[Q] Do I have to do a factory data reset for every new rom? - Atrix 4G Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

DISCLAIMER: It seems I, and all the other newbies, have to add this to the top of our posts. Yes, I have tried searching for my answer, and no, I did not find it quickly. I prefer the speed and intimacy of human interaction, as well as the fact that I usually learn new things that I would not have from a simple search. If I offend you by dirtying up your forums with a repeat question, please just ignore this thread entirely, I don't want to hear it. If I offend any mods by asking a repeat question, I apologise, please lock this thread and I'll be on my merry way
So I've got the base CM7 working on my Bell MB860, and I love it. I finally have HDMI mirroring, my phone's boot time is 1/10th of what it was before, I don't have any bloatware anymore... these people are getting a donation from me! And to think that some people expect you to pay $1.99 for a flashlight app on Google Play, and the Cyanogenmod is completely free... I just have a few questions:
1) Since I lost my backup of my stock ROM (CWM told me it made the backup just fine before I flashed it, CWM did NOT tell me it corrupted the MFT of my SD card to a point where even R-Studio could not recover the raw data), I just made a backup of the working CM7 installation. Am I correct in that the backup is stored in sdcard\\clockworkmod\backup? And is the timestamp on it supposed to not be adjusted for time zone? Just trying to make sure I have the right backup selected, but the time stamp is 4 hours before when I actually made the backup.
2) I would like to try out some of the ROMs based on CM7. I hear MROM is pretty good. But is there an easier way to install new roms than doing a factory data reset, and then reinstalling all my apps and reconfiguring all my settings for every new rom?
Other 2) And what's all this about downgrading your SBF version can hardbrick your device, would downgrading my CM version do the same?
3) Why do dogs have cold, wet noses?
Thanks in advance for anyone who donates their time to read and answer my questions!

You only have to wipe when switching to a different ROM "flavor". When upgrading to a new version of a ROM, a wipe is not necessary unless the upgrade instructions say otherwise. Or, you could go with the inverse logic - don't wipe unless absolutely necessary, ie. apps are crashing and/or malfunctioning after flashing.
You might also want to try Titanium Backup, it helps with transferring apps and user data to a new ROM.
Also...
moeburn said:
I prefer the speed and intimacy of human interaction
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Click to collapse
You will soon learn it is completely irrelevant what you do or do not prefer. If you want to be a part of a community, you have to adhere to that community's rules. Here, that includes searching and reading on your own as much as you can, with opening a new thread being the very last resort. People have put tremendous effort into writing tutorials and explanations and building compendiums and knowledge databases, asking the same question over and over again basically means all their effort was completely wasted. They have done so specifically to avoid every single newbie asking the same questions again.

ravilov said:
You only have to wipe when switching to a different ROM "flavor". When upgrading to a new version of a ROM, a wipe is not necessary unless the upgrade instructions say otherwise. Or, you could go with the inverse logic - don't wipe unless absolutely necessary, ie. apps are crashing and/or malfunctioning after flashing.
You might also want to try Titanium Backup, it helps with transferring apps and user data to a new ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the info!
ravilov said:
Also...
You will soon learn it is completely irrelevant what you do or do not prefer. If you want to be a part of a community, you have to adhere to that community's rules. Here, that includes searching and reading on your own as much as you can, with opening a new thread being the very last resort. People have put tremendous effort into writing tutorials and explanations and building compendiums and knowledge databases, asking the same question over and over again basically means all their effort was completely wasted. They have done so specifically to avoid every single newbie asking the same questions again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do not wish to be a part of any community that treats newbies asking repeat questions with such hostility. If anything, it helps make it easier to find the answer to your question if there is more than one thread asking that question. Part of the problem is that there are so many tutorials and explanations and knowledge databases that after about 30 minutes of trying to search for my answer, I simply give up. I didn't ask anyone to write a tutorial, if they feel their time was wasted, that's their problem. It is very sad to see that every single time someone asks a question, they almost always preface it with a statement to the effect of "I tried searching, but...". There's very little gain to be made by telling someone to "go use the search function and stop asking repeat questions". You make a newbie feel unwelcome, and make it harder for them to learn, at the expense of having a slightly tidier forum, and sensitive tutorial writers not having their feelings hurt.
You too should know that it is irrelevant to me what people like that prefer. I honestly would prefer no help at all, to that kind of 'help'. I would prefer to have my account banned, than to have some punk think that they can treat me like sh*t just because my Join Date and Post Count are less than theirs.

