So when diving into the world of modifying a smart phone, there is a lot of learning one must do reading threads and watching videos prior to getting started. Otherwise instead of rooting your phone, you may end up bricking it.
So lets talk about some of these things.
First off, if you are looking to open your phone up to unlimited modification, the quintessential step is rooting it, which is to say, unlocking root access so everything can be changed from fonts and colors to CPU overclocking.
If I understand this correctly, Rooting is done by flashing a modified kernel onto the phone. I wont try to pretend I know that with any confidence, these are the terms I'd like better explanations for. so... A release comes from the manufacturer and contains everything from the operating system to the firmware and the modem. A ROM is a pre-customized variation of a release, dunno exactly what a TAR, MD5, or a kernel is. A modem is a part of a release, but just the software part that deals with how your phone uses its radios. NANDroid is a way to completely backup your phone as a NAND. Clockworkmod is a utility set that can load and manage ROMS, NAND's, themes, and all kinds of other stuff. Recovery is actually usually used as a term for a built in function for restoring your phone back to a pre-loaded state (if it's not bricked, which means something went wrong and the phone won't turn on, which is different from soft-brick which means the phone is in a startup-boot-loop) I don't know what a bootlogger is. ODIN is a program 'leaked' by samsung used for flashing updates onto phones. Download Mode or Odin mode is used for updating and what you boot into by turning off your phone, then turning it on while holding the volume down button. a OneClick is a pre-made ODIN update that that automatically updates your phone. Stock means the release is unmodified from the manufacturers original. A Tweak is a modification that can be flashed onto a ROM? A Theme I assume is an aesthetic style that can be applied to even a non-rooted phone. But I think it requires the phone to be Deodexed, which is something that can be done to a release... otherwise the release is odexed?
GA10, Fk23, FL16, etc etc. You're probably wondering what that is. It's a coding system for the date of the release. Because android released in 2007, the coding system starts at 2007. That first letter represents the year, the second letter the month, and the number represents the day of the month. So a release from january 1, 2007 would have been AA01. febuary 15th 2007 would have been AB15, which is why a release on december 16 2012 got FL16.
This may not be the end, but to wrap up the small bit that I've learned in 17 hours of reading FAQ's and stickies, cutting edge threads and archives. The last 4 things we need to talk about are the flash count, or odin counter, which tracks how many times your phone has been flashed by an external source. Then there is the yellow triangle which is an indicator thrown during startup by a phone which has detected that it is not running a stock ROM. these 2 indicators can be reset on our e4gt by using a USB Jig, a small piece of hardware which can be bought online specific to our phone, which when plugged into the microusb port, resets the odincount and gets rid of the yellow triangle. And finally, there are some special procedures that must be observed when flashing around from release to release. Flashing to the same release is relatively safe, it sounds, but flashing down or up should be done without preserving data. (restore vs nodata).
Honestly, I've spent a lot of time on learning just this, and I still feel like I'm writing words that don't add up. In fact, I know I am. So I'd honestly appreciate it if someone could take what I've tried to do here, edit it for readability, proper word usage, accuracy, add any or all missing information, and post a new sticky. One that explains these things. Because there are a lot of stickies that provide instructions for how to do things, but very few are written in a way a beginner can understand. I've bolded words that are regularly used but dont make complete sense to non-developers and novice power-user hopefuls.
Hey, I might add some of the terms and what they mean to the FAQ thread. :good:
Am I getting it? or am I wasting my time.? I feel like some of this is for advanced root users only, (like maybe flashing just a modem while using older releases ROMS) and some of this is for beginners only, like one-clicks. I'd love if somebody made just 3 very simple, very useful beginner wikis/stickies. ONE is a 'terminology' post, like the one I've haphazardly attempted to put together above. TWO is an "everybody knows you're supposed to blah blah blah" post, for things like mobile odin and modems, making a backup, how to stick to the basics if you're new, not flashing backwards with ROMs, and knowing how to recover back to warranty eligible stock (odin counter and everything), finally THIRD would be the thread that explains how to do each of the different kinds of flashes, but not just instructions, but what it means to do them.
