Develop Bugs

Please explain the ICS Recovery Warning

Alright, I'm no noob and I've successfully rooted and flashed several phones over the past couple of years, I get what we're doing - above a basic knowledge, well below an "expert". But it seems somewhere around FC05 I started seeing warnings about using the Rogue Repack to both flash ROMS and restore. I fully understand people were have major issues with touch recovery/ROM Manager, but this is different. This is what I've been able to pick from filtering through threads, it's a little tough to put it together because it's a few dozen post in many places. Please, in detail if you can, fill in the blanks.
1. Obviously, DON'T use an ICS recovery to restore a GB setup or the other way round. That seemed a no brainer.
2. Steady is advising people to NOT flash any ROMS using the FC kernals. I've waited and used the sfhub's one-click ODINs since EL26, but I found this interesting he's advising to not use it to go from FC06 to FC07, for example.
3. Some say don't flash an ICS ROM zip from ICS recovery, some say it's no problem.
I've slimmed down quite a bit during the ICS transition because, I knew I'd be doing a lot of flashing. So doing a manual restore is not too big of a deal. But is there, in an experts opinion, any perceived issue restoring an ICS nandorid in a FC recovery?

Data is formated differently in ICS, so it is best to just leave it alone. They say not to wipe data in ICS recoveries because of the format difference. Your best bet is to play it safe and use gingerbread EL26 kernel with CWM.

Thanks, and I get the difference between ICS and GB formatting, but are these warnings only for those trying to go back to GB? Or are you saying NO MATTER WHAT play it safe and if you must restore use EL26 (ie One-click back to stock/rooted), since the new ICS kernal would get flashed over it anyhow?
Forgive me for asking for a complete breakdown, but I'd rather play Devil's Advocate and get the info posted.

I would recommend ALWAYS going back to the EL26 CWM kernel. I attempted to wipe data from FC07's CWM and bricked my phone.

luckychef28 said:
Thanks, and I get the difference between ICS and GB formatting, but are these warnings only for those trying to go back to GB? Or are you saying NO MATTER WHAT play it safe and if you must restore use EL26 (ie One-click back to stock/rooted), since the new ICS kernal would get flashed over it anyhow?
Forgive me for asking for a complete breakdown, but I'd rather play Devil's Advocate and get the info posted.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please consider changing further conversation on this to the following thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1525495
This has been regularly updated with advice and links as the OP is trying to get it stickied. It also helps those of us keeping a close eye on the topic to consolidate what we're looking at versus going through many threads.
As for flashing ICS ROMs there is a good link in that first post that should give you the requested breakdown. Hope this helps!

Blend ICS?

It seems like Mijjz's Blend ICS ROM is getting a lot of hits and could be a daily driver. I use my phone for work so I have been a little hesitant to jump on the ICS wagon until reading more. After digging, I still have some questions from the folks using it now...
Is it REALLY as easy as formatting and installing from the ZIP? I'm running Blazer's ROM now..
Does Exchange work?
GPS (without needing to complete some sort of Vodoo ritual)?

Just back up your current setup. That way if you don't like it you can go back.
You can flash from gb rogue recovery(not touch recovery) to ics. Make sure you wipe everything well. (except sd card)
If you go back, make sure to use the 1 click Odin, DO NOT TRY TO FLASH YOUR GB BACKUP FROM ICS RECOVERY. ALWAYS ODIN. I usually go back to el29 to upgrade ics versions, it insures a clean install. Good luck! Gps and exchange have been working, if they don't you probably did something wrong.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2 Beta-3

robbyr said:
It seems like Mijjz's Blend ICS ROM is getting a lot of hits and could be a daily driver. I use my phone for work so I have been a little hesitant to jump on the ICS wagon until reading more. After digging, I still have some questions from the folks using it now...
Is it REALLY as easy as formatting and installing from the ZIP? I'm running Blazer's ROM now..
Does Exchange work?
GPS (without needing to complete some sort of Vodoo ritual)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've been using Goodness since version 1. It is 100% a daily driver!
1) Yes it really is as easy as all that. I'd follow the instructions in the OP just to make sure you get it right but yeah, piece of cake.
2) Exchange works, most of the time. I know there have been a few releases where it hasn't but Mijjah is super responsive and gets it fixed extremely quickly.
3) GPS had some issues in the beginning but I've not had any issues. I got lost downtown yesterday and pulled it out, got a lock in five seconds and it got me right where I needed to be.
Long story short? Just do it! It's the best ROM out there! Team Nocturnal kicks butt and if you have questions hope on their thread and you'll get an answer super fast. Everyone there is super helpful and friendly.
Enjoy your new ROM!

