bootloader, depends on what fastboot capability you have.
Some devices, Devs have been able to re-write the Bootloader to enable fastboot when it wasn't there from the factory. See Iconia A500. By virtue of patching, and re-writing, the bootloader was stripped of all security and features added. But you can't do this with all bootloaders.
Hope this explained.
MD

Hey Bro I have an Ics ota now. Will that unroot the phone? If yes how do I root it back? And is there gonna b any problem if I update with root?
Sent from my stock rooted Atrix2!

If you are stock 2.3.6 rooted, then yes you will lose root.
As far as rooting ICS goes you should be able to root it with Jim's script from the thread I posted in the OP.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using xda premium

Just a question out of the discussion but not of the thread. Why does ATT gets last the ICS OTA?? I see Cambodia and India got it already while ATT phones are still on leaks!!! Isnt this weird considering that ATT is the biggest Moto fan?!

how is the battery life on ics? better or less than GB???

V1P3R92 said:
Just a question out of the discussion but not of the thread. Why does ATT gets last the ICS OTA?? I see Cambodia and India got it already while ATT phones are still on leaks!!! Isnt this weird considering that ATT is the biggest Moto fan?!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ahem, Viper? Did you not read my post man? TRUST ME. You want to be on the leak.

hemanbond said:
how is the battery life on ics? better or less than GB???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When I was on the leak, I personally was getting better battery life.
However, remember that battery life is all subjective. What might be good for me might not be others!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using xda premium

and what about root checker?

Yes there is a "Root checker" however, it will not hinder your installation, but as far as long term issues? We have no idea as to what Motorola is going to do with this.

its obvious for voiding our warranty

hemanbond said:
its obvious for voiding our warranty
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're rooting/modding/theming/tweaking/overclocking/underclocking/changing voltages/editing build.prop/etc./etc./etc. haven't you already thrown caution to the wind in regards to your warranty?
If you are concerned about it, they (Apple) just released a new iToy, so all you have to do is pull it out of the box and use it.. as is... unless you 'jailbreak it', in which case, warranty worries wander back into the equation, right?

once started how do i stop the ota download

You don't. You can download it, and then NOT install it if you like. Once downloaded it will be in your cache folder.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using xda premium

it said update failed and now its asking me to download again....wth
---------- Post added at 10:57 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:38 AM ----------
downloading was so slow that it took me 4 hrs...damn...and now it failed and asking me to download again

hemanbond said:
it said update failed and now its asking me to download again....wth
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If update failed because of checksum error, downloading again won't be of help. Most likely you have changed a file that the update is trying to patch. Better you go back to stock 2.3.6 and then apply OTA.

Same happened with me as to the person above. Downloaded the update. I but it says update failed? Do I have to unroot or something?
Sent from my stock rooted Atrix2!

Few questions and thanks!

New to the S3 but not new to rooting. I came from an Incredible 2 that I was running Incredible HD with. Absolutely loved it.
Anywho, the thanks part in the title is in regards to all the wonderful tips and tutorials in these forums that I've used to successfully root, unlock, backup nandroid and IMEI, and finally flash CleanROM 5.0 on both mine and my wife's Verizon S3's that are less than a week old. I was blown away by the sheer amount of garbage on the stock phone and knew I had to root ASAP.
So far, CleanROM is running wonderfully with the stock kernel, radio, and RPM.
These questions I'm about to ask; I know they've probably been answered a dozen times already but when I search for, say "install rpm S3", I get tons of results. Basically anything that includes the word "install". So I apologize if these questions have been asked. I promise I will "pay it forward" and answer as many mundane questions asked by newbs like me so that all of you gurus can spend your time doing more productive things.
1) I haven't seen anything regarding tripping the flash counter by flashing CleanROM. Granted I don't really know exactly what this means, only that tripping the flash counter is bad. I used the tutorials here and the whole process went flawlessly. Have I tripped the counter? How can I check?
2) I have downloaded the VRBLK1 modem and rpm. To install these is it as simple as booting into recovery and installing these zips in TWRP?
That said, what is the general consensus on these modem/rpm variations? Are they bonafide improvements over the stock ICS 4.0.4 modem/rpm that are on my phone currently? My signal strength is currently around -97-105dba. My main concern is the rpm. If it will make cleanROM run more efficient battery-wise, I'll definitely install it.
3) Stock kernel seems to be running fine. I've read some positive things about various kernels ike KT747 and Imoson's Lean. Haven't found any concrete data on whether either of them are legitimately better than the stock kernel. I guess since I'm running fine with stock I'll stick with it however if there is a definite improvement over stock I'd like to change.
Thanks for your time and patience answering my newb questions.

