No Odin, no Kies.. So... - Nexus S General

As a Galaxy S i9000 owner I am curious, has anyone yet got any idea how updates and general ROM flashing are to be done on the Nexus S? I understand OTA will be likely for the PDA code but how about the baseband? Do Google take care of the modem or do Samsung?
And since we use Odin to re-partition and re-flash the ROM in the SGS I wonder how this is performed on the Nexus line?
I am very happy to see Kies left behind but I also see no software for the Nexus S at all. Even my Motorola Milestone had some sort of desktop connectivity for when things went wonky..

Is there any reason we would not use rom manager to flash new roms since that is how we have been flashing our cw recovery? Seems that would be the easiest solution just like on the n1

generalagony said:
Is there any reason we would not use rom manager to flash new roms since that is how we have been flashing our cw recovery? Seems that would be the easiest solution just like on the n1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My Android life has been Milestone > SGS, so I am not familiar with that one, we use Odin over USB on the Galaxy line.
Ok, that is interesting to know. Does that also include the modem code though?

If by modem code you are referring to the radio image; yes. Most all files can be flashed via clockwork recovery. It it all i ever used on n1 to flash roms, kernels, and radio files.

generalagony said:
If by modem code you are referring to the radio image; yes. Most all files can be flashed via clockwork recovery. It it all i ever used on n1 to flash roms, kernels, and radio files.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Superb, I will have to have a look into CWR then. Had little cause to so far.

If you are rooted already the easiest thing to do I download rom manager from the market and flash cwr through there. It has been updated to the newest version through rom manager and is completely painless

Fastboot should also work depending on how the file you want to flash is released.
fastboot recovery new_recovery.img
fastboot system custom_rom.img
fastboot modem new_modem.img
etc, etc, etc...
Think of fastboot as sort of Google's version of Heimdall (3rd party Odin replacement)

Thanks all for the input, I need to get the phone next. UK delays and such.
Samsung really went somewhere annoying by forcing a USB update system. Nexus S sounds like a happier time.

nailerr said:
Thanks all for the input, I need to get the phone next. UK delays and such.
Samsung really went somewhere annoying by forcing a USB update system. Nexus S sounds like a happier time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This seems like a world of difference from HTC RUU's
JD

