I was hoping some of the kernel devs can help me with a quick question. I am familiar with unpacking and repacking boot.imgs for the Droid but not for the Evo, I usually use the method found here. Is there an alternate method or even some perl scripts that will make the job as easy as it is for the Droid? Note: I am not trying to compile a boot.img, I just want to be able to edit the ramdisk of existing ones. Thanks in advance!
BuglessPete said:
I was hoping some of the kernel devs can help me with a quick question. I am familiar with unpacking and repacking boot.imgs for the Droid but not for the Evo, I usually use the method found here. Is there an alternate method or even some perl scripts that will make the job as easy as it is for the Droid? Note: I am not trying to compile a boot.img, I just want to be able to edit the ramdisk of existing ones. Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
reading through the tutorial you linked to, i see perl scripts and directions. is there a certain part of that tutorial you've used on the EVO and have had trouble or its resulted in some kind of error? guess i didn't catch what isn't working for you?
edit: reviewing the tutorial again, i have been wondering which partitions are which on our phone? boot mtd2/3 ? recovery mtd2/3? i know system is mtd4 and data is mtd5 ...
once i know which partition for sure is boot, it might be worth while for me to grab the kernel and post up the stock ramdisk as a starting point for all those looking to do simple kernel mod'n ...
Not sure why this got moved out of development section, as it is related to developing a boot.img although it was a question.
I used the unpack perl script and it threw an error. I will also try the split script when I get off work.
Sorry to resurrect a dead topic, but I'm looking into this as well, and I haven't been able to modify a ramdisk successfully (I'm basically looking to set ro.secure=0 in default.prop). I typically use the same procedure as Pete outlined in the link, but using that for the EVO results in a hang at the bootscreen. (the white HTC EVO 4G screen seen on boot) Any help would be appreciated.
Resurrecting this topic once again.
ADB functionality is broken in Sense FroYo roms, maybe all froyo roms. I can communicate appropriately through fastboot and through ADB in Recovery, but not when running.
The /sbin/adbd process isn't running like it is on other ROMS, such as eclair and gingerbread.
Following this link:
http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=9437
I found that some nexus one devs had the same issue, and had to replace the adbd process on the ramdisk with one from another build that worked in froyo.
Following this guide that everyone links to:
http://android-dls.com/wiki/index.p...cking.2C_Editing.2C_and_Re-Packing_the_images
I was not able to use the included unpack/repack perl scripts without modifying them. It appears that the Evo has another file at the end and that script wasn't meant to handle that. Others commented out that line that kills it, I did so, but apparently that script doesn't grab the header appropriately, and the repack doesn't work appropriately for another. I get the white boot screen and it stays indefinitely.
I took the Boot.img and went through a hex editor to do it manually, and wasn't able to get the ramdisk to unzip correctly.
I'm at the end of my rope, and need someone else who's much smarter than I am to assist in what steps to take next.
I am developing a new app, and desperately need to have ADB working inside FroYo. I would run CM7, but it doesn't work right all the time, and has bad battery life for me. I use my phone for business too, so it all has to be stable.
Any ideas? I have lots of this stuff available as I've been working on it for the past couple days, so I can post links and the like to help bring anyone up to speed with what I've done. Thanks a crap-ton in advance. If you can help me get this working, I will send you a donation!
Also, this will fix ADB in all Froyo roms too, so you'd be doing the community a great favor as well.
-Nathan
kmartburrito said:
Resurrecting this topic once again.
ADB functionality is broken in Sense FroYo roms, maybe all froyo roms. I can communicate appropriately through fastboot and through ADB in Recovery, but not when running.
The /sbin/adbd process isn't running like it is on other ROMS, such as eclair and gingerbread.
Following this link:
http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=9437
I found that some nexus one devs had the same issue, and had to replace the adbd process on the ramdisk with one from another build that worked in froyo.
