Root root terminology

[ryohei47]

i've been reading about root since wednesday or so, and i still have some confusion because of the terms used. can someone define and explain the usage of ruu, rom, Flashing, and recovery?

 

[mrk]

RUU: ROM updater. You can use it to update your phone via your PC.
ROM: To put it simply, some modification of Android OS that you can run on your phone.
Flashing: The process of putting a ROM or other update file on your phone.
Recovery: A state of the phone where you can flash ROMs and updates and use the command line to play around in the filesystem.

Something like that.

 

[ryohei47]

is it possible to have multiple ROMs at once? and how do you actually get to recovery?

 

[mrk]

It's possible to have multiple ROMs at once, but not use multiple ROMs at once, as far as I can tell. You can have them hanging out on your SD card ready to install, but can only have one flashed at a time--and you should/need to wipe before installing a new ROM. You get to recovery by using ClockWorkMod's ROM manager or booting up while holding the volume control key down, and then choosing "recovery."

 

[ryohei47]

And rooting isnmy a new Rom so after I root, I can install custom roms?how does recovery mode come into play?

 

[blu3g]

If you guys are having problems, try installing through the Rom manager itself. Just choose the install rom from SD card option. Go and select the Rom you've downloaded from the SD card. When the prompt pops up, make sure to check "wipe data and cache". I would recommend checking the backup option as well. Try that and see if it works for fresh.

 

[Biggest Fro]

Recovery mode is a menu that lets you install custom roms and do a Nandroid back up, and also a factory reset.
Here's a good guide that explains the terminology. This is from the HTC Sprint Hero forum, so ignore the How-To section.

http://androidforums.com/all-things-root-sprint-hero/38911-guide-root-rom-faq-tutorial.html