Occidentalist said:
New to the S3 but not new to rooting. I came from an Incredible 2 that I was running Incredible HD with. Absolutely loved it.
Anywho, the thanks part in the title is in regards to all the wonderful tips and tutorials in these forums that I've used to successfully root, unlock, backup nandroid and IMEI, and finally flash CleanROM 5.0 on both mine and my wife's Verizon S3's that are less than a week old. I was blown away by the sheer amount of garbage on the stock phone and knew I had to root ASAP.
So far, CleanROM is running wonderfully with the stock kernel, radio, and RPM.
These questions I'm about to ask; I know they've probably been answered a dozen times already but when I search for, say "install rpm S3", I get tons of results. Basically anything that includes the word "install". So I apologize if these questions have been asked. I promise I will "pay it forward" and answer as many mundane questions asked by newbs like me so that all of you gurus can spend your time doing more productive things.
1) I haven't seen anything regarding tripping the flash counter by flashing CleanROM. Granted I don't really know exactly what this means, only that tripping the flash counter is bad. I used the tutorials here and the whole process went flawlessly. Have I tripped the counter? How can I check?
2) I have downloaded the VRBLK1 modem and rpm. To install these is it as simple as booting into recovery and installing these zips in TWRP?
That said, what is the general consensus on these modem/rpm variations? Are they bonafide improvements over the stock ICS 4.0.4 modem/rpm that are on my phone currently? My signal strength is currently around -97-105dba. My main concern is the rpm. If it will make cleanROM run more efficient battery-wise, I'll definitely install it.
3) Stock kernel seems to be running fine. I've read some positive things about various kernels ike KT747 and Imoson's Lean. Haven't found any concrete data on whether either of them are legitimately better than the stock kernel. I guess since I'm running fine with stock I'll stick with it however if there is a definite improvement over stock I'd like to change.
Thanks for your time and patience answering my newb questions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. No, you shouldn't haven't tripped it.
2. Yes, you just flash them like any other zip. And improvement just really depends on you. If you think it did, then awesome!
3. In my opinion, KT747 is amazing on whatever I'm running it on.
THE BEAST

To be honest, there is not a whole lot known about the RPM, except that it is a partition that has been updated with every OTA and leak. The common consensus is that it doesn't really seem to do a whole lot. There is no harm in flashing it though, as you would receive this partition update if you were to accept an OTA from Verizon. I personally choose to install them for peace of mind.
See the following thread for more information:
http://rootzwiki.com/topic/36114-wip-rpm-explained/

Thanks for the info!
One last question. In Settings>Phone Status, all the way at the bottom there is a section that says "Device Status" and the value is: Modified.
Is that normal? Is it something Verizon can see?

Occidentalist said:
Thanks for the info!
One last question. In Settings>Phone Status, all the way at the bottom there is a section that says "Device Status" and the value is: Modified.
Is that normal? Is it something Verizon can see?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is normal if you are running on a modified device, and yes Verizon can and will see that.
Which is why you should always return your device to stock before returning it to Verizon. Returning it to stock will change that status back to normal.

pdykstra said:
That is normal if you are running on a modified device, and yes Verizon can and will see that.
Which is why you should always return your device to stock before returning it to Verizon. Returning it to stock will change that status back to normal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think he means before he takes it back. Like right now can they see that my phone is modified so later on down the road if I do unroot to return can they say my phone was modified and will not be covered under Warranty. I also always wondered this.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium

mikeman45 said:
I think he means before he takes it back. Like right now can they see that my phone is modified so later on down the road if I do unroot to return can they say my phone was modified and will not be covered under Warranty. I also always wondered this.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Theoretically, yes I suppose they could monitor that with an app that checks in with them. But in practice, I have never heard of them actually tracking and logging this. You are fine as long as your return your phone to stock before bringing it in to them.