Following this guide that everyone links to:
http://android-dls.com/wiki/index.p...cking.2C_Editing.2C_and_Re-Packing_the_images
I was not able to use the included unpack/repack perl scripts without modifying them. It appears that the Evo has another file at the end and that script wasn't meant to handle that. Others commented out that line that kills it, I did so, but apparently that script doesn't grab the header appropriately, and the repack doesn't work appropriately for another. I get the white boot screen and it stays indefinitely.
I took the Boot.img and went through a hex editor to do it manually, and wasn't able to get the ramdisk to unzip correctly.
I'm at the end of my rope, and need someone else who's much smarter than I am to assist in what steps to take next.
I am developing a new app, and desperately need to have ADB working inside FroYo. I would run CM7, but it doesn't work right all the time, and has bad battery life for me. I use my phone for business too, so it all has to be stable.
Any ideas? I have lots of this stuff available as I've been working on it for the past couple days, so I can post links and the like to help bring anyone up to speed with what I've done. Thanks a crap-ton in advance. If you can help me get this working, I will send you a donation!
Also, this will fix ADB in all Froyo roms too, so you'd be doing the community a great favor as well.
-Nathan
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Adb does work in sense froyo roms. It works on mine and I nandroid between my daily sense rom and my dev sense rom when I need to. I prefer to use adb through recovery but I have successfully adb pulled and pushed com.htc.resources from the framework while my device was running just last night. I have also not changed the adb file in the ramdisk (even though I could if I wanted to) so I doubt adb not working in sense roms is the issue unless the rom maker did in fact mess with the ramdisk and inadvertently messed something up.
lovethyEVO said:
Adb does work in sense froyo roms. It works on mine and I nandroid between my daily sense rom and my dev sense rom when I need to. I prefer to use adb through recovery but I have successfully adb pulled and pushed com.htc.resources from the framework while my device was running just last night. I have also not changed the adb file in the ramdisk (even though I could if I wanted to) so I doubt adb not working in sense roms is the issue unless the rom maker did in fact mess with the ramdisk and inadvertently messed something up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not working for me on Fresh 3.5, Evio 1.8, or Mik's Z rom that was just released. I can go back to my PC36IMG.zip (eclair) or CM7, and it works just fine.
I've tried stock and custom kernels, to no avail. I'm absolutely NOT the only person with this issue. As you can see in the post above, Nexus one users are having the same problem, as are tablet owners with Tegra 2 chipsets, etc.
So, let me ask you, what ROM are you using? Is that the only ROM you've used since upgrading from Eclair?
I am at a loss for why this isn't working. As I said before, the /sbin/adbd process is NOT running, and I get a segmentation fault when attempting to launch it. It works fine on CM7 and Eclair, but NOT froyo. Not brand new, unaltered ROM installs, nothing. Whatever it is, the only thing in common is Sense and FroYo.
Thanks for responding, I think at this point I just need people to provide other things to look at that I haven't thought of. I'd still like to learn how to unpack and repack though, it could be a last resort.
kmartburrito said:
It's not working for me on Fresh 3.5, Evio 1.8, or Mik's Z rom that was just released. I can go back to my PC36IMG.zip (eclair) or CM7, and it works just fine.
I've tried stock and custom kernels, to no avail. I'm absolutely NOT the only person with this issue. As you can see in the post above, Nexus one users are having the same problem, as are tablet owners with Tegra 2 chipsets, etc.
So, let me ask you, what ROM are you using? Is that the only ROM you've used since upgrading from Eclair?
I am at a loss for why this isn't working. As I said before, the /sbin/adbd process is NOT running, and I get a segmentation fault when attempting to launch it. It works fine on CM7 and Eclair, but NOT froyo. Not brand new, unaltered ROM installs, nothing. Whatever it is, the only thing in common is Sense and FroYo.
Thanks for responding, I think at this point I just need people to provide other things to look at that I haven't thought of. I'd still like to learn how to unpack and repack though, it could be a last resort.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For my daily I use a rom based on miks eng base that I rooted and edited myself. For my dev rom I use joeykrims odexed rom that I deodexed. I also use a barebones 3.70 taken directly from the ruu, rooted and edited myself as well as deodexed it.
