Database Info

[Q] So what is a ROM?

Hi, I am new to the world of smart phones and would like to learn more about them. I've been reading threads about people changing their ROMs and how it can affect future software updates.
I've done some searching w/ "what is a rom" and "stock rom" but the results are in techno-wiz-lingo that's right over my head.
I have two (pretty basic) questions regarding ROMs.
1. What is a rom?
and
2. If I use Titanium Backup (and install its corresponding busybox), does this change my ROM?
Sorry for the 4th-grader-noob questions. Thanks in advance!
Cheers,
John

We all were there sometime in past, so no problem.
1. A ROM is a part of a non-volatile non-"erasable" memory in phone that hold the operating system and main applications; you can compare it to a premade install of an operating system in a Desktop computer (for example: windows 7 and what manufacturer applications has installed), the difference is that you can't modifiy a ROM directly from inside the phone.
Now, smartphones comes also with premade install os the OS, that's called 'stock ROM', a ROM that come from the phone manufacturer; some people are able to extract ROMs from certain models and modify (kitchen) it, fixing bugs, adding new features, even upgrading main OS version, in short improving what came from the manufacturer that's called 'custom ROM' and that's what xda-developers is all about, in the several forums you will see sections where they talk about improving phone usability.
2. I have no much experience with Android but it seems that titanium backup can backup all your user data, so you can flash a custom ROM to your phone then restore you user data back to your phone, so you won't need to readd everything back at hand (usually when you flash a new ROM to your phone, everything is wiped out and the phone is left blank).
Hope that helps.

Thanks Drakh, that helps a lot! I did some more reading on wikipedia. Looks like I have a bit more to learn.

Thank you also Drakh. I have a lot to learn also.

Some general ROM/Kernel questions from a newbie

Hi, I am a relative newbie to ROM flashing and the like. Additionally I dont have a very deep computer knowledge base. I have rooted my Samsung Captivate and have flashed a ROM (which flashed properly, but didn't quite work). I have three questions about ROM usage and such:
1. I know kernels basically add aspects to the ROM you are running, but when should you flash these? How do you flash them (same process as with ROMs? do you just do it over-top of the Rom you currently have loaded? etc...)
2. If a newer version of the ROM you have running comes out, do you have to start over and completely wipe the device over again and do the whole process from start, or can you load a newer version of your current ROM over the one you have?
3. I have been hearing/reading about some problems with the Android Market disappearing on certain ROMs when the market updates, how can i avoid this/fix this?
Thanks. Sorry the basic/stupid questions.

1. Yes
2. There are WIPE versions and NO WIPE version. Usually you can use the NO WIPE version and keep everything. But sometimes if the roms are too different you get problems and errors, then it is recommended to flash a WIPE version.
3. Hm did not experience this yet, but there are fixes somewhere .

Whats up... No question is a stupid one buddy.... (Sometimes )
To answer your first question about kernels. Flashing kernels aren't a must. You don't have to flash them really, unless there is a need. Kernels for the most part can often change the way Android handles stuff like memory management, battery resources and even multitasking. They change (tweak) the way the Android OS itself interacts with the phones hardware. That's all a kernel is really. So read up on them before flashing them because each has their advantages and disadvantages. For example, the kernel I use gives me a good RAM boost and much better battery life but it suffers on the multitasking side and I have to do other stuff to compensate for that. That's how it is. As far as flashing them is concerned. That depends. Usually, you just flash them through recovery (Like a ROM) but I would suggest you follow the instructions they give you (if it exists).
Your second question is simple. Just follow the instructions they give you for installation. Some ROMS require a full wipe and others don't. It just depends on the ROM. When in doubt, follow the instructions (again if it exists).
Your third question is a weird one, I've never heard about that really. BUT.... Some ROMS may or may not include the GAPPS applications (Google Apps).
If the ROM you flash doesn't have Google Apps built in, it would literally be missing. You would have to flash it separately. Usually in those cases though, at the download location for that ROM, they would also provide links for GAPPS zip files to flash separately so you can have the option to go with Android Market, Gmail and such OR you can use an alternative. Short of that..... never heard of that issue before..... If the issue is happening after the Market app updates, in that case it might be some type of ROM issue, you'll probably have to somehow get the updated Vending.apk (Android Market) remove/backup the original and reinstall it manually (the way you would a regular apk). I'm guessing though....
Don't you just love research........

