[FAQ] [REF]★ All you need to know about Android | Read this before you post/root ! ★

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bobTheAvenger

Member
May 17, 2012
6
1
Great write up! Good info, thanks!

DigitalAridBustard.gif
 
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dcfied

Senior Member
Nov 28, 2012
67
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Quezon City
KgPNkq6awlhlIzQ3SoUNRgo-fzQ02dvoEbp5O148TPs3_6hlT1ZZIJURKsyy0ShCWbDYHo_VUkbNoLt_6t2nn3VLGsTbqIsu00Yd4ayVIQ1ik1LOdkI=w334-h441-nc

wow. after more than 2 years. this is still the most helpful/informative thread out there. not only for nexus 5. but for android. thanks man!
 

SeanZBoy

New member
Sep 8, 2015
3
1
Awesome read.

According to this thread, I'm not a noob. I thought I was. Lol. Very well put together. (Picture of cat) I couldn't post an outside link due to being new to the site.
 
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nyknvb

Member
Oct 8, 2012
6
0
Can anyone tell me how to root ,unlock bootloader and install custom recovery easily on my nexus 5(Android 5.1.1)???
 

SeanZBoy

New member
Sep 8, 2015
3
1
Can anyone tell me how to root ,unlock bootloader and install custom recovery easily on my nexus 5(Android 5.1.1)???

Type in Nexus 5 in the device box of the xda website. Click on "root info". Rooting is easiest with Linux. After you root the device, go to the Play Store and download TWRP manager. It will flash the new recovery for you.
 

Rektifying

Senior Member
Aug 26, 2015
273
84
I'm new to Android. I have been an iPhone / IOS User since the 3GS. I'm so bored with iPhones and IOS, I had to switch it up! I always wondered about Android but never made the switch. I finally did and I have no regrets so far!

I currently own a Motorola Nexus 6 and a Nexus Player. I am still pretty noob status. I have Unlocked the Bootloaders and Flashed Android 6.0 to both my Nexus Devices. I followed a knowledgeable guide to the T and everything went / is working great! Obviously I have the Android sdk tools. It is an awesome learning experience and I have been doing a ton of research.

This thread is a great start / read for a noob like me so thank you! (Even though I don't have a Nexus 5)

Will post a cat pic later.
 
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UseYerName

New member
Jan 11, 2017
1
1
Not the most useful post ever...

But I follow directions when I'm able and, having had a few "near-brick" experiences,
I try my damnedest to read everything. :cool:
Including passing requests for the one thing the internets are most infamous for...
HARDCORE PORN. Lol wat? No, not that but:
Vaguely amusing cat pictures!
:silly:

Well, I'd intended to post a cat picture as instructed, but as a newb I am unable.
Thanks for your extremely informative post(s)!
:highfive:
YYN
 
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Facebooook

Senior Member
Dec 24, 2009
276
25
Katni
OnePlus Nord
I am on full stock rom but suddenly my phone shutdown .Now when I on it it's stuck on boot animation and doesn't start.
Then I tried to factory reset with recovery but it's doesn't go in recovery say no command.
But it's go on fastboot mode....
Then I tried to flash stock rom via ADB but when I unlock bootloader it's automatically locked and when I flash something it's say remote write failure.
Then I tried to use lgflash tool but driver doesn't install.something like hold vol up and connect cable to PC....It's doesn't install any driver. Only show MTP in device manager.[/QUOTE]
 

elbuenzurdo

Senior Member
May 1, 2015
160
81
Well, it looks like I don't have enough posts to be able to attach a cat image, but...

/ᐠ。ꞈ。ᐟ\

Very informative post, thanks!
 

Char_G

Inactive Recognized Contributor
Apr 9, 2013
1,162
1,898
Missouri
Just adding my cat pic ?
 

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jimilives

Member
Dec 20, 2012
17
7
This might be a dumb question but I'm stumped.

I am trying to flash TWRP 3.1.1.0. My bootloader is unlocked (came that way). USB Debugging is ON in the Developer options... I have the Android SDK running and am able to run the command adb reboot bootloader. After which I run fastboot devices and I see my phone listed.

I then run fastboot flash recovery twrp.img and the progress says it's sending 'recovery' OKAY and writing 'recovery' OKAY. Then says finished. I type fastboot reboot to commit the thing but it doesn't seem to do anything. I have no recovery???