GPS is either completely random or people are having alot more trouble than they should be.
FC07+ for me GPS has worked out of the box everytime.

robbyr said:
It seems like Mijjz's Blend ICS ROM is getting a lot of hits and could be a daily driver. I use my phone for work so I have been a little hesitant to jump on the ICS wagon until reading more. After digging, I still have some questions from the folks using it now...
Is it REALLY as easy as formatting and installing from the ZIP? I'm running Blazer's ROM now..
Does Exchange work?
GPS (without needing to complete some sort of Vodoo ritual)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What the other 3 posters said is all 100% correct. Be sure to read the first 4 posts in the thread, not just the first one. Follow the posted flashing instructions, have questions, check the FAQ in post #4.
Team-Nocturnal Blended ICS

I have been running the blend roms since fc07 every update and I am like you i use my phone everyday for work and i was worried. One night i sat and read every post in the forum for the blend ics rom and decided to do it. Fc07 was a lil buggy so i flashed back to el29 for a about a day then decided to try it again. Second go round everything worked except gps i used the work around that they tell u to use and i havent had trouble since. The only other bug was apex launcher if u tryed to dl it from the market and use it it would fc every now and again and that was on fc18. Other than those two small issues everything else has been awesome.
DOHCHP sent from ICS Epic Touch

It seems like the GPS bug is gone with FC22. Is that correct? How about battery life?

robbyr said:
It seems like the GPS bug is gone with FC22. Is that correct? How about battery life?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
GPS does appear to be fixed. Battery life seems to vary depending on your phone and your setup but I myself am averaging between 10 and 12 hours. I saw a post yesterday where somebody had 24+ hours!

I'm running 2.3 right now and am wanting to flash the newest version. Can I do this from the current recovery or do I need to go back to GB? What is the best process to do this? Noob here haha

Do not flash roms from an ics recovery. Always odin to el29 with CWM then flash ics through CWM
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2 Beta-3

tkemack said:
Do not flash roms from an ics recovery. Always odin to el29 with CWM then flash ics through CWM
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2 Beta-3
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Click to collapse
The thread for the ROM says you can do it with just the Calk wipe zip and a few other things Besides, what does Odin to el29 mean? Told you I was a noob.

[please sticky] Gonna flash an ICS build? Check here before you brick yourself!

Due to an error in the kernels we've been flashing to our devices, a lot of users have been experiencing a FULL BRICK. Full brick meaning you may as well play golf with your phone, it's dead.
I've been told there is a fix, BUT YOU MUST NOT FLASH ANYTHING FROM CWM. The bug is originating from flashing a corrupt kernel from CWM or mobile ODIN.
Here's a cut from the article:
Thanks to XDA Elite Recognized Developer Entropy512, we have learned that most devices that are receiving leaks are at a very high risk of never waking up after a flash. It turns out that there is a major bug in the leaked ICS kernel that affects the /data partition in the eMMC chip, which apparently gets corrupted during certain operations such as wiping and flashing. This was originally believed to be affecting only operations performed in custom recoveries such as CWM. However, there have been reports of hard bricks being produced from the flashing from stock recoveries as well. The affected devices are:
All Epic 4G Touch (SPH-D710) ICS leaks
All Galaxy Note (GT-N7000) ICS leaks
The AT&T Galaxy S II (SGH-I777) UCLD3 leak – and probably all others
Korean SHW-M250S/K/L official releases and any kernel built from their source
Entropy and other devs have posted several warnings scattered throughout the site, in which they explain in detail what is happening. Our suggestion is that users should stay away from flashing ICS from leaks until the bug in the kernel has been completely fixed—unless of course, you are looking to hard brick your device. Remember, this is not something that can be resurrected via Unbrickable Mod or even via JTAG, as this is a firmware error in the eMMC.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just like you, I don't wish to brick my E4GT. xST4T1K has posted a comprehensive guide to find your options on removing the affected ICS kernels from your device, and hopefully resulting in you not bricking the crap out of your phone. Go check this page: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1525495
I DO NOT take credit for finding this bug, credit goes to Entropy512 and XDA TV's EGZTHUNDER1 for alerting me of this bug. I have safely removed the affected ICS kernel from my phone and custom builds, now it's your turn.
The only reason I'm requesting a sticky in the wrong forum (Yes, I know I posted in the development branch) is because most users won't know about these affected kernels before trying their newly rooted E4GT into some ICS bling.. Next thing you know, you've got a two day old brick with a shiny screen.
Please, once again, GO TO THIS PAGE and explore the options of returning your phone back to dry land.
As a reminder, DO NOT FLASH ANYTHING FROM CWM OR MOBILE ODIN.
While I have heard that flashing a non-ICS kernel from ODIN has fixed these issues, we're looking more into that now.. I have alerted xST4T1K of this, and we'll get back to you with confirmed results.
Safe flashing, XDA members.

Maybe this sticky from the general forum should just be moved over to here.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=23149990
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2

Weve kinda known this for a while now since the February leaks... js. Still, safe flashing everyone lol.