Thanks. And now, inevitably, answers lead to more questions.
With regards to kernels, how do I know which one's do what, are compatible with which ROMs etc. I feel like its the kinda thing that needs a giant database for them, but i know there isn't.
Also, is the process for flashing other .zip files the same (though either Rom manager or a built in Recovery option). For example, a bootanimation.zip?
Ultimately I hate the idea of asking overly simply questions, but I just don't know what I dont know, nor what is supposedly implied. Thanks.

Don't sweat it...... I'm in the same boat so I have no hangups....
I think I know what you mean when it comes to kernels. Ultimately, learning about kernels requires a lot of reading in many forums (Just like this one)... Why?.... Because in many instances the persons posting the kernels might not always give you an exact breakdown on exactly what it does..... so I understand. Your best bet would be scanning XDA. I've found all sorts of really excellent kernels lying around and the devs here love documentation so there is a good chance you'll know what it does...
You could also try DroidBasement: http://droidbasement.com/db-blog/
They actually have just what you wanted, a database....kind of. They have a very large variety of kernels for different devices so its a good place to start as well.
They also tend to do a breakdown of what each kernel is capable of, the device it should be used on and so on.
About flashing zip files. Generally speaking, most zip files are flashed through recovery but its not written in stone. Following the instructions concerning said zip files are always very important. Always look for instructions before you do so at least at first. In the case of bootanimation.zip.... They are not always flashable. But if it is flashable, you can flash it through recovery which would be the best method....
If you want though, you can replace the original bootanimation.zip file with the new one manually, once you have root and some type of root explorer (for example RootExplorer for Android).
Generally, the boot animation directory is usually, /System/Media so you can check to see if its there and if it is, just backup the original and replace it with the new one.... That should work... Always nandroid before doing so though.... before doing anything really....

Thanks. I actually had a question about nandroid but forgot. Basically, what is it. I realize contextually that it's a backup program and apparently works through the recovery menus. I read a ROM flashing step-by-step that mentioned it but couldnt figure out where to get it (not in the market unlike Ti-bu which i use currently).

Nandroid is a backup program that basically creates a flash image of your phone... If you've ever heard of "Ghosting" or "Imaging" a Hard Drive, its exactly the same thing.
Its really as good as it gets as far as data backup is concerned. Its also a low level backup, so even file structures would be recorded.. In other words, you can completely screw up your phone (file partitions everything!!!!) but once you can boot to recovery, your phone can be restored. That's why its so important because its your safety net....
Its not something that you can install like an apk, so its not in the market.
You would have to flash a custom recovery. If you have one already, it should be located in one of the menus (It changes depending on the type (brand) of recovery).
If you don't see the option in your recovery then its probably not custom and you're going to have to do some digging on these forums and maybe a bit of googling for instructions on exactly how to do so. Because it could change from device to device.
Nandroid also allows you to backup your sd-ext partition as well, so if you switch cards, you can restore to another card.... Its really incredibly handy and I wouldn't suggest you do anything until you can create nandroid backups....

Now, I'm having an interesting problem I posted this same thing in general Captivate forums but maybe someone who is looking at this/answering me knows. here's what i posted there:
have a Captivate that I recently flashed Di11i's 7.1.1 to, before that I had flashed my first ROM which was Serendipity 6.2. Both times I have found that I don't get incoming calls. People calling me get 2-3 rings, and then a traditional "busy signal" sound. On my end, either the phone vibrates once but the screen doesnt change from whatever screen I'm on. Or, The screen goes black like its going to the incoming call screen, but the black screens only flashes and goes away, as does a force close message box that goes away quickly without me clicking it.
Everything else on my phone works as far as I can tell, I've been running my current ROM for about 5 days without issues other than this one. This same exact problem also happened when I flashed Serendipity 6.2 (which I only kept for like a day because of this problem)

