First time using Android, please give some advices! - Motorola Droid and Milestone General

Hi all, in a couple of days time I will be receiving my first ever Android device, the Motorola Milestone. I've already done some research on the phone as well as on Android itself, and understood most of the necessary basics. However, there are still many things I don't understand quite yet, and would like some help with clarifying them.
My first question is regarding the custom roms. I myself have been a long time user of Windows Mobile so I know most of the stuff that is relevant to Android as well. From what I know, the bootloader on the Milestone is still locked, but people have found ways to load custom roms on it. Can someone link me to the guide on how to do this? Now before someone tell me to search on the forum or on Google (which I already have), I just want to point out that the ones I found seemed to be outdated, and that they're for older Android versions??
My 2nd question is, do custom roms like IceandFire or Froyomod come with their own custom kernels? Because I want to be able to overclock my phone, and if it comes installed with its own kernel then I don't want to risk bricking it by flashing another kernel on top of it......I hope that makes sense??
3rd question is, which rom is the best for speed and battery? I'm guessing it's IceandFire and it builds upon the latest CM7?
And lastly, are there any crucial apps that you guys recommend I should install, or any tweaks etc I should use?

chaoscreater said:
Hi all, in a couple of days time I will be receiving my first ever Android device, the Motorola Milestone. I've already done some research on the phone as well as on Android itself, and understood most of the necessary basics. However, there are still many things I don't understand quite yet, and would like some help with clarifying them.
My first question is regarding the custom roms. I myself have been a long time user of Windows Mobile so I know most of the stuff that is relevant to Android as well. From what I know, the bootloader on the Milestone is still locked, but people have found ways to load custom roms on it. Can someone link me to the guide on how to do this? Now before someone tell me to search on the forum or on Google (which I already have), I just want to point out that the ones I found seemed to be outdated, and that they're for older Android versions??
My 2nd question is, do custom roms like IceandFire or Froyomod come with their own custom kernels? Because I want to be able to overclock my phone, and if it comes installed with its own kernel then I don't want to risk bricking it by flashing another kernel on top of it......I hope that makes sense??
3rd question is, which rom is the best for speed and battery? I'm guessing it's IceandFire and it builds upon the latest CM7?
And lastly, are there any crucial apps that you guys recommend I should install, or any tweaks etc I should use?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=983516
This is still the best way to get a custom ROM loaded up onto your phone. What you want to start with is flashing the vulnerable recovery from http://android.doshaska.net/rootable by using RSD Lite. To do so, you need to put the phone into Bootloader mode (power+Dpad-up) You can google RSD Lite, make sure you use the latest version along with the latest USB Driver version from Motorola.
RSD Lite is a very finicky program, if you have any errors flashing, your best bet would be to try this post: http://androidforums.com/droid-all-...hing-process-0x7100-rsd-lite.html#post1274587
Once you flash the VR (vulnerable recovery), you will want to put OpenRecovery on your SD Card. I recommend using OR 1.46 and placing FuFu's minimod on the SD Card as well. It will overwrite existing files in OR (look for it in Milestone Development). From here you can root the phone in OR (by using power+x, then camera+volume up) and reboot, backup all data you want saved, before flashing a ROM.
Once that is done, get the custom ROM that you want (I find speed + battery can be Cronos, CM7 or FroyoMOD for a Froyo ROM) and place it in OpenRecovery/updates. You will also want the most up-to-date version of Google Apps for Cronos or any Gingerbread ROM (except MIUI).
Gapps: http://goo-inside.me/gapps/gapps-gb-20110613-signed.zip
Now, turn the phone off, and put it into recovery mode (power+x, then camera+volume up), select apply update.zip and you are now into OpenRecovery.
Here is where you will flash your custom ROM and Gapps. Wipe both cache partition and dalvik cache, then wipe all data. Select Apply Update under Miscellaneous Menu and select the ROM you want. Once it is done, wipe both caches (not data) and flash Gapps. Wipe caches again. Finally, change the baseband to your country and reboot.
The first reboot will take a while, as the ROM is configuring itself for first time use.
That is how to flash a custom ROM and get started.
2- Custom kernels are not available for Milestone, as our bootloader is locked. Overclocking the phone is done through the 10overclock file in system/etc/init.d . All ROMs that I know of are overclock, most to 1GHz (from 550MHz). You will not be able to flash any kernels, and DO NOT try ROM Manager, it will temporarily brick your phone.
Crucial apps, I would say are Root Explorer, TitaniumBackup. Those are the two that are very useful for root users, if you flash multiple ROMs or need to access system files.
Hope this helped.

awesome, thanks for the reply mate!
Hmm 2 things i'm confused with. Isn't there an app called "Milestone Overclock" that lets u overclock without installing custom kernels?
Also, from what I know you need to have the bootloader unlocked in order to install custom roms. I already know that Motorola is still keeping the bootloader locked and that as of now, there isn't a way to unlock it. Then how come we can install custom roms?
Also, since you mentioned ROM Manager, I did a quick search and it seems to be able to manage multiple custom rom installs that you have. But then you said don't try it or it will brick the phone, so I don't understand whether I can install it or not?? Personally, I love testing out different roms as well as new builds. It would be nice to dual boot or choose between different roms to use. But i'm not sure whether I want to go forward with this since your comment implies to me that I shouldn't install Rom Manager?
Lastly, this is the part I found most confusing with Android (or with Windows Mobile as well). I found some guides that tells you to install Clockwork Recovery Mod or something like that. Some of them even mentioned using Nandroid or something. There seems to be different methods & tools/softwares for different devices (or even the same device) and it can be confusing to keep up with them. My question is, are there major differences between them? Which one is better and should I keep them up to date?

chaoscreater said:
awesome, thanks for the reply mate!
Hmm 2 things i'm confused with. Isn't there an app called "Milestone Overclock" that lets u overclock without installing custom kernels?
Also, from what I know you need to have the bootloader unlocked in order to install custom roms. I already know that Motorola is still keeping the bootloader locked and that as of now, there isn't a way to unlock it. Then how come we can install custom roms?
Also, since you mentioned ROM Manager, I did a quick search and it seems to be able to manage multiple custom rom installs that you have. But then you said don't try it or it will brick the phone, so I don't understand whether I can install it or not?? Personally, I love testing out different roms as well as new builds. It would be nice to dual boot or choose between different roms to use. But i'm not sure whether I want to go forward with this since your comment implies to me that I shouldn't install Rom Manager?
Lastly, this is the part I found most confusing with Android (or with Windows Mobile as well). I found some guides that tells you to install Clockwork Recovery Mod or something like that. Some of them even mentioned using Nandroid or something. There seems to be different methods & tools/softwares for different devices (or even the same device) and it can be confusing to keep up with them. My question is, are there major differences between them? Which one is better and should I keep them up to date?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have tried Milestone Overclock, but I never really used it to overclock the phone. I prefer changing the voltages and speeds with the 10overclock file. If you read the description of Milestone overclock, it "tricks" the kernel into thinking it's supposed to run at a certain speed.
ROM Manager and Clockwork Recovery Mod do not work on Milestone. The only recovery that works with the Milestone is OpenRecovery or Androidiani OpenRecovery. Unfortunately, the only way to flash the ROMs is through OR or AOR, so you will have to repeat the processes every single time. I have gotten used to where all of the options are for FuFu's Minimod, so I am able to do it quite efficiently
The best way to backup a ROM, system data and the such is by Nandroid backup. That is the only sort of backup that you can do. It is recommended to do one every time you flash a custom ROM, but I only did it after I rooted and before I flashed my first custom ROM. You can do it through OR. That is the only way that will work. CWM and ROM Manager will just temp brick the phone and you will have to reflash a stock SBF all over again.

