Noob Guide: How to - from stock phone to custom ROM: includes Bali/Voodoo Lagfix

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Ok, for anyone who finds this. I'm writing out a quick guide for what I was led through. I've borrowed a few lines from some other threads as well

This guide will take an original stock SideKick 4g that has not otherwise been modified, flashed, etc and lead you through the steps to running a custom ROM. This should lead to a smoother running system with less lag, longer battery life, etc.

[Edit] I was pointed later to a nice FAQ by xmeatizmurderx, which, while not a guide, does have some questions answered you might have, along with some definitions and whatnot that might help make things clearer for you or if you just like know what it is something actually does or is. ^..^


I personally updated to Gingerclone v2, BUT any of the custom ROMs are installed exactly the same way. I do not list links to all of them, so you might have to find the one you want when you get to that stage if you do not want to use Gingerclone.

While I did originally update to GCv2, I had some issues and we're not sure why. So I changed over to CleanFusion v3. It's much more similar to the stock system in looks and all. I would also suggest, make sure you have a backup of all your stuff (contacts in particular) off your sim, on another card/phone/google/whatever. Most of my contacts dissapeared, we think because it's an old sim that likes to be wonky with some of the new phones. But still, be forewarned.

After the device is rooted, you can use MyBackup Root (free in the market) to backup all your applications and data to your SD, which you can then copy to your computer as well.

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First, download SuperOneClick from http://shortfuse.org/ . Whatever the most recent version is.

The file you downloaded of SuperOneClick is a .zip file. You'll need to extract it to its own folder (if you don't have a program to do this, download .7zip here http://www.7-zip.org/download.html).

Download the Samsung drivers ~ In this case, the Samsung Vibrant drivers work for the Sidekick 4g. Drivers found under the 'software' tab here http://www.samsung.com/us/support/downloads/SGH-T959ZKDTMB

Install the Drivers to your computer and reboot it.

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With the phone unplugged, enable USB Debugging. On the home screen of the phone select Settings > Applications > Development and then select USB Debugging so that a Check appears on the selection box.

When enabled, connect the phone to your PC.

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Run SuperOneClick (the .exe file) which is on your computer. When the program has opened click 'Root'.

The program will pop through a bunch of windows, if it asks to install something like mine did, say yes. When it finishes, it asks if you would like to test it. Say yes.

Your phone is now rooted.

I disconnected from the computer and rebooted the phone (turn off and then on again).

Plug the phone back into the computer.

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Next step is to go to this thread here http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=1124453
[EDIT/UPDATE] Krylon360's files moved or something, find the recovery.zip and update.zip here http://db.androidspin.com/Developer_...eveloperID=248

I was advised to go through the first post, as I’d learn more. But apparently there’s an automated script somewhere in this same thread if that’s your preference. I quite enjoyed learning how to access everything myself, in case I ever need to use it for something.

You will need Root Explorer ($3.99) from the android market. I tried Astro File Manager, and it’s lovely, except for the fact that you need to buy the Pro edition in order to access the /system files. >:C
(Basically you need a file manager on the phone that will allow you to copy files into your /system/bin file on the phone.)

Download both of the files listed in the thread I just gave. You will mount your SD card (on the home page of your phone, drop down that little black menu thing at the very top, select USB storage and enable it).

Place the file ‘recovery’ and the zipped file ‘update’ onto your SD card. Nowhere in particular, just in that main area that appears when you open the SD.

Now is a good time to put the ROM you want to flash onto the SD as well.
[EDIT]: Please keep in mind I'm not a developer and I don't plan to live on this forum. So new ROMs will be developed and I probably won't be around to update this list. So make sure to look around for threads about new ROMs to start with or update to. ^..^
Those suggested to me were :

Gingerclone: Apparently themed very green.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=1231021 (check Dev forum for a newer version)

TouchMIUIwiz: Very similar to Gingerclone, but more greys.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=1207328 (check Dev forum for a newer version)

Smooth Maximus: Themed very blue and black
http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=1158250 (check Dev forum for a newer version)

Clean Fusion: Clean and pretty.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=1204131 (check Dev forum for a newer version)

Of course, there are likely other ones out there, these are just the main ones my supporter knows intimately enough to note. He had a really hard time recommending just one. XD

Whatever you go with, it's always a good idea to have a backup of your phone system, which we go through later in the guide when you need it, so don't fret.

