So I'm an Iphone convert. I got an infuse, and love the freedom to customize and do cool things with apps and the like. I've spent a lot of time customizing etc.
Now I'm reading more and more into the whole custom ROM thing. I'm just looking to get an idea of what to expect from the process of changing to a new ROM
Will it be faster and have better battery life if I switch from stock to CM7?
Will I have to reinstall all my apps?
How will future software updates and stuff be handled?
When installing a new custom ROM you need to look at it as a fresh install of a new OS. In other words, yes you will lose your installed apps, however there are plenty of apps available which can help you with the restore process. One that i like to use is Titanium Backup, however you will need to be rooted for this to work. If you have not already rooted your stock ROM, then you may want to download an app from the market that creates an "app list" rather then an actual backup of the apps themselves.
One thing to keep in mind though if you are using Titanium Backup, when restoring make sure to only select the "restore App" option, rather then "App + Data". Restoring data will attempt to restore app data that references your previous ROM, which will almost always break your installation and cause things to go wacky. Installing app only basically does a fresh install on your new ROM without causing any issues.
Will it be faster? It depends on which ROM you install, but the short answer is most likely yes. I can tell you that CM7 and MIUI will be faster as i have tried them myself. Benchmarks will show this to be true, but take this with a grain of salt. The real test is "real world snappiness", and i can tell you that in practical real world application, CM7 and MIUI feel a heck of allot smoother and responsive then the stock Rogers ROM that i was coming from.
Will you get better battery life? I don't know, it depends again on what you install. But my current experience is that i am getting better battery life on MIUI vs stock. I did however disable some of the built in extras on MIUI like network data monitoring, and battery monitoring. You may or may not have to do this, but i found that turning off any background monitoring processes provided me with the longest battery life. About 20+ hours to 5 -10% with moderate to heavy usage.
Future updates. This all depends on the cook or dev of the ROM. Generally though you will want to follow their install instructions to the letter to avoid any issues. Many times though when updating from one version of MIUI to newer version of same MIUI, you can simply install without "full wipe" and this will keep your installed apps intact. However if the dev specifically calls for a full wipe, then you should do it to avoid issues that could otherwise be avoided.
One thing to keep in mind however, is that when installing custom roms you need to understand that you are joining a community of testers. You should always approach it as such, and keep in mind that for the most part these releases are coming from people who do this as a hobby. You also need to keep in mind that you may likely run into bug's, so if you absolutely don't want to deal with this, please stick with stock. However if your adventurous and don't mind a few possible issues while trying out the latest and greatest that the community has to offer, then dive right in! When reporting issues, please do so with the utmost respect and keep this in mind that the Dev's do this on their spare time for our benefit, and they do not get paid for it. So please try to keep the reports as constructive as possible for everyone's benefit!
Lastly, welcome to the android community agent888 and glad to hear you dropped the iphone and left the collective for a community that offers you freedom of choice!
I got Infused 1.6 installed. I chose this one because I found a nice how to video on youtube and followed it step by step. I think it was a nice way for a first timer like myself to do so, to get me over those initial gut wrenching fears of bricking the phone.
All in all, I am more satisfied every single day that I've chosen android over iPhone.
agent888 said:
I got Infused 1.6 installed. I chose this one because I found a nice how to video on youtube and followed it step by step. I think it was a nice way for a first timer like myself to do so, to get me over those initial gut wrenching fears of bricking the phone.
All in all, I am more satisfied every single day that I've chosen android over iPhone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First rom I installed as well. It's a great beginners rom and I never had any issues with it.
Hi guys sorry for the several topics in my subject line but there are several questions that I have.
So I just signed up because I'm a bit confused and I'm quite new to the scene. I actually posted this on another forum which I'm already a member of, but I felt it would be better posting here since this is obviously more specialised.
After reading the rules, I've realised that it's quite hard to do a search for existing topics with my questions. I've already tried to do individual searches on each topic though, with varying success.
I've just rooted my Nexus S (i9023, AUS version) for the first time simply because I wanted to be able to use DroidWall (to only allow certain apps to use data).
