Root What ROM would you recommend?

[alhenderson]

What ROM are you running, out of interest? I tried an ICS one a few weeks back and it was so unstable I could barely get the phone started. New to rooting, mind you, so may well have been me!

Al

 

[ral]

What ROM are you running, out of interest? I tried an ICS one a few weeks back and it was so unstable I could barely get the phone started. New to rooting, mind you, so may well have been me!

Al

Unless you flashed Ice Cold Sandwich, a few weeks back all the ICS based ROM

 

[alhenderson]

Am certainly interested in giving it a go - given that flashing back to GB is easy enough..

 

[ral]

Backup your ROM and apps. SMS too. I advise you don't backup system app settings.

So what do you you feel like, a Sense based ROM similar to default HTC or something more like vanilla Android/Nexus like?

 

[alhenderson]

Vanilla Android, I think, went off Sense a while ago..

 

[ral]

I would recommend Ice Cold Sandwich 8.7. Last version I used was 8.6.1, which was very stable. The biggest issue I had were a few scaling issues in the interface and stock SMS app, but nothing major.

BRB, switching to laptop.

 

[alhenderson]

I would recommend Ice Cold Sandwich 8.7. Last version I used was 8.6.1, which was very stable. The biggest issue I had were a few scaling issues in the interface and stock SMS app, but nothing major.

BRB, switching to laptop.

Thanks for your help - do you use ROM Manager to install ROMs, or do you download them yourself?

Al.

 

[ral]

I download them myself. Here is the XDA thread for ICS 8.7. I would not recommend a ROM manager. @scotty85 warned me against using them, and after 20+ successful flashes I think he gave good advice.

For recovery I used 4Ext Touch Recovery.

I check the md5sum of the file after I download and after I transfer it to the SDCard. If you want to check it just once, check it after you transfer it to the SDCard.

Even when going from one version of one ROM to another, I do a full wipe. So basically.

This ROM is pretty easy to install:

a) Place the downloaded zip file in the root of your SDcard. Do not put it in a folder or anything.
b) Check the file md5sum
c) Go into recovery.
d) Factory reset/wipe date
e) Wipe cache
f) Wipe dalvik
g) Install from zip
h) Reboot

If you want details on any particular steps, just tell me.

After install there are some things you should check:

• Make sure that the Google Play it working. Download something.
  
• Make sure the phones screen turns off properly and goes to deep sleep. Turn of the display and after a few minutes go to Settings ---> Power ---> Battery use ---> Click the graph and check out the "Awake" and "Screen on" entries.

 

[alhenderson]

I downloaded a ROM manager when I first rooted, but couldn't actually get it to work so went manual, although got a bit worried about the google apps etc. All worked out OK, so must have done something right. I have Titanium backup going to restoring should be taken care of.

How do you check the md5sum?

Thanks,
Al.

I download them myself. Here is the XDA thread for ICS 8.7. I would not recommend a ROM manager. @scotty85 warned me against using them, and after 20+ successful flashes I think he gave good advice.

For recovery I used 4Ext Touch Recovery.

I check the md5sum of the file after I download and after I transfer it to the SDCard. If you want to check it just once, check it after you transfer it to the SDCard.

Even when going from one version of one ROM to another, I do a full wipe. So basically.

This ROM is pretty easy to install:

a) Place the downloaded zip file in the root of your SDcard. Do not put it in a folder or anything.
b) Check the file md5sum
c) Go into recovery.
d) Factory reset/wipe date
e) Wipe cache
f) Wipe dalvik
g) Install from zip
h) Reboot

If you want details on any particular steps, just tell me.

After install there are some things you should check:

• Make sure that the Google Play it working. Download something.
  
• Make sure the phones screen turns off properly and goes to deep sleep. Turn of the display and after a few minutes go to Settings ---> Power ---> Battery use ---> Click the graph and check out the "Awake" and "Screen on" entries.

 

[ral]

If use Root Explorer you can browse to the file and long press until the menu comes up and select "Properites". You will see a long string of numbers and letter beside the word MD5.

This is the md5sum of Ice Cold Sandwich 8.7: b655dfd6748a247a9cc42bebe0d8b1d7

If this matches what you see on your screen it is a good download. If the numbers don't match, you have to download again.