moeburn said:
I do not wish to be a part of any community that treats newbies asking repeat questions with such hostility. If anything, it helps make it easier to find the answer to your question if there is more than one thread asking that question. Part of the problem is that there are so many tutorials and explanations and knowledge databases that after about 30 minutes of trying to search for my answer, I simply give up. I didn't ask anyone to write a tutorial, if they feel their time was wasted, that's their problem. It is very sad to see that every single time someone asks a question, they almost always preface it with a statement to the effect of "I tried searching, but...". There's very little gain to be made by telling someone to "go use the search function and stop asking repeat questions". You make a newbie feel unwelcome, and make it harder for them to learn, at the expense of having a slightly tidier forum, and sensitive tutorial writers not having their feelings hurt.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure how others feel like, but personally I think this is not so much about keeping "the precious forum clean", more like "give a man a fish" vs. "teach a man to fish". Not quite the best approach, I agree, but this kind of attitude (sometimes viewed as aggressive or hostile) does indeed often make people search (or search more), and then often times they do find the answer they've been looking for, written down in plain sight. And then they do it again, this time on their own. And so in due time they're not only able to find all the info they need, but they're also able to teach others to do the same. It's not even just about this forum, being able to research properly is IMO a very useful skill in general.
On the other hand, there is indeed a set of "very well known facts" around here, and anyone asking about them is immediately seen as a noob with little to no regard for the community and with either poor search skills or just plain lazy. This "ellitistic" attitude seems to plague most hi-tech communities sooner or later, and I agree it is not a good thing. I myself have been guilty of it, but I'm trying to get rid of it.
Anyway, that is just my personal opinion and view of the situation. I by no means own this forum and generally I'm trying to not tell people what to do, just point them in the right direction. I'm just trying to give you an insight of how communities like this function. I'm a part of another (highly technical) forum and the general atmosphere there is very comparable to here, so it's safe to assume that that is just how things go in communities like this. You can adhere to the same rules or you can choose to be hated because you don't, but you won't ever change the mindset.
Anyway, enough off-topic.

moeburn said:
DISCLAIMER: It seems I, and all the other newbies, have to add this to the top of our posts. Yes, I have tried searching for my answer, and no, I did not find it quickly. I prefer the speed and intimacy of human interaction, as well as the fact that I usually learn new things that I would not have from a simple search. If I offend you by dirtying up your forums with a repeat question, please just ignore this thread entirely, I don't want to hear it. If I offend any mods by asking a repeat question, I apologise, please lock this thread and I'll be on my merry way
So I've got the base CM7 working on my Bell MB860, and I love it. I finally have HDMI mirroring, my phone's boot time is 1/10th of what it was before, I don't have any bloatware anymore... these people are getting a donation from me! And to think that some people expect you to pay $1.99 for a flashlight app on Google Play, and the Cyanogenmod is completely free... I just have a few questions:
1) Since I lost my backup of my stock ROM (CWM told me it made the backup just fine before I flashed it, CWM did NOT tell me it corrupted the MFT of my SD card to a point where even R-Studio could not recover the raw data), I just made a backup of the working CM7 installation. Am I correct in that the backup is stored in sdcard\\clockworkmod\backup? And is the timestamp on it supposed to not be adjusted for time zone? Just trying to make sure I have the right backup selected, but the time stamp is 4 hours before when I actually made the backup.
2) I would like to try out some of the ROMs based on CM7. I hear MROM is pretty good. But is there an easier way to install new roms than doing a factory data reset, and then reinstalling all my apps and reconfiguring all my settings for every new rom?
Other 2) And what's all this about downgrading your SBF version can hardbrick your device, would downgrading my CM version do the same?
3) Why do dogs have cold, wet noses?
Thanks in advance for anyone who donates their time to read and answer my questions!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You don't need to complete a factory reset if you're going to a completely new ROM. You simply need to process a data and cache wipe in CWM. Use titanium backup, call log restore, SMS restore, and APN settings restore before wiping. That'll make the migration process much easier and seamless. It takes time, but it eliminates a few layers of complication during the process. Upload your backups to google drive or Dropbox as well as to your desktop.
About your disclaimer: I completely understand your frustration. However, including such a vociferously rebellious statement atop each thread that you post invites a negative reaction. And doing so isn't going to change the social dynamics of this community. It simply disrupts the integrity of our discussions. Simply search for your answer. If that fails to satisfy your needs, post a new thread. Ignore those who respond in a unhelpful manner. If they're not acknowledged, they're powerless. By specifically addressing and acknowledging that demographic during each post, you're inviting their hostility into the discussion.
Yes, there are great compendiums of technological knowledge available to us on XDA. However, a forum search engine hardly qualifies as a great organizer for such a repository. So, we will encounter redundant threads guys. Deal with it.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