Ok....I currently use a G1 and most of my experience has been on HTC Devices. I'm not sure of how to reply to this as I have never really modded Samsung devices before. So I'm not really familiar with software and hardware differences (Like Bootloader, Recoveries, Radios and such). But based on what you're describing.... It sounds like a ROM or maybe a radio issue. Maybe its an issue with the phone app itself. If the app is somehow buggy then thats exactly what would happen. When the phone rings the phone app would try to run but then force close....
I'm guessing here, but it could also be a radio issue because you're getting a busy tone as well which is not good. Maybe the ROM requires a specific Radio version BEFORE its flashed.... Check the source of the download and determine if it requires a specific Radio version.
In my experience though, if the correct radio version isn't used for a ROM that requires it, the phone just won't boot..... but then again, I don't know what would happen on a Samsung Captivate.... Not sure if I can help on this one because I don't have any info on that type of hardware. I don't own one you see.....

What about if you found out a new kernel isn't as good as the old kernel, how would you go on to take away the new kernel to replace it with the old kernel? Is it the same process or even harder?

vlen22 said:
What about if you found out a new kernel isn't as good as the old kernel, how would you go on to take away the new kernel to replace it with the old kernel? Is it the same process or even harder?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
NOW THIS IS ANNOYING..
u have to flash ur rom again..
but fortunately u dont need to do and wiping data or partitioning sd card.. jus flash rom..

Its not something that you can install like an apk, so its not in the market.

zeemar007 said:
NOW THIS IS ANNOYING..
u have to flash ur rom again..
but fortunately u dont need to do and wiping data or partitioning sd card.. jus flash rom..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The rom kernel that I downloaded, or flashing clockwork recovery mod? Like adrenylyne's kernel for the thunderbolt.
EDIT: Never mind, I found out. I didn't mean any harm if MY POST was annoying.

If you have two kernels, in a flashable zip, you can just flash them over each other to exchange them (turn off any modification the kernel did befor though, like lagfix).

New question, I had an app (quick office) that came on my captivate. Now that I've flashed di11i's 7.1 I don't have it anymore. This is particularly peculiar because all the other native apps are still here:samsungs media player from example. How do I go about getting this missing app back on my phone. I have all the backup files on my computer so I should have the .apk (although I'm not entirely sure how to install those properly) thanks
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

[Q] beginner question . how do i start everything ?

hi guys, i just brought od3 today and planning to do a lots of thing . i read a lot from xda-developers but never try it out even once . how here i have few questions and requests .
1.i heard about making backup, installing better rom and i heard about Cyanogenmod and modaco rom . how do i really start to install rom from zero ? any complete link ?
2. if i install rom , and flash it.do all data including phone contact, message and application gone ?
3. i noticed few hacking threads which are link1 , link2 and link3
which one i start first ? does setting will be gone when i flash with new rom ?
4.can anybody give guide for me to create android environment in Ubuntu linux ?
5.what is the best GPS application ?
6.what is different applying rom and theme ? please give full guide link for me to change my theme .
thank you so much