Related

trying to understand my options

I have an unrooted hero I have had since launch day. I am now thinking about rooting my hero with use of the latest Sprint leak. my understanding is if you update to the leak of even the official builld whenever that may come out, it will close all current rooting holes available. I guess that doesn't mean in the future there won't be other possibilities. do these new build give the same sense of stability as the official roms because we can now use an official 2.1 kernal?
so from what I have been reading there appears to be only one Rom that is based on the current 2.1 leak and that is flipz Rom? I have a few questions or statements before I do anything to my phone. one, will this help get rid of the lag when typing? two, I need to make sure Bluetooth is still going to work as I have a home phone that I connect my cell to when I enter the door. if I decided to flash back to the official release, is that possible?
dbldown768 said:
I have an unrooted hero I have had since launch day. I am now thinking about rooting my hero with use of the latest Sprint leak. my understanding is if you update to the leak of even the official builld whenever that may come out, it will close all current rooting holes available. I guess that doesn't mean in the future there won't be other possibilities. do these new build give the same sense of stability as the official roms because we can now use an official 2.1 kernal?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As of right now; many people are cautious about testing the latest 2.1 leak; because of the concerns you expressed earlier -- having your phone unrooted by the 2.1 leak when you flash the new update. So, with that said; the current 2.1 ROM's are all pretty stable. This new leak, however probably is as well, but again... I don't know whose all tested it, for fear of loosing root access.
dbldown768 said:
so from what I have been reading there appears to be only one Rom that is based on the current 2.1 leak and that is flipz Rom?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No. Damageless ROM's are also based on the latest Sprint leaks. All ROM's you see should tell which ROM they are based off of. Almost all 2.1 ROM's are currently built from any of the Damageless ROM's -- just read the front page of the ROM you're looking into.
dbldown768 said:
I have a few questions or statements before I do anything to my phone. one, will this help get rid of the lag when typing? two, I need to make sure Bluetooth is still going to work as I have a home phone that I connect my cell to when I enter the door. if I decided to flash back to the official release, is that possible?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Possibly. The lag problem is relative to the person/device. Not everyone experiences this problem. However, turning off "Vibrate when typing" apparently helps with the lag issues. YMMV.
2. Please see first post I made.
Thanks for the quick reply. I'm investigating the best way of rooting my phone. I see there are a few ways listed on the wiki, but then i just ran across Fresh Kitchen (http://geekfor.me/new-release/fresh-kitchen-105)? This is suppose to root your phone for you? Is this a stable way of rooting or should i just use the command line mehods? Also, i have read that you should do a nandroid backup of your phone? Not sure if fresh is doing this for you? The other thing i should mention is that i just have a stock microSD card, so I dont plan on using app2sd, i dont think this is a problem correct?
I also see people load their roms using their microSD card and just putting some update.zip file on there. Is this the standard procedure once you root your phone and get a rom loaded?
Actually, Fresh 2.1, and 2.1.1 are the only ones as of right based off of the newest leak (signed with release keys rather then test), Damageless and Treve are currently working on improving DCUpdater, DConfig, and building a new ROM from the release-keys build.
As far as how to root, I recommend the command line method. While the auto-root methods are nice, actually doing it yourself will give you some experience with things you're gonna be using.
Yes, loading the update.zip to the root of the SDCard is the standard way to flash.
No, not using Apps2SD is not a problem, most people use it because they have a faster SDCard, which gives better performance when loading apps.
A Nandroid backup is something that you will do before you flash any update.zip (At least you're supposed to). It's basically an "Image" of your phone exactly how it was the point in time that you made it, so if you flash something and everything goes horribly wrong, you can restore said nandroid, and it will be like it never happened. (The exceptions are flashing a radio and screwing with the PRL/PRI, nandroid doesn't touch those.)
dbldown768 said:
Thanks for the quick reply. I'm investigating the best way of rooting my phone. I see there are a few ways listed on the wiki, but then i just ran across Fresh Kitchen (http://geekfor.me/new-release/fresh-kitchen-105)? This is suppose to root your phone for you? Is this a stable way of rooting or should i just use the command line mehods? Also, i have read that you should do a nandroid backup of your phone? Not sure if fresh is doing this for you? The other thing i should mention is that i just have a stock microSD card, so I dont plan on using app2sd, i dont think this is a problem correct?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Fresh's kitchen will allow you root your phone and yes it's stable. However, it's best you try doing it via ADB commands, as there will come a time when you'll want to create things for the community and wished you had prior experience using it. I recommend you trying to root via this tutorial HERE If you follow the directions, you shouldn't have any problems whatsoever.
Stock card is perfectly fine; you're able to use Apps2sd, but don't have to.
dbldown768 said:
I also see people load their roms using their microSD card and just putting some update.zip file on there. Is this the standard procedure once you root your phone and get a rom loaded?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To try out different ROM's -- the process is to download the file (which is a update.zip file in itself), but has been renamed to match the name of the ROM. All you have to do is; copy to your sd card, boot into recovery, flash ROM from the sd card, reboot.
abcdfv said:
Actually, Fresh 2.1, and 2.1.1 are the only ones as of right based off of the newest leak (signed with release keys rather then test), Damageless and Treve are currently working on improving DCUpdater, DConfig, and building a new ROM from the release-keys build.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's your real answer. Thanks.
I'm having a hard time understanding why i would need the flash recover image in this tutorial (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=583291)? I understand i would want to do a backup of the current phones state, but why would i flash anything before actually making this backup? Maybe i'm not understanding the process correctly, but i just want to get "su" ability and then do the nandroid backup? Is the nandroid backup an app i use?
Nandroid is built into the recovery image you're flashing. Before flashing the recovery image, there is no way for you to nandroid.
thanks! after watching the youtube video posting that mad more sense. So i know there is a chance of bricking your phone during all of this, where does that chance increase? Is it during the flashing of the customs roms, not so much the rooting process?
It is safe to say once the "official" 2.1 android comes out there will always be a custom rom based on it? meaning that if chosen by developers here there could be a build off the "official" 2.1 with the only difference is the rooted user is still allowed? I know that most dev are going to change the build in someway to "improve" on what the official build is done.
The only proven way to brick this phone is by flashing a GSM radio, or by having a failed RUU. I've never heard of anyone getting a "true" brick from rooting/flashing ROMs.
Yes, once the official build is released, all ROMs from then on are most likely going to be based of off it.
Ok, stupid question. I just followed the guide to rooting my phone, doing the nandroid backup and copying the backup to my pc. There are a lot of guide to root, but how to you actually flash the custom rom? I saw something about holding down the 'home' button when starting up? Does this bring you to the recovery image again? Do the roms have to be named something specifically?
Place the ROM in the root of your sdcard, and boot into recovery by holding Home+Power. From then select the "Flash update.zip" option and it will show all of the .zip files in the root of your sdcard. Just pick which one you want to flash.
great! thanks for all the help.
ok, so i decided to load damage's sprint leak that would still give me root access, well it doesnt boot. just goes to the "sprint now" screen and reboots over and over again? any ideas?
Did you wipe data and Dalvik?
Anytime you go from one ROM version to another (1.5 to 2.1, 2.1 to 1.6, 1.6 to 1.5, etc etc) you have to wipe, or if there's major changes between rom versions.
what do you wipe the data? i just picked the flash from zip file from sd card?
In recovery there's a catagory for wipe. Wipe data and Dalvik, then reflash and you'll be fine.
cool. thanks. trying that now.
so everything is working now. So i know one of the main benefits of having a rooted is phone is wifi teathering. Are apps like this in the market place or only on here?
There's Easytether and PDAnet. I haven't tried Easytether, since last I've heard it's x86 only, but PDAnet was a horrible experience. I just flashed an Eris based ROM, broke my PRI, and it enabled the built in USB tethering.
dbldown768 said:
so everything is working now. So i know one of the main benefits of having a rooted is phone is wifi teathering. Are apps like this in the market place or only on here?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
go to market and download barcode scanner
open up barcode scanner and go here and then just point the camera at the qr code and it'll download to your phone.
remember to check 'unknown sources' > setting > applications
wifitether 1.6. works flawlessly on either fresh or damageless latest 2.1