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Feel free to use whatever new ROM you'd like, either listed above or another on the Development Forums, I was told all the following steps would be exactly the same, just using a different custom ROM.

I’m going with Gingerclone v2, as I was informed that while it did crash on my helper once, it seems to be overall the most consistent one that he’s tried.

The above linked thread for GingerClone has two files, I’m using the top one, as I do not have the original release installed.

This .zip file you just downloaded can be copied onto the SD root menu (the main menu available when you access the SDcard from 'My Computer').

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Unmount your SDcard from the computer (that little black bar on the top of your phone's home screen, turn off the usb connection). Disconnected from the computer even if you want.

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Open Root Explorer. Navigate to access the SD card (it has its own file in the root menu you start off in). Copy the ‘recovery’ file, navigate back and paste it into /system/bin (to get there, navigate back by tapping the top option 'parent directory', select 'system', select 'bin', paste it in there). Do not delete the original 'recovery' file in here. It will automatically ask if you want to overwrite the file. Say yes.

If it give you the error “you cannot paste here because the file system is read-only.’ Then at the top, tap the “R/W” square so that it then reads “R/O”. Paste again, select ‘yes’ to overwrite the file.

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Next you’ll turn the phone off so you can boot into recovery mode. To do this, while turned off, you’ll hold the volume up and volume down buttons together, then, while holding them, press the power button. Let go of all three together once the screen starts up.

If you get some blue text, a little warning looking sign over the droid dude, and some yellow text, then you're in the right place.

In here use the volume up and down buttons to navigate through the options and use the power button to select something.

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Highlight “reinstall packages” and use the power button to select it once it’s highlighted.

You’ll have orange text now. So first, let’s backup the phone, JUST IN CASE something goes funky. (nothing went wonky for me)

Navigate to ‘backup and restore’ and select it.

Navigate to ‘backup’ and select it.

It should be backing up now, with a little nasty coloured yellow progress bar at the bottom.

Once the backup is done, you should be back at the original orange texted screen.

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This next bit is important:

Navigate to ‘mounts and storage’ and select it.

It should read:
unmount /chache
mount /data
mount /sdcard
unmount /system

(My phone said “unmount /sdcard” which isn't important. The only thing that NEEDS to read correctly is 'unmount /system' - If it says 'mount system', you need to navigate to it and select it so that it reads correctly)

If your list reads like the above, then you’re good. Click the ‘back’ button, which is the arrow on the bottom left corner of the phone (if you're holding it the way I am. ;p).

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Navigate to ‘wipe data/factory reset’ and select it.
Navigate to the ‘yes -- delete all user data’ and select it.
Repeat this twice more. (That’ll be three times total.)

Navigate to ‘wipe cache partition’ and select it.
Navigate to ‘yes -- Wipe Cache’ and select it.
Repeat this twice more. (Again, three times total.)

Next, navigate to ‘advanced’ and select it.

Navigate to ‘wipe Dalvik Cache’ and select it.
Repeat this twice more. (Three times total.)

I was told to go back to the mounts and storage menu to make sure it still says ‘unmount /system’. Mine did still say this. If it doesn't read correctly, it won't boot right. Fix it if you need to.

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Next I’m going to install GingerClone.
To reiterate, if you want to use a different custom ROM, go for it, the steps are the exact same, you just need the correct ROM download (which should be a .zip file).

Go back up a menu, navigate to ‘install zip from sdcard’ and select it.
Navigate to ‘choose zip from sdcard’ and select it.
Navigate to the GingerClone.zip (the name is longer than that, but you should know what I’m talking about.) and select it.

