[Q] Phone has become sluggish and unresponsive - myTouch 4G Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I've had the MT4G since it came out in November and I used to absolutely love it but recently it has become increasingly sluggish and certain aspects have become much less responsive.
Pulling down the notification bar is much less responsive than before as is installing apps. Apps take much longer to install and when I reset the phone it now takes FOREVER (3 or more minutes sometimes) for the apps that are installed on the SD card to become usable. This wouldn't bother me quite as much if it weren't for the fact that it didn't used to be like this.
I do have a lot of apps on the phone (around 200) but I have plenty of free space on both internal memory and the SD card. When I go into the running apps section of the app manager it doesn't appear like there are any unwanted background apps running - just the essentials.
I'm not sure what I could have done to slow it down so much but is anyone else having this problem and is there a known solution?
Thanks in advance.

Belvadier said:
I've had the MT4G since it came out in November and I used to absolutely love it but recently it has become increasingly sluggish and certain aspects have become much less responsive.
Pulling down the notification bar is much less responsive than before as is installing apps. Apps take much longer to install and when I reset the phone it now takes FOREVER (3 or more minutes sometimes) for the apps that are installed on the SD card to become usable. This wouldn't bother me quite as much if it weren't for the fact that it didn't used to be like this.
I do have a lot of apps on the phone (around 200) but I have plenty of free space on both internal memory and the SD card. When I go into the running apps section of the app manager it doesn't appear like there are any unwanted background apps running - just the essentials.
I'm not sure what I could have done to slow it down so much but is anyone else having this problem and is there a known solution?
Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same thing happened to my friends mytouch. What ROM are you running? I rooted her phone and installed CM7 and she's even more in love with the phone as to her it's 100x faster. So maybe you can go that route? Or you can install Faux's Orange Glacier if you want mySense, maybe ext4 will help you.

I am running everything stock. My phone is not rooted or running any custom roms. I haven't rooted because there honestly isn't much for me to personally gain from it. I like the MT4G interface and appreciate the things that it does well and ignore or workaround the things that it doesn't.
Also, I know Gingerbread has been confirmed so it's just a matter of time. So I guess I've just not done it because it's easier and I'd like to avoid doing it.
The thing is, when I got it and it was stock it ran like a dream. In fact it ran like a dream for quite some time. It's only been quite recently that it's begun to decline...

Belvadier said:
I am running everything stock. My phone is not rooted or running any custom roms. I haven't rooted because there honestly isn't much for me to personally gain from it. I like the MT4G interface and appreciate the things that it does well and ignore or workaround the things that it doesn't.
Also, I know Gingerbread has been confirmed so it's just a matter of time. So I guess I've just not done it because it's easier and I'd like to avoid doing it.
The thing is, when I got it and it was stock it ran like a dream. In fact it ran like a dream for quite some time. It's only been quite recently that it's begun to decline...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I dont like suggesting rooting/flashing to fix errors when its not needed, but in your case, it looks like it is. Because you say you like your rom, i would look at THIS one. Its the same as what you have now, but with root and you can get the version that has some of the bloatware removed. Hope I helped!

JDV28 said:
I dont like suggesting rooting/flashing to fix errors when its not needed, but in your case, it looks like it is. Because you say you like your rom, i would look at THIS one. Its the same as what you have now, but with root and you can get the version that has some of the bloatware removed. Hope I helped!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But why would this fix it? Something had to have happened to make it so sluggish. If you can't tell I really don't want to have to resort to rooting my device. Maybe I'm just not familiar enough with the functionality of a rooted phone: do all of the features work? (camera, gps, etc). Is it easy to update to a newer version of a custom ROM when a new one comes out? I don't really want to root because when an official Gingerbread update comes out I imagine it will be a nice and painless update whereas with rooting there is always that X factor that I could brick my phone and be worse off than I was before...

Belvadier said:
But why would this fix it? Something had to have happened to make it so sluggish. If you can't tell I really don't want to have to resort to rooting my device. Maybe I'm just not familiar enough with the functionality of a rooted phone: do all of the features work? (camera, gps, etc). Is it easy to update to a newer version of a custom ROM when a new one comes out? I don't really want to root because when an official Gingerbread update comes out I imagine it will be a nice and painless update whereas with rooting there is always that X factor that I could brick my phone and be worse off than I was before...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got the hint originally that you dont want to root, but it really is the best option for you. All the features work, you can get those Gingerbread roms right now, if you would like. My favorite things about it are: WAY better performance, customization, choice of version of android, choice of Sense (or another UI overlay) or stock android, etc. I could go on forever with a list of whats better. If a new version of the ROM you are using is released: you download it to your SD card, (re)boot into recovery (something you will learn), three clicks of the trackpad and it will be flashing. Then you reboot and its all done!
If you would like, PM me and I'll walk you through all of it with links/guides/tips and opinions
EDIT: As far as the sluggish thing, i can guarantee you its something with the (currently stock) rom. I'm not saying its unfixable, but this is a good reason to go ahead and root, flash custom rom, etc.

JDV28 said:
I got the hint originally that you dont want to root, but it really is the best option for you. All the features work, you can get those Gingerbread roms right now, if you would like. My favorite things about it are: WAY better performance, customization, choice of version of android, choice of Sense (or another UI overlay) or stock android, etc. I could go on forever with a list of whats better. If a new version of the ROM you are using is released: you download it to your SD card, (re)boot into recovery (something you will learn), three clicks of the trackpad and it will be flashing. Then you reboot and its all done!
If you would like, PM me and I'll walk you through all of it with links/guides/tips and opinions
EDIT: As far as the sluggish thing, i can guarantee you its something with the (currently stock) rom. I'm not saying its unfixable, but this is a good reason to go ahead and root, flash custom rom, etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just to add on to what he's saying:
But I can understand why you're hesitant. I think the sluggishness is just part of the stock ROM, every person I know that has the stock ROM it eventually slows down after some time. But a custom ROM should be faster because it's just lighter over all, it's been deodexed (whatever that means) and all that stuff plus bloatware taken out. Plus it would be in EXT 4 format which has proven to be faster. There's wonderful youtube tuts if you need em, and of course you got us!