crownclown said:
hi guys, i just brought od3 today and planning to do a lots of thing . i read a lot from xda-developers but never try it out even once . how here i have few questions and requests .
1.i heard about making backup, installing better rom and i heard about Cyanogenmod and modaco rom . how do i really start to install rom from zero ? any complete link ?
2. if i install rom , and flash it.do all data including phone contact, message and application gone ?
3. i noticed few hacking threads which are link1 , link2 and link3
which one i start first ? does setting will be gone when i flash with new rom ?
4.can anybody give guide for me to create android environment in Ubuntu linux ?
5.what is the best GPS application ?
6.what is different applying rom and theme ? please give full guide link for me to change my theme .
thank you so much
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The stuff you want to do requires you to be rooted first. So download SuperOneClick and use that to root your device first.
1. Making a backup is usually with a app called Rom Manager. After installing, you can press the option to download the recovery and afterwards you can make a backup of the rom. Its best to make a backup of the stock rom that came with the phone just for... backup purposes.
Cyanogenmod is in progress, but not released yet so you should wait for that.
No point in checking on Modaco because there's almost no one posting there for this device.
If you want to install a new rom, you basically only need 3 things. Your phone, the custom rom you want from the Optimus 3D Android Development Section, and the instructions that thread gives you. Its best to follow the instructions that they give. Very easy and simple process.
2. Flashing a rom = installing a rom. All your data and etc are gone. Doesn't exist anymore, it'll be as if you got a fresh phone from out of the box except the rom has been modified. So if you want to keep your data, go make backups of them. For contacts, just sync them with your gmail account. For messages, download an app to back those up. I don't have a texting plan so I can't recommend you a sms backup app. If you want to backup your apps, you can look at Titanium Backup.
3. Whenever you flash a new rom, anything you've done to your phone is gone. So you'll have to reapply any tweaks you've done. For those 3 links, Link 1 and 2 are both stock camera replacements. They replace the stock camera on your phone. So you could only pick one. They both aim to improve the stock camera quality. Personally, I haven't installed either. I use 3rd party camera apps for taking pictures. For the 3rd link, its only a way to get GameLoft games to your external sd card to save some bit of space on your internal sd card. If you need it, try it out. I didn't need it, so I haven't touched it.
4. Are you talking about creating an android app development envirenment or...?
5. GPS, are you talking about GPS navigation, GPS detection, or..?
6. Applying a theme is just changing the graphical appearance of the phone. Applying a rom is changing much more than that. Applying a rom lets you have a rom with tweaks that gives you more space, more speed, more etc etc. Most custom roms has their own themes. Basically, if you want to change how your phone's launcher looks, then that's applying a theme. If you want your phone to be different from stock and have lots of bloatware removed and faster and etc you would want to install a new rom.
To change a theme there's 2 ways. One is to change it on the rom which would affect the stock launcher. 2nd way is to download a new launcher and download any of the themes they have and use those instead. I prefer the 2nd way just because its much easier and most of the time 3rd party launchers are simply better than the stock launchers.

DevJackey said:
4. Are you talking about creating an android app development envirenment or...?
5. GPS, are you talking about GPS navigation, GPS detection, or..?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
nope, what i mean is most of the guides such as superoneclick , rooting and etc given for windows users..i have hard time to adept and use it in ubuntu linux . i google around and found few howto in linux . i tried, it is not working atlease for me.
yes, GPS navigation . if possible similar GUI with HTC navigation .

[Q] Just Rooted My Phone: Where to go from here?

Hi,
I am new this this whole Samsung Galaxy S3 customization. Yesterday, I took the big risk of getting my phone bricked and successfully rooted my phone. Now, I am interested in installing some interesting ROMs and uninstall some uninteresting bloatware. However, I do not know where and how to start.
Just a quick note. I have followed [GUIDE] Root for Jelly Bean 4.1.1 or 4.1.2 OTA ***UPDATED 3/5*** to customize my phone, using ClockworkMod Touch Recovery 6.0.2.3 and MD5: 8C3DA18BD5DEF7E38E03DD147A0E10A1 for VRBMB1 (Jelly Bean 4.1.2). My phone's Model Number is SCH-I535, Android Version 4.1.2.
The first thing I want to do is to reformat my phone. By that, I mean improving the battery life, speed, and practically everything else related to those two things I just said. I have read somewhere that custom ROMs can improve battery life, as well as make everything in the phone move faster and smoother. A few ROMs have caught my attention, but I am unsure of which ROM to use. I have also noticed that you can change the battery preferences without the need of a ROM, but nevertheless, a custom ROM couldn't hurt. Plus, I really want to change the theme of my phone, specifically replacing them with [OMG][THEME] 03.21 - Ultimate OMG Theme - 35 Choices - Aroma - CleanROM/Stock.
So the first question is, which is the most preferred ROM to use for my phone? (Or better yet, do I even need a custom ROM?) So far, my main goal is to improve the speed and battery life. But I have noticed that you must factory reset your phone. That is a little discouraging as there are many personal things in my phone that I would love to keep. I do have Titanium Backup, however, I am unsure of how to use it. Is there a guide on how to use Titanium Backup? I am also concerned that a factory reset can and will clear everything in Titanium Backup as well. The next thing is, I am using Next Launcher by Go Developers. I really enjoy the launcher and would like to continue using it. Will I still be able to use the launcher in custom ROMs?
Thank you for your help!

