I DID IT. Now I am terrified.

[AdamHLG]

Hi all.... 3 years in various iphones (jailbroken most of the time) and i abandoned ship. The VGN is my first Android device. Loving it.

I had a major issue at work following a server crash. Server is back up - but my VGN would not sync properly to exchange 2010. So I wiped the phone clean and tried that because I jump to extremes too easily. It didn't fix it. (what did fix it if you randomly have the same problem is that there was a duplicate pairing of the phone to exchange server 2010 and i needed to go into OWA and delete the old pairing).

Anyway, I remembered reading that unlocking the bootloader would wipe the phone. So this was my golden opportunity. I followed the sticky thread in this forum and unlocked (and I think I also 'rooted' the phone - at least that what it says in the sticky). I do see this new superuser app but i don't know what it does.

So as i see it, the next step is the other sticky to install an app to make backups and install ROMS. I am a little freaked. Axiom seems to be the one people like.

But i am seeing reports of 'issues' etc. Just tell me the bottom line. Should i do it, i.e., keep going and put a ROM on? If I get to FUBAR status i still have until Jan 15 to return the phone.

I was this scared when i first jailbroke the iphone and that turned out ok.

Adam

 

[ultravisitor]

If this is your first ROM experience and your first Android experience, maybe you should stick to a ROM that is pretty close to the stock ICS experience just so you can really get used to and understand Android. For that, I would recommend GummyNex. It's very close to stock ICS, and I prefer it to AXI0M.

You will need to install ClockworkMod recovery. Instructions for that here:

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1392336

Here is the thread at rootzwiki for GummyNex:

http://rootzwiki.com/topic/12601-romaosp403cdma-gummynex-042-010412/

 

[greydarrah]

Yes, definitely do it. The first step is making that backup (nandroid backup). Then, if you flash a ROM that you don't like, or just want to try a different one, you can restore the nandroid backup, getting you back to an unlocked, rooted, stock ROM state. Also make backups after you have installed a ROM and have your screens all set up and then you can restore between different ones (or get back to favorite one) in a matter of a few minutes.

I'm running Axiom 2.3, have absolutely no problems with it, no errors, no reboots. It's very fast, very smooth, I love it and highly recommend it. Having said that, there are others that people love as well, so try one for a few days, then try another if you like. I think I'm about to give Bugless a whirl.

 

[AdamHLG]

Thanks for the feedback! I am definitely going to make the jump..... I am kinda waiting for 4.0.3 first. I just rebuilt my entire phone so I am also a bit hesitant to do anything!

 

[greydarrah]

I don;t know why you would wait for 4.0.3...that's what most all of the ROMs that you can flash right now are already running. That's the beauty of the development community, they are always ahead of what the carriers have approved.

 

[AdamHLG]

Because i need to learn how to do the nandroid backup and I am still at work!!! By the time I can focus on this path it will be likely that 4.0.3 will be out. Perhaps this weekend.

 

[Gnoah]

You can read through the devs forum on rootzwiki and pretty much take a stab at 3 or 4 different ROMs that seem to be very stable. Most of the issues with any of them are very unique like one app or something isn't working in a particular way. Just check to see what the issues getting resolved are by reading the threads (at least the last several pages).


fwiw, I am running Axiom 2.3/with JD's kernel, Nova launcher, 4-blue softkeys and colorzoom batterry mod afterward. A lot of ppl seem to like gummy as well. Always check your downloads MD5 with root explorer before flashing though.

Flash away.

 

[xweb10]

The first step is making that backup (nandroid backup). Then, if you flash a ROM that you don't like, or just want to try a different one, you can restore the nandroid backup, getting you back to an unlocked, rooted, stock ROM state.

This seems to be an easy step I am rather confused about. I made a backup with Rom Manager/ClockworkMod. So, I assume this backup is a file on the filesystem, right? So, If I flash a custom ROM don't I format first? Wouldn't this delete the backup file I created? Should I move this backup file off of the phone?

 

[AdamHLG]

Always check your downloads MD5 with root explorer before flashing though.

I don't know what this means so i have a lot of reading before I go down this path.

 

[greydarrah]

This seems to be an easy step I am rather confused about. I made a backup with Rom Manager/ClockworkMod. So, I assume this backup is a file on the filesystem, right? So, If I flash a custom ROM don't I format first? Wouldn't this delete the backup file I created? Should I move this backup file off of the phone?

Formatting your phone wont touch your backups, just like it wont effect your pictures or music, though I always consider it a good idea to copy these folders (they are the ones that show up when you plug the phone into your pc) to you computer from time to time for safekeeping. The backups are in a directory called clockworkmod. To restore your phone with one you've made, you reboot into recovery (via CWM) and select backup/restore and you can navigate to any backups you've made from there.

 

[davey11]

This seems to be an easy step I am rather confused about. I made a backup with Rom Manager/ClockworkMod. So, I assume this backup is a file on the filesystem, right? So, If I flash a custom ROM don't I format first? Wouldn't this delete the backup file I created? Should I move this backup file off of the phone?

