Not sure what these numbers and letters mean....
Mine sais EL29, so i only flashed the ROM (Blazer ROM 4.0) that had all the same information as my phone displayed under "About Phone"....
This page http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=716 has a list of ROMs, a few of which i would like to use. Specifically the new ICS leaks (Hurry up SPRINT, release the ICS ALREADY!!)...
My question is... is the "EL29" "EH17" "SRF12" and all those others the firmware versions? Modem Versions? What are these? If a ROM specifies this information anywhere, will i have to upgrade or downgrade to the appropriate files (Or firmware) before flashing the ROM? I have no idea what these are or what they mean.
From what i've read and picked up, i know that some of these things will have to be done through ODIN and I think I read that some other things can be done through CWM, like flashing the ROM itself.
I just need a little more information on how flash ROMs properly concerning what needs to be done BEFORE I flash a new one... No one wants a Samsung PaperWeight.
Things I already know:
1.) Must install a ROM compatible with your phone (DUH)
2.) Sometimes you gotta use ODIN (Is this only for root? Or do you use this to upgrade/downgrade modem firmware or something, too ?)
Also, what other file exensions should I be familiar with and what do they do? I just want to be able to modify my phone with no problems and a collection of links and bookmarks for me to pull it off. I'm not trying to be a programmer (yet =)
Any links specific to my questions would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks in advance.
Most of this could be answered with a little reading, frankly. Many of the stickies explain most of this.
I would start by watching some of QBKING77s YouTube videos, they will explain Everything.
There should be a link in my sig to get yourself started with an easy one click root, but read, read, and then read some more before doing anything.
A link to a post I answered similarly previous :
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=23413749
Sent from my calculator watch.
Date the firmware was built that simple. EL29 was the most recent gingerbread build. FC13 build which btw was todayish is the latest ics leak.
In simplest terms:
EL29
E is the year. E was 2011, F is 2012, etc.
L is the month. A=Jan, B=Feb, C=Mar, ... L = Dec
29 Well, given the rest of the pattern, is the compile date. In this example, 29 is the 29th day of December, 2011.
And as the other poster says, this info is out there if you spent a bit of time searching for it.
I want to see a custom ROM based on the SRF12 leak.
Compusmurf said:
In simplest terms:
EL29
E is the year. E was 2011, F is 2012, etc.
L is the month. A=Jan, B=Feb, C=Mar, ... L = Dec
29 Well, given the rest of the pattern, is the compile date. In this example, 29 is the 29th day of December, 2011.
And as the other poster says, this info is out there if you spent a bit of time searching for it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. Thats what i was looking for. Never would had guessed what the E's and L's stood for.
I have read on this, trust me. Including the links that kingdazy provided. Although i will watch that youtube video to see what i can learn from it.
As i've said i've already root my Samsung E4G Touch flawlessly and i'm loving it, i was just wanting clarification on things.
My main question is.... If it has a different build, for instance mine is EL29, i would have to somehow get FC13 firmware on to my Samsung E4GT to flash any ICS ROM on to it, right? Either that, or whatever other firmware version the ROM instructions specify, i'm guessing.
I think the firmware is done using ODIN, right? I know i just used ODIN to flash an already rooted EL29 image..
But is CWM only used to install files from zips such as ROMs or stuff like Gapps?
Or does it depend entirely on the developers instructions? I know some dev leave out some instructions such as "use ODIN" or "use CWM" so when they do, i'm assuming i can use either or?
I DO see that they tend to tell you what NOT to use.. Like this one for CM9
"Using ODIN (link) flash to StockCWM EL26. Flashing CM9 from another recovery, such as Rogue, MAY BRICK YOUR PHONE. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED"
Needed clarification as to whether or not i've been understanding what i've been reading. Overall, i'm just wanting to know if i'm on the right track. If you guys got any pointers or advice. I would greatly appreciate it.
And just FYI.... I do my research. I know how to read. I'm just not as familiar with these forums like you guys are and have problems finding things. You got to admit, sometimes performing searches require a little finesse and know how....