My two dev roms provide me with at least some sort of variables since joeykrim adds some extras to his rom.
In all three roms, the only thing I changed in the ramdisk is the kernel I compile and use (htc15 compiled to have sbc, havs, undervolt, etc.).
It could be (possible though unlikely since others do have success with adb on the roms you mention) that the ramdisk may have been edited in a way that prevents adb from starting in the init files.
Again just last night, both on my replacement evo and my wifes evo (she runs what I put on her evo which is usually a more polished version of mine) I used adb while the devices were running to pull some system apps and do some editing and then pushed them back. These are both sense based 3.70 roms using the same kernel.
Your situation is puzzling me at the moment since you said it works fine on cm7 and eclair but not on any sense based froyo roms. I would have drawn the same conclusion but since I personally can use adb on a sense based froyo rom I have to think the problem lies somewhere else and not solely on froyo. I'll try to duplicate this situation though I don't think I can without seeing what your device looks like.
Hi guys, great community here. I've learned so much already from reading and the knowledge of the community is pretty impressive.
I have run into an issue though. I'm running CM7 and applied a theme via ADW's theme chooser, but I recently switched to LP instead and therefore am not using the theme anymore. I applied the theme's lock screen icons via Metamorph though, and they did not revert back to the stock ones when I switched to LP. Now they don't really flow with everything else and I'd like to change them back, but I'm not really sure how. Unfortunately my Clockwork backup was after I applied the theme or way back when I installed CM7 and I would rather not have to spend the time to set everything back up. Is there a way to get the lock screen icons back at this point without reverting back? I don't exactly know what I'm looking for in terms of files either, so I'm a little lost here.
Thanks!
EDIT: I have now figured this issue out. Did some more research and found that framework-res.apk was where I needed to begin my search and I extracted it from my phone and found the overwritten icons. Simply pulled a fresh CM7 framework-res.apk and pushed it to my phone using ADB. What a great tool! Just figured I'd add this information so that if other people had a similar issue they'd know where to start as it's not exactly clear what to do. Then again, if I'd only made more frequent backups it would've been so much easier, so now I know.
Hey I don't really know how to use adb yet and was hoping there was maybe a .zip for the default lockscreen so you could just apply the default one via metamorph? Hope thats possible. XD
You can just reflash your current rom over the top to get everything back to normal. No need for a special zip.
My current rom wipes everything lool
Sent from my X10 using XDA App
i am new to this site and i am wondering a few things, i really like the whole just droid boot animation and stuff but i don't know how to add that, i know how to add roms and stuff i have them on right now idr which one since i keep changing looking for a one with a cool boot animation and lock screen i was so sick of the evo's slide down i rooted my phone..
if anyone could inform me how to like add on to a rom, i like apply the zip of the rom but i can't do anything else i tried adding a zipped theme but it didnt work and said aborted.
patd413 said:
i am new to this site and i am wondering a few things, i really like the whole just droid boot animation and stuff but i don't know how to add that, i know how to add roms and stuff i have them on right now idr which one since i keep changing looking for a one with a cool boot animation and lock screen i was so sick of the evo's slide down i rooted my phone..
if anyone could inform me how to like add on to a rom, i like apply the zip of the rom but i can't do anything else i tried adding a zipped theme but it didnt work and said aborted.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You didn't have to root to change the lockscreen. You can fully customize it with Widgetlocker. It's a few bucks, but more than worth it. Look it up & check out the WL themes thread as well, there's some great stuff there.
I wouldn't base my rom on the bootanimation & lockscreen, as both can easily be changed. To change the bootanimation, you either need a flashable zip specific for your rom, knowledge of adb, or Root Explorer or another root-level file explorer. Find the boot animation you want to use and download it. If it isn't a flashable zip, you'll need to know where your rom stores the boot animation. On Sense based roms, the boot animation is stored in system/customize/resource. With Root Explorer (or an alternative) change the name of the original boot animation, and move the one you want to that folder, ensuring it's named bootanimation.zip then set permissions.
There are threads with lists of boot animations available to download, or apps that allow you to browse/install from their list.