You're aren't they only one with the sluggish phone. My wife told me that her phone started getting sluggish about two days ago. She's also stock and not wanting to root. She only has about 50 apps installed. So like others have said it's part of the stock rom.

You could always factory reset it and start from scratch. That will bring back its original speed but you will obviously lose all your apps.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App

Having a faulty SD card or having a bad sector in the internal memory might also be a reason for it. In that case, formatting the "offender" will solve it (formatting internal memory means factory reset).

If I root my phone and install a custom ROM do I lose all my apps and/or other personal data? Also, which is the most highly recommended ROM for this phone? I'd like to use the most current and up-to-date one and preferably one where all the features work, etc...
I'm really unsure about this but I'm left with little other choice I suppose...

Belvadier said:
If I root my phone and install a custom ROM do I lose all my apps and/or other personal data? Also, which is the most highly recommended ROM for this phone? I'd like to use the most current and up-to-date one and preferably one where all the features work, etc...
I'm really unsure about this but I'm left with little other choice I suppose...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As others have said - if you truly don't want to root for whatever reason, your other option is to factory reset the phone, which will revert it to its original condition when you first got it. I for one totally support the rooting option, as it really does make you feel like you just upgraded your phone to a better model. Phone will be faster, more responsive, and offer better battery life (depending on the rom you flash). Plus, you just get a world of customizable possibilities that aren't available to you on stock. You can choose between Sense (and many different versions of Sense at that), stock/AOSP (i.e. cm7), or even something totally different like MIUI.
If you do decide to root, but enjoy the stock experience, I'd suggest Iced Glacier (correct me if I'm wrong) which is pretty much the stock UI with bloatware removed...or if you want to try a different version of Sense, I'm on Royal Panache right now, which is gingerbread Sense 2.1, and it's really awesome and works flawlessly.
You can use Titanium Backup to backup your apps/data and then restore them after you've either rooted and flashed a new rom, or factory reset...hopefully someone else will confirm this, because I'm not sure off-hand if you need to be rooted to be able to backup/restore.

sunsean said:
As others have said - if you truly don't want to root for whatever reason, your other option is to factory reset the phone, which will revert it to its original condition when you first got it. I for one totally support the rooting option, as it really does make you feel like you just upgraded your phone to a better model. Phone will be faster, more responsive, and offer better battery life (depending on the rom you flash). Plus, you just get a world of customizable possibilities that aren't available to you on stock. You can choose between Sense (and many different versions of Sense at that), stock/AOSP (i.e. cm7), or even something totally different like MIUI.
If you do decide to root, but enjoy the stock experience, I'd suggest Iced Glacier (correct me if I'm wrong) which is pretty much the stock UI with bloatware removed...or if you want to try a different version of Sense, I'm on Royal Panache right now, which is gingerbread Sense 2.1, and it's really awesome and works flawlessly.
You can use Titanium Backup to backup your apps/data and then restore them after you've either rooted and flashed a new rom, or factory reset...hopefully someone else will confirm this, because I'm not sure off-hand if you need to be rooted to be able to backup/restore.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know titanium backup needs root before you're able to use it. He won't lose anything of he gains root. He'll be able to use it after root.

lilchip85 said:
I know titanium backup needs root before you're able to use it. He won't lose anything of he gains root. He'll be able to use it after root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, wasn't sure if you had to be rooted to backup/restore - so to the OP, either way if you factory reset or root/flash a rom, you'll lose your apps. In that case, next best option is to make sure you sync google backup right before whatever you decide to do, so after you reset/root, your google market apps should automatically be restored to your device. Obviously, same goes with contacts, they will automatically restore to your device provided you have it synced with google.
If you decide to root, you won't have to worry about this again as after that you can use Titanium to backup/restore apps and data when you flash different roms. Pain in the butt, but better than the alternative of having a phone that doesn't run well.
I understand the hesitation with rooting, I was the same initially, but I promise you - if you don't mind putting in a little extra time and energy, the benefits are substantial. Obviously you're into your phone enough to register with XDA, so I encourage you to explore it. I'm not a hardcore tech-savvy guy, rooting is pretty painless as long as you read a bit before you do it.

sunsean said:
Thanks, wasn't sure if you had to be rooted to backup/restore - so to the OP, either way if you factory reset or root/flash a rom, you'll lose your apps. In that case, next best option is to make sure you sync google backup right before whatever you decide to do, so after you reset/root, your google market apps should automatically be restored to your device. Obviously, same goes with contacts, they will automatically restore to your device provided you have it synced with google.
If you decide to root, you won't have to worry about this again as after that you can use Titanium to backup/restore apps and data when you flash different roms. Pain in the butt, but better than the alternative of having a phone that doesn't run well.
I understand the hesitation with rooting, I was the same initially, but I promise you - if you don't mind putting in a little extra time and energy, the benefits are substantial. Obviously you're into your phone enough to register with XDA, so I encourage you to explore it. I'm not a hardcore tech-savvy guy, rooting is pretty painless as long as you read a bit before you do it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, you misunderstood what you quoted, you dont lose anything during the rooting process. You can sit with the stock ROM w/ root, JUST like how you had it before the rooting process without doing any extra steps.
@OP, The rom I linked you to on the first page was the stock ROM that you are running now, but debloated and few minor features added. You can do that, but now there are quite a few *stable* Gingerbread ROMs w/ Sense(2.0,2.1,3.0).

