I've Rooted and updated to 2.2, but I still have questions.

[Certain]

I'm all the way new to this. I found the actual rooting process to be easy and very well done. I used the instructions on theunlockr.com. I saw that site suggested by one user to another in another thread. Even after doing all of this though, I still don't really understand what it is that I've done. I'll try my best to clarify.


The thing I'm still confused about are the roms. I followed this tutorial How To: Root the Motorola Droid (Android 2.0.1 & 2.1) | TheUnlockr followed by this one up to step 2 How To: Load a Custom ROM on the Motorola Droid (Android 2.0.1 & Android 2.1) | TheUnlockr and then finally this one How To: Get Android 2.2 (Froyo) On Your Motorola Droid Right Now! | TheUnlockr

Now after I did all that I guess I'm having a bit of trouble understanding the difference between the kernel and the rom:

1. Are those two different things?
2.I placed the kernel on my phone that gave me a max 800 mhz cpu. What rom did I use, based on the links that I posted?
3.Is that just a stock 2.2 rom?
4. If that is stock 2.2 and I wanted to use a custom rom....how would I go about updating to one of those?
5. Do I have to use the same process I did in those links or could I use an app to just apply another rom? (Keep in mind, LOL, I'm still not completely sure how the roms work.)
6. If I do apply another rom, will my settings, apps, and contacts and other things of that nature stay the same and the rom will change around them? Or will I have to completely set everything up again? (reactivate phone etc...)
7. If I do decide that I want the kernel to be set to a faster max, do I just place it in the root like I did the 800 mhz zip file (see links up top) and then just boot up holding down "X" and install from zip and then run that zip file?
8. Finally, I know this question is probably always asked....but what TYPICALLY is different between roms. I see that there are usually 3 or 4 different ones that people like. Are they situational in a sense...."On the weekend I like this rom, during the week I prefer this one?" Or is it just the enthusiasts that constantly switch roms and most people would probably find a rock solid one and stick with it?

I have more questions but those are the main ones. I understand they are probably extremely noobish so bear with me.

 

[xliderider]

1. Yes they are two different things, but work together. You can find ultra low voltage kernels (ChevyNo1), low voltage, medium voltage, and standard voltage kernels as well as different max speeds on kernels. Generally, the lower the voltage the less heat generated and the better the battery life is.
2. 3. Most likey a plain leaked version of 2.2. Look in Menu, Settings, About for kernel, OS info.
4, 5. Look for a theme with zip file installation. Put the theme's zip file on your sd card's root and install as a zip file. Needs to be renamed to update.zip if you are using SPRecovery, no need to rename if you are using Clockwork Mod recovery.
6. Most likely, yes, you need to wipe Data and Cache before installing different roms. So yes, you will need to set everything up again. Apps and contacts will resync through Google Sync. You will need to setup your homescreens again.
7. Yes.
8. User preferences, just try them till you find one you like. Then the devs will update to new versions and the whole process repeats.

 

[Certain]

1. Yes they are two different things, but work together. You can find ultra low voltage kernels (ChevyNo1), low voltage, medium voltage, and standard voltage kernels as well as different max speeds on kernels. Generally, the lower the voltage the less heat generated and the better the battery life is.
2. 3. Most likey a plain leaked version of 2.2. Look in Menu, Settings, About for kernel, OS info.
4, 5. Look for a theme with zip file installation. Put the theme's zip file on your sd card's root and install as a zip file. Needs to be renamed to update.zip if you are using SPRecovery, no need to rename if you are using Clockwork Mod recovery.
6. Most likely, yes, you need to wipe Data and Cache before installing different roms. So yes, you will need to set everything up again. Apps and contacts will resync through Google Sync. You will need to setup your homescreens again.
7. Yes.
8. User preferences, just try them till you find one you like. Then the devs will update to new versions and the whole process repeats.

Thanks a bunch for the feedback. And to anyone else who wants to chime in, don't be shy. I'm glad you are concerned for my well being but I've been vaccinated for information overload so I'll be fine

Followup questions to xliderider:

1. I notice on the bugless beast page ( [ROM] Bugless Beast V1.1 Android 2.1 ESE81 - Pete - AllDroid Public Board - [ROM] Bugless Beast V1.1 Android 2.1 ESE81 - Pete - AllDroid Public Board - Forum ) he lists a number of kernels that can be used. Do I apply the rom and then just put whichever kernel I want on and go from there?

