...the tutorial for the rest of us!
First, I do not take credit for any of the information contained here. A great big shout out to Beezy, KsmithinNY, drellisdee and all the others who have spent countless hours sharing their intimate knowledge of the inner workings of our devices. Without them, none of this would be possible.
In fact, most of this post is the result of copy and pasting their respective threads, and I highly recommend you visit the original source for more detailed information (I will try to make sure to link all sources in the text).
I'm writing this because I felt like newbies have a lot to take in the first time, especially if this is their first Android handset. I'm no expert and I'll be the first to admit that I'm still learning this myself. So, if any of you seasoned Android veterans find anything to be incorrect here, please let me know!
Now, on to the good stuff!
So, you want to flash a custom ROM, but don't even know where to start? No problem. This tutorial is for YOU.
Throughout the tutorial I will try to explain in detail what each thing is and why it is necessary, but it is not important for you to understand in order to perform the process. These details will be written in red italics, and don't worry if you don't get it. You won't have to- its just FYI and good to understand.
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Here is the process in a nutshell (I will go into more details in the posts that follow if you find the original threads too daunting):
1)Root your phone. (original thread here) Needed to allow access to critical system areas.
2)Back up any user data you wish to save and/or restore to new rom (App data, such as what Angry Birds level you're on, call logs, etc. are going to be cleared. If you want to keep them, there are plenty of apps to choose from. I recommend Titanium Backup, there is an excellent free edition in the Market).
3)Install custom recovery (original thread here) This is a modified system menu that allows you to "recover" a rom that never actually existed on your phone before. That is, to install a custom rom, this tool is used to trick the system into thinking its recovering to an official release. Aside from ROM flashing, it also allows you to save the entire contents of your phone, user data and all, to an image that can be restored later if you get cold feet and want to turn back. Cool, huh?
4)Put ROM on SD card and reboot the phone into custom recovery to install it.
5)If you backed any data up (user data, etc), you can start restoring it now.
----------------
That's really all there is to it. If you've already visited those threads and still not sure what you're getting into, relax!
In the next couple of posts I will explain in great detail what you need to do!
First, I do not take credit for any of the information contained here. A great big shout out to Beezy, KsmithinNY, drellisdee and all the others who have spent countless hours sharing their intimate knowledge of the inner workings of our devices. Without them, none of this would be possible.
In fact, most of this post is the result of copy and pasting their respective threads, and I highly recommend you visit the original source for more detailed information (I will try to make sure to link all sources in the text).
I'm writing this because I felt like newbies have a lot to take in the first time, especially if this is their first Android handset. I'm no expert and I'll be the first to admit that I'm still learning this myself. So, if any of you seasoned Android veterans find anything to be incorrect here, please let me know!
Now, on to the good stuff!
So, you want to flash a custom ROM, but don't even know where to start? No problem. This tutorial is for YOU.
Throughout the tutorial I will try to explain in detail what each thing is and why it is necessary, but it is not important for you to understand in order to perform the process. These details will be written in red italics, and don't worry if you don't get it. You won't have to- its just FYI and good to understand.
----------------
Here is the process in a nutshell (I will go into more details in the posts that follow if you find the original threads too daunting):
1)Root your phone. (original thread here) Needed to allow access to critical system areas.
2)Back up any user data you wish to save and/or restore to new rom (App data, such as what Angry Birds level you're on, call logs, etc. are going to be cleared. If you want to keep them, there are plenty of apps to choose from. I recommend Titanium Backup, there is an excellent free edition in the Market).
3)Install custom recovery (original thread here) This is a modified system menu that allows you to "recover" a rom that never actually existed on your phone before. That is, to install a custom rom, this tool is used to trick the system into thinking its recovering to an official release. Aside from ROM flashing, it also allows you to save the entire contents of your phone, user data and all, to an image that can be restored later if you get cold feet and want to turn back. Cool, huh?
4)Put ROM on SD card and reboot the phone into custom recovery to install it.
5)If you backed any data up (user data, etc), you can start restoring it now.
----------------
That's really all there is to it. If you've already visited those threads and still not sure what you're getting into, relax!
In the next couple of posts I will explain in great detail what you need to do!
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