JDV28 said:
No, you misunderstood what you quoted, you dont lose anything during the rooting process. You can sit with the stock ROM w/ root, JUST like how you had it before the rooting process without doing any extra steps.
@OP, The rom I linked you to on the first page was the stock ROM that you are running now, but debloated and few minor features added. You can do that, but now there are quite a few *stable* Gingerbread ROMs w/ Sense(2.0,2.1,3.0).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh yeah, duh...I was thinking if he rooted and flashed a new rom, forgot that he can still stay stock with root, and back up before flashing anything

Forgive me if anyone already suggested this, but have you tried rebooting? I didn't read all the text because I keep seeing people talking about ROMS and rooting. My myTouch does the same thing and restarting always fixes it.

Nitrouspony said:
Forgive me if anyone already suggested this, but have you tried rebooting? I didn't read all the text because I keep seeing people talking about ROMS and rooting. My myTouch does the same thing and restarting always fixes it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I reboot frequently - sometimes several times per day. As a last ditch effort before giving in to the root I got LauncherPro and have to say that it has solved like 75% of the problems I was having. SD programs still take their time loading on a reboot but homescreen switching is much faster as is app drawer scrolling (and scrolling in general really) and app launching is also quite a bit snappier.
The only caveat is that it really feels like now my battery is draining faster than it did before although the battery monitor doesn't show any abnormal amounts for any programs...
I was also taking a look at the memory usage and I was averaging around 168mb free which seems awfully low for a device with 768mb of RAM although there didn't seem to be that much stuff running either...

sunsean said:
Oh yeah, duh...I was thinking if he rooted and flashed a new rom, forgot that he can still stay stock with root, and back up before flashing anything
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol its ok, we all have our sunsean moments hehehe
@OP, convinced that rooting is eternal happiness and stock is the devil yet?

Belvadier said:
I was also taking a look at the memory usage and I was averaging around 168mb free which seems awfully low for a device with 768mb of RAM although there didn't seem to be that much stuff running either...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why, it's OK actually- Android (Linux-based) RAM management has a different behavior- compared to Windows. You can use Task Killers but whatever RAM you free will soon be occupied again.

Related

I hate to show how much of a noob I am but…

I am looking at rooting my new G1. But I have a question. What are the benifits of going to a custom rom. Is the batery life better? What exactly do you gain?
jshealton said:
I am looking at rooting my new G1. But I have a question. What are the benifits of going to a custom rom. Is the batery life better? What exactly do you gain?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Battery life can be better, depending on the ROM and any underclocking/overclocking you may do. The biggest benefit to rooting is the ability to install and run apps that you wouldn't otherwise. For me, that's things like wireless tethering. You can also install your apps to the SD card, allowing you to install as many apps as you'd like (the G1's memory is pretty limited without this ability.)
also, SUPERUSER, a very good thing for customization and running roms, themes, and like Shrivel said, applications. also :
multitouch
sense UI
roms
faster speed (depends on what you use)
etc etc
its cool
It's really no different than anything else, we like to tweak on our phones and make them different. If you are a person that likes to tinker and can accept that some things just might not work 100%, you will love modding. If you are the iPhone type that want something that works all the time and can accept limitations, dont waste your time rooting. It really comes down to what you want and expect out of your phone.
gospeed.racer said:
It's really no different than anything else, we like to tweak on our phones and make them different. If you are a person that likes to tinker and can accept that some things just might not work 100%, you will love modding. If you are the iPhone type that want something that works all the time and can accept limitations, dont waste your time rooting. It really comes down to what you want and expect out of your phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, I am looking for a ROM that gives me the best batery life. The G1 batery is just plain bad. I also what to uninstall the stock messaging app and replace it with the Handcent messaging app. Can I get rid of stock apps on a stock rom or do I have to root.
I am not all that scared of rooting. Upgraded my old dash to a 3VO rom for the threaded texting. Thanks for your help.
jshealton said:
I am looking at rooting my new G1. But I have a question. What are the benifits of going to a custom rom. Is the batery life better? What exactly do you gain?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think the best part is that you get to BRICK YOUR COOL NEW PHONE and then we all get read your cool new thread posted on the android development forum tittled "I Need help I think I brick my phone" then a mod delets your thread and THEN! I get to laough out loud
tuppaacc said:
I think the best part is that you get to BRICK YOUR COOL NEW PHONE and then we all get read your cool new thread posted on the android development forum tittled "I Need help I think I brick my phone" then a mod delets your thread and THEN! I get to laough out loud
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh totally. that's the BEST part lol
but naw. It's really for the customization and added freedom. New bootloaders, ROMs (which there is a wide variety of them, and they can get very fast) and the ability to tether is a popular reason as well.
I'm glad I rooted mine. For one, it keeps me from getting bored when tinkering with new ROMs and such lol, but it really adds a whole new realm of development and experimentation that you can experience.
FYI, follow steps precisely, lest you risk bricking your phone. The wiki will train you young padawan.
Also, when in doubt, search the forums. Ya never know how great an answer you'll find for most things.
jshealton said:
I also what to uninstall the stock messaging app and replace it with the Handcent messaging app. Can I get rid of stock apps on a stock rom or do I have to root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can remove apps with root, but all you have to do is set up the notification in handcent and turn off all the notifications in the native messaging app. If you pull the messing app off
HTML:
the phone i dont think hancent will work either. It also might make your ROM unstable.
G1 stock battery sucks, if it bothers you that much either underclock or upgrade the battery.
You can delete the stock messaging application and rename the replacement then drop it into the /system/ side of things and have it work fine. But that was before advanced launcher so I didn't bother with that any more.
There is really no risk as long as you follow directions. Start out with emothers rom as it is closest to stock, but allows upgrading to add more advanced features very easily. I hear it's best for newcomers. Then you can experiment with other things like Sense, 2.1, then switch back to a decent 1.6 rom.
You can always go back to the stock t-mobile rom, not root and let the OTA updates hit your phone if you decided to go back.

