HTC Sensation Custom ROM - Factory Defaults

kemperkipie

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Hi,

I have a HTC Sensation. And someone installed a Custom ROM for my phone. Now i have some problems with it. Sudden reboots etc.

I would like to set it to factory defaults.. But if i do it, when it's rooted and with custom rom. Will it reset to seriously FACTORY defaults, or Custom ROM's Defaults?

If it sets to Custom ROM's Defaults, how do i get back the original software, within a day (it's my only phone).

Sadly i can't contact the person who installed the Custom ROM for me.. and i've never done something like that myself :(
 

HopelessNoob

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if you set it to factory defaults it will set it back to the custom rom's defaults

flashing a rom is just like installing windows 7 on a windows xp computer

when you set it to factory defaults you will not lose the root either i believe unless the custom rom is not pre rooted

if you want to get back to the original rom then you have to look for it and odin back to the original rom
 

mjsharma

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search in modaco or XDA for ROMs and its instructions :)
Factory reset will reset it to current rom's default settings.
you have to flash the stock rom for your device from cwm recovery. search in xda or modaco for details :)
 

kemperkipie

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Yes, i've seen a bit how he did it.. But it seemed to be hard to set the antenna right or something, might i complete screw up my phone, or is it always possible to recover?
 
whenever you mess around with rooting you will want two programs installed

rom manager
titanium backup

the first allows you to boot into a "safe mode" if you will and install roms via the zip file. the second allows you to back up all of your data, apps , messages, etcetera to your sd card to prevent data loss.

if you want to flash back to your original rom what you need is the zip file for it. i've heard of odin... but i've never used it.

what rom did he install? personally i've found 3rd party roms to be much better since they dont contain the bloatware and crapware that stock roms do. if you would not mind a suggestion before returning to stock then i would suggest you try one of these two roms out first:

cyangenmod7
miui

i've been running miui android ver 2.3 for at least a year and a half as my daily driver without many issues. for the small issues i did have the two programs listed above can fix any and all problems. remember to always keep the zip installer on your sd card as a just in case.
 

mjsharma

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Back up data using Titanium backup(requires rooting), flash clockworkmod recovery using rom manager, back up your rom from recovery, wipe all cache, and flash your rom. This is the summary of what you will have to do. never forget to take nandroid.

Warning: there is always a chance that you will screw things up but don't worry you are just installing a new rom and you will always have access to recovery so that you can get everything back to normal.

Tip: ICS is still not stable in custom roms, try gingerbread first. best will be the most famous Cyanogenmod but there are few better roms out there just go thru the change log and feedbacks for each rom in the forum and decide which one is the best for your need :)
http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=1112
Check here for info related to roms and other stuffs :)

Edit: flash the stock rom from here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1529941
CHECK WHICH ONE WAS YOURS BEFORE FLASHING AS THERE ARE DIFFERENT VARIANTS OF THIS DEVICE
 

kemperkipie

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My device already has some kind of 3rd party OS... So it has already been rooted etc. I think some of those programs u mentioned might be on it, but I have no clue yet. Since some old friend installed it for me, and I can't reach him anymore.

But i would like an OS that's might have automatic updates or something? like the original one.. Or at least which i can use for ~2 years without any bugs, or compatibility problems..
 

mjsharma

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are you able to reboot in to recovery? if yes then find the stock rom for your device from here:http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1529941
and flash it.. follow the instruction in xda forum for flashing a rom to your device
basic steps are:
1: reboot in to recovery
2: make a backup
3: format and wipe all cache
4: flash the rom from SDcard
5: check for any other steps needed for your device
6: enjoy the new rom
 

kemperkipie

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Sorry for the late response, I've been away for a time.




I decide I should learn how to flash roms. I've selected "Pegasus ICS Sense 3.6 v.2.7.0"

But all possible tutorials I can find, only explain from a clean phone, which isn't configured already.
I have a phone which already has been flashed before. So it's already S-off or something, and there's all sorts of things installed.

I have no idea where to start from here :S
I have one other friend who might help me in 2 weeks.. but I would like to know some more before he comes over.

 
the only major difference when starting with a clean phone and a rooted phone is the starting point. on clean phones the first step is to root the phone.

since you already have your phone rooted, you can avoid the first step.

all you should need to do is as i said before:

rom manager - install this and make sure it has root permissions.
titanium backup - install this and back up everything. apps. numbers. everything.

i would advise creating a backup copy of your current rom. i think rom manager gives you the option for this. place this zip file on your phone (not on your sd card). not doing so may give you a headache later on.