Zarotu said:
Hi,
I am new this this whole Samsung Galaxy S3 customization. Yesterday, I took the big risk of getting my phone bricked and successfully rooted my phone. Now, I am interested in installing some interesting ROMs and uninstall some uninteresting bloatware. However, I do not know where and how to start.
Just a quick note. I have followed [GUIDE] Root for Jelly Bean 4.1.1 or 4.1.2 OTA ***UPDATED 3/5*** to customize my phone, using ClockworkMod Touch Recovery 6.0.2.3 and MD5: 8C3DA18BD5DEF7E38E03DD147A0E10A1 for VRBMB1 (Jelly Bean 4.1.2). My phone's Model Number is SCH-I535, Android Version 4.1.2.
The first thing I want to do is to reformat my phone. By that, I mean improving the battery life, speed, and practically everything else related to those two things I just said. I have read somewhere that custom ROMs can improve battery life, as well as make everything in the phone move faster and smoother. A few ROMs have caught my attention, but I am unsure of which ROM to use. I have also noticed that you can change the battery preferences without the need of a ROM, but nevertheless, a custom ROM couldn't hurt. Plus, I really want to change the theme of my phone, specifically replacing them with [OMG][THEME] 03.21 - Ultimate OMG Theme - 35 Choices - Aroma - CleanROM/Stock.
So the first question is, which is the most preferred ROM to use for my phone? (Or better yet, do I even need a custom ROM?) So far, my main goal is to improve the speed and battery life. But I have noticed that you must factory reset your phone. That is a little discouraging as there are many personal things in my phone that I would love to keep. I do have Titanium Backup, however, I am unsure of how to use it. Is there a guide on how to use Titanium Backup? I am also concerned that a factory reset can and will clear everything in Titanium Backup as well. The next thing is, I am using Next Launcher by Go Developers. I really enjoy the launcher and would like to continue using it. Will I still be able to use the launcher in custom ROMs?
Thank you for your help!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You don't have to flash a custom ROM to improve battery just a custom kernel. There are a lot of custom tweaks that the developers put in their ROMs to further improve the ROM some you can put yourself. As for the themes the stock ROM has to be deodexed in order for the themes to work. Lastly Next launcher is an app and the last time I checked all launcher apps work on rooted phones.

jmxc23 said:
You don't have to flash a custom ROM to improve battery just a custom kernel. There are a lot of custom tweaks that the developers put in their ROMs to further improve the ROM some you can put yourself. As for the themes the stock ROM has to be deodexed in order for the themes to work. Lastly Next launcher is an app and the last time I checked all launcher apps work on rooted phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for the reply. Seeing how it is, where can I find custom kernels and/or a guide on how to install and use a custom kernel on my phone? I do not quite understand what you mean when "the stock ROM has to be deodexed in order for the themes to work." Lets say I am interested in one of those custom theme, does that mean I have to personally deodex the ROMs or can I just follow the instructions stated in the main thread? So far I do not have a custom ROM after rooting my phone. Everything is still the same since I did the last step, which was to flash the Jelly Bean Bootchain.
Edit: Is there a thread I can look at find to get more information on how to prepare my phone for theming and modding? Information such as deodexing my phone, and other preparation information. I can't seem to find a good thread.

Zarotu said:
Thank you for the reply. Seeing how it is, where can I find custom kernels and/or a guide on how to install and use a custom kernel on my phone? I do not quite understand what you mean when "the stock ROM has to be deodexed in order for the themes to work." Lets say I am interested in one of those custom theme, does that mean I have to personally deodex the ROMs or can I just follow the instructions stated in the main thread? So far I do not have a custom ROM after rooting my phone. Everything is still the same since I did the last step, which was to flash the Jelly Bean Bootchain.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In the original android development is where you will find the kernels. Most of the kernel threads will provide links and the information you need. If you are planning on flashing KT747 kernel here is some additional information: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2144004

