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Root Craze over roms [especially sense one's]?

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fmalcolmr

Well-Known Member
Simply rooting phone and not flashing roms will maintain stock htc sense, so what's the point of flashing a sense rom... if you already have sense? :confused:I know a lot say that they are smoother/faster than stock, but if the phone still has the same hardware [pre-defined ram & 1ghz processor] how can it have better performance? I understand the concept of over-clocking [setcpu] but aren't there drawbacks as well from doing that? I guess what I'm trying to find out is if... flashing roms (mainly sense one's) are primarily done for aesthetic purposes or for actually improving functionality?
This is probably one of the reasons I haven't flashed any yet... because I don't really see any that work so much better than what I'm using [launcher pro]. I don't mean for this to be a bash on anyone, just trying to see where all the appeal is. Perhaps some great things can be pointed out to me and get me excited to flash!... [roms of course]:DThanks.
 
fmalcolmr said:
Simply rooting phone and not flashing roms will maintain stock htc sense, so what's the point of flashing a sense rom... if you already have sense? :confused:I know a lot say that they are smoother/faster than stock, but if the phone still has the same hardware [pre-defined ram & 1ghz processor] how can it have better performance? I understand the concept of over-clocking [setcpu] but aren't there drawbacks as well from doing that? I guess what I'm trying to find out is if... flashing roms (mainly sense one's) are primarily done for aesthetic purposes or for actually improving functionality?
This is probably one of the reasons I haven't flashed any yet... because I don't really see any that work so much better than what I'm using [launcher pro]. I don't mean for this to be a bash on anyone, just trying to see where all the appeal is. Perhaps some great things can be pointed out to me and get me excited to flash!... [roms of course]:DThanks.
Click to expand...

There are definitely performance gains when flashing custom sense roms. Myn's Warm 2.2 and my current favorite MikFroyo are definitely faster and smoother than stock sense. Honestly the best thing to do is try them out for yourself. I can give you my input but that's based on my perspective and what I consider fast. Unroot your phone and make a nandroid backup and just start flashing away to try them out. If you don't like them you can restore your nandroid backup to the exact state the phone was in prior to flashing the custom rom. Happy flashing lol
 
yes some are themed, bloatware removed, root only apps pre installed, system tweaks and or hacks (like the hotspot hack and internet speed tweak). its kinda just like picking your options when buying a new car.

simple things like having a sense rom that uses less ram can run a little smoother. the new thing now is having optimized apks. removed extra junk like languages and what not. some have been compressed. this equals more free internal space and stock installed apps can open a little quicker.
 
stevcha said:
There are definitely performance gains when flashing custom sense roms. Myn's Warm 2.2 and my current favorite MikFroyo are definitely faster and smoother than stock sense. Honestly the best thing to do is try them out for yourself. I can give you my input but that's based on my perspective and what I consider fast. Unroot your phone and make a nandroid backup and just start flashing away to try them out. If you don't like them you can restore your nandroid backup to the exact state the phone was in prior to flashing the custom rom. Happy flashing lol
Click to expand...


Plan to give it a go... just didn't have anything that was really pushing me to do it now. oh, phone is rooted. took the plunge last week. It's kind of funny how members remind everyone to make a nandroid {which I have} but somehow people still forget. Thanks for the feedback.:)
 
WHat everybody else said....mainly the optimization of the resources of the phone. But also there are many little addons that add to the functionality of the phone....like the power widgets in the pull down bar. Or being able to reboot into recovery straight from the phone and not having to go through the bootloader. So the interface becomes more usable and more convenient...not to mention smooth and fast. Lets also not forget about being able to choose kernels to maximize performance and/or battery life.
 
Drew5150 said:
yes some are themed, bloatware removed, root only apps pre installed, system tweaks and or hacks (like the hotspot hack and internet speed tweak). its kinda just like picking your options when buying a new car.

simple things like having a sense rom that uses less ram can run a little smoother. the new thing now is having optimized apks. removed extra junk like languages and what not. some have been compressed. this equals more free internal space and stock installed apps can open a little quicker.
Click to expand...


