Best way to reclaim memory?

itm · Feb 18, 2014

I've just bought a used HTC Desire, and after installing only 4 apps (Google Play Store, ES File Explorer, Screen Off and Lock and Swiftkey) it is reporting only 4Mb of free memory. What's the best way of reclaiming memory? Would it be a custom ROM? If so, can anyone recommend something that's very slimline and robust? I don't need the HTC bloatware (including Sense) - just Google Maps, Swiftkey and a few other apps.

The phone is currently running Android 2.2.2, Baseband version 32.48.00.32U_5.11.05.14

Is rooting/ROMing this device pretty straightforward?

Chromium · Feb 18, 2014

The best way is to create an ext partition on your sdcard and use a script (a2sd) to move apps and dalvik cache to the partition. Most custom roms support, or come with these types of scripts. You will also want to change your hboot (internal partition layout) to something more practical that allocates more space to the data partition and less to system and cache. Before doing this you will need to get s-off and a custom recovery. Post your bootloader details (turn phone off, then hold volume down + power to enter bootloader), and i will give you further advice on how to go about doing this.

itm · Feb 18, 2014

Chromium_ said:
The best way is to create an ext partition on your sdcard and use a script (a2sd) to move apps and dalvik cache to the partition. Most custom roms support, or come with these types of scripts. You will also want to change your hboot (internal partition layout) to something more practical that allocates more space to the data partition and less to system and cache. Before doing this you will need to get s-off and a custom recovery. Post your bootloader details (turn phone off, then hold volume down + power to enter bootloader), and i will give you further advice on how to go about doing this.

Thanks for your help. My hboot version is 0.93.001 - does that help?

Chromium · Feb 18, 2014

itm said:
Thanks for your help. My hboot version is 0.93.001 - does that help?

Yep. Your hboot is compatible with revolutionary, which is a tool used to gain s-off. S-off basically gives you the power to do stuff.

Install these drivers on your PC: http://downloads.unrevoked.com/HTCDriver3.0.0.007.exe
Enable USB debugging on the phone
Download revolutionary (create and make note of the beta key too): http://revolutionary.io/
Unzip the file, and run the executable. After thats done you should have s-off and a custom recovery installed.

Let me know when thats done, or if you need more help.

itm · Feb 18, 2014

Chromium_ said:
The best way is to create an ext partition on your sdcard and use a script (a2sd) to move apps and dalvik cache to the partition. Most custom roms support, or come with these types of scripts. You will also want to change your hboot (internal partition layout) to something more practical that allocates more space to the data partition and less to system and cache. Before doing this you will need to get s-off and a custom recovery. Post your bootloader details (turn phone off, then hold volume down + power to enter bootloader), and i will give you further advice on how to go about doing this.

Chromium_ said:
Yep. Your hboot is compatible with revolutionary, which is a tool used to gain s-off. S-off basically gives you the power to do stuff.

Install these drivers on your PC: http://downloads.unrevoked.com/HTCDriver3.0.0.007.exe
Enable USB debugging on the phone
Download revolutionary (create and make note of the beta key too): http://revolutionary.io/
Unzip the file, and run the executable. After thats done you should have s-off and a custom recovery installed.

Let me know when thats done, or if you need more help.

OK I've run revolutionary and accepted the option to flash a new recovery (clockworkmod). How I do I get to run an a2sd script?

Chromium · Feb 18, 2014

itm said:
OK I've run revolutionary and accepted the option to flash a new recovery (clockworkmod). How I do I get to run an a2sd script?

First check to see if revolutionary was indeed successful (look for s-off in bootloader details).

Also I would suggest changing your recovery to a better one such as TWRP or 4ext. (clockwordmod that revolutionary flashes is pretty old and there are much better options for the desire).

After that you can pick a rom from the development section. The majority of them have some sort of a2sd script built in.
Then download the rom of your choice and flash using your recovery. Depending on the rom you choose, activating a2sd will differ. Some have it preactivated, while others will need you to run a few commands in terminal to turn it on.

itm · Feb 18, 2014

Chromium_ said:
First check to see if revolutionary was indeed successful (look for s-off in bootloader details).

Also I would suggest changing your recovery to a better one such as TWRP or 4ext. (clockwordmod that revolutionary flashes is pretty old and there are much better options for the desire).

After that you can pick a rom from the development section. The majority of them have some sort of a2sd script built in.
Then download the rom of your choice and flash using your recovery. Depending on the rom you choose, activating a2sd will differ. Some have it preactivated, while others will need you to run a few commands in terminal to turn it on.