Anyway, Thanks a lot.
Sorry I'm at work, can't link or go into detail, but in general ".zip"s are for cwm, ".tar"s are for odin.
If a dev insists on one or the other, they will say.
Sent from my calculator watch.
exitprogram said:
Thanks. Thats what i was looking for. Never would had guessed what the E's and L's stood for.
I have read on this, trust me. Including the links that kingdazy provided. Although i will watch that youtube video to see what i can learn from it.
As i've said i've already root my Samsung E4G Touch flawlessly and i'm loving it, i was just wanting clarification on things.
My main question is.... If it has a different build, for instance mine is EL29, i would have to somehow get FC13 firmware on to my Samsung E4GT to flash any ICS ROM on to it, right? Either that, or whatever other firmware version the ROM instructions specify, i'm guessing.
I think the firmware is done using ODIN, right? I know i just used ODIN to flash an already rooted EL29 image..
But is CWM only used to install files from zips such as ROMs or stuff like Gapps?
Or does it depend entirely on the developers instructions? I know some dev leave out some instructions such as "use ODIN" or "use CWM" so when they do, i'm assuming i can use either or?
I DO see that they tend to tell you what NOT to use.. Like this one for CM9
"Using ODIN (link) flash to StockCWM EL26. Flashing CM9 from another recovery, such as Rogue, MAY BRICK YOUR PHONE. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED"
Needed clarification as to whether or not i've been understanding what i've been reading. Overall, i'm just wanting to know if i'm on the right track. If you guys got any pointers or advice. I would greatly appreciate it.
And just FYI.... I do my research. I know how to read. I'm just not as familiar with these forums like you guys are and have problems finding things. You got to admit, sometimes performing searches require a little finesse and know how....
Anyway, Thanks a lot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To answer your first question (flash firmware first, and then the ROM) there isn't an easy answer as a lot of ROMs are complete systems which include the firmware. Some though are not and do require the correct firmware to work or install properly. From what I'm seeing, the ICS ROMs appear to all be full system ROM's meaning you wipe your phone and install and you're good. Some require additional files such as modems or whatever. But you could easily go from Gingerbread to the current stock version of ICS (which is what I'm using) with one simple flash.
The method you use to flash isn't specific to what you're flashing rather what the software was designed to be flashed with. Many developers prefer to use a recovery install (zips) while others use ODIN (tar). As I was coming from a stock software pack (and stock recovery) my only real option was an ODIN flash. Most of the time you cannot flash using the stock recovery. The software has to be signed by sprint in order for the stock recovery to flash a zip.
The most important things to be aware of in terms of those bricking their phones is be CERTAIN you are using software for YOUR phone. Not the Samsung Galaxy S2 but the specific one you use (in my case Epic 4G Touch which is Sprint). International files seem to do major damage. DO NOT stop the flash process mid-way through. I bricked a Samsung Moment that way and you have to go with your tail between your legs to the store. Avoid some of the ROM switchers and MobileODIN. They are great resources for an advanced phoner, death of a newb.
I would start with a basic stock flash through ODIN to ICS there are videos that make it pretty darn simple. Use it for a few days, figure out what you like and what frustrates you and then evaluate the ROMs to see if any might be better.
The Stock ICS I am using IS rooted but it's so stock that I will still receive the OTA (over-the-air) update from Sprint. So I have some bugs.
EDIT: OH LOL I just realized I'm in the Epic 4G Touch forum, I could've been more specific regarding the ROMs and what not I thought I was in a general forum.
exitprogram said:
Thanks. Thats what i was looking for. Never would had guessed what the E's and L's stood for.
I have read on this, trust me. Including the links that kingdazy provided. Although i will watch that youtube video to see what i can learn from it.
As i've said i've already root my Samsung E4G Touch flawlessly and i'm loving it, i was just wanting clarification on things.
My main question is.... If it has a different build, for instance mine is EL29, i would have to somehow get FC13 firmware on to my Samsung E4GT to flash any ICS ROM on to it, right? Either that, or whatever other firmware version the ROM instructions specify, i'm guessing.