It’ll go through installing GingerClone now, with that ugly yellow progress bar at the bottom again.

When it’s done installing. Go back again to the ‘mounts and storage’ menu to check that the system is still unmounted (should still read ‘unmount /system’) Mine did mount my SDcard, but that’s fine. If it reads ‘mount /system’ then navigate to it and select it so that it reads ‘unmount /system’.

Good job so far! Go back to the main menu and navigate to ‘reboot system now’ and select it.

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Bit odd seeming. It did take longer to boot up. First my phone talked to me, which I was told was the Voodoo LagFix. Then it started blowing sparklers into an X which is also good as that means it’s booting up. (I'm not sure, but it might look different for other custom ROMs.)

The normal screen that’s still ‘locked’ before you would go to the home screen should have the options to slide up (Start Using) or down (Tune a few things first). I was told to go ahead and do the tune bit and “just hit next a buncha times and get rid of it.” ;p It’s pretty straight forward setup stuff.

In case you’re wondering, that ‘update.zip’ that you downloaded earlier when you downloaded the recovery file? Well, when you reinstalled packages, it did that one automatically. So it's taken care of, no worries.

From now on, if Voodoo LagFix is on and you go into recovery mode (when you turned it off and held the volume buttons and turned it back on) then the text should be red. You can check if you want though it's not necessary, the red just indicates that Voodoo LagFix is indeed installed.

I was told that there are options in recovery mode to disable Voodoo LagFix or to convert back to the original file system. I haven't messed with them and don't plan to so long as this keeps working nice for me.


So. Yay! Have fun exploring and customizing your improved system!

I may have typed this sucker up, but basically all credit goes to the hours of support given to me by yogi2010 who is entirely awesome.

If there *is* anything that's a bit off or inaccurate, place the blame on me as interpreter, I just wrote out what I did, and if I thought it might be necessary, how something worked to the best of my very limited knowledge.

Great work!

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I tried installing a new rom on my sk4g a few months ago and couldn't get it to work so i left it alone in fear of bricking my phone. I finally got the balls to try again and used this link and it worked perfectly. Thanks so much and good work yogi2010 and Kediil!

Originally Posted by DirtyNateDog

I tried installing a new rom on my sk4g a few months ago and couldn't get it to work so i left it alone in fear of bricking my phone. I finally got the balls to try again and used this link and it worked perfectly. Thanks so much and good work yogi2010 and Kediil!

Glad you got it all working!

Why do you think posting a noob/how to guide after we have like 4 is a good idea? How many of these guides do we need already? This forum is getting filled with junk and overposting

Originally Posted by xmeatizmurderx

Why do you think posting a noob/how to guide after we have like 4 is a good idea? How many of these guides do we need already? This forum is getting filled with junk and overposting

If there's another guide that has all the steps, from very beginning to finish, I'd suggest you find someone to sticky it. I spent three days going through the forums and could not find a single guide that took me through everything, step by step, which is why I put this together, assuming that because I could not find it, it did not exist.

Be it this one or another, there needs to be a guide for a know-nothing-noob such as myself to follow without having to hunt down the separate bits and hope I put them together in the right order, and it needs to be stickied in the top of one of the forums, preferably in the General or Development area.

that has all the steps, from very beginning to finish, I'd suggest you find someone to sticky it. I spent three days going through the forums and could not find a single guide that took me through everything, step by step, which is why I put this together, assuming that because I could not find it, it did not exist.

Be it this one or another, there needs to be a guide for a know-nothing-noob such as myself to follow without having to hunt down the separate bits and hope I put them together in the right order, and it needs to be stickied in the top of one of the forums, preferably in the General or Development area.[/QUOTE]

http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=1135634

It's the 3rd post down in the development section and takes everything from start to finish, you obviously didn't search very hard

Originally Posted by xmeatizmurderx

Why do you think posting a noob/how to guide after we have like 4 is a good idea? How many of these guides do we need already? This forum is getting filled with junk and overposting

Wow, I find that comment extremely rude and out of place. I personally find this guide much easier to follow, and many may agree with me. I don't see anything wrong with having different tutorials on the same operation. Look around, I guarantee you will see it happening everywhere, not just on these forums. So long as it doesn't purposely mislead people, I don't see the harm in it. In fact, it seems to me that, your comment is the one adding more 'junk' to the forums. As you have now posted a reply that does not benefit the community at all, instead its provoking unnecessary posting. If it is so bothersome to you, and if this post really falls into your 'junk' category, discuss it in private if your position in these forums allows it, but not here where you are making a comment which puts down someones good-hearted attempt to help out the community.