Issue resolved.

Edited to add:
This is no longer an issue. A replacement phone is being shipped. If there is a way that the moderators can delete this thread, thank you in advance.
Hi everyone,
I'm very new to this forum, and to doing anything root wise on a phone. Here's my situation:
I'm using a rooted LG P509 (Optimus T), and tried to install a theme meant for the Nexus One (kind of why I'm posting here for help). The theme used was obtained here, it's the Lucid theme. I tried to install the theme using the latest version of clockworkmod in the Android Market. Everything went well, or so it seems, and I was asked to reboot my phone. I allowed the phone to reboot and now it's stuck on the LG symbol. I've (1) taken the battery out, (2) placed it back into the phone, (3) pressed the home, volume down, and power keys at the same time to get to recovery mode, and that doesn't work.
I now know that themes meant for certain phones should be used for the intended device. At the time I figured because I used clockworkmod, that it would work despite the difference in hardware.
I'm wondering if there's a way to get my phone back to normal? Thank anyone in advanced for helping this noob.
---
I've also asked for help in the forum where the theme was obtained.
you need to flash a custom recovery via ADB or fastboot, then data wipe(factory reset) your phone and reflash whatever rom you were on. if maybe you can get a recovery or ADB working, then your phone will be fine. flashing a nexus one theme onto your Optimus T isnt one of the brightest ideas. i would never consider trying to flash a theme from another similar phone onto my nexus, let alone a completely different phone.
If you have questions about using adb, there's a couple of helpful stickies up, make sure you read everything, but its pretty straightforward. And as Simms said, bad idea trying to cross themes.
I'll read the threads on ADB. Thanks guys.
Were you using ROM Manager? Or flashing manually via flash_image? Otherwise I don't know what you mean by Clockworkmod in the Market.
I suspect your phone never even got as far as flashing the theme. If you tried to flash Clockworkmod recovery, that's enough to mess up your phone, because you probably flashed a version intended for completely different hardware.
Now that you've borked the recovery partition, you probably need to get it into some sort of "download mode" that can interface with LG's proprietary software for reflashing phones. This would all be best dealt with in the Optimus One (P500) forum.
cmstlist said:
Were you using ROM Manager? Or flashing manually via flash_image? Otherwise I don't know what you mean by Clockworkmod in the Market.
I suspect your phone never even got as far as flashing the theme. If you tried to flash Clockworkmod recovery, that's enough to mess up your phone, because you probably flashed a version intended for completely different hardware.
Now that you've borked the recovery partition, you probably need to get it into some sort of "download mode" that can interface with LG's proprietary software for reflashing phones. This would all be best dealt with in the Optimus One (P500) forum.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Clockworkmod should have an icon of a black hat with an orange cog for a head.
I did attempt to flash a theme intended for different hardware.
The several computers I've gone on haven't recognized the phone, and my attempts to place any file on the SD card proved futile. Since the phone is under warranty, I called the store I purchased it from, and they're going to ship a replacement.
The icon you describe is the icon I see for ROM Manager. Clockworkmod itself is not an app you can download from the market but rather a partition you flash that has to be written for the exact hardware. Unless there's something you saw in your Market that I can't see in mine.
From within ROM Manager you can flash Clockworkmod. But if you flashed a version of Clockworkmod meant for other hardware, I'm willing to bet *that* mangled your phone, regardless of what you attempted to use it for..
Anyway, glad you're getting a replacement.
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App
Interesting, LG will let you replace the phone even though you've clearly rooted it and caused the problems? Of all people, I'm surprised LG lets you do that. You've stated that it's under warranty but what you done should've voided the warranty. You sure they're okay with replacing your phone like that?

[Q] Galaxy S4 google edition Doesnt wipe Cache partition!

