Root Recovery and rom questions, help/opinion needed please :)

[TakinFreewaysNightly]

Ok so I decided to finally take a chance a root my droid.. I was scared at first because I couldnt find directions I liked until I found some videos on youtube from DroidReview (which gave a link to this forum)(thank you)

so I followed the videos and succesfully rooted my droid.
I also created a nandroid backup following the other video.

The only thing I have done to my phone so far is install a couple apps (quake 3, beautiful widgits, and HTC keyboard) (which seems like I could have done without rooting??)

Anyways I had a couple (hopefully simple) questions that I would appreciate if someone would answer

I really want to install a ROM but I am also scared of installing a janky one, or an outdated one. I did a lot of research last night and I honestly can't tell whats new or whats outdated now.. there are so many websites and so many different roms.. I really want the opinion of someone that has done this before.
I really like the random generated smoke I saw somewhere, but I also like simplicity and to run smooth without lagging..and I would not give that up for a cool wallpaper..

Does anyone have any opinion or input on that?

Second my other concern is that after I was doing more research last night apparently the 0.99.2b recovery I installed is outdated, and there is a 0.99.3b update. Unfortunatly I could not find the official source of this download, nor instructions on how to install it?
How do I get this file from the source, and how do I install it and get rid of 2b.. also are there benefits of doing this?

My last question is overclocking..I honestly dont see the benefit of overclocking.. I feel like the phone runs fast enough and I dont want to ruin the phone / battery / motherboard lol..whatever could get ruined! I also dont want to pay for that app.. (although I did find it on demonoid in a set of 2.2g of .apks!! :/ )
Does using ROMS require overclocking?? Because that it what it seems like to me, but I am still unsure. also do you need to overclock to run Wifi Tethering? I also can't find this app online, but it does seem to show up in features of certain ROMS..


THANK YOU SO MUCH TO TAKING YOUR TIME TO READ THIS AND ANSWER MY NOOB QUESTIONS!!

I really like my droid and don;t want to mess it up, so I am taking all the precautions doing this.. Please dont say USE GOOGLE OR SEARCH... honestly I did.. I found a lot of things... almost too much which is why I can't decide what is outdated and what isn't..lol... I could mess around and figure it out by experimenting but i'd much rather have the RIGHT way of doing things before I mess it up and have to fix it

THANKS AGAIN

 

[TakinFreewaysNightly]

Also what is SPRecovery??
does that have to do with Nandroid backup?? Lol.. sorry there is just so much new vocabulary to learn lol

 

[The_Chief]

The recovery image you will replace with the stock recovery contains the nandroid backup. That will create a mirror image of your phone that you can restore to if all goes awry. That's why loading the SPRecovery is so important.

 

[shadowdude777]

Yep, as stated before, SPRecovery allows you to use Nandroids. These are basically "images" (if you've used something like Norton Ghost or Acronis TrueImage on a computer, it's like that). It lets you back up to a previously made nandroid if you mess something up, and also, all of the custom ROMs out there are distributed as nandroids (or update.zip if you meet the necessary conditions; usually that you already have a lower version of that person's ROM on your phone).

Also, new versions of SPRecovery (99.3b) block OTA updates, which is why you have to Allow update.zip every time you want to install one.

 

[The_Chief]

Here is the step-by-step to doing it all:

ARTICLE HERE

Hope this helps!

EDIT: As far as outdated ROMs go, make sure that whatever you load is 2.1 ESE53 based. It's the most up-to-date stuff out there. And don't think that Bugless Beast is "outdated" just because it's a few days old... that means it's proven stable. The latest isn't necessarily the greatest as they are generally too new to have a track record. I'm using BB 0.7 and am very happy waiting for 1.0 to come out.

 

[vincentp]

You can't go wrong with any of the popular ESE53 ROMs. I recommend checking the latest available from any of these guys - they're all good. ROM names in parentheses.

Pete (Bugless Beast) - [ROM] Bugless Beast V0.8 ESE53 STABLE

Blackdroid (Ultimate Droid) - Ultimate Droid v7.5 - Droid Forum - Verizon Droid & the Motorola Droid Forum

ChevyNo1 (Simply Stunning) - [ROM] [RELEASE] Simply Stunning 2.0.3 - 1.2Ghz ESE53 2.1 - (3/14/2010) - New Patchers!!