i see.....in that case there's no way to install 2 different roms to allow dual booting then? What about the app "Boot Manager", will that work? I found it on this site here:
http://www.androidpolice.com/2011/0...ted-user-should-know-about-part-4-apps-26-33/
One last question, I came across this popular app that is recommended by many Android users, called Apps2SD. My understanding to this is that by default, any apps/games that you install on your device will install to the internal memory, and that this Apps2SD app basically lets you install to your memory card? So my question is, does this lag the phone somehow? I like to have many apps and especially games installed on my phone, would doing this affect the performance or something? I know this is the case for Windows Mobile, but not sure about Android.....

chaoscreater said:
i see.....in that case there's no way to install 2 different roms to allow dual booting then? What about the app "Boot Manager", will that work? I found it on this site here:
http://www.androidpolice.com/2011/0...ted-user-should-know-about-part-4-apps-26-33/
One last question, I came across this popular app that is recommended by many Android users, called Apps2SD. My understanding to this is that by default, any apps/games that you install on your device will install to the internal memory, and that this Apps2SD app basically lets you install to your memory card? So my question is, does this lag the phone somehow? I like to have many apps and especially games installed on my phone, would doing this affect the performance or something? I know this is the case for Windows Mobile, but not sure about Android.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I follow AndroidPolice as well. I don't know about Boot Manager, I heard about it, but I haven't heard any reviews of it yet.
Two things when it comes to phone storage and apps on the Milestone: Old hardware makes for a lot of games to not work at all, and low phone storage space.
Almost every ROM comes with apps2ext support, which is a more advanced version of Apps2SD. You can follow this tutorial here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=10994672&postcount=226
Apps2ext will trick your phone into thinking space on the SD Card (the ext partition) is actually part of the phone's internal memory. You will be able to get a lot more apps on the phone this way.

Ahh cool, that saves me the trouble of me having to install an extra tweak.
Hmm I know Milestone is old, but not that old is it?? I don't know of any games now days that require heavy hardware specs or anything......i'm just hoping that emulators will work fine on it. I mean, my iPod Touch 3rd Gen only has about 120MB of free RAM, and the CPU is crap as hell and yet I could run GBA games like Pokemon or Golden Sun fine no problem (with sound of course). I'm hoping it'll at least work smoothly on the Milestone since I'll be attempting to overclock it to 1Ghz, which should run it significantly faster in theory.
BTW I found this great tweak for the CM7, here's the link:
http://chromloop.com/2011/07/how-to-make-cyanogenmod-7-for-milestone-a853-lighter-and-faster/
are there any ones similar to this? I'm a tweak junkie addict, I like to make my device run as smooth and as fast as possible. When I still had my HTC Touch Pro and Xperia X1, and even Nokia N900 (which uses Maemo 5), I tweaked the crap out of them and got more juice and power and made its performance so much better. I'm hoping I can at least do the same for the Milestone, except I couldn't seem to find many tweaks...
Oh lastly, I know one of the big problems with Android is fragmentation. There're already some apps out there in the Android market that are exclusive to certain Android versions. The same app has a version for Froyo (v2.2) and Gingerbread (v2.3). This is true for some of the mods or tweaks on XDA. So my question is, are custom roms like CM7 using Gingerbread? I'm guessing yes since it says 2.3.5? In that case, would I be able to simply install the latest mod/tweak or apps/games from XDA or the Android market? Or must I find the versions that is identical to mine?
E.g. if I install CM7, can I still install a mod that is for Froyo?

chaoscreater said:
Ahh cool, that saves me the trouble of me having to install an extra tweak.
Hmm I know Milestone is old, but not that old is it?? I don't know of any games now days that require heavy hardware specs or anything......i'm just hoping that emulators will work fine on it. I mean, my iPod Touch 3rd Gen only has about 120MB of free RAM, and the CPU is crap as hell and yet I could run GBA games like Pokemon or Golden Sun fine no problem (with sound of course). I'm hoping it'll at least work smoothly on the Milestone since I'll be attempting to overclock it to 1Ghz, which should run it significantly faster in theory.
BTW I found this great tweak for the CM7, here's the link:
http://chromloop.com/2011/07/how-to-make-cyanogenmod-7-for-milestone-a853-lighter-and-faster/
are there any ones similar to this? I'm a tweak junkie addict, I like to make my device run as smooth and as fast as possible. When I still had my HTC Touch Pro and Xperia X1, and even Nokia N900 (which uses Maemo 5), I tweaked the crap out of them and got more juice and power and made its performance so much better. I'm hoping I can at least do the same for the Milestone, except I couldn't seem to find many tweaks...
Oh lastly, I know one of the big problems with Android is fragmentation. There're already some apps out there in the Android market that are exclusive to certain Android versions. The same app has a version for Froyo (v2.2) and Gingerbread (v2.3). This is true for some of the mods or tweaks on XDA. So my question is, are custom roms like CM7 using Gingerbread? I'm guessing yes since it says 2.3.5? In that case, would I be able to simply install the latest mod/tweak or apps/games from XDA or the Android market? Or must I find the versions that is identical to mine?
E.g. if I install CM7, can I still install a mod that is for Froyo?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Of course you still can. The best tweak for Milestone is under Android Hacking, it's zeppelinrox's supercharger script, which you run through Script Manager. That's the best you can get.
Sent from my Milestone using XDA Premium App

I thought custom roms like CM7 or IceandFire come with the supercharger script included?

chaoscreater said:
I thought custom roms like CM7 or IceandFire come with the supercharger script included?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Some do, such as HO!NO!, but not all of them do.
Sent from my Milestone using XDA Premium App

Ok so I finally got my Milestone today!
I'm about to start rooting it and install CM7 on it. But before I do that, I have one important question. I know for Windows Mobile, almost all of the device requires you to do a hard reset after flashing a custom rom. I was wondering if the same needs to be applied to Android custom roms? Because it doesn't seem like it, I did a quick Google search and found this:
http://androidforums.com/optimus-v-...4-do-not-factory-reset-your-rooted-phone.html
So ya I'm not sure....
UPDATE:
Ok so I got my Milestone rooted, and installed CM7 on it. I came across a weird problem while doing it though. First of all, I'm using a 8GB Kingston microSD class 2, and it's brand new and hasn't been used before, so it obviously has nothing stored on it as it's empty to begin with. Ok, so as I followed the instructions, the first step is obviously rooting the Milestone, so I simply copied OpenRecovery to the memory card while my Milestone was connected to my PC. The weird thing is, when I opened "My Computer", I didn't see my memory card. Instead, I see "Milestone", so I opened it and then I see my memory card "Removeable Storage". I opened it again and here's the actual weird part, there're 2 files stored in it, called:
DevIcon
DevLogo
At first, I didn't think it was a problem because I thought they were just some dummy file or something. Also, the memory card is empty other than those 2 files. So after copying OpenRecovery to it and rooting it successfully, I then proceed to copy the CM7 custom rom file to the memory card. But this time, I still see the same thing. I don't see my OpenRecovery folder on it at all, there're no other files other than those 2 files on it. I tried Unmount and Mount in the SD Card settings, also unplugging my USB cable and re-plugging back in but it's the same. In fact, after 'Unmounting' the memory card, I couldn't even access it on "My Computer", as nothing shows up after I open "Milestone". Only 'Mounting' works, but again I only see those 2 files and nothing else.
HOWEVER, I then tried to take out the memory card and use my own microSD card reader, and bam I can see all the files on it, such as OpenRecovery and even the nanDroid backup that I made while following the instructions on that guide. So this is weird, why can't I access or see the contents on my memory card while the phone is connected to the PC??