Whoa, hold up on the custom kernels and custom rom stuff.
1. You need to make a back up with either twrp or cwm. Next put your important files on your external sd including your efi. Idk if titanium backup allows you to store app back ups on the external sd or not but I assume it does (I use a diff app). You don't have to format your internal sd to flash a custom rom, you have to format the system partition.
Take a minute to make sure you have the prerequisites before moding your phone more. You cannot possibly want to be doing all this so soon especially if you just got into this yesterday.
2. Your still on a stock rom, which is odexed. If you want to customize your rom you need to be on a deodexed rom most of the time. This is a the simple abbreviated difference between odexed and deodexed.
3. Luke took on Vader, even though he was a new rookie padawan. He didnt have a good grip on what he was doing, and karma took his hand and slapped him in the face with irony for it. You might find yourself falling a deep hole of problems if you don't read up more on what you're doing. Do yourself a favor and stay on the god damn dagobah system awhile.

One final thing I have to say is do some research it will help you a lot.

Well, if you want the pure AOSP feel with a CM base, yet uber customization and tweakability I would go with paranoidkangdroid. It mixes CM as a base, with AOKP and ParanoidAndroid. This is what I use and I love it. Cleanrom is a touchwiz rom and I personally feel that while TW roms are stable and usually butter, they are all missing some aspects of customization. Link to the rom: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2186838. However that's my opinion. I prefer the clean stock google experience, others may not. Happy flashing
EDIT: before you go flash anything make sure you do the following: (in this order)
1. Root device
2. Unlock the bootloader
3. Install TWRP (or CWM, I like TWRP)
4. Make a backup of the current stock rom
5. Take all the things you want to save (pictures) and back them up to your computer.
6. DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES TRY TO INSTALL A ROM MADE FOR THE INTERNATIONAL, AT&T, NOTE2, etc. You will brick your phone. Stick to the Verizon variant thread and you should be fine. If getting the rom from another website, make sure it is made for SCH-I535 or D2VZW.

nrock2256 said:
Well, if you want the pure AOSP feel with a CM base, yet uber customization and tweakability I would go with paranoidkangdroid. It mixes CM as a base, with AOKP and ParanoidAndroid. This is what I use and I love it. Cleanrom is a touchwiz rom and I personally feel that while TW roms are stable and usually butter, they are all missing some aspects of customization. Link to the rom: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2186838. However that's my opinion. I prefer the clean stock google experience, others may not. Happy flashing
EDIT: before you go flash anything make sure you do the following: (in this order)
1. Root device
2. Unlock the bootloader
3. Install TWRP (or CWM, I like TWRP)
4. Make a backup of the current stock rom
5. Take all the things you want to save (pictures) and back them up to your computer.
6. DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES TRY TO INSTALL A ROM MADE FOR THE INTERNATIONAL, AT&T, NOTE2, etc. You will brick your phone. Stick to the Verizon variant thread and you should be fine. If getting the rom from another website, make sure it is made for SCH-I535 or D2VZW.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok he is a newbie in this so pretty much AOSP especially those are a little bit advance for him.

jmxc23 said:
Ok he is a newbie in this so pretty much AOSP especially those are a little bit advance for him.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haha! Seeing how there is so much to know before I can get started on anything, I believe I will be needing to do more research. So first thing's first. If all I did was root my phone, using the clockwork recovery mod, what should be my next move? Where do I go from here? I have been searching, but have not yet found a guide. How do I backup my stuff in clockwork recovery mod? What do I do if I do not have an external SD card? Haha, I didn't think customizing your phone would be this difficult.
Thank you.

Zarotu said:
Haha! Seeing how there is so much to know before I can get started on anything, I believe I will be needing to do more research. So first thing's first. If all I did was root my phone, using the clockwork recovery mod, what should be my next move? Where do I go from here? I have been searching, but have not yet found a guide. How do I backup my stuff in clockwork recovery mod? What do I do if I do not have an external SD card? Haha, I didn't think customizing your phone would be this difficult.
Thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is more confusing than it is difficult.