As a side note; I get some messages before the sending and writing that say "slot-count: not found", "slot-suffixes: not found". Not sure if this is relevant but wanted to include it.

What am I missing?
 

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    [FAQ] [REF]★ All you need to know about Android | Read this before you post/root ! ★

    Understanding the Android world before rooting your LG Nexus 5

    Here is a *noob friendly* collection of information every user that wants to root their phone should know. Many people blindly follow guides without even knowing what "Rooting" means. Hopefully, this will help new users (and old ones, why not?) understand what is happening with their phone, and what they will put up with.

    This may seem as a lot to read, but there are no shortcuts. You either read and learn what you're dealing with, or find out the hard way.


    Nexus-5-Render.png





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    Contents


    Post 1:
    ★What does rooting mean?
    ★The advantages of rooting
    ★The disadvantages of rooting
    ★What about the internal memory? How does that work?
    ★Things you hear people talk about
    ★How to backup your stuff
    ★Flashing a custom ROM
    ★ADB and Fastboot
    ★Restoring your Nexus 5 to STOCK
    Post 2:
    ★Tips and Tricks
    ★Questions and Misconceptions

    Let's get started, shall we?





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    What does rooting mean?



    To 'root' your phone means to gain administrative rights on the file system of your phone (in linux, root is the username of the master admin, kind of being an Administrator on Windows). With root access, you can install and uninstall anything you want on the phone. Android is, in fact, based on Linux.

    Most phones come with limited access regarding what you can and can't do on it. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, because it can keep users from accidentally breaking something they shouldn't mess with on the phone, especially in regards to the operating system. However, many manufacturers limit your rights to things that aren't really so mission critical, too, and rooting the phone gets around this.

    If you have a few unnecessary applications (bloatware) pre-installed on your phone that you cannot uninstall, rooting will give you this ability. It will also allow you to upgrade to newer versions of Android before your phone's manufacturer and/or cell provider make the updates available to you.




    So now you know what rooting means. And I bet you are now thinking "Should I do it, or not?" Well, hope this helps you decide:





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    The advantages of rooting



    -De-bloat your phone. Uninstall any unwanted system apps.
    -More control over how the CPU acts. This can increase performance or battery life, depends on how you configure it.
    -More control over power consumption. This implies undervolting your CPU, giving it less power, so it consumes less.
    -More control over how apps start up. Prevent apps from starting up when they don't need to.
    -Change your Baseband (Radio). Try different radio versions, with the purpose of reducing battery drain or improving your signal strength.
    -Flash custom ROMs. Bored of the stock ROM and look? Browse through the hundreds of custom ROMs provided by this community, each having different features and looks.
    -Backups. The ability to completely backup your phone, and fully restoring it to the time of the backup. This is done with a Nandroid Backup (we'll talk about this later)
    -Mods and Inovations. Use many mods, fixes, tweaks or features created by the community!
    -Custom Kernels. As a Nexus device, the Nexus 5 will have tons of kernels with different features, supporting better performance, or battery life! To see what a kernel is, keep reading.
    -Run apps that need Root Permission. These apps can be very useful, like Titanium Backup, Root Explorer, Terminal Emulator and many others!





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    The disadvantages of rooting



    -Rooting will void your warranty (Although reverting root is very easy)
    -The process a bit dangerous. Something could (99.9% probably not, but still) go wrong, and end up bricking your phone. So, yes, the process is 0.1% risky. You can end up deleting everything on your phone. You'll have to handle this process gently and with care.
    -You will be able to do a lot more mistakes. These may cause damage to your phone (But hey, that's why we have these kind of threads, eh?)
    -No more over the air official updates. You'll have to update your phone manually, through your recovery. (Which isn't that hard)


    Now that you fully know what rooting implies, let's continue exploring the Android world.





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    What about the internal memory? How does that work?