I think the firmware is done using ODIN, right? I know i just used ODIN to flash an already rooted EL29 image..
But is CWM only used to install files from zips such as ROMs or stuff like Gapps?
Or does it depend entirely on the developers instructions? I know some dev leave out some instructions such as "use ODIN" or "use CWM" so when they do, i'm assuming i can use either or?
I DO see that they tend to tell you what NOT to use.. Like this one for CM9
"Using ODIN (link) flash to StockCWM EL26. Flashing CM9 from another recovery, such as Rogue, MAY BRICK YOUR PHONE. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED"
Needed clarification as to whether or not i've been understanding what i've been reading. Overall, i'm just wanting to know if i'm on the right track. If you guys got any pointers or advice. I would greatly appreciate it.
And just FYI.... I do my research. I know how to read. I'm just not as familiar with these forums like you guys are and have problems finding things. You got to admit, sometimes performing searches require a little finesse and know how....
Anyway, Thanks a lot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was wondering the same so don't feel stupid exitprogram. I too have read a lot, and the more I do the more confused I get. Frankly, I have no idea how to move forward.
I'm pretty noob with this phone, but have rooted my HTC Hero and flashed a few ROMS on it, rooted my et4g and installed starburst, even rooted and cm7ed my nook, but I'm very confused about the firmware version compatibility with ROMS for the ET4G. I've been waiting to see how the ICS ROMS are before doing anything further to my phone.
I'm sure you guys who replied must get tired with noobs asking the same old questions, but saying go read the internets ("Read Everything before flashing Anything.") isn't very helpful. I appreciate you taking the time to help, I really do, but it's frustrating.
You say to watch QBKing77 videos, and all will be revealed. Here is an example of what is confusing for me, one of QBKing77 videos
In the vid it says it's a FC06 ICS ROM. Then leads you through the format all and zip install. I have no problem doing that, but I have EG30, and I have no idea if following the above install procedure will update me to FC06 or will leave me with a brick and/or headache.
ok general rule for samsung at least, only use GB firmware (kernel) with GB roms (system), ICS with ICS... For the QBKing example, i didnt watch the vid, but usually he says where hes coming from. Odds are its EL29, the official stock, if you wanted to do what he did, get to the starting point he was on then go from there. Honestly I think a lot of this has been made really complicated with the ET4G, mainly because of all the leaks, all fifteen personalized recoveries, people demaning preference on CWM or Odin... on the OG Epic there werent THIS many leaks, and there was time to catch up the new people, now its insane. I think the CWM variants really only serve to complicate, example the Rom Manager works good for CM9 I guess, but not really at all for everything else, and Rogue doesnt work for CM9, but great for the regular stuff... too much redundancy. And honestly it isnt just Rogue and ACS, they just try to simplify Koush's CWM, but then Koush has Rom Manager and it says it supports our phone, but the temp recovery is iffy and dont even mess with the Touch Recovery.
Anyways, just follow OP instructions, give the search a shot so you can tell the trolls you did so (it usually yields nothing, google works better) and sift through the chit chat in the dev threads for the info. If its not there in 20 pages, and not in the OP, just ask... if someone figures something out after the thread is created, someone should let the OP know to update their thread. Some devs are in a hurry and forget to clarify things... it happens.
in general, .zips are flashed thru CWM, look/ask which one to use if not specified, .tar, .md5, .bin... all use Odin... look for which to use (the one-clicks are actually cool... make Odin easier till people get familiar with what goes where). I think once we get ICS official and the first onslaught of ROMs come out, things will settle down a lot.