If you're having trouble flashing through recovery, I suggest switching to Amon Ra. Whatever you tried to flash was probably amend scripted. Once you've switched recoveries, remember to do a backup!
I also suggest learning more about being rooted before making any significant changes. Know what & why you're doing something before you do it. Good luck & have fun
Basic concepts, how-to'sThis thread is a work in progress. If you would like to contribute information or have ideas for what should be added please PM me.
Disclaimer "just because i am trying to be helpful does not make me responsible for anything that you do to your phone. playing with any of this stuff could destroy your phone"
I am not a dev, but I have been flashing on Samsung phones since the international S2 came out. I also spend a ton of time reading the forums and researching what I don't know. I would like to give back to the community in some way and I hope that this post can help the noobs not brick their devices, as well as keep them from being overly annoying to the members and developers here by posting in the wrong places and asking dumb questions.
Some basic rules if you are a noob and don't want to turn your phone into a brick.
1. be patient. don't be the first or even the tenth person to flash anything. wait until you see others using whatever Rom or kernel with success.
2. If you have any doubts about what you are doing, read more. don't flash.
3. make sure you are in the forum for your device, not some similar or related device.
Some basic rules for these forums
1. If you have a question, the first thing to do is look it up yourself. that means searching the forums first, then searching Google.
2. If after searching you can't find an answer, then post in the q&a forum
3. don't report bugs unless you are using an intact version of whatever Rom, if you have changed kernels, installed a ton of apps etc it probably isn't a bug, it's a bad combo or its you.
4. don't report bugs unless you are 150% sure that no one has reported it yet.
5. if you report a bug, make sure you can duplicate it first, then get a logcat of the problem so you can help (see below for logcat info)
Why flash?
by flashing your device you can make your phone act differently, look different, and enable new or disabled options. you could ,for example:
enable native tethering
enable call recording
change the look of your phone
add custom toggle buttons
overclock or undervolt
increase battery life
etc..
Kernel vs Rom vs Recovery vs Modem
Kernel is the layer between the phone hardware and the rom. it controls things like Wi-Fi power, touch sensitivity, possible range of screen brightness, phone logging, and processor max and min speed. kernel must be designed not only for your device but also for the type of rom you are using (Sammy rom or Aosp) some kernels support all roms, others are specific.
Rom is the operating system of your phone. there are three main categories of roms.
roms that are based off of the Samsung stock rom (Sammy rom)
roms that are based off of Android open source project aka AOSP (AOSP, AOKP)
roms based off of the miui project (these used to be a branch of AOSP but recently they have also used Sammy base for miui)
recovery is a partition that you can access at boot by holding down a combination of keys. (volume up and home button in the case of our sgs3) every phone has recovery stock but it doesn't do much. you can replace stock with clockwork mod recovery which is extremely useful for flashing all kinds of things and making backups before you do. There are other alternative recoveries besides clockwork but that seems to be the most common. TWRP is also gaining popularity these days, especially on the sgs3. You can easily switch between recoveries and or upgrade your current recovery. All that needs to happen is for a new image to be flashed onto the recovery partition. See the rooting guide for more info on how to flash a custom recovery.
modem is a file that controls the cell radio of the phone. helps determine what frequencies to use and settings for a particular network. It is important when flashing a radio that you flash a radio that is for the AT&T sgs3 as flashing the radio from another carrier has been known to cause problems with the IMEI
Methods for flashing files - Odin vs mobile Odin vs. clockworkmod(cwm) vs adb
Odin is the internal Samsung tool for flashing. I believe it only exists on Windows platform. This tool is mostly used to initially flash an insecure kernel or rooted kernel, OR to return to completely stock rom. This tool can effect your flash counter (see below). Files for flashing in odin generally should end in .tar or .tar.md5 although sometimes they come zipped and the tar is inside the zip. Read more about Odin before using it as it can easily break your phone. !!!as a general rule make sure you never check the "partition" checkbox EVER!!!
