Root Trying to root...time to check in with the experts

stanan said:

Am I doing OK, so far? The next step seems to be flashing a ROM.

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Are you doing okay? It seems to me that you've wasted a lot of time and effort. First you root a ROM, then you throw that ROM out by flashing a new one. Why root one you're not going to be using? Just about any ROM you flash will already be rooted.

After browsing the forum it seems Mirage or Bean Whiz would be good options.

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That depends on what you want. You flash a ROM because it has something you want that the stock ROM doesn't, and doesn't leave anything out that the stock ROM has and you want. (To explain that last part - if the new ROM doesn't do GPS, but you'll never use the GPS, it's fine. If you use the GPS almost every day, that ROM's not for you.)

But flashing a ROM just to have a non-stock ROM is like painting your new car the color it is. You have new paint on it. So?

Most of what most people want from a ROM can be done with apps. You don't like the look of the homescreen? You want more rows and columns? More apps down on the bottom row? Install some launchers. There are a lot of free versions, and one may be what you want. (Then you can pay to get the optional extras if they're important to you.)

You don't like the background? Change the wallpaper.

Even some things that used to require a new ROM can now be done with some Xposed modules.

There's really no reason for most people to risk destroying a phone by flashing a ROM these days. (Oh, and you will void your warranty with most phones, even if you refash the stock ROM.)

@stanan ... if you have root and have installed a custom recovery, the very first thing you must do is create a nandroid backup of your stock rom. Follow this guide :
http://androidforums.com/optimus-v-all-things-root/697813-how-install-flash_image-flash-recovery-rom-theme-updated-10-24-2013-a.html

If you follow this guide to the letter, you should have no problem. The guide explains everything that you will need to know after rooting your phone, if you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask.

Right now the Mirage rom is the most stable for our phone, although it is gingerbread 2.3.7

Bean_Whiz is also stable and it's a jellybean rom mod with the Touchwiz theme and launcher, you will need a bigger sdcard to run it.

You can find all the links in the all things root guide sticky at the top of the page.

Remember to always make a backup before doing anything. And never do a factory reset from the privacy menu.

Please read the guide before attempting to flash a rom.

Good luck


EDIT : @rukbat, this is the LG Optimus V, you have to root the phone first, then install a custom recovery to flash a rom. Also the Xposed modules, i believe you at least need to be running a gingerbread rom or higher, the V is only at best 2.2.1 or 2.2.2 depending on what version you have, just F.Y.I.

Rukbat said:

Are you doing okay? It seems to me that you've wasted a lot of time and effort. First you root a ROM, then you throw that ROM out by flashing a new one. Why root one you're not going to be using? Just about any ROM you flash will already be rooted.

That depends on what you want. You flash a ROM because it has something you want that the stock ROM doesn't, and doesn't leave anything out that the stock ROM has and you want. (To explain that last part - if the new ROM doesn't do GPS, but you'll never use the GPS, it's fine. If you use the GPS almost every day, that ROM's not for you.)

But flashing a ROM just to have a non-stock ROM is like painting your new car the color it is. You have new paint on it. So?

Most of what most people want from a ROM can be done with apps. You don't like the look of the homescreen? You want more rows and columns? More apps down on the bottom row? Install some launchers. There are a lot of free versions, and one may be what you want. (Then you can pay to get the optional extras if they're important to you.)

You don't like the background? Change the wallpaper.

Even some things that used to require a new ROM can now be done with some Xposed modules.

There's really no reason for most people to risk destroying a phone by flashing a ROM these days. (Oh, and you will void your warranty with most phones, even if you refash the stock ROM.)

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Please stick to the devices you know. You really have no clue about the LG Optimus V.
Let us LG Optimus V owners (I've been an owner for 3 years) give good, sound, solid advice about this phone.
When you try to give advice here without any knowledge about the V, that advice is very misleading.

@ stanan ... how's it going, are you still interested in flashing a rom? The Op V is a great little phone to experiment with, i wish i had another to play with, hope you weren't deterred against flashing. The guys over at android central have got a pretty good kit-kat rom under development right now!

Keep us posted

stanan said:

@badblue1 and AndyOpie150...I appreciate the support, I really do. I was hoping to have more success. I am going to cut my losses and be content with the fact that I was able to root a phone. I am still not sure if I created a recovery image. I did not get any error messages.

Have I reached the point where I should NOT use the stock menu to factory reset as I have read in other threads? Or is that only true after flashing a ROM?

Thanks again.

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Open your app drawer, if you have the superuser app there, you are rooted. Now you should go to the market and download titanium backup and backup all your apps and app data. Now you should turn your phone off. With phone off hold down the home button, the volume down button and the power button all at the same time until you see the lg logo on the screen, then release the buttons all at once, you should now be in recovery. Now go to the backup and restore option in recovery and make a nandroid backup of your phone, this will create a folder on your sdcard of your stock rom. Then go to reboot phone.

For better understanding, go to the guide in my first post, andy made this guide to make everything quite simple after you have root.

Don't stop now, the hardest part is over! Read the guide a few times to get a better understanding of what to do, better than i could explain it. If you don't understand something, ask before doing anything. Believe me when i tell you, if i can do it anyone can. When i rooted mine there was no guide, i read alot and asked a ton of questions.

If you have root, never do a factory reset from the privacy menu, it's okay to factory reset in your custom recovery.

Please read Andy's guide and look through the all things root guide sticky at the top of the page, everything you need is in there.

I probably rambled on too much, hope i didn't confuse things for you ;-)

Install the BobZohme modified ClockworkMod recovery (VM670NH_recovery.img), Then go to the recovery by typing in:
in the same terminal emulator, right after the recovery install.
Then go to the backup and restore option and select the backup option. This will make a nandroid backup of your stock ROM (total and complete backup of everything, much like a restore point on a computer).
Now if you ever need to activate the phone, all you have to do is restore that backup.
Once this is done you can try the MiRaGe ROM, Bean_Whiz, or bigsupersquids KitKat ROM.

We are here to help you with anything you need, just don't quite now as badblue1 mentioned.

The safest and most complete way to unroot is to flash the ZV9 update through your stock recovery with the "apply update from sd card" option.

To download the ZV9 update zip go here: http://androidforums.com/optimus-v-...flash-zv9-update-step-step-2.html#post4506642
Go to the "What you will need before you begin" section. You will find a direct download of the ZV9 update zip.

Put the update zip on the root of the sd card (not in any folder,but in the same directory with all the folders- /sdcard/).
To get into the recovery, power off phone then hold the HOME + VOLUME DOWN then the POWER button (hold all at the same time until you see the LG logo).

stanan said:

Thank you AndyOpie. This worked! The only trouble I had was figuring out how to select an update option. After much googling, turns out it was the camera button. I am SO out of the rooting business.

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Glad it all worked out for you. Just wondered if with the zv9 radio, do you notice any difference in 3g signal? Some people said that they had a better signal with zv9, some said they see no difference?

Thanks.