Does anyone else notice those are bothe of epic and epic touch radios? Op be very careful not to make the mistake of flashing wrong ones
Sent from my BAD A$$ EPIC TOUCH 4G
ungovernable1977 said:
ok general rule for samsung at least, only use GB firmware (kernel) with GB roms (system), ICS with ICS... For the QBKing example, i didnt watch the vid, but usually he says where hes coming from. Odds are its EL29, the official stock, if you wanted to do what he did, get to the starting point he was on then go from there. Honestly I think a lot of this has been made really complicated with the ET4G, mainly because of all the leaks, all fifteen personalized recoveries, people demaning preference on CWM or Odin... on the OG Epic there werent THIS many leaks, and there was time to catch up the new people, now its insane. I think the CWM variants really only serve to complicate, example the Rom Manager works good for CM9 I guess, but not really at all for everything else, and Rogue doesnt work for CM9, but great for the regular stuff... too much redundancy. And honestly it isnt just Rogue and ACS, they just try to simplify Koush's CWM, but then Koush has Rom Manager and it says it supports our phone, but the temp recovery is iffy and dont even mess with the Touch Recovery.
Anyways, just follow OP instructions, give the search a shot so you can tell the trolls you did so (it usually yields nothing, google works better) and sift through the chit chat in the dev threads for the info. If its not there in 20 pages, and not in the OP, just ask... if someone figures something out after the thread is created, someone should let the OP know to update their thread. Some devs are in a hurry and forget to clarify things... it happens.
in general, .zips are flashed thru CWM, look/ask which one to use if not specified, .tar, .md5, .bin... all use Odin... look for which to use (the one-clicks are actually cool... make Odin easier till people get familiar with what goes where). I think once we get ICS official and the first onslaught of ROMs come out, things will settle down a lot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First of all. All of you suck and none of this information was helpful WHATSOEVER.
JK!
It's good to have received that the clarification as to what ODIN uses and what CWM uses. I was pretty much correct as far as that point goes, because no where inside of CWM does it have options for .tar files, etc...
Now, these modem firmwares, and all these other EL29, FC this and FU that (lol) can be a get confusing and i just want to be sure i do everything EXACTLY as they say it needs to be done, which of course means, don't ASSUME anything and always do your research and get clarification. Otherwise, you might end up with a $600 paperweight that reminds you of your stupidity on a daily basis when you look at it.
I appreciate all of your guys's input and i consider this is a great community.
Androidforums.com + XDA-Developers.com = Excellent resources and tools.
I'll admit i was in a bad mood and cussed out a MOD on androidforums one day, but its all good. People have bad days.... Hopefully that guy didn't take offense to the comments i made about his homosexuality lol. Won't happen again. I'll just beat up a co-worker instead haha.
Thanks again! NERD POWER!
Fyi we tell newbs to go read because that is how you learn....if you don't want to put the time into reading and learning you probably want a different phone..we all learned how to do things on this phone by reading and galaxy s3 will be similar so it's something most should do is read read read
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium
E is the year. E was 2011, F is 2012, etc.
L is the month. A=Jan, B=Feb, C=Mar, ... L = Dec
29 is the day so in EL29 would be dec 29th 2011
ungovernable1977 said:
ok general rule for samsung at least, only use GB firmware (kernel) with GB roms (system), ICS with ICS... For the QBKing example, i didnt watch the vid, but usually he says where hes coming from. Odds are its EL29, the official stock, if you wanted to do what he did, get to the starting point he was on then go from there. ...
I think once we get ICS official and the first onslaught of ROMs come out, things will settle down a lot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the clarification. I'll take my phone back to stock and start again at some point. Think I'll still wait for the more finished ICS ROMs to play it safe. Some kind soul will no doubt write a howto for those less able among us.
Edit: decided to go back to stock and update to EL29 following the vid tut linked above. For anyone googling through, I was a little confused at one point but worked it out. Currently the EL29 file is a zip, inside is a .tar.md5 file which is what you select in Odin for the PDA box. Nice to know it's that easy... when you know how
SRF1.2 was a custom rom for old Epic based on froyo by MysteryEmotionz. It was based on the original work done by k0nane when CIQ was originally removed.
OK....So im not new to XDA or android really....have been in the HTC Hero forum for a little bit, but my new phone will be here tomorrow....
So far things seem just a lil bit different on this side, please correct me if im wrong....