[Q] Why should I root?

Hey everyone,
I have the EVO 4g, and I'm getting to the point where I'm starting to consider rooting. The risks are a little scary as I would rather not get pooched and have to pay out the butt if something were to happen to my phone. So.. I'm wondering, should I root?
What are the benefits?
What is the best ROM in your opinion? Best for battery and function (meaning, I don't want to have to turn everything off for 30 hours of battery life). I'm currently using Launcher Pro Plus and I love it. Just wondering what my options are and what the XDA community thinks.
Why root.
jamehof said:
Hey everyone,
I have the EVO 4g, and I'm getting to the point where I'm starting to consider rooting. The risks are a little scary as I would rather not get pooched and have to pay out the butt if something were to happen to my phone. So.. I'm wondering, should I root?
What are the benefits?
What is the best ROM in your opinion? Best for battery and function (meaning, I don't want to have to turn everything off for 30 hours of battery life). I'm currently using Launcher Pro Plus and I love it. Just wondering what my options are and what the XDA community thinks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Rooting now is very simple, it is no longer a complicated process that will take you 30min. I was in the same mind frame as you before I rooted, but I have to tell you that it was a great thing for me. After seeing the difference between my phone (stock HTC EVO) and my friends rooted EVO (running CM6) I was blown away. Rooting basically gives you complete control to customize you phone. I then rooted my phone and went straight to CM6 (Cyanogen Mod 6). It is fast and has quite a few options that you just cant get without rooting. There are quite a few apps out there that are only available to the rooted phone. I also was not a big fan of sense, or the huge boat load of apps that Sprint had installed on my phone and was able to get rid of them when rooting. The only advice I can really give to you is to explore the XDA Forums, see the benefits of each ROM, and all the words that you dont know, find the definitions for and things will make more sense. There is a lot of nomenclature here. I am currently running Myn's Warm TwoPointTwo RLS1. It is a sense based ROM with a different theme. I hope this was helpful.
Maximiano said:
Rooting now is very simple, it is no longer a complicated process that will take you 30min. I was in the same mind frame as you before I rooted, but I have to tell you that it was a great thing for me. After seeing the difference between my phone (stock HTC EVO) and my friends rooted EVO (running CM6) I was blown away. Rooting basically gives you complete control to customize you phone. I then rooted my phone and went straight to CM6 (Cyanogen Mod 6). It is fast and has quite a few options that you just cant get without rooting. There are quite a few apps out there that are only available to the rooted phone. I also was not a big fan of sense, or the huge boat load of apps that Sprint had installed on my phone and was able to get rid of them when rooting. The only advice I can really give to you is to explore the XDA Forums, see the benefits of each ROM, and all the words that you dont know, find the definitions for and things will make more sense. There is a lot of nomenclature here. I am currently running Myn's Warm TwoPointTwo RLS1. It is a sense based ROM with a different theme. I hope this was helpful.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your response!
I have a couple of questions for you (or anyone else willing to answer):
1) I know rooting voids the warranty, but does unrooting make the warranty functional again? Can they tell that it's been rooted before?
2) I've been reading around and I've seen people simply go to unrevoked on their EVO, then root that way within a few minutes. I've also seen people connect it to their computer, install drivers, etc. Which is best? Are they the same basic principle, but one doesn't take as long?
3) I've been looking at Myn's TPT and I really like it. But I'm wondering how many hours I could get out of the battery using that rom. I'm also wondering what the best way to update that rom (when an update is released) is?
Thanks again! I look forward to getting the ball rolling and getting all the awesome features that my phone should include in the original pricetag!
jamehof said:
2) I've been reading around and I've seen people simply go to unrevoked on their EVO, then root that way within a few minutes. I've also seen people connect it to their computer, install drivers, etc. Which is best? Are they the same basic principle, but one doesn't take as long?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Rooting with unrevoked is just a simple way of rooting. All the commands are entered for your automatically rather than manually using a comand prompt to flash images etc.
Alright, I did it. Used unrEVOked, and so far so good. I'm sticking with stock 2.2 for now until I can do enough research on quality ROM's.
I do have an additional question though..
I purchased SetCPU, but I've noticed that I can't "overclock" above 998mhz. Why is that? Isn't the processor a 1ghz? I wouldn't really consider that overclocking :-/
How do I get pass that so I can actually overclock it a little?
jamehof said:
Alright, I did it. Used unrEVOked, and so far so good. I'm sticking with stock 2.2 for now until I can do enough research on quality ROM's.
I do have an additional question though..
I purchased SetCPU, but I've noticed that I can't "overclock" above 998mhz. Why is that? Isn't the processor a 1ghz? I wouldn't really consider that overclocking :-/
How do I get pass that so I can actually overclock it a little?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Only certain kernels allow you to overclock. Most custom ROMs come with custom kernels that allow you to overclock. You can also flash different kernels over a custom ROM. Just make sure that particular kernel is compatible with the ROM you are using.
jamehof said:
Hey everyone,
I have the EVO 4g, and I'm getting to the point where I'm starting to consider rooting. The risks are a little scary as I would rather not get pooched and have to pay out the butt if something were to happen to my phone. So.. I'm wondering, should I root?
What are the benefits?
What is the best ROM in your opinion? Best for battery and function (meaning, I don't want to have to turn everything off for 30 hours of battery life). I'm currently using Launcher Pro Plus and I love it. Just wondering what my options are and what the XDA community thinks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wireless tether is enough of a reason to root for me. Try Ava. If you like Sense, you will love Ava. You will notice it is MUCH faster.