first off, many have been warned by all the devs, myself and other users since these unlocked recoveries came out and then the repacked recoveries started up again...
USE CALKULIN'S FORMAT ALL OR CALKULINS MODIFIED FORMAT ALL, to do any wiping...
DO NOT WIPE FROM STOCK OR CWM RECOVERIES...
If you do what is said above, you won't brick your device.
Why do you wipe from the stock when all you have to do is flash 1 file to do it all for you?
NOW again....
USE CALKULIN'S FORMAT ALL OR CALKULINS MODIFIED FORMAT ALL, to do any wiping...
DO NOT WIPE FROM STOCK OR CWM RECOVERIES...
Quite Easy.
In the end, it's called following directions.
Edit: just to clarify... Wiping cache/dalvik cache from stock or cwm repacked recoveries is safe.
The issue is Wiping Data (Don't use the option)

bigpeng said:
first off, many have been warned by all the devs, myself and other users since these unlocked recoveries came out and then the repacked recoveries started up again...
USE CALKULIN'S FORMAT ALL OR CALKULINS MODIFIED FORMAT ALL, to do any wiping...
DO NOT WIPE FROM STOCK OR CWM RECOVERIES...
If you do what is said above, you won't brick your device.
Why do you wipe from the stock when all you have to do is flash 1 file to do it all for you?
NOW again....
USE CALKULIN'S FORMAT ALL OR CALKULINS MODIFIED FORMAT ALL, to do any wiping...
DO NOT WIPE FROM STOCK OR CWM RECOVERIES...
Quite Easy.
In the end, it's called following directions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So my question is... What about flashing mod's that require only wiping cache and dalvik??? I guess I've been lucky with wiping cache and dalvik from cwm recoveries but does this mean no more mod's until source is released???
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2

bigpeng said:
first off, many have been warned by all the devs, myself and other users since these unlocked recoveries came out and then the repacked recoveries started up again...
USE CALKULIN'S FORMAT ALL OR CALKULINS MODIFIED FORMAT ALL, to do any wiping...
DO NOT WIPE FROM STOCK OR CWM RECOVERIES...
If you do what is said above, you won't brick your device.
Why do you wipe from the stock when all you have to do is flash 1 file to do it all for you?
NOW again....
USE CALKULIN'S FORMAT ALL OR CALKULINS MODIFIED FORMAT ALL, to do any wiping...
DO NOT WIPE FROM STOCK OR CWM RECOVERIES...
Quite Easy.
In the end, it's called following directions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In a world where users flash before they research, common sense doesn't have a stronghold.

DjKurt said:
So my question is... What about flashing mod's that require only wiping cache and dalvik??? I guess I've been lucky with wiping cache and dalvik from cwm recoveries but does this mean no more mod's until source is released???
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The issue is from Wiping Data from stock and cwm recoveries, you can wipe cache and dalvik with no worries. Those don't mess with partitions.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium

You may be able to flash wipe mods and such but imsince I bricked mine doing just that. I will not flash anything in an ics recovery. I will Odin modems and will flash roms and kernels in one session and that is always coming from stock GB. Take for what its worth. Not saying the above mentioned ways aren't worth noting. But flashing the format script in blue cwm while on ICS is what bricked me.

scarmon25 said:
You may be able to flash wipe mods and such but imsince I bricked mine doing just that. I will not flash anything in an ics recovery. I will Odin modems and will flash roms and kernels in one session and that is always coming from stock GB. Take for what its worth. Not saying the above mentioned ways aren't worth noting. But flashing the format script in blue cwm while on ICS is what bricked me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That sucks, sorry to hear that...
I was one of the first to test cwm repacked recoveries for agat63 since FE10 and have flashed 37 times to and from different roms and done backups and restores countless times and I've been fine.
I haven't been fearful of any bricks since I tested these repacked kernels.
Hope it does get figured out once source hits though.
Edit: btw what kernel (with or without cwm repack?) did you brick in?
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium

It was back when CM9 first was released. I was using the el26 cwm kernel to flash. I was on one of the ice builds I can't remember. I odined the kernel cwm combo el26 and then ran a format all and flashed cm9 and ggot the blue light special haha
Its all good though. I have read alot of info in this including the one mentioned. One thing that was mentioned in one of them is that the bug had been triggered be deleteing a large file off the internal memory. That worried me. So I've been weary of ICS builds since. The fact that the issue seems to be that info getting wrote to a certain block of the emmc has me worried that it could be triggered by more then wiping of flashing. I have ran agats ROMs and I have to say he seems to be doing something right. Whether it is because he is staying TouchWiz or what for some reason his users seem tto not have many issues. But just keep in mind that it may not just be kernel/recovery related.
Safe flashing is key and I never want to see someone brick. Just be careful in whatever you do.

Sorry, I haven't had much of a chance to update my thread lately but I will soon. With all the leaks that were consistently being released, it wasn't feasible to update it every other day. The thread already has everything you need to know about bricking so I figured if you couldn't figure out how to prevent a brick with the information given, then you should probably buy an IPhone and never attempt flashing in the first place.

xST4T1K said:
Sorry, I haven't had much of a chance to update my thread lately but I will soon. With all the leaks that were consistently being released, it wasn't feasible to update it every other day. The thread already has everything you need to know about bricking so I figured if you couldn't figure out how to prevent a brick with the information given, then you should probably buy an IPhone and never attempt flashing in the first place.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I couldn't have said it any better, my friend!
As far as those who've bricked their phones, it is truly unfortunate.. Google themselves has been brought into light on this situation, and are working to correct this issue in the kernels that they've been adding in with their firmware.
As far as your useless phones go.. Try filing for an insurance claim, I guess! NOT my professionally recommended advice.. But IF someone were to have stolen that useless phone of yours and you were to never see it again.. Well, who am I to say that's not a reason to get a replacement from asurion! Lol!

