I will try to set up a guide to contain all of the information to get the most out of your I9000 Galaxy S. First the fineprint:
I am not responsible for any damage that any of these instructions may inflict to your phone, computer or any other device that is used in the processes described herein. I am also not responsible if you lose your warranty by flashing your phone with unsupported firmware or if any of these instructions brick your phone, if it will rape your wife or if it will eat your liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti.
I didn't test any of the programs specified herein for viruses/trojans/etc. I run Windows in a VirtualBox that doesn't have access to the internet and doesn't contain any private data, so I don't care for viruses, if you care for your OS though, you should check the programs for viruses before running them.
Use common sense when following such instructions, some of the things may differ because of different program versions, different operating systems or different setups.
Some of these instructions are based on a stock firmware, if your firmware is modded in any way, some of the things described herein may be inappropriate for your device.
1. NOT bricking your phone.
--Why, when, where: Everyone's afraid of bricking their phone. I see the term "bricking" is being a bit overused in these forums though. Everyone is using it, even for the case where the phone can actually be "repaired" with a few simple hacks, IMHO the term "bricking" should only be used in the case where you get your phone in a state where it is inoperable AND you can not in any way repair it yourself.
--Prerequisites: A bit of common sense.
There are a few simple steps that you can follow, to get the risk of "bricking" (as in, you can not repair it yourself and need to somehow get Samsung to either repair it for you, or give you a new device) to a minimum:
1.1. Before trying any of the other steps, make sure that you can get to both the "Recovery mode" and the "Download mode" using the 3-button-combo. If this doesn't work for your device you can try following the steps described here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=810686
1.2. Try to avoid flashing stuff that contains a bootloader. The only way to permanently brick your phone so that you can not repair it yourself (at least AFAIK) is to flash a bootloader and then interrupt that flashing. If the bootloader didn't get flashed properly and it's broken, there isn't much you can do about it, and you need to somehow get Samsung to either repair it or give you a new one (if you're lucky). If the bootloader is fine, there is almost always a way to "repair" your phone yourself.
1.3. Do not interrupt the flashing processes. When using Odin or Heimdall to flash stuff to your phone, there is always the risk of bricking it if you interrupt the flashing process. If the bootloader is fine though and you can get into the "Download mode", you might be able to repair it.
If you follow these simple advices, it might save you money, nerves and also some time without your phone (the time that it takes Samsung to repair it, which can sometimes, depending on country, be even a couple of months).
2. Flashing stock firmwares.
--Why, when, where: You should usually do this if your phone doesn't work with your current firmware, if there is a new firmware out that might work better or if you just want to go to a stock firmware.
--Prerequisites: Odin, a stock firmware (from www.samfirmware.com for example).
NOTE: Apparently there are people that report that using Odin v1.3 might interrupt the flashing and leave you with a soft brick and that v1.7 doesn't have this problem. I have always used v1.3 and never had problems because of it, but if v1.3 isn't working for you, you might give v1.7 (or even heimdall) a try before giving up.
The steps to flashing a stock firmware are already described in a couple of other threads, like: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=818556
Nonetheless, here a quick sum-up of what you have to do:
2.1. Open up Odin.
2.2. Put your phone in the "Download mode" with the 3-button-combo (Volume Down + Home + Power).
2.3. Connect your phone to your computer (DO NOT CONNECT THE PHONE BEFORE OPENING ODIN OR THIS WILL NOT WORK).
2.4. Odin should recognize your phone and one of the "com" boxes should light up yellow. If this isn't the case, try repeating the previous steps and eventually connect your phone to another USB port.
2.5. Select your firmware in Odin.
2.5.1. --OPTIONAL-- If you want your phone to be like new, you can select "Re-Partition" in Odin, which will make it repartition your Internal SD. In this case you also have to use a .pit file (WARNING -- you will lose all of your installed applications and settings).
2.6. Take a deep breath and click the "Start" button.
2.7. Wait for the firmware to be flashed and for the device to be restarted.
2.8. You now have a stock firmware. If you also selected "Re-Partition" in Odin, all your programs and settings will be gone and your device will be like new.
3. Rooting your phone and flashing a custom Kernel.
--Why, when, where: Rooting your phone will get you super-user permissions to Android (super-user is Linux's equivalent of "Administrator rights" in Windows). This will allow you to execute some programs that need root permissions, access partitions that you otherwise couldn't and do other cool stuff with it.
--Prerequisites: Stock firmware (as most --if not all-- of the custom ROMs or kernels have root permissions already), Odin or Heimdall.
There are many ways to get root permissions on your device, like with special apps (OCLF for example), with CWM (aka ClockWork Mod) or, my preferred method, flashing a kernel that has this built-in. For this example I will use the SpeedMod Kernel, which is my preferred one. If you have another kernel that you like and that has root built-in, you can use that one.