Related

Tips for the laymen rooting

I wanted to contribute something to the development but I'm a dumby when it comes to code. For a living I coordinate techs and developers with end users, basically I'm a tech-speak translator. I've notice that around these parts there are a ton of questions that could be easier resolved by following some guidelines. So this guide isn't about how to root or rom specifically, it's tips to avoid common mistakes and make it easier to provide you with help if something does go wrong. Think of it like when you call your cable help line and they ask you "is it plugged in" if you checked to make sure it was plugged in before you called you'll get to a solution a lot quicker.
I ask that any devs who can add to this do because knowing what us regular users can do to make your job (unpaid job that is) easier benefits us all.
Back up
This is super important but a lot of us are in such a rush to play with the goodies that we skip it. Always always keep a current back up of your sd card on your pc/mac. You can create a folder called "mytouchbak" or whatever you want and just copy and paste all the files over there.
Also nandroid backup. You should keep at least 2 nandroid backups. If you're just now rooting make a nandroid back up before you do anything. Then once you have a good stable rom running make another nandroid back up. This way you can either return to a default build, or to your working rom build.
These things are important because usually if you screw something up it's usually quicker and easier to just start from the beginning rather than have someone try to figure out what tiny step out of the many involved you may have done wrong, then figure out how to fix it.
Try twice
This relates to "back up." If something seems broken start from the beginning and try it again. Most likely you missed a step, forgot a symbol in something you typed, or sometimes something just didn't quite go right. By rooting you are doing things that weren't meant to be done and sometimes some numbers just got crossed somewhere. Before you proclaim that things are broken just try it again. You would be suprised by the number of times things work the second time through.
Read the whole thread
We have all done it. You follow the instructions perfectly and something doesn't work so you run to the forum and immediately write a post saying "help, i can't get it to work" on page 80 of a thread when several other people experienced the same problem, already asked the question and a solution was posted on page 20. I know it's sometimes a pain to skim 80 pages of posts but those 80 pages are probably caused by other people not reading the thread before posting. A good tip for this is if there is something specific that isn't working like wi-fi tether, just open the search toolbar in your browser, type "tether" and then go to each page hitting search. That way you don't have to read every post but if anyone has mentioned anything about tethering it will point you right to it and you only have to read those posts.
Have a computer ready
This is one that most of us already do but the one time you forget things always go bad. Don't ever rely on remembering the instructions you read on your phones browser when working on rooting and romming. If you have a computer in front of you you can read the forums and follow the instructions word for word which gives you a better chance of success.
Read everything first
Before you start read everything from start to finish at least once. Sometimes devs skip steps that they assume we know and then mention them later. It's because a lot of things seem like something everyone should know, but we don't. In the same vein if you can find multiple tutorials read them all first. This will give you several view points on doing the same thing and will in general make the whole process make more sense to you and clue you in on things one tutorial may have skipped past.
The other benefit is sometimes a step is listed, and then right after it it will say something like "and don't do that until you do this." such as with our current rooting loop method. If you read all the steps first before starting you won't be caught off guard by things like this.
Asking for help
When you get stuck, you can't find any answers AFTER READING AND SEARCHING THE FORUM for your issue then definitely ask away. How you ask relates to how easily it is for someone to help you.
Avoid making general statements when possible, detail is a must. Instead of saying "I rooted, then did A2SD, then restarted" give the steps you took to root and A2SD by either referencing the method such as "I rooted as per the steps laid out in (link to instructions or name of method) or lay out the exact steps line for line as to what you did. If you assume you rooted right and what went wrong was you missed a step in the rooting process how is anyone supposed to tell you what step you missed.
Also format it to be easy to read. Development trains your mind to be very organized and structured. Basically don't format your post like this guide I'm writing, in large blocks of paragraph text. Instead put each command on a new line for instance:
"I did this
adb shell
adb push update.zip /sd
reboot into recovery....."
this makes it a lot easier to provide you with help.
Slow down, Find a good time
Don't rush through the process. That's how steps are missed, commands are mistyped and phones get bricked. I've done roots at 2am and couldn't for the life of me get it to work, I put it away and tried again in the morning and things went great. So don't mess with rooting and romming when you're exhausted, in a hurry, high, in the midst of an argument with your girlfriend, or any sort of other distractions.
That's all I have for now, I hope it helps. If anyone has anything to add please do.
great guide, most of us probably follow these general rules without really thinking about it and sometimes that is overlooked when a new guy comes in to try to do something.
tubaking182 said:
great guide, most of us probably follow these general rules without really thinking about it and sometimes that is overlooked when a new guy comes in to try to do something.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you. I notice that happen a lot in my job where someone with no experience in the particular tech get's lost because the things we take for granted as common knowledge really aren't for someone new to the idea. Especially with the android devices becoming insanely popular theres a huge influx of new users looking at the goodies that come with root. install a custom rom or two and everything above becomes second nature.
skullkandy said:
Slow down, Find a good time
Don't rush through the process. That's how steps are missed, commands are mistyped and phones get bricked. I've done roots at 2am and couldn't for the life of me get it to work, I put it away and tried again in the morning and things went great. So don't mess with rooting and romming when you're exhausted, in a hurry, high, in the midst of an argument with your girlfriend, or any sort of other distractions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So that's why I was having problems.
this tut is NOW IN SLIDE BIBLE! just send people there any chance you get with noobs, and we'll let them search
Aweome idea for a post! Thanks!
Sent from my T-Mobile myTouch 3G Slide using XDA App
Thanks for all the positive feedback guys. And especially thank you for getting this posted into the slide bible. I hope this cuts down on some of the repeat questions and makes it easier for some of the new folks to not be so overwhelmed when rooting for the first time.
@Bigshow281 : I have screwed up several rootings by being a little bit too foggy to be messing with something that requires precise typing and following instructions correctly.

