Root My mind has turned to mush... too many options

[djrottweiler]

So I have an evo with the stock 2.2 root method. I am looking at new ROMs and kernels. I was looking at doing fresh 3.2 but then see more people are doing CM6 and then there is bakedsnacks, and others. I see everybody has there own opinions and it is all turning my mind to mush. Is there a page where you can compare the features side by side to determan which way you may want to go. I do not want to keep flashing my phone over and over trying each one. I dont play alot of games (not saying that I never will), I use the internet ALOT, I was wired tethering now i am going to wifi tether, I text alot, I watch movies and tv shows (need a divx codec for dolphin HD), I listen to music.

Now on to kernals... I am totally LOST on how to know which ones to use I see people having different results. I am interested in good battery life and overclocking, who knows one day I may decide to play games on it.

I am kinda new to all this, PLEASE HELP, I am sure I am going to get 100 different idea on what I should do but please only give me what you have done on the new 2.2 root and know for sure works and will improve this great phone even more. I do not want to be a test subject.

 

[Drew5150]

well i can't tell you all the ins and out of all the roms or kernels. but i can give you a quick basic guide.

fresh - basically a stock running rom. sprint apps that most people don't want are removed, the rom will load a folder with these apps onto your sd card if you want to install them. stock kernel - newest release for better battery life. has some add on apps for root users. comes with wireless tether. you can add a custom kernel later if you would like, just flash over the rom. everything works like stock.

baked - haven't used, but i believe its even more streamlined. comes with custom kernel for overclocking. and even better battery life. not sure if 4g and camera work flawlessly.

CM6 - open source android. no sense or htc apps, stock froyo apps instead(this may or may not be a bad thing, depends on what you want). you need to flash google apps onto your phone. not sure what kernel it comes with, but there are custom ones built for this rom. wireless tether, but no hot spot just 1 one computer at a time. no 4g, no hdmi and no fm radio. but i think this is the fastest rom with the best battery life. i think it works fine for most people if you don't need 4g.

i'm not sure if they fixed the camera's with the custom kernels, but they were only allowing 3megs or something.

 

[uminchu]

well i can't tell you all the ins and out of all the roms or kernels. but i can give you a quick basic guide.

fresh - basically a stock running rom. sprint apps that most people don't want are removed, the rom will load a folder with these apps onto your sd card if you want to install them. stock kernel - newest release for better battery life. has some add on apps for root users. comes with wireless tether. you can add a custom kernel later if you would like, just flash over the rom. everything works like stock.

baked - haven't used, but i believe its even more streamlined. comes with custom kernel for overclocking. and even better battery life. not sure if 4g and camera work flawlessly.

CM6 - open source android. no sense or htc apps, stock froyo apps instead(this may or may not be a bad thing, depends on what you want). you need to flash google apps onto your phone. not sure what kernel it comes with, but there are custom ones built for this rom. wireless tether, but no hot spot just 1 one computer at a time. no 4g, no hdmi and no fm radio. but i think this is the fastest rom with the best battery life. i think it works fine for most people if you don't need 4g.

i'm not sure if they fixed the camera's with the custom kernels, but they were only allowing 3megs or something.

Pretty fair synopsis, and I would agree that CM6 is definitely as fast and smooth as everyone claims, but in my experience it has been the biggest battery killer. I've tried both RCs, several nightlies, the stable release, kernel as is, and with various versions of Snap. I've gotten 12 hours, but I don't recall the config, and that seemed like an anomaly, possibly a miracle. Generally, at least for me, it's gasping on it's last legs at around 10 hours, if that long.

Damage Control 3.5 is also a pretty good stock based ROM. The bloat is still in it, but it's fully functional and plays nice with a few different kernels. I've read good things about VaelPak, which isn't true AOSP, but cuts out a lot of the Sense stuff, but I haven't tried it myself. I tried FreakyFroyo, but the cosmetic theme wasn't really for me, and I had trouble with wifi.

 

[laredo7mm]

...I do not want to keep flashing my phone over and over trying each one...I do not want to be a test subject.

IMO, that is what rooting is about...testing ROMs and Kernals and the different combinations of them to find out what works best for you.

 

[uniquenameEVO]

IMO, that is what rooting is about...testing ROMs and Kernals and the different combinations of them to find out what works best for you.

Agreed. My current mode is two days each ROM. I have a nandroid of three that are fully set up my way right now.

I doubt I will ever go back to my stock froyo.

Once you get past ROMs...there are themes and other mods to keep you busy and keep your phone changing

 

[Drew5150]

Agreed. My current mode is two days each ROM. I have a nandroid of three that are fully set up my way right now.

question with nandroid back ups. i have a some, but never use.

do nandroid back ups also save installed apps?

i ask because i have had some issues with restoring all my apps through mybackup pro and even app brain. not a big problem but it started after my sd card got corrupted, i have a feeling its because of apps to sd. anyways i have a new card coming next week and i will be starting over as far as back ups and sd card content go. just wondering if nandroid back ups work to save apps as well, i've only them for just in case scenarios.

note: sd card got corrupted due to stupidity.. lol

 

[eyeballer]

I would start with just a regular rooted 2.2 (new OTA) or with the latest fresh, then play around and go from there.

 

[flukeSG2]

Oh man, I spent the last week flashing roms, till I finally for the 3rd time decided upon cm6. Once they get 4G working on CM6 it's gonna be the best rom by miles. I decided to stick with the kernel that cm6 comes with because I've tried both snap and kings kernels and both seem really unstable to me. I get decent linpack and quadrant scores with cm6 overclocked to 1.15ghz.

However I do agree with you, I don't like constantly flashing my phone over and over again. Hopefully I stick with this like it is for some time.

@Drew5150 - Nandroid backs up everything, apps included. It's similiar to a restore point on a pc.

 

[Droidone]

Oh man, I spent the last week flashing roms, till I finally for the 3rd time decided upon cm6. Once they get 4G working on CM6 it's gonna be the best rom by miles. I decided to stick with the kernel that cm6 comes with because I've tried both snap and kings kernels and both seem really unstable to me. I get decent linpack and quadrant scores with cm6 overclocked to 1.15ghz.

However I do agree with you, I don't like constantly flashing my phone over and over again. Hopefully I stick with this like it is for some time.

@Drew5150 - Nandroid backs up everything, apps included. It's similiar to a restore point on a pc.

I am on cm6 and decided to flash the snap kernel 7.11 and it seems to have stopped the battery draining. It's not like stock but still better than before.