1) If I manually update to ICS, will I lose root?
2) Does installing a custom ROM cause you to lose all your data? - I've done some searching on this and it seems to depend. Some do and some don't. I don't quite get it though.
3) Kernels - seem to control battery life and how the operating system runs. This slightly confuses me because it makes me think, what affects battery life more: the kernel or the ROM?
4) Most people like to overclock their phones in the interest of power. Would it be reasonable to underclock it in the interest of battery life? Sometimes I don't think I really need 1GHz.
5) It seems like the OTA for ICS for i9023 has not been released yet but has been for i9020?
I'm trying to find the best 2.3.6 Custom ROM from here but none of these are 2.3.6 based! All of them are 2.3.4 or older. I'm hesitant upgrading to ICS for three reasons:
1) Hasn't been released OTA officially
2) Worried of app compatibility
3) Worried of shorter battery life
For these reasons, I'm looking for a 2.3.6 based custom ROM otherwise I'd be happy to look at ICS custom ROMs.
None of the ICS ROMs seem to have any distinctive features about them, especially after watching the video reviews. It's all pretty much "it's a great ROM that doesn't lag when browsing the web and it's fast". Nothing really distinguishes one from another.
Sorry for the mildly long post, but I'd rather ask as many questions as I can at a time rather than making a couple of threads for each. Hope I can get some help =)
Thanks in advance!
I bought 9023 in hk. Upgraded to ics by ota.
If you want, you may do it manually. Flash the rom by yourself. Ota is no longer available. Check it out at nexusshack.com
I don't have battery problem. But don't know why.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App
xdaillum said:
Hi guys sorry for the several topics in my subject line but there are several questions that I have.
So I just signed up because I'm a bit confused and I'm quite new to the scene. I actually posted this on another forum which I'm already a member of, but I felt it would be better posting here since this is obviously more specialised.
After reading the rules, I've realised that it's quite hard to do a search for existing topics with my questions. I've already tried to do individual searches on each topic though, with varying success.
I've just rooted my Nexus S (i9023, AUS version) for the first time simply because I wanted to be able to use DroidWall (to only allow certain apps to use data).
1) If I manually update to ICS, will I lose root?
If it is the update you probably will (not 100% sure), if it is the full OTA you certainly will. But it is not a major issue either way, and i would actually recommend backing up with TB (AND a Nandroid), wiping everything and then installing the Full OTA ROM and just root again, then restore your backup.
2) Does installing a custom ROM cause you to lose all your data? - I've done some searching on this and it seems to depend. Some do and some don't. I don't quite get it though.
They will generally lose any system data, apps, modifications, etc. Titanium Backup will copy over most of it anyway, particularly apps and their settings/data. Keep in mind that you should always have a CWM backup (Nandroid) ready in case something goes wrong.
3) Kernels - seem to control battery life and how the operating system runs. This slightly confuses me because it makes me think, what affects battery life more: the kernel or the ROM?
Both. ROMs can do more or different functions which can cause battery drain. Kernels allow you to change your own settings (most of the time) to actually balance performance and drain. I would say at the moment with ICS, the kernel and the settings you give it is the biggest contributor.
4) Most people like to overclock their phones in the interest of power. Would it be reasonable to underclock it in the interest of battery life? Sometimes I don't think I really need 1GHz.
That is correct. Many people can get the same speed with a lower voltage, lowering battery drain. Others also use something called "LiveOC" and increase the clocks by 10% (or more), changing the bus speed and giving similar speeds to 1000mhz at only 880mhz, again saving power. Just remember every CPU batch has different variations - some can undervolt and overclock like crazy, whereas some struggle with a 5% increase.
5) It seems like the OTA for ICS for i9023 has not been released yet but has been for i9020?
The i9023 and i9020T has been released. The i9020A has not, and the same with the Nexus S 4G (D720 i believe). It sometimes doesnt show up though. Either try a manual command which i can't remember in the dialpad or just update manually (manually is best ).