Mobile Odin is a phone based version of Odin made by the very talented developer Chainfire. It can be installed on a rooted phone and used to flash the same .tar based files as the desktop version. Mobile odin has a few advantages. 1 you can use it from your phone. 2 it does NOT effect the flash counter on your phone, 3 it can auto root a stock rom (nice if you want to try out a brand new update that has not been rooted yet)
clockworkmod(cwm) is recovery based tool that can make backups of your entire phone, flash new roms, kernels etc.., and do many other useful tasks. Once you have this on your phone my guess is that most of your flashing will be done through this tool. The files for flashing through clockworkmod are .zip files. Clockworkmod will NOT effect your flash counter.
ADB is the android develpment bridge. It allows for command line interface with your phone through it's debugging options. ADB can do most anything as I understand it. In my several years of flashing I have only had to use it once, and i could have waited for someone to come up with another solution. In general as a noob i recommend you stay away from ADB.
open source vs Samsung based roms vs miui
Open Source Roms such as AOSP/AOKP are built using Google's open source android code as a base. The developers then add functionality specific to the device. The advantages of these builds are that they often have tons of options built in to the rom that change the behavior and look of the phone. They usually allow you to change the toggles in your notification pull down, change the battery display, make all kinds of adjustments to sounds, vibration etc... Some people also prefer the "vanilla" android look and feel. These roms often provide "bleeding edge" concepts, design, and modifications. The Disadvantages of these roms is that some of the hardware coding is done closed source by the phone manufacturers, which means that things like bluetooth, camera, video recording, and MHL video out often don't work or take much longer to get working by the developers. Basically anything that relies on the Samsung framework will not work in an open source build. This means Svoice, Snote, and the Samsung camera app will not work.
Samsung based roms are taken from the Samsung original phone software and modified by the developer. Usually, these roms are modified in order to be faster and to make changes to some of the features. Expect to see changes to the stock rom like: debloated (ATT and samsung software removed), de-odexed (explained later), enable tethering, unlimited sms recipients, added notification toggles, etc. Most of these changes are made to: make the phone faster, improve battery life, make the phone easier to theme. The advantage of these roms is that they still use the Samsung framework so all the proprietary stuff like camera, bluetooth, MHL still work, the disadvantage is that they will never be as customisable as open source roms.
MIUI is a rom that focuses on theming. Official MIUI (Chinese) gets updated weekly on Friday and then there are lots of miui developers who adapt it to other languanges and make some tweaks to it. MIUI can be built from AOSP source or Samsung source and depending will have different features. The first MIUI rom for our phone just appeared in these forums and it is based off of AOSP. MIUI has a unique look and is also highly customizable through theming. There are tons of themes available for download through the rom itself and you can mix and match any part of any theme you want. This includes icons, lockscreen style, etc.. Some people criticize while others praise MIUI for being very "iphone like". This is because the icons look more iphone like and there is no app drawer in the MIUI launcher. However, you can still use any launcher you like within MIUI.
odexed vs de-odexed
odexed is how the phone comes stock from Samsung. Odexed means that system files and apps are split into two pieces and kept in different places on the phone. This is done to speed things up a bit. However, it makes it harder to theme the phone because the apps are split up. Most custom roms choose to de-odex (basically regroup the files back into one) so that custom themers can make themes more easily for the phone.
download mode and recovery mode how to access
(Copied from mskip and his toolkit thread here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1746665)
How to get into Download Mode (For Odin)
1. Unplug the USB cable.
2. Shut down the phone.
3. Hold down the 'HOME' + 'VOLUME DOWN' buttons and press the 'POWER' button for about 2 seconds until a WARNING! Screen appears. Press the 'VOLUME UP' button to enter Download Mode.
How to get into Recovery Mode
1. Unplug the USB cable.
2. Shut down the phone.
3. Hold down the 'HOME' + 'VOLUME UP' buttons and press the 'POWER' button for about 5 seconds to enter Recovery Mode.
STEP BY STEP how to flash your phone for the first time
A. get root
first off, you need to gain access to the root of your phone. there are several ways to do this (thanks to all the talented devs).