Can't decide...

Hi,
I still hesitate weather to flash Clean Rom or not.... it's not that I care much about loss of warranty, but I'm not familiar at all with these unlocking, rooting, flashing operations and not sure if I'll manage to do this flawless.
...so I still have a stupid hope that ASUS will solve all stock rom problems (lags, hiccups...etc) with JB 4.2.
Is it worth to wait and expect ASUS to update stock rom to the same level as Clean Rom is now (haven't seen myself ...only read in this forum)?

i am excatly in your position and feel the same way

SurferLTU said:
Hi,
I still hesitate weather to flash Clean Rom or not.... it's not that I care much about loss of warranty, but I'm not familiar at all with these unlocking, rooting, flashing operations and not sure if I'll manage to do this flawless.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Read the guide threads. Invest some time to learn, you will be rewarded with a better tablet. (or an expensive brick, depending on how thoroughly you read the guides)
SurferLTU said:
...so I still have a stupid hope that ASUS will solve all stock rom problems (lags, hiccups...etc) with JB 4.2.
Is it worth to wait and expect ASUS to update stock rom to the same level as Clean Rom is now (haven't seen myself ...only read in this forum)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unlikely. CleanROM contains so many tweaks and workarounds that are not suitable for inclusion in an official firmware.

SurferLTU said:
Hi,
I still hesitate weather to flash Clean Rom or not.... it's not that I care much about loss of warranty, but I'm not familiar at all with these unlocking, rooting, flashing operations and not sure if I'll manage to do this flawless.
...so I still have a stupid hope that ASUS will solve all stock rom problems (lags, hiccups...etc) with JB 4.2.
Is it worth to wait and expect ASUS to update stock rom to the same level as Clean Rom is now (haven't seen myself ...only read in this forum)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Trust me, cleanrom is super fast and smooth. It's worth it. When JB 4.2 come out, Cleanrom will have a new build on 4.2 and it will be even faster. Stock rom will always far behind. Currently we have all the automated scripts that do the install for us, so not to worry too much how this.
1. Unlock (download the unlock app and run it. No risk here, either it worked or failed, no harm)
2. Install recovery script to pust custom recovery (double click on the bat file and watch it does the rest)
3. Boot into recovery, select "install" browser to the romzip file and swipe to install
Reboot...profit!! The only downside is warranty, will be void if unlock. There is no news that JB 4.2 will be available for our tf700, so I won't hold my breath for this.

To my mind easiest way to get CROMI Installed for noob is to follow instructions in this tutorial video http://youtu.be/iank8iYulzo .
As this video is not very fresh and there are alreadt new versions of ADB tool, TWRP and CROM...I'm not sure if I can go step by step using newer versions of particular software....
Can anybody confirm that I can follow instructions on this tutorial using ADB tool ver 6 for update to CROMI 3.2 ?
I'm on stock JB 10.4.4.25

SurferLTU said:
To my mind easiest way to get CROMI Installed for noob is to follow instructions in this tutorial video http://youtu.be/iank8iYulzo .
As this video is not very fresh and there are alreadt new versions of ADB tool, TWRP and CROM...I'm not sure if I can go step by step using newer versions of particular software....
Can anybody confirm that I can follow instructions on this tutorial using ADB tool ver 6 for update to CROMI 3.2 ?
I'm on stock JB 10.4.4.25
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes, look at the description under the video, the OP is updated with new link to twrp, adb version 5 and cleanrom 3.1x.