I don't wanna create another topic for this since it's unnecessary, so here's my final question. In case something goes wrong in the future, what's the best way for me to revert back to stock?
I know I can use nandroid for this, but here's what i'm confused about. Nandroid makes a backup of the complete system, including the settings and apps installed correct? But what if you flash a custom rom, and then use a nandroid backup of the stock rom, will that still work? Or would you have to install the stock rom first for you to be able to use the nandroid backup?
Lastly, if the nandroid backup works regardless of whether you're using a different rom than the rom that the nandroid backup was made, then which option is better:
use nandroid to revert to stock, or using this guide here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=11902513&postcount=7
Now I understand that for Milestone, custom roms are not actually flashed since the bootloader is locked. So would using nandroid be good enough?

chaoscreater said:
I don't wanna create another topic for this since it's unnecessary, so here's my final question. In case something goes wrong in the future, what's the best way for me to revert back to stock?
I know I can use nandroid for this, but here's what i'm confused about. Nandroid makes a backup of the complete system, including the settings and apps installed correct? But what if you flash a custom rom, and then use a nandroid backup of the stock rom, will that still work? Or would you have to install the stock rom first for you to be able to use the nandroid backup?
Lastly, if the nandroid backup works regardless of whether you're using a different rom than the rom that the nandroid backup was made, then which option is better:
use nandroid to revert to stock, or using this guide here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=11902513&postcount=7
Now I understand that for Milestone, custom roms are not actually flashed since the bootloader is locked. So would using nandroid be good enough?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The best way to revert to stock will be to flash an sbf for your region that will wipe everything. They have those sbf's on and-developers.
Sent from my Milestone using XDA Premium App

Ahh I see, so in what situations will we be using nandroid to restore from the backup?
Also, the SBF file i'm using is from the guide that you linked me in your 2nd post. I'm using the EUROPE one because apparently it covers most of the countries around Europe, which includes New Zealand (where I live). I've had no problems with it, but just then I checked out the AND-Developers site like you suggested, and found this here:
http://and-developers.com/sbf:milestone221
It doesn't seem to have New Zealand but it does have Australia, which is like a neighbour to us. Will it be better if I flash the SBF to that instead?
Also, will flashing a SBF change the radio? Or does only changing the baseband change the radio? Because i'm getting weak signals from 2G/3G sometimes, and my Wifi has problems sometimes not being able to connect properly. Either that, or it shows that i'm connected but i'm not getting any data, apparently a lot of people have problems like this after I did some searching around.

chaoscreater said:
Ahh I see, so in what situations will we be using nandroid to restore from the backup?
Also, the SBF file i'm using is from the guide that you linked me in your 2nd post. I'm using the EUROPE one because apparently it covers most of the countries around Europe, which includes New Zealand (where I live). I've had no problems with it, but just then I checked out the AND-Developers site like you suggested, and found this here:
http://and-developers.com/sbf:milestone221
It doesn't seem to have New Zealand but it does have Australia, which is like a neighbour to us. Will it be better if I flash the SBF to that instead?
Also, will flashing a SBF change the radio? Or does only changing the baseband change the radio? Because i'm getting weak signals from 2G/3G sometimes, and my Wifi has problems sometimes not being able to connect properly. Either that, or it shows that i'm connected but i'm not getting any data, apparently a lot of people have problems like this after I did some searching around.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. when you're phone will not start anymore, it's good to have one before every new flash cause you never now what's gonna happen.
2. funny thing is i know where New Zealand is (not near Europe) . about the baseband ... yes every sbf has the region specific baseband 's (you cant flash a radio only change baseband 's).
baseband can be found on dexter's (http://dext3r.komodin.org/) page but they are already included in OR (not sure about fufu's). i can't be very precise because i don't remember.
custom rom's don't think they change baseband 's, (the .zip ones)

Ya ur right, NZ is not anywhere near Europe lol
but I did do some research on which SBF I needed before I flashed it, and I found out that the Europe SBF works for NZ as well, it was mentioned somewhere I can't remember.
About the baseband, I'm still a little bit confused. First off, I already know that you can change the baseband under OpenRecovery. The thing is, there are no options to change the baseband to New Zealand, so which one should I pick? Also, here's the part I'm confused about. You said that the baseband are region specific, and yet we can choose the baseband we want in OpenRecovery.
So since I flashed the SBF for Europe, what will happen if I then change the baseband to say Argentina (one of the options under OpenRecovery)? Will it crash or something?? I don't even know what baseband i'm using right now, I haven't changed anything, I only flashed the SBF for Europe and that's it. I can still go online using 2G/3G and txt no problem, but I'm just not sure if the baseband i'm using is suppose to be correct for New Zealand or not...
BTW just another side question (sorry I'm really new to the Android scene!):
I've found a few custom roms that doesn't use the current kernel we have for Milestone. As far as I know, the bootloader for Milestone is locked, therefore we can't properly flash a custom rom onto it, as well as replacing the kernel as well. So what I'm confused with is, if some of these custom roms don't use the current kernel on the system, then how does it work? Does it use its own kernel, and if so then shouldn't that replace the system's own kernel before it can be used??
Here's one of the custom rom topic where I read from, in case ur wondering:
This is the Froyo FRG22 image for our Milestone. but as this is not using the kernel, there are some limit to functions based on kernel requirement. But its close, and works great and is alot faster.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=734802
The same goes for the custom roms. I don't understand how they can run on Milestone even though it's not properly flashed. Like some others have mentioned, the so-called "custom roms" that we have now are just a layer of image or skin on top of the stock rom. The weird thing is, it runs faster and most of the pre-installed stock apps that came with the stock rom are removed, thus giving us more space for internal storage. But how does this work if the custom roms haven't actually flashed onto our phone? Or did it overwrite/modify the files on the stock rom? If so, then isn't that just flashing onto the phone then?

chaoscreater said:
About the baseband
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
changing baseband's that are not supported by your network op will lead to no signal whatsoever.. i don't remember if there is a problem with only data. try other baseband, in theory it will not crash anything, so do a nandroid backup before
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=734802
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that is an old post from "25th July 2010, 05:52 AM" moto started to leak kernel from January 2011 give or take a month, so back then froyo was used with the eclair kernel. kernel from milestone was never changed to other than moto signed, only modules loaded at an early stage, thanks to kabaldan/nadlabak and other if exists
custom roms =
moto kernel
kernel modules (this helps on overclock , app2ext ... others)
mods to system files, apps
hope you understand cause i don't know if i make it clear at the end of the post
edit:
The same goes for the custom roms. I don't understand how they can run on Milestone even though it's not properly flashed. Like some others have mentioned, the so-called "custom roms" that we have now are just a layer of image or skin on top of the stock rom. The weird thing is, it runs faster and most of the pre-installed stock apps that came with the stock rom are removed, thus giving us more space for internal storage. But how does this work if the custom roms haven't actually flashed onto our phone? Or did it overwrite/modify the files on the stock rom? If so, then isn't that just flashing onto the phone then?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i doesn't make any sense, you will end up with no memory , only kernel remains, other things gets rewritten.
Code:
http://www.vodafone.co.nz/roaming/welcome-to-nz.jsp
this get out of what i know. with the frequencies,
basebands/frequency i have 900/1800
for data check if there is a problem with your apn settings