Rooting for Newbies

I freely admit that I'm a Newbie when it comes to rooting; this post is to ask if anyone can please recommend a good source of reading matter to help me get started rooting my Streak?
AidanBell said:
I freely admit that I'm a Newbie when it comes to rooting; this post is to ask if anyone can please recommend a good source of reading matter to help me get started rooting my Streak?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are several threads and even a sticky you'd have to be blind or flat lazy to miss to not have seen it with ALL the info you need
Please note the word "Newbie". I have indeed found many threads and pages, all of which dive into the subject as if it's second nature. I don't even know what a "Sticky" IS! I'm an intelligent person, PC literate, perfectly capable of rooting a phone, I'm sure. But I have utterly no experience of doing so. I'm sure there are many people in my position, and I'm simply looking for a user-friendly starting point. Thanks.
AidanBell said:
Please note the word "Newbie". I have indeed found many threads and pages, all of which dive into the subject as if it's second nature. I don't even know what a "Sticky" IS! I'm an intelligent person, PC literate, perfectly capable of rooting a phone, I'm sure. But I have utterly no experience of doing so. I'm sure there are many people in my position, and I'm simply looking for a user-friendly starting point. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey - I was lost when I first started to flash my first rom. I found a number of different sources which all helped in their own little way. I'll gladly talk you through each step. Have you rooted your phone yet? There is an excellent video on (youtube.com/watch?v=60z9YBv9Ksw) youtube to help you along - visit the unlockr's how to's also (//theunlockr.com/category/howto/android_how_tos/dell-streak-how-tos/)
Many thanks thecelticchimp. I'm gonna check the links you've kindly given and if there's enough there to give me a basic grounding then I'll bite the bullet and do the deed this evening.
read the top 5 or 6 threads
http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=698
thecelticchimp said:
Hey - I was lost when I first started to flash my first rom. I found a number of different sources which all helped in their own little way. I'll gladly talk you through each step. Have you rooted your phone yet? There is an excellent video on (youtube.com/watch?v=60z9YBv9Ksw) youtube to help you along - visit the unlockr's how to's also (//theunlockr.com/category/howto/android_how_tos/dell-streak-how-tos/)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh dear, foiled at the first hurdle! My phone's build number is 15609. Theunlockr.com sends me to
http://android.modaco.com/topic/316229-19aug-streak-21-downloads-how-tos-rom-superboot-recovery/
where I can't find any reference to that build number, therefore can't find the necessary Superboot files.
Help? ... !
Your first problem is trying to use Superboot. You don't need to, and it's not recommended to use it in any event. All you need to know is how to use Fastboot properly.
The second problem is that you're trying to do this cold. For a bit of an assist, try looking in the apparently little known Wiki on the site here. There is a flashing guide for the Dell Streak there and one very critical piece of advice on it that is a must read, though duplicated on some of the threads.
I am going to recommend that you spend some time reading up before attempting to flash the Streak, or you will very likely end up with a nice, shiny, and very expensive paperweight.
OK, for the moment I'm going to be content with a factory reset and no root.
I think if one of you experts out there fancies a little project it would be to write exactly what the sarcastic "No spoonfeeding here" signature doesn't want; a "Rooting for beginners" guide.
I'm told I don't need to use Superboot, but I thought Superboot WAS rooting. Truth be told all I wanted to do was to be able to uninstall unwanted pre-loaded software on my Streak, not much more than that.
Despite kind people's encouraging words that rooting is now very straightforward, Strephon's timely warning reminds me that it isn't. I think I'll take the easy way out and wait until someone IS prepared to spoon feed me!
Sticky posts are set up so that they never disappear from page 1 of the forum you are reading. They are also so that critical information, such as how to root the streak without bricking it, is easy to find. Rooting the Streak is quite easy; far easier than other devices. Yet it's still possible to brick it if you do not read up on what you're supposed to be doing.
If you were truly a noob I'd have given you a link. However, you have been with the site a while, and thus you should by now know the rules, especially rule 1: search before you post. Thus, no spoonfeeding for you. Use the search engine and the stickies. That is why we have them.
Duly ticked off! Many thanks for the help and advice, I'll start reading...
Cheers,
Aidan

