Develop Bugs

[Q]Creating a backup before I root my GIO

hello, i just got my first android phone so I'm new to this sort of stuff, though I love being able to unlock hidden potential of different devices, so naturally I discovered the ability to root smart phones and all that good stuff.
The model I have is the Samsung Galaxy Gio GT-S5660M. It's running 2.3.4. Gingerbread version.
I've been reading a lot of guides and for the most part rooting and adding additional utilities like flash, etc. seems pretty simple. However, I have not yet been able to find out how to create a back of up of my stock firmware when I bought the phone in case I end up bricking it, or decide I want to return to stock.
I've read many guides that claim to show how to create back ups and recovery points, but I'm still having trouble understanding it.
To be more specific, I would like to create as opposed to download, a back up of the phone in it's current state which is, as I said earlier, stock. I did a factory reset since I had some stuff installed while I was fiddling with it for the first time.
thx

You have to root it before you can back up stock rom so, firstly you root it (you can find guides here on xda)
Then install clockworkmod recovery: warning: DON'T EVER USE ROM MANAGER TO INSTALL CLOCKWORKMOD ON YOUR GIO, IT WILL BRICK YOUR PHONE!! use one of the recoveries found in xda, you will also find guides to install them there.
Then third; backup in clockworkmod using "backup and restore"
Sent from my GT-S5660

iok1 said:
You have to root it before you can back up stock rom so, firstly you root it (you can find guides here on xda)
Then install clockworkmod recovery: warning: DON'T EVER USE ROM MANAGER TO INSTALL CLOCKWORKMOD ON YOUR GIO, IT WILL BRICK YOUR PHONE!! use one of the recoveries found in xda, you will also find guides to install them there.
Then third; backup in clockworkmod using "backup and restore"
Sent from my GT-S5660
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
so first of all, what I'm looking for is called a ROM right?
what I don't get though is how come I need to modify the device before creating the backup. Isn't the phone modified at that point? Or is the stock configuration being stored somewhere on the phone that I can't see without clockwork?

You cannot create a backup without the recovery mod CWM Clockwork Recovery Mod. But to install this you need your device rooted (modified so you can modify and view system files)

gfyrdr said:
so first of all, what I'm looking for is called a ROM right?
what I don't get though is how come I need to modify the device before creating the backup. Isn't the phone modified at that point? Or is the stock configuration being stored somewhere on the phone that I can't see without clockwork?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1 - you don't need to search for a rom to backup your stock rom
2 - you need to root your phone in order to be able to backup your rom
3 - you need to install a more advanced recovery (program "similar" to pc BIOS) in order to do a nandroid backup
4 - after you flash that more advanced recovery (aka CWM -> ClockWorkMod), you backup your rom in "backup and restore" menu, backup. It will then store your rom in a folder.
5 - you should strongly consider after that, to install a custom rom made by many of the devs here on XDA in order to have a better experience with your phone...

0M3G4_ said:
1 - you don't need to search for a rom to backup your stock rom
2 - you need to root your phone in order to be able to backup your rom
3 - you need to install a more advanced recovery (program "similar" to pc BIOS) in order to do a nandroid backup
4 - after you flash that more advanced recovery (aka CWM -> ClockWorkMod), you backup your rom in "backup and restore" menu, backup. It will then store your rom in a folder.
5 - you should strongly consider after that, to install a custom rom made by many of the devs here on XDA in order to have a better experience with your phone...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 That was what I wanted to say

I've already uploaded a stock ROM backup last fall of the same Gingerbread ROM you're running, along with instructions on how to make one yourself or flash mine.
The best advice I can give you is: research, research, and more research.
Good luck,
Darkshado
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA

What software do you recommend to clockworkmod Gio with?

s!mon said:
What software do you recommend to clockworkmod Gio with?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use px-cwm-v2.zip recovery.
You flash it using stock recovery.

thx for the replies. I will give it a try.
Darkshadow, whats the thread's name where you posted the ROM and instructions? I'd like to check that out too.
Also, whats a good rom to consider upgrading to? Something that has the ability to play flash videos.
EDIT:
If I understand correctly, roms are basically whole operating systems that have been customized by the developer. So a rom can be already rooted and have clockwork as well as other custom stuff, and I just need to flash it. The alternative to this is to do everything manualy... root the current OS, add clockwork and whatever else. Correct?
Also, I'm not sure yet if a rooted phone has any extra options on it's own, or if it's only a set up that's sole purpose is to allow other applications to be installed who then will give the user better control over his device.