3.1. Download your preferred kernel (the version for Odin, not the one for CWM).
3.2. Open up Odin or Heimdall.
3.3. Put you phone into "Download mode" and connect it to your computer (DO NOT CONNECT THE PHONE BEFORE OPENING ODIN OR THIS WILL NOT WORK).
3.4.1. If you are using Heimdall, unpack your kernel until you end up with a file called zImage. Select that in Heimdall in the box for "Kernel (zImage)" and click Start.
3.4.2. If you are using Odin, select the file you downloaded in the PDA box and click Start.
3.5. After your Phone reboots, go into "Recovery mode" and go to "Advanced Speedmod ULK features" -> "ROOT / Install Superuser".
3.6. After rebooting the phone again, you should have root permissions.
4. Deodexing your apps and framework.
--Why, when, where: The system applications and the framework files on the Android OS are normally 'odex'ed. By deodexing, you will get rid of the .odex files that come with every apk and jar file and you will be able to edit the apks like any other apk. It will also save you a wee bit of space, and make your apps launch a wee bit faster.
--Prerequisites: Stock firmware (as most --if not all-- of the custom ROMs are deodexed already), xUltimate (this is what I found to be the easiest, if you know any software that is better, please let me know), root permissions.
You can download xUltimate from here: http://www.droidforums.net/forum/xeudoxus/47283-release-xultimate.html
There are more ways to deodex your apps, but I found xUltimate to be the easiest.
4.1. First of all, you need to get the files from "/system/app" into the subdirectory "origi_app" and all of the files from "/system/framework" into the subdirectory "origi_frame". Both "origi_app" and "origi_frame" should be in the folder you extracted xUltimate to. If they don't exist, create them yourself. There are actually two ways to get the files there, either with xUltimate itself (options 1 and 2) or by copying them to your SD with "Root Explorer" for example and then copying them from your SD to your computer (or with adb of course).
4.2. Deodex the apps and framework with xUltimate, options 3 and 4.
4.3. After deodexing is finished, the deodexed files will be located in the directories "done_app" and "done_frame" in your xUltimate folder. You have to get these files back to their original directories, in /system/app and /system/framework. Again, there are a couple of ways to do this, either with adb (MOST RECOMMENDED ONE), or with "Root Explorer". For the adb method, you should open a command prompt and execute following code:
Code:
adb shell
su
stop
mount -o rw,remount /dev/block/mmcblk1p21 /system
rm /system/app/*.odex
rm /system/framework/*.odex
cp /sdcard/done_app/* /system/app/
cp /sdcard/done_frame/* /system/framework/
mount -o ro,remount /dev/block/mmcblk1p21 /system
reboot
5. Optimizing and zipaligning your apps.
I wasn't yet successful at optimizing or zipaligning. Optimizing (aka Compressing) the apps gave me a lot of FCs, optimizing the framework files gave me bootloops. If anyone has any advice on this, I'd be very thankful.
Also, see post #2
6. Protecting your screen.
--Why, when, where: This is not about protecting your screen from scratches, but rather about protecting it from degradation over time. As you might already know, AMOLED screens are prone to the "burn-in" effect. To elaborate a little: AMOLED uses Organic LEDs to display the amazing graphics you see on your display. These OLEDs are very good at displaying bright, colorful pictures, they have a downside though -- they fade over time. That means, the more a specific OLED is used, the less light it emits. If the whole screen would degrade at the same pace, that wouldn't be such a BIG problem, but the very nature of the OLED screens makes them degrade unevenly. That means the OLEDs that are used more frequently (like clock, phone signal, wifi, notification bar), get dimmer faster and this leads to ugly "shadows" on fullscreen apps. To be able to keep your screen as beautiful as new, I got a couple of tips, so that the display degrades more evenly and you avoid the ugly "shadows".
!! Most users won't even notice these degradations, also they won't be noticeable in 90% of use-cases and they will only appear after longer use (6 months+), but you can still use these tricks if you want your display to be almost as good as new a couple of years from now !!
6.1. Don't set brightness to 100%. At least not all the time. You should best be using a brightness setting that fits your ambient light, or the "Automatic brightness" setting. This will ensure that the OLEDs don't wear out as fast (the brighter you use them, the faster they will degrade).
6.2. Use a grey notification bar. The notification bar is the biggest "static" element on the screen. Most apps that are not fullscreen, will also show the notification bar, and this leads to an uneven degradation in that area if it isn't a neutral color. If you use a white notification bar, the OLEDs there will get dimmer faster and you will get an ugly shadow when using fullscreen apps, if you use a black notification bar, it will not degrade as fast as the rest of the screen and that area will be "brighter" in fullscreen apps, that's why I recommend a medium grey.