OK it seems I now have S-Off!

Pardon my ignorance, but what's the best way of flashing TWRP recovery? Do I need to use ADB bridge?

Also, can you recommend a lightweight ROM that has a2sd built-in?

Thanks so much for your help.

Chromium · Feb 18, 2014

itm said:
OK it seems I now have S-Off!

Pardon my ignorance, but what's the best way of flashing TWRP recovery? Do I need to use ADB bridge?

Also, can you recommend a lightweight ROM that has a2sd built-in?

Thanks so much for your help.

Sorry forgot the links. If you want TWRP click on the Show Content button in my signature. Ive got a link there to TWRP for the desire. (instructions are in the post).

Do you want to stick with gingerbread or do you want a more recent 4+ rom?

itm · Feb 18, 2014

Chromium_ said:
First check to see if revolutionary was indeed successful (look for s-off in bootloader details).

Also I would suggest changing your recovery to a better one such as TWRP or 4ext. (clockwordmod that revolutionary flashes is pretty old and there are much better options for the desire).

After that you can pick a rom from the development section. The majority of them have some sort of a2sd script built in.
Then download the rom of your choice and flash using your recovery. Depending on the rom you choose, activating a2sd will differ. Some have it preactivated, while others will need you to run a few commands in terminal to turn it on.

Chromium_ said:
Sorry forgot the links. If you want TWRP click on the Show Content button in my signature. Ive got a link there to TWRP for the desire. (instructions are in the post).

Do you want to stick with gingerbread or do you want a more recent 4+ rom?

Perfect - thanks.

A 4.* ROM would be nice, but would it leave me with less memory (and worse performance)?

Chromium · Feb 18, 2014

itm said:
Perfect - thanks.

A 4.* ROM would be nice, but would it leave me with less memory (and worse performance)?

Yes, they definitely wont be as fast as a pure AOSP gingerbread rom, but you have to make some compromises if you want the latest and greatest

itm · Feb 18, 2014

Chromium_ said:
Yes, they definitely wont be as fast as a pure AOSP gingerbread rom, but you have to make some compromises if you want the latest and greatest

TBH I'm more concerned about the memory footprint than the performance (although obviously the two are related). Would a 4.* ROM occupy alot more memory?

Incidentally I tried flashing a TWRP recovery zip from recovery mode, but kept getting "installation aborted". Any ideas??

Chromium · Feb 18, 2014

itm said:
TBH I'm more concerned about the memory footprint than the performance (although obviously the two are related). Would a 4.* ROM occupy alot more memory?

Incidentally I tried flashing a TWRP recovery zip from recovery mode, but kept getting "installation aborted". Any ideas??

By memory Im assuming you mean storage rather than RAM. With gingerbread roms the system size is smaller, meaning that you can use an hboot that shrinks down the system partition a lot, thus leaving you with much more space on data (where apps go). With 4+ you can still do this to some extent, but not system sizes arent as small as on gingerbread. To give you an idea, at some point while on a jellybean rom i had around 50 apps installed with room for probably about 5 more.

Im guessing the issue is due to the fact that your current recovery is too old. Your other option is to use fastboot to flash the image, or use the PB99IMG method (easier). Download the file from here, then follow the instructions here (use the PB99IMG that i just gave you, not the one from that thread with instructions).

itm · Feb 18, 2014

Chromium_ said:
Yes, they definitely wont be as fast as a pure AOSP gingerbread rom, but you have to make some compromises if you want the latest and greatest

Chromium_ said:
By memory Im assuming you mean storage rather than RAM. With gingerbread roms the system size is smaller, meaning that you can use an hboot that shrinks down the system partition a lot, thus leaving you with much more space on data (where apps go). With 4+ you can still do this to some extent, but not system sizes arent as small as on gingerbread. To give you an idea, at some point while on a jellybean rom i had around 50 apps installed with room for probably about 5 more.

Im guessing the issue is due to the fact that your current recovery is too old. Your other option is to use fastboot to flash the image, or use the PB99IMG method (easier). Download the file from here, then follow the instructions here (use the PB99IMG that i just gave you, not the one from that thread with instructions).

Since my main problem is not being able to install the apps that I need (due to lack of storage), I guess a Gingerbread ROM would make the most sense (much as it pains me to admit it). Do you have any recommendations for a fat-free Gingerbread ROM?

Chromium · Feb 18, 2014

itm said:
Since my main problem is not being able to install the apps that I need (due to lack of storage), I guess a Gingerbread ROM would make the most sense (much as it pains me to admit it). Do you have any recommendations for a fat-free Gingerbread ROM?