I've run into a little problem.
I'm following this guide: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=16963172&postcount=1
I've got Odin and the tar downloaded, but when I go into download mode with my phone and connect it to the PC, it says that the device driver was not successfuly installed, and I get no confirmation in Odin that a connection has been made between the phone and the program.
What am I missing?
Thx.
EDIT:
Nevermind, I needed to install Kies. Don't even need to run it. Apparently it has the driver that's needed.

Okay, I've rooted my phone successfully. Now the next step is to install Clockwork and create a back up.
Now that I understand a little bit the way Odin and flashing ROM works, I think it would be better to just download a stock ROM and in case something goes wrong, I can just flash it the way I flashed the rooted one.
(I think I saw a completely stock ROM somewhere for my model but I don't remember where. A link would be appreciated if it exists.)
Correct me if I'm wrong pls.
Also, if I do that, then is there any reason to install Clockwork since I've read that many ppl have issues with installing it and it's riskier than rooting or installing other software.
Right now I think what I'm most interested in is installing Adobe Flash Player 11 or something of the sort that can play flash videos and streams.

^
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=19623732&postcount=1
taken from the sticky
i'm also thinking of installing cwm
looking at the sticky, http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=20397988&postcount=8
how outdated is this cwm?

I'm using Opera as my browser so from what I've learned, flash doesn't work with it period. Is skyfire a good alternative?
Also, like I said, I don't think I need the clockwork if I can get a clean stock ROM that I can just flash if something goes wrong. As I don't intend to download many apps or add many phone numbers (memorized instead), a backup isn't really needed.

nvmd, i just went ahead and installed the cwm in that link, there's a 5.0.2.7 though if that is even the newest one
now, i cant seem to backup my phone
it says it cannot mount /system
try dolphin browser

anonxlg said:
nvmd, i just went ahead and installed the cwm in that link, there's a 5.0.2.7 though if that is even the newest one
now, i cant seem to backup my phone
it says it cannot mount /system
try dolphin browser
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you pick the ext4 + rfs version?
Sent from my GT-S5660

Clockwork is not riskier than other things you do. Just follow steps and you see no problems.

anonxlg said:
^
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=19623732&postcount=1
i'm also thinking of installing cwm
looking at the sticky, http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=20397988&postcount=8
how outdated is this cwm?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
its an older version, its 5.0.2.7, theres also 5.0.2.8 but these give some problems after installing/wiping, so some people still use the older version.

Hello guys,
I'm new here. I have the same problem as anonxlg. It says can't mount system. I also used the version from the big thread for new users. Can anyone enlighten me on what to do? I've been searching the forum and google, but can't make it work. I feel like a compleet noob now, and I don't feel special about it.
RJ88
Edit: I kept searching, and finally found a working 5.0.2.7 version. First I had another 5.0.2.7 version, but when I tried to install it didn't work. I finally found "signed_cwm-5.0.2.7-flashablezip-ext4+rfs.zip (Flash from Recovery)" on http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1421650 (through google actually. I have to get used to this site), and I'm making my backup now.

thanks RJA88, backup worked
edit/update
i used the cwm linked and backup worked, i tried installing cm9 beta8 (galaxyics), and it would get stuck after samsung bootscreen (it flashes a white pick or soemthing before full back screen)
i tried restoring backup i made, and it didnt work, some mount error again
i reverted back to 5.0.2.6 and did the restore backup again, and this time it goes up the the galaxy gio gt5660m screen and just stop..
note that i do not know what the rfs/ext4 is for for the gio if that is what is causing problems