The car reference completely made things click for me. Maybe I just need an analogy to understand some things. I didn't quite realize that they would occupy less internal space and having extra free mb is definitely a +. Perhaps I'll give it a whirl later this week.

Not directly related... but I feel like making a new post would unnecessary clutter. Say I flash a different rom... do I need to update all my radios? What risks are associated w/ keeping an older radio(s) [the model before]?
 
flyjbaker said:
WHat everybody else said....mainly the optimization of the resources of the phone. But also there are many little addons that add to the functionality of the phone....like the power widgets in the pull down bar. Or being able to reboot into recovery straight from the phone and not having to go through the bootloader. So the interface becomes more usable and more convenient...not to mention smooth and fast. Lets also not forget about being able to choose kernels to maximize performance and/or battery life.
Click to expand...

Will the recommended kernel be supplied in the rom download file?
 
fmalcolmr said:
The car reference completely made things click for me. Maybe I just need an analogy to understand some things. I didn't quite realize that they would occupy less internal space and having extra free mb is definitely a +. Perhaps I'll give it a whirl later this week.

Not directly related... but I feel like making a new post would unnecessary clutter. Say I flash a different rom... do I need to update all my radios? What risks are associated w/ keeping an older radio(s) [the model before]?
Click to expand...


Depends if the latest version of the ROM is written with the latest firmware. For instance Myns Warm 2.2 RLS 5 is meant to be flashed with the latest radio while RLS 4 uses the previous version radio.
 
fmalcolmr said:
Simply rooting phone and not flashing roms will maintain stock htc sense, so what's the point of flashing a sense rom... if you already have sense? :confused:
Click to expand...

Myn's, for instance, has power controls in the drop-down notification bar, animated sync and charging icons, a different launcher with a customizable button, Hulu support, reboots in to recovery, has a quick reboot option, a modified version of spare parts, and a SWEET equalizer that works for the bluetooth, speaker, and headphone outputs for ALL audio sources. This is all in addition to the aesthetic improvements (lock screen, icons, screen animations, etc.), so I would say there is more to it than the looks.

fmalcolmr said:
Not directly related... but I feel like making a new post would unnecessary clutter. Say I flash a different rom... do I need to update all my radios? What risks are associated w/ keeping an older radio(s) [the model before]?
Click to expand...

You only need to update your radios if the ROM you are flashing requires it. That is, for the most part, determined by which software version the ROM is based off of. Myn's RLS4, for instance, was based off of 3.30 and did not require updated radios. RLS5 is based off of 3.70 and DOES require the new radios. You just need to research the ROM you are considering.

fmalcolmr said:
Will the recommended kernel be supplied in the rom download file?
Click to expand...

Yes and no. A stable kernel will be included, but different kernels fit different tastes, so the supplied kernel may be the best kernel for the masses, but not necessarily for you. Hopefully that makes sense.


Edit: Stevcha's fingers are obviously a bit swifter than mine ;)
 
bvbull200 said:
Myn's, for instance, has power controls in the drop-down notification bar, animated sync and charging icons, a different launcher with a customizable button, Hulu support, reboots in to recovery, has a quick reboot option, a modified version of spare parts, and a SWEET equalizer that works for the bluetooth, speaker, and headphone outputs for ALL audio sources. This is all in addition to the aesthetic improvements (lock screen, icons, screen animations, etc.), so I would say there is more to it than the looks.



You only need to update your radios if the ROM you are flashing requires it. That is, for the most part, determined by which software version the ROM is based off of. Myn's RLS4, for instance, was based off of 3.30 and did not require updated radios. RLS5 is based off of 3.70 and DOES require the new radios. You just need to research the ROM you are considering.