Essentially your next move is preparing yourself incase you fail flashing a rom. You need to do the following:
1. Get a micro sdcard, atleast 16gb
2. Make a back up on the external sd you acquired in step 1 above. This can be done from cwm by selecting "Back up and restore" from the menu, followed by selecting the back up option that says back up to external sd.
3. Now download the rom you want on to your external sd card. Find out if the rom requires gapps or any other supplemental downloads and put them on the external sd as well.
4. Next, report back here for further instructions.
(I havent used cwm for a while so the instructions I gave there are from memory, double check on that)
Surge1223

Surge1223 said:
Essentially your next move is preparing yourself incase you fail flashing a rom. You need to do the following:
1. Get a micro sdcard, atleast 16gb
2. Make a back up on the external sd you acquired in step 1 above. This can be done from cwm by selecting "Back up and restore" from the menu, followed by selecting the back up option that says back up to external sd.
3. Now download the rom you want on to your external sd card. Find out if the rom requires gapps or any other supplemental downloads and put them on the external sd as well.
4. Next, report back here for further instructions.
(I havent used cwm for a while so the instructions I gave there are from memory, double check on that)
Surge1223
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay what if the person doesn't have the money as of now to purchase an sd card? Are there other ways to back up their data?

Sure you can back it up on your internal sd card, but generally you would only do that if you were very familiar with how your recovery works and know exactly what you were doing. Most of the time that means you've had previous experience with the rom your flashing and/or arent too woried about your stuff getting deleted. Usually its a good idea to keep a flashable zip of a deodexed stock rom, radio, recovery, bootchain, etc. In the internal if your doing that but since he's just starting out I wouldn't do that and I usually dont anyways. Its risky and not worth losing your stuff when you could just spend a couple bucks and get a external micro sd.
Surge1223

Surge1223 said:
Sure you can back it up on your internal sd card, but generally you would only do that if you were very familiar with how your recovery works and know exactly what you were doing. Most of the time that means you've had previous experience with the rom your flashing and/or arent too woried about your stuff getting deleted. Usually its a good idea to keep a flashable zip of a deodexed stock rom, radio, recovery, bootchain, etc. In the internal if your doing that but since he's just starting out I wouldn't do that and I usually dont anyways. Its risky and not worth losing your stuff when you could just spend a couple bucks and get a external micro sd.
Surge1223
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Micro SD price range from $5-$100 retail when not on sale and the retail price depends on the storage size. So if the person is hard on cash or has more important things to spend their money she/he might not be able to buy the micro sd with the couple of bucks that you said it cost. The reason I asked those questions is that not everyone has a couple of dollars to spare on a micro sd card so all possible ways to back up data should be mentioned not just what you or I think is the best thing to do. For instance I have my data backed up on my computer via external hard drive as well as Google drive, box and Dropbox. I also use Carbon instead of the titanium backup app that everyone suggests to use. So they can use their computer, cloud storage service, external hard drive, micro sd cards and apps to backup their data.

Its not a matter of whether its possible or not, I mean yeah you can also make a system image of your pc using DVD's instead of a portable hdd or flash drive. I can understand people may be short on cash, but if you have enough time and money to root your phone, pay for a data plan, subscribe to the internet, you can budget 5 dollars. Hell, you could even start using bing rewards to get yourself a 5$ Amazon credit.

All I am saying mainly is that there are more ways to back up your data besides micro sd cards and that all people new to rooting should know more then one way as something can go wrong your micro sd card so your data should be backed up in other ways to insure that you can restore your data.

I hear ya, I guess I just think because I learned my own how to use other methods I assumed that as people got more familiar with flashing roms, etc, that they'd learn eventually too. But hey to each his own. IMO, the external sd is the easiest, fastest, and most reliable way so in this case, I think we should leave well enough alone.
Surge1223

I need a little bit of info.

So ever since I heard about rooting Android devices I innediately done some research on how to do it and I did it. I have had this root on my Samsung Grand Duos for a while now and all I have done is have a few apps (Lucky patcher, Freedom, and Exposed with 1 plugin or w.e) and I am pretty sure I can do far more than just that, so that's why I made this thread. I have a few questions I would like to be answered if you know anything about it.
1) What are customs ROMs and what can I use them for?
2) I am a developer and I have helped make some apps for both iOS and Android, would my root be useful in any way?
3) When I tried to upgrade my version of Android it told me that my version was modified, is there any way I can upgrade to the latest version? And would it remove my root?
4) Is root only compitable with specific versions? Like when a new version comes out, can you root it immediately or do you have to wait for something to do the root process again?
5)My device storage is pretty small and it makes it a pain in the ass to install apps, is there any way that I can edit that? (I am probably going crazy with this. lol)
Thank you.