SurferLTU said:
Hi,
I still hesitate weather to flash Clean Rom or not.... it's not that I care much about loss of warranty, but I'm not familiar at all with these unlocking, rooting, flashing operations and not sure if I'll manage to do this flawless.
...so I still have a stupid hope that ASUS will solve all stock rom problems (lags, hiccups...etc) with JB 4.2.
Is it worth to wait and expect ASUS to update stock rom to the same level as Clean Rom is now (haven't seen myself ...only read in this forum)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Chiming in...
I wouldn't put much faith in any forthcoming incursions of Android.
Just custom ROM your tab and be happy.
The Jelly Bean\Project Butter performance bust was the last straw for me.

Ok then... few questions before unlocking...
Kernel.
What kernel shoud I choose? Generaly my target is to speed up browsing and to have battery life as long as possible ....so far as I understand I should choose Asus stock kernel? Is this right?
DPI.
What is stock DPI of TF700? I read in some posts that some people had problems with some apps because of choosing wrong DPI. What DPI should I choose in oreder to have as less probs as possible?
FSYNC.
Does disabling of FSYNC has significant impact on performace? Is it worth to mess with it?
Thanks in advance.

SurferLTU said:
Ok then... few questions before unlocking...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Kernel.
What kernel shoud I choose? Generaly my target is to speed up browsing and to have battery life as long as possible ....so far as I understand I should choose Asus stock kernel? Is this right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes-choose stock for battery life.
DPI.
What is stock DPI of TF700? I read in some posts that some people had problems with some apps because of choosing wrong DPI. What DPI should I choose in oreder to have as less probs as possible?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
240 is stock.
I have always chosen 240 until recently.
213 is working very well for me no problems.
FSYNC.
Does disabling of FSYNC has significant impact on performace? Is it worth to mess with it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is the most important choice IMO I always disable Fsync.
I have never had a problem with disabling this and have seen nothing other than benefits.
Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you are more than welcome!

First impresion of clean rom is very very goooood
Even better than I expected!!!! :good:
Even with enabled fsync it flies.
Big respect to all developers!

I'm thinking the same thing. I've held off too long, think it's time to unlock this.
From watching that video it looks pretty straight forward. I'm 90% sure I'm going to take plunge this week. Hope I don't mess this up.

wifesabitch said:
I'm thinking the same thing. I've held off too long, think it's time to unlock this.
From watching that video it looks pretty straight forward. I'm 90% sure I'm going to take plunge this week. Hope I don't mess this up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Look at your signature, flashing is in your blood bro, still wondering why you waited this long??? Come on, let take this baby to the race track!!

Just follow instructions in that tutorial video made by german guy (big up to him!!!).
ADB tool ver 6 works perfectly.

buhohitr said:
Look at your signature, flashing is in your blood bro, still wondering why you waited this long??? Come on, let take this baby to the race track!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Kinda enjoyed not dealing with flashing, wiping, reinstalling, etc. all the time, I did that with my last phone what seemed like every day. I just couldn't stand HTC Sense and the bloatware, had to do it.
Unlike most here I don't mind the stock Asus firmware on this thing so I figured I'd save some free time and not mess around with anything. Now I'm kinda bored and really wanna see what this device is made of.
I'll probably get my SG3 going next!

wifesabitch said:
Kinda enjoyed not dealing with flashing, wiping, reinstalling, etc. all the time, I did that with my last phone what seemed like every day. I just couldn't stand HTC Sense and the bloatware, had to do it.
Unlike most here I don't mind the stock Asus firmware on this thing so I figured I'd save some free time and not mess around with anything. Now I'm kinda bored and really wanna see what this device is made of.
I'll probably get my SG3 going next!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Trust me:
1) installing a custom Rom on the tf700 makes this bad boy fly! It is really night and day
2) Installing a custom Rom on a (contract free) SIII is super easy. Took me 30 seconds to root, no need to unlock and boom. You are ready to flash CWM (highly recommended for the SIII) and there you go: a cool custom rom for the SIII
(PS: For the tf700 I'd recommend to use TWRP as a recovery)