6.3. Use as little static elements as possible. If you don't need the clock in the notification bar, get rid of it. Get a theme that uses grey or green icons (see next step why) and try not to leave the phone on over night displaying the same static image.
6.4. Avoid blue. As you can see here for example: http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/8057/new1ls.png the blue OLEDs are degrading at a much faster pace than the green or red ones, this is why you should avoid using blue wallpapers or blue themes, they will make your display degrade faster than if you use a green theme and a green wallpaper for example.
These tips won't make your screen live forever, it will degrade too, but by using these tips, at least you can assure that you will have the most of your awesome display even in a year or two from now.
7. Theme-ing your phone.
Coming soon...
8. Unlocking your phone.
--Why, when, where: If you bought your phone with a contract, chances are that it might be locked in that specific network. If you want to also use other SIM cards in it, that are from another provider, you will have to unlock the phone (!! WARNING !! in most cases this will lead to a void warranty, please consult your contract).
--Prerequisites: Root privileges, adb.
8.1. Get the /efs/nv_data.bin file from your device to your computer. You can do this either with adb or by copying the file to your SD card with "Root Explorer" and then copying it over to your machine from the SD (Be sure to keep a backup of this file and the /efs/.nv_data.bin.md5 file.)
8.2. Open up the file in a hex editor, go to the address 0x181468, where you will see something like this:
FF 01 00 00 00 00 46 46 46...
We are interested in that first '01', that means the phone is locked. Just change it to '00' and save the file. Copy it back to your SD card and then with "Root Explorer" back to it's original location (or 'push' it directly with adb). Then remove the .nv_data.bin.md5 file and restart the device (Again, be sure to make copies of these files before modifying or deleting them!). After this, you should be able to insert any SIM card into your device and it should work without the need for any further hacks.
9. Setting up 'adb' on your machine.
--Why, when, where: adb (aka "Android Debug Bridge") is a tool that will let you execute remote commands on your android device. It is useful for debugging, accessing and copying files from/to your device and much more.
--Prerequisites: The android SDK, which you can download from here: http://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html and the USB drivers for your phone, which you can get by either installing Kies or by downloading and installing these drivers: http://www.mediafire.com/?a6ni32dk6nn953b (password is 'ragin' -- I didn't test them, so feedback on these is welcome).
9.1. Unpack the downloaded android-sdk.
9.2. Go to the unpacked directory and launch the SDK Manager.
9.3. Go to "Available packages" -> "Third party Add-ons" -> "Google Inc. add-ons" and tick the box next to "Google Usb Driver package" and the click on the "Install Selected" button. This will download and install the Google USB Drivers.
9.4. Whenever you want to connect to your phone through adb, make sure that you have enabled "USB Debugging" under "Settings" -> "Applications" -> "Development".
9.5. You should now be able to open up a command line ("Start" -> "Run..." -> Type "cmd" and click "OK"), cd to the subfolder "platform-tools" under the folder where you unpacked android-sdk and run "adb" in there.
Take some time to get used with the commands that adb offers, as these will help you to debug problems when you encounter some.
10. Lagfixing
--Why, when, where: It is said that the default filesystem that is being used for the partitions on the SGS (RFS) is having slow read times and thus the programs launch a bit slow, sometimes perceived as "lag". This can be fixed by converting the filesystem on the most used partitions to a more modern filesystem, like the ext filesystem, which not only has a bunch of improvements over such old filesystems like RFS, but also seems to be a bit faster.
--Prerequisites: A kernel that supports lagfix.
10.1. Since every kernel has it's own way of converting your FS, you should best look into the documentation of your kernel on how you can apply a lagfix. Some even apply it automatically for you (as in, "lagfix on" is their default setting).
11. Do NOT overcharge
--Why, when, where: Almost all new batteries have an overcharging protection. This means that the protection that is built into the battery will not let it charge to 100%. This is a feature, not a bug! This will help prolong your battery life while also keeping it safe from overheating/explosion/etc. Do not try to trick it and unplug and plug again until you see 100%, just get used to the fact that you can't have 100% battery anymore and live with it, or you risk destroying your battery.
12. Call recording
--Why, when, where: Most Galaxy S firmwares don't have the ability to record both streams of a call. This is not a bug, it was designed like this because in most countries it is illegal to record someone without their permission. Yes, there are apps that will let you record a call, but without software support, it will record the other end from the microphone, which will result in low quality, but there is a workaround.
This might be illegal in your country! I'm not responsible if you get sued for recording someone without their permission.
--Prerequisites: Root permissions, adb/root explorer, a 2.2.1 firmware.