[Q] Be gentle... decided to root, need CURRENT advice

It seems like most of the threads about rooting are from back in July. I want to root my phone. I'm pretty sure I should use the Cyanogen ROM. Should I use stable? Experimental? Nightly? I want 2.2 for sure, beyond that I don't really know what the differences are I should be looking for.
So, using Windows 7 what should I do starting from square one, and in which order should I do it?
I would like the ability to un-root and return to stock, if possible.
Thanks for any helpful replies.
911jason said:
It seems like most of the threads about rooting are from back in July. I want to root my phone. I'm pretty sure I should use the Cyanogen ROM. Should I use stable? Experimental? Nightly? I want 2.2 for sure, beyond that I don't really know what the differences are I should be looking for.
So, using Windows 7 what should I do starting from square one, and in which order should I do it?
I would like the ability to un-root and return to stock, if possible.
Thanks for any helpful replies.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you posting this in the appropriate sub-forum. Here is a link in the Development sub-forum that explains all of the steps you need to root your Aria and prepare for loading custom ROMs.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=788737
As for a Froyo 2.2 ROM, you have CM 6.0/6.1 or Liberated FRxx Series. The Liberated FR series has the familiar HTC Sense interface that came on your Aria, but it is built on Froyo 2.2 instead 2.1.
Regards,
Tom
Thanks for the reply Tom, although I'm still hesitant. It seems like every thread I've seen with instructions has quite a few posts afterwards from people having issues. The instructions are also usually about as clear as mud. It seems like the people writing the instructions are writing them for people who have rooted in the past, because they use terminology that a new user like me doesn't understand. I have lots of computer experience (used to design websites in the 90's with Notepad - ha!) but I have zero Linux or smartphone experience, so maybe I should just forget the root thing. It's just that I love Photoshop and would really like to be able to use those skills to customize the look of my phone much more than I currently can.
911jason said:
Thanks for the reply Tom, although I'm still hesitant. It seems like every thread I've seen with instructions has quite a few posts afterwards from people having issues. The instructions are also usually about as clear as mud. It seems like the people writing the instructions are writing them for people who have rooted in the past, because they use terminology that a new user like me doesn't understand. I have lots of computer experience (used to design websites in the 90's with Notepad - ha!) but I have zero Linux or smartphone experience, so maybe I should just forget the root thing. It's just that I love Photoshop and would really like to be able to use those skills to customize the look of my phone much more than I currently can.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you know what I did when i rooted my phone? I watched a youtube video...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjgg__m-KHc
911jason said:
Thanks for the reply Tom, although I'm still hesitant. It seems like every thread I've seen with instructions has quite a few posts afterwards from people having issues. The instructions are also usually about as clear as mud. It seems like the people writing the instructions are writing them for people who have rooted in the past, because they use terminology that a new user like me doesn't understand. I have lots of computer experience (used to design websites in the 90's with Notepad - ha!) but I have zero Linux or smartphone experience, so maybe I should just forget the root thing. It's just that I love Photoshop and would really like to be able to use those skills to customize the look of my phone much more than I currently can.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well 922jason, I think we are both going through exactly the same thing. I bought my Aria already rooted by the seller, and so I missed out on the learning curve of rooting and the terminologies involved. Think I'm more of a learn it on the job kinda fella and now I have to read all these texts.
Anyway, I just did the most daring thing today. I was running Liberated Aria R12 few hours ago and decided to get hands on. Downloaded FroYo Cyanogen, made nandroid backup (yes it's such a noob thing) & flashed (sounds fancy) Cyanogen. Anyways, I found out that it didn't suit me at all because:
1. I can't find my ALL my installed and backup-ed Apps anywhere
2. The familiar Market isn't anywhere in the phone
3. ALL my contact list are gone
4. I couldn't find any application that lets me access my SD card
5. There were wayyyyy too many options to customize in Cyanogen that gave me a headache instead
Now I realize that the pros would bombard me with comments and advice to sort out those problems, and they certainly would know better what to do than me. But as a new user to Android in the smartphone era, I'm just plain confused.
So I restored the nandroid backup and I'm back to the state before I installed Cyanogen
BUT, I'm not done yet. I'm now downloading Liberated Aria Froyo FR007 and want to try it out. Just don't chicken out at getting hands on with this cos I wanna get the most out of my Aria. So good luck!
The people at XDA are really helpful and you shouldn't worry about getting lost. Thanks guys!
Thanks for the link Zervic, I'll check that out.
I also appreciate the info Emigre, glad to know I'm not the only noob on XDA! =)
Root yet or still having problems?
Noz85 said:
Root yet or still having problems?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm waffling big-time!
I just read through the huge CM6 thread and seeing all those different problems posted gives me the willies. Going to read through the Sense/Froyo thread next and see if it looks any safer.
Dont worry so much with any of the roms here theres a very small chance to brick your phone. If you like how your phone looks now then Liberated is for you. If you want to customize everything them go with CM6.
Your choice but dont over think it lol.
if you need help just ask.