[Q] Comment about terminology and process

I am a new Xperia Ultra owner and whilst not planning to do any flashing just yet I thought tonight I'd take a quick look at threads discussing steps that would be involved in doing this.
Let me qualify what I'm about to say by stating that I appreciate people on this site who develop tools which allow us to hack our devices so we can make better use of our phones. They are incredibly skilled, gifted and generous with their time. I would love to be able to spend the time learning how to do this but I simply don't have the time. So please don't take what I am about to say as a criticism but more as an observation, considering the effort contributors put into this it would indeed be incredibly foolish of me to criticise anyone here.
I can probably safely say that none of the contributors are also trained technical writers and a fair number do not have English as their first language. Its my first and only language and I often have difficulty getting the meaning across succinctly not to mind getting the spelling right . And I know even for large software houses support documentation is not a priority.
I want to approach hacking my phone with confidence this time round. In the past I've reflashed several phones for myself and friends and simply followed steps and not really understanding completely what the hell I was doing. Lordmanhattan I know I sent you an email regarding a contradiction on your thread. And you very kindly got back to me very quickly.....amazing, thank you. And then there is the "TA partition", WTH is that? I did very briefly google this to find a quick answer but no joy....grrrr (also looked in the XDA Wiki acronyms) I'm sure if I looked hard enough I'd find it. It's mentioned everywhere but nobody seems to be offering an explanation what it is or what it does or why it's important or what it stands for !!!!
Very often I find threads on here describing how to do something hard to follow and this is often for the following reasons:
It could be that there is more than one way to achieve something so its a case of different people offering varied procedures, this can be confusing
A process may be described but then to the newbie the author seems to miss out on a step that to the experienced is obvious
The level of English used leads the reader to scratching their head wondering ...did he/she mean this or that
Threads not being updated or corrected even after feedback
Okay I won't go on.
So I have decided my time might be well spent doing some background research before delving into messing about with my Xperia Z Ultra and saving you guys from having to deal with daft questions from me.
Now does this mean I have to spend time reading through threads and trying to piece it all together to find the best way through and possibly getting the wrong end of the stick or reading superseded posts?
OR
Are there a couple of sites that will get me up to speed understanding the terminology, hardware, memory management, etc for my phone?
I have a feeling it's going to be a bit of both......your suggestions please
Oh, I stumbled across XDA University but got the impression it wasn't being maintained???
Some of the pages I visited....
A New User’s Guide to Android.......unfortunately none of the images for this page loaded
Video guides .................................had flash presentations which didn't load
Ferg8080 said:
I am a new Xperia Ultra owner...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A good and detailed post, and it's not just the dev's and support that could take note. Some of the people that ask questions really need to read your post and think about what they are trying to say, get help with -- we aren't mind readers either.
I always try and help anew user by using as few TLA as possible in a reply to them. I also try to do the steps as #'d lists with as many steps as possible.
I do think LordManhattan's guide needs a little love as a few things are a little out of date - but it is as comprehensive guide as you could get, and most vagaries are covered in the thread.
TA = trim area, where your unique DRM keys are stored, and god only knows what else.
Thanks for your well written post! First I want to say - like Blueether just did, that we are not mind readers, so we can't possible know people's skill level or what they want to do. That's why I've started to ask them straight up what they want to do and where in the process they are. That way it'll be easier for me to help the other person, and hopefully write a short but complete step by step guide. It won't happen that often, but if I got some time to spare, why not.
My guide is a little out of date now, and I have planned to update it for quite some time, but things are moving so god damn quick around here that even I will get outdated if I take a short break. I recently sent my Ultra in for repairs, and 12 days later when I got it back and ready to get back in the game, a new firmware had been released with a new rooting method. I knew everything one day, and nothing on the other. It's really hard to balance real life and being kept updated at all times. Don't forget that you must be sure about what you know and write when you make a guide, because you don't want to brick people's devices. One slipup and the consequences might be ugly.
There are (of course) one or four ways of doing things around here, and you'll probably get different ways of doing things if you ask me or blueether about rooting or flashing custom ROMs. I guess it's just the way it is. New methods also pop up once in awhile, so some people will adopt these new methods while some other people will stick with the old school method, thus making things a little more complicated for new people who are looking for reliable information.
The TA partition is, like blueether already said, your device's unique DRM keys which makes X-Reality (and other minor things, I guess) work. It's important to make a backup of this partition since you'll lose it when you unlock the bootloader. Why would you unlock the bootloader? You have to unlock it if you want to flash custom ROMs, or if you want to make rooting easier. The problem is that you need to be rooted to back it up, so you'll have to spend some time reading and researching before you start.
Just keep your Ultra stock for now, and just casually read and soak up stuff from different threads around here. Walk around like you do in a new city and check out the locals and see what they do and say. You'll pick up a few things here and there and things will start rolling from there.
Sent from my C6806_GPe using Tapatalk
blueether said:
A good and detailed post, and it's not just the dev's and support that could take note. Some of the people that ask questions really need to read your post and think about what they are trying to say, get help with -- we aren't mind readers either.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LordManhattan said:
a new firmware had been released with a new rooting method. I knew everything one day, and nothing on the other. It's really hard to balance real life and being kept updated at all times. Don't forget that you must be sure about what you know and write when you make a guide, because you don't want to brick people's devices. One slipup and the consequences might be ugly.
some other people will stick with the old school method, thus making things a little more complicated for new people who are looking for reliable information.
Just keep your Ultra stock for now, and just casually read and soak up stuff from different threads around here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes you can see some people just rush in with questions without giving serious thought to what they want to achieve. I think its people who don't often understand the process properly, haven't thought it through and are following what seems like a straightforward step by step process. Understanding what you are doing requires patience and TIME.
XDA I think is an unrivalled repository of amazing contributions from amazing people on a technology that is constantly evolving. Its also a jungle. One doesn't go into the jungle unprepared
Thanks for the fantastic advice guys and I will heed but I can't promise I might come out with some corkers
One last thing, how on earth do you find the time to lead a normal life? You obviously love what you are doing. It might be easy to assume everyone who contributes here is in IT. I imagine there are plumbers, electricians, mechanics, office workers, retired folk.....