Hi everyone, Pleasure to be part of this forum. Yesterday I received my Google Edition GT-i9505G. I originally came from an M919, but I liked the port of stock android on the m919 so much that I splurged for this phone!
I'm having a problem with the stock recovery not being able to wipe the Cache partition. The recovery will show the little green android on the bottom, and goes between "error" and "no command" when you start the recovery. When you try to wipe the cache, it says "error" with the dead android then reboots.
I have been back and forth with tech support today, and before i ask for a replacement and risk getting charged for another device, I want to know if anyone else has this issue with their new phone. If the .tar files for the original firmware existed, I would of tried flashing through odin.
Phone is STOCK STOCK. I like it this way thats why I paid so much upfront for It LOL.
Please anyone else with a GS4 Google Edition, try wiping cache partition from the recovery and let me know!
Mods, if this can be moved to another section better suited please do!
Many thanks!
Afternoon Bump! There's gotta be more GT-I9505G users
BURRITO_LTE said:
Afternoon Bump! There's gotta be more GT-I9505G users
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Flash a non-stock Recovery, its the only way to get those capabilities. I suggest PhilZ Touch recovery here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2281367
As to the best of my understanding the I9505G is identical to the I9505 except the main system partition. But that shouldnt be an issue for Recovery.
AMDPOWERFIST said:
Flash a non-stock Recovery, its the only way to get those capabilities. I suggest PhilZ Touch recovery here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2281367
As to the best of my understanding the I9505G is identical to the I9505 except the main system partition. But that shouldnt be an issue for Recovery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So you say that its impossible to wipe cache partition on stock recovery? I recall this was possible on my note 2, worked just fine. I tried a tmobile s4 (m919) today and it did it successfully.
I don't want to mess with the stock configuration yet until i get bored, or support is dropped one day. At this point I'm starting to regret the purchase and actually was more satisfied with a m919 and the GE 4.2.2 rom.
Thanks for your insight :good:t. If any other GT-i9505G owners want to try to wipe cache with stock recovery, please chime in!
BURRITO_LTE said:
So you say that its impossible to wipe cache partition on stock recovery? I recall this was possible on my note 2, worked just fine. I tried a tmobile s4 (m919) today and it did it successfully.
I don't want to mess with the stock configuration yet until i get bored, or support is dropped one day. At this point I'm starting to regret the purchase and actually was more satisfied with a m919 and the GE 4.2.2 rom.
Thanks for your insight :good:t. If any other GT-i9505G owners want to try to wipe cache with stock recovery, please chime in!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same thing happened to me when I restored to official firmware from custom ROM on a i9505 I've read it happening to a few other people on here and no ones been able to explain it so far
all I9505 also has this problem, problem with Samsung stock revory i think
Sent from my GT-P6800 using xda app-developers app
Must be allergic to custom recoveries, especially with them having so much more functionality and options and other useless stuff like that.
norml said:
Must be allergic to custom recoveries, especially with them having so much more functionality and options and other useless stuff like that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well, not really. I had TWRP on my tmobile GS4, Of course it has more functionality. The sole reason i got the i9505G is because its perfect out of the box for me. No need to tweak it. Lame i know, but i was always peeved about the small bugs on the custom roms.
Hopefully samsung and google update this baby for a while, and if not, then I just spent 650 bucks outright for no special reason.:silly: (for me anyways)
I'm just peeved that the stock recovery wont clear the cache. Kind of like buying a brand new car, then noticing that the dome light is burnt. Of course you want it fixed. Lol hope you understand.
Up till now, thank you for the responses, I have found some videos on youtube of different variants of the S4 entering stock recovery. Some do the error/no command thing, others don't. There is one video of a i9505 failing to wipe the cache too (my main concern). Google offered to replace it, but before i risk getting a replacement with the same "problem" or even worse, an iffy SAMOLED (been there done that) i just want some insight. If its all phones then i will just wait it out, If its a few phones, then I will try a replacement. Cant find the official 4.2.2 firmware yeT!
Thank you for the responses guys.:good:
So ur not going to even root it? Why buy a car, if you can't even get under the hood?
norml said:
So ur not going to even root it? Why buy a car, if you can't even get under the hood?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hahaha good one! I actually do like to get under the hood of my car. but right now this phone to me is just a reliable daily driver, why mess with it? Im happy as is.
Il keep this thread up for a day or two more then il test a replacement. If the same issue arises, then i will update and end of story.
Thanks guys for your input. Im just a relative noob in this area. I know the very basics, but im not the type that tests out different roms all the time unless the phone is orphaned by the OEM or, intense bloatware.
:good:
I rooted my i9505G (google edition) by booting into the i9505 CWM recovery (NOT flashing it just doing adb boot (recoveryfilename)
Applied supersu zip file - BUT I could not for the life of me get the external SD card or local storage to mount.
This i9505G has such a different partiton/file system vs. touch wiz variants that at some point it WILL need it's own CWM recovery version.
Suggestion is to use sideload to push any root enabling zip's (select install zip, install zip via sideload, then on pc/mac adb sideload (zipfilename)
PS: I did a fastboot oem unlock on my mac prior to doing the above; not sure if adb boot is protected without this.
Just chiming in to say mine gives me an error when I try to wipe cache with stock recovery too.
jpculp said:
Just chiming in to say mine gives me an error when I try to wipe cache with stock recovery too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here with i9505
Thank you so much for the reply guys. I guess if this is as common as i think it is, its not worth it to deal with google for a replacement phone which will most likely do the same thing. I'm just crossing my fingers official odin flasheable firmware gets leaked for these phones so I can feel more at ease flashing custom roms/recovery when they become available.
I appreciate the responses!
Thank you
have this problem on my I9500 too
when wipe cache partition the command line didn't say anything and only show image of dead android with red "X" mark and reboot
in my old phone the command line say something like "wiping" "processing" "wipe complete /succes"
NPS_CA said:
I rooted my i9505G (google edition) by booting into the i9505 CWM recovery (NOT flashing it just doing adb boot (recoveryfilename)
Applied supersu zip file - BUT I could not for the life of me get the external SD card or local storage to mount.
This i9505G has such a different partiton/file system vs. touch wiz variants that at some point it WILL need it's own CWM recovery version.
Suggestion is to use sideload to push any root enabling zip's (select install zip, install zip via sideload, then on pc/mac adb sideload (zipfilename)
PS: I did a fastboot oem unlock on my mac prior to doing the above; not sure if adb boot is protected without this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used the same method ...
fastboot oem unlock
... go through set up ...
adb reboot bootloader
fastboot boot recovery-clockwork-touch.img
After the fastboot boot command I get:
Code:
cannot load 'recovery-clockwork-touch.img': No error
My lock state is definitely "unlocked" and everything else is stock 9505G as it came.
Quick update
Well, Quick update.
I received the replacement phone, and this one did the dame thing. Error. Plus the bezel came all scuffed up. Now gotta go fight with google to keep my original one.....
Well If anyone is in doubt, most likely all/most 9505G's are like this and have a buggy stock recovery.
BURRITO_LTE said:
Well, Quick update.
I received the replacement phone, and this one did the dame thing. Error. Plus the bezel came all scuffed up. Now gotta go fight with google to keep my original one.....
Well If anyone is in doubt, most likely all/most 9505G's are like this and have a buggy stock recovery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have an SCH 1545 and have the exact same issue running stock 4.22
Same situation here withmy stock s4 I9500 in india.my s4 also shows error and reboot aftet that during wipe cache partition.
Sent from my GT-I9500 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
I called Verizon, while they acknowledged the problem was rampant, they didn't have a clue as to how to fix it.
It must be another samsung idiosyncrasy that doesn't jive with 4.22..is anyone having this issue that's running something besides 4.22?
Alan - We all stand on the shoulders of Giants, so try not to **** on them.