12.1 Download the attached "CallRecord.zip" and unpack it.
12.2 After unpacking you should have 3 .so files. You need to get these files into your /system/lib folder with either adb or by copying them to the phone and then using "Root Explorer" to copy them to the proper folder.
12.3 Reboot.
12.4 After the phone has rebooted, you can use most apps that are on the market to record calls properly (that means not from the microphone). I use AllCallRecorder because it is simple and does the job. There are also Phone.apk's that have call recording built in, you could also install one of those and record your calls with it.
That is all for now. I will add more information as time goes by and I hope this will become a full guide on how to make the best out of our devices. If you have constructive criticism, questions or any ideas or tips on how to improve this, please let me know. If you don't have anything constructive to add to this thread, please DO NOT post. If my troll alarm goes off, I WILL ignore you.
Thanks goes to:
ragin for the USB drivers.
I have learned most of the stuff I put here from various searches on Google and the xda forums and I may not remember the exact threads I got them from. If you feel I have copied your work without giving you credit, I am very sorry for that. Please let me know via a post or a PM and I will link you in the "Thanks".
I am sorry if my English is bad, it's my third language though. I hope that the post is understandable by most people.
This post will contain instructions for *nix based operating systems
Because I am using Linux myself and because it is much easier to do stuff in the command line on Linux than it is on Windows, I will mostly post instructions for *nix systems. If anyone wants to help out by "translating" them over for Windows machines, I can include it in the next post.
Optimizing and zipaligning
I have managed to Optimize and zipalign the apps in /system/apps with the following code.
You need to run this on a *nix distribution (I used Ubuntu) with at least the following packages installed: bash, zip, unzip, optipng. Put all the .apk files from /system/app in a folder on your machine, cd to that folder and execute this code snippet.
Also, beware that some of the apps might not work (I had for example FCs with the camera and the phone app), I'll try to figure this out and make it pretty much foolproof. Currently everything but the .9.png files are optimized (the .9.png files are some special files that can't be treated like normal png files).
Code:
for apk_file in *.apk; do
file_name=`echo $apk_file | sed -r s/.apk//`
echo -ne "Unpacking\t$file_name.apk... "
mkdir $file_name
unzip -qq $file_name.apk -d $file_name
cd $file_name
echo -ne "Done.\n"
echo -ne "Optimizing\t$file_name.apk... "
for pngfile in $(find . -name '*.png' | fgrep -v .9.png); do
optipng -quiet -o 5 $pngfile
done
echo -ne "Done.\n"
echo -ne "Repacking\t$file_name.apk... "
zip -q -0 -r ../$file_name.apk *
cd ..
rm -rf $file_name
echo -ne "Done.\n"
echo -ne "Zipaligning\t$file_name.apk... "
zipalign -fv 4 $apk_file $apk_file.za
mv $apk_file.za $apk_file
echo -ne "Done.\n"
done
EDIT: I added the -0 flag to the zip command, since you should never "compress" apk files, because this leads to the FCs I was experiencing.
Post also reserved.
Last reserved post. You can start flaming now.
shantzu said:
Last reserved post. You can start flaming now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Posted in the wrong place... try reading the faq's about where this belongs.
davidf said:
Posted in the wrong place... try reading the faq's about where this belongs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, the rules of the development section state: "Rom Development - only meant for very advanced technical discussion directly related to ROM development activity and the delivery of actual ROMs and ROM components ONLY."
I'd regard this as an "advanced tehnical discussion", since it also contains information on how to deodex and (to come soon) optimize/zipalign your apps, that's why I thought it would belong here. I would also like this to be a place for advanced discussions on best practices on deodexing, theme-ing, and otherwise modifing a stock ROM manually. If the moderators still think that this doesn't belong here, I'm sorry, and would like to ask them to move it to the proper Forum.
Sticky Material.
Don't you think your Title is misnamed? The thread contains much more than just a guide getting most out of our SGS.
Very good effort anyway.
ragin said:
Sticky Material.
Don't you think your Title is misnamed? The thread contains much more than just a guide getting most out of our SGS.
Very good effort anyway.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I didn't know what else to name it, and didn't want to use a really long name. I think this title best describes what it's about...
Thank you for your reply!
very good post. It'll be extremely helpful for new users i reckon.
question
can this method be used on almost any samsung galaxy? (i have galaxy 551)
and about deodexing...is xUltimate a general app for any Android phone or only for SGS ?
Awesome stuff thanks for this cleared up a few things
waveboy2u said:
can this method be used on almost any samsung galaxy? (i have galaxy 551)
and about deodexing...is xUltimate a general app for any Android phone or only for SGS ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, the program seems to be posted in the "Motorolla Droid" forum, so I don't think it was even intended for the Galaxy S. If I were to guess, I'd say it might work on any Android device. Just be sure to make a backup in case anything goes wrong.