Yes and no. A stable kernel will be included, but different kernels fit different tastes, so the supplied kernel may be the best kernel for the masses, but not necessarily for you. Hopefully that makes sense.


Edit: Stevcha's fingers are obviously a bit swifter than mine ;)
Click to expand...

Paragraph #1 was what i was looking for. Has opened my eyes to a lot more possibilities. And for now a stable kernel is all I would be looking for.
 
Wasn't expecting this many helpful/on-point responses. They are much appreciated, everyone. These are the answers I was seeking.

Just going to continue posting here, since I'm receiving great help. {hope it doesn't matter that it doesn't fall in line w/ the original topic.}

Have seen/read that sometimes nandroids don't restore properly. Think it was mentioned that if hboot was upgraded... this could be a side effect. Are there any other common reason a nandroid could fail to restore?
 
there is never any reason to "upgrade" hboot as I have been told, so thats not a prob, changing the file could have an affect, but it seems like most people are ok with renaming them. Changing your recovery from say clockwork to Amon RA could cause problemos, if I were you I would switch to Amon asap and make all your nandroids from there
 
fmalcolmr said:
Wasn't expecting this many helpful/on-point responses. They are much appreciated, everyone. These are the answers I was seeking.

Just going to continue posting here, since I'm receiving great help. {hope it doesn't matter that it doesn't fall in line w/ the original topic.}

Have seen/read that sometimes nandroids don't restore properly. Think it was mentioned that if hboot was upgraded... this could be a side effect. Are there any other common reason a nandroid could fail to restore?
Click to expand...

1) Recovery is broken. Fixed by reflashing recovery. It happens from time to time.
2) Nandroid backups were renamed incorrectly. Sometimes renaming them normally breaks them, but most people can get away with it. The best idea to write down which one is which elsewhere.
3) Battery percentage is under 30%. You shouldn't be doing anything in recovery if you're battery is under 60-70% just to be safe, but most stuff will start to fail under 30%.
4) One or more of the nandroid img files are broken. Sometimes a backup just goes bad and won't restore. Usually you'll get errors during the backup, though. It's considered pretty reliable, but it can happen.

I'm sure the others here can add things I may have forgotten. Don't let it get you down. It's very safe, and plenty of people rely on it every day.

EDIT: yes, luigic81 is right:

-There is never a good reason to update hboot. Aside from it making previous nandroid backups useless, it can give you other headaches.
-Never make a backup in Clockwork and try to restore it in RA or vice versa. They are incompatible.
 
luigic81 said:
there is never any reason to "upgrade" hboot as I have been told, so thats not a prob, changing the file could have an affect, but it seems like most people are ok with renaming them. Changing your recovery from say clockwork to Amon RA could cause problemos, if I were you I would switch to Amon asap and make all your nandroids from there
Click to expand...


Why switch to Amon when I have the clockwork that works? [2.6]
Are this issues w/ this one as well. Thought it was just the version 3 build that was causing people problems.
 
akazabam said:
1) Recovery is broken. Fixed by reflashing recovery. It happens from time to time.
2) Nandroid backups were renamed incorrectly. Sometimes renaming them normally breaks them, but most people can get away with it. The best idea to write down which one is which elsewhere.
3) Battery percentage is under 30%. You shouldn't be doing anything in recovery if you're battery is under 60-70% just to be safe, but most stuff will start to fail under 30%.
4) One or more of the nandroid img files are broken. Sometimes a backup just goes bad and won't restore. Usually you'll get errors during the backup, though. It's considered pretty reliable, but it can happen.