What you did in rom manager is indeed a nandroid which gets stored in your sd card partition on your phone. A nandroid is a snapshot of your system at the time you made it and it will restore to exactly the same condition down to every setting, call logs etc. Even though we don't have a removable sd card the phone treats is as a separate partition. So when you wipe data and format system, the "sd card" partition is not affected.

They are stored in the sdcard/clockworkmod/backup folder and you can move them off the phone if you want.

 

[Cyber Warrior]

This seems to be an easy step I am rather confused about. I made a backup with Rom Manager/ClockworkMod. So, I assume this backup is a file on the filesystem, right? So, If I flash a custom ROM don't I format first? Wouldn't this delete the backup file I created? Should I move this backup file off of the phone?

The backup you made is stored to the phones internal storage (sd card). When flashing ROMs or whatever else... the phone is wiped but your 32G of storage that contains your music, photos, etc... will NOT be deleted. Only unlocking the bootloader will delete your storage.... which you have already done before you rooted the phone.

Grab a file manager app (Astro file manager) and when you open the app... under SD Card.. you will find your backup in the clockworkmod folder that was automatically created when you flashed the recovery.

Simple answer... the backup is stored on the internal storage of the phone (aka sd card) in a folder called clockworkmod>backup.... and no it will not get deleted from flashing a ROM.

 

[xweb10]

Thanks for the answers. I just learned that wipe <> wipe!

So, If I restore a backup, will all my folders, icons, and home screen setup recover exactly as when I ran the backup?

 

[davey11]

I don't know what this means so i have a lot of reading before I go down this path.

An md5 hash tag is like a file integrity check. Wikipedia explains it better than I ever can.

When you download a rom or kernel or whatever, the developer usually lists an md5 hash tag that goes along with the file. It's a long string of numbers and letters for example:
?MD5: - 7d809960ca1f46adfc8bf15dacf9622d
When you have root explorer, you can long press on a file and go to properties and it will give you the md5 hash. Compare closely to what the developer gives you to ascertain file integrity.

 

[AdamHLG]

Thanks! Understand perfectly now.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

 

[mikestorm]

I'm using Axi0m 2.1 right now. Very stable. Haven't been compelled to flash newer, and to your point I've noticed people seem to have more issues with 2.2 and 2.3 (growing pains, I'm sure) so I'm sticking with this build for the foreseeable future. My recommendation is to try 2.1.

Just be warned: Once you go through the process of flashing ROMs Kernels, and radios once and see how easy it is, you will never again be totally satisfied with your current build, always looking to see if something 'better' is out there. This is a concept you've never experienced with the iPhone, because all there is is vanilla iOS.

I'm only half joking

 

[Gnoah]

I'm using Axi0m 2.1 right now. Very stable. Haven't been compelled to flash newer, and to your point I've noticed people seem to have more issues with 2.2 and 2.3 (growing pains, I'm sure) so I'm sticking with this build for the foreseeable future. My recommendation is to try 2.1.

Just be warned: Once you go through the process of flashing ROMs Kernels, and radios once and see how easy it is, you will never again be totally satisfied with your current build, always looking to see if something 'better' is out there. This is a concept you've never experienced with the iPhone, because all there is is vanilla iOS.

I'm only half joking

Too true ^^

 

[Neutrino]

I just unlocked and rooted my VGN last night. I've made my nandroid backup, and am ready to start playing with ROMs. For now, I'd like to keep it simple, and focus on a couple of changes at a time. For example, add a battery percentage indicator overlaying the battery in the upper right of the status bar; 3G hotspot toggle switch, etc. As I get more experience, I'd like to take on more complex changes. But, for now, I'd like to steam slow and steady.

Can someone give me a recommendation as to what ROM/mods I may be looking for?

 

[Cyber Warrior]

I just unlocked and rooted my VGN last night. I've made my nandroid backup, and am ready to start playing with ROMs. For now, I'd like to keep it simple, and focus on a couple of changes at a time. For example, add a battery percentage indicator overlaying the battery in the upper right of the status bar; 3G hotspot toggle switch, etc. As I get more experience, I'd like to take on more complex changes. But, for now, I'd like to steam slow and steady.

Can someone give me a recommendation as to what ROM/mods I may be looking for?

Try out the AXIOM ROM thread... there's a link for the ROM and a link for mods. The ROM has built in CM settings which let's you customize the notification bars power widgets... so you can add a 4G toggle switch to that as well as battery icon mods and soft key mods. You can have 4 soft keys if you want as well as change the color of them to either blue, red or green.

 

[AdamHLG]

I was the OP. Well, it's done. I am on Axiom 2.4. I must admit I was terrified to FUBAR my phone but I did it.

For those reading along, look at the FAQ in the sticky thread. It is a very well done FAQ - but read the 5 pages of comments also.

Thanks for the support!

Adam