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Root Please Suggest a ROM and Kernel !!.. And, Some Noob Pre-Flashing Questions!

M

M5Rahul

Well-Known Member
I'm rooted, but otherwise on a completely stock ROM.

I've been reading some threads here and on XDA, trying to decide on which ROM to flash to.. but can't find the one that fulfills my requirements..

What I'd like the cooked ROM to include:

1) Working 4G - a must for me!!
2) Ability to tether.
3) Working GPS, Sprint's VVM [ not too big on GV yet ] and SMS/MMS.
4) Stable!!
5) Better battery life per charge!

I don't mind a stock ROM, as long as it doesn't disable any of the above functions.

Also, looking for an appropriate Kernel [ I know every kernel acts differently on different phones ] ... Please feel free to recommend or post/link to yours :)

I also have a few newbie questions before flashing:

1) If I do a Nandroid backup of my stock ROM, does it also backup my 4G keys ?

2) Do I need to reformat my SD card before flashing ? [ in which case I would need to copy the stock nandroid backup, media, etc.. to my pc, right ? ]

3) Which is the way to go : Flash new Kernel first, then ROM or the other way ?

4) Can I use the stock Kernel with a Flashed ROM ?

Anything else I should read or be aware of ?
 
ROM: Kings Unleashed R4 or R3, has everything you want
Kernel: Netartchy toastmod 4.3.4 more HAVS nosbc

Answer 1: depends on recovery, the newer versions of clockwork should and Amon RA does if you select the wimax option in the backup menu.

Answer 2: No

Answer 3: Flash ROM, reboot, go back to recovery, wipe cache and dalvik, then flash kernel

Answer 4: yes

My two cents: I would suggest flashing Amon RA recovery if you currently have clockwork. To do this download the Amon recovery zip from xda rename it PC36IMG.zip exactly, move it to the root of SD card (top level, not in a folder) then go to Hboot and it will ask you if you would like to update.

Amon RA is proved to be the better recovery, it is more reliable and has more options than clockwork.

Also when flashing anything make sure to nandroid. When flashing a ROM make sure to do a full wipe also a lot of people recommend using a format all zip over a full wipe, you can find one on XDA.

If I helped hit the thanks button.
 
dance is spot on... it looks like you did some research before you posted Good Man.

1)I cant say much about this as I don't have 4g in my area But, I all ways use amon_ra to back up my 4g capability cause its comming soon.( I only have 2 back ups of my 4g keys because they require more space to back them up). There is an app called. "wimax RSA key checker" and I use it after every altercation to my phone.. I read a thread about the new version of clock work mod now having this option.. but I am very satisfied with amon ra and have never had any problems with it..
2) Your ability to tether does not rely on your Rom you can tether from any Rom but being rooted gives you the opportunity to by-pass Sprints 30$ a month charge by installing and app that you would not be able to use with out "Root permission"
3) there are Roms out there that do not have GPS working when you install them... They seem to always be "ASOP" Roms.. But... there are ways to fix this and get your GPS working(in my case better then it did before) with little effort.
4) hmmmmm this is a veritable problem as some roms work better for some and vise versa.. your phones personality (sorta speck) comes into play here a rom on my phone my work better or worse then on your phone but this is ok cause Nandroids are your friend and more often then not there is a answer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
5) battery: I have learned is more about your kernel and how avid you are in to investigating its usage.. there are many different types of kernels..do some home work and just like a Rom you will find one that works for you.. please READ kernel starter guide it will explain everything to you and you will then understand not only what you are putting one your phone but also give you an idea of what may be your preference
 
Beast is right about wimax keys taking up more space in a Nandroid but it isn't that much more, mine are only about 12.5 mb. I make sure to back them up always because I don't want to have a ROM set up how I like then somehow lose my keys and then have to set it up how I like again because I had to restore an older backup.

He is also right about AOSP ROMs not having reliable gps but it is fixable if you do want to try. Most of them also don't have working Sprint VVM, however some have said they are able to get it working, I haven't yet, but I haven't really tried. If you do flash an AOSP ROM you can use YouMail, it is in the market and is a lot like VVM. I am a huge fan of AOSP ROMs so if you do want to try out one I can suggest a couple and also a couple good AOSP kernels. My original suggestion is a Sense ROM with a Sense kernel.
 