I see, thanks for your thorough explanation
Ya I know that changing my baseband will probably give me better signals, but I'm asking which one is best for Vodafone NZ because there isn't a baseband for New Zealand.
For the data part, were you talking about my wifi problem, and suggesting I check the APN settings? Don't worry that's been solved already. I flashed to the New Zealand v2.1 SBF and now it's working very stable. But like I said, after flashing to that I now have problems with connecting to my operator whenever I switch to 2G. However, 3G works fine so there's no problem with that.
BTW, I have another problem. After flashing to the New Zealand v2.1 SBF, I couldn't access my OpenRecovery anymore. I didn't delete or change any files on my memory card, so if I could access OpenRecovery and root my device as well as flash a custom rom when I was still on Froyo, then why can't I do it again when I flash to Eclair?
I *think* I know the reason, is it because it patched the vulnerable recovery or something? I think this is what I need to do to fix this:
http://android.doshaska.net/rootable
I haven't done it yet coz i'm busy these days, but i just need a confirmation so I know that it is indeed the case.

I *think* I know the reason, is it because it patched the vulnerable recovery or something? I think this is what I need to do to fix this:
http://android.doshaska.net/rootable
I haven't done it yet coz i'm busy these days, but i just need a confirmatio
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
true story . it should say something about eocd marker and fail.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=698059
For the data part, were you talking about my wifi problem, and suggesting I check the APN settings?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sorry... i don't know, last night i thought i read something else, about working 3g and 2g not ..must be the skittles... to much rainbow
i suggest finding out what country baseband are similar to New Zealand and flash/apply that one )

Related

[Q] foreplay with SC-02B (Japan/Docomo) : how to go further ?

Hello people !
Since I'm living in Tokyo, I'm the happy owner of a Galaxy S, but unfortunately it doesn't seem to be exactly the same like the other devices.
Anyway, since 2 days ago, I had some fun (and cold sweat also) trying to root it, unbloat it, etc... Some difficulties and questions left without answers, so if anyone has a guess, please be my guest !
My phone as I got it :
SC-02B, with OMJJ1 firmware (Froyo 2.2)
1) Rooting
The easiest thing ever.
The SuperOneClick pack did a wonderful job.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=803682
2) Getting a "safe" firmware
Just in case anything would go wrong, I wanted to be able to flash back to an official firmware.
The ones from this post work without any problem so far.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=10558974&postcount=134
However, problem 1 : I couldn't get Heimdall flash my device. Since I'm mainly working on Linux and OSX, that would have been of a great help.
But the "handshaking with Loke" step is always failing...
Actually, I even though I had bricked the phone, since I was stucked with a black screen (1PC and 1GSM in orange) and it took me ages to figure out how to get rid of that.
Solution : get myself a Win 7 computer at office and use Odin. No problem so far with this one.
Problem 2 :after flashing with the official update, I get complains in the recovery mode (when unpacking the apps I think), saying that /dev/block/mmcblk0p3 cannot be mounted, because it does not exist.
After searching on japanese sites, it seems that there is a 3rd partition in addition to the one for /sdcard and /data that is used (as far as I know, only for that) by an app called DioDict (japanese / english dictionary).
Not that this is a great loss, but I don't know where and why this 3rd partition was deleted. I tried to restore one, but after a while I just gave up, since I don't have any dump of the data that was there anyway...
Could anybody confirm/infirm this ???
3) Recovery 2e
Since I wanted to test to other roms, I needed to get back to the recovery 2e.
I gave a try to CF-root, which included that also.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=788108
Once again, Odin was the only one that could do the job, Heimdall still ignores me.
Problem : the update is successfully done, but for a reason I ignore, I lose my SIM card in the process.
Flashing back an official ROM makes it available again, but CF-root won't allow me to phone in Japan.
How did you people handle that ? Unfortunately I couldn't afford staying too long without a working phone, so I didn't investigate much further, but did other people have the same kind of problem ?
Conclusion :
As of now, I have a rooted device, and am pretty happy with it.
However, I wish I could give a try to the nice work I've seen around (CyanogenMod on Galaxy S seemed very yummy), while still being able to use my SIM card here.
Any feedback is welcome !
I haven't played around that much with DioDict to tell you right away how to solve this, but maybe there's some answer getting the first firmware:
SC02BOMJJ1 (10/10/13) :
http://fus.samsungmobile.com/Phone_...2BDCMJJ1_SC02BOMJJ1_SC02BOMJJ1_OM_DCM.zip.enc
BINARY_ENCRYPT_STRING 1662317
thanks a lot for this link ! just a question, where did you guys find them ??? the site itself seems very dummy
but as far as I could read on japanese threads, that seems to be some prefab settings
in my case, that third partition has been deleted, so I think I would have to recreate again beforehand.
as for the "how", I must confess I don't know... I' had somehow succeeded in running parted to create one, but for a reason I ignore couldn't assign it to the block
I could install a Cyanogen Beta3 today, and though everything is alright, still got no 3G.
SIM card is not recognized, and it seems impossible to input the appropriate APN information. Could it be that the modem embedded in the SC-02B is different from the mainstream one ?
EDIT : seems that indeed the SC-02B has a different modem. At least the firmware has a different size, hence the need of a different PIT file when you flash from an "international" ROM.
I'm starting to wonder whether I'll see the end of it someday >_<
things that seem to work
Now that we have the capability to recover after we trash our ROM what can we do.
Super Oneclick root - works
Z4Mod "because we all have the need for speed" -works after you use titanium backup to remove some of the bloat-ware from /system
Z4Control works if you use Z4Mod to patch the kernel and convert /data to ext2 first.
The UOTKitchen will work to change the battery icon and other status bar icons if after you have completed these steps http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=9318973&postcount=1290 you extract the framework-res.apk from the resulting zip file and use adb to push the new framework-res.apk to /system/framework/framework-res.apk followed by an adb reboot recovery command before you do anything with the phone. From the recovery menu wipe cache and then reboot now. If you don't do this last step it could lead to having to reflash the factory firmware happened to me about 6 times this weekend. DO NOT TRY THIS IF YOU HAVEN'T CLEARED ENOUGH SPACE ON /SYSTEM BECAUSE IT WILL KILL YOUR PHONE!!!!!
For all those who want a pit file, here I leave you a custom pit file created for the sc-02b.
I must make this clear, this PIT file was made for those who flashed their devices with a rom for some other galaxy s version and want to reflash their devices back to the original SC02BOMJJ1 rom. I cannot ensure you it will be useful or that it will work for anything else.
Also, when using this PIT file with odin, be sure to check the "Re-partition".
@shikigamild :
is this PIT file the same that came from komugi.net ?
at the same time, could you tell me how you got the stock rom file links please ?
@dejanet :
so you say that with the Z4mod you have a fully working device ?
has anyone tried the CF-root package ? after applying it I lost my SIM card, so I wonder if you experimented the same kind of inconvenient there
Oh yes went through all of the fun of trying the various kernels everyone leaves you with sim not recognized.
Sent from my SC-02B using XDA App
Aaarghh,that sucks donkey balls...
Guess that means we won't get any, custom rom any time soon will we?
I'm new to all this stuff, so apologies for the noob questions.
I rooted my SC-02B using the tool in this thread. I was able to install and use the Barnacle Wi-Fi tethering app from the market, so I know it was a successful root. Now when I go to install and use Titanium Backup from the market, it tells me I don't have root access or don't have BusyBox installed. When I go to install BusyBox from the market it shows my phone as being rooted, but when I tap install it gives me a failed message saying my phone isn't NAND unlocked.
How do I do that? Once I get that problem solved, what are the next steps for installing the Z4Mod?
So far I've never installed BusyBox through the market. Just install it with Titanium and it should work fine (click the "Problem ?" button).
Then, I suggest that before doing ANYTHING involving a custom initramfs (like ClockWorkMod), you dump somewhere your mmcblk0p3 partition, in case you want to restore your phone exactly to the same state you got it.
If your not that paranoi, you can skip this part, but as I wrote myself a dozen times here, I forgot it and would be interested also ^^
Ok, thank you for the info. Does Z4Mod cause any problems with this phone? I read in dejanet's signature that the lagfix seems to cause problems. Z4Mod is the lagfix he's talking about right?
bnr32jason said:
Ok, thank you for the info. Does Z4Mod cause any problems with this phone? I read in dejanet's signature that the lagfix seems to cause problems. Z4Mod is the lagfix he's talking about right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
z4mod is just a rooting app. There's no lagfix. He's probably referring to OCLF which is made by the same developer. It's obsolete now, so do not use it.
About the rom problem, can't you just flash the modem from a Docomo rom after installing the custom rom?
No, z4root is only for rooting, but z4mod is a lagfix application. As far as i know, it will convert your phone system to ext2. However, i scare it will affect the DioDict application in SC-02B, so i haven't tried it yet.
Trojan,if you fear losing diodict,you can still dump your mmcblk0p3 partition.
It is the one containing diodict data.
I would actually be very grateful for an upload of that one (^-^)/
Sent from my SC-02B using XDA App
trojan111 said:
No, z4root is only for rooting, but z4mod is a lagfix application. As far as i know, it will convert your phone system to ext2. However, i scare it will affect the DioDict application in SC-02B, so i haven't tried it yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Opps. Didn't realise there are two apps with similar names.
Still, wouldn't suggest it. EXT2 is unstable.
Hi, bebert218. Actually, i am a noob, i don't know how to do it. Can you tell me how to view the partitions in the internal memory? I suppose DioDict application contains a database file somewhere in the internal memory, but i don't know where and what the file name is. Appreciate if you could give me a hand on it. Thanks.
Custom Kernel and Roms
From reading through the forums it seems custom roms present issues with the either the sim card or modem on the sc-02b. Are custom kernels causing issues as well on this phone?
Yes it is the kernel that causes the problem. I think a couple of us have tried them all.
Sent from my SC-02B using XDA Premium App
disappointing Other than rooting and using Galaxy tuner to do some tweaks there isn't really much else to do. At least the upgrade to omka5 showed much improvement from 2.2