Kernels-cooked into the ROM cant be flashed over with a different kernel?
Root looks pretty easy to achieve, but also easy to loose/unroot?
CWM doesnt play well with this phone, and must be cooked into a ROM instead of being flashed freely?
Modem/Radio...is there a new or old better or worse...are these all just cooked up and are trial an error? It seems that there should be some kind of consensus as to which ones are good,bad,or indifferent...or which ones work better in a different markets?
And the xx14 or pgxx....different codes for ROMs, what is all of that about, a little insight into that would be GREAT!!
Again, I have been reading over the forums for a week or so now and I am just trying to wrap my head around how this new process is going to work...The Hero is a legacy device and everything seems second nature for me. Alot of people in that forum moved on the the Evo3D, but I was ready for a something new and different, so here I am! I just dont want to screw something up on this device.
Thanks in advance for any positive input.
Edit: OOPS....Guess this should have gone in the Q/A...sorry.
For the code names like FC14... is basically identification of the build date of the ROM.
F = year (2012)
C = month (March)
14 = day
Gotcha, thanks!
Recovery is packed with the kernel. You can use any kernel you want as long as you are using gingerbread kernels with gb roms and ics kernels with ics roms. You can flash them with odin or cwm.
There are currently issues with ICS kernels so it is not recommended to use recovery on any ics kernels.
Modems are basically trial and error with regards to which is best for your phone. You are free to use any modem on any build.
The absolute safest route is ODIN for sure. There is a lot of speculation on what exactly is causing bricks. It seems the worst of it is connected with ICS and Clockword Mod Touch Recovery being used together.
Odin is a very nice tool that you can use from your computer to flash rom files, kernels, and modems. There is also Mobile Odin available from the play market for a few dollars. It's a worthwhile investment because you can flash tar files without a computer. But it is a known issue that the modem won't flash, which isn't a huge deal. Just do it from your computer when you get a chance.
Root isn't necessarily easy to lose. The only way to lose it is to personally remove root using a tool, like autoroot, or to do an OTA update from a stock rooted ROM, that would also remove root. Other than that once you're rooted you are good to go.
Be sure to do AS MUCH READING AS POSSIBLE. People are BRICKING their phones. They are breaking them beyond personal repair, and Spring Tech repair, thus needed warranty replacements. READ READ READ READ READ READ. I can't say it enough, nobody can say it enough. Even the developers have bricked their phones.
Yeah, I am reading...lol
Thats what made me post this because some of it doesnt make sense compared to what I am used to...
I am pretty sure im gonna root and stay stock for at least.....a day! Just to get a feel for it, and be able to tell a difference between stock and Mod... But I must confess I am a flash-whore and have been dying for some ICS goodness!!
I came from the EVO 4G; here are some things I've picked up.
1) The recovery and kernel is combined with samsung phones (same partition). So you can't just flash 1 or the other, you install both.
2) Touch CMW on E4GT is unproven. Some fared ok, some say otherwise. To be safe, I'd avoid it for now. Regular CMW and Rogue recovery are pretty much the gold standard here.
3) Any recovery installed by Rom Manager is temporary (again kernel/recovery are combined). Meaning it won't stick past a normal reboot.
4) Until ICS source is released, any actions done specifically in the ICS kernel-based recovery could potentially brick your phone. This is especially true for any ICS aosp roms (CM9, miui v4, aokp, etc). So this means once you flash from gb to ICS, your recovery is suspect. I will say that I don't see many reports of people bricking with these TW ics leaks, as many just seem to use calk's format all script and flash away. To be 100% safe, its best to odin back to a gb kernel-recovery to anything within the recovery.
5) Learn to use Odin; its important to know if you are going to play with ICS right now.
Good luck!
modems, just like radios, are going to be different for each user.
personally i just use the latest modem since sprint sucks no matter which one i use.
root is achieved simply by using odin to flash a rooted rom.
unroot by simply using odin to flash a stock rom.
very easy!