next download the rom you want, making sure it is a version made for your specific phone. remember to read about any possible issues with the rom beforehand. put this zip file on your phone (not on your sd card preferably)

boot your phone into safe mode. look up how to do this with google. it is normally starting up your phone while pressing two buttons down. i think mine is volume down + power. the rom manager recovery program should come up allowing you to install roms. remember to do a davlik and cache wipe when installing a completely different rom or you may have issues. you should be able to figure out the menu system easily enough. i did not have to look up any tutorials on using the recovery module.

i've never heard of the rom you listed. honestly the best roms to use are the popular ones. remember you can always switch up later. unless things have changed miui and cyanogenmod are still the largest and most popular. not everyone likes the miui interface but a quick facelift with golauncherex converts it to a standard android interface (it defaults to an iphone-like interface with no app drawer). each gives you their own benefits and each one is fairly stable.

i've been running miui for about a year and a half. i only had one issue where i needed to reinstall the rom (this is why you want a backup copy on your phone, not on the sd card) but this was caused by another app (not related to miui) bugging up the whole system. this could happen with any rom even stock.

---

in general since you are already rooted it should be a simple matter to put on a new rom. for someone who has done it before it only takes about 20 minutes. if you have everything installed and ready i dont see why it should take you more than 40. i listed all of the programs i've used and the steps i take. it really is not that complicated.

what will take you the most time is changing your settings to how you like them. ringtones, background images, apps, etcetera. i suggest making a list of what apps you have and downloading them from the market when you get your new rom online. you can get them from the backup file but there is more of a chance for problems so i suggest this for only the apps that are not available anymore.

normally it takes me a few days (of fiddling with the phone here and there) to get things set up how i like them. the phone itself should be useable (to call people and surf the web) within 10 minutes post new rom install.
 

kemperkipie

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http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1429953&highlight=insert+coin

This is the ROM I would like to use. It's on this page, and I selected the Pegasus one. I want this one, because I do actually want HTC Sense. In my opinion it's just very usefull with Contacts etc.

Now there are some things that I would like to know.

How do I install ROM-Manager, or Titanium-Backup. Or know if they're already installed?

You've told me to save some files to my phone, instead of my SD-Card. My question is: How!? When I put my phone on my computer with USB, it only shows me the SD-Card, it doesn't give me acces to the phone itself. I think there is a lot installed on my SD-Card, because there are a lot of folders which I don't know what they are.

Thanks for the information so far!
 
you can use whatever rom you wish however do realize that not all roms are stable. there are quite a few which are riddled with problems. do your research and see what people say about the rom you wish to use. i leave this up to you.

rom manager and titanium backup are available in the app store and install just like any app. they will appear in your app drawer like any available app.

when i connect via usb i get three disks. my phone, the phone software installer and my sd card. worst come to worst you can just put it on your sd card and then use a file explorer program to move it manually to your phones memory. you should be able to install from a sd card but once i did have a problem where my sd card was not recognized so this is why i suggest keeping a backup copy somewhere on your phone itself.

 

kemperkipie

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Ok, so basicly: Titanium Back-up is just an app to secure my current data etc. So when I install this app on my new ROM again, it will be able to set back my data, and maybe some apps?

And ROM-Manager is a back-up to my full ROM, for when it goes wrong installing the new ROM? and it seems to be able to install ROMS? Can you explain how this works? Because if I take as example: Windows 7, I can't re-install Windows with a program I use inside Windows? Or does this actually work on phones?

So when I have everything backed up, (I assume I can just copy the back-up files to my PC as well, for extra security?) I can copy my new ROM I've downloaded while still in ZIP-file to my SD-Card (Or phone if possible). And this "ROM-Manager" should do the Install for me, when I select the ROM I copied?

Or am I totally wrong about this "ROM-Manager" Program?

Again thanks for the information, you are the first one who's making me understand some things about flashing new ROMs ;)
 
to answer your questions:

titanium back up does save your data. the program also allows a user to restore this data. the trouble is, especially when moving from rom to rom to rom programs do not always work quite right when just restoring them. as i state below i always download the apps again and just restore data to them via TB. for old programs no longer available on the app store i have restored them via TB.

if i remember correct rom manager can back up your existing rom. this gives you a "restore point" if you want to think of it in windows terms. this program also allows you to install roms. think of it more as "dos" on a windows machine. rom manager has a front end which works inside android and a back end which works as a recovery service. think of it like the menus you get on bootable dvd roms (like the windows disk) except it is on your phone and not on a disk.

yes, rom manager (well actually the recovery portion of the program) can install the rom for you. i think there is an option in the front end of the program to do this but i HIGHLY suggest going into safe/recovery mode and doing it via the back end. i've had zero issues going that route. dont forget to wipe (see steps below)

all roms that i have seen come in a zip file. you leave them in this format when using rom manager.

no trouble for the help. we were all there at one point or another. i remember how hard it was for me to find information.