By the way, xST4T1K.. Bumped you thanks count up a little more.
Thank goodness I ran into these threads before I decided to flash anything else.. Been running a solid ICS rom for a few weeks, now. But I'd rather get back to safe land on GingerBread Island and use Apex Launcher. Wouldn't care for the huge difference in the settings menu. Would miss the lockscreen, though.. Not aiming my finger at an unlock tab has gotten habitual!

crazy.. not sure i agree with this thread.. its scaring people away from trying awesome roms.. if you search in any ics rom or aosp ics rom you hear little about people bricking there phones.. there are clear instructions to install and if you dont know what your doing and cant follow instructions dont do it or you will have a brick. ive been on ics since the first leak and have had to odin many times after a "soft brick" from me not following instructions but its simple.. dont format data on any ics kernel/cwm and you'll be fine..
Sent from my SPH-D710 using XDA

elliwigy said:
crazy.. not sure i agree with this thread.. its scaring people away from trying awesome roms.. if you search in any ics rom or aosp ics rom you hear little about people bricking there phones.. there are clear instructions to install and if you dont know what your doing and cant follow instructions dont do it or you will have a brick. ive been on ics since the first leak and have had to odin many times after a "soft brick" from me not following instructions but its simple.. dont format data on any ics kernel/cwm and you'll be fine..
Sent from my SPH-D710 using XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would never want to scare anyone away from trying these great builds on XDA. What I do want though is to make people aware that no matter how many tines you flash something. Always treat the flash your about to do as if it was your first. Sometimes we get to comfortable in what we're doing. We have to remember that this is a pretty expensive device and if something happens you may be buying a new one outright. Not everyone has insurance or can throw out that kind of cash. Do safe flashing practices and make sure you read the OP. When flashing leaked software make sure to flash from stock or the most current OEM released build such as EL29 in this case. Verify the right files are in the right slots of Odin. Make sure you're flashing files in the right sequence when in a custom recovery. Thing like that. I believe in the openness of android and never want to see anyone say they aren't going to flash something because they are scared. With the right ammount of reading and precautions. There is no reason to be scared.
Just for example. And this is not an exaggeration. Between this phone,my wife's phone, my last phone, my wife's last phone, and numerous friends phones. I have well over 200+ flashes. I have only had one actual brick. And that brick was because I got too comfortable in what I was doing. So, odds are if you take tthe time to do it right. You will succeed. Also.

i cant figure out why this is not locked yet....

i agree scarmon.. you said it better than i could.. if i wasnt tech savvy and i read the op i would have been scared away.. it says in all caps not to flash in cwm and says many have experienced bricks.. it can be worded differently but its freedom of speech.. when the initial leak came out and we had rogue ics kernels and the LOSt kernel we werent sure why people were having bricks until we figured out what was causing it.. we've known this for a while and since then hard bricks have dropped drastically.. and every single developer insisted not flashing from ics kernels and every rom has a disclaimer in the op for this reason.. only bricks ive read have been user error for a while ie. unplugging device during odin flash or battery dieing during mobile odin flash etc.. plus this is in the dev thread.. right now most people come here for ics roms since thats what devs are working on.. and many have gone safely back to gingerbread many times.. the ics roms have hundreds of thousands if not millions of hits and how many posts about hard bricks?
Sent from my SPH-D710 using XDA

I've been flashing ICS roms since FB17 and haven't had any bricks. I've been making sure to only flash things from EL26 and it's been smooth sailing.
Now I'm running the most recent AOKP and it's running very well.

Your credit is pretty thin too. Entropy is a big name in this issue but him and some random dude that apparently notified you very very late about this issue doesn't even cover half of it.
The front page news on the issue was pretty late as well. Just lets the general population know about it.
ijoshv2 said:
While I have heard that flashing a non-ICS kernel from ODIN has fixed these issues, we're looking more into that now.. I have alerted xST4T1K of this, and we'll get back to you with confirmed results.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its things like this "While I have heard" that is the problem with your post. That and begging for a sticky, talk to a moderator if you feel its important.
Flashing a non-ics kernel through ODIN does not fix any issue. Flashing from a safe Kernel avoids the issue, If your on ICS flashing the GB Kernel from ODIN would be the safe method. Gingerbread as far as we have known and hundreds of flashes per person per hundreds of phones later. No one has been known to trigger the eMMC firmware bug though gingerbread. So yes flashing from a Gingerbread kernel as we have since the phone came out is the safest known way. You don't need anyone to tell you that.
You come in and say "Do not flash anything from CWM". This is inaccurate it suggests one can not flash from EG30+ CWM which has never been a known danger. Obviously EK02 would be more popular due to supporting full modems rather than patch. EL26 was the last to have true CWM which is why EL29 Rogue is less often suggested.
ijoshv2 said:
The only reason I'm requesting a sticky in the wrong forum (Yes, I know I posted in the development branch) is because most users won't know about these affected kernels before trying their newly rooted E4GT into some ICS bling.. Next thing you know, you've got a two day old brick with a shiny screen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The danger is not in flashing ICS. The unknowing user is going to be flashing ICS from EL29 which is safe. The danger is after they are there, and they try a factory reset, or install a CWM or Unlocked Recovery Kernel and flash something, or flash an update.zip through stock recovery. Yes they need to know, the information should be accurate however.