[Q] AT&T S3 (Flashed via s3 toolkit) question on roms

I have a AT&T samsung galaxy S3 rooted by using the samsung galaxy toolkit http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1746665
I'm interested in flashing the following CM10 Nightly rom http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1778270 to my phone but have a few questions before I proceed.
1) What precautions should I take before flashing a custom rom? I understand I first need to make a nandoid backup (which I have done) and verify that I have the correct rom for my specific phone model that I will be flashing to. If I were to choose the CM10 Nightly rom, the link from the post goes to http://get.cm/?device=d2att which appears to be correct for my AT&T Samsung Galaxy S3 SGH-1747.
2) Since I flashed with the samsung galaxy toolkit, it flashed the following recovery "CWM-Based Recovery v5.5.0.4 - Do I need to use a different recovery in order to use the CM10 Nightly roms or is this one compatible? If not, how do I go about changing to another recovery?
3) What is the steps for flashing properly? Would I need to update kernel or model or just simply download rom, save to SD card, boot to recovery, then flash the rom in zip form?
I appreciate any your responses in advance. I tend to over analyze and I feel i've read enough about the process of flashing custom roms but I want to be certain. Thank you!

It looks like you got all you ducks in a row, on behalf of the community thanks for being a smart user :good:.
1) You nailed it....make absolutely certain you are downloading the correct software for your device, flashing an incompatible ROM can leave you with a really sexy, expensive paper weight. The d2att identifier is unique to the AT&T variant of the SG3 (i747). Before you flash any new rom or kernel (or anything else for that matter in my opinion) make a nandroid or equivalent backup from your recovery. I do this even for the smallest mod, tweak, theme whatever if for nothing else incase i dont like it it an easy undo 'button'. Besides that i like to keep a fairly recent backup on something other than my phone.
2) For all intensive purposes that version of CWM will work, atleast currently. I would recommend you update it however as that version is several builds behind and there are sometimes updates in the more current ROM builds that may not play nice with older recoveries. The easiest way to do this is download Clockwork Rom Manager from the play store, on the main app screen at the very top is the option to install the latest recovery. It will download, preferably on wifi to minimize downloading errors as much as possible, and then install automatically. There is also atleast one other alternative recovery that i know of, TWRP, which is worth checking out in my opinion. Just keep in mind the backups from the different recoveries are NOT interchangeable.
3) It always best to follow any and all directions in the OP of whatever ROM you are installing as most differ. The generally accepted order for flashing goes something like this although everyone will have an opinion on this i'm sure. ROM > Gapps (if required by the rom) > Reboot > Kernel > Reboot. If you are really concerned you can always just flash one at a time allowing a full reboot in between each flash, personally i think this is overkill but thats just my opinion.
One last personal suggestion, I always keep a copy of my rom, kernel, and any required supporting software on my external sd just in case. It comes in handy if for some reason you try something that doesn't work out the way you had hoped and you are away from a computer and your phone is unable to boot into android. Some would argue that a nandroid makes this unnecessary but with 32 gigs in my current setup its not like im hurting for space. Hope this helps to clarify some things for you, good luck!

dntesinfrno, Thank you very much for your reply and kind words
A lot of the information has been posted on the boards but it can be a little confusing and too much information at once.
You mentioned that I can simply use Rom Manager then click "Flash ClockworkMod Recovery", are there any reports of there being problems in using rom manager to flash the recovery or is the S3 fully supported?
As for the kernel flashing.. I'm really only interested in flashing custom roms (CM10), is it necessary to flash the kernel as well when flashing custom roms? I didn't see anything on the other thread stating anything about flashing kernels so i'm guessing it's not needed?
I'm for sure going to take your recommendation and make a backup of current rom and kernel. Would you recommend Rom Manager to backup the current rom? I see an option that says "Backup current rom" in the application. How do you go about backing those up?
Thank you again! :fingers-crossed:

since I have the cwm-based recovery v5.5.0.4 i'm wondering if I were to use rom manager and flash the latest clockworkmod recovery, would it actually stick after the reboot?

found the following thread here and it looked almost identical to mine: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1801534&highlight=cwm-based+recovery
Ended up using rom manager to flash clockworkmod and after rebooting multiple times and booting into recovery, the official clockworkmod recovery is installed. (showing "ClockworkMod 6.0.1.2" now)
As for backing up kernel and everything else, will rom manager do that as well?
Thank you

[Q] So whats mobile odin pro even for?

I mistakenly bought mobile odin pro thinking it was like CWM/TWRP. But it looks like it only supports some obscure .tar format that rom authors dont even use, which makes it about useless. So, what is this program even for? Most if not all roms are in zip format, not tar. So why would anybody use mobile odin?