Froyo Flashing Questions

Hi I have just bought Motorola Milestone which seems like Vodafone unlocked version. I am new at Android will ask few general questions.
1. How to identify if the phone is rooted or not?
2. Can I flash my phone (Build SHOLS_U2_02.36.0) to Android 2.2 I am currently running 2.1 Update1
3. What should I do before flashing rom?
4. What are Must-Have software applications to "play" (Flash, Overclock, Reconfigure) with on the phone
THANKs
Hi and enjoy your new Milestone..!
1) Check if you have an app "Superuser" installed, with a pirate's icon. If yes, you are Rooted. Or install an app that needs Root and see if it works well.
2) There's no official FroYo ROM yet, we are waiting for it any day now. But you can flash other FroYo ROMs from Milestone Android Development Forum.
3) You should Read carefully..
4) OpenRecovery, RSD Lite, Motorola USB Drivers
Enjoy modding..!
jafargio said:
Hi I have just bought Motorola Milestone which seems like Vodafone unlocked version. I am new at Android will ask few general questions.
3. What should I do before flashing rom?
4. What are Must-Have software applications to "play" (Flash, Overclock, Reconfigure) with on the phone
THANKs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
3. Read up in the forums for the details. In general, you need to
A. Flash vulnerable recovery using RSD (requires MOT usb drivers)
B. Install a new recovery (androidiani is most likely best one for milestone)
C. Install the custom ROM of your choice (most newer roms are froyo based, give you root and already overclocked. My fav is CM6.
4.
In to what I listed above, a few must have (or at least nice to have) apps:
A. Setcpu (overclocking gui and profiles)
B. rootexplorer (file manager with options for root users)
C. Google apps (aka GAPPS). Many roms do need come with the google experience stuff like market and gmail). You need to downlaod seperately.
Sent from my Milestone using Tapatalk
Don't want to open another thread, but someone might be able to help me.
Yesterday i got my phone back from repairs (headphone socket) and decided to try the new Sense Rom. Liked it, but performance wasn't to my tastes. i installed the backup from my normal 2.2 ROM.
My question is, for example if i install the iceandfire rom (which i see is being updated all the time), will i have to do a complete reinstall of the ROM every time?
peter9991 said:
Don't want to open another thread, but someone might be able to help me.
Yesterday i got my phone back from repairs (headphone socket) and decided to try the new Sense Rom. Liked it, but performance wasn't to my tastes. i installed the backup from my normal 2.2 ROM.
My question is, for example if i install the iceandfire rom (which i see is being updated all the time), will i have to do a complete reinstall of the ROM every time?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am a bit confused...dod you have a milestone. If so, did you mean your 'normal' 2.1 ROM?
The MS does not have 2.2 yet...
In any case, you usually do not need to do a full wipe for incremental versions. I have never tried iceandfire, but CM6 and others work like this. Only major revisions require wipes. Clearing the dalvik cache and cache partition (easy to do from openrecovery) is usually all that is required. This does not impact any of your data...
Sent from my Milestone using Tapatalk
sorry, i meant the GOT version.
It seems to be the most vanillaish version out at the moment.
peter9991 said:
sorry, i meant the GOT version.
It seems to be the most vanillaish version out at the moment.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah...well if by vanillaish, you mean stock...there are currently at least 2 leaked versions more recent than GOT. GOT is actually rather old and buggy.
But your point is taken, it is a Motorolaish release. I prefer AOSP (android open source project) based ROMs. Motorola proprietary files are still used (drivers and kernel), but the rest is all open source/ customized.
IMHO, this provides features and stuff people actually want.
Sent from my Milestone using Tapatalk
Hi again. I was reading some other posts but I am still confused.
I have no understanding why all these stuff is used for updating ROM on the device.
What is Open Recovery? why is it used and what does Root-ing do?
I also noticed several times in posts saying Nandroid, Downgrading Recovery Partition, sbf recovery....
Can anyone describe what exactly all these things mean and why are they used for?
Thanks.
jafargio said:
Hi again. I was reading some other posts but I am still confused.
I have no understanding why all these stuff is used for updating ROM on the device.
What is Open Recovery? why is it used and what does Root-ing do?
I also noticed several times in posts saying Nandroid, Downgrading Recovery Partition, sbf recovery....
Can anyone describe what exactly all these things mean and why are they used for?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you should start from here
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=932196
I don't have an folder named nandroid in open recovery.please help.thanks in advance
Sent from my Milestone using XDA App
vishal18793 said:
I don't have an folder named nandroid in open recovery.please help.thanks in advance
Sent from my Milestone using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you have to create it manually...
Please could you give me a detailed explanation. Should I go in quick office, create a new folder, name it nandroid and that's all? Now when I go in recovery menu there if I chose create backup and will it get saved in the folder I've created?
Please help I'm new to rooting and flashing.
Thanks for the reply.
Sent from my Milestone using XDA App