I've combed through these threads for a day straight and I've got more questions than I started with.
So, if someone doesn't want to put these together, Questions I'd love to know definitive answers to, so this thread can continue to be helpful to others....
A) If I flash anything, or everything, a hundred times, ROMs, modems, kernels, recoveries, roots, can I find a stock release of whatever-is-current-OTA to flash and then use TriangleAway to reset everything back to warrenty elligible? if not, what about the USB jig? Is this even possible.... If so...
B) Since my phone is not rooted now (first timer), Am I able to make a complete backup of my phone un-rooted so I can flash back to it if I ever need to become warrenty elligible again. If so, do I use nandroid, or titanium backup? don't both of these require root? Can I flash back to undetectable stock?
C) obviously, disclaimers everywhere show that it is never safe to flash anything, everything is at your own risk, but is there a general rule of thumb for whether a stock release is more reliable than a customized ROM. or do ROMs tend to be more stable with problems fixed.
D) Does a phone need to be already rooted, (or already flashed up to a release number or with a release modem) in order to flash a ROM onto it, or does it just require Odin and the TAR. Is a ROM a TAR? is a ROM a Kernel? or does a phone need to be rooted to some version first, then using CWM to load a same-version ROM?
I would say stock is more stable, on average. Think about what your goal is, why you would want root, and why you would use a custom rom. Rom choice, for me anyway, is based on customization availability, and tweaks. If you are simply driven by curiosity, and that is a good thing, read, and read some more. Patience and knowledge will keep you from trashing your phone, but most importantly attention to detail when performing any of these activities. Good luck, we all started somewhere.
.: :: Sent from USC-GS2~PACman via Tapatalk 2 :: :.
Triangle away will reset the counter now even in jellybean. Just not gingerbread. For going back to stock for warranty, dont worry about that. You can use a tar file or a one click. If you want a stock backup for yourself to rely on, I need to know what version number you want so I know what to do. Yes titanium backup as well as m.o. require root. For anything below ga10 touchwuz roms, use exynos abuse.apk you can root your phone no computer needed.
sent from MY BAD A$$ ET4G
I don't understand how a recovery is different from a backup. but somehow is independent of a ROM, and build, but is included in a kernel? Apparently I need a CWM recovery kernel to flash Kobridges GA10 ROM. I see that there are repositories of all kernels, and modems, and roms. So a build is a TAR which contains a kernel, which contains a recovery, but also is the original ROM, after which other ROMs are built?
My phone, purchased October 2011, (only updated OTA to this point) is running FI27 ICS 4.0.4.
I've been trying to understand what I need to know, and need to have, to get started. I think I need FI27 to flash back to if I ever want to go back to un-rooted stock. Or do I want to flash back to something safer, (perhaps a 1click?) and then do OTA updates if desired. I think I'm reading that the CWM EL26 Recovery Kernel is the gold standard for pre-flashing before flashing any ROMs. But I don't know how that exactly works considering clockworkmod uses root, and I don't have root yet. I'm simultaniously trying to confirm what I'm trying to understand, but also find out what I don't yet have or understand, without asking somebody to just lay it all out for me (unless in the form of a wiki/sticky which could benefit anyone else like me who comes along after).
A)
So I have an e4gt.
I have backed up all essential files from internal storage to my PC, but if I understand correctly, I cannot create a nandroid.
I have SPH-D710_FI27_CL1127689_UNROOTED_NoData.exe to go back if I need stock.
Now if I want to just put TeamSextapes GA10 release on, that's pretty simple, I just flash the tar with odin. Everything is done. no root. No Rom
I can use a USB Jig to make it run as if I got the update from sprint even. But I shouldn't use the factory reset?
Going back from that, I'd use my one-click FI27 unrooted nodata.exe right, and then the USB Jig?
B) Am I right so far, from A) to B)?
All of this assumes I don't want roms or root.