2. When you say look for a theme, do you mean a rom? or a theme? If so what is a theme in comparison to a rom?

6. How exactly do I do that. I think I remember seeing an option to do that when I booted up holding "X" but I can't be sure.

 

[Dirrk]

Thanks a bunch for the feedback. And to anyone else who wants to chime in, don't be shy. I'm glad you are concerned for my well being but I've been vaccinated for information overload so I'll be fine

Followup questions to xliderider:

1. I notice on the bugless beast page ( [ROM] Bugless Beast V1.1 Android 2.1 ESE81 - Pete - AllDroid Public Board - [ROM] Bugless Beast V1.1 Android 2.1 ESE81 - Pete - AllDroid Public Board - Forum ) he lists a number of kernels that can be used. Do I apply the rom and then just put whichever kernel I want on and go from there?

2. When you say look for a theme, do you mean a rom? or a theme? If so what is a theme in comparison to a rom?

6. How exactly do I do that. I think I remember seeing an option to do that when I booted up holding "X" but I can't be sure.

1. You must install the ROM first then install the kernel ontop of the rom. The kernel is just a piece of the rom, so if you installed the kernel first the rom would erase it. I suggest using p3 kernels with Bugless Beast. You should download the low voltage one, it will give the best battery life. Follow these directions to install all of it.

A. Download the bugless beast rom, .zip file, onto the root of your sd card, and then pick a 2.2 kernel, I suggest not going above 1ghz if you want descent battery life. Then put those kernel files onto the root of ur sdcard.

B. Go to market search for rom manager should be a black icon (looks like an eye with a hat on); download/install

C. Open Rom Manager > Options > Make Sure Erase Recovery is Checked.
Hit back button, Select Flash ClockworkMod Recovery > Moto Droid > Allow.
Select Install ROM from SD Card browse for the Bugless Beast v0.4 > WIPE CACHE AND DATA! > BACKUP > your phone will restart. ....wait....

D. Once your phone turns back on, you can now install the kernel. Go back and install Rom Manager again and select install from sdcard, select the kernel .zip file. No need to wipe or backup

2. Most roms have a preloaded theme on them. BB does not. I believe there are themes that will work with BB and you would just find them and follow the directions to install it ontop of BB similar to how you just installed the kernel.

6. If you use ROM manager you will see the option.

Lastly Open Rom Manager > Menu > Buy Premium

 

[Certain]

1. You must install the ROM first then install the kernel ontop of the rom. The kernel is just a piece of the rom, so if you installed the kernel first the rom would erase it. I suggest using p3 kernels with Bugless Beast. You should download the low voltage one, it will give the best battery life. Follow these directions to install all of it.

A. Download the bugless beast rom, .zip file, onto the root of your sd card, and then pick a 2.2 kernel, I suggest not going above 1ghz if you want descent battery life. Then put those kernel files onto the root of ur sdcard.

B. Go to market search for rom manager should be a black icon (looks like an eye with a hat on); download/install

C. Open Rom Manager > Options > Make Sure Erase Recovery is Checked.
Hit back button, Select Flash ClockworkMod Recovery > Moto Droid > Allow.
Select Install ROM from SD Card browse for the Bugless Beast v0.4 > WIPE CACHE AND DATA! > BACKUP > your phone will restart. ....wait....

D. Once your phone turns back on, you can now install the kernel. Go back and install Rom Manager again and select install from sdcard, select the kernel .zip file. No need to wipe or backup

2. Most roms have a preloaded theme on them. BB does not. I believe there are themes that will work with BB and you would just find them and follow the directions to install it ontop of BB similar to how you just installed the kernel.

6. If you use ROM manager you will see the option.

Lastly Open Rom Manager > Menu > Buy Premium

Thanks so much for the help. I think I'm finally getting there with my understanding of the roms and the kernels and this entire process. Your answers raise a few more questions though.

C. I already have Clockworkmod Recovery rom installed. I've even made a couple of nandroid backups. If I follow "step c" will that erase the recovery rom thats already on there and reapply it?

D. Is there a particular place to get kernels from that lists the voltage type they are and what roms they work with? I'm assuming that you can install any kernel as long as its known to work with the custom rom.