Thanks alot! Never knew the degrades display.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
Shantzu, first, thank you very much for this valuable contribution!
While I agree that it is related to "highly technical discussion", it's not directly connected to ROM cooking/development. In fact, this is the kind of thing that people should read before they start mucking about in the dev section
I've gone ahead and moved it to the general section and made it a sticky topic for now. However, those are starting to pile up in this section, so we'll likely roll up several useful threads like this one into one unified reference sticky here soon.
sirphunkee said:
Shantzu, first, thank you very much for this valuable contribution!
While I agree that it is related to "highly technical discussion", it's not directly connected to ROM cooking/development. In fact, this is the kind of thing that people should read before they start mucking about in the dev section
I've gone ahead and moved it to the general section and made it a sticky topic for now. However, those are starting to pile up in this section, so we'll likely roll up several useful threads like this one into one unified reference sticky here soon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was thinking about this guide as some kind of "cook your own ROM directly on the device", that's why I was also including tips on how to deodex the apps and I'd also like to include tips on how to set up themes (not install third party themes, but rather explain where each icon can be found and how it can be modified) and other mods. Anyway, if you think it better fits in the General section, I'm fine with that, as you can see I'm pretty new in these forums and not that experienced (for example I have also seen a guide on how to manually unlock the phone that was stickied on the Developers section).
Anyway, sorry again for the trouble and thanks for clearing it up!
Very good post. Thank you!!
Very good work. One thing i noticed though: you use ext fs for the system rw remount. This i think will only work for ext converted system partitions not the original rfs system.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk
liraindon said:
Very good work. One thing i noticed though: you use ext fs for the system rw remount. This i think will only work for ext converted system partitions not the original rfs system.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know, it normally shouldn't work, but it actually does. I don't have any lagfix applied and it works just fine. I will try and see though if I can come up with a more general command that 100% works in all cases.
EDIT: ok, not specifying any filesystem at all works too. I will have to see if this also works with a lagfix enabled, but I guess there shouldn't be any problems.
Thanks for your comment!
whoa didnt know about degradation... thanks!
nice
very good write up.. +1
Related
Dear xda'er from the USA: To the disappointment of some in this forum, the xda-team has decided to split the sections on the Samsung Galaxy S i9000 and its US-counterparts into SEPARATE sections! You will be able to get some help here but you will likely be better helped/supported/suited in the forums that belong to your specific device!
Note: Many of the FAQs may still apply to you and you are welcome to make use of our setup. However, if you have open questions I suggest directing them to the above mentioned forums.
IP-Notice: You are welcome to use the information in this thread! If you do, please link the original source.
I try to give credit where due. If you feel I am using your content without your authorization or proper credits, please contact me!
General Note: There are now four official models of the Samsung Galaxy S outside the US: the GT-I9000 (International), GT-I9000M (Canada), GT-I9000B (Brazil), GT-I9000T (Mexico). All information in this FAQ is based on the GT-I9000 International version. Most of them also apply to the other models. The I9000M and I9000T are virtually identical to the I9000 and are mostly compatible with I9000 software. The I9000B has an added digital television receiver and is generally not as compatible. Please check carefully before starting to mess with the firmware on your device, check for possible compatibility issues beforehand and ALWAYS make sure you have three button recovery (see FAQ#A12)
Note: The I9000B has a separate FAQ
Note2: For the Korean Galaxy S SHW-M110S, please see this separate FAQ
Disclaimer: This FAQ is provided as-is without any warranties to completeness/correctness. I will take no responsibility if you break/brick/damage your phone.
Contents:
Post#1: Frequently Asked Questions
Post#2: HOWTO Section
Post#3: ADB Tutorial
Post#4: Tutorials and Fixes
Post#5: Tips & Tricks
Post#6: Firmware Selection Guide
FAQ Sections:
A. General
B. Firmware
C. Modding
D. Applications
E. Recovery
(A) General:
1.How can I reset my phone?
2.I have flashed a new firmware and now my phone won't connect to 3G. What's wrong?
3.Can I disable 2G broadband like on the Desire/N1?
4.I flashed a new firmware and now I cannot download protected apps and Market-enabler doesn't work. How can I still install protected apps?
5.My phone takes forever to get a GPS-fix? Is there a solution to this problem?
6.I am experiencing long loading times when opening apps/intermittent lags when switching screens. What is the problem?
7.My G-sensor seems to be off. How can I calibrate it?
8.I have a SIM-Locked phone. Is there anything I need to look out for?
9.When will Ice Cream Sandwich be released for my shiny new phone?
10.I'm running Linux. Can I still flash my firmware? Do I need to install Windows?