---

in general when moving from one rom to another this is the list of steps.

-install rom manager if not installed
-install titaniumbackup if not installed
-back up your current rom with rom manager (if i remember correctly) and put this on your actual phone. trust me, do not ignore this step as it could save you problems in the future if you ever get into a nasty situation.
-back up all apps, app data, phone numbers, etcetera
-go into your phone number listing and manually back it up via the menu button and subsequent screens.
-pull back up data and all photos, ringtones, etcetera which you dont want to lose to your sd card. and preferably your pc but the install does not affect the sd card so you should be safe with a sd card backup. i just like to play things safe.
-download the rom you want to use
-turn off the phone
-restart the phone in safe mode/recovery mode, rom manager recovery should start
-verify that you can navigate to the install zip file (but dont install yet)
-wipe davlik cache and data
-install the new rom via the menu system
-wait about 5 minutes
-the phone should start up
-flip through some menus, in general navigate around the phone and check functions to see if there are glaring issues like lagging, menu sticking, etcetera. if not then continue. remember to give the phone a few minutes to boot up as it may have some cpu processing to do at first.
-NOTE: some roms do not come with google apps! remember if yours does not you will need to manually install the .apk once you download it. personally i prefer using roms which include google apps. at minimum you will need googles app store or a copy of titanium backup and rom manager you can install via .apk
-navigate to the google store and get a copy of rom manager and titanium backup installed asap. this is your first priority above all else.
-update your cell tower listing with the code your phone company gave you
-with rom manager (or via the phonebook menus) pull back your phone numbers
-i highly suggest downloading your apps again instead of installing them via the backup files. what i do is download the apps and then restore data only. i havent experienced any real issues going this route but i have had a few minor issues going the other way. mostly with them not wanting to install in some rare cases.
-pull back photos and ringtones to your phone
-set your phone up how you want. ringtones, backgrounds etcetera.

if you dont like how your phone looks... give golauncherex a try. yes, it works on sense phones. what it does is replace the stock launcher (that hideous bar on the bottom of the screen with phone, app drawer, and other buttons), the app drawer, and control over how many screens you have. i have mine set to 5 icons across with swipe up actions. that is 10 different actions i can set with less than 1/4" of height.

i use this: format... command/swipe up command

phone/phonebook
camera/photo album
app drawer/email
text message/google mail
web/app store

it definitely saves alot of time over the sense interface! but then again, i like minimalist designs so i dont have many icons on my desktop. just a recommendation of something to try out.

 

kemperkipie

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Hmm, in 2 days someone might be able to help me with it, so I think I'll wait for him to show me how the first time works, because I'm a bit nervous about the "Cell tower listing", because that was troubling the previous installer as well, since I have no clue what that is, and my phone company didn't give me anything as far as I know.

But I sure know a lot more than when I first started, I've already backed-up my ROM and Files. I guess that will save some time when he helps.

As the app-installing you mentioned: I don't want te recover the same apps I currently have. I actually like a clean start, and will manually install the apps newly. However, I do want my contacts as they were. Other music + Foto's will be set on SD-Card anyway.

But I still have 1 thing: I simply cannot acces my phone storage! I can only use the SD-Card.. very strange.

And about "Wipe davlik cache": Is this an option shown in the menu? Or do I have to have something for it?
 
if you use verizon, dial *228 (yes, with the asterisk)
if you dont, just google search for "______ cell tower update" (input your company)
i dont see what the problem is. you should do this every few months in any case for better signal. its not a big deal.

there arent any issues with restoring contacts. if you back them up then restore they will appear the same. there is a reason i said "apps".

did you try using file explorer, or other explorer app? sometimes this is the only way to access on phone storage.

wiping davlik cache is an option in the recovery menu. you do this just before you install the new rom.

---

you are making this seem like it is alot more complex than it really is. i've given you a step by step list of what to do. if you follow that and my advice before everything should go without a hitch. well, assuming the rom you picked is stable.

honestly... just jump in and get your feet wet. as long as you prepared for it (i told you exactly what you needed to back up) there is very little to worry about. worst case scenario you can use the backup copy of your rom (hopefully you did do this) to restore to your current settings and then you can search for a new rom again.

 

kemperkipie

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I have come pretty far.. But luckily backed up, while I got stuck during booting the new installed ROM. None of the ICS roms seemed to work. I've read what I probably needed is Super CID. Can someone explain what it is? and how I can fix that? The tutorial to fix it, doesnt help me (this one). I get stuck when I have to verify my device is connected at step 4. It just doens't show my device, even when i'm 100% sure it's connected, with USB debugging, tried everything.

what to do now.
I might be sending the phone back for repair soon, just dropped it, broke my screen -.- .... So it might take longer before I can try something