[Q] ANNOYING S4!! Help needed

Ok guys, here's the deal. i bought a secondhand s4 which was advertised as a google edition. it has a couple of annoying issues, first i noticed it switching itself off and on. the worst problem with it is that when my battery goes reeeally dead it just bootloops when i have recharged. the only way i can get it back on is to start it in recovery mode (which is clockworkmod v6.0.4.4) then do a factory wipe. so yeah thats a major pain. the s4 itself is a red model and behind the battery it says its a gt-19505, however in the settings on the phone it says its a gt-19505g.
my goal is to install an official firmware if possible that i may be able to update easily, the worry that i have is that i dont know if it would then accept my network as although it appears to run google edition custom firmware it may not once i install something official on it. this may be a nooby statement i know but a noob i am lol.
if its at all possible could i keep the cwm recovery?
and if its any help when i load the other boot loader thingy (with the green android on it) in the top left it says gt-19505, im just sayin cus im sure its vital which ever this phone actually is.
here are as many details as i can give but please ask if im missing anything
ANDROID VERSION 4.4.2
KERNEL VERSION 3.4.0-faux123-KK44-GE-Custom
[email protected]omain #20
Sun Dec 1 02:30:28 CST 2013
BASEBAND VERSION 19505XXUFNA1
BUILD NUMBER KOT49H.S001.131204
also upon booting in the top left it says "kernel is not seandroid enforcing
set warranty bit:kernel"
THANKS FOR YOUR TIME And please tell me where to start as i tried updating it via kies to fix it but it just wont connect, i assume due to custom firmware.
The Google Play Edition S4 devices didn't come in any color but white. Therefore, this is an I9505 with a custom ROM on it. The download mode screen reading GT-I9505 confirmed it.
Since this is an I9505 and not an I9505G, the main question is whether this device will work with your SIM card. For that, simply insert your SIM card and boot the device. If you get signal, you're good. Otherwise you'll have to unlock the device, either by purchasing an unlock code from one of the sites that sells them, or by trying the unlock methods available on the forums.
This will also help answer the question of which stock ROM you can install on the device. If the S4 doesn't prompt you to unlock the device, then you can install one of the unbranded S4 ROMs available on sammobile.com. After that, you can put the recovery of your choice on the S4, though I recommend TWRP over the other options.
Thanks for your help. I'm a little confused though, at the moment with this custom google edition ROM it does take my sim, in fact I bet it takes any sim, I heard that was a feature of google play devices. What I meant was after I install the stock ROM will it then not take my sim. So if it has already been unlocked How would I know which ROM to install? As I now know its not a google edition, is it possible to install an official google edition ROM? Do i use this download mode, Odin, or cwm to install a firmware. I'm just not sure what my starting point is. I don't wanna follow someone's guide yet to installing something just in case I'm jumping the gun and need to uninstall this custom ROM somehow.
Sorry for asking questions that I'm sure seem dumb I'm really just trying to learn at the moment I'm green as they come with android. BTW thanks for your suggestions so far, you def seem like you know what you're talking about, cheers
Google Play devices are carrier unlocked, but this is not a Google Play Edition S4. Therefore the device was carrier unlocked at some point in its past. The unknown here is how the original owner unlocked the device. If he or she used the unlocking methods found on XDA there is a chance the lock will be lost when installing a stock ROM.
If the S4 is unlocked, you aren't restricted to a particular region and can install any I9505 ROM using Odin, though I recommend the carrier unbranded ROMs. You cannot install a stock Google Play Edition ROM on the device as the model number of a GPE device is not the same as the device you have. However, you're already rooted and have a custom recovery installed. In I9505 Development here on XDA there is a Google Play Edition ROM that can be installed on your device. Download it to your S4, wipe everything in recovery, then flash the ROM's flashable zip in recovery. I've used said ROM and it works quite well.
OK I have found the 5.0.1 ge ROM , but in there it says I must use latest recovery or whatever plus it recommended one different to mine, is it safe to install using my version of cwm or do I need to learn how to change it??
Deleted by user
TWRP is recommended as there are people who are still maintaining it, unlike Clockworkmod and Philz. While you probably can get the ROM installed using the version of Clockworkmod you have, learning how to change recoveries is useful.
OK thank you for all your help my friend, I will now find out how to do this, I'm sure there is a section on this somewhere, BTW I think you are right about my device being rooted, but I wanted to check and I followed a guide and used super su but apparently its not rooted so I guess something must've gone wrong. Bit scary if I try to change my recovery or my firmware and this causes a brick hmmmmm