Hey man, I really appreciate that... I like the idea of all the customization possible with CM6, but all of the bug reports in that thread scare the crap out of me.
Thats mostly for the nightly roms. CM6 and CM6.1 RC1 are very stable, I didn't have any major problems with them. Just make sure to fallow all the instructions when installing to avoid any problems with any roms you chose.
Noz85 said:
Thats mostly for the nightly roms. CM6 and CM6.1 RC1 are very stable, I didn't have any major problems with them. Just make sure to fallow all the instructions when installing to avoid any problems with any roms you chose.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would agree. Both CM 6.0.2.1 and CM 6.1 RC1 have been very reliable for me. As has been mentioned in other posts, most of the 'bugs' are about the nightly CM builds which are truly 'experimental'.
There are a few caveats with CM 6.x that you won't run into with the Liberated ROMs. Number 1 is read the wiki instructions completely. Once you flash the CM 6 you then need to flash the Google Apps so that you can access the Android Market. Number 2 is that the CM 6.x cannot read any contacts you have stored on your SIM card, so you should export them from the SIM and sync them with your GMAIL account.
Regards,
Tom
Okay, anything I need to set aside for doing this? Will the stock 2gb SD card work fine? How long does the process take, from start to finish?
i too am on the learning curve of all this rooting and whatnot. before i got the aria just this last wednesday i had the hero cdma with Alltel. which apparently was a B* to root and whatnot, cuz alltel isnt popular for devs ive noticed. when i first got the hero it was really new for alltel, and there were people working on the root process. I too get pretty nervous when i read stuff that i could do to my phone but could brick it.. but then i found out about the recovery mode and nandroid backups.. and OMFG they help a lot when you change a setting to be incompatible and get a boot loop. that was VERY often with that hero.
When i found out that i was getting the Aria cuz of the Alltel to AT&T transition, i kept an eye on the aria threads. day one of getting the aria, i plugged it right in running unrevoked and it went real quick, however thats just the root process of course. you havent installed any roms at this point, just got the privileges.
thats when you boot the recovery mode, do that nandroid backup and copy that backup somewhere safe on a computer or something.. then of course after that then you follow the steps for whichever rom you choose that you want.
IMO- i prefer the Liberated series, i had my chance with CM6.1 on the hero and enjoyed it a bit, but got tired of it and went to the Fresh Hero ROM. so since i knew i liked fresh hero, i knew i wanted liberated series, and most especially because its 2.2 FroYo with the HTC Sense UI (the "stock look" that was mentioned earlier)
and to answer your questions:
1. make sure you have the right usb drivers, youll know if you read the tutorials. the nandroid backup would be somewhere between 200-350MB so make sure you have enough free on the sd.
2.the stock 2gb will work just fine. in the future look into upgrading with a class 4 or class 6 speed MicroSD for even better performance.
3.once you get the drivers and software downloaded, the unrevoked root process takes probably around 5 minutes, if that.. it seemed really fast to me. the nandroid backup process will be fast if you dont have many apps installed now. should only take a few minutes as well. im guessing it takes me like 10-15 minutes sometimes cuz of apps and such, (sometimes i lose track of time). then after nandroid, the wipes are like instant, then flashing the rom, (like i said im bad with time sometimes) and i believe that takes about 5-10 minutes.
So it seems like after I root my phone, I should boot back into the stock ROM and download Titanium to back-up my apps and app data. Is this correct? I don't want to lose access to the apps I have purchased. Is that the best way?
the purchased apps you can obviously re-download, but yes. titanium backup is really useful for saving app/app-data. however, if needed, you can always nandroid the custom rom, restore your stock backup and pull info from that, then restore back to the custom.
joachim123 said:
the purchased apps you can obviously re-download
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have found quite a few threads around the internet about people losing their paid apps after rooting and flashing a custom ROM. Wasn't sure if there was some step I needed to take to ensure that I can retrieve my paid apps. There aren't many, I've only had my phone for a few weeks, but still... I'm cheap!
1. You can use titanium to back up your apps, though that isn't 100% necessary because, as previously mentioned, you can re-download your purchased apps.
2. Once you get the ROM installed (if it happens to be cyanogenmod) you need to also install gapps, which includes the market app. If you don't flash the gapps package, obviously, there will be no market.
3. Keep in mind that if you install CM, there will be no more HTC Sync.
4. If you follow the directions in 1, the video i posted for you or 2, any of the threads that explain this process the possibility for you to brick your phone is slim to none. -- as attn1 said "If you manage to brick your phone with this ROM from there, you are a dumb ass of unimaginable proportions, and I absolve myself of any responsibility whatsoever. "
There were a few other things I wanted to mention but I gotta run...
oh haha, well as far as im concerned, the purchases should be saved in the google database as long as you use the same gmail account to log in to the phone. ive been fine every time. even from goin thru the transition of different cell providers and phones. there is an app that im not sure if its allowed to be posted but ill message a link to you. its helped a lot lately even tho i just found it out like two days ago.
zervic said:
There were a few other things I wanted to mention but I gotta run...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh that's just great... reminds me of the teases for "News at 11 - The critical info you need that could save your life"... meanwhile, it's 4pm, what do I do until 11 to stay alive?!?!