Thats OK said:
240 is stock.
I have always chosen 240 until recently.
213 is working very well for me no problems.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you have a screenshot of a home screen with icons of each dpi for comparison?
Sent from my HTC PH39100 using xda app-developers app

SurferLTU said:
To my mind easiest way to get CROMI Installed for noob is to follow instructions in this tutorial video http://youtu.be/iank8iYulzo .
As this video is not very fresh and there are alreadt new versions of ADB tool, TWRP and CROM...I'm not sure if I can go step by step using newer versions of particular software....
Can anybody confirm that I can follow instructions on this tutorial using ADB tool ver 6 for update to CROMI 3.2 ?
I'm on stock JB 10.4.4.25
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm in the same situation (TF700 is sitting at home now, freshly delivered this morning and I'm fighting the urge to have a 'family crisis' that needs my attention and ditch work). I started a thread to try an pull together an easy list with links to get from un-rooted, locked, stock to custom pleasure New (virgin/stock) TF700 to CROMI 3.2 - is this right? as well as check before I started that everything was right.
I think that I've got it sorted in post 6 and have spent a lot of time trawling the various forum posts. In the video you mention from saugstauber / Dominik is really good and he notes that as he hasn't rooted his device prior to starting that he needs to push the recovery via the ADB tool rather than GooManager (that needs root).
I hope to get cracking on it later and will try to document each stage of the process and write it up for the XDA community with some explanations of each stage.

I did it yesterday, it was super easy. No hiccups at all
Started with CleanROM, then decided to try BB7, but it was still a little too buggy. CleanROM seems more stable, back to that for now.
So far, I don't notice too much of a difference performance wise. It's still not smooth at all switching between applications and opening and closing them. Scrolling while browsing isn't any better either. Both my Kindle Fire and SG3 are still much smoother than this.
Oh well, I'm glad to be able to get rid of the bloatware at least.

wifesabitch said:
I did it yesterday, it was super easy. No hiccups at all
Started with CleanROM, then decided to try BB7, but it was still a little too buggy. CleanROM seems more stable, back to that for now.
So far, I don't notice too much of a difference performance wise. It's still not smooth at all switching between applications and opening and closing them. Scrolling while browsing isn't any better either. Both my Kindle Fire and SG3 are still much smoother than this.
Oh well, I'm glad to be able to get rid of the bloatware at least.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hm... strange... my experience with clean rom is very good....compared with stock rom browsing became pleasure...of course it is not perfect...but now I feel that I have different tablet.
Earlier l was getting "wait/close" message several times per day...now it's gone. Scrolling through pages is A LOT smoother. And generaly typing lagis almost gone...switching throw apps is a lot quicker. Youtube shows videos with any pauses.

I was in the exactely same situation of the OP, but decided to go to the flashing world for my new TF700.
I followed carefully every instruction a the flashing of CleanROM went well and now I have a new tablet. Ir is now really smooth and most of the lags are gone.
For you that are still hesitating I highly recommend unlocking and flashing CleanROM to see that you have a top device.
For your information the steps I took:
1) Unlocked
2) Installed ADB on my computer. Struggled a bit to set the path (which was not exactley the same as in the tutorial) but all went well.
3) Installed drivers via ADB tools.
3) Checked if ADB was correctly installed and the tablet recognized by pc.
4) Flashed TWRP via ADB.
5) Backed up device using TWRP.
6) Copied ROM to the tablet internal memory.
7) Flashed ROM, choosing modified stock kernel by thats_ok and kept fsync enabled.
8) Enjoyed a new tablet.