When we're talking about ROMs, I'm still confused, because of how to get from where I am, to there, I gather it requires root, nandroid, clockworkmod, and CWM EL26 recovery kernel, and the process seems to double back a lot. flashing a root rom seems to require root. the process seems rather more opaque. I understand how to do a 1 click root, and older versions of root kinda make sense too, but how can someone flash kobridges GA10 ROM when it requires root, but no rooted stock GA10 is available?
Maybe I need to stay away from GA10, but my whole goal for learning all of this is to know how to get the best performance, with the least bugs, out of my phone, and signs point to GA10 for that. I had expected JB to roll out with the GSIII months ago, and all news of it has gone silent except here.
Thanks for continuing to support my inquiry. If I can come to understand how it all works, I will post a supplement to the "how to not brick your e4gt". Because as absolutely fantastic as that thread is... it still is way too deep water for a complete beginner. Regarding aspects of all this, I feel like I've learned more than I need to about some, and only enough to be dangerous about others. But still, Thanks!
I'll try to help with with what I understand. Clockworkmod or any recovery in general is packed up with the kernel. So if you want to make a backup just Odin a kernal with a recovery and it would be fine (I.e Kuban kernel). The thing is when you use Odin to flash kernel's it will cause the Samsung binary counter to increase and you will get a yellow triangle on boot. This is an easy fix but you need root access to run an app called triangle away which can be found in these forums or you can buy it off the play store if you want to support the dev. I would suggest getting the Directboot el29 kernel as it boots up directly into recovery. El29 or el26 are gingerbread kernels so if your running stock your phone won't boot up unless you are on gingerbread but you can always access recovery. I would suggest also getting an app called mobile odin (same deal as triangle away on how to get it)you can flash anything you can with regular Odin except it won't cause the counter to increase. Now for root.. I can be stock and have custom recovery just from using a custom kernel through Odin. Now 1 clicks are amazing let's say I have to take my phone in for repairs or warranty reasons. All I have to so is use the triangle away app (if I have the yellow triangle on boot) then boot my phone into download mode and use the FI27 stock no root data wipe. You can run a 1 click from your phone in any ROM ect... And bam you can take your phone to sprint for repairs or warranty. When you get your phone back just flash a 1 click for root access or a custom kernel for the recovery and then restore a nandroid and return to how your phone was. Now this is why I bought mobile Odin to support the dev.. Like in your case you want ga10. What I would do is just drag the download to my phone run mobile Odin and flash the ROM through mobile Odin.. Why? Because it can inject root to stock as it flashes. Just be careful and remember to back up your data because most jellybean leaks wipe internal data like pictures etc.. This doesn't happen when you flash a ROM and they ask you to wipe data. Now for modems stock jellybean modems don't work on ICS. You need a jellybean modem (if you do use the mobile Odin route you will have to flash a jellybean modem using regular Odin because mobile Odin doesn't seem to flash modems for our phones). When you Odin modems it will not increase the binary count and trigger the yellow triangle. Gingerbread modems and ICS modems interchange with each other so I wouldn't fear odining them.. Just see which works best. Hope this helps... I'm pretty sure you will read this cause you took the time to write a very long post lol.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using XDA
Thanks! That answers a number of my questions, now that the 1click for ga10 is out, i think ive finally got enough figured out to mess with it a bit with relative confidence.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda app-developers app
jt323bd said:
My phone, purchased October 2011, (only updated OTA to this point) is running FI27 ICS 4.0.4.
I've been trying to understand what I need to know, and need to have, to get started. I think I need FI27 to flash back to if I ever want to go back to un-rooted stock. Or do I want to flash back to something safer, (perhaps a 1click?) and then do OTA updates if desired. I think I'm reading that the CWM EL26 Recovery Kernel is the gold standard for pre-flashing before flashing any ROMs. But I don't know how that exactly works considering clockworkmod uses root, and I don't have root yet. I'm simultaniously trying to confirm what I'm trying to understand, but also find out what I don't yet have or understand, without asking somebody to just lay it all out for me (unless in the form of a wiki/sticky which could benefit anyone else like me who comes along after).