I left out AdamZ's Smoked Glass because it looks like he hasn't updated it in a few weeks, and DroidMod because I personally have never used it. Koush's is a little different than the others, I wouldn't use it as a first ROM.

 

[TakinFreewaysNightly]

Thank you for all the replies!

I did had a couple more questions in my original post that I would still like to be clarified..

THANKS AGAIN..

 

[TakinFreewaysNightly]

Re: The_Chief


So I read you link and it is great thanks,
but Im still kind of confused..

If I followed this video YouTube - DroidReview's Channel

and made a back up
( I have a folder I named OEM backup and it contains 7 files..)

Is that the same thing as steps 9-33? or do I need to do that ASWELL before I start installing bugless beast rom?? (step 34)

 

[TakinFreewaysNightly]

Another question : as I stated I already have 2b.. I just downloaded 3b but how do I install it?? follow directions 12 - 26 ??? or do I need to somehow delete 2b??


(are there step by step directions from chaning from 2b to 3b? hahaha )

 

[The_Chief]

"Second my other concern is that after I was doing more research last night apparently the 0.99.2b recovery I installed is outdated, and there is a 0.99.3b update. Unfortunately I could not find the official source of this download, nor instructions on how to install it?
How do I get this file from the source, and how do I install it and get rid of 2b.. also are there benefits of doing this?"

My "ARTICLE HERE" link above has the link to the 0.99.3b recovery file in it. I simply never used 2.b, I loaded 3.b from the get-go. I don't think that having 2.b is going to hurt you at all.

"My last question is overclocking..I honestly dont see the benefit of overclocking.. I feel like the phone runs fast enough and I dont want to ruin the phone / battery / motherboard lol..whatever could get ruined! I also dont want to pay for that app.. (although I did find it on demonoid in a set of 2.2g of .apks!! :/ )"

I have overclocked with past ROMS but never saw an appreciable increase in performance. I currently have a ROM that does not natively overclock and have no interest in OCing. If the ROM gets updated and OCs, that's fine, I can take it or leave it. Many people swear by overclocking, saying that their Droid has a "sweet spot" of performance at a certain speed. OK.

"Does using ROMS require overclocking?? Because that it what it seems like to me, but I am still unsure. also do you need to overclock to run Wifi Tethering? I also can't find this app online, but it does seem to show up in features of certain ROMS..."

No, they do not. Bugless Beast 0.7 has no overclock, but you can load custom kernels that do. I didn't, and it works just fine. Wifi tethering is simply a program and should not require any overclock speed boost to run. Wifi tether is not on the market, and likely never will be. You can Google it to get the latest downloads from Google itself.

I am confident that Pete's Bugless Beast 1.0 will come with wifi tether already in it, and I'm patiently awaiting it. I just don't feel like wiping my Droid again to get it. But if you want to load 0.8, it comes with wifi tether.

Did that answer your questions?

 

[TakinFreewaysNightly]

Thank you again chief..



On a side note, I installed Wifi Tether and now it says "sorry but your kernel does not have all necessary features for running this application"


do I need to install a rom first?

 

[The_Chief]

That's precisely what I am avoiding. Not only do you need a custom ROM but you also may need a custom kernel (which is like the boot part of the ROM) that supports wifi tether. I'm happy with PDAnet and patient enough to wait until the ROM does it all.

The more confident modders in here will scoff and say that all this is super simple and I'm afraid of nothing at all... they may be right. But I'm simply not wanting to do yet another wipe now that I have everything just the way I want it. AGAIN.

 

[TakinFreewaysNightly]

QUICK QUESTION

:


I am installing Bugless Beast from here

[ROM] Bugless Beast V0.8 ESE53 STABLE

and the first thing it says is

Update.zip Installation Info & Instructions (No Data Loss):
-Do not use if coming from a 2.0.1 ROM

am I coming from a 2.0.1. rom?? I am just rooted and have never installed a rom..

 

[Fabolous]

am I coming from a 2.0.1. rom?? I am just rooted and have never installed a rom..