Questions regarding OTA and being rooted

Please forgive me if my questions have been answered many times but I really don't know what to look for in the search menu to address my questions.
1. I have rooted my phone and installed Liquid smooth but I went back to stock (still on 4.1.2 TW) and would like to update to at least 4.3 or higher. One issue I'm having is that when the OTA comes through and I go to update it gives me an error. But even before that as I am rooted it boots into TeamWin and wants me to install from there. It has been a while since I've done anything with the boot loader and I'm afraid to install from there and/or if that is wise. (frankly I've forgotten how)
Honestly I just want a quick way to install the update to 4.3 or 4.4 or whatever the next OTA is so that I can move on. I really don't even want to mess with it much right now as my life is way to busy.
2. My search so far has shown me that others are having similar issues but they are saying that the ota update is messing up certain things with their rooted phones (haven't found the answers I'm searching for either). Should I wait on updating? If so, how do I get the ota to stop wanting me to update my phone?
Thank you for any help you can provide.

wouldn't you know, that as soon as I submit this post I find another thread dealing with the same thing... Sorry for the clutter.
Here is the thread I found http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=49249510

Sithlyone said:
Please forgive me if my questions have been answered many times but I really don't know what to look for in the search menu to address my questions.
1. I have rooted my phone and installed Liquid smooth but I went back to stock (still on 4.1.2 TW) and would like to update to at least 4.3 or higher. One issue I'm having is that when the OTA comes through and I go to update it gives me an error. But even before that as I am rooted it boots into TeamWin and wants me to install from there. It has been a while since I've done anything with the boot loader and I'm afraid to install from there and/or if that is wise. (frankly I've forgotten how)
Honestly I just want a quick way to install the update to 4.3 or 4.4 or whatever the next OTA is so that I can move on. I really don't even want to mess with it much right now as my life is way to busy.
2. My search so far has shown me that others are having similar issues but they are saying that the ota update is messing up certain things with their rooted phones (haven't found the answers I'm searching for either). Should I wait on updating? If so, how do I get the ota to stop wanting me to update my phone?
Thank you for any help you can provide.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Since your life is too busy and you don't want to mess with your phone anymore, your best bet is go back to stock 4.3 which is very good by the way, very stable, smooth and bug free. After so many complaints from my wife I rolled it back to stock 4.3 and she's so happy now.
1. Flash stock MF1 here http://www.androidfilehost.com/?fid=23134718111254196 , just unzip the flash with Odin
2. Your phone should take the 4.3 OTA update and you're home free.

buhohitr said:
Since your life is too busy and you don't want to mess with your phone anymore, your best bet is go back to stock 4.3 which is very good by the way, very stable, smooth and bug free. After so many complaints from my wife I rolled it back to stock 4.3 and she's so happy now.
1. Flash stock MF1 here http://www.androidfilehost.com/?fid=23134718111254196 , just unzip the flash with Odin
2. Your phone should take the 4.3 OTA update and you're home free.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks so much, but now that I've put a little more research into this update I'm seeing that others are having issues with tethering and that would be a serious issue for me.
Also I used twrp to root my phone and did not use odin so I don't know how to flash with odin (or even have the files on my computer) is there a way to us twrp?
It looks like I will need to put a little more time into this than I wanted. Anyway, thanks for the help.

Sithlyone said:
Thanks so much, but now that I've put a little more research into this update I'm seeing that others are having issues with tethering and that would be a serious issue for me.
Also I used twrp to root my phone and did not use odin so I don't know how to flash with odin (or even have the files on my computer) is there a way to us twrp?
It looks like I will need to put a little more time into this than I wanted. Anyway, thanks for the help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No issue with tethering for me, just root then install wifi tether router.

[Q] Updating to Android L on Rooted Nexus 5

Hey guys.
I have a rooted, unlocked bootloader, custom "recoveryed" Nexus 5, on stock 4.4.4 and stock kernel.
My question is, when Android L comes around, what should I do to update. Doing an OTA update is probably not the best idea right? Since I am rooted and have a custom recovery. So, what would be the steps to take to update. I don´t mind loosing root or making a fresh install.
Anyway just a noob question about something that I never had to do, since I rooted it on 4.4.4.
Thanks for your attention.

Flash a factory image.

Where can I get those?