A)
So I have an e4gt.
I have backed up all essential files from internal storage to my PC, but if I understand correctly, I cannot create a nandroid.
I have SPH-D710_FI27_CL1127689_UNROOTED_NoData.exe to go back if I need stock.
Now if I want to just put TeamSextapes GA10 release on, that's pretty simple, I just flash the tar with odin. Everything is done. no root. No Rom
I can use a USB Jig to make it run as if I got the update from sprint even. But I shouldn't use the factory reset?
Going back from that, I'd use my one-click FI27 unrooted nodata.exe right, and then the USB Jig?
B) Am I right so far, from A) to B)?
All of this assumes I don't want roms or root.
When we're talking about ROMs, I'm still confused, because of how to get from where I am, to there, I gather it requires root, nandroid, clockworkmod, and CWM EL26 recovery kernel, and the process seems to double back a lot. flashing a root rom seems to require root. the process seems rather more opaque. I understand how to do a 1 click root, and older versions of root kinda make sense too, but how can someone flash kobridges GA10 ROM when it requires root, but no rooted stock GA10 is available?
Maybe I need to stay away from GA10, but my whole goal for learning all of this is to know how to get the best performance, with the least bugs, out of my phone, and signs point to GA10 for that. I had expected JB to roll out with the GSIII months ago, and all news of it has gone silent except here.
Thanks for continuing to support my inquiry. If I can come to understand how it all works, I will post a supplement to the "how to not brick your e4gt". Because as absolutely fantastic as that thread is... it still is way too deep water for a complete beginner. Regarding aspects of all this, I feel like I've learned more than I need to about some, and only enough to be dangerous about others. But still, Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can still flash a kernel with a custom recovery using desktop odin if you are not rooted. You can they boot into custom recovery and make a nandroid of your unrooted stock rom.
Your flash counter only increases if you flash unofficial stock files using desktop odin. So if you flash a modem.bin in the phone slot in desktop odin, your flash counter will increase. If you flash a kernel.tar file in desktop odin, your flash counter will increase. Thats why you go to rwilco12's repo in dev forums and use the one-click.exe files. Oneclick.exe files do not increase flash counter. You only need jib to reset flash counter or boot to download mode if you can't normally boot to download mode.
You could flash EL26 CWM kernel in desktop odin and boot to CWM recovery to flash any rom zip file you want even if you are not rooted. Don't jump to jelly bean roms from ics without first flash a stock jellybean oneclick.
Related
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE WIKI
I have decided to open a Questions and Answers thread on this section of the forum. This is a good way to keep the number of new threads with questions down to a minimum, which will make new threads essentially for people that are contributing to the Samsung Epic 4G. This includes, but is not limited to, people that are providing the following:
- Roms & Kitchens
- Programs & Apps
- Fixes & Tweaks
- Skins & Themes
- Tips & Tricks
I would like to request the help from other members to keep the thread in order and in check. This will have the added side effect of creating an ever self updating knowledge base that will far extend the content of the Wiki. This will in turn save us from having to answer the same question a billion times...
Please refer to the Wiki first before asking any questions though! It can be located here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/wiki/index.php?title=Samsung_Galaxy_S/SPH-D700
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE WIKI
Any idea when the OTA push for2.2 will start?
jg187211 said:
Any idea when the OTA push for2.2 will start?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately, we don't have anyone in the community who has inside access to that information. Some of our members are affiliated with Sprint, and so have slightly more reliable rumors, but even their sources have thus far been wrong if they quoted a specific date...
So I hope you understand that I'm not being a jerk when I say, we won't know until it actually happens (and this will probably always be the case)
That being said, this most recent leak (DK28) seems stable so far IMO, so it could potentially become our official update
ok im a total noob to all this stuff. i followed the guide to update my epic to 2.2. the problem is, that the camera, gallery, and a couple other apps dont work. Can someone help me? Should i go back to 2.1, if so, how do i do that?