Need help from Root Froyo user

Hey all so I currently have an unlocked bootloader, rooted Nexus One still running the Stock Froyo 2.2.2. and I decided to finally upgrade to the OTA Gingerbread update but have a problem.
The OTA update restarts my phone with a triangle with an "!" inside it and an Android next to it, so I decided to try a manual update as described here.
Everything went well until the installation itself, during the install I kept getting some sort of error stating Twitter.apk in the system directory could not be authenticated.
So here's the problem, with Titanium Backup I made the stupid mistake of uninstalling it and not backing it up when I first rooted a while ago. I thought I could just reinstall it from the market but I get the same error. The only solution I can think of is if someone running a Nexus One Stock Froyo could possibly send me the Titanium Backup files of Twitter, hopefully this would make it work, otherwise I don't think I could ever update.
Since your bootloader is unlocked, you can use fastboot to install a custom recovery and then flash whatever you want (including a stock image)...
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA Premium App
danger-rat said:
Since your bootloader is unlocked, you can use fastboot to install a custom recovery and then flash whatever you want (including a stock image)...
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the response, but I'm having trouble figuring some of this stuff, after spending some time with the search option here in XDA:
1. I don't the difference between custom recovery and flashing an image.
2. I can't find a simple stock Gingerbread image (thought its called ROM?) Details in posts tend to be vague for people that are learning this stuff, like me.
3. Many people have written to use Amron_ra 2.2.1 but I don't know the specifics of each ROM are (ex. if its Froyo based, Gingerbread based, etc.)
4. Would using ROM Manager be a good method to use any ROM or is it limited?
I'm essentially looking for an effective method to upgrading to a clean Gingerbread, since doing it the normal way won't work on my phone (as stated in my first post).
1 - Recovery, bootloader, and 'ROM' are two different partitions on you phone. Once you break security on one, you can use it to break the security on the other. In your case, the security on your bootloader is broken (unlocked), so you can use it to install new software on the other partitions.
2 - See bullet 4 on the first post of this thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1005591
3 - For recovery you have 2 choices, Amon Ra or Clockwork, If you go with Clockwork, I recommend you stay away from 3.x versions. Unless the ROM you want to install says otherwise, either of these recoveries will work.
4 - ROM Manger will work. It's an easy way to achieve results, but unless you know what you are doing, it's also an easy way to screw things up.
I suggest you take it a step at at a time, and really understand what you are doing. Reading the wiki is always a good start, then ask specific questions...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/wiki/index.php?title=File:Nexus_One.png
Thanks Danger, I made the jump to Cyanogen 7, RC-4 via ROM Manager and couldn't be happier! Only problem is the known audio bug for Nexus One (person on other end of a call hears a lot of static sometimes, and have to recall them). The forced apps2sd is by far my most favourite feature, especially since the N1 internal space is pretty horrible, I've moved most of my apps2sd and haven't had any problems thus far.
Thanks for recommending CM7, I just wish their website listed the full features for newbies like me.
Thanks danger-rat http://www.nexusoneforum.net/forum/...lick-doesnt-work-gingerbread-2.html#post93952
I downgraded my gingerbread to froyo
Was pulling my hair out with a lame guide in the general section
Congrats!!
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA Premium App

How can a Captivate phone SGH-i897 show different model in specs screen?

