Custom Roms, Rooting, and App Help!

Discussion in 'Off Topic Chat' started by ToolMasterFlex, Jan 10, 2012.

  1. ToolMasterFlex Administrator

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    Hey guys, post your custom rom, rooting, and application questions here, I will try to answer all I can. Yes I'm that nice
  2. RyanXVII New Guy

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    i'd def like an easy understandable rundown on roms and how to install them once your device is rooted, would help a ton! i've got the SGS captivate, and i just hate how it starts tasks automatically all the time, eats to much ram and slows my whole phone down in seconds...what's the best rom for my problem?

    thanks dude!
  3. ToolMasterFlex Administrator

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    Hello people who just can't leave their phones alone. A couple of things I want to address

    First off there's no BEST ROM out there. Each rom is device dependent, for example a rom that runs amazingly fast on my Xperia, will probably not work at all on your SGS, or HTC, or even Xperia Arc to name a few. Unlike windows - which runs well on any pc platform, roms are specific to the device.

    Second, most phones are well supported - that is people post a lot of content (including roms, kernels, basebands, themes, flashing utilities) - once again, each phone is different, you cannot use Xperia flashing utility to flash a Samsung Rom. It just doesn't work - and you will brick you phone. That's ok, because there's ways to fix a bricked phone, easily :)

    Third, XDA (http://www.xda-developers.com/) forums is the BEST resource for any phone related issues. However, most developer related stuff could seem very complicated (its f*cked up really) to somebody who's just starting off, hence why I can try to explain a few things the best way I can. XDA has a forum breakdown based on the device you have, at the top select which model you have, and you will see everything related to that model - Development, Themes, General questions etc) Development section is where you get the newest roms, kernels, flashing utilities and most importantly HELP

    Fourth - most important thing before you do anything is to back everything up - make sure to sync your contacts to your gmail, save your SD card content on your pc (there's been reports of sd cards being formatted in the process, lol its rare don't worry). Your apps will be gone as well. Using programs like titanium backup might not always work because installing your rom requires a full system format (sometimes). so don't waste your time - its much easier to just hop on the market and download the app.

    Fifth - Time and patience. This takes time - prepare to spend few hours getting the rom you want (it takes seconds once you know what your doing, but hours if you don't), and then realizing the rom is garbage and doesn't work well at all, haha. Trust me it happens, especially with very new rom releases, which are filled with bugs. You are lucky if you notice some bugs right away and get a different rom, and not when you use the rom for a while and have all your normal apps, notes, and settings perfectly setup for your everyday use that you realize rom is a bust. Its gotten better now that the community of people has grown and there's lots of us testing shit and reporting back to the base. but still sometimes there's things missed.


    That's it, now to the fun stuff.

    Rooting - first things first, phones must be rooted. If I were to get into full details on this, it would take me all day to write it and full week for you to understand it. To make it simple, there's FLASHING UTILITIES, (Flash Tool for Xperias, OneClickFlash for Samsungs, Revolutionary for HTC's etc) ALL these can be found on XDA Development Threads + they have step by step instructions, and its CRUCIAL to follow those instructions. They are very simple to use and takes a few minutes. Rooting allows your embedded system files to be erased and replaced. Rooting voids the manufacturers warranty

    Roms - Most custom roms come with cool features, but also with bugs - read carefully to make sure everything works on that particular rom (Wifi, Data, Camera, GPS to name a few) if those are still dead, don't bother with that rom, its for testing purposes only, unless you wanna help the community :)

    Kernels - God of computing. Kernels are the bridge between your software (ROM) and hardware (Phone). WITHOUT A PROPER KERNEL YOUR CUSTOM ROM WON'T WORK. sorry caps lock got stuck, but seriously don't mess around with kernels. If your kernel is not compatible with your rom, the rom won't start and your phone is as good as our gov't, useless. Most roms require specific kernel - its also a set of files which can be installed on the phone using the same flashing utility.

