Help with understanding ROMS

[01klrjoe]

New to the droid x and wondering about the ROMS. Im not big into hacking but really like the idea of upgrading and light tweaking to fully optimize. So that being said

A) What exactly are ROMS
B) How are they installed
C) What are the benifits
D) Do they void warranties
E) Which ROMS would you suggest installing
F) Links to helpful threads on the site
G) What problems can occur from installing ROMS

Thanks and any help is apprciated.

 

[draexo]

And are any Roms Gingerbased?

Sent from my DROIDX using DroidForums

 

[dtdlurch]

What are ROMS? This can be a very deep question. Many of us struggle to truly understand what a ROM really is and how it comes to be. But, assuming you just want some basic info, I'll stop with theatrics and answer some of your questions as straightforward as possible.

A.) What we come to call custom "ROMs" are variants of published operating systems on your phone. Meaning, what you see when you are using your Droid X is what Motorola published. A developer can take the code and change it up to either theme the UI, tweak some of the behind the scenes stuff like enabling overclocking, etc.He will then publish his/her creation as his own custom ROM.

B.) Your phone must be rooted. In the most simple sense, after rooting you will reboot your phone into "recovery mode" and apply a .zip file containing the ROM. This .zip file will format your memory and install the custom operating system variant (ROM) over the original stock one.

C.) Like I said in "A", you can overclock your phone to make it perform "better" and you can change the look of the UI. Also, there are other memory tweaks to enhance performance, unwanted stock programs can be removed (commonly known as bloat), and a host of other things. Please read a ROM posting to see all the has been changed as well as be provided accurate instructions on how to install the ROM.

D.) Because you are messing with phones internals beyond what the manufacturer or provider has intended. It is possible to ruin your phone as well. Much like taking apart your phone would void the warranty, taking apart the operating system will also void the warranty.

E.) Apex and Rubix are my faves. Liberty is good too, but I've had issues with it in the past.

F.) The forum you came to in order to post this....read the stickies at the top. It is all there. Everything you have asked, and most likely, could ask, have all been answered.

G.) Programs might not load. Application crashing, random reboots, or you may find your self unable to even boot up your phone. This is what happens when you don't follow instructions and install a ROM improperly. Or, the ROM is broken. Research yours ROMs before installing. In many cases, your don't have problems with ROMs if installed properly. Often times, they work better than the stock ROM provided by the manufacturer.

Second Post Question.) There are a few. None considered "complete" though....with exception to DrewGaren's ROMs, who I believe considers true releases outside of "alpha" or "beta". There are a few "betas" floating around too that don't have the fully intended functionality as of yet, but are very close. Again, on this board, go to the top of the screen and you will see sections for each ROM developer. In most developer sections, there are discussions of the Gingerbread based ROMs and there status in the development cycle.

 

[01klrjoe]

thank. much appreciated