I recommend using mrRobinson's method as it will not trip the flash counter on your phone.
1. you will need to have odin from here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1722686 remember to hit the thanks button, download and install odin.
2. Kies (on Windows, not on your phone), Samsung's sync program, can interfere with Odin. Either make sure Kies is closed and close it out of background processes using the task manager in windows...or better yet, uninstall it completely.3. make sure you have the proper samsung drivers installed. you can get the USB drivers directly from Samsung here: http://www.samsung.com/us/support/owners/product/SGH-I747MBBATT
4. you need to download the right image from mrRobinson's thread. to find out which one hit the menu key from your home screen, select system settings, select about phone at the bottom, and look for the build. it should be either UCALEM or UCALG1. Once you know, go to mrRobinson's thread here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1739426 download the matching image, and dont forget to thank him.
STEPS 5-7 COPIED FROM mrRobinson's THREAD
5. Extract the .tar file from the .7z file you just downloaded from the thread in step 46. Put your phone into download mode (see how above)
7. Start Odin, connect your phone to your PC, you should see the box under ID:COM change color to show your device is connected. click on PDA and select the .tar file you just extracted. Hit the start button and wait for the file to flash to your phone. When done your phone will reboot automatically. One word of warning about Odin: DO NOT TOUCH THE CHECKBOXES!!! WHATEVER YOU DO>>DONT TOUCH THE RE-PARTITION CHECKBOX!!!!B. installing clockworkmod
the next step is to get a working clockworkmod recovery on your phone instead of the default recovery. Again, there are many ways to do this and there are several different versions of CWM recovery available. I recommend using the one from Rom Manager as it seems to be compatible with most roms. Note that currently most versions of CWM can only see your internal SD card and not your external if you have one.
1. Go to the Google play store and download Rom Manager (https://play.google.com/store/apps/...anager&feature=nav_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwyLDNd)2. Open Rom Manager app, flash clockworkmod recovery (first option), choose the appropriate phone..in this case galaxy s3 att, grant it superuser privileges, it should say install successful. NOTE: some users have reported not seeing the S3 ATT in the list of devices in Rom Manager...this is a bug and hopefully will be fixed. It may be that you need the purchased version instead of the free version for it to work? Not sure why this is but if it gives you trouble there are other ways to flash a recovery image. The next easiest way once rooted is to use the tool in this thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1746665 from there you can flash both cwm or twrp whichever you prefer. Alternatively you could also use goo manager to flash TWRP link to goo here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.s0up.goomanager&hl=en
C. Test out your new recovery and make a backup of your phone
1. turn your phone off, then turn it back on while holding the Volume UP and home key. (more detailed instructions above) You should see Clockworkmod Recovery at the top.2. Use your volume keys to navigate to the backup option and select backup, then wait for it to complete. You now have a backup of your phone you can restore to at any time.
D. downloading and flashing a new rom
now its time to decide what rom to flash. when choosing a rom read the first post of the thread (the OP) carefully and take time to read through most if not all of the thread. At the very least go read the last 10 pages of the thread so you are familiar with any current issues people may be having. Once you have picked a rom:
1. Download the rom you want to try2. Make sure that the rom ends up on your internal SD card and that you know where it is3. Get into CWM recovery4. As a general rule it's a good idea to wipe data/ factory reset from CWM recovery (this will wipe all your data on the phone except any photos/videos you may have taken)5. It is also good practice to wipe cache from CWM recovery6. Lastly, from the advanced menu in CWM choose to wipe Dalvik cache7. now go back out to the main recovery screen and choose "install .zip from SD Card" option and navigate to your rom, select it and confirmnote that a new rom may take longer to boot the first time.