I'm trying to find the best 2.3.6 Custom ROM from here but none of these are 2.3.6 based! All of them are 2.3.4 or older. I'm hesitant upgrading to ICS for three reasons:
1) Hasn't been released OTA officially
2) Worried of app compatibility
3) Worried of shorter battery life
For these reasons, I'm looking for a 2.3.6 based custom ROM otherwise I'd be happy to look at ICS custom ROMs.
None of the ICS ROMs seem to have any distinctive features about them, especially after watching the video reviews. It's all pretty much "it's a great ROM that doesn't lag when browsing the web and it's fast". Nothing really distinguishes one from another.
Sorry for the mildly long post, but I'd rather ask as many questions as I can at a time rather than making a couple of threads for each. Hope I can get some help =)
Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lots of words, i'm getting a little confused up there. Anyway, if you are rooted (and i assume your bootloader is unlocked), there is nothing to worry about as long as you backup. I personally love ICS and have no issue with it, as do many others. A minority of people however tend to have some problems, whether its battery or force closes. My experience so far has been that a proper wipe fixes most of these anyway.
ICS is still new. Once Cyanogenmod 9 is officially released i'm sure we'll see much more variety than the same look and feel, as alot is based off their code. And also, practically no phones have ICS yet. I've not found app compatibility a problem though, i think the main gripe is viber (which should work soon).
I hope this can help you, just let us know if there is anything else you're after. Also, there is a TON of information around the site (and Nexus S forums in particular). A good amount of reading and going through a couple of pages of some of these threads can go a long way. That is why you came here after all, isn't it?
I got the OTA for ICS back around 20th Dec 2011, but I chose not to update it because I was going to be away from a computer for a few days and had no backup phone. When I wanted to update it a few days later, the update had disappeared from my phone so I looked it up online. Apparently the OTA disappeared for Nexus S's due to some bugs or incompatibility issues. I've never seen the update come up on my phone since. Even when I go to Settings->About phone->System update, it says "your system is up to date". So I've always been under the impression that ICS for Nexus S (at least for my variant, i9023) has never been re-released to us OTA.
Harbb, thanks for your answers. The only one I'm not so sure about is the underclocking one. It seems a little beyond me in terms of technicality. I am definitely interested in doing it though. Would you be able to tell me if adjusting clock speed requires an app?
I am rooted and bootloader is unlocked (I thought you could only root if bootloader was unlocked?).
So does that mean all these custom ROMs around at the moment are mostly based around Cyanogenmod, which is why they're very similar? As I was saying, I was looking at getting a custom ROM installed and noticed most of them are ICS custom ROMs, and the video reviews all say "this ROM is fast and does not lag when web browsing. It's a great ROM and it's fast and smooth."
The custom ROMs just don't seem to be "promoted" too well because I can't see what makes one better than the other, or what features of one custom ROM are intended to be the standout ones.
I notice you (Harbb) are using Stock ICS 4.0.3 (according to your sig) - so you are not using a custom ROM? Am I able to install a custom ICS ROM without first installing ICS? I am still running 2.3.6 at this point.
Viber does not work at the moment? That's not too bad. I can live with that.
I've done quite a bit of reading so far. It has certainly helped, but still a long way to go, but thanks for giving me a great start!
I will start backing up my apps using TB and CWM (Nandroid)!
xdaillum said:
I will start backing up my apps using TB and CWM (Nandroid)!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Best line i've read in days
I have tried several custom ROMs once they started surfacing but i didn't feel like they gave me anything special enough to switch to right now and Stock is setup and running very nicely. Stock ICS colours are fine and other apps now can provide Notifications Widgets. I havn't noticed any particular differences in speed either.
Brainmasters ICS tweaks, custom kernel and Flavours of ICS runs beautifully. The OTA varies with where it shows up. To force a check, type this in dialer: *#*#checkin#*#* [AKA, *#*#2432546#*#* ]
If you are rooted it won't work anyway. Just update manually. There is no need to currently on ICS to flash custom ICS ROMs. I would advise that when going from GB to ICS though (and often between some custom ROMs) that you go into CWM and do a factory/data wipe and format /system. After backing up of course.