EDIT: Angry rant removed, thanks to the mods for a quick response (and to the member who's post was removed: no hard feelings, I hope you understand)
Just remember to read before posting, to make sure your post will be relevant and not redundant
jayzn210 said:
ok im a total noob to all this stuff. i followed the guide to update my epic to 2.2. the problem is, that the camera, gallery, and a couple other apps dont work. Can someone help me? Should i go back to 2.1, if so, how do i do that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Whenever flashing a ROM using either recovery, it's always a good idea to wipe the phone (as in factory reset - I'm not referring to wiping the cache or the dalvik cache, although both steps are also usually recommended)
If you used the odin method described in this thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=861213
then you might have flashed the wrong tar - DK05 and DK17 both had the camera problem, make sure you have the DK28 file.
If you have the right tar, then you could have an incomplete download... I doubt that though, when that happened to me, my phone wouldn't boot at all. But you might want to redownload the tar just to be sure (double check the filesize after it finishes and before you flash, if it seems too small then it messed up again)
That's the best general advice I can offer, but if you'd like to provide more details about the method you used (especially a link to the guide you used, if it isn't the one I provided), someone here might be able to identify where you're going wrong
i followed the instructions from http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=861213. i didnt use odin, i just used the .zip method. it took me a lot of tries cause i kept getting errors. the second mirror link worked for me, but like i said, my camera, gps, gallery and some other apps dont work.
oh and everytime i try to flash again, i get the error.
It sounds like you're either starting from the wrong rom or not wiping the phone before flashing the zip. All of the zip updates I have seen require you to start from DI18 stock (root an clockwork seem to be okay in my experience, all other mods must be removed) - if you have installed any custom roms, your best bet is to follow the odin method using the stock DI18 tar - so you may as well just skip the zip methodand odin to the stock DK28 tar
And you absolutely must wipe the phone (again, factory reset - I suspect many people are just wiping the cache and/or the dalvik cache).
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
Odin flashing
I've got a quick question. I'm looking to move to a build using the DK28 information release and it requires that I update the pit and modem files on my phone using Odin. Do I need to flash a 2.2 rom right away or am I safe to boot into my current rom first?
KaiXXV said:
I've got a quick question. I'm looking to move to a build using the DK28 information release and it requires that I update the pit and modem files on my phone using Odin. Do I need to flash a 2.2 rom right away or am I safe to boot into my current rom first?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you doing the strictly odin method (full froyo in a tar file)? Or an update.zip?
The odin method *should* include the modem and everything (and you use the updated pit in the same process) - you'll have to read the particular thread that you got the download link from, but I haven't noticed any odin tar files that required the modem separately
For the update.zip method, I don't know if it matters whether you flash the modem before or after applying the zip through recovery - I don't think either one overwrites the other, but that's a part of the process I can only guess about. But regardless of when you odin flash the modem, that's when you'll use the new pit file (the same as the odin-only method above).
As far as I know, the primary difference is that the update.zip doesn't inherently overwrite user data (but you'll probably have broken programs that FC all the time, which means a wipe is necessary, making this somewhat null). I prefer the odin method because it is a fresh flash of the entire system (I usually let it repartition as well - no one else has posted about that feature so I have no idea if it's a fluke that it hasn't given me problems)
Hope that helps
which is the best
so i have updated to dk28 froyo 2.2 i like battery life and performance can anyone offer info on which is the best rom for me or just some insight on which rom is the best overall
How do I stop running applications from starting every time I restart my phone?? I have the start up auditor but for some reason everytime I restart my phone the apps I have disabled keep restarting themselves and I have to go into the running programs and disable them manually. WTH?? Doesnt programs constantly running in the background kill the battery life?? How do I disable apps from starting?
youngpro83 said:
How do I stop running applications from starting every time I restart my phone?? I have the start up auditor but for some reason everytime I restart my phone the apps I have disabled keep restarting themselves and I have to go into the running programs and disable them manually. WTH?? Doesnt programs constantly running in the background kill the battery life?? How do I disable apps from starting?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How I understand it, especially with Froyo, you shouldn't have to kill programs in the background, if said 'background' process or service is working normal or efficiently. I still kill the DRM process when I reboot my phone, and not sure if it's still causing drain issues.