It's virtually impossible to brick the S4, especially as the recovery is flashed through Odin.
Phew that's a relief. Thanks man.... Well I'm gonna just risk using cwm for now as I'm new to this........ Thanks a whole lot for your time I really mean that.
KlLLFRENZY said:
Phew that's a relief. Thanks man.... Well I'm gonna just risk using cwm for now as I'm new to this........ Thanks a whole lot for your time I really mean that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Use TWRP. CMW is outdated.
Lennyz1988 said:
Use TWRP. CMW is outdated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I want to, I really do but I'm struggling here. Before I wrote that last comment I tried to find a guide on this forum for swapping to twrp, but couldn't and didn't wanna bug this guy as he had helped enough. Anyway I went to the place he told me and have hit another wall anyway because I don't know how to use the firmware the relevant kernel or the git. My life is so busy and I'm getting about an hour on this subject a day and its gonna take forever lol
If you can help me on my way even a little its much appreciated, I would like to use twrp and the 5.0.1 ge plus the right kernel of course
KlLLFRENZY said:
I want to, I really do but I'm struggling here. Before I wrote that last comment I tried to find a guide on this forum for swapping to twrp, but couldn't and didn't wanna bug this guy as he had helped enough. Anyway I went to the place he told me and have hit another wall anyway because I don't know how to use the firmware the relevant kernel or the git. My life is so busy and I'm getting about an hour on this subject a day and its gonna take forever lol
If you can help me on my way even a little its much appreciated, I would like to use twrp and the 5.0.1 ge plus the right kernel of course
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
https://twrp.me/devices/samsunggalaxys4internationalqualcomm.html
Follow the Odin guide. It's excactly the same when you flashed CWM.
@Lennyz1988: The S4 was bought secondhand and already had CWM on it from the original owner.
@killfrenzy: Follow the guide Lenny mentioned, but don't worry about the second paragraph. Our device isn't one of those that restores the original recovery on boot.
ok will do, i just tried the app install method but as i suspected, it said root is required for this app and promptly exited so i shall do the odin method, i heard that some people remove root or it could be that it was done wrong. also after reading a few posts here and there i found out that someone had similar issues with their phone random re-booting and they had custom ge with the wrong kernel so it seems once im done my issues should be history if i learn how to install fw + kernel, after this twrp thing i will be one step closer for sure. i also know ppl slate lollipop but once im all done with this im sure i will have picked up enough terminology to install cfw's to my hearts content. hooray for forums and people like you, sounds like im kissin ass but its just gratitude
so using the twrp install guide i gotta install using the odin method i have now got 3.07 odin but this is the next step.........
Odin Install Method (No Root Required):
You will need to download and install Odin on your PC. Once you have Odin installed, download the proper .tar file for your device from the download link above. Power off your device. Turn on your device using the proper key combo to get into download mode and attach the device to your computer via a USB cable. Use the PDA tab or button to browse to and select the tar file that you downloaded and flash the device.
lololol nothins ever simple i see the list of tar files in the link above but no mention at all as to which is the proper .tar for my device, i guess they assume the guide is for people who have done it before. more research tomorrow maybe i gotta be up early ugh
Lennyz1988 said:
https://twrp.me/devices/samsunggalaxys4internationalqualcomm.html
Follow the Odin guide. It's excactly the same when you flashed CWM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Think you misunderstood, I have flashed nothing yet I got it like this. I'm completely green
Don't suppose anybody knows which is the tar file for my device?? S4gt-19505
OK now I get it, the list of tars in that section are all the same just newer builds of the same version. Seems obvious if you have done this before, but I wasn't to know that and cannot assume things. I'm also gonna guess and say Lenny thinks my s4 needs this particular version for an international, am I right?? Anyway it would've made a lot of sense but how does he know. I have no idea what this phone was I have never owned it new.
Different devices have different codes. For example, jfltexx is the I9505. A T-Mobile S4 would be jfltetmo, and so on.The link Lenny provided is for the I9505. Download the 2.8.6.0 version as its the latest.
As to how you were supposed to know, having never owned one, you weren't. There are tutorials in the General forum though that can help.