    Now, as you might already know, each phone has an internal memory. In the Nexus 5's case, it's either 16GB or 32GB. This internal memory needs to hold a lot of things, not only your personal data. This is why you only have available to use 12.9 GB or 28 GB.
    An Android's internal memory is partitioned into many chunks that have their separate purposes.
    These are all the Nexus 5's partitions, and their names.
    Code:
    /dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/system       /system
    /dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/userdata     /data           
    /dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/cache        /cache          
    /dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/persist      /persist        
    /dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/modem        /firmware 
    /dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/boot         /boot        
    /dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/recovery     /recovery    
    /dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/misc         /misc      
    /dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/modem        /radio   
    /dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/sbl1         /sbl1      
    /dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/tz           /tz      
    /dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/rpm          /rpm   
    /dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/sdi          /sdi           
    /dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/aboot        /aboot
    /dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/imgdata      /imgdata
    Yes, there are quite a lot. You, as a user, don't need to care about all of them. Here are the ones you will need to know about:

    /system- size: about 0.5GB
    This partition holds the Android OS itself. Kind of like the C:// disk on your every day Windows PC. This partition has many folders and files you cannot normally get to, due to safety reasons. For example, system/app is where all the system apps are installed.

    If something gets deleted from this partition, Android will most probably won't work properly.


    /data- size: either 12.9GB, or 28GB
    This is where all your personal data is kept. This includes apps, sms, contacts, e-mails etc. It also stores your system settings, like wallpaper, and all those stuff you set up when you got your phone. The most important folders on this partition are data/app (where your apps are stored), data/data (where you app data is stored, like highscores and stuff), and data/media.
    Data/media might be considered your sd-card. Yes, I know the Nexus 5 doesn't have an sd-card, but this folder works like one. When you connect your phone to your PC, this is the folder that pops up, with all your music, images, videos, and whatever else you keep on your phone.



    Things are getting a bit more complicated, eh? Just bare with me. Next, I will be explaining the different terms you will be encountering throughout your Android experience.





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    Things you hear people talk about



    Kernel
    The kernel is an essential part of any Linux based operating system. It's the program that manages input and output requests of the operating system. Imagine you're at a restaurant. You give your order to a waiter. He takes it to the chef, the chef makes your food, then the waiter brings it back to you, and you enjoy it. In this case, you are the Android system, the waiter is the Kernel, and the chef is the hardware. The system gives the Kernel a request, like firing up another processor core when you play a heavy game, and the Kernel fulfills the request.

    Here is an image for better understanding
    382px-Kernel_Layout.svg.png



    Recovery
    This is a secondary, mini operating system that has access to your internal memory. It contains a few commands that would normally help you recover your Android system in case of a failure, like factory resetting. You will see that, for rooting, you will need to install a custom recovery.
    The stock recovery does not have the ability to write custom ROMs (I'll explain these later) on your internal memory. A custom recovery has this option, and many more.
    Here are some images for you to fully understand:

    Stock recovery:
    35PZ6s9.jpg


    Custom Recovery
    cwm-n4.jpg


    You can see that the Custom Recovery has more options, including "Backup and Restore", Advanced, and Install zip from Sd-card.
    You can get in Recovery by powering off your phone, then hold Power+Volume Down button until a black screen with colored text appears. Then, use the volume buttons to select 'Recovery", and then press the Power Button to select it.



    Bootloader
    The bootloader is the first thing that fires up when you open your phone. As the name says (Boot+Loader), this program loads the kernel, which when boots up the Android system.

    QOkkR84.jpg


    The same bootloader can also boot in recovery, as explained above.
    When you first get the phone, the bootloader is in a locked state. That means that you cannot use fastboot commands like "fastboot flash" or "fastboot boot". With other words, you cannot simply flash a custom recovery. Thankfully, Google gave us the option to unlock the bootloader very easily, and flash a custom recovery of our choice.


    Custom ROMs
    A custom ROM is a ZIP file that contains an altered version of the Android OS. There will be many custom ROMs for the Nexus 5, made by wonderful and skilled devs for the community. You can install a Custom ROM with your Custom Recovery. Custom ROMs contain the following folders and files:

    Untitled.png


    META-INF- This folder holds the installation info and data. A custom recovery does not know on it's own how to install a ROM. In this folder, there's a txt file that contains a script, with the purpose of telling the recovery what to do.

    System- This folder contains the stuff that will be installed on the /system partition that we talked earlier about.

    boot.img- Among others, this file contains the kernel that comes with the ROM.