For those holding out on root & awaiting "Official 2.2 OTA", DON'T!! -> read w/in ->>

For those holding out on root & awaiting "Official 2.2 OTA", DON'T!! -> read w/in ->>
When I got my Evo, I wanted to wait for the official Sprint ROM/OTA upgrades because I wanted to keep my phone stock. I didn't want root to affect my phone's ability to OTA upgrade and get the latest and greatest from Sprint.
After many advice from others, I decided to root. This is where you will see the repeating theme - "I rooted and loaded a ROM and have never looked back", or "I rooted and upgraded the ROM from the dev section and have never been happier". I certainly agree.
The fact is, when (now IF) the official 2.2 comes out, you will get the EXACT OTA content here just as quickly (probably faster) and be able to flash to that if you wish. Most likely, at that time, you will want an enhanced version such as deodexed. It is not worth holding out on root just because you want the OTA.
With root, you are opening new options such as forcing the phone to roam only, make real/full backups, modify your phone both visually and functionally, and so much more. After root, battery life can certainly be improved by tweaking your phone (remove bloatware, keep unwanted services from starting, etc.)
When I got my Epic, I rooted immediately. I have been running DK28 since it dropped and enjoying what 2.2 has to offer. If/when the official comes out, I will upgrade. There is simply no risk of missing out.
So for you who are on the line, I encourge you to root and move forward. You will have a new world of options and enjoy your phone so much more.
Cheers.
It's true, and we're not that far from seeing a true Gingerbread port too.
Not to mention, with Odin, this phone is extremely hard to FUBAR and very easy to revert back to stock if needed. One click root makes the rooting process brainless...
I was in the same boat a few months ago. I viewed "rooting" as a hack or purposely "damaging" the phone. Eventually, I caved in; everything is hindsight from that point. Now, I will NEVER use a stock ROM again. Having access to the system allows me to take control of the device that I OWN; not Sprint or Samsung. If I don't want and application on the phone, I simply remove it. If I want to change the appearance, I install a theme.
Honestly, if you own an Epic, there's absolutely no reason why you shouldn't root the phone. Heck, I'm not even using 2.2 for the lack of a stable GPS lock...
OregonLAN said:
Not to mention, with Odin, this phone is extremely hard to FUBAR and very easy to revert back to stock if needed. One click root makes the rooting process brainless...
I was in the same boat a few months ago. I viewed "rooting" as a hack or purposely "damaging" the phone. Eventually, I caved in; everything is hindsight from that point. Now, I will NEVER use a stock ROM again. Having access to the system allows me to take control of the device that I OWN; not Sprint or Samsung. If I don't want and application on the phone, I simply remove it. If I want to change the appearance, I install a theme.
Honestly, if you own an Epic, there's absolutely no reason why you shouldn't root the phone. Heck, I'm not even using 2.2 for the lack of a stable GPS lock...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with most of this. But from my point of view, I don't even use it for the control, I use it cause it works better. Oh, and the themes. I just hope the devs and themers stick around a while, cause I have this phone for another 20 months :/
new devs and themers will come along. the cdma touch pro 2 is approching 18 months in age and when i stop by that forum, its just as busy as ever, and i dont even recognize the names of roms people are talking about, because the chefs that were cooking when i was rocking that have moved along, but new ones are stepping up in their place.
Installed TrulyEpic 1.2 last night in just a few minutes. No problems at all. GPS is fantastic (I thought it was working before, but now - ) Is it just me, or does the stock ROM limit the display brightness? I think it actually LOOKS better but YMMV.
It's comforting to know that I now have a phone that will probably never be truly obsolete for the next couple years as long as there are ROM builders out there.
but i tried to root using the one click and recovery and had issues it would tell me permission denied at the end after it reboooted, i used z4 to root and it worked fine, tried to use it again and still same thing, then installed rom manager and then try clockwork, nogo. so i took it all off and will jsut deal with it when it comes ota
OregonLAN said:
Not to mention, with Odin, this phone is extremely hard to FUBAR and very easy to revert back to stock if needed. One click root makes the rooting process brainless...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd agree with you, except that I've had all kinds of issues rooting my Epic, ranging from USB drivers that fail to install, various one click root scripts that error out, a cruddy usb cable from Samsung, and an inability to get Odin to even look at my phone crosseyed.
I'm not brainless ... but nothing about rooting and flashing my phone has been straightforward. After wasting hours wading through (volunteer-written, open source, karmically-blessed) inconsistent instructions, I've lost patience. I just want an official, OTA copy of Froyo that isn't going to brick my phone or waste my time.
boominz28 said:
but i tried to root using the one click and recovery and had issues it would tell me permission denied at the end after it reboooted, i used z4 to root and it worked fine, tried to use it again and still same thing, then installed rom manager and then try clockwork, nogo. so i took it all off and will jsut deal with it when it comes ota
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've never had this problem. There must be something wrong and it isn't the one click. Could be your USB cable. Make sure your phone is in debugging mode. The OP is 100% right. Why use any stock ROM? If we do ever get the OTA, our devs will make it better and in about 100 different flavors.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
I have been holding out but even my patience is tested...
It was tested even more today trying to find a way to root without a PC (as I don't own a PC... well I have one that runs Win2K and no internet at home... yeah.) I did download z4root but it never got past the first screen...it literally loaded for an 1hr the 1st time and 35mins the second before I got ticked and just uninstalled. I may be new to the android scene (long time winmob user that fled after testing a wp7 craptastic phone) but something just isn't right here X/ I mean really.... I simply want flash (outside of skyfire) and to wirelessly tether without having to pay ANOTHER $30 a month.... ...
So yeah, /rant
Ota can come ANY DAY NOW *looks angrily at the sky*
Epic is as Epic does
rygran87 said:
I've never had this problem. There must be something wrong and it isn't the one click. Could be your USB cable. Make sure your phone is in debugging mode. The OP is 100% right. Why use any stock ROM? If we do ever get the OTA, our devs will make it better and in about 100 different flavors.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yea it was set to debug , its the original cable that came with it. i have not tried it on a diff pc, it could be a vista issue
Good point. But unless Samsung or sprint announce the update is out. Somebody has to be stock just incase they quietly release the update.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
yep. Im staying on stock for the simple fact that my phone aint broke why try and fix it lol.
I recently flashed DK28, then converted to ext4 and the bonsai mod. Froyo means I can view more webpages and download the froyo apps from the market place. ADW lancher was slow on 2.2, but lancher pro works fine. Also I wasn't getting great battery life but it's back to normal after I set my screen brightness to automatic. Overall I'm happy with my decision.
I too was one that didn't want to root and I was paying for the sprint hotspot :-\ but once I got the first bill for $130 I quickly youtube how to videos on rooting the epic and never looked back. 2.2 runs great with my only bug being, on some calls out I couldn't hear the other person unless I put it speaker phone. I worked my way around this bug by just hitting the speaker button before every call then quickly hit it again to shut off the speaker. It takes very little effort and I'm happier than ever with my epic and I don't give a rats ass about the OTA 2.2
The reason i first rooted was for wireless tether and to get rid of all the bloatware. After that i found all these awesome root apps like ADFREE and ShootME titatanium back up and many others and i can now not live with out adfree its the best app ever!!
After trying wireless tether it was ok then mobile ap came along and i love it. And for this reason alone im staying stock and honestly this is the first phone that does everything i need and doesnt give me any issues even on stock rom. I did get a custom kernal i flashed a good amount of the 2.1 roms and didnt really care for any of them besides noobnls rom. i mean i like custom roms that are blank of extra bloatware and what not.
But yes i agree dont wait to root, you get so many added benefits to make your phone run fast and get many free apps that are ad supported but because of ad free they are like the real one.
Best decision to root.
And for any reason i need to go back to stock to take the phone in i have all the stock flashables on my sd card so i just flash them and its easy as pie.
One click root never gave me any issues with the samsung cord or with any other cords i have.
I agree, I just got tired of it and rooted and installed a custom ROM (Trulyepic 1.2). It's definitely nice. It's also nice to feel free from the shenanigans of corporations trying to do as little as possible to make money off you while maintaining PR.
I admit, it's a bit scary to do with your phone. I'm lucky in that I've gotten familiar with rooting with my Viewsonic Gtablet, but I have to admit that I was pretty nervous the first time.
iggybug said:
I'd agree with you, except that I've had all kinds of issues rooting my Epic, ranging from USB drivers that fail to install, various one click root scripts that error out, a cruddy usb cable from Samsung, and an inability to get Odin to even look at my phone crosseyed.
I'm not brainless ... but nothing about rooting and flashing my phone has been straightforward. After wasting hours wading through (volunteer-written, open source, karmically-blessed) inconsistent instructions, I've lost patience. I just want an official, OTA copy of Froyo that isn't going to brick my phone or waste my time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey dude, i haven't rooted my phone and I have the 2.2. rom on my computer... it was super easy to install. If you want the update without having to root, just pm me if you want it, and ill upload it and send u a link. with instructions.
I did the update and my GPS was fubar. I had to flash back to stock and now I'm scared to flash back to 2.2 for fear of losing GPS again. How is your GPS because I really liked froyo but don't want to jeopardize my GPS.
normb8s said:
I did the update and my GPS was fubar. I had to flash back to stock and now I'm scared to flash back to 2.2 for fear of losing GPS again. How is your GPS because I really liked froyo but don't want to jeopardize my GPS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My GPS was actually fixed by going to FroYo...but I had some miscellaneous issues, so I flashed back to DI18 and am on SyndicateROM with the Xtreme Kernel. I have to get rid of setCPU soon...1.2 GHz overclock is killing my battery