I need your Galaxy On5 (USA) ROM

Hi, I need the ROM for this phone, more specifically, the boot.img file, as the current kernel is for the older, Indian revision of the On5, and my revision, the USA version SM-G550T1, seems not to have any copies of its firmware floating around. I'm running an OS for the SM-G550FY, which has no audio or camera support. Even if the version isn't an exact match, if you bought this phone in the USA, new, in 2016, your boot.img will probably work. I need this kernel guys. Please, if someone has an On5 in the USA, can I please get a copy of your boot.img and possibly system.img? I really care about the boot.img.
Thanks guys
-Subsentient
Firstly, did you try the updated ones at these locations:
http://www.theandroidsoul.com/galaxy-on5-stock-firmware-2-86761/
http://firmwarefile.com/samsung-sm-g550fy
Secondly, why exactly do you need the boot.img, what problem do you think it'll solve? Is there any specific issue with your current ROM that you are trying to solve?
Yes, I did, but as you can see, those are for the SM-G550FY, not my SM-G550T1, and the camera and sound (including phone calls) don't work!
This makes me strongly suspect a driver issue, which could most likely be fixed by getting my hands on a copy of the factory boot.img.
Running Android 6.0.1 right now, compiled for the SM-G550FY, but I can't get it working.
Subsentient said:
Yes, I did, but as you can see, those are for the SM-G550FY, not my SM-G550T1, and the camera and sound (including phone calls) don't work!
This makes me strongly suspect a driver issue, which could most likely be fixed by getting my hands on a copy of the factory boot.img.
Running Android 6.0.1 right now, compiled for the SM-G550FY, but I can't get it working.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
>> and the camera and sound (including phone calls) don't work!
Did they not work from day one or did they just stopped working after a passage of time or due to rooting or an OTA upgrade? If you didn't root or install a custom ROM, there is just no room for a software/driver issue to happen. Did you try wiping the cache partition and doing a factory reset?
EDIT
In any case, boot partition is the last place you look for actual component issues like camera or sounds. All the boot partition does is just kickstart your android OS and then the control is passed on to the system (as soon as the logo animation starts).
prahladyeri said:
>> and the camera and sound (including phone calls) don't work!
Did they not work from day one or did they just stopped working after a passage of time or due to rooting or an OTA upgrade? If you didn't root or install a custom ROM, there is just no room for a software/driver issue to happen. Did you try wiping the cache partition and doing a factory reset?
EDIT
In any case, boot partition is the last place you look for actual component issues like camera or sounds. All the boot partition does is just kickstart your android OS and then the control is passed on to the system (as soon as the logo animation starts).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did install a custom ROM. None of the ROMs I can find support the camera or audio, not at all, ever.
Subsentient said:
I did install a custom ROM. None of the ROMs I can find support the camera or audio, not at all, ever.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There you are! I just cannot emphasize enough that why don't you guys backup your existing ROMs before flashing a new one? It hardly takes five minutes with CWM/TWRP recovery.
In any case, what happens when you flash the Indian ROM (5.1.1)? I guess that could be your only option.
Otherwise, you can put a request on the CyanogenMod thread for your particular Samsung model.
For future reference, perform device backups and all the research before flashing a custom ROM, not after the fact.
EDIT
If you can contact Samsung support, see if you can manage to get a stock ROM from them that you can flash using ODIN or something.
I contacted them already, they basically told me to go **** myself. The missing ROM is a result of bad parameters I accidentally put in to Heimdall/ODIN flasher. I wanted to back up, but ironically, my first attempt at installing TWRP is what destroyed my ROM.
I've downloaded the kernel source code from Samsung and I'll try compiling it myself. If I create a working boot.img, I'll post it here.
prahladyeri said:
In any case, boot partition is the last place you look for actual component issues like camera or sounds. All the boot partition does is just kickstart your android OS and then the control is passed on to the system (as soon as the logo animation starts).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
boot.img is where the kernel is stored. I know, I decompressed it.
Subsentient said:
boot.img is where the kernel is stored. I know, I decompressed it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are right, boot.img has the monolithic kernel, however, a lot of drivers are available as separate modules in /system/lib/modules/, so you need to make sure that one is proper too.