If anyone wants details of this emmc firmware bug, there's some really knowledgeable people in this thread.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1644364
The info is very detailed, but these are the individuals to watch. OP if your serious about helping our community with this emmc bug, I hope you join in that conversation instead of asking to sticky this thread.
Sent from my SPH-D710

Some Questions from a Newbie :D :D

Hey Guyz am new here ,
coming from S1 i500, i have noticed its not as easy flashing and rooting this phone as was with i500.
So decided to make a small query bunch for you knowledgeable guyz. Hope I will be helped as i was helped and properly tutored there at i500 Fassy forums.
1.. what is this ODIN count , every one talks about , how it happens and ways to reset or avoid it ( lol for the first time i laughed at this but meh, its there )
2.. what is this yellow triangle thingy , over at fascinate forums , yellow triangle meant Download mode and thats it , but here it seems its something EVIL
3.. Why there is such a BIG BRICK BUG in E4GT , which comes into play while factory rest or data wipe ? and especially in ICS,
4.. Currently i am on FI03 stock rooted , want to flash a CWM recovery thru which i can freely change ICS ROMS , how can i do that
and whats the exact procedure to flash newer roms ,
what i know is just wipe all three and flash
5.. whats the safest way to go from ICS to GB ( stock rooted ) - are those One click files by the ULTIMATE ACE sfhub can be flashed on any setup irrespective of ICS or GB or even JB ??
6.. which are the safest possible recoveries available for
GB
ICS
JB
and how to flash them on respective setups
7.. for a great user experience and battery backup
which custom ROMS are suggested for
GB
ICS
JB ( i know )
and whats the best way to install aka flash them.
I know its kinna too much , and might turn a lot of you off , but would appreciate the help coz really me having enough know how about fassy , feel out of sorts with E4GT , then what was going thru the minds of total newbies.
Thankies

lord dredd said:
Hey Guyz am new here ,
coming from S1 i500, i have noticed its not as easy flashing and rooting this phone as was with i500.
So decided to make a small query bunch for you knowledgeable guyz. Hope I will be helped as i was helped and properly tutored there at i500 Fassy forums.
1.. what is this ODIN count , every one talks about , how it happens and ways to reset or avoid it ( lol for the first time i laughed at this but meh, its there )
2.. what is this yellow triangle thingy , over at fascinate forums , yellow triangle meant Download mode and thats it , but here it seems its something EVIL
3.. Why there is such a BIG BRICK BUG in E4GT , which comes into play while factory rest or data wipe ? and especially in ICS,
4.. Currently i am on FI03 stock rooted , want to flash a CWM recovery thru which i can freely change ICS ROMS , how can i do that
and whats the exact procedure to flash newer roms ,
what i know is just wipe all three and flash
5.. whats the safest way to go from ICS to GB ( stock rooted ) - are those One click files by the ULTIMATE ACE sfhub can be flashed on any setup irrespective of ICS or GB or even JB ??
6.. which are the safest possible recoveries available for
GB
ICS
JB
and how to flash them on respective setups
7.. for a great user experience and battery backup
which custom ROMS are suggested for
GB
ICS
JB ( i know )
and whats the best way to install aka flash them.
I know its kinna too much , and might turn a lot of you off , but would appreciate the help coz really me having enough know how about fassy , feel out of sorts with E4GT , then what was going thru the minds of total newbies.
Thankies
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I might be able to answer them all, as I'm not as knowledgeable in this area as other, but I've learned from the best here so ill answer what I can to help and pass on the knowledge I have!
1: it occurs when a non-Samsung kernel is flashed through Odin. You can avoid it by using Mobile Odin or the autoroot package to flash a recovery, or use one of the Odin Ome-clicks.
2: i cant remember exactly, but i believe the yellow triangle appears when the odin count goes up. Again, avoidable through Mobile Odin and Odin One-clicks.
3: I believe the brick bug is kernel related. That's avoidable by using a safe recovery. You can find out of its safe by either asking around if it's not posted that it is, or by reading the OP.
4: I can't help you with a custom recovery for that build. I never went to it. The last build I was on was the leaked version of FF18. But yes, standard procedure is wipe all three then flash rom and gapps if needed. But always check the OP first.
5: sfhubs Odin One-clicks are the best thing you could ever use. Ever. Yes, they can be flashed regardless of what version you're on. In fact I believe that's standard procedure for downgrading.
6: for GB and ICS recoveries, use the autoroot package that's should be stickied in one of these sub forums. For JB, it's automatically packaged in the JB rom you flash. It's CWM6.
7: this changes with every person you ask. Here's my favorite on each of the three:
GB: definitely sfhubs Tweaked stock roms. They're smooth and fast. Run without problems unless you cause one.
ICS: I would say either AOKP or CM9. AOKP no longer has a device for our device though. He dropped it to do an AOSP ICS rom.
JB: definitely CM10. I've hardly had any issues with it. Although I have high hopes for AOKP JB that's in development right now. Once it's major bugs get worked out, since it's brand new right now, that will be my daily driver.
And to anyone more knowledgeable on this than me, if I'm wrong on any of these please correct me.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda app-developers app

All of these questions are answered in sticky posts. You need to do a lot more reading before you potentially brick your phone.