It can be used to 'Odin' a recovery image such as TWRP or CWM, and flash stock firmware files that are in .tar format (just remove the .md5 at the end of a download I think, it might work with .tar.md5, not sure since I've used it only once or twice).
Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

So it's a recovery meant to install other recoveries? Whats the point in that? You can install CWM/TWRP without mobile odin on any rooted S4

It's not a recovery. Have you ever used Odin on a computer to flash a ROM, radio/modem, recovery, etc to your phone? This is just an on-device version of that. It doesn't require a PC and USB cable to use - a big plus if you need/want to flash something and you don't have a PC and/or USB cable handy. Another big plus is it does not increase your flash counter. You can find more info about it in its official thread, here.

But it only flashes tar files, and most roms come in zip, right? I understand the whole flash counter thing, but what good is it besides flashing back to stock roms or something since the vast majority of roms arent even compatible with this thing?

RunNgun42 said:
But it only flashes tar files, and most roms come in zip, right? I understand the whole flash counter thing, but what good is it besides flashing back to stock roms or something since the vast majority of roms arent even compatible with this thing?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As far as I can tell, the Pro version supports most zip files as well.

KaneHusky said:
As far as I can tell, the Pro version supports most zip files as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm, I was too scared to try since every forum post mentions tar files. But a full blown recovery like CWP lets me perform nandroid backups right? I cant backup anything in Odin mobile can I? This also lets me restore nandroids in the event something goes horrible wrong

RunNgun42 said:
Hmm, I was too scared to try since every forum post mentions tar files. But a full blown recovery like CWP lets me perform nandroid backups right? I cant backup anything in Odin mobile can I? This also lets me restore nandroids in the event something goes horrible wrong
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Correct, recovery is the best(only?) way to perform nandroid backup/restores. And for most people, recovery is probably the preferred method of flashing since it has more flexibility. Mobile Odin would probably only come in handy a few times - at least that I can think of for myself. I have it installed but I've yet to use it.

Odin and Recovery are two very different things for doing very different tasks.
They are not the same.
If you own any Samsung device, you should read up on Odin and what it does. It is a VERY useful tool.
Read this...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2258628
This is about the full PC versiono of Odin. It will help explain what it is.

Think it's kind of shaky myself used it once to flash a modem and it soft bricked stuck at boot screen. Had to system restore. Still have it on my phone but have lost a little trust in it since that happened.
Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk 2

seeing that your having trouble understanding what odin is for, i suggest that you uninstall it, take it as a loss, and never use it, just to prevent brickings.
though if you read up on it, its a very useful tool for those that dont have computers or arent at a computer 24/7. worth every cent i paid for it, though i use it to flash modems 90% of the time, since ive had bad experiences with modems in .zip format

[Q] Having trouble with the I747M and ROMs.

Alright so I'm new at this and haven't managed to brick my phone yet so that's a good sign.
As far as I've learned the process is Root>Recovery>Rom Flash, at least generally.
I rooted it successfully, but when I try to install recovery with ROM Manager it lists only one S3 with a bracketed cell phone provider I don't think I have. So I ditched CWM and went to Goo Manager but when I try to install that, it just hangs on some download page telling me its about to start.
So I'm going to assume the recovery thing is pretty easy to sort out and move on to my next question.
My S3 is unlocked, but I am under Koodo, which is an extension of Telus. My phone model is a I747M, not an I747. As far as I can see they are identical in hardware and software, but I'm really wondering what ROMs I can install. I've researched but didn't find much, and I don't want to blindly flash a i747 rom onto a potentially different phone, and risk anything.
Oh and PS any ROM with the vanilla android (like on the google phones) will do.
Thanks.