11.Most phones have a bunch of codes that can be entered in the dialer for special functions. What are they on the SGS?
12.My phone cannot enter download mode or recovery mode using the buttons combos. What can I do?
13.I live in Canada/Mexico (The Americas in general). Can I get my phone to use the 850Mhz bands with I9000 Modems?
1.How can I reset my phone?
On the Galaxy S the soft-reset is achieved by pressing and holding the power button. A hard-reset can executed by pressing and holding VolumeUP+Home+Power. There you will find the options "reboot", "apply sdcard:update.zip", "wipe data/factory reset" and "wipe cache partition". (Note: The list of options can vary considerably after installing modified firmware/kernels)
The "wipe data/factory reset" option will restore your phone to the original configuration of the firmware YOU LAST INSTALLED (including any updates made via update.zip). This will NOT bring your phone back to the firmware installed when you originally bought it unless you haven't flashed your phone.
You can navigate the recovery screen using VolumeUp & VolumeDown and use the Home button to select.
2.I have flashed a new firmware and now my phone won't connect to 3G. What's wrong?
The CSC you used is most likely not intended for your area. This means that the broadband provider settings are not included and need to be configured manually. To do this, go to Settings->Wireless and Networks->Mobile Networks->Access Point Names, press the settings-button and select "New APN". You will then need to enter the respective data as provided by you mobile operator. APN settings can usually be found on the operators website.
3.Can I disable 2G broadband like on the Desire/N1?
As of firmware XWJM1 (July 2010), this function is available in the wireless settings. All current firmwares now have this feature.
4.I flashed a new firmware and now I cannot download protected apps and Market-enabler doesn't work. How can I still install protected apps?
This is done by google to protect commercial applications from piracy. This usually only happens on internal beta firmwares. Use Eris Market Fix from the Market or the tutorial in P#4,T#1. Both fixes require root privileges (See FAQ#C1)
5.My phone takes forever to get a GPS-fix? Is there a solution to this problem?
It appears that the XWJM1 and XWJM2 firmwares have mostly fixed the major GPS issues and the general consensus is that these firmwares deliver consistently better GPS results than previous firmwares. The usability, however, still varies per location and sometimes the software gets no fix despite seeing plenty of satellites.
To date, there appear to be no better fixes available. There are still many reports that GPS is flaky and it appears as if Samsung is no longer working on improvements in this area.
6.I am experiencing long loading times when opening apps/intermittent lags when switching screens. What is the problem?
The Samsung Galaxy S uses the internal SD to store cache data by default. This storage uses the severely outdated RFS (FAT-related) filesystem. Next the to poor performance in a good state, RFS appears to rapidly manifest massive amounts of filesystem errors which cause the experience on the SGS to degrade over time.
Currently almost all custom kernels fix the problem by replacing the RFS filesystem with ext4 on (virtually) all partitions (some do not touch the /efs partition). Original credit for the discovery that the filesystem was the problem belongs to mimocan and the fix has since been refined by RyanZA, z4ziggy, sztupy and most notably supercurio.
7.My G-sensor seems to be off. How can I calibrate it?
The G-sensor calibration appears to be off in a lot of shipped devices. Current firmwares can calibrate the accelerometer in the Display menu.
8.I have a SIM-Locked phone. Is there anything I need to look out for?
As of now there are several reports of successfully flashed SIM-locked phones and no reports of any (related) problems.
This means that as of now (there seem) to be no specific restrictions for SIM-locked phone except the lock itself. However, the lock on the Galaxy S can be easily removed. Please refer to T&T#20 for unlocking your phone.
9.When will Ice Cream Sandwich be released for my shiny new phone?
At the moment, there are no indications that Samsung will release a fully featured Android 4.0 firmware for the Galaxy S. They are, however, porting several ICS features to Android 2.3. While this is very disappointing, there are several ICS ports based (in part) on the sources for the Nexus S available already which will probably result in a relatively stable build in the long term.
10.I'm running Linux/OSX. Can I still flash my firmware? Do I need to install windows?
If you are running Linux or OSX you do not need to install Windows. You can either run Odin in a virtual machine or alternatively use Heimdall by Benjamin Dobell. Heimdall runs natively on Linux and OSX and has reached a well tested release state.
11.Most phones have a bunch of codes that can be entered in the dialer for special functions. What are they on the SGS?
There is a list of "secret codes" here. There are also several apps in the market with these features in the market.
12.My phone cannot enter download mode or recovery mode using the buttons combos. What can I do?
Some batches in various countries seem to not have this feature. However, Samsung Canada has released a fix via Kies (for the I9000M) and it has been adopted to suit a larger audience (I9000 and I9000M). Instructions on how to update your phone to get the three-button-combo can be found here or here. Note: Follow the instructions in that post CAREFULLY and read it completely BEFORE attempting to do anything on your phone. If done improperly, this can still brick your device!!!