Also (someone else confirm this), I believe that constantly 'killing' certain background processes actually uses MORE battery, since it has to constantly restart itself. I've had a much more stable device *not* using auto killers, and just sniping one here and there that I know to cause drain.
Some reading material on GC, tho, in regards to memory management
Ignore me!
devo52 said:
so i have updated to dk28 froyo 2.2 i like battery life and performance can anyone offer info on which is the best rom for me or just some insight on which rom is the best overall
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A lot of it is personal preference - this early in the game, the primary differences between the roms are going to be mostly cosmetic. So for now, the best advice I can offer is to try each of them and decide which theme you like. Regardless of how you upgraded, you had to use odin, so you have succeeded at the most difficult step of the process - and odin can bring your phone back to life if something goes wrong, so it's an invaluable skill to have.
In the meantime, keep watching the threads (quietly, unless you have a question that hasn't been asked already - we're working on cleaning up the forum to make it easier for everyone to find answers... but I digress...)
It's too early to be sure of any of the fixes out there - we have at least three separate fixes for the GPS issues; some people find success with one, others with another, and a lucky few don't need the fixes at all... so in summary, we can't say which is better or worse just yet, stay tuned and decide whether you want to experiment on the bleeding edge, or wait for these things to be stable and thoroughly tested.
And if you have any doubts, just stick with the stock DK28 for now
tl;dr, questions in BOLD.
Okay, after spending the entire night scouring the internet/this forum and starting from absolutely zero-knowledge about the Android OS, I managed to update my Epic to 2.2, and root the phone. Now, I'm kinda stuck as far as customization goes. I see all these cool skins and battery life mods and stuff, but they don't exactly offer any steps as to how to install them. Since I don't exactly know what file-types do what, I'm kinda shooting blindly at trying to update/install something "custom" onto the phone. So, my question(s) is/are:
What does the ROM do?
What does the ROOT do?
I know the root basically "unlocks" your phone, but that's all I know. The process of customizing the phone still remains a mystery. (that's the problem with following step-by-step instructions, rather than actually knowing what you're doing.)
I also don't understand the purpose of flashing a phone. Flashing, in my experience is to update something, like say a BIOS. But that sets the system back to square 1 as far as all settings go, in this particular example.
If I flash, with say Odin, after having updated to DK28 and "rooting," won't this make all the "customization" that I've done prior basically 'null' because I've just flashed the phone into a blank-state?
Sorry if these are questions easily answered by searching, but I just spent my entire sleep-cycle trying to find the answers to these questions, and managed to only get so far. I look forward to the answers On another note, I am now EXTREEEEMELY pleased with my phone. Before this evening, I was just the regular, old run-of-the-mill enduser. I liked the cool built-in customizations and all the apps and what not, but never dreamed of being able to customize my phone to THIS EXTENT. So, now it's something I'm very interested in doing..it makes my phone truly mine.
zdavidi said:
What does the ROM do?
What does the ROOT do?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you see the link to the Wiki in the original post of this thread? That's where I started when I first got here, it helped me understand the basics.
zdavidi said:
If I flash, with say Odin, after having updated to DK28 and "rooting," won't this make all the "customization" that I've done prior basically 'null' because I've just flashed the phone into a blank-state?.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It depends on what you flashed with Odin. If you only flash a modem file, then your customizations and apps are untouched. If you flash an entire ROM in "tarball" form then not only does it re-write the modem but it also overwrites all user data. Think of the latter as resetting the phone to stock and works even if you cannot boot up.
When can we expect a custom Kernel with netfilters for wifi tethering?
n00b question.
If an SDK version is released (say, like, Gingerbread today), does that mean chefs could take it and cook up a ROM for ANY phone (say, like, the Epic)? Or do they need something else to do that?
Remove Touchwiz Launcher (consequences?)