Flashing "dirty" vs flashing "clean"
Clean
Doing a clean install of a rom means erasing or formatting all the data from the previous rom before you flash the new one. This is the prefered way to flash a rom to ensure that it will run smoothly. It is necessary if you are switching from one rom type to another (CM to Samsung base). In order to do a clean flash you need to boot into recovery and select the following options: wipe user data (this wipes all apps and personal data, but not your photos/videos), wipe cache, advanced>wipe dalvik cache, storage/mounts>format system. This will ensure that no trace of the former rom is left on the phone. Beware that at this point your phone will not boot until you install a new rom. I suggest using titanium backup to backup apps and smsbackup+ for texts to make getting your new rom configured easy.
Dirty
Doing a dirty install means just flashing a new rom right over the top of the old one without wiping any data. The advantage to this is that you don't lose any apps or account info. The disadvantage is that you open up the possibility for problems. Generally you only want to flash this way if you are upgrading a rom (CM10 nightly to the next nightly, or from one samsung based rom to another). If you decide to flash over the top and have any issues, you should not report bugs, but try flashing clean first.
backing up IMEI
There have been some issues with people losing their imei number when flashing roms. *It appears to be limited to the old imei software version 2 but the evidence is not yet conclusive. *If you lose your imei, you will not be able to connect properly to the data network. *Luckily some devs have figured out how to re-inject an imei number into our phone and get it working again. *It is certainly a good idea to back up your imei info before flashing just to be on the safe side. *There seems to be two main threads dealing with backing up and restoring your imei. *you can check them out here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1801997
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1804117
huge thanks go out to these devs for figuring this out!! as always make sure you thank them.
I have yet to try either of these methods out myself so if one seems much easier or clearer please let me know.
tethering (for stock Samsung based rom)
you can use a mod to enable wifi tethering from your phone to up to ten other devices and share your data connection. If you are running a custom rom you probably already have this enabled and don't need it. It is already included in any AOSP roms also.
Make sure that you use the version of the mod that is for your software version number (UCLEM or UCLG1 see beginning of rooting guide to figure out which one you are on).
The original mod for UCLEM is here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1732262
The mod for UCLG1 is here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1768826
The Flash Counter
The flash counter is an internal counter that ticks every time you install a non-samsung firmware through Odin. This allows Samsung or AT&T to see if the phone has been flashed with custom roms. custom recoveries such as Clockworkmod and TWRP as well as the mobile version of Odin DO NOT change the counter. Only flashing non-Samsung files through the desktop version of Odin does. You can see your flash counter when you enter download mode on your phone. Luckily, Chainfire has developed an app that allows this counter to be reset, so there is really little concern anymore about having the counter trip. If you do need to send your phone in for repairs, you will want to reset the counter and then flash an unmodified stock rom through odin to get your phone back to factory state.
Link to Chainfire's app through this post here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1800878
Logcat
Logcat is a way to access the android system log for everything that is going on behind the scenes. This tool is used to help developers pinpoint problems in a rom. If you want to actually be helpful to a dev when reporting a bug, you should really learn to use this tool. I am no expert on logcat but you can find some good information in this post: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1726238
APN settings
This is the apn that comes on stock at&t phone. It allows you to connect to LTE as well as hspa+
Name: ATT PTA
APN: pta
MMSC: http://mmsc.mobile.att.net
MMS Proxy: proxy.mobile.att.net
MMS port: 80
MCC: 310
MNC: 410
Auth: none
APN type: default,mms,supl,hipri
NOTES BELOW ARE COMING SECTIONS. Feel free to pm me questions you would like to see answered or suggestions for other info:
theming
unlocking sim
returning to stock
What info is stored in each area: system, data, cache etc...
Looks good.
Stuck
FNM
I now know more about Android OS! Thanks for the info.
Good thread! In your step by step guide I suggest you add installing adb and adb basics. IMO, this is essential for anyone flashing, has bailed me out of trouble on more than one occasion.
Sent from my SGH-I747M using XDA Premium HD app
MORE ! MORE ! Very nice work thanks, this is shedding some lights on the terms we see floating around
excellent information, much appreciated, so what is de-odexed and odexed? thanks again!!
I got my s3 when it first shipped, and soft bricked it a month later. Even if you do everything right, it can still mess up. So waiting for a USB jig to come in the mail since my homebrew jig didnt work or I hard bricked my phone... Be warned...