Thanks a lot EggosEvo
now all i need is someone directing me to a safe recovery and its flashing method so that i can try out either Calk's ICS ROM or some other stable yet awesome ROM.
One important thing that i have noticed
I may be doing something wrong , but in comparasion why di i feel that Fascinate's camera is way way better as compared to E4GT
the INDOOR pictures with E4GT are darker and with some darker hues on colors too whereas with my 1.5 yrs old fascinate the INDOOR snaps are pretty well lit and clear with good natural colors

and a BUMP

lord dredd said:
Thanks a lot EggosEvo
now all i need is someone directing me to a safe recovery and its flashing method so that i can try out either Calk's ICS ROM or some other stable yet awesome ROM.
One important thing that i have noticed
I may be doing something wrong , but in comparasion why di i feel that Fascinate's camera is way way better as compared to E4GT
the INDOOR pictures with E4GT are darker and with some darker hues on colors too whereas with my 1.5 yrs old fascinate the INDOOR snaps are pretty well lit and clear with good natural colors
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Click to collapse
What I would do is Odin One Click to FF18, then use the Autoroot package(should be stickied in the dev section) to flash Agat's source-built recovery. That's just the easiest way I know how to do, as I don't know how if there are any custom recoveries for FI03. Plus its a safe way to go. You could always search the forums for an FI03 based recovery if you don't want to go to a build that was released quite a bit ago.

Thanks a bunch mate.
Actually just five minutes before you replied, I took the plunge and used mobile odin to flash agat's latest fi03 kernel and clock work mod.
So now I have a custom recovery as well.
Also I am sure now there us no issue wiping data via recovery to flash other roms
Regards
GWizzing on beautifully and freakin loving it.

Ravaged Pheonix said:
All of these questions are answered in sticky posts. You need to do a lot more reading before you potentially brick your phone.
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lord dredd said:
Thanks a bunch mate.
Actually just five minutes before you replied, I took the plunge and used mobile odin to flash agat's latest fi03 kernel and clock work mod.
So now I have a custom recovery as well.
Also I am sure now there us no issue wiping data via recovery to flash other roms
Regards
GWizzing on beautifully and freakin loving it.
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Click to collapse
Although you may not of liked Ravaged Pheonix's answer it was a damn good one, he deserves some thanks as well. All these questions are answered for you in stickys. That is where you should start so there is no confusion. Hate to see you start a "I Think I Bricked My Phone" thread.... Jus Sayin'

well mate , i have been there and read quite a lot
from where do you think i got all the info i have mentioned in the first post.
Everyone who doesnt flame deserves a Thank, i should have thanked him as well, correcting it now
The reason for starting a new thread was i didnt want to go on posting spearate queries in separate threads , so made one in Q and A ,
this might as well help other newbies who keep searching pages after pages on various threads for some smallish thing.
Regards

New to GN2

Hi folks,
Just decided to retire my old S3 and when looking for a new phone my main requirement was to get a good DAC built in without breaking the bank or renewing my contract, ended up with the Sprint Note 2. Naturally I was excited but quickly put off by the stock ROM so I decided to root/flash, etc. This is what happened so far;
-Rooted with newest TWRP and root verified on stock rom (followed NK2 instructions)
-Made the big mistake of flashing now without backup, after trying a couple of roms I kept having the same problem (phone gets stuck in load animation indefinitely regardless of rom flashed)
-Gave up on custom roms so I flashed a rooted stock NE2 rom and phone turned on wooohooooooo
-But wait, no network connection, no voice or data, tried to flash modem zip file from http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2139889 but it keeps saying zip is corrupt, redownloaded & recopied to SD with the same result.
Now I have a working phone but not so working since I can't place calls. What went wrong? any help is very very appreciated.

Phone works after flashing Alliance ROM but somehow now TWRP recovery is gone and phone is UnRooted which is less than ideal but it works nevertheless...
Now before I go off wasting a whole day flashing & waiting for battery to recharge can anyone please point me in the right direction?
I need to figure out the following:
-Root method that works, I'm on Alliance NE2 now
-Which recovery is best recommended for current ROMs?
-Need a kernel that enables audio features like Direct DAC & upsampling
-ROM that actually works with said Kernel and functions at least 90% with wifi tethering etc.?
Surprised it's this difficult with this phone coming from the S3 which took me no more than an hour first time rooting/flashing.

hhmmm 63 views and nobody able to help?
Currently stuck on this ROM, which is horrible because maps doesn't work well, pandora crashes, UI fc's left & right and to top it off the phone is sluggish in every way possible.
Unified Toolkit not working, drivers installed properly, ADB visible in device manager, debugging enabled yet phone can not be seen by Toolkit.
I really don't want to switch back to my cracked S3 but I'm not left with many options considering my note 2 is barely usable now.
Is anyone out there... there.... ere... ere... ere.....
lol seriously feeling like I'm the only person left in these forums.