Hey-- I'm using Quantum 2.0.0 ROM, and I never use the touchwiz launcher. Does anyone know if it's safe to just remove the apk? (TouchWiz30Launcher.apk) or is there other functionality tied to it?
I use LauncherPro, fyi.
Please forgive my ignorance... I've searched the forums, looked at the wiki...
I use titanium backup and am now running the DK27 froyo build by noobnl. My question... How do I restore my e-mail accounts to the phone everytime without having to re-type them in? I've been flashing a rom every other day on average since I got the phone and it's getting REALLY old.
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!
I am a noob. There I said it, and I am going to hopefully ask smart noob questions. I have a Samsung SGS II model number SPH-D710; build GINGERBREAD.EL29. I am currently rooted using ODIN 1.81, and I have on hand the firmware to go to stock using ODIN 1.85. On the ODIN 1.85 there is a box that is checked that says rest time. Is that the flash counter that it will rest? There are a bunch of custom roms out there; as you all know, but if I don't like a rom how can I go back to stock? Also I was reading something on this forum I believe that it said don't flash unless you have Rom manager installed. I installed the rom manager, and when I told it to back up rom it started to show the screen that Android has when you do an OTA update, but then it goes to a yellow triangle with an exclamation mark. What am I doing wrong? I was able to get out of that screen, but it happened twice so I stopped. As the title says Operation:Not to Brick. Also I have a zImage file that is suppose to give me overclocking abilities. How do you apply that? ODIN 1.85 doesn't acknowledge that it is on my computer. Can anyone help me or point me in the right direction?
First, never ever ever use rom manager. This phone does not play nice with it and you may end up damaging your phone as a result. Second, always make sure you have reset time in odin unchecked. Im not sure what it does but ive always been told to uncheck it. As far as flashing roms goes, i would suggest checking out qbking77's videos. Hr does a very good job of explaining how to flash a rom. If you dont like the rom and want to go back to stock, i would suggest making a nandroid of your stock rom as it will be easier. Read up on the stickies on the dev page, there is a lot of helpful info that will make it easier to understand.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium
First off please don't be in a rush to flash to something as soon as you get the phone - it's your easiest case to brick at the moment.
General rules:
Rom Manager = No-No
CWM from an ICS kernel - backups OK, wipes/restores NO GOOD.
(You need to flash a GB kernel before doing a wipe/restore)
ICS Factory Reset - Not recommended.
Doing pretty much anything from Gingerbread - GO TO TOWN!
I'll also suggest stay with stock ROMs and get used to the phone; in the meantime read up on the stickies in General & Q/A. Get a list of any remaining questions, search the threads using the search function and feel free to ask any remaining questions here.
Basically feel comfortable about what you're flashing before you do it. Never hurts to read up more on things before taking an action.... unless you're in a burning building.
I've bricked 3 of these, blue light of death.
First.
'Do not remove the usb from the phone or computer while installing ROMS.'
(Even if your laptop picks now of all times to attempt an hp update, freezing up, tempting you to do so)
Second.
'Do not continue with flashing even if you don't fully understand if the 'partition' checkbox needs to be checked or not using ODIN.'
(Even if you want to flash back to stock because the encrypt feature on your new ics rom doesn't work, along with most of your apps not being compatible. And you can't seem to find anywhere online that states if your ROM needs 'partitioned' or whatever.)
Third.
'Do not remove the usb from the phone or computer while installing ROMS.'
You'd think one bricking would teach a lesson... shame on me.
All in all:
Before you flash a ROM, make sure you know ExActLy how to go back if you don't like it.
Do NOT hit the bong 4 times with your neighbor before attempting anything new.
And for god's sake..
Don't unplug the usb from the phone or computer while flashing ROMS!
You'll do great!
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium
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
I used to flash all my phones in the past...Moment, Epic, friends phones, custom baked a few of my own ROM's using 7zip, etc...but it's been a few years and I feel like I've fallen outta touch. Currently the only thing I've done is CF Auto Root - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1956180 so that I can run TrevE Mod Wifi Tethering - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1999156 and then Hot Audio Mod - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1931970. I know these are minor, but I swear I've fallen outta touch on how to do bigger things, so even trying to flash a new modem and stock ROM via ODIN v1.85 hasn't seemed to help me get rid of root so that I can install 4.3.