At the moment most are not based on CM9, however several do use bits and pieces of code (ie. notification power widgets) from it. Not sure why most ROM descriptions are the same
First thing i'd consider is getting a custom kernel, and then the NSTools app (market). Lots of stuff to mess around with and full control of the CPU (governors, IO, overclocking, undervolting, etc).
Harbb said:
Best line i've read in days
I have tried several custom ROMs once they started surfacing but i didn't feel like they gave me anything special enough to switch to right now and Stock is setup and running very nicely.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
agree with u. for 4.0.3, stock is my favorite, sad to say that.
for 4.0.4, while stock for NS not available, IMM26 ROM ported from NS4G seems good, if you like the stock rom feel.
Hmm I bricked my phone.
I've done the Nandroid and Titanium Backup and have it sitting on my computer ready once I recover this damn thing. Following the backups, I attempted to manually update to ICS with the zip file on this page: http://www.androidcentral.com/how-manually-update-your-gsm-nexus-s-ice-cream-sandwich
Now I'm following these two threads to try and recover the phone:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1397393
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1396056
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=20382688&postcount=16
Hopefully I will get this back up and working. I'm still confused as to why it got bricked though. Updated via clockworkmod "update from sdcard" and then rebooted system. After that, it just bricked. Can't get any lights to come up on the device whatsoever. Plugging it in to computer, wall charger, pressing all the buttons, taking the battery out and putting it back in.
Odd. Best of luck getting it working, i'm sure the resurrector will work for you so don't stress too much. That's the right file so i'll probably just put the issue on a bad flash or bad download (wise to hash check before flashing). At this point i'd say it's wise when you get it working again, just flash the Full OTA file, and do a wipe of /data, /cache, /system and /boot beforehand.
Sad to hear about your troubles buddy.
So it looks like everything worked out for me. I managed to restore my phone with the help of the threads above. I have to admit though, the guides given on this forum aren't too "complete" - there's always a step or two missing from the guide that the reader has to figure out themselves. And not all the files are provided in the topics either! I'm also kind of concerned why it seems so many people ended up bricking their phone like that. Quite concerning.
In the end, I managed to reflash the stock ICS ROM for i9023 Nexus S which I found in this thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1445635
So I scrapped the one that I downloaded initially from Android Central. The difference in size was surprisingly roughly 30MB (160MB instead of the 130MB Android Central one).
I'm just using stock ICS, but rooted. Downloaded a few apps which require root, but haven't tried adding any mods or kernels. I might look into that later. But it seems like with 4.0.4 coming out, there might be some interesting new additions!
Thanks for all your help!!
Did you flash this ics from stock recovery?
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App
Congratulations on resurrecting it! Are you guys saying that there is a risk of bricking a phone, while installing official update? I did a manual update, 3 weeks ago, unrooted, and ICS has been nothing but amazing for me.
I have a question. In case, I ever brick my I9023 (hope not).
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=20382688&postcount=16
This post states that I must be running Ubuntu on my PC. Does that mean I can't use Windows? And if I must use Linux, can I just do it with Wubi, or with Online Server?
So i just recently bought a Asus T100, since windows 8.1 is much more appealing to me in a tablet than android,
but I still have my android TF700 tablet and I don't really want to sell it since it is also a great device.
Problem is it slows down to a crawl. I factory restore it, but within a few weeks of light use it becomes VERY slow (more of a web browser and general interface issue, since games and video still run fine)
If i could correct that problem, i have many uses at home for it.
are there any fun/cool/useful things I can do to it? upgrades, different OS, that kind of stuff? I love using old devices as kind of a learning/training tool for DIY type projects.
I was thinking about just rooting it, but that is boring. I want to try something really cool that could even breath some new life into the device and get me using it again.
If you unlock your bootloader with the Asus unlocked tool, you can install some custom roms that seem to make it run quicker and smoother.