Use odin to flash recovery but make sure you uncheck reboot option. Once flashed remove battery and while doing the recovery hotkeys insert battery. Now wipe everything and flash another rom.
Sent from my GT-N7105 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

here's what I've done now;
-Flashed newest TWRP via Odin
-Wiped & flashed Rwilco12's NE2
-Rebooted and phone booted yipeeee
-No cellular connection, crap phone i hate you
-Rebooted to recovery & flashed NE2 Modem
-Rebooted again and recovery is now gone
So either I get root but can't use the phone as a PHONE
or I loose Root and get basically the same POS I started with.
I've given up on eye candy, custom rom, custom settings and my expectations have dwindled down to just ANY ROM + Root + Tether yet that can't even be accomplished. I know I'm doing something wrong but at this point I'm over 10 hours into trying to figure this out and have no idea what to do next. Anything?

Finally:
CWM Recovery - OmniROM - Micro Gapps - Devil Kernel - Rooted
In case someone is in my shoes and hating life, I'll save you a lot of headache by telling you that TWRP recovery does not work for 90% of the ROMs that are still available for this phone so use Phil'z CWM

oceanisbleu said:
Finally:
CWM Recovery - OmniROM - Micro Gapps - Devil Kernel - Rooted
In case someone is in my shoes and hating life, I'll save you a lot of headache by telling you that TWRP recovery does not work for 90% of the ROMs that are still available for this phone so use Phil'z CWM
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Twrp 2.8.6.x works for almost every rom but you will find most users recommend philz. I as a wantabe dev will suggest philz 6.0.7.9 expect in a few rare cases with aroma installer needing twrp. Personally I have philz 6.9.7.9, twrp 2.8.6.0, shift dual recovery and devil dual recovery zip on my external sdcard. This way I always have what I need depending on what I am doing.
All this info along with solutions to every problem is here on xda already. It may take some time to find everything but really the users should do his homework before doing anything to the phone anyways.
Also if you read the rom thread (Alliance) you would know why you lost root. Simply put you updated supersu app and binary. It is a known issue on every ne2 based custom rom for this device.
Sent from my GT-N7105 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

Hey thanks for the feedback.
Almost everything I tried on twrp failed, when flashing anything I follow all instructions in the OP's first page. In Alliance's case the resolution to the issue does not come up till page 23, I'll just be honest & say I haven't and probably will never read every page of comments before flashing a ROM, 10 pages okay but beyond that it's more trouble than it's worth.
Can that same issue happen with all other ROMs? on Omni I just ran Root Checker & it said not properly installed!

oceanisbleu said:
Hey thanks for the feedback.
Almost everything I tried on twrp failed, when flashing anything I follow all instructions in the OP's first page. In Alliance's case the resolution to the issue does not come up till page 23, I'll just be honest & say I haven't and probably will never read every page of comments before flashing a ROM, 10 pages okay but beyond that it's more trouble than it's worth.
Can that same issue happen with all other ROMs? on Omni I just ran Root Checker & it said not properly installed!
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I will read every page myself even if it takes a week. You say reading it is more trouble than it is worth which is why you had that issue with Alliance. Same goes for your omni issue.
If you don't want to read that is up to you. A google search will normally help with common issues. I dont mind helping but you have to help yourself first. Not to be rude but I wont answer your omni question because you have not looked. Ypir issue is the number 1 issue omni users have.
Sent from my GT-N7105 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

won't argue with your opinion as I have my own

oceanisbleu said:
won't argue with your opinion as I have my own
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I see you edited that a bunch. I dont mind helping. I have been helping so far. Now about the omni gps. I only know on possible fix bit it is a pain.
1. Flash stock/stock based rom
2. Get gps lock
3. While locked and in app reboot to recovery
4. Wipe and install aosp rom & gapps or restore aosp backup
Then you might get gps lock.
Sent from my GT-N7105 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

reading back I realized some clarity on my part would have been helpful rather than make a general statement.
So the issue with reading 25, 50 or a 100 pages isn't by choice (may have sounded arrogant the way I said it at first) but I work 50 hrs a week, I do work on my home myself, I rent out rooms to students, I have other projects going, etc. so a very very busy lifestyle. Not to mention the daily crap that tends to come up all the time the moment I get home from work so in short, I really can't afford the time to read in that much detail whether I want to or not.
Regardless, by no means am I lazy when it comes to research, notice my post count? yet I've been here since 2009, and since 09 I've had at least 8 different phones (windows phones too) I really try to figure out everything I need on my own so in this case I spent 3 days working on my initial issues, after that I posted this thread which was 8 days ago and had it figured out and finished yesterday (a few bugs aside), that's easily 10 days I spent at least an hour or two a day working on one thing. Surely you understand how frustrating that must begin to feel.
Regarding my last reply, haha I had to delete most of it because I realized I was beginning to take my frustration out on you when in fact you're the only person who actually offered help (still very very thankful) and to top it off I screwed up the rest of the reply when I mentioned GPS, got that mixed up with the topic we were actually discussing (losing root) this happened because I was reading through the GPS issues before I got to your reply and yah mixed it all up, so again apologies for the lack of clarity and thanks for your last reply, it's more straight forward than all the comments I found on that issue.
You won't have to explain anything else I promise haha and I did all this just now but want to verify I did it correctly so I don't come back to it again. After flashing ROM/Gaps/Kernel & supersu, never update supersu after running rom correct?. Root verified as of 30 minutes ago.
GPS, this one is a big big deal because I use it for work but I had already found the answer pretty quickly as I had read something about it before I even flashed Omni.