@Kediil Thank you for this post. There can never be 'too many' helpful people.

Originally Posted by xmeatizmurderx

http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=1135634

It's the 3rd post down in the development section and takes everything from start to finish, you obviously didn't search very hard

I did go through, and I did see that one, but I had no idea what it was. The name of the thread didn't make it obvious to me, who knew absolutely nothing, that it was a guide. I didn't know what rooting was, or if I needed to do it, or how (for all there's a guide within the rooting thread). I didn't know what CWM was. I didn't know what a kernal actually was, or how to 'flash' it.

Looking at the guide you linked, if you know more or less what you're doing, then it could prove helpful, if a bit blunt. But coming at it from the perspective of knowing absolutely nothing, it didn't help me in the least.

I know it can be difficult to know something and have to deal with people who know nothing, but if there's no sure-fire, solid way for the new person to learn without needing a knowledgeable person to help, then you'll just continue to be needlessly frustrated.




@ merman123 Thank you very much for the support. ^..^ It's already helped at least one person, so I'm satisfied. There will always be haters or frustration or drama. It's the internet! ;p

Originally Posted by Kediil

I did go through, and I did see that one, but I had no idea what it was. The name of the thread didn't make it obvious to me, who knew absolutely nothing, that it was a guide. I didn't know what rooting was, or if I needed to do it, or how (for all there's a guide within the rooting thread). I didn't know what CWM was. I didn't know what a kernal actually was, or how to 'flash' it.

Looking at the guide you linked, if you know more or less what you're doing, then it could prove helpful, if a bit blunt. But coming at it from the perspective of knowing absolutely nothing, it didn't help me in the least.

I know it can be difficult to know something and have to deal with people who know nothing, but if there's no sure-fire, solid way for the new person to learn without needing a knowledgeable person to help, then you'll just continue to be needlessly frustrated.




@ merman123 Thank you very much for the support. ^..^ It's already helped at least one person, so I'm satisfied. There will always be haters or frustration or drama. It's the internet! ;p

Posting several threads that say basically the same thing is annoying and clutters the threads making it hard for people to find what they need. It has also annoyed the **** out of a lot of us on here and driven away several developers for this phone because noobs come on and post new threads constantly about the same couple of things.

Being a noob is fine, we all are at some point but learning to search and pm some of the senior members for help will help keep the forums clean and the devs happy, I find it hard to believe you came across xda without knowing what rooting was but honestly I don't care, just please be mindfull and spend time searching thoroughly before posting.

Originally Posted by xmeatizmurderx

Posting several threads that say basically the same thing is annoying and clutters the threads making it hard for people to find what they need. It has also annoyed the **** out of a lot of us on here and driven away several developers for this phone because noobs come on and post new threads constantly about the same couple of things.

Being a noob is fine, we all are at some point but learning to search and pm some of the senior members for help will help keep the forums clean and the devs happy, I find it hard to believe you came across xda without knowing what rooting was but honestly I don't care, just please be mindfull and spend time searching thoroughly before posting.

I came across XDA by typing 'sidekick 4g lag fix' into google, obviously because I was experiencing lag and was hoping for a fix. One of XDA's threads was the first thing listed and people here seemed to know what they were doing and talking about here. I did spend quite a lot of time searching. I would gladly take full fault for posting something unneeded if anyone would but show me a link to a full, step by step, easy to follow guide. *shrugs* I'll eat my words if there is one.