D2. The themes. I see that its a simple install from .zip to apply them when using Rom Manager. What if I want to change themes? After I already have a theme installed if I follow the process again will it just overwrite the previous theme?

Again....thanks for all the help.

 

[anon(10090)]

What's the best custom Droid ROM for me? And some questions...

Hey all, currently using Cyanogenmod 6.0.0 RC2 OC to 800 MHz, but things still seem fairly buggy and not at all what I'd hoped for performance-wise. I tried Bugless Beast 2.2 (0.4) but didn't care for that either. One of my biggest pet peeves is when scrolling between home screens or through the app drawer, having the animation get real juttery and choppy, it drives me insane and it does nothing for me when it comes to showing off apps to iphone users, they harp on that relentlessly : P

So, bottom line, is there any particular ROM that is nice, quick, and stable that's worth taking a look at? Or should I just wait for the official release of CM6 and hope it's a lot better than what it is now?

Also, in order to optimize my Droid for performance, what are some things I can do? I've overclocked it, have a task manager of sorts (System Panel), and a cache-clearer. I've been using ADW Launcher, and it probably doesn't HELP, although I think it's a little snappier than Launcher 2, yeah? Should I try OCing it to 900 or 1000? Installing all my apps on my SD card? Any feedback on these questions would be much appreciated!

TLDR version:
-Suggest a fast, stable (preferably Froyo) Droid ROM
-Tell me how to make my Droid as fast as (safely) possible
-Clarify what typically kills the performance when using custom ROMs (launchers, etc)

 

[Dirrk]

Thanks so much for the help. I think I'm finally getting there with my understanding of the roms and the kernels and this entire process. Your answers raise a few more questions though.

C. I already have Clockworkmod Recovery rom installed. I've even made a couple of nandroid backups. If I follow "step c" will that erase the recovery rom thats already on there and reapply it?

D. Is there a particular place to get kernels from that lists the voltage type they are and what roms they work with? I'm assuming that you can install any kernel as long as its known to work with the custom rom.

D2. The themes. I see that its a simple install from .zip to apply them when using Rom Manager. What if I want to change themes? After I already have a theme installed if I follow the process again will it just overwrite the previous theme?

Again....thanks for all the help.

C. It will replace the recovery rom you have installed but will not remove and back ups you have done. It just updates it.

D. Google "p3 kernels" or its on mydroidworld.com, I believe

D2. I am not 100% sure on that because I do not use themes, I would suspect it would probably be best when changing themes, to first, reinstall the rom without deleting the data/cache and then install the new theme. That way the old theme is cleared and will not cause unwanted issues. I would double check on that though because I do not use any like I said.

 

[Dirrk]

Hey all, currently using Cyanogenmod 6.0.0 RC2 OC to 800 MHz, but things still seem fairly buggy and not at all what I'd hoped for performance-wise. I tried Bugless Beast 2.2 (0.4) but didn't care for that either. One of my biggest pet peeves is when scrolling between home screens or through the app drawer, having the animation get real juttery and choppy, it drives me insane and it does nothing for me when it comes to showing off apps to iphone users, they harp on that relentlessly : P

So, bottom line, is there any particular ROM that is nice, quick, and stable that's worth taking a look at? Or should I just wait for the official release of CM6 and hope it's a lot better than what it is now?

Also, in order to optimize my Droid for performance, what are some things I can do? I've overclocked it, have a task manager of sorts (System Panel), and a cache-clearer. I've been using ADW Launcher, and it probably doesn't HELP, although I think it's a little snappier than Launcher 2, yeah? Should I try OCing it to 900 or 1000? Installing all my apps on my SD card? Any feedback on these questions would be much appreciated!

TLDR version:
-Suggest a fast, stable (preferably Froyo) Droid ROM
-Tell me how to make my Droid as fast as (safely) possible
-Clarify what typically kills the performance when using custom ROMs (launchers, etc)

Bugless Beast is the best clutter free rom I have used. Its basically stock with internal adjustments to improve battery life and speed.
I think overclocking is good with a low voltage kernel, p3 has some great kernels. 1ghz is very stable for my phone but may not be with yours, you may need to play around with it. I use LauncherPro and it seems faster then adw on my phone.