13.I live in Canada/Mexico (The Americas in general). Can I get my phone to use the 850Mhz bands with I9000 Modems?
Users in the Americas will find that the I9000 modems use the 900Mhz band which is not used in the Americas. However, since the I9000 is virtually hardware-identical to the I9000M and others which do use the 850Mhz band, the band can enabled on the I9000 modems. There is a guide here.
(B) Firmware:
1.What is a ROM/firmware?
2.Can I update my firmware?
3.Why are there sometimes multiple files in the firmware archive/folder?/Why do I get three different versions when using *#1234#?
4.Can I mix PDA/Modem/CSC files from different firmwares without bricking my phone?
5.My phones software version says I9000XXJF3/XXJF5/xxxxx. What does this mean?
6.I want to install new firmware but I want to have a backup of my original firmware to go back to in case I need to go back for warranty reasons. Can I backup my original firmware somehow?
7.Can I flash an Asian ROM on my European device or vice versa?
8.What is the .pit file? Why are there different versions?
9.I flashed a new firmware using Odin (or Kies) and now my phone is acting weird (force closes etc)? Also, my settings are also still there.
1.What is a ROM/firmware?
The firmware/ROM is the software that runs on the phone. In case of the Galaxy S this is (currently) Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread. The Galaxy S was initially released with Android 2.1 Eclair and will most likely not receive any major firmware upgrades anymore. Samsung is porting several features from newer Android versions but has refused to bring a fully-featured Android 4.0 release on the grounds that the TouchWiz UI together with ICS would be to big for the normal system partition.
2.Can I update my firmware?
Most likely: Yes. You can update your firmware through Samsungs official application (Kies) and with firmwares that have been leaked or otherwise been obtained for installation without using the Samsung Kies software. You can find firmwares made by Samsung for phones all over the world, here. You will also find a guide to the installation in HOWTO#1 in the second post of this thread.
Note: Please also keep in mind that not all firmwares that come with phones are available. Reflashing to stock may not be possible because the specific firmware isn't available!
3.Why are there sometimes multiple files in the firmware archive/folder?/Why do I get three different versions when using *#1234#?
Galaxy S firmware updates come in three parts (which are sometimes packaged as one file):
-The CODE itself (called PDA). This is android and all the applications that come with it. (The archives/folders will be named after the version of this file)
-The MODEM (called Phone). This is the firmware of the wireless chipset of the device and will operate you WiFi, Blutooth and 3G/2G/GSM connections. (ie Radio ROM)
-The CSC (short for Customer Specific Customization). This includes connection data for the broadband networks as well as apps that are only available in certain languages/intended for a specific area.
If we ask for your firmware, we want to know all three!
Since not all of these require updates simultaneously, often then CSC and MODEM files will have lower version numbers.
(Also when packaged in one file the repartition option should NEVER be checked in Odin because it will mess up your partition layout and will require a reflash with three-part firmware!)
Most firmwares that are currently available are no longer split up into the three parts and instead delivered as one which can be flashed by entering it as the PDA/CODE in Odin.
4.Can I mix PDA/Modem/CSC files from different firmwares without bricking my phone?
Yes. Most Modem/CSC files will work with any PDA. However, there may be compatibility issues which may force you to reflash your phone. Note also that newer CSCs usually include newer versions of the software that comes with them (Some of which may not be upgradable via the market or other means).
5.My phones software version says I9000XXJF3/XXJF5/xxxxx. What does this mean?
The first two letters describe the country while the third gives the year, the fourth gives the month and the last number/letter is the version of the firmware (from that specific month. Numbering starts at 1-9 and then uses letters from A-Z). For an extensive list of the country codes, see this thread.
Note: To better distinguish the firmware releases based on a new Android version (2.1 vs 2.2 vs 2.3 etc), Samsung has shifted the use of the third and forth letter and these are now no longer coherent with the year and month according to Samsung's old system.
6.I want to install new firmware but I want to have a backup of my original firmware to go back to in case I need to go back for warranty reasons. Can I backup my original firmware somehow?
You can backup most of your firmware through Clockwork Recovery, however, since this already requires root it is not suitable for a warranty return. Nevertheless virtually all firmwares that are currently being shipped with the phone are available and thus a restoration is almost always possible.
7.Can I flash an Asian ROM on my European device or vice versa?
Flashing firmwares between several areas is easily possible. Please make sure you have the correct model before flashing. The international SGS has the model I9000. The Korean version and the US variants have significantly different model numbers and firmwares for those phones should NEVER be flashed on the I9000 or vice versa.
8.What is the .pit file? Why are there different versions?