Czaran said:
Alright so I'm new at this and haven't managed to brick my phone yet so that's a good sign.
As far as I've learned the process is Root>Recovery>Rom Flash, at least generally.
I rooted it successfully, but when I try to install recovery with ROM Manager it lists only one S3 with a bracketed cell phone provider I don't think I have. So I ditched CWM and went to Goo Manager but when I try to install that, it just hangs on some download page telling me its about to start.
So I'm going to assume the recovery thing is pretty easy to sort out and move on to my next question.
My S3 is unlocked, but I am under Koodo, which is an extension of Telus. My phone model is a I747M, not an I747. As far as I can see they are identical in hardware and software, but I'm really wondering what ROMs I can install. I've researched but didn't find much, and I don't want to blindly flash a i747 rom onto a potentially different phone, and risk anything.
Oh and PS any ROM with the vanilla android (like on the google phones) will do.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello Noob (I mean that kindly, I used to be one)
I'll help you with what ever you need. I'm Canadian and on Bell i747M. Feel free to ask me any questions and I'll reply as soon as I can. Hopefully I wont be too confusing. I'll just try to break down all your questions in a point form.
First, i747 and i747M are almost identical. With the latest 4.3 ROMS there are differences in the bootloader that will make data not work on your phone. For now, stay away from any stock 4.3 ROM. AOSP ROMs (CM10, Task650) are fine.
Recovery: Through Rom Manager you will want to download the recovery titled "Samsung Galaxy S3 (ATT) " The AT&T version of the S3 is commonly shown as D2ATT(i747). This recovery will work for you. I have had a problem with TWRP myself recently being stuck on the download page. There is another way to install TWRP, but it is a bit more difficult. Try CWM first and if you like I will give you instructions for TWRP.
ROMs: If you want the most common and most stable Vanilla ROMs for your phone you are gonna want Cyanogenmod or Task's ROM. They are very similar with a few different features. Beware, if you ask questions in Task's thread you will be told it is an ATT ROM only. It does work on the i747M though.
Latest Cyanogen: http://download.cyanogenmod.org/?device=d2att
Latest Task : http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1766684
You will of course lose Touchwiz on these ROMs.
Touchwiz Roms:
STAY AWAY FROM 4.3 ROMS!!!!!!
These ones will do as is. Watch that they are still 4.1.2
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1766684 This one has a white theme and is my favorite.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2176793 This one has tons of options.
As always be sure to read the OP in every thread. You will learn lots there. If you want any more info reply and I will try and help.

BCSC said:
Hello Noob (I mean that kindly, I used to be one)
I'll help you with what ever you need. I'm Canadian and on Bell i747M. Feel free to ask me any questions and I'll reply as soon as I can. Hopefully I wont be too confusing. I'll just try to break down all your questions in a point form.
First, i747 and i747M are almost identical. With the latest 4.3 ROMS there are differences in the bootloader that will make data not work on your phone. For now, stay away from any stock 4.3 ROM. AOSP ROMs (CM10, Task650) are fine.
Recovery: Through Rom Manager you will want to download the recovery titled "Samsung Galaxy S3 (ATT) " The AT&T version of the S3 is commonly shown as D2ATT(i747). This recovery will work for you. I have had a problem with TWRP myself recently being stuck on the download page. There is another way to install TWRP, but it is a bit more difficult. Try CWM first and if you like I will give you instructions for TWRP.
ROMs: If you want the most common and most stable Vanilla ROMs for your phone you are gonna want Cyanogenmod or Task's ROM. They are very similar with a few different features. Beware, if you ask questions in Task's thread you will be told it is an ATT ROM only. It does work on the i747M though.
Latest Cyanogen: http://download.cyanogenmod.org/?device=d2att
Latest Task : http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1766684
You will of course lose Touchwiz on these ROMs.
Touchwiz Roms:
STAY AWAY FROM 4.3 ROMS!!!!!!
These ones will do as is. Watch that they are still 4.1.2
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1766684 This one has a white theme and is my favorite.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2176793 This one has tons of options.
As always be sure to read the OP in every thread. You will learn lots there. If you want any more info reply and I will try and help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awesome, I appreciate the writeup. So I flashed recovery successfully (ROM Manager doesn't seem to have d2att anymore so I used ODIN).
I'll probably go for Cyanogen mod tommorow, I'll post again if I have any questions.
Thanks.