There is a free version which can do the same thing called Explorer.

Your file manager in your current ROM can probably do the same thing.

 

[ral]

I am a Sense guys myself. D-U-R-X would be better at advising on ICS. But this ROM is pretty problem free. Working camera and 720p video.

What do you get? Of course you get Android 4.0.4 but you also get some nice new launcher options. I noticed you are on CM7. If you are using the ADW launcher, I think you will find the Nova or Apex launchers, like AWD on steroids.

What you don't get? Headset buttons probably wont work. This is common with all (well all I have tried), or at least not on all apps.

Google Chrome can be a bit buggy. Again a common DHD ICS ROM issue.

By the way. Ice Cold Sandwich already had Google Apps built in so no need to install gappps.

 

[alhenderson]

Thanks for the suggestion of that ROM - all up and running now and looking pretty nice so far! Dead easy to do, as you suggested. Just going through restoring some of my backed up stuff now. Might serve to give the phone a new lease of life - I'm due an upgrade but don't fancy an SGS3 - too big, and nothing else really stands out either. Might go SIM only for a bit..

A successful evening's work there - thanks for all the tips!

Al.

 

[D-U-R-X]

Good to hear that you're all sorted!

 

[D-U-R-X]

Might go SIM only for a bit.

Could be worth doing... Everything Everywhere (now EE... the people who run Orange and T-Mobile) are soon going to start rolling 4G out across the UK... Will be in quite a few cities by Christmas, meaning it won't be long before we see a load of 4G enabled phones in the UK

 

[Mehta23]

Wait.... Ice Cold Sandwich 8.7? Lord C seems like he just can't stop...

 

[greglb842]

Asopx

 

[ral]

Your welcome.

 

[alhenderson]

How did you do that screenshot? I thought it was power and home button, but that doesn't seem to work on the ICS ROM I installed yesterday. I guess maybe it doesn't work on that ROM?

Al.

I am a Sense guys myself. D-U-R-X would be better at advising on ICS. But this ROM is pretty problem free. Working camera and 720p video.

What do you get? Of course you get Android 4.0.4 but you also get some nice new launcher options. I noticed you are on CM7. If you are using the ADW launcher, I think you will find the Nova or Apex launchers, like AWD on steroids.

What you don't get? Headset buttons probably wont work. This is common with all (well all I have tried), or at least not on all apps.

Google Chrome can be a bit buggy. Again a common DHD ICS ROM issue.

By the way. Ice Cold Sandwich already had Google Apps built in so no need to install gappps.

 

[D-U-R-X]

Think it depends on what ROM you have installed... which have you got?

 

[ral]

He is running Ice Cold Sandwich. Oh gosh, I do not remember for that ROM.

"Power" and "Home" is the default. If you long press the power button does a screenshot option come out in the menu? If this does not work, D-U-R-X will know. He is on Ice Cold too.

 

[D-U-R-X]

Had missed that! Just checking now (I don't use that functionality)

 

[D-U-R-X]

Right... a quick search has told me you have to enable it to let you take screenshots... from your homescreen:

"system settings=>ROM Control=>Power Menu Options"

Tick the screenshot button and then, when you long press on the power button, you will get the option to take a screen shot

 

[ral]

Tried to entice him with Sense, but well he belongs to... YOUR SIDE.

I gotta find someone else and recruit him to the Dark Side. I really don't get it. We have cooler widgets

 

[D-U-R-X]

I gotta find someone else and recruit him to the Dark Side.

I would have thought that, as HTC's own UI is Sense, that we would be the Dark Side... unless you look at it as Android is Google's OS and you are running a version which has an overlay (HTC's Sense), whereas we're running pure, unadulterated, Android?

I really don't get it. We have cooler widgets

I'll give you the Sense Clock widget as being cooler... there are other versions available, but there just not as good! You can replicate pretty much all of the widgets for free anyway

 

[ral]

I would have thought that, as HTC's own UI is Sense, that we would be the Dark Side...

No we have the Tie Fighters, AT-AT's and Star Destroyers, all in one uniform color scheme.

AOKP... you have a mishmash of widgets from every where