Ok, makes sense. I would go with Mildwilds redux rom. Its themed to look somewhat modern, its got a very small system size and its got built in a2sd (you might not even need to use this since system is so small).

With this rom you can switch your hboot to oxygen r2. This will give you over 330mb for apps and app data (quite a lot compared to 147mb, what you currently have). If you think thats enough, then i would suggest not even using a2sd or creating a partition.

Let me know and ill give you further instructions.

itm · Feb 18, 2014

Chromium_ said:
Ok, makes sense. I would go with Mildwilds redux rom. Its themed to look somewhat modern, its got a very small system size and its got built in a2sd (you might not even need to use this since system is so small).

With this rom you can switch your hboot to oxygen r2. This will give you over 330mb for apps and app data (quite a lot compared to 147mb, what you currently have). If you think thats enough, then i would suggest not even using a2sd or creating a partition.

Let me know and ill give you further instructions.

OK I've now got MildWIld installed - it looks great.

I've looked at the oxygen r2 link but don't quite follow the fastboot instructions - does this require ADB installed on my PC??

Chromium · Feb 18, 2014

itm said:
OK I've now got MildWIld installed - it looks great.

I've looked at the oxygen r2 link but don't quite follow the fastboot instructions - does this require ADB installed on my PC??

Fastboot is the harder process. The easier way would be to use the PB99IMG method. On alpharev.nl download the PB99IMG_oxygenr2.zip file. Then rename it to PB99IMG.zip and put it on the root of your sdcard (not in any folders). Turn off the phone, boot into the bootloader and wait a few seconds. It should find the file and ask to install. Press volume up for yes, then reboot once its done.

itm · Feb 18, 2014

Chromium_ said:
Ok, makes sense. I would go with Mildwilds redux rom. Its themed to look somewhat modern, its got a very small system size and its got built in a2sd (you might not even need to use this since system is so small).

With this rom you can switch your hboot to oxygen r2. This will give you over 330mb for apps and app data (quite a lot compared to 147mb, what you currently have). If you think thats enough, then i would suggest not even using a2sd or creating a partition.

Let me know and ill give you further instructions.

Chromium_ said:
Fastboot is the harder process. The easier way would be to use the PB99IMG method. On alpharev.nl download the PB99IMG_oxygenr2.zip file. Then rename it to PB99IMG.zip and put it on the root of your sdcard (not in any folders). Turn off the phone, boot into the bootloader and wait a few seconds. It should find the file and ask to install. Press volume up for yes, then reboot once its done.

OK I now have Oxygen R2 installed and seem to have 145Mb of internal storage free :0)

The only issue I have is that the Play Store app seems to be broken - whenever I open it I get "No Connection" (as if there's no internet connectivity). I'm connected to wifi, and other apps have no problems accessing the net. I've tried rebooting, turning wifi on/off, but no luck. Any ideas??

itm · Feb 18, 2014

itm said:
OK I now have Oxygen R2 installed and seem to have 145Mb of internal storage free :0)

The only issue I have is that the Play Store app seems to be broken - whenever I open it I get "No Connection" (as if there's no internet connectivity). I'm connected to wifi, and other apps have no problems accessing the net. I've tried rebooting, turning wifi on/off, but no luck. Any ideas??

Google Maps has the same problem - no internet connection. It's as if it's just the Google apps that can't see the internet.
???

itm · Feb 18, 2014

Hmmm....the plot thickens. I decided to wipe and re-flash the ROM and Gapps, but after wiping it would not let me re-flash the MildWild ROM - the flash fails. When I boot into Android now the keyboard app seems to be broken - every few seconds I get the error "the application Android keyboard has stopped unexpectedly" (I had previously installed Swiftkey - could that have had anything to do with it?).

So now I seem to have a "broken" ROM - no keyboard and no working Gapps. Any ideas for what I might try??

Chromium · Feb 18, 2014

itm said:
Hmmm....the plot thickens. I decided to wipe and re-flash the ROM and Gapps, but after wiping it would not let me re-flash the MildWild ROM - the flash fails. When I boot into Android now the keyboard app seems to be broken - every few seconds I get the error "the application Android keyboard has stopped unexpectedly" (I had previously installed Swiftkey - could that have had anything to do with it?).

So now I seem to have a "broken" ROM - no keyboard and no working Gapps. Any ideas for what I might try??

Wipe and reflash again. Are you still using cwm?

Best way to reclaim memory?

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