Czaran said:
Awesome, I appreciate the writeup. So I flashed recovery successfully (ROM Manager doesn't seem to have d2att anymore so I used ODIN).
I'll probably go for Cyanogen mod tommorow, I'll post again if I have any questions.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
CM is a good ROM. There should soon be Kitkat versions available. You will be seeing nightly updates when it does come around. Before you start flashing, you should learn what a 'Nandroid' is. You can take a Nandroid backup in CWM or TWRP. Always save these to an External SD card. If anything ever goes wrong with your ROM, you can just re flash the Nandroid backup and be back to where you were the day you did the backup. The farther you get into flashing the more likely you will need these. Before doing your first Flash, do an Nandroid and copy your photops and stuff off of the phone. When jumping between Stock and AOSP roms, you will need to do a full wipe and will lose what you have not backed up. Be sure to sync contacts to Google....this is the one that has screwed me the most.

BCSC said:
CM is a good ROM. There should soon be Kitkat versions available. You will be seeing nightly updates when it does come around. Before you start flashing, you should learn what a 'Nandroid' is. You can take a Nandroid backup in CWM or TWRP. Always save these to an External SD card. If anything ever goes wrong with your ROM, you can just re flash the Nandroid backup and be back to where you were the day you did the backup. The farther you get into flashing the more likely you will need these. Before doing your first Flash, do an Nandroid and copy your photops and stuff off of the phone. When jumping between Stock and AOSP roms, you will need to do a full wipe and will lose what you have not backed up. Be sure to sync contacts to Google....this is the one that has screwed me the most.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Alright, so I have CWM v5.5.0.4, which from what I understand is pretty outdated. It was probably just me following an outdated guide and forgot to look up an updated version. Will I need to update of will it cause any problems? I already backed up my phone on 5.5.0.4 with Nandroid.
Also I feel like I'm misunderstanding the procedure of flashing a new rom. So I downloaded a cm-10.1.3 zip which is is the latest stable build on android 4.2.2. This has an .img inside so this is the rom. I use CWM to flash this onto my phone correct? (Once I figure out if I need to update CWM)
Lastly whats the deal with Gapps? I downloaded the CM Gapps for 10.1 from their wiki. Is this the only way to get Gmail, Maps, and the Google Play Store onto the phone?
From what I understand I think I can just use odin to flash, correct? If so I'd probably prefer that because its the most familiar and noob friendly.

Czaran said:
Alright, so I have CWM v5.5.0.4, which from what I understand is pretty outdated. It was probably just me following an outdated guide and forgot to look up an updated version. Will I need to update of will it cause any problems? I already backed up my phone on 5.5.0.4 with Nandroid.
Also I feel like I'm misunderstanding the procedure of flashing a new rom. So I downloaded a cm-10.1.3 zip which is is the latest stable build on android 4.2.2. This has an .img inside so this is the rom. I use CWM to flash this onto my phone correct? (Once I figure out if I need to update CWM)
Lastly whats the deal with Gapps? I downloaded the CM Gapps for 10.1 from their wiki. Is this the only way to get Gmail, Maps, and the Google Play Store onto the phone?
From what I understand I think I can just use odin to flash, correct? If so I'd probably prefer that because its the most familiar and noob friendly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wouldn't use Odin. It really will only become necessary if you want to flash back to complete stock.
You do want the latest version of CWM installed or you will run into problems flashing. You can get this 2 ways.
1: through Rom Manager. You will find your specific CWM with these steps. a-Recovery Setup b-ClockworkMod Recovery c-Hit menu button to left of home and pick 'Show All Devices' d- Here scroll until you get 'Samsung Galaxy S3 (AT&T)' D2ATT. e- Click Flash ClockworkMod Recovery. Allow permissions for root. Ignore the touch option unless you want to pay for it. I can teach you the free way.
You will now have the latest CWM
You can download the latest CM-10.2, it is in release candidate stage and is extremely stable. They have been working on it for months. It will give you 4.3 (The good kind, not the one I warned against). After downloading a ROM, you leave it zipped exactly like it is. Do not extract it, just move it to your SD card. You will also want Gapps. Gapps is necessary because it is Google's own software that is legally not allowed to be built into ROMs. It must be installed separately. You can find those here. They help you know which to use with chart depending on which Cyanogen you use http://wiki.cyanogenmod.org/w/Gapps. Again just move the zip over to your internal.
With these 2 zips transferred to your phone you are ready to start. Before you do, make sure you have transferred all your pics and stuff off of the phone. Also be sure to save your contacts. You can now boot into recovery. You should notice recovery version 6.0.4.3. Volume button scrolls menu, Power button selects. You will want to do a Nandroid backup in case anything goes wrong. I know you did one with CWM 5.5 but should do another just to be sure it is with current CWM. You can delete the other one later.
Goto - backup and restore
Goto - backup to external or /storage/sdcard1 (i put both because im already on 4.4 and may have different menu than you.
Let this work and when done continue to flashing ROM
Go to 'choose zip from /sdcard'
Select CM-10-xxxxxxx.zip
After this completes you will do the same with Gapps.zip
After completion of both files you will need to factory reset your phone. Flashing AOSP over Stock will cause boot loops if you do not.
Go back to CWM main menu and select wipe data/factore reset
After completing this go to wipe cache partition and select this.
Finally you want to wipe Dalvik cache. you will find this in CWM under main menu /advanced/wipe dalvik cache.
Upon completion of this you should have CM10 4.3 running. Just exit CWM reboot phone and when booted follow setup instructions.
Let me know if you get stuck somewhere.

