BootManager allows rooted HTC EVO 4G users to switch between five ROMS
I have been using Android for almost a year now. My HTC EVO 4G and I have been inseparable for almost five months. But, believe it or not, I have never purchased an app . . . until today.
BootManager is the long-awaited multi-boot solution for rooted OG EVO users. Yep, multi-boot. Not dual boot. Not Nandroid switching. This is the real deal.
BootManager keeps your favorite ROM installed on your phone for safe keeping. Then, you have up to four slots on your OG EVO's SD card that are used to load up custom ROMs.
Not sure if you like Sense or AOSP? Always wanted to try out MIUI? What's all this hype about Synergy? Did they really make a Flyer port?
Any of these questions pop up in your head lately, but you didn't want to mess around with your OG EVO's current setup? I hear ya; it took me hours to rebuild my EVO after biting the bullet and updating to the stable version of Kushdeck's 2.3.4 Gingerbread ROM. Well, my rooted friends, you no longer have to worry.
Today, I'm not going to show you a cool lock screen replacement with a questionable method to unlock premium features. Nah, I'm going to show you how to easily switch between your favorite ROMs with BootManager.
First, you have to do the unthinkable: purchase an app from the Android Market! Just kidding.
It isn't that I don't like to support developers for their incredible dedication and hard work. No, I'm just poor! I'd rather wait for Amazon to make a neat game free than buy it. But BootManager is different.
I sent the $2.99 to my Sprint bill and my OG EVO reluctantly booted up BootManager. I was at a screen with a "loading" circle for awhile. But the app started running and asked me to configure it with my phone. Since the HTC EVO 4G is officially supported, I was up and running in no time. This is an important step; it is setting up your "phone ROM" – the ROM saved to your internal memory that is muy importante.
Once the setup was complete, I was able to explore the main screen of BootManager. Obviously, my first task was to setup a ROM for slot 1 (although I ended up choosing slot 4). From my experiences, Sense ROMs take forever! And BootManager can hang during an install. My advice: stay in the BootManager app (don't switch to Facebook mid-install) and keep your EVO from locking during installs.
On to the install.
First, select the Install ROMs option from BootManager's menu. At this point, you will search your SD card for the ROM you want to install. For my first ROM, I chose the latest MIUI (1.7.22). After choosing your ROM of choice (with options to wipe if you are overwriting an old ROM), BootMangager will go through all the steps to install it to your SD card. A while later, your EVO will be nice and happy and will reboot. Finally, it will boot into the new ROM.
Multi-boot complete.
As you can see, I am now running MIUI and never touched Amon's Recovery. Be sure to remember to install gapps for your CyanogenMod-based ROMs! Also, make sure you go and download BootManager from the Android Market on your new ROM so you can easily boot back to your "phone ROM" or another "SD card ROM."
Now, go to the Boot Installed ROM option of BootManager's menu and select your "phone ROM" (i.e., your EVO's original setup). After a reboot, you are back to normal, free to go back to the newly installed ROM whenever you feel like it . . . no flashing required!!
If you would like to install some more ROMs, simply repeat these steps as many times as necessary.
"Wait Sam, you say this ROM is installed on my SD card. Will it be slower?"
Don't worry! I tested out MIUI for a bit and have to say the ROM felt good. I couldn't tell that the ROM was installed on the SD card.
If you are running an "SD card ROM" and want to transfer files via a USB cable, simply use the new (blue) USB connection option. I'm not sure what will happen if you use the original option, but I can imagine that if your operating system is installed on the same medium you are attempting to write on, bad things will happen.
A speed bump I hit several times was the app telling me that it was not licensed and I needed to go to the Market to pay for it (which I had obviously just done). BootManager's developers are simply trying to reduce piracy (i.e., you have to pay for this app). The check is done as the app starts up, so make sure you have an active internet connection when running it. Sometimes it may still give you this warning for no reason. Just keep opening it via the Market (I had to reinstall on MIUI to get BootManager to work), and it should be fine. The extra step is a small price to pay to finally have a multi-boot solution for our OG EVOs!
One more tip if things go wrong. At one point during my installation process, I tried to boot my phone up and it went straight to the bootloader (hello, skating Androids). It wouldn't boot into my phone! If this happens to you, don't panic. All you need to do is open Recovery (pretty self-explanatory). Then, go to flash a zip (or whatever, you know what to do – if not, check this out). Find the BootManager folder in the root of your SD card, then find the folder for the ROM you are trying to boot (probably "phone"). In that folder is a file named "update.zip" and that is what you want to flash. Select that .zip file and, after flashing and rebooting, your phone should be good as new!
One more word of advice: be patient. ROMs take a long time to flash and there may be hiccups. But trust me, the wait is well worth it. I can see this being one of the most popular apps for all rooted Android phones (not just the superior OG EVO) in no time.
What are you waiting for? Save the $2.99 you would have spent on a latte and get BootManager from the Android Market now.
Links: Market (EVO) | Market (Web)