I do know how frustrating it can be. I have been in worse spots and had to create my own fixes which I have shared here. As far as time goes I understand that being a parent of 7 children.
I am still active here and always willing to help others long as they help themselves also. We seem to have gotten off badly. While some of your post seemed you had done nothing to help yourself. So lets forget earlier stuff and move on.
Yes you seem to have all the steps correct.
FYI android 5.0-5.0.2 all have gps issues but there is a flashable fix. Most new 5.1.1 builds have gps fixed.
If you run into any issues feel free to ask but include steps you have taken to fix the issue. The more you tell the better help you can get. Plus others wont think you are wanting to be spoon fed.
Sent from my GT-N7105 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

haha thanks for understanding, very much appreciated.
7 kids??? where do you find the time? my situation does not fare in comparison :laugh:
Now that I've resolved the "failed" issue when flashing ROMs I may be brave enough to test some 5.x.x out, I had stuck to 4.x.x because I was under the impression that they were more stable...
Would you be willing to recommend any specific ROMs based on our discussion?
By the way, I tend to ramble on and on most forums that's a bit faux pas so I've sorta been conditioned to keep it sweet & short, clearly that is a bad approach on here, we live & learn

oceanisbleu said:
haha thanks for understanding, very much appreciated.
7 kids??? where do you find the time? my situation does not fare in comparison :laugh:
Now that I've resolved the "failed" issue when flashing ROMs I may be brave enough to test some 5.x.x out, I had stuck to 4.x.x because I was under the impression that they were more stable...
Would you be willing to recommend any specific ROMs based on our discussion?
By the way, I tend to ramble on and on most forums that's a bit faux pas so I've sorta been conditioned to keep it sweet & short, clearly that is a bad approach on here, we live & learn
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Click to collapse
Well I personally have a Frankenstein device. It started out as a sprint l900 but I removed the sdcard/sim board and put a n7100 board so I can use a cricket sim. This causes issues with calls on aosp so I run modified t0lte (n7105 international) roms.
As far as 5.1.1 roms I personally build 2. First is CyanideL (highly modified cm base) and broken (a highly modified slimroms base). Those two are really the only two worth flashing. There is also cm and I think a liquid rom but they don't have the features of the two I compile.
If you want a stock based rom I did the Community Rom (s5/n3 based) which is stable with only two issues. Spen clipping does not work and updating suoersu causes loss of root.
Sent from my GT-N7105 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

jlmancuso said:
As far as 5.1.1 roms I personally build 2. First is CyanideL (highly modified cm base) and broken (a highly modified slimroms base). Those two are really the only two worth flashing. There is also cm and I think a liquid rom but they don't have the features of the two I compile, I believe Phill'z CWM download link is down as well.
If you want a stock based rom I did the Community Rom (s5/n3 based) which is stable with only two issues. Spen clipping does not work and updating suoersu causes loss of root.
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Click to collapse
wow CyanideL is you, how did I miss that?? looking at too many ROMs is how I suppose...
Going to CyanideL asap. Seriously thank you for keeping the CyanideL thread up to date, it drove me crazy to read & read & read in ROM threads for a while until I decided "okey let's give this one a try" only to find out that the download links are broken or the files are no longer there, had that issue with Omni till I found comparable files on another website (gapps I think it was) and Phill'z CWM thread has a dead end download link as well.
I was really really wanting CyanideL to work for me last week (when I was having the flashing issue) and was so bummed out every time I failed to flash it. I plan to make a donation as soon as I get it working, I feel like I owe you simply for the time you've spent on my thread alone and of course I love supporting people who support families :highfive:

oceanisbleu said:
wow CyanideL is you, how did I miss that?? looking at too many ROMs is how I suppose...
Going to CyanideL asap. Seriously thank you for keeping the CyanideL thread up to date, it drove me crazy to read & read & read in ROM threads for a while until I decided "okey let's give this one a try" only to find out that the download links are broken or the files are no longer there, had that issue with Omni till I found comparable files on another website (gapps I think it was) and Phill'z CWM thread has a dead end download link as well.
I was really really wanting CyanideL to work for me last week (when I was having the flashing issue) and was so bummed out every time I failed to flash it. I plan to make a donation as soon as I get it working, I feel like I owe you simply for the time you've spent on my thread alone and of course I love supporting people who support families :highfive:
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Click to collapse
Well the donation would be nice but understand when you hit my donation button/link it will take ypu to the Red Cross donation site. That is not a mistake. I personally dont take donations and feel of someone wants to donate something it should go where it can be used by those who need it.
Sent from my GT-N7105 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app