BCSC said:
Upon completion of this you should have CM10 4.3 running. Just exit CWM reboot phone and when booted follow setup instructions.
Let me know if you get stuck somewhere.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Alright cool. So through Mod Manager, there was not d2att, there was only S3(Metro PCS) which I thought was a bit odd. I found a way to flash an updated recovery via terminal emulator so that went well.
And your steps were very well written and concise. I'm now running CM without a problem.
Thanks for your help!

Czaran said:
Alright cool. So through Mod Manager, there was not d2att, there was only S3(Metro PCS) which I thought was a bit odd. I found a way to flash an updated recovery via terminal emulator so that went well.
And your steps were very well written and concise. I'm now running CM without a problem.
Thanks for your help!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cool terminal emulator was that other way to do it. Hope all is well for you with this. Welcome to flashing. As another tip, if you are going to flash a lot, there is an app called Titanium backup that is well worth the $5 it costs. It saves all your apps and data and after a clean wipe you can just reinstall all your apps in one step. For example after a wipe you will not lose your Angry Birds levels if you restore your titanium data. It's worth a look.

[Q] Challenging Rom/Stock Rom Problem

I recently decided to try out CM11 on my SGN2-L900 (Sprint) and it wasnt everything I expected it to be. I couldn't install the gapps,zip file that i dl'd from downloadandroidrom.com, i tried a venum ice.zip file, and the sph-l900 stock recovery.zip file from downloadandroidrom.com and none of these files are taking effect. I seem to be stuck on the the CM11 with very basic options. I also backed up all of my data on Titanium Backp because I was rooted prior to the Rom change. I can still see I ahve my files when I hook my phone up to my laptop but have not been able to bring them back to my note.
please assist if familiar.
I'd like to get back to my previous phone state, forget about these roms altogether, and recover all of my files.

First, you may want to make sure you used the right rom version. I'm not sure what the SGN2-L900 is, but that's too different to be a typo for the SPH-L900, which is what this forum is on. I tried a quick search, and no phone variant came up. In addition, trying to flash a rom from a different phone variant can be very bad, and can brick a phone. Luckily, since you can still boot the phone and get into recovery, not all lost.
Plus, when you're downloading a custom rom, such as Cyogenmod, you should take note of the GAPPS file to be used. CM11 uses a different GAPPS files than previous versions such as CM10. Plus, usually you want to flash GAPPS after the CM rom. If you forget to flash it, you can do it later; it's just inconvenient
Titanium Backup is purely an app backup. It's not a ROM backup; this is what a nandriod is used for and one of the tools in the custom recovery. Plus, it is not recommend to use TB to restore apps when switching roms. It should be fine if just updating a rom, such a CM nightly.
If you're having no luck, I would suggest finding a stock tar file, and odin the firmware. This will remove root. But if you've had your phone over year, it'll already be out of warranty. Thus, when you go to re-root, it won't make a difference if you trip Knox warranty void. Just make sure you use the correct ROM for you phone. The odin the can be slightly challenging to find, but a doing a google search should be sufficient. I find version 1.85 or 3.07 work well.