    Dalvik Cache
    Android is an open source OS, which supports many different architectures. While it's mainly used in the ARM architecture, it could run on x86. Even with in the ARM there are still some variations. Just like in x86, there are many extensions and SSE is an example of that; ARM is no different and there are some variations from one ARM CPU to another. Dalvik is basically a VM(Virtual Machine) engine, this keep the apps to be universal across many architecture. While this is good, this costs processing power. Meaning, if the apps have to run through VM everytime, they will be very slow. Dalvik cache is basically cache of those apps that's already gone through the VM thus it doesn't require to go through the VM everytime. And when an app run, it run from this version instead. Since each ROM may contain different version of app or optimization or even different kernel or Android version, using dalvik cache from different ROM can get you into trouble. Think of it like trying to run application designed for Windows XP on Windows 7 or Windows 8. It may work, it may not work, or it may even crash. Wiping the Dalvik cache will force the Android OS to optimize all the installed apps all over again.

    Ok, so now, after you read all this stuff, you're probably thinking "Ok, I will never get the hang of this". Don't worry. With time, you will know all of these from reflex. And, after you got over that, and manned up again, you probably thought "Ok, let's root this damn thing!". Not quite yet. We aren't done. There are still some crucial things that you need to know. So let's continue.





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    How to backup your stuff



    Before you do anything EVER, you'll always have to backup your stuff, even if you don't feel like it, or your dog died (in which case I'm truly sorry), but, no matter what you're about to do, always have a recent backup sitting around.
    There are many ways and things you can and will probably have to backup.

    1. Backup your entire phone, by creating a Nandroid Backup.
    As you saw in the 'Custom Recovery" picture above, you have a "Backup and Restore" option. Here it is again:
    cwm-n4.jpg


    With every occasion, it's best to use it as often as possible. It only takes about 2 minutes, but it could be a life saver.
    A Nandroid will backup:
    /system
    /data (Except /data/media, where your "sd-card" is, because it's too large and not that important)
    /cache (Yes, there is a cache partition, and it will be backed up, although not really necessary)
    kernel (The kernel will be backed up too)

    ***Optional tip: I always keep a recent nandroid backup on my PC, in case I somehow wipe all my phone's contents, and my backup among with them. The Nandroid backup is saved at this location, which can be accessed with a root file explorer, like ES File Explorer : mnt/shell/emulated/clockworkmod/backup or sdcard/TWRP. If you want to copy it to your storage, just copy the latest backup, and then move it to your PC.

    2. Your apps and data only
    This can be very useful when changing ROMs. You just got bored of your ROM, and want to move to another one. The only way of taking your apps and data with you is by backing them up with an application like Titanium Backup. The backups will be saved in data/media, and will be restored using the same app with which you backup up on the new ROM.


    3. Your SMS, Contacts, MMS etc.
    These things can be backed up by special apps on the Play Store. Ok, contacts will be restored by Google Sync ( although not always done properly, that's why I still back them up), but SMS will not be restored. There are many free apps that back them up for you, nice an easily, for them to be restored in case of a ROM change or data loss.


    4. Your storage (data/media, sd-card)
    You just connect your phone to your PC, select all folders, and copy all over on your PC. This will be useful when you unlock the bootloader. A bootloader unlock will wipe all the stuff on your phone (This can be avoided, read guides). So keeping a copy of your sd-card contents on your PC isn't such a bad idea.


    Now you know how to keep it safe by creating backups. I will say it again, you are never too safe! Backup when you do a modification, even if it's tiny. Now, after you've finished reading the above, you will probably attempt to root. You will use one of the guides out there ( I will link one at the end of this thread ) to install a custom recovery, and gain root access. But what to do with it? Well, you will most likely end up flashing a custom ROM.





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    Flashing a custom ROM



    You will get bored of the stock ROM, and will decide to flash a custom ROM. But you haven't done it before, and you don't really understand the process.Before you do anything, you must:
    -Make sure that the files are for your phone ! If you flash files that were made for another phone, you might end up with a brick!
    -Never panic! There is always a way out! That's what backups are for!
    -Read all the instructions! Every ROM thread has instructions. Read them!


    {By the way, flashing = installing}

    Now, let me take you through the whole flashing process. ( Use the steps in the ROM threads if instructed differently than here )

    1. You will search far and wide in these forums for a custom ROM that fits your needs. Every ROM comes as a ZIP file. So when you decide on a ROM, download the zip. For copyright reasons, Google Apps (Play Store, Google Now etc) don't come included with the ROM. So you will have to download them too. They are usually linked on the ROM main thread.
    Some ROMs might have addons too, so check them out, and download the ones you want.

    2. You now downloaded the ROM, Google Apps, and some addons. The next step will be to put them on your sd-card. Connect your phone to your PC, and make an easy access folder, like "Root Stuffs" where you'll put all these zips.