    Bootloaders - um... bootloaders are essentially a set of instructions which are executed before the phone runs an os. Somewhat like the first few cmos checks the pc executes before running windows - preps hardware to run the rom. Locked bootloader means it hasn't been modified and is the same way manufacturer made it (stock loader). Unlocked bootloader means you have altered these essential loading instructions. This can really make your batteries explode. but it can also make your phone run better if done properly (Note: Motorola users should probably skip this section - you will brick your phones beyond recovery) Samsungs, Sonys, and HTC's are pretty good with customs bootloaders, but you still have to make sure its doable on your phone. XDA has all the information. Bootloaders are for more advanced users.


    Xrecovery, CWM, DOOMLORD bootmanager - these are custom utilities that don't need an OS to be executed. They can be run as soon as you push the power button on your phone, and use them to install the custom roms. Once your phone is rooted, you can flash a proper kernel using your pc and a usb cord (awesome) - a lot of kernels come with Xrecovery and CWM recovery, and automatically install that utility on your phone (awesome x2). These utilities (use either of them, as they do the same thing except few small features) are the safe house of phone customization (even if your rom doesn't load, you can pop back into recovery and install a different rom, or a custom kernel, more on this later). First thing you do is root your phone. Second thing is make sure you install Xrecovery. There's different ways, but I usually flash a kernel that comes with those. Once again all available on XDA.


    I think this pretty much sums it all up to give at least a SMALL understanding on what custom roms are all about. Like I said, I cannot say which ROM is the best for a particular phone. People look for different features, but as far as established names in the community - CyanogenMod, Miui, Wolfpack, um don't remember who else, make the best roms out there, they release new roms/fixes every week, tweaked to the max, constantly coding something faster, smoother, better. If you are looking for a good rom, head out to the XDA forums, check out the section for your specific device, read up all the info carefully, and download all required files. If you have specific questions, I will be more than glad to answer. I am only trying to help, but everything you do is entirely your responsibility. I cannot guarantee it will work :( I wish I could. But I think I can help with a few steps and explain a few things in greater detail, so don't be shy, post your questions here for other people to see :)
    RyanXVII and Vas like this.
  4. RyanXVII New Guy

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    dude that's awesome, you should make that post a thread of its own and sticky it :)

    edit:
    btw i was researching some roms for the sgs captivate and it looks like darky's rom seems to be the best currently.
  5. RyanXVII New Guy

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    im trying to figure out how to flash my rom to Darky's rom for SGS, but it's so overwhelming :O so much terminology and confusing stuffs, anyways you could simplify for me?
  6. ToolMasterFlex Administrator

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    Sure thing dude, you can link me the threads you are using to get the rom/kernel, and post any relevant questions you got, I will help guide you along.
  7. RyanXVII New Guy

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    actually i spent a night learning/reading on all this stuff and got my SGS captivate on darky rom 10.4.2 gingerbread, it's soooo fast compared to stock rom, hardly notice any lag anymore and much better looking UI. was well worth it.
  8. ToolMasterFlex Administrator

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    Yeah if it wasn't for a custom rom I would've chucked my X10 against the wall months ago, but its still runnin :) Also, if you noticed major glitches - for example Sound problems, Wifi not working, Data disconnecting, Blutooth crashing, Maps freezing - any sort of major communications problems - it might not be the actual rom, so don't rush getting a new rom right away - it also might be a problem with the current Kernel you are using. You have to make sure you find a compatible kernel but there are usually several good ones out there and some might work better than others and help with any glitches u notice. Feel free to test them out :) but only if sh*t not working!
  9. RyanXVII New Guy

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    apparently darkyrom comes with darkcore kernel, by word it seems to have high praise, and truth be told my phone is working perfectly fine and so much better. love it.
  10. Alisa New Guy

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    Hello people who just can't leave their phones alone. A couple of things I want to address

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