So hypothetically, if I didn't have any errors when the nandroid was being backed up... I shouldn't have any issues with it?
After making a backup am I supposed to rename it? Bit confused about this.
Click to expand...
 
fmalcolmr said:
akazabam said:
1) Recovery is broken. Fixed by reflashing recovery. It happens from time to time.
2) Nandroid backups were renamed incorrectly. Sometimes renaming them normally breaks them, but most people can get away with it. The best idea to write down which one is which elsewhere.
3) Battery percentage is under 30%. You shouldn't be doing anything in recovery if you're battery is under 60-70% just to be safe, but most stuff will start to fail under 30%.
4) One or more of the nandroid img files are broken. Sometimes a backup just goes bad and won't restore. Usually you'll get errors during the backup, though. It's considered pretty reliable, but it can happen.

So hypothetically, if I didn't have any errors when the nandroid was being backed up... I shouldn't have any issues with it?
After making a backup am I supposed to rename it? Bit confused about this.
Click to expand...

1) If there are no errors, it should be fine.
2) No, you don't have to rename them. Some people like to because they are named by date/time GMT that they are created. If you have more than two or three, you quickly lose track of what's what.
Click to expand...
 
fmalcolmr said:
Why switch to Amon when I have the clockwork that works? [2.6]
Are this issues w/ this one as well. Thought it was just the version 3 build that was causing people problems.
Click to expand...

I was also on a "good" version of clockwork, but I still had some small problems, main one being that davlik wouldn't wipe correctly and that would affect flashing various things. They are both free so I chose to switch to the one that seems to never have any problems and personally I like the interface better. Almost all rom builders use Amon and thats what they recommend, so I see no reason to use clockwork that has had many past issues and potential for future ones, when they are both free and it's easily switched it rom manager :)

I havent had any recovery related issues since switching
 
akazabam said:
fmalcolmr said:
1) If there are no errors, it should be fine.
2) No, you don't have to rename them. Some people like to because they are named by date/time GMT that they are created. If you have more than two or three, you quickly lose track of what's what.
Click to expand...


Perfect. Jumping around here, but what's the proper order for flashing a rom and radio? rom first or radio first? Have read mixed responses on this.
Click to expand...
 
Well, just to make it a little bit more sense, IMO, some ROMs take advantage of the hardware, and put them to their Max capabilities (also kernels). And some ROMs are customized to fit your tastes. Some ROMs are made to make the battery last longer (also kernels). Basically, every ROM has different "purposes", I might say, from better performance, to better battery life, to maximum customization, to nice and simple. :)
 
fmalcolmr said:
Perfect. Jumping around here, but what's the proper order for flashing a rom and radio? rom first or radio first? Have read mixed responses on this.
Click to expand...

It's probably fine if you do either, but there are some things you should know:

1) You should do them in the same recovery session. By that, I mean flash either ROM, then the radios, or the radios, then the ROM, but do not boot up in between either.
2) If you flash the radios first, then boot up, you will get stuck at the splash screen if you're on a 3.30 or under stock or custom ROM. Some people are able to boot up, but the system will be unstable.
3) If you flash the ROM, then boot up before flashing the radios, it might work, but the system will probably be unstable.
4) Your best bet is to do the following:

a) Flash a 3.70 based ROM
b) Flash the radios
c) If you do the combo update, you only have to do it once. If you do them separately, you obviously have to go through the process 4 times (radio/wimax/pri/nv). When you flash the radios, it will run through the update script in recovery like it does when you flash any zip. It will prompt you to reboot. When you do, it will go to a black screen with a green arrow. Let it sit there. Don't touch the phone. It will reboot after a few minute on its own. When it boot back into recovery, you can reboot normally, and you'll be done.

EDIT: fixed the broken quote.
 
CrazyTechnoBoy said:
Well, just to make it a little bit more sense, IMO, some ROMs take advantage of the hardware, and put them to their Max capabilities (also kernels). And some ROMs are customized to fit your tastes. Some ROMs are made to make the battery last longer (also kernels). Basically, every ROM has different "purposes", I might say, from better performance, to better battery life, to maximum customization, to nice and simple. :)
Click to expand...
Is there a one stop cheat sheet for this information :D [or something similar?]
 
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