I'm hoping someone here can help in explaining this because this is something I've NEVER seen or heard of before and in theory, shouldnt be possible but i'm seeing it with my own eyes!
I'm (about to) purchase a slightly used Samsung Galaxy S CAPTIVATE model (SGH-i897) at least that is what the "boot up screen" shows.. I KNOW this is the Captivate.. i've seen the physical differences between it and the Vibrant.. they are basically the same phones hardware wise but do have a different physical appearance on the outside.. the Vibrant's model is GT-i9000..
now when I go to the "About screen"...the model shows the GT-i9000! How is this possible? I'm baffled because I know that i'm actually looking at a CAPTIVATE and the boot up screen shows the correct model number..but the android os (which shows the gingerbread 2.3.5 model in the about screen) is showing the model number as the VIBRANT.. gt-i9000, on the same phone!
I want this phone and was about to buy it but i'm thinking this could seriously cause problems when i go to root and mod it as the conflicting model numbers could create problems with the proper files and processes i'll need to follow when doing the root/mods...
Has anyone heard of this or can explain this because I am STUMPED!
THanks
ok, it appears like a custom Kernel was used cause this conflict. Make sense?
I looked at the About screen again and the KERNEL VERSION looks like something that is NOT the stock kernel. It states:
2.6.35.7-I9000XXJVT-CL617736
[email protected] #DarkCore_4.1_JVT_C
this has to be a custom Kernel right?
This phone must have been rooted and mod'd at some point (the seller didn't know and thought his cousin only unlocked the phone).
I assume a custom kernel that likely is typically for the Vibrant GT-i9000 was flahed with or without a custom rom to this phone and that is why there is the conflicting model numbers... this make sense?
Normally that wouldn't be good idea to use another kernel or rom for a slightly different model of phone but i guess it worked..
I would now like to confirm that this is the case and if so, that it is obviously ok..cuz the phone is working fine.
Should I now wipe the phone back to stock rom/kernel? Can I? if I want to do more mod'ing on the phone anyways.. different kernels and likely update os to ICS 4.0
Thanks for any help on this and hopefully this all makes sense now and explains what i'm seeing
Many of the custom builds for the Captivate are based on I-9000 framework. DarkCore is one of the custom kernels. This phone has been flashed. If you prefer a stock Captivate firmware, there are ODIN One-Click programs in the Development section that will put you back to an "Out-of-the-Box" state. Then do some reading if you plan on shopping around for different roms, as there are several different sets of bootloaders among them and a bootloader mishap is a surefire way to brick this phone.
Happy Flashing and good luck! Welcome to the Captivate!
The vibrant model number is T-959 or some ****..I9000 is the international galaxy s. The original.
It is really easy to switch what is displayed in about phone...it's all in the builds.prop located in /system
You can open that up with a plain text editor and change any instance of Gt-I9000 to sgh-I897 and Viola...
But as mentioned above, flashing to stock with Odin/heimdall will get you back to stock.
Btw what does "build number" say in about phone? Cause that is the name of the ROM that was flashed to it.
Build number says: Mosaic 8
So that is the custom rom that was flashed to the phone I take it?
Ultimately I dont want to go back to the stock rom/kernel but want to definitely flash to OTHER custom roms/kernels. With that being said will I have to go back to stock on either rom or kernel FIRST before doing another change?
I'd like a kernel that will allow me to play with some overclocking and the rom(s) can be one of many.. preferrably I want to put ICS 4.0 on this
Can anyone give me the links to the best info/tutorials to flash the kernel/rom's to do so on this phone?
As said, the actual phone is an unlocked and rooted AT&T Samsung Galaxy S Captivate SGH-i897 but has been already flashed with custom rom kernel as follows:
Model Number
GT-i9000
Firmware Version
2.3.5
Baseband Version
I9000UGJK4
Kernel Version
2.6.35.7-I9000XXJVT-CL617736
[email protected] #DarkCore_4.1_JVT_C
Build Number
Mosaic 8
Thanks
M8 is a great custom rom. You shouldn't need to flash to stock before flashing a new rom. Just follow the steps in the first post of each rom you want to flash. A good ROM to try next would be Mosaic 9
yeah...i hear great things about mosaic!
Thanks..i figured it was a good rom..i play around with it for a while.. it also came with the custom kernel from DarkCore..
I'm fairly new mod'ing rooted phones and all that so I'm curious if I can install a different custom kernel on this Mosaic 8 Rom and if so, what's best way? I want to use one of the many on this site that allow for oc'ing...is it ok to replace the Darkcore Kernel that came with this rom to any other or not?
THanks
hey buddy, i happen to be the lead developer for mosaic.
you are more than welcome to change the kernel, the best way to do that would be in cwm recovery...which can be accessed by holding down on the power button and choosing recovery. or by powering off and holding vol up and power til you see the first splash (that should actually say I9000) then let go that will boot into recovery.
if you see an at&t screen at all the its vol up AND down AND power.
as said above i have updated mosaic, and the latest version includes a kernel that is overclockable already, this one to be exact the .tars in post 1 are for use with odin. post 2 are zips to be flashed in recovery. ater the kernel is flashed it will install an app called semaphore, in there are a bunch of options including oc up to 1300Mhz
that being said...FIRST I would play around with it some more and get used to it WHILE DOING SOME RESEARCH AND READING...i mean you just got the phone...get to know it take her out on the town before you get her all nekkid and vulnerable
THANK YOU SO MUCH for this reply! I was just trying to get into recovery mode and I noticed this phone was allowing me.. this is due to the rom/kernel on it..but you're post with the info WORKED! I was about to start doing a bunch of stuff to try and fix.. THANKS
This whole double splash screen is very new to me with it showing the phone as TWO different models..
I see you have the new Mosaic 9 out..and that's the one you're takling about i take it? and it comes with another new custom kernel that will allow for oc'ing too? sounds good..and 1300 is more then enought.. I'm happy with 1.2 if I can.. dont need to get crazy and try for 1.6 like some..
Just follow the steps on the main page for that rom and all should be good? What will be the easiest way for me to flash to your new rom/kernel? Can I do it from a rom manager or use sd card or internal mem? Any help on this is greatly appreciated! Thanks again for posting a response to my concerns!
btw can i just update this Mosaic 8 rom to that new custom kernel you're talking about or do i have to update to the new Mosaic 9 rom first?
You can flash that on 8.
Don't ever use ROM manager, it doesn't work right on the galaxy line.
And whenever sdcard is mentioned, that is the internal sd, cwm does not flash from an external sdcard.
To flash mosaic 9 over 8 just put ROM on sdcard, boot into recovery, wipe data/factory reset, then go to install zip from sdcard, choose zip, and find the ROM you just downloaded.
Flash the kernel the same way, just don't do the wipe first.
The ROM flash will wipe all your apps, the kernel will not, use titanium backup to backup your apps, then restore them after the flash. Again only needed if you're flashing the ROM and you can flash the kernel on the ROM you have now,
but a backup is a good idea before any flash if something were to go arwy.
As for the 2 boot screens (and the different button combos for recovery, btw download mode is vol down and power), is because the phone has I9000 bootloaders, which is the first splash you see, the second splash is the kernel, both darkcore and semaphore use the same splash the one that says sgh-I897. some kernels use a custom image there instead.
But again, i urge you STRONGLY, PLEASE read, and understand completely what it is that you want to do, and more importantly how to fix a situation that doesn't go as planned, BEFORE you start flashing stuff. Please.
Thanks again bud this is all so helpful. I already downloaded your mosaic 9 zip. Quick question..do i have to format my sd card a certain way first for the update to work? on past.flashes on different phone certain.partioning had to be done on the sd card in order for the update to work.successfully.
Thanks n looking forward to this mosaic 9.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
Nope, you're good. Anything that was needed, which was flashing gingerbread bootloaders, has already been done by the previous owner.
Thanks again bud. That last question was pointless cuz i read back again and u mentioned that the sd card stated is always internal and not external..so obviously i wouldnt need to format n partition etc. Thats a bit newer for me well on this new phone anyways. Used to using ext card in past.
As of now ive only updated the kernel to the new one and not the whole new rom...yet. Will play around with it for a bit. The oc was very easy and working just fine.
Btw any plans to do this mosaic rom on ICS 4.0 at all? Or maybe there is one u could recommend? i really want to check it out as so many are "raving" about the new ics os and that it the best by far, etc. Whats your take?
One other question about the flashing from the internal sd now, hope this aint silly but if the zip rom file is saved to the internal mem and im doing the usual data wipe/factory reset wont everything get cleared.including the rom file itself and then not find it when i go to do the update?
and again thanks for all the info, still a bit of noob when it comes to the phones side of things but fyi im definitely a techie when it comes to the pc hardware, software and networking side. Take care
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
Data wipe/factory reset only wipes the /data partition. Leaving all others including /sdcard intact.
Data factory reset clears (/data, /dbdata or /datadata depends on the ROM you are on, /cache, and /mnt/sd_card/android.secure
Definitely gonna wait a while before flashing any ICS4 roms as still too early and lots of bugs to workout. Im hoping u guys eventually come out with an ics rom cuz this mosaic 8 n 9 are damn good and high quality and read a lot of good things too.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
So the bootloaders, when are they input or changed? Is it a seperate update or do they typically come with a rom or kernel? So the ones i have now with the dual splash screens (gt-i9000 then sgh-i897), will i keep those if i wipe and flash a different rom or will a new set of different bootloaders come with most other custom roms? I still dont fully understand that yet and would prefer to mess with them as little as possible cuz i know how important they are and thats an easy way to mess up a phone.
Another quick question i have is about the Captivate phone itself...i know all the specific hardware specs and its states it has 512 ram outside of the 16gb storage/2gb internal rom but why can i only find spec screens that show my phone having 323mb of ram and of that most of it is used up all the time even after a fresh wipe and flash of the mosaic 8 rom ane nothing new installed? Does this have something to do with the rom itself or am i missing something? a little puzzled by this. Part reason i upgraded to this phone was to get better hardware and have more memory cuz i like to eventually install a ton of apps but im thinking i could quickly run into issues with the numbers im seeing. Any thoughts on this? Thanks
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
Bootloaders ate only flashed with a pc flashing program such as Odin or heimdall.
The second image may change, that within the kernel itself, the first image will not.
As far as storage space goes, you have 16gb on the entire phone. 2gb of that is for user apps. About a Gb for the system, and about 13Gb on the sdcard.
you do have 512mb of ram, but some of that is always used by the system leaving the user with 323. And THAT being mostly used up is just they way Android handles memory. It keeps recently opened applications loaded in memory so that if you wanna access it again it will open much faster than having to reload it. It will also kill off apps as the memory load grows. Put simply: free ram is wasted ram.