[Q] flashing android,risks with safestrap

Hello,
I recently got a HDX 7" and had it rolledback to 13.3.2.7 and got it rooted and safestraped with a backup of stock on my pc and a image i am messing around with.
Whoever i would like to flash normal android on,my question is how do i do that and what are the compatibility issues and risks i face if i flash it with safestrap.
Thanks in advance
wow
Davengerr said:
Hello,
I recently got a HDX 7" and had it rolledback to 13.3.2.7 and got it rooted and safestraped with a backup of stock on my pc and a image i am messing around with.
Whoever i would like to flash normal android on,my question is how do i do that and what are the compatibility issues and risks i face if i flash it with safestrap.
Thanks in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
wow sorry bud but that's just way too much information to just drag over here to your thread it all depends on if you're capable of doing the job correctlyI would highly recommend going over to the development section and just start reading that is the only way you are going to know for sure is 250 peoples experiences not just one that comes over here to your thread and decides to give you a quick easy information. It is what it is.everything you dreamed of knowing about this device is here if you're willing to look for it...there are a bunch of very very recent development items that you're going to want to do your own homework on anyway not just one guy that thinks he knows it all come over here and help you screw up your device...good luck and enjoy your new Kindle
to sum it up there are risks with everything depending on ability to do proper research, comprehension level and ability to follow directions. .hell for some wiping their ass and tying their shoes have more risk than safestrap does when used properly.
@jimyv : I look around some similar thread, I can see many of your comment, you always typed many many things, but mostly no useful information for newbie point of view, even an useful link.
If you can not help them, just get out and no need to comment.
Sorry, but it is a little bit annoyed here.
lupin87 said:
@jimyv : I look around some similar thread, I can see many of your comment, you always typed many many things, but mostly no useful information for newbie point of view, even an useful link.
If you can not help them, just get out and no need to comment.
Sorry, but it is a little bit annoyed here.
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Click to collapse
well I'm sorry that you haven't found many of my comments useful obviously you haven't read very many of them but obviously some of my more aggravated ones have caught your attention you're welcome to look at my profile and check out my activity for the last year and a half I helped over a dozen people fix their bricked devices and contributed and many many helpful links which resulted in nothing but people trolling and being lazy and lazier and lazier I am simply trying to get people to do as I did and research and find their own information before adding additional clutter tothe forums...it's fine to be a noob everybody has been a noob at one time. And when you spend enough time here and with enough devices you will figure out that you just cannot help lazy people that are unwilling to find their own research at least to an extent. You're welcome to spend hundreds of hours of your time running around the forums cutting and pasting links to help the lazy ones but soon you will figure out that's all you are doing is enabling a growing problem. in other words the more I have helped them the less they actually knew orlearn because of not doing something the long way.
as some would say anything worth having is worth earning it yourself for the hard work / research. I noticed that most of the folks that do exactly these kinds of threads all of a sudden think they know everything. And then brick because they don't know near as much as I they need to because somebody came over to their one thread and gave them a little information or a couple of links. that they only partially read anyway. And then they are starting another thread. Titled PLEASE HELP I BRICKED MY DEVICE!!! identical to 30 threads that are dealing with the identical situations and .I have personally been up for several hours at a timetrying to help these types of people and they just simply cannot follow directions. And or most the time trying to translate it and screw it up in the translation somehow and then run away and start another thread because they still cannot get it right no matter how many people are trying to help them or how many links you give them. It's a waste of resources and everybody's time.it's just unbelievable to me that all this information is here already if they would just go and find them. they just choose not to. or believe they do not have the time to read them and expect special treatment and or catered to for some reason...I'm sorry I made the time and I'm a busy man and it seems disrespectful to me for anybody else to think they deserve different treatment
so to sum it up you are welcome to spend even half as much time in these forums researching reading and dragging pasting and copying links and see if you don't get a little bitter when you like to come here and find stuff yourself and its all cluttered up with repetition and threads starting with a question that was answered in the thread that was right below theirs READ THE THREADS and learn from other peoples experiences. Then you will adequately realize the risk that you are taking. You are not getting enough information when you start one of these threads to go doing the modifications that people are doing. All the information is here .
that's annoying it happens way too often and a lot more often than my snappy comments..
i vote @jimyv for moderator
grin
aaronkatrini said:
i vote @jimyv for moderator
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Roflmfao
glad somebody still has a sense of humor lol I know from experience you can tend to get a little jaded hanging around here too much. I can't help but lurk though..I do own three HDX devices and development has been pretty much a dead fish.( until very recently I must say very cheesy) Compared to the other 15 devices that I maintain for myself and family. As a full-time mechanic and father I spend way too much time in here I know. and to those that have been insultedby what I have had to say I am probably speaking directly to you ,others probably just get a kick from me watching get aggravated. And many more out there that are silent know exactly what I am speaking of and refuse to help anybody anymore because said issues (much of the true talent) unfortunately,and that is the true loss.