In case of Samsung, I think it was probably a mistake to use TWRP/CWM to backup or flash ROMs since they don't tend to work as well with Samsung devices as ODIN/heimdall.
Yes, do post the result of your output once you are done, so its helpful to others.
prahladyeri said:
You are right, boot.img has the monolithic kernel, however, a lot of drivers are available as separate modules in /system/lib/modules/, so you need to make sure that one is proper too.
In case of Samsung, I think it was probably a mistake to use TWRP/CWM to backup or flash ROMs since they don't tend to work as well with Samsung devices as ODIN/heimdall.
Yes, do post the result of your output once you are done, so its helpful to others.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The kernel on this device does not have loadable module support. It's entirely monolithic. And, I'm having one hell of a time building a kernel this thing is willing to boot.
I really would love just to get a ROM from someone else's SM-G550T or SM-G550T1.
locked out by frp so i cant even turn on my sm-g550t1 so if you find the rom please let me know
bandtab said:
locked out by frp so i cant even turn on my sm-g550t1 so if you find the rom please let me know
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I found a copy of the MetroPCS version: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_VtvT1vGmlsMjNnR2JvYzk0MFU/view?usp=sharing
You flash this with TWRP recovery, because those are tarballs and can't be flashed with Odin etc.
You flash TWRP for the On5 onto your recovery partition, and then restore from that.
Subsentient said:
I found a copy of the MetroPCS version: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_VtvT1vGmlsMjNnR2JvYzk0MFU/view?usp=sharing
You flash this with TWRP recovery, because those are tarballs and can't be flashed with Odin etc.
You flash TWRP for the On5 onto your recovery partition, and then restore from that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thank you!
however, i can't install twrp to my recovery partition anymore because i got FRP locked, and i can't go into my settings to disable it now. so i think my only option really is via odin. i'll see what i can do with this though, thank you very much. i did have twrp on there before but after i got frp locked i can't go into recovery mode at all.
I've been losing my mind trying to make this work.
I think if I installed the stock recovery.img it may work, but I can't find it in the files you sent. Would you or anyone else be able to make a copy of it for me? I would be eternally indebted to whoever could.
If you want to go back to stock then use the official samsung software. I got a s6 tht a friend of mine straight up deleted the rom (idk how they managed that) and it wouldnt take to being flashed in odin. I put it in download mode and provided samsung smart something with all the info it wanted and it installed the stock rom and everything.
holydude92 said:
If you want to go back to stock then use the official samsung software. I got a s6 tht a friend of mine straight up deleted the rom (idk how they managed that) and it wouldnt take to being flashed in odin. I put it in download mode and provided samsung smart something with all the info it wanted and it installed the stock rom and everything.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
unfortunately smart switch is incompatible with this model phone for the time being.
I got four of these from T-Mobile when we switched from Verizon ($120 for 4 lines). Three of our Verizon phones worked well on T-Mobile (after a few APN tweaks), but my dad's old Galaxy S3 barely worked at all, and when it did, only got Edge for data. So I set one of the On5 phones up for him.
Everything was going great. I put the TWRP recovery on it, rooted it, froze all the bloatware, and backed up/restored his apps from the old S3. However, he wanted me to see if I could restore all his SMS/MMS. I tried restoring that, and the stock Messaging app started FC'ing. I installed Textra, which worked (and saw the old messages), but he never received new texts (even though he could send). So I tried removing Messaging and Textra, as well as the SMS cache (which seemed to be in "Dialer Storage (Phone SMS/MMS). I removed it, but now I'm getting an error every five seconds about "com.android.phone" and can't seem to get rid of it. I tried to restore the dialer storage backup again, but it just seems to sit forever without installing.
I've looked far and wide for a stock ROM... hoping I could just put this mess behind me, but I'm surprised to find it is nowhere to be found.
My other alternative would be to fix the com.android.phone error, but nothing seems to fix it.
Which cynogenmod or any custom os suits for Samsung Galaxy on 5.......please tell me guys.....I am bored with this official os
I was really hoping to come back to this forum and finally see stock ODIN files for this phone. I really, really want to get rid of the MetroPCS ROM I used to fix it.
Has anyone been able to find it?

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