[Q] Is Enoms 1.6 rom still the overall best for the G1?

After 3 years, I am still rocking the G1 as my MAIN everyday general use android phone. (Because honestly.. aside from a G2 HTC nothing has come out that really replaces the overall usefulness of the G1)
I still use Enoms 1.6 rom. I checked before about updating, but back then, everyone had gripes or issues, or slowdowns that didnt really make it worth updating from. Anyways, just checking on if anything is different now. For someone who uses a partitioned sd card, apps installed to SD card automatically (not just moved) and so, is there really something worth upgrading to or is enoms rom still overall the better stable rom for us G1 users? Thanks. =)
you will always get the best speed and stability out of donut roms, there are lots of good ones to chose from so take your pick there. if you want to stick with 1.6 then you still might consider the 2708+ updated radio/spl that allows for 14 more megabites of ram, you will definitely notice this! after the update just reflash your rom and a compatible kernel over it.
there nice 2.1, 2.2, and 2.3 roms out there, plenty good enough for a daily driver but there are some lags compared to any good donut rom. if you want a taste try froyobylaszlo if you like it than there are lots more new roms that compare well to that.
2708+ updated radio/spl?
Usually I have about mid 20s-30 for memory free. Which seems decent for the most part, since everything else runs off the sd card. Only reason its lower since I use that compcache stuff.
As for the info, thanks, yea, figured donut is still better least for a every day use and general purpose.
Pls don't mix up RAM and internal memory. Internal memory is comparable to the hard disk of your PC, while RAM is memory which is used for executing programms.
The 2708/0013d combo will give you more RAM (112MB instead of 97MB), so most likely you can renounce on using compcache, but you will need an adapted kernel otherwise you will get bootloops.
Sent from my Gingerbread on Dream using XDA
Ah ok. Is enoms rom able to work with this new spl? Not even sure what would be the best way to do this.. Nandroid backup, flash new spl, and nandroid restore?
always do a nandroid.
the method i would do is backup everything via titanium backup, back up any sms or my call log via sms backup +, then i would make sure i have all the requirements and then flash the updated radio and spl. after this i would flash whatever rom i choose (stick with your donut if youd like) then i would flash rom and a compatible kernel over it, reboot, restore and be happy. also i would make sure i have all the files i need ahead of time, this being amon_ra (may need it) radio, spl, orange.nbh (in case of emergency) my rom of choice, and kernel of choice (if needed)
this is the way i'd go about it, you can try any method youd like there are tons of threads about this update so i would recommend reading a few first
oh and even if it sounds complicated its well worth it
I know, G1 was the 1st I ever did heh, now I do alot of em, The others I dont stress about as they arent my main everyday device.. I am just protective of my G1 lol.. My main device.
Does anyone know of enoms works on this new spl radio.
hanvet used enoms with the new radio/spl but i have used other 1.6 roms with it so im sure this will be fine too. just make sure you flash the appropriate kernel over the rom. if you take a look at ezterry's thread on kernels or even on the 2708+ page you will find plenty to choose from
Mysticales said:
I know, G1 was the 1st I ever did heh, now I do alot of em, The others I dont stress about as they arent my main everyday device.. I am just protective of my G1 lol.. My main device.
Does anyone know of enoms works on this new spl radio.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, it works. I've tried it just some minutes ago. Not sure if everything works, because I did only a quick check, but it's booting, you can log in browser is working, ...
The only thing you need to do is flashing a different kernel which supports the 2708 radio on top of the ROM. I flashed Terry's BiffTest Kernel but also the newer one should work.
If you like to get some more internal memory you could also use MTD-Partitions set to [67,2] which would give you a data partition size of almost 145MB
Btw.: I suppose I could not run such a ROM as my daily driver, it looks like it's already 10 years old ...
Hah found better rom called supertinhte 2.2 rom. Based on T-Mobile myTouch 3G.
Very Very fast ,comes with 82.19 free internal space.I think it is faster than froyo by lazlo with ramhack. Type it in google cant post link cause i am new here
I really like two [email protected] ROMs on my two G1s. I use them as my daily drivers.
I use SuperFroyo on one and I use SuperCDSIv4 (Donut) community edition (looks soooo much better than Mlign, etc...) on the other.
They are both great. I uninstalled virtually everything from SuperFroyo that I could. I can verify that you have no issue with deleting Talk, News and Weather for sure. Also, if you use another keyboard, you can delete the android keyboard. I did that on another installation. I delete stuff to have all apps internal.
SuperCSDIv4 is a little faster most of the time, but the niceties of Froyo are good too so I use and really like both. I recommend Lightning Launcher, then unistall ADW and LauncherPro if you go with Superfroyo. That launcher is hard to set up, but it is really light. Just go into themes and select "Zune" and try that. It is a cool theme and fast.
I think 2.2 is more fit for G1. some apps can't work on 1.6 ROM
True but the fastest 2.2 is slower then the fastest 1.6, if all you need is speed then donut is the way to go. You can push some apks onto donut roms that aren't found in the market but if you need some apps and other things froyo offers then you may need to move up
Sent from my HTC Vision using xda premium
Apps for 2.2 arent really needed on the G1 screen, cept maybe those Authenticator apps. I have a diff android if I need those higher end apps.
I am a very proud G1 user too!
But I will suggest going too the CyanogenMod 5 Mod. With the proper tweaks, it reallly runs like a charm. Super E and Super F are also good ideas. Just google them up and look how to install them!!!!
So are people still using the volume increase thing for their G1 as well? I rem using the script and so to tweak that.
To be honest this GinSense rom is very fast and stable, its 2.3.7 using a cyanogenmod base.
There is that one problem with watching movies on it (were the sound keeps going but the video resets) but that's because its a problem with the cyanogenmod base, I know because every cyanogenmod rom I had, had this problem.
I would go to a 1.6 for speed, but then I would lose out on all the apps, and this is a quite snappy rom.
Sent from my GinDream/GinMagic using XDA
So question, to flash that ram increase radio. I could do that and do a nandroid restore afterwords?
No I'm pretty sure you would need to flash your rom again from scratch and then flash a compatible kernel over that
Sent from my HTC Vision using xda premium
Well I see the kernel in this thread I should be flashing, but I am very confused. Ok, my SD card has its apps installed to it, the rom auto uses it for storage. I dont know if I should just be relying on Titanium backup for a backup and restore or nandroid.
Im "open" to the idea of upgrading the rom if its speedy. I just dont wanna lose all the apps and work I had on this rom already. Just so confusing atm. Been a LONG time since I had to flash or work with the G1. (Never need to mess with something that works flawless) My other androids I flash the **** out of and update heh. My g1 is my baby, so always was careful. I wouldnt mind that extra ram tho if it really helps.
So what do you all think is the best way to secure keeping my stuff and easily update this?
Edit: Gonna be basing my study off this. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=831139
Just wondering how my apps 2 sd will be, since on Enom, I did this the old school way and not the apps2sd thing. Which makes me think Titanium backup is the best way to restore apps on to a new rom (without data or should I be able to backup with data and restore with data, so used to not restoring with data)
Edit 2: Ok is is possible to do this, based on that thread. I use nandroid to backup, then do the steps, restore using nandroid and before I boot into the phone, I flash that biff any kernel thing, THEN reboot into the phone. Would that work and not lose anything?

Categories

Resources