Bump, would still like some help.

1) 3) 4) a custom Rom is a modified android, mostly based on clean aosp. The example CyanogenMod: you can choose between different Android versions. And with a custom ROM you have great efforts such like theming engine, overclocking or other nice features that are really useful but uncommon in stock ROMs. So I recommended anyone who decides to root his phone to flash a custom ROM neither a stock root

A lot of the info is available on XDA forums, tutorials, and on Google so I suggest you start doing some research as it will help you understand wholly much better...
1 - Custom roms are what nico331999 explained. Modified android firmware made for each specific phone model by developers. Its their take on android and most come with many extra features, themes, launchers, based on different android versions, etc. Cyanogenmod is one the popular ones, but there are a lot more. You would have to search the forums for your specific phone. In order to install a custom rom, root is not enough there are other things you would have to do which you will again need to find out for your phone. Generally speaking you have to unlock the bootloader, install a custom recovery, then flash a custom rom along with gapps.
2 - If you develop apps which utilise root access you can allow them sort of 'admin' access to everything on your phone, so you can perform any task with the app which requires such access. One example is replacing system level apps.
3- If you install a custom rom it will have its own version of Android, usually they are updated versions. You can download the FTF file for the most updated firmware version for your phone and then flash it on your phone. You'll be able to search online for instructions and downloads. A new firmware will remove your root and you will need to root it again. You can search for pre rooted firmwares though to avoid that step.
4 - Yes, you have to search for a rooting method for each firmware version of each phone. Developers (great guys) figure out these methods and post them online for the world!
5 - If your device has SD card support you can install many apps on the SD card to save some space using apps such as Apps2SD or Links2SD. You can move all your media to your SD card. If your device doesn't support SD cards I suggest you move as much data as possible to your computer, and maybe use cloud storage at the same time. Also, since you have rooted your phone, you can use an app like Titanium to uninstall bloatware (unused apps which you cannot usually uninstall).
All of this stuff seems like a handful when you first get into it, but you need to get out there and start researching these topics for it to all fall together in place...

I have to add something with apps to SD: some manufacturers (especially Samsung) have a very weird external storage handling (called emulated storage) which doesn't allow you to move your whole apks. It only saves user data.

ishaang said:
A lot of the info is available on XDA forums, tutorials, and on Google so I suggest you start doing some research as it will help you understand wholly much better...
1 - Custom roms are what nico331999 explained. Modified android firmware made for each specific phone model by developers. Its their take on android and most come with many extra features, themes, launchers, based on different android versions, etc. Cyanogenmod is one the popular ones, but there are a lot more. You would have to search the forums for your specific phone. In order to install a custom rom, root is not enough there are other things you would have to do which you will again need to find out for your phone. Generally speaking you have to unlock the bootloader, install a custom recovery, then flash a custom rom along with gapps.
2 - If you develop apps which utilise root access you can allow them sort of 'admin' access to everything on your phone, so you can perform any task with the app which requires such access. One example is replacing system level apps.
3- If you install a custom rom it will have its own version of Android, usually they are updated versions. You can download the FTF file for the most updated firmware version for your phone and then flash it on your phone. You'll be able to search online for instructions and downloads. A new firmware will remove your root and you will need to root it again. You can search for pre rooted firmwares though to avoid that step.
4 - Yes, you have to search for a rooting method for each firmware version of each phone. Developers (great guys) figure out these methods and post them online for the world!
5 - If your device has SD card support you can install many apps on the SD card to save some space using apps such as Apps2SD or Links2SD. You can move all your media to your SD card. If your device doesn't support SD cards I suggest you move as much data as possible to your computer, and maybe use cloud storage at the same time. Also, since you have rooted your phone, you can use an app like Titanium to uninstall bloatware (unused apps which you cannot usually uninstall).
All of this stuff seems like a handful when you first get into it, but you need to get out there and start researching these topics for it to all fall together in place...
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Thanks a lot, ishaang, you were a lot of help to me.