Navigating Long Threads

This will be a launching pad for tips and recommendations for members negotiating long threads and reading pertinent information. I read many posts with members stating that the thread is just too long to read. Then using that as an excuse for not reading at all. Please add your ideas and methods for reading.
The first thing I do when looking at a new thread is read the OP. I always check dates and also the date of the latest iteration of the ROM, kernel, etc. after reading what the author wrote about their thread I'll jump to the end of the thread and read backwards to the date of the latest release. This gets me up to date with the latest build and any issues.
Then I'll decide if I want to flash this on my very expensive device.
Like I said...
Please add on your tips!
Thanks!
RayMcGrath said:
This will be a launching pad for tips and recommendations for members negotiating long threads and reading pertinent information. Please add your ideas and methods for reading.
The first thing I do when looking at a new thread is read the OP. I always check dates and also the date of the latest iteration of the ROM, kernel, etc. after reading what the author wrote about their thread I'll jump to the end of the thread and read backwards to the date of the latest release. This gets me up to date with the latest build and any issues.
Then I'll decide if I want to flash this on my very expensive device.
Like I said...
Please add on your tips!
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi...
The way you use to read a thread pretty much summarize the way I do it myself. I go a step further by searching within the said thread with some key words such as:
Problem, issue, brick, bricked, bootloop, etc...
I may sound paranoid, but I often browse the forum late at night and I could miss an important post due to being tired.
Cheers...
Great idea Ray. Teach by teaching, not by beating a person over the head lol
I go to the OP also and if I am interested in flashing, go back a month or two and read posts to see if things are stable or not. I also follow a bunch of Roms that I don't intent to flash or, have flashed before - just to see what kind of problems have arisen and how they were dealt with. It's a great way to pass a ride on the train or other idle time. I do think that there are many from around the world here and language might be a factor effecting their ability to read and/or search. Either way, I love this XDA, a valued tool! Too bad I came along so late in the game.
Bobbaloo said:
Great idea Ray. Teach by teaching, not by beating a person over the head lol
I go to the OP also and if I am interested in flashing, go back a month or two and read posts to see if things are stable or not. I also follow a bunch of Roms that I don't intent to flash or, have flashed before - just to see what kind of problems have arisen and how they were dealt with. It's a great way to pass a ride on the train or other idle time. I do think that there are many from around the world here and language might be a factor effecting their ability to read and/or search. Either way, I love this XDA, a valued tool! Too bad I came along so late in the game.
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Great to have you. You're a big help to many folk.
5.1 said:
Hi...
The way you use to read a thread pretty much summarize the way I do it myself. I go a step further by searching within the said thread with some key words such as:
Problem, issue, brick, bricked, bootloop, etc...
I may sound paranoid, but I often browse the forum late at night and I could miss an important post due to being tired.
Cheers...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're right!
Performing a search can be an art form. Using the just right keyword to be successful takes some practice. It is so important to try many paths and exhaust all possibilities before posting your question in the threads. And then phrasing your question with all your information is important as well.
RayMcGrath said:
You're right!
Performing a search can be an art form. Using the just right keyword to be successful takes some practice. It is so important to try many paths and exhaust all possibilities before posting your question in the threads. And then phrasing your question with all your information is important as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, since my first modded android phone in 2008, i have never felt the need of asking anything. Most likely because all issues I encountered were already covered. Either by developers or people answering issues reported by previous users having the same problems. And maybe because I like to get things done by myself. (Which I achieve 1% of the time ).