    3. Now, let the backup process begin. You first backup your apps, app data , SMS, Contacts etc., like I explained above. I recommend Titanium Backup for apps and SMS, MC Backup for contacts.

    4. Now you are ready to go in recovery. Power down your phone. Then, press and hold the Power Button and the Volume Down button at the same time. You will be brought to the Bootloader Screen. Now, with the Volume Buttons, switch through the options until you find "Recovery". Then press the Power Button again.

    5. Now you will be booted in your Custom Recovery. Depending on your recovery, you will have the options on your screen.

    CWM Recovery:

    6. You will go to the Backup and Restore menu, and select "Backup". If you made a backup before, you can select "Delete" first, and delete it, for space consumption purposes.

    7. After the backup finished, you will return to the main screen. There, select 'Wipe data/ Factory Reset". This will wipe everything in /data except /media, so your sd-card will remain untouched. Don't worry, you have a Nandroid Backup!

    8. After the wipe finished, you will go to "Install zip from sd-card". You'll have to navigate to the folder where you put the ROM, and select it. You'll see it will nicely install.

    9. After the ROM finished installing, you will have to flash the Google Apps zip, and the mods. Install them the same way you installed the ROM itself.

    10. After you have flashed everything, you can select "Reboot system now" . First boot will take longer to complete. Again, don't panic. You have a Nandoid bakcup :D. You will end up with the ROM booted, and you'll continue setting it up.

    TWRP Recovery:

    6. Go to the "Backup" menu, select "Boot", "System", and "Data", then swipe the thing on the bottom on the screen to start backing up.

    7. Once you're done, use the home button to get to the main screen. Select "Wipe", and swipe the thing again to Factory Data Reset. This will wipe data, cache and dalvik cache. This will not wipe your internal storage (Music, photos, etc).

    8. After the wipe finished, use the home button again to get to the main screen. From there, select the 'Install" option. You'll have to navigate to the folder where you put the ROM, and select it. Then, by using the "Add more zips" option, add the Gapps package, and and then any addons or mods, in this order. Then swipe the bottom thing to flash.

    9. After you have flashed everything, you can select "Reboot" . First boot will take longer to complete. Again, don't panic. You have a Nandoid bakcup :D. You will end up with the ROM booted, and you'll continue setting it up.


    ***In case something went bad, like your phone doesn't boot for more than 10 minutes, or the animation endlessly repeats itself (Boot Loop), do the following:

    11*. Hold down the Power +Volume Buttons until the phone shuts down. Then release them for a second, and immediately press them again. You will be brought to the bootloader screen. Enter recovery.

    12*. In recovery, go to the "Backup and Restore" menu, and select "Restore" for CWM, or "Restore" for TWRP. Then pick the backup you did earlier, and wait for it to complete. Then, select "Reboot system now", and you should be booted back in your original ROM.



    Now, let's say that after you flashed a ROM, it either did not boot, or you had some bugs with it. You will go to the thread ROM to report your problem. Here's how to not post:
    "This ROM doesn't work"

    You will have to be a lot more specific than that. In reporting a problem, you will have to do the following:
    -Say what you did (Flashing process)
    -What you flashed afterwards
    -What you did to reproduce the bug
    -What recovery you use
    -ROM Version
    -even provide a logcat <This is quite advanced> (http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1726238)


    You have to give as many details as possible, so the developer can sort things out.





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    ADB and Fastboot



    ADB (Android Debug Bridge)
    The Android Debugging Bridge is kind of a toolkit, that has many commands to control your Android from your PC. This is an essential part of your Android experience. With ADB, you can do many stuff that you couldn't normally do, like backup your apps, or push and pull packages from your phone.
    ADB is also used by many of the useful tools out there, like toolkits, and all sort of programs that enhance your Android experience.
    With ADB, you can also Logcat. Logcatting is creating a log of everything that happens on your Android phone while it's on. This is used to find the sources of bugs.

    Example of ADB Commands:
    Code:
    adb pull /system/app/RANDOM APP = creates a copy of a system app on your PC
    adb push app /system/app = Copies an app from your PC to your system partition
    adb reboot bootloader/recovery = Reboots the phone in bootloader or recovery
    adb logcat = Starts a logcat


    Fastboot
    Fastboot is also a toolkit of commands, but a bit different from ADB. While with ADB, you can do simple actions, with fastboot, you can do major ones, like flashing a whole partition, or formatting one. Fastboot is usually the preferred method to flash a recovery. Also, Fastboot usually works with .img files.
    Fastboot is also a very easy method of bricking your phone. Always make sure you are flashing the right files for your phone. Furthermore, fastboot is not the preferred method for recovering your phone. It is the last resort. ADB and/or recovery is much easier and safer.

