[Cyber Warrior]

INDEX OF THIS THREAD
Post #1: Backing Up & Restoring ROMs/Nandroid >> You're Here <<
Post #2: Installing/Flashing ROMs/Kernels/Themes/Mods >> Click Here <<
Post #3: Installing Radios >> Click Here <<
Post #4: List of ROMS/Kernels/Radios/Themes/Mods >> Click Here <<
_______________________________________
Related Threads
-Guide: How to backup and restore apps/data when installing new ROMs >> LINK.. by PaintDrinkingPete <<
-Tutorial: What to back up and what to restore when switching ROMs >> LINK.. by Adviser PvilleComp <<
-Guide: How to calibrate battery after new ROM install >> LINK.. by Nate44 <<

In order to use ROM Manager, you must be rooted.

GETTING STARTED
Go to the Market and Download ROM Manager > -Once installed, open ROM Manager
Flash ClockworkMod Recovery: This only needs to be done once when first installing the app.

Next reboot your phone

BACKUP
Create a Nandroid and backup your current Rom:

What is a Nandroid Backup? Nandroid is a set of tools that will enable anyone who has root on their Android device to make FULL system backups, in case something goes wrong or you want to try out that new experimental ROM/theme. It will return your phone back to the condition it was in when you made the backup.

There are two ways of doing this:
From ClockworkMod Recovery OR From ROM Managers "Backup Current ROM" option.
What's the difference? None really, both ways will create a nandroid backup. It's always good to manually learn what goes on in recovery and not rely on an app to do everything for you. One plus of using the "Backup Current ROM" option is, you get to rename the backup file right away if you like to (there's no need to use a file manager app to find the backup and rename it). One negative is if you ever use the "Manage and Restore Backups" option and you need to restore a backup, there's no option for wiping the caches (supposedly you don't need to when restoring a backup but it's better to be safe then sorry and not have to worry about something going wrong). Another reason would be if you are ever not able to get into ROM Manager and you physically have to boot the phone into recovery. So, for that reason + others that I will mention later in the Installing ROMs section... This tutorial will show you manually how to do things in recovery.

Note: use volume up and down buttons to scroll up and down the menu list and the power button to make selections.

The backup may take up to 10-15 minutes.

Now that you have installed CWR and performed a full system backup, you are ready to install/flash Android themes, kernels, tweaks and custom ROMs. Proceed to next post: Install ROMs/Kernels/Themes with ROM Manager

RESTORE
Restore a Nandroid Backup

Repeat steps 1-3 from Backing Up

[Cyber Warrior]

INSTALL
As mentioned above, another reason I'm using ClockworkMod Recovery and not ROM Manager's "Install from SD Card" option is: You cannot clear the Dalvik cache when using that method. Clearing both caches is important to properly flashing any theme, kernel or Rom. (EDIT: Version 4.2.0.2 of ROM Manager now allows you to clear the Dalvik cache) You can use the "Install ROM from SD Card" option but I still recommend learning how to use ClockworkMod Recovery also... ROM Manager may not always be there for you and is also known to cause problems at times when flashing.

*** Please make sure you backup your existing ROM before going any further ***

Search through the list of ROMs, Kernels, Themes, etc.. and find what you would like to flash/install.
Copy the downloaded zip file to the root directory of your sd card. Leave the folder zipped.



Once both caches are wiped, proceed to flashing a new rom/theme/kernel/etc..

Your phone will now load up with the new rom/theme/kernal.
_________ __________________________________________________________

Common F&Q:
Do I need to wipe the data when flashing themes, kernels, mods? No, only when flashing between different ROMS. Just wipe the cache partition & dalvik cache.
Do I need to wipe the data when upgrading to a newer version of the same ROM? You could most likely get away with not wiping the data going from ROM ABC v1.2.3 to ROM ABC v1.2.4 without a problem, but it's better to be safe then sorry.
I can't access ROM Manager, How do I get back into recovery mode? Power off your phone. Once the phone is turned off, Hold the volume down rocker + the power on button at the same time until the phone starts up in HBOOT/Bootloader. Scroll down to Recovery and select (volume buttons for scrolling/power button for selecting). The phone will boot you into ClockworkMod Recovery the same way ROM Manager would have. You can now access your backups or whatever else you need to get to.

[Cyber Warrior]

Installing Radios:
1) Download the radio file
2) If not already done... rename the file to PG05IMG (pg zero five img).
3) Place the PG05IMG.zip on the root of the phones SD Card (don't place it in any sub-folders)
4) Power your phone into hboot/bootloader.. (turn the phone off.. turn the phone back on by holding the power button and the volume down button at the same time until your phone starts up in hboot/bootloader).
5) Select (hboot) using the power button. You will be asked if you would like to install the PG05IMGzip.. choose YES with the volume up button.
6) The phone will take over from there and begin to unload the PG05IMG.zip onto your phone.
7) When completed you will be asked to reboot the phone.. choose YES.
8) You're done.

You can check that the new radio installed by going to Menu > Settings > About Phone > Software Info > Baseband Version (the numbers should match with the radio version that you just installed)
Example:
CDMA/LTE Radio Combo for Froyo:
CDMA Radio Version: 1.16.00.0402w_1
LTE Radio Version: 1.13.605.7

CDMA/LTE Radio Combo for Gingerbread (MR2.5):
CDMA Radio Version: 1.39.00.0528w
LTE Radio Version: 0.01.69.0602w_1

* delete or move the PG05IMG.zip from the root of the SD Card. (If not, you can run into some problems if you ever need to get to Recovery from hboot/bootloader) *

FOR MORE DETAILS: Visit: [Guide] Upgrade to MR2+ Compatible Rom+Radio From MR1 after Root by Zero Neck.