I recommend Decks ROM based off of CM, can be found HERE

It's got everything you want, is fast...no bloatware or gimmicks...everything works and he's about to release an updated ROM that will include Tiamats kernel which seems to be working out really well...battery life seems to be great.
 
Excellent info guys!! Really appreciate it! I'm learning more here than on XDA !!

Trying to resist the temptation to just flash lol.. I wanna get a good grip on this before firing away..


Questions:

(1) Scenario - I make a Nandroid of my stock ROM including Wimax Keys. Then I flash a few ROMS to try out, and accidentally [or intentionally ] flash a non-4G-working ROM. Then, later, I flash back my stock ROM with the backed up keys. Will flashing the stock ROM re-instate 4G ?

(2) I've been reading up on CW Vs RA. Is RA really that much better than CW, especially since CW 2.5+ ? If yes, I will replace CW with RA.
 
1. yes. a nandroid is a complete snapshot of your current state of your phone. so long as you have your 4g keys when you make your nandroid you are good to go. one good thing is that there are more AOSP (Android Open Sorce Project which is non-Sense roms)have 4g working.

2. i have had issues with clockwork mod 2.6 in the past where some of my nandroids were bad. so i went to amon ra and have never had issues. but if you are going to stay with clockwork mod stick with 2.6. the newer versions uses edify scripting preventing you from flashing anything that uses amend scripting. not a lot of things are using edify save for cyanogen mod roms like cm7.
 
1: Even if the ROM is not 4G capable though you will probably keep your keys, I have flashed ROMs that aren't 4G capable and used the key checker app and I still had them. Also if you restore a backup that has your keys in it, it will restore them.

2: In my opinion RA is better.
 
Ok guys, I am all set to flash. I have switched to RA from CW.

Which is better :

Kings Ultra FroYo UNleashed ROMS and MODS - xda-developers

Or,

[ROM][ACS] Kings UNleashed BasiXtreme Beta R4 [4/16/11] Odex/Deodexed - xda-developers


Last minute Questions:

1) Do I need to do the DarkTremor Apps2sd mod ? Or, can I simply install Apps2sd from the Market and use it like I do currently ?

2) Is it ok to use my stock class 2 card for this ( DarkTremor Apps2sd ] task ?

3) What is Odex and De-Odexed ?

4) Once I flash either one of those Roms, will I be able to access the Market, re-download [or from TB] and install apps purchased via Amazon App Store, link contacts to FB, get the FB app for Android, Google apps like Gmail, Navigation etc ? Basically, will the phone function similar to and interact with these apps the same as it does in stock form ??

5) What happens to my currently installed apps on the SD card ? Will I need to delete and re-install the apps or will they integrate with the new ROM automatically ?

6) Will my backup from TB Pro restore apps and data or not ? [ I guess this is pretty similar to #5 ]

7) What is the deal with FORMAT_ALL zip ? Is this necessary or a manual wipe via Recovery will suffice ?

8) I created a Nandroid Backup [RA] and I'd like to copy the backup from my SD card to the laptop. Do I only copy the Nandroid folder from the SD card or Android_secure and data folders too ?

Thanks a TON!!
 
M5Rahul said:
Ok guys, I am all set to flash. I have switched to RA from CW.

Which is better :

Kings Ultra FroYo UNleashed ROMS and MODS - xda-developers

Or,

[ROM][ACS] Kings UNleashed BasiXtreme Beta R4 [4/16/11] Odex/Deodexed - xda-developers


Three questions:

Do I need to do the DarkTremor Apps2sd ?

Is it ok to use my stock class 2 card for this task ?

What is Odex and De-Odexed ?

Thanks a TON!!
Click to expand...


Those two are basically the same if you notice v1-v3 are in the first link and r4 is the second. They are pretty similar, the themes work on most versions except odexed. R4 you may notice is beta though so he still has stuff he wants to do. You might wanna try 1-3 first I was running r4 until about an hour ago.

You don't need dark tremor a2sd but if you want to use it your class 2 card won't really cut it. That moves apps to the SD card and if the read write on your card are slow it'll suck.

Well without explaining dex optimizing in too much depth the short of it for you is in most cases you cant theme odex too much yourself, the dev can and then optimize but In general you can't do much after. However odex roms are a bit faster while deodex are a bit smaller ...that's the short of it. I can give you more later when its not 530 am if ya want.
 
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