    Example of Fastboot commands:
    Code:
    fastboot erase boot = Erases the kernel
    fastboot erase recovery = Erases the recovery
    fastboot flash system system.img = Flashes the System partition with an image
    fastboot flash boot boot.img = Flashes kernel
    fastboot flash userdata data.img = Flashes Data partition
    fastboot flash recovery recovery.img = Flashes a new recovery
    fastboot reboot = Reboots the phone

    To use ADB and Fastboot, you must first have ADB drivers and Fastboot drivers installed. Here is a very good guide to set up these two useful things:
    http://www.redmondpie.com/how-to-set-up-android-adb-and-fastboot-on-windows-tutorial/





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    Restoring your Nexus 5 to STOCK


    I moved the whole guide here:
    http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2513701
    Check it out.



    Now please proceed to the next post​
    150
    Post-Divider-LG.jpg

    Tips and Tricks

    1. Try to not use toolkits. (I'm not disregarding any toolkit dev. They did a wonderful job)
    Chromium_ said:
    It has been proven that every time you use a toolkit, god kills a kitten. Save the kittens.
    Due to the fact that people are lazy in nature :D, toolkits have been made so that users don't struggle with rooting their phone. But there are many reasons for you to not use one:
    -->you won't learn anything from using a toolkit, and, if something goes wrong, a toolkit can rarely fix your problem. It's better if you rely on your own forces.
    -->you put the fate of your phone in someone else's hands. If a bit of code is wrong, then your phone could get bricked.
    -->you miss out all the fun. Why buy a Nexus device if you don't want to explore the depths of the Android OS?

    2. Never panic
    Whenever you don't know what to do, and you're stuck, don't panic. There are many people here that can help you. Don't try doing anything blindly. Search the forums, or start a thread in the Q&As section, and we will help you.

    3. Read everything carefully!!
    (If you read this, post a cat picture in this thread, and you will be rewarded with a thanks from me)
    I might have said it a couple of times throuout this post, but always read everything. Someone wrote something for a reason. Usually, if you read everything, and do what you are told, you are bound to be failproof.

    4. Battery pull emulation
    If you hold the Power Button and both Volume buttons for 10-15 seconds, the Nexus 5 will power off, as if it had its battery pulled out. Useful when you get stuck.

    5. Never try to make any system modification(root or flash ROM/recovery) without having enough time and resources to troubleshoot.
    While most of the time, this is relatively painless when the you follow the instruction carefully. That said, things can go wrong. So, don't just say I saw a new ROM when I woke up and I wanna try it, and you have 30 minutes before going to work. Even if it only take 5 minutes to flash the ROM, if a thing goes wrong, those 25 minutes you have left may not be enough to fix your problem and you have no phone to use that day.
    When you flash something, always make sure you have about an hour of free time, and a PC with ADB and Fastboot, ready to make us of if something goes wrong.

    Ok, so now you know pretty much all a normal user should know. But there are still questions that are very frequently asked that need answering. Here are some questions and answers about popular problems and misconceptions. You might encounter these problems later, so give it one more minute of your time:



    Post-Divider-LG.jpg

    Questions and Misconceptions

    1. My Nexus 5 is getting very hot. Hardware problem?
    Nope. There are many reasons that contribute to your phone getting hot, like
    -the fact that it doesn't have any way of cooling itself
    -the fact that a quad core produces more heat
    -etc.
    Don't worry. Everything is working as it should. For example, the Ipad gets 3 times hotter than the Nexus.

    2. If I am rooted, will I receive OTA updates? (See Return to stock section)
    Yes, and no.
    You will be able to download the update by having installed the Stock ROM with stock kernel, though it will not be installed automatically, due to the fact that you have a custom recovery. You will need to install it manually.


    3. The Nexus 5 audio quality is horrible. Why?
    It isn't horrible. It's normal, but the max volume isn't as loud as on other devices. I have been a piano player for 12 years. I have quite a sensitive ear, and I can tell you that the audio quality on the Nexus is comparable with that of an Ipod. The only major difference is that, with the Ipod, you can go deaf with the max volume.