Yeah, the stock ROM is 2.0.1.

You will need to wipe your data.

 

[TakinFreewaysNightly]

so to reiterate:

I download this:
-nandroid backup (includes Wireless Tethering)

and

follow these instructions

(Nandroid Backup Installation Instructions:
-Update & backup any files you wish to restore, this will wipe /data
-Extract the files from the archive using WinRAR or a similar program
-Place the extracted folder (the ROM) into the "nandroid" folder on your sdcard
-Reboot into recovery mode (hold the power and "x" button at the same time)
-Wipe data/factory reset (do this twice!)
-Wipe cache partition (do this twice!)
-Backup/Restore
-Advanced Nandroid Restore
-Choose backup (select the ROM)
-Perform Restore
-Enjoy!
)

to install the bugless beast rom on my 2.0.1 rooted droid??


What EXACTLY do I loose by wipe data?? should I backup all my pictures and write all my contacts down?? I guess thats all I care about..

THANK U AGAIN everyone thats helped me so far, I know my questions might be obvious to everyone but im a straight beginner so..I just wanna just sure I dont **** it up!!

 

[TakinFreewaysNightly]

Also I definitely want to have wifi tethering..
would I have to download one of the OPTIONAL Kernels:
-ChevyNo1
-AdamZ
to receive wifi tether? or can anyone explain exactly what the kernel does?
also Would this be installed AFTER I install the ROM?

 

[emdmao]

Download titanium backup from the market. it is free.

It will allow you to backup all of your apps and system data. If you wipe data to install a new ROM all you have to do is restore them from titanium backup.

I haven't lost any contacts when wiping, though they are backed up on gmail (don't know if this matter). Also, wiping your data will not touch your sd card, so you won't lost your pictures or music, etc.

It sounds intimidating, but once you have done it you will see that it really isn't. Good luck with everything.

 

[TakinFreewaysNightly]

cool thanks man,

so what I wrote to install on my phone was the right download and instructions???


and any info about the kernels/wifi tether question ?

If anyone could reply quick id appreciate it because im not goin forward til I got comfirmation...i dont got insurance lmao!

 

[TakinFreewaysNightly]

anyone? ?

 

[TakinFreewaysNightly]

Well I took the plunge and did it and I LOVE IT.. soooo sweeeet!
it almost ****ed up because I put spaces in the name of the rom folder.. so scary..
but I got it working and wow.. soo cooll..

thanks again everyone who helped


if someone could still explain the kernel thing that'd be great tho

 

[geezman]

Well I took the plunge and did it and I LOVE IT.. soooo sweeeet!
it almost ****ed up because I put spaces in the name of the rom folder.. so scary..
but I got it working and wow.. soo cooll..

thanks again everyone who helped


if someone could still explain the kernel thing that'd be great tho

Great! Welcome to the rooted club. I'm also using Pete's BB v0.8 and loving it. I am running AdamZ's 800 LV kernel. If you are happy with your DROID, then there is no need to change kernels. Only benefit would be the ability to overclock. I OC to 800.

 

[Fabolous]

you can install the kernels by downloading it onto your sdcard, renaming the file to 'update', booting into recovery, select install, allow update.zip, then install update.zip (deprecated)

Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk

 

[The_Chief]

Which specific kernel seems to work best with wifi tether and finding the Droid's sweet spot? Yeah, I'm on BB0.7, still on the fence and will probably do a wipe. I guess I'm not as patient as I thought I was

 

[shrink57]

Which specific kernel seems to work best with wifi tether and finding the Droid's sweet spot? Yeah, I'm on BB0.7, still on the fence and will probably do a wipe. I guess I'm not as patient as I thought I was

I never really messed with wifi tethering but just as an aside, Koush's rom has USB internet tethering enabled which for me is more useful, as I can use it for my home PC when service is down. I can also just use a cable to crank up my laptop.

 

[Trident]

I never really messed with wifi tethering but just as an aside, Koush's rom has USB internet tethering enabled which for me is more useful, as I can use it for my home PC when service is down. I can also just use a cable to crank up my laptop.

Can you just download Koush's kernel to use with Bugless Beast?