Custom ROM Don'ts

        I figured with more people ditching their stock ROM for smoothing that they feel is more tailored to their needs and wants, it's time to start making a guide of don'ts for custom ROMs.

1. Don't flash a ROM without a proper Nan-Droid backup: So, you just installed a custom recovery and you're looking for new ROMs and mods to install? Great! If you are inexperienced with ROMs, don't flash a new anything but a recovery without a full Nan-Droid backup that will get your phone back to where it can be useful. Wondering about storage? Generally, a stock ROM is going to use the most space on a Nan-Droid backup, so I highly recommend downloading a stable version of CyanogenMod or Paranoid-Android so you can restore, should you stumble upon a brick. But, only install applications and contacts and other things on a need basis on this fail safe backup.

2. Don't flash anything that does not have your device's name on it: If you have the HTC One X, you should know that there are two model names for HTC's previous flagship. Those are Evita (Qualcomm Snapdragon) and Endeavor (nVidia Tegra 3). Only flash things like recoveries, kernels, and ROMs only for your device!

3. Don't flash anything just because it's new and flashy: This is not to offend anyone, but as a reminder that just because you see that KitKat nightly, that does not mean it is safe to approach without protection. Nightly/Weekly ROMs can come with the greatest features and tweaks, but this can also cause huge issues. For example, imagine flashing a KitKat nightly and you notice that the APN section keeps crashing and you know that you need the APN field to get data access. Or your GPS does not work after the latest nightly and you may need it because you are unfamiliar with the area. My point is, what ever that reflects is not a diamond.

4. Don't flash a new ROM without a power source: It is not best at all to flash a new ROM while you are at school, yes the changelog may include some appetizing features. However, what if while flashing this new ROM, your device were to lose 35% of it's battery? These are things to think about while flashing new anything.

5. Don't flash anything over a new update: If you just received any update, check to see if your bootloader or any firmware has changed. For example, when the Evita HTC One X received it's 4.1.1 update, it made the touch screen completely useless on custom ROMs. This made the device useless on custom firmware, so if you didn't make a backup and the RUU didn't come out, you were let in the cold.