    4. Which kernel/ ROM should I use?
    Don't ever ask this question. What's good for others isn't necessarily good for you. You'll have to try the many kernels and ROMs yourself.

    5. Google Now doesn't activate with "Ok, Google". Why?
    Make sure your language is English (United States) in Settings>Language & Input.

    6. My battery life is short. What should I do?
    -Use a custom kernel made for battery life (like Franco)
    -Use the Greenify app from the play store (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.oasisfeng.greenify&hl=ro)
    -Don't use Automatic Brightness. Set the brightness to about 35%.

    7. My Baseband and IMEI are unknown. What do I do?
    Flash the factory images, and then boot in the stock recovery and do a factory data reset. If it does not solve the issue, repeat. I had to do it 3 times for it to work.

    8. What's the difference between "Development" and "Original Development"?
    Original Development - Usually original pieces of work, based on the original AOSP source, or coded by yourself.
    Development - Projects based on works from the Original Development, or that don't include actual developing (Stock rooted ROMs)



    This is all for now. I hope you understand what's up with this Rooting process. If you have any questions, don't be shy to ask in this thread

    If there is anything to be added to this thread, please post below

    Thank you for the time you allocated to reading this! You are now smarter :good:

    Good day, and Happy flashing!!!



    For credits, useful links and other stuff, see the post below.​
    6
    Very good post. Im not new to rooting but I am when it comes to Nexus Devices. Im use to rooting phones with external SD cards so I have one question.

    When Im going to flash a rom or zip or whatever in custom recovery, I know I have to "Wipe data/factory reset" then "wipe calivk". I know that the data wipe is for apps, app data and system settings. My question is will it also delete pictures, music, videos and other files/file folders like that on the device?

    A Factory Data Reset doesn't wipe the data/media folder, where all the things that should be on the sd-card are. You can use the option with no worries.
    4
    I got a chance to re-read your post again(with addition info) along with the comments from other. Since this post is a prep for rooting, I'll give my view in regard to that.

    I saw you answered about the wiping the dalvik cache, which is right, but maybe explain what a dalvik is, and why sometime we should wipe it. I guess you can consider this as a basic trouble shooting step if a person have a custom recovery and the Android OS acting up. I think you know what a dalvik is, but there is a wiki article also.

    To summarize, Android is an open source OS, which support many different architecture. While it's mainly use in the ARM architecture, it could run on x86 also and even with in the ARM there are still some variation. Just like in x86, there are many extensions to the x86 and SSE is an example of that; ARM is no different and there are some variation from one ARM CPU to another. Dalvik is basically a VM(Virtual Machine) engine, this keep the apps to be universal across many architecture. While this is all an good, but there is a cost to this, processing power cost that is. Meaning, if the apps have to run through VM everytime, it will be very slow. Dalvik cache is basically cache of those apps that's already gone through the VM thus it doesn't require to go through the VM everytime. And when an app run, it run from this version instead. Since each ROM may contain different version of app or optimization or even different kernel or Android version, using dalvik cache from different ROM can get you into trouble. Think of it like trying to run application designed for Windows XP on Windows 7 or Windows 8. It may works, it may not works, or it may even crash. Wiping the Dalvik cache will force the Android OS to optimize all the install apps all over again.

    And here is a tip. Never try to make any system modification(root or flash ROM/recovery) without preparation for time and resource to troubleshoot. What does this mean? While most of the time, this is relatively painless when the you follow the instruction carefully. That said, things can go wrong. And sometime, things can go very wrong. You may accidentally drop your device and interrupt the process or you flash the new ROM and it's not compatible with the app you need. So, don't just say I saw a new ROM when I woke up and I wanna try, and you have 30mins before going to work. Even if it only take 5 minutes to flash the ROM, if thing goes wrong that 25mins you have left may not be enough to fix your problem and you have no phone to use that day. And your business partners or your boss can't contact you. That maybe a good things for some people, but I don't think that's the case for most people. You may not want to try to root or flash ROM/recovery when your phone is the only device that can access the internet at the time. If something goes wrong, you want to be able to get online and find a solution. I preferably to only do this kind of things when I have access to the PC with the necessary drivers installed. If I need adb or whatever tool, it will be there to back me up. Just because you can download the ROM straight from your phone and flash it w/o the need for PC that doesn't mean it's a good idea to not have a backup in mind.