J.Diogo said:
Where can I get those?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On the Google site. Google "nexus factory images"
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

You can OTA update fine. It will just remove root is all.
Get the wugfresh toolbox and reinstall root after. This is what I do every time.

Don't use toolkits.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

rootSU said:
Don't use toolkits.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
why Ive been using the wugfresh forever now. On my nexus 5 and 7 with no issues.

tevil said:
You can OTA update fine. It will just remove root is all.
Get the wugfresh toolbox and reinstall root after. This is what I do every time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've been away from the Nexus 5 forum for a while, I come back and this is still happening. Please don't recommend rootkits for people who are clearly new to android modification. As said a million times on these forums, rootkits are fine if you know what you're doing but not for beginners. Beginners need to do things manually because they need to be able to fix their own mistakes if they're simple. Instead of going back here and asking very basic questions which they could have answered themselves if they didn't use a rootkit.
OP: Please do as @rootSU said and flash a factory image. His sig contains all the threads and information you need. It's a very handy tool which can fix your phone's software problems in almost any situation. Especially in the case of Android L (an update with HUGE internal changes), I highly recommend flashing factory image. This is what I will be doing. The factory image completely replaces your OS with stock.

PsychDrummer said:
I've been away from the Nexus 5 forum for a while, I come back and this is still happening. Please don't recommend rootkits for people who are clearly new to android modification. As said a million times on these forums, rootkits are fine if you know what you're doing but not for beginners. Beginners need to do things manually because they need to be able to fix their own mistakes if they're simple. Instead of going back here and asking very basic questions which they could have answered themselves if they didn't use a rootkit.
OP: Please do as @rootSU said and flash a factory image. His sig contains all the threads and information you need. It's a very handy tool which can fix your phone's software problems in almost any situation. Especially in the case of Android L (an update with HUGE internal changes), I highly recommend flashing factory image. This is what I will be doing. The factory image completely replaces your OS with stock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay but thats a fine answer over "dont use rootkits"
That made me think they were bad or something.
Technically like myself he is all stock he said, so aside root hes already pretty much stock OS.
Not sure where the animosity is. Also he obviously knows how to root and install custom Bls if hes done it before.
I very rarely pop in here anymore myself unless there is a major issue but doing things the way Ive been has pretty much eliminated those (jinx). Im still more on the Nexus S forum since I tinker with that more as my mp3 player.
He could always just take a backup before updating and dive in. Ive done that in the past with fine results.
Also even IF you do everything manually first and down the line screw up something theres a pretty BIG chance youll be here asking wtf happened. It happens to the best of us at one point or another.

tevil said:
Okay but thats a fine answer over "dont use rootkits"
That made me think they were bad or something.
Technically like myself he is all stock he said, so aside root hes already pretty much stock OS.
Not sure where the animosity is.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
they are bad if you dont know what you're doing
the animosity comes in to play when you read the forums daily and you see threads saying "HELP i tried to use such and such toolkit and now my phone doesnt work"

tevil said:
Okay but thats a fine answer over "dont use rootkits"
Also even IF you do everything manually first and down the line screw up something theres a pretty BIG chance youll be here asking wtf happened. It happens to the best of us at one point or another.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, but that's why we ask people to read all the threads before starting to mess with the device first. If you understand how the basic things work and what you're actually doing to achieve root, it's alot easier to troubleshoot very basic problems yourself. Of course for bigger issues people can feel free to post and get help. Also, if they did read everything and still messed up, when they post they're able to list the steps they've taken in the post so people can help them better. Otherwise, it becomes "help I messed up, I don't know what to do, I pressed the start button on the toolkit and my phone doesn't turn on."
Regarding the first part of your post, I still think it's just better to start fresh. Yeah, you can do a backup and try it but I honestly think it will be wasting time. It's always good to start fresh once in a while even if you don't use xposed/rooted apps. Eventually, your phone gets cluttered with apps and sometimes they conflict and you have battery issues, and other issues, etc. Since L is the biggest update to android since even I've been involved in it (I only started getting involved in XDA around 4.0), I would highly recommend everyone flashes the factory image and starts fresh. That way you will also know if there are bugs with L itself, or if's the fact that you installed on top of kitkat and all your prior data that's causing the issue. Anyway, no hard feelings. You said you don't spend a lot of time here so it's understandable.