Very helpful thread, thanks a lot!
Thanks for this guide!! Very helpful. Coming from a very different phone, everything about the S3 is foreign to me! Could you maybe talk about backing up nv stuff and imei?? I know there's another thread that explains it, but, this being the noob helper, I think it'd be good for anyone new to this phone.
Thanks
Thank you for making this! I'm sure this will help a lot of people out. I've flashed quite a few times and having a guide like this is definitely helpful.
I sure hope I had this guide when I flashed for the first time a few days ago, but at the time you only had part 1 done and the guide had not been completed yet. Glad to see it finished and it'll definitely help out others.
mods
Thanks for all the invaluable info on flashing ROMs. I've been a BB user for years so Android is still new to me. I'm looking into rooting and trying out some custom roms, but I had a question. When it comes to Mods can you just add those individually?
I want to use Team Sonic's FreeGS3 Rom mainly due to it's Sony Bravia engine Mod and the Awesome Beats Mod (or at least when they get it working on apps other than Google Music). However, they don't have a fully supported Rom for AT&T just yet.
Trying to have the best of both worlds....I may just need to try out something else and wait for the full ATT version.
This is a great thread you've created OP. However, I'm a tad confused. You mention in the guide that Kies interferes with Odin and you say to close and close it out of the backround, but you also mention "better yet, uninstall it completely." One of the reasons I'm rooting my new phone is to be able to delete this bloatware. Are you implying this is possible without first rooting the phone?
Thanks a lot in advance, this is very helpful.
jroyjohnson said:
Thanks for all the invaluable info on flashing ROMs. I've been a BB user for years so Android is still new to me. I'm looking into rooting and trying out some custom roms, but I had a question. When it comes to Mods can you just add those individually?
I want to use Team Sonic's FreeGS3 Rom mainly due to it's Sony Bravia engine Mod and the Awesome Beats Mod (or at least when they get it working on apps other than Google Music). However, they don't have a fully supported Rom for AT&T just yet.
Trying to have the best of both worlds....I may just need to try out something else and wait for the full ATT version.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would wait to flash any ROM that isn't specifically for your device. However you may be able to flash the mods you want like the bravia mod on top of an att ROM. You need to find the original post for the mods you want, and do some research to see what they require and if anyone has used them successfully. Be extra careful of mods written for the international version of the phone.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2
omi__ said:
This is a great thread you've created OP. However, I'm a tad confused. You mention in the guide that Kies interferes with Odin and you say to close and close it out of the backround, but you also mention "better yet, uninstall it completely." One of the reasons I'm rooting my new phone is to be able to delete this bloatware. Are you implying this is possible without first rooting the phone?
Thanks a lot in advance, this is very helpful.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can see why you are confused. I am referring to kies on your windows PC. (If you installed it at some point) Not the version that runs on the phone.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2
OP, are you sure you can install CWM through ROM Manager after rooting? I remember trying to do this on my SGS2 last year and my phone soft bricked. Tried it twice, and still soft bricked.
Why not just use Robinson's method?
ComradeNF said:
OP, are you sure you can install CWM through ROM Manager after rooting? I remember trying to do this on my SGS2 last year and my phone soft bricked. Tried it twice, and still soft bricked.
Why not just use Robinson's method?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tested it out myself and it works fine. I figured this was the easiest way to get it done and not have to get adb up and running. Also, the official cwm is supported by all the new roms like cm10 and some other recoveries have had issues flashing those roms.
Thanks for putting this together! Very Helpful!
One question, you say flash CWM , first in list choose Galaxy S3 ATT, when i open Rom Manager and choose Flash i don't have the S3 for a choice ?I have Galaxy Note, Skyrocket and T-Mobile Galaxy S2, no S3....
Cholerabob said:
One question, you say flash CWM , first in list choose Galaxy S3 ATT, when i open Rom Manager and choose Flash i don't have the S3 for a choice ?I have Galaxy Note, Skyrocket and T-Mobile Galaxy S2, no S3....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try scrolling down the list
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2