At this point, I'm looking for guidance on how to COMPLETELY erase everything on the phone and start it from scratch. I wanna remove anything and everything I may have done w/ the phone over the past year or so and make it brand new as if it came fresh outta the box. I'm assuming I have to do all this from ODIN, but I'm going to be honest here...I'm hoping someone will hold my hand via accurate step-by-step, post links like I have done above, give Flashing for Dummies directions (some of these threads and their OP's are like reading German to me nowadays) and overall help me get to even a stock 4.1.2 so that I can run the 4.3 update either via OTA or ODIN flashing.
I've considered doing custom a custom ROM and Kernal, but this is the first Android I've had in years where I don't feel the need to run custom anything, overclocking, etc. About the ONLY thing I didn't like about CF Auto Root is I couldn't do things like using ROM Toolbox to change the boot screen, using SDX Removal Tool to remove useless stock apps I never used (I'm guessing mostly because it's a Android 2.X app vs using it on a 4.x phone), etc. All in all I've been completely content w/ my 4.1.2 the way it is, I just want a 100% clean slate when running 4.3, reroot to run a WiFi Tethering app, be able to delete stock apps finally and that's really it. So...anyone got 10 min to post some links, write me some instruction and help a brother out
m5james said:
I used to flash all my phones in the past...Moment, Epic, friends phones, custom baked a few of my own ROM's using 7zip, etc...but it's been a few years and I feel like I've fallen outta touch. Currently the only thing I've done is CF Auto Root - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1956180 so that I can run TrevE Mod Wifi Tethering - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1999156 and then Hot Audio Mod - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1931970. I know these are minor, but I swear I've fallen outta touch on how to do bigger things, so even trying to flash a new modem and stock ROM via ODIN v1.85 hasn't seemed to help me get rid of root so that I can install 4.3.
At this point, I'm looking for guidance on how to COMPLETELY erase everything on the phone and start it from scratch. I wanna remove anything and everything I may have done w/ the phone over the past year or so and make it brand new as if it came fresh outta the box. I'm assuming I have to do all this from ODIN, but I'm going to be honest here...I'm hoping someone will hold my hand via accurate step-by-step, post links like I have done above, give Flashing for Dummies directions (some of these threads and their OP's are like reading German to me nowadays) and overall help me get to even a stock 4.1.2 so that I can run the 4.3 update either via OTA or ODIN flashing.
I've considered doing custom a custom ROM and Kernal, but this is the first Android I've had in years where I don't feel the need to run custom anything, overclocking, etc. About the ONLY thing I didn't like about CF Auto Root is I couldn't do things like using ROM Toolbox to change the boot screen, using SDX Removal Tool to remove useless stock apps I never used (I'm guessing mostly because it's a Android 2.X app vs using it on a 4.x phone), etc. All in all I've been completely content w/ my 4.1.2 the way it is, I just want a 100% clean slate when running 4.3, reroot to run a WiFi Tethering app, be able to delete stock apps finally and that's really it. So...anyone got 10 min to post some links, write me some instruction and help a brother out
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Welcome back! Use TWRP for total wipe. (Including system) Get a stock 4.1.2 ROM from SamMobile and flash it via ODIN. It would be (should be) unrooted and totally out of the box Note 2. Be careful about the ROM u download though. Make sure it's for your carrier. Do a normal OTA, (don't recommend it though, it has Knox), use CF-Auto Root. You'll end up with a tripped Note 2 rooted. (Warranty would be lost.) (Can't reset counter, can't downgrade)
Links:
TWRP: http://teamw.in/project/twrp2 (get latest for your phone and flash it via ODIN.)
SamMobile: http://www.sammobile.com/ (can't provided exact download link, you'll have to search for yourself.)
CF-Auto Root: there's a thread on XDA on it, I think it was on the Note 2 Original Android Development forums.
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