[Q] To downgrade or to not downgrade...

Ok, so I've asked around and was told that I have to downgrade first to 2.2 from 2.3.4 to temp root then perm root my T-Mobile G2. I'm asking around bec. I want the Virtuous Unity ROM with Sense 3.0 on my phone, like the ones on the new HTC Sensation 4G. Do I really have to downgrade first? If so, can you please post a link to how to do it? I'm consulting you guys bec. you are knowledgable. Thanks in advance!
Did u even bother to look in the dev section? You gotta try a little in life to get things done ya know.
Look in the dev section or the wiki and you shall find your answer
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA Premium App
im not even gonna read the post im just going to say TO DOWNGRADE
if your going to attempt it i guarantee this will be the easiest guide usually works the first time http://techticians.com/index.php/mobile-tech/14-mobile-phones/27-rooting-the-t-mobile-g2
Tbbo514 said:
if your going to attempt it i guarantee this will be the easiest guide usually works the first time http://techticians.com/index.php/mobile-tech/14-mobile-phones/27-rooting-the-t-mobile-g2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll second this guide--honestly it's NOT as bad as it sounds, and is soooo worth it
(If the concern is backup of apps...Titanium Backup should work. Keep in mind that pretty much ANY backup utility has some limited functionality with non-rooted phones, but at least the user apps will back up. I'd also back up Dolphin bookmarks (if you use Dolphin HD) as a precaution.)
Pretty much in my case, I backed up APKs and as much as Titanium Backup would allow on a non-rooted phone, followed essentially the instructions in the guide above (I did the Great Rooting JUST before that guide came out), picked a ROM, installed Titanium Backup, and restored the app-land user backups. The most annoying thing was getting stuff back on my panels/windows the way I liked.
(In my case, I don't go TOO far from stock--the furthest I've experimented with was MIUI Bulletproof (VERY solid but too iPhone-ish for my liking...if you want something different from the standard Android interface, go for it ). I've not seen the sense in Sense (relative has a Desire S, played about with it, wasn't all that impressed) and do tend to like ADW Launcher-using CyanogenMod variants (was with HTCClay for a bit then found it was functionally abandonware, now am with ILWT CW7 nightlies and couldn't be happier). What you want in a ROM is going to depend a LOT on what you tend to go for--performance or pretty or something else altogether )
One caveat that exists in all but the absolutely "stock save for rooted and deodexed" ROMs--none of them have Swype. Don't bother with reinstalling stock; I'd FAR more recommend going to http://beta.swype.com and just getting the beta versions. (They tend to have better performance and are several versions higher than the stock Swype. I note this, as an aside, because Swype is so far the ONLY non-physical keyboard I've ever found that the SO likes (and this is dating ALL the way back to the PalmPilot!) and I think if a rooted phone didn't include it they'd be Very Unhappy.) I usually use the physical keyboard, but Swype is a bit more tolerable than hunt-and-peck on the screen if I don't use the physical board.
I held off for months on rooting, and now seriously wonder why I waited so long

Categories

Resources