Common F&Q:
Do I install the radio through ROM Manager/ClockworkMod Recovery? No, radios need to be installed from HBOOT/Bootloader.
Will the MR2/MR2.5 radio work with Froyo ROMs? No, they are only compatible with Gingerbread ROMs or CyanogenMod 7 ROM (Reason: The leaked radio for the new Froyo OTA uses the new RIL, which was previously incorporated into the GB leak but not in the older Froyo releases. Thus, it works on the current GB roms but not on Froyo roms.)
If I'm using a Gingerbread ROM with one of the MR2 radios and decide to go back to a Froyo ROM, do I need to change the radio also? Yes, if you decide to go back to a Froyo ROM, you will need to change the radio back also, it will not automatically get wiped from changing ROMs. (see the Obligatory Thunderbolt Radio thread for compatible Froyo radios)

[Cyber Warrior]

Click here to see what's available:

ROMS/Kernels:


Radios:



Themes/Mods
Coming Soon

x

[Upstreammiami]

damn ur awesome at guides i suck at it lol

[Bobman]

Awesome. Thanks. Then to go back to my old "stock" ROM, I just restore to the backup I made?

[Upstreammiami]

Awesome. Thanks. Then to go back to my old "stock" ROM, I just restore to the backup I made?

yup! dont like the new rom just restore back

[DroidXcon]

outstanding Cyber very proud

[DJBeanPole]

Rooted in less than 24 hours of having the phone and roms/kernels to come

Just wish I knew which one to try first lol

[SoDev]

Another amazing AC guide! What a fun day! Thanks!

[Paul627g]

Cyber, your a credit to the AC Team! Very nice work...

[DJBeanPole]

Thanks Cyber for your contribution. I read AC all the time at work, but for some reason it blocks the photo hosting site you are using so I didn't really know how to go into recovery and create a Nandroid backup. But I took the plunge and poked around on my own and figured it out. Feels good.

*pats self on back* haha

[creccaj1]

Awesome guide for those who are new to using CWM!

Just rooted my TB Saturday night and now so much good stuff is coming I can't wait to see what the coming weeks/months bring!

[major_works]

Newbie questions... please bear with me?

When you root your TB and use this guide to install a new ROM, are you left with a phone with none of the apps you installed with the stock ROM? Contacts, email, etc. all gone?

I'm assuming this is the case. Now, does this happen EVERY time you install a new ROM, or just the first time?

[SoDev]

That is correct, major. The good thing is that all my apps re-downloaded from the market, and once you are rooted you can use Titanium backup to back up your apps going forward. Don't know if there is a better way, but you can use you verizonwireless webpage account to back up you contacts. Also, your SD card will be the way it was. If you clear the way that is recommended you will have to do everything it each time you install a new rom, but I've only done it once and I'd imagine the more you do it you will learn tips and tricks that make it easier and faster each time.

[cashlessplatypus]

Noob question. Long time reader...First time poster...
when transfering zipped rom to /sd. where exactly do i need to place the file? installing with rom manager.

[zero neck]

Noob question. Long time reader...First time poster...
when transfering zipped rom to /sd. where exactly do i need to place the file? installing with rom manager.

Are you installing with rom manager thru the app or with clockwork recovery?

When installing the rom with clockworkmod recovery you can place the file anywhere on the sd card as long as you know where it is and navigate to it after selecting "choose zip from sd card"

If you install thru rom manager app you need to download the rom thru rom manager first, and it will automatically know where it is that way

[cashlessplatypus]

gunna use clockworkmod recovery. thanks just what i needed to know. coming from BB so this is all greek. the auto root made all the difference for me.

[zero neck]

gunna use clockworkmod recovery. thanks just what i needed to know. coming from BB so this is all greek. the auto root made all the difference for me.

If using clockwork recovery the easiest place to put the file is the root of your sd card.

[Whitereign]

Question. Just installed all this and luckly made a back up before installing a new rom. All went well but when rebooting rom failed and phone freezes on load screen so I can't get past the thunderbolt screen. What can I do now help

[zero neck]

Did you wipe cache partition, dalvik cache, and full data wipe before you flashed the rom?

What rom was it?

What you need to do now is pull the battery out, wait a minute, put it back in, reboot into hboot (volume down plus power button), select recovery with volume keys, press power, then when it boots into recovery, navigate to backup and restore, select by pressing home key, select restore, and select your back up and press home key, then reboot.

this will get you back to your backup and things will be ok, and you can try to flash the rom again after that but make sure you wipe those things first or it will not work properly.

[Cyber Warrior]

Noob question. Long time reader...First time poster...
when transfering zipped rom to /sd. where exactly do i need to place the file? installing with rom manager.

As Zero Neck mentioned the file can be placed anywhere as long as you know where its located. Its recommended to keep them on the root of the SD Card. I keep them in my download folder and never had any problems. So when booting into recovery.. I would navigate to >install from sd card > downloads > rom xxxx.zip. As for your question on where the root of the SD Card is... Its the main folder when you first open the SD Card... all the other folders after that are sub folders (android, data, downloads, media, my documents, etc...). You would place the zip file by itself with the rest of your sub folders.

[Whitereign]

Ok this helps a lot. I installed lighting rom v3.2 but for some resin I can't find the back up. I saw it do it .. Any ideas? If not should I just wipe user data and start over?

[zero neck]

Ok this helps a lot. I installed lighting rom v3.2 but for some resin I can't find the back up. I saw it do it .. Any ideas? If not should I just wipe user data and start over?

If you made a backup with rom manager, you can restore the backup thru rom manager app or you can boot into recovery mode and go to backup and restore>restore>rom manager>find the file you named the backup

Now that you have a rom flashed and it's working, you could just make a new back up thru rom manager or in recovery mode

[Whitereign]

I'll try that. Thanks for the help and getting back to so fast..