I check XDA almost every day since. I must say that the "reading thing" may sound challenging for some people. You'll ask me why?
What follows is about novice users for the most part who don't know about/how to use the search function. Try reading a thread where 100 users come each and every day writing the same thing about the same problem over and over. And over again...
Trying to find the relevant posts in-between all this mess is sometimes quite discouraging.
I'm lucky to have affinity with English and of course it's a lot easier to read and find infos when I need them. Google translate became really nice with time. Yet i find myself using it, since English is not my native language and I learned it the hard way. Sometimes it's sad to see people not using such a powerful tool.
People, please use the search function! Take some time to read. If you don't get it, use an online translator. :good:
PS: Hopefully I didn't derail too much from the OP with this post... I'll delete it if needed.
5.1 said:
Well, since my first modded android phone in 2008, i have never felt the need of asking anything. Most likely because all issues I encountered were already covered. Either by developers or people answering issues reported by previous users having the same problems. And maybe because I like to get things done by myself. (Which I achieve 1% of the time ).
I check XDA almost every day since. I must say that the "reading thing" may sound challenging for some people. You'll ask me why?
What follows is about novice users for the most part who don't know about/how to use the search function. Try reading a thread where 100 users come each and every day writing the same thing about the same problem over and over. And over again...
Trying to find the relevant posts in-between all this mess is sometimes quite discouraging.
I'm lucky to have affinity with English and of course it's a lot easier to read and find infos when I need them. Google translate became really nice with time. Yet i find myself using it, since English is not my native language and I learned it the hard way. Sometimes it's sad to see people not using such a powerful tool.
People, please use the search function! Take some time to read. If you don't get it, use an online translator. :good:
PS: Hopefully I didn't derail too much from the OP with this post... I'll delete it if needed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From the beginning, searching for the answer - did someone else have the same situation and fix it(?) - THIS always seemed easier and more gratifying than waiting for someone to answer me on a thread
Actually, I was flashing macks ROM, then CM on my note 2 and I didn't even KNOW XDA existed. I was so grateful when I found it. Especially when I got this phone. With Google ai, now it seems so much easier to do a quick search on the web
Bobbaloo said:
From the beginning, searching for the answer - did someone else have the same situation and fix it(?) - THIS always seemed easier and more gratifying than waiting for someone to answer me on a thread
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Click to collapse
Yeah I know how you feel! At least for me having no real technical knowledge, I'm always glad to find the solutions by myself. Since it's around and just needs a search it's even faster than waiting for an answer. Also, since I only need to search when my phone is broken, I simply can't wait for someone to answer. Imagine no one replied during two days...
Bobbaloo said:
Actually, I was flashing macks ROM, then CM on my note 2 and I didn't even KNOW XDA existed. I was so grateful when I found it. Especially when I got this phone. With Google ai, now it seems so much easier to do a quick search on the web
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is the first place I found when I started to flash my HTC vision back in 2008. I started reading guides and development and was like: WTF these guys are cracking bootloader, carrier unlocking, etc... And all can be found so easily... :good:

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