Argh! Android help?

I have a Desire HD. I like it, except recently it’s got really slow and clunky. If I use a task killer to kill tasks it speeds up for a bit, but it’s not great.

So how do I make it quicker? It’s Orange branded and has a load of Orange crap on there, so is rooting it the best bet? And if so what’s a good ROM to put on? There seem to be about a million out there.

there should be a standard one on the HTC site that will give you a HTC Blank device thats good. (might be in the dev site)

Root and custom ROM is probably the best way forwards.
HTC ROMs tend to be a bit claggy generally.

Try cyanogenmod. Runs better than the original rom on my tablet.

If I use a task killer to kill tasks

Don’t do that. At best it’ll make little difference (unless you have a broken app) and there’s every chance it’ll make things worse.

Android does not require a task killer, it doesn’t use memory and background tasks in the same way a PC does.

ive rooted and am currently using ARHD rom. can be quite intimidating when you read into rooting, but theres plenty of people can help you either here or androidforums.com.

as cougar says, dont bother with task killers.

my guess is youll be pleasantly surprised once youve done it.

Cougar – Member
If I use a task killer to kill tasks
Don’t do that. At best it’ll make little difference (unless you have a broken app) and there’s every chance it’ll make things worse.

Android does not require a task killer, it doesn’t use memory and background tasks in the same way a PC does.

That’s interesting… It *seems* to make a difference for a bit after killing, but I had a feeling it might be something more than that.

I’ve heard a lot of good things about Cyanogenmod I think, might give that one a crack.

Task killers were only of use on pre-2.3 IIRC.

If you are happy with the software on it (apart from the speed) and it was originally ok (you say “recently it’s got really slow and clunky”), back up any files you want to keep and do a ‘factory data reset’ form the settings menu.

You’ll have to re-download your apps and add you account details again, but it should return it to how it was when it was new.

Oh and task killers are a bad idea on android 🙂

cyanogenmod has got a good name, but just be aware its very stripped down. i tried it, and yes it was fast and good for battery, i just found it too ‘bare bones’ and rooted to a rom that was still fast and stable, but more like the original rom, just with no carrier cr*p on it 🙂

Cougar – Member
Android does not require a task killer, it doesn’t use memory and background tasks in the same way a PC does.

I’ve asked before (unanswered tho)…if the above is true, why does my phone get slow when lots of apps open (by themselves) and use up memory, then go fast again when I kill those apps?

In any event, is there an easy, non warranty killing way of avoiding the situation (std Desire, prob soon to be upgraded tho)

if the above is true, why does my phone get slow when lots of apps open (by themselves) and use up memory, then go fast again when I kill those apps?

Dunno. Maybe you have an errant app that’s misbehaving. If you’re running Froyo, this seems plausible; a third party task killer won’t really ‘kill’ an app under Froyo IIRC, it’ll restart it.

So when you say “those” apps, perhaps it’s one in particular that’s causing problems? Something like Watchdog may help you pin down what’s going on.

You don’t have “lots of apps open”, it just doesn’t work like that. Generally, background apps are suspended and will be unloaded by the OS if the memory is required for a foreground task; the exception here is things that are specifically designed to run as a background service, say a GPS tracker or an mp3 player.

In any event, is there an easy, non warranty killing way of avoiding the situation (std Desire, prob soon to be upgraded tho)

Personally I would root it and install a newer ROM (and in fact, did exactly that when I had a Desire). It’s a different phone afterwards.

Anecdotally, I had no issues with warranty with O2, it went back for a motherboard failure and they didn’t bat an eyelid. May have been lucky, but I think companies are slowly coming round to the idea that rooting is fairly standard practice these days (and a lot safer than it used to be). The only real problem IMHO is if you’re overclocking the tits off it or complaining that the software is glitchy after beggaring about with it.

Right root it is… Looks like I may have to try a couple of ROMs and see what I like best.

One other thing to check is the length of text message conversations. My phone got really laggy, even changing the screen brightness or entering the unlock code was slow. Did a Google and ended up changing an auto setting that limits your messages to a particular recipient. Took 24hrs for the phone to trawl through and sort it self out but it has recovered to its previous performance 🙂 Any conversations over 100 messages apparently make a real dent to the performance of the phone.

If you have Words with friends installed then go into the options and disable the your move checker. Its a dog, kills both your data allowance and your phone performance. My HD2 was getting really slow and crashing lots till I disabled the WWF move checker. Is now more stable. Only down side is you have to open the WWF app to see when its your go.

Agree with nickjb…cyanogenmod 7.1 here on my Desire. Yes, it’s a bit stripped down, but the improved battery life and memory management more than outweigh the small reduction in widgets and the like. I can now use the phone for two full days without the need for re-charging (that covers emails/texts/calls and browsing).

And as already mentioned, the rooting/flashing process is a little daunting at first, but once you get over the initial fear and start reading the excellent guides published on the Android Forums website, you’ll find it straightforward enough.

Hmm, no words with friends but I may have some massive text message threads…

The other thing slowing my phone down was a live wallpaper incorporating a clock. Shame as it was quite smart and if you arranged all your widgets at the bottom, it was visible on all the screens.

just as an aside, cougar, you mentioned youre on O2. same here, but phone used to be voda. my internet/signal is pretty poor, so ive been changing the radio, to that recommended with the rom. still no better. are you up on what radio/ril/rom/ruu may be best suited to O2?

apologies if that means nowt to you :-/

Off the top of my head, I’m not aware of any interaction between radio versions and different networks at that level. Ie, a radio may be “good” or “bad,” but not “good with O2 and bad with Voda”. I’m only guessing though, I don’t know for sure.

ok thanks. just had a quick skim through the thread and dont think you mentioned what youre using now. dont spose you got DHD? and if so, what rom and radio are you currently using?

ta

Try Cyanogen 9 it might work. I have it on my Galaxy S.

Happy ROM’ing. o_0