I read an article earlier today about Sprint putting out ICS at the end of this month (June 30).
On my other phone, it was a huge hassle going back to stock for the ICS update.
So should I just stay with TouchWiz till the end of the month?
So far every prediction and announcement of official ics for this phone has been wrong. If you need root, then go with a rock solid rooted EL29 rom. If you accept an ota of ics, you can't root it. You will have to wait for a pre-rooted build to be released here and flash again. Using sfhub's one click Odin releases, it isn't difficult at all. Just don't be lazy and choose the nodata version. You will most likely have problems eventually if you don't do the full flash version. So many people are wanting help for a multitude of reasons. It usually boils down to do the full version flash and start from the beginning. Also, if you have it, don't be doing titanium backups of gingerbread installs then restoring them in ice cream sandwich, you'll be opening another can of worms with that.
Are you tunning a custom rom or are you rooted now? How difficult was it to root? Have you checked sfhubs thread? Just asking you some questions because honestly rooting and unrooting is probably all of 5 minutes. Also when ICS comes out do you honestly think it won be rooted in minutes. So why stress yourself or start a thread over something you really don't need to worry about... Just Sayin
Stay with stock root with sfhubs method either way its not that big a deal when ICS comes out
Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk 2
oscarthegrouch said:
So far every prediction and announcement of official ics for this phone has been wrong. If you need root, then go with a rock solid rooted EL29 rom. If you accept an ota of ics, you can't root it. You will have to wait for a pre-rooted build to be released here and flash again. Using sfhub's one click Odin releases, it isn't difficult at all. Just don't be lazy and choose the nodata version. You will most likely have problems eventually if you don't do the full flash version. So many people are wanting help for a multitude of reasons. It usually boils down to do the full version flash and start from the beginning. Also, if you have it, don't be doing titanium backups of gingerbread installs then restoring them in ice cream sandwich, you'll be opening another can of worms with that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I appreciate you input and tips!
playya said:
Are you tunning a custom rom or are you rooted now? How difficult was it to root? Have you checked sfhubs thread? Just asking you some questions because honestly rooting and unrooting is probably all of 5 minutes. Also when ICS comes out do you honestly think it won be rooted in minutes. So why stress yourself or start a thread over something you really don't need to worry about... Just Sahib's
Stay with stock root with sfhubs method either way its not that big a deal when ICS comes out
Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have an HTC Dinc2 ATM. I know how to root it, and try out roms and all that.
But on Monday, when UPS delivers my E4GT, I want to be able to jump right into rooting it and putting a good rom on it so I can spend least time learning how to flash a rom onto it and least time running into mistakes and not be a tad bit familiar with what I'm doing and mess up something.
You're reply is sorta idk... I'm not stressing over anything. I want to unbox it, do everything I need to it, and be able to start using it right away. I just want it to be stable and have ics -even if its stock ota or a custom rom.
Edit: Usually I don't start threads because they end up not answered or someone replies not being helpful but being harsh. I'm just trying to have everything situated right.
AndroidRocksSocks said:
I appreciate you input and tips!
I have an HTC Dinc2 ATM. I know how to root it, and try out roms and all that.
But on Monday, when UPS delivers my E4GT, I want to be able to jump right into rooting it and putting a good rom on it so I can spend least time learning how to flash a rom onto it and least time running into mistakes and not be a tad bit familiar with what I'm doing and mess up something.
You're reply is sorta idk... I'm not stressing over anything. I want to unbox it, do everything I need to it, and be able to start using it right away. I just want it to be stable and have ics -even if its stock ota or a custom rom.
Edit: Usually I don't start threads because they end up not answered or someone replies not being helpful but being harsh. I'm just trying to have everything situated right.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK then just Odin one of the newest stock ICS roms out there. Agat has some nice ones as well if this is what you are looking for but stable for one may not be for others. I run cm9 with lil to no issues but I see other guys complain. Hey inbox Odin the latest ICS and enjoy
Edit: Sorry if my previous answer was confusing but sometimes people ask questions that have no definitive answers.
Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk 2