Zepius said:
they are bad if you dont know what you're doing
the animosity comes in to play when you read the forums daily and you see threads saying "HELP i tried to use such and such toolkit and now my phone doesnt work"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well my bad, Ive never seen that. But toolkits (mainly this one) have very detailed instructions. Let alone the same issues happen when using ADB and push.
Its a double edged sword. I get the , go the long route first, which even I did (but also pre root kits), but In my own defense reading the OP he already did root and BL his phone (to my assumptions) so I didnt think my input was that bad.
---------- Post added at 04:49 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:47 PM ----------
PsychDrummer said:
Yeah, but that's why we ask people to read all the threads before starting to mess with the device first. If you understand how the basic things work and what you're actually doing to achieve root, it's alot easier to troubleshoot very basic problems yourself. Of course for bigger issues people can feel free to post and get help. Also, if they did read everything and still messed up, when they post they're able to list the steps they've taken in the post so people can help them better. Otherwise, it becomes "help I messed up, I don't know what to do, I pressed the start button on the toolkit and my phone doesn't turn on."
Regarding the first part of your post, I still think it's just better to start fresh. Yeah, you can do a backup and try it but I honestly think it will be wasting time. It's always good to start fresh once in a while even if you don't use xposed/rooted apps. Eventually, your phone gets cluttered with apps and sometimes they conflict and you have battery issues, and other issues, etc. Since L is the biggest update to android since even I've been involved in it (I only started getting involved in XDA around 4.0), I would highly recommend everyone flashes the factory image and starts fresh. That way you will also know if there are bugs with L itself, or if's the fact that you installed on top of kitkat and all your prior data that's causing the issue. Anyway, no hard feelings. You said you don't spend a lot of time here so it's understandable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hear ya.
I ran the L beta a while so honestly Im not that worried. JINX, Im sure you will be answering my HELP thread in 4 weeks! lol

There was no animosity from me. I simply said "don't use toolkits" and that was for good reasons which have been well written in the (General) sticky threads that all new users should read
The problem is we have to waste our time trying to explain what fastboot is to someone who broke their phone after only having used a toolkit. This is why we prefer people don't use them or recommend them.
On top of that,many toolkits are multi-device and this can cause bricks when faced with uneducated users.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

Yhea. I also remember, when I was first serching for ways to root the Nexus 5 on stock 4.4.4, I saw many warnings saying to not use toolkits.
I ended up usung CF-Auto-Root, wich is not a toolkit right? :-/

J.Diogo said:
Yhea. I also remember, when I was first serching for ways to root the Nexus 5 on stock 4.4.4, I saw many warnings saying to not use toolkits.
I ended up usung CF-Auto-Root, wich is not a toolkit right? :-/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its not but it still sort of removes some of the manual steps we hope you would learn doing it all manually.
Best place to start is the general sticky thread. My adb and fastboot thread is designed to be a good start for people looking for basic info. Then anyone looking to actually root can move on to the rooting guides which employ much of what was learned in the former thread.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

Right. I was checking the guide from the thread in your signature and saw the way you did the root. I've done the fastboot and bootloader unlock and all those thing, but when I got to the root part I used the CF-Auto-Root. Is this going to give me problems?

J.Diogo said:
Right. I was checking the guide from the thread in your signature and saw the way you did the root. I've done the fastboot and bootloader unlock and all those thing, but when I got to the root part I used the CF-Auto-Root. Is this going to give me problems?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No no. As a root method it works fine. Just not as an educational piece
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

@rootSU your point being? I mean, isn't rooting with the CF Auto Root easier.

larwindcunha said:
@rootSU your point being? I mean, isn't rooting with the CF Auto Root easier.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you clearly didnt read.

good god look what I started lol.