This should get you started:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2688891
Then check the Development section for roms - there are quite a few to choose from.
Just make sure you fulfill ALL the requirements for each rom (ususally stated in the OP for each rom) and NEVER use Wipe Data from the bootloader if you have a custom recovery installed.
In the beginning of December '14 my tf700t had become so sluggish that I decided it was either ditch it and buy a new non-Asus device - or be adventurous and look into how to unlock, root and install Crombi-KK. Since I had nothing to lose and prefer using my old hardware, I decided to go for 'adventurous'. I did my homework and everything went well. My tf700t ran buttery smooth, and I was overjoyed. My first attempt at tinkering with anything android was a success.
Then after a week or so things started slowing down. Lags, crashes and freezes. Having to reboot the device every 5 - 10 minutes, which obviously I couldn't live with, so I factory wiped from TWRP, reflashed and once again my tablet-life was full of joy. This story has repeated itself so many times that I've stopped counting. On Jan. 6th I did yet another restore, and this time I did a nandroid to make life easier when once again I have to restore. This process is fast becoming tedious, though, and obviously it's not a permanent solution to my problem, so I hope someone will take a look at a couple of catlogs and please tell me what's going on, as interpreting these logs is way beyond my skills.
Not knowing much about flashing custom roms, I go with SBdags default settings when I flash. Freezes, crashes etc. seem to happen with all apps, but in particular with Dolphin Browser. Sometimes I notice that the back of the device tends to become warm.
I installed Autokiller Memory Optimizer - but the tablet crashed within minutes .
I'm sure you'll need further info to be able to point me in the right direction, but unsure exactly which, so please do ask.
Thanks a bunch
While I can't say I'm smart enough to give you a great answer like SDBags himself, I can offer whats worked for me. I've noticed this too as a general trend that seems to be specific to the TF700 itself, regardless of your ROM. For all of his wizardry SDBags can't change hardware and the TF700 is starting to get very long in the tooth. When I feel like mine is acting up I back up the app data and just reflash the ROM. That seems to set everything back to a good spot. As for heating up that might be from overclocking the CPU, I can't remember if thats a default option but I feel it always helps. Play around with Zombi-Cat if you haven't already tried it.
Cheers
Sent from my TF700T using XDA Free mobile app
R_McNeely said:
While I can't say I'm smart enough to give you a great answer like SDBags himself, I can offer whats worked for me. I've noticed this too as a general trend that seems to be specific to the TF700 itself, regardless of your ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, hearing from another tf700/custom ROM user with the same experience is a great answer in itself because now I know that flashing a custom ROM on a TF700 hasn't solved all problems for everybody but me. I'll stop worrying that there's something I did wrong and thank Asus for selling me a crappy product and make me learn about unlocking and flashing custom roms without being afraid of bricking it and/or turning it into a fantastic baby bob-sleigh.
Britta
I should add that my post wasn't meant as a criticism against SBdags and Crombi-kk at all. I'm very grateful that I can learn from him and other devs and users here.
Back when I had a Droid DNA, HTC One, NVIDIA Shield tablet, etc, those devices had modified twrp recoveries that allowed for dualbooting, which made it great for trying out two different roms (without having to wipe the other) or to take advantage of some features in stock while using a custom ROM as a daily driver. iirc There were no drawbacks to this besides the fact that you obviously had to wipe your phone.
I dunno, it seemed like such a great feature that goes unnoticed by any recent phone nowadays. I would love to be able to dualboot Havoc and OOS so I don't have to keep flashing and wiping my phone each time I want to go between the two.
I think the thing that makes me hesitant about it was the lack of data between the two. Having preferences set in one (configs and all), and then switching over to the other made it a little daunting and time consuming which I find fun but maybe everyone else doesnt.
Don't get me wrong, I think the idea is great - you install two ROMs and you take them both for a test run before committing. But if I'm not mistaken from my past experiences, I think data wasn't shared so things like text messaging wouldn't be continuous between the two, which would be a major downside.