There are now three different versions of the .pit file. 513.pit, 512.pit and 803.pit. Most firmwares since the end of 2010 do not require a .pit file to be selected. Generally only the 512 version is used. The .pit file is only necessary if you intend to repartition the phone. If you do, you inadvertently wipe all your data (not the internal SDcard). Since the partitioning of the device has not changed for more than a year, repartitioning is almost never necessary unless you used a custom firmware like cyanogenmod, which changes the partition sizes.
The .pit file maps partitions on the NAND storage.
9.I flashed a new firmware using Odin (or Kies) and now my phone is acting weird (force closes etc)? Also, my settings are also still there.
Some firmwares that can be flashed via Odin and the firmwares that are flashed using Kies, do not touch your settings and they do not empty your cache and appdata partitions. As a results, there is data there from previous firmwares which may lead to unforseen complications. Especially so, if your previous firmware was based on a different android version (i.e. flashing from XWJM6(android 2.1) to XXJPC(android 2.2)). You can attempt to overcome this by wiping the cache. Usually, to resolve this, you have to do a factory reset according to FAQ#A1
(C) Modding:
1.What is root/rooting?
2.What are customROMs? How do I get them?
1.What is root/rooting?
root is the user account in Linux with all privileges. The root user can edit anything on the system. For safety reasons, users do not have all those privileges. When you root your phone, you will gain write access to areas of the phone you couldn't previously access and are allowed to run more commands in the terminal. Because applications do not get a lot of priviledges, some of them require you to root the device in order for them to function properly (or fully). There is a tutorial for rooting in the Post #2 and there is a Chainfire Root that works most firmwares. CF-Root essentially is a kernel that is flashed over the original kernel.
If all of this means nothing to you then you are probably wise to NOT root your phone. Mistakes using root can break your phone very easily. (Usually, but not always, these can be solved with a reflash)
2.What are customROMs? How do I get them?
Custom ROMs are modified versions of the Samsung firmware or complete rewrites of the Android OS for the Galaxy S such as Cyanogenmod (and the derivative MIUI). Almost all current custom ROMs are based on Android 2.3 with some now being based Android 4. They can be found in the Android Development Subforum.
(D) Applications:
1.I tried using Allshare/DLNA but it will not recognize my device/play any files?
2.Can I change the default homescreen of the Touchwiz Launcher?
1.I tried using Allshare/DLNA but it will not recognize my device/play any files?
As of now a lot of DLNA certified devices/software do not work with Allshare. However, Samsung TVs should work and Windows Media Player 12 as well as Samsung's PC Share Manager work in most cases.
2.Can I change the default homescreen of the Touchwiz Launcher?
You cannot change the default Homescreen in the settings. However, if you are rooted, there is a way to change the default homescreen. See T&T#5 for more info.
(E) Recovery:
1.WHAAAA! I think I bricked my phone. My flash was unsuccessful/My device boots to a black screen/similar scenarios. Can I still save my device?
1.WHAAAA! I think I bricked my phone. My flash was unsuccessful/My device boots to a black screen/similar scenarios. Can I still save my device?
Most likely: YES! In almost any case, you should still be able to turn off the device (if necessary by removing the battery) and start into download-mode (VolumeDown+Home+Power) or recovery-mode (VolumeUp+Home+Power). After (for example) an unsuccessful flash, you can retry the flash in download-mode (same steps as when flashing a functioning device). If a flash to a functioning f/w (without applying any update.zip) doesn't help or you cannot get your PC to flash at all, you can ask for help here.
If you see a symbol asking you to connect to the PC, depending on how you arrived at this point, it may be sufficient to connect to the PC and run Odin (i.e. press "start" when the phone is recognized) without adding any files. This may, however, leave some residual issues if (for example) had an incorrect/incomplete flash so you may want to do a normal flash after this!
If you do not have download mode and for some ludicrous reason felt the need to go ahead and modify your firmware regardless of this lacking, there is now a guide on creating a home-made JIG which will force your device into download mode without the actual button combo here. Also pre-fabricated JIG dongles can be purchased on ebay for a couple of EUR/USD.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Changelog:
[12th July] FAQ created.
[12th July] Added Flash HOWTOs in Post#2
[13th July] Added list of CustomROMs in FAQ#10
[16th July] Added notification for US phone users
[18th July] Added rooting to HOWTOs
[18th July] Added ADB tutorial in Post#2
[19th July] Moved ADB tutorial to Post#3
[19th July] Added Tutorial/Fix section in Post#4
[19th July] Added "Protected Apps Market Fix" in Post#4, Tutorial#1
[24th July] Removed SIM-Unlocked as a requirement from flash HOWTO (Post#2, HOWTO#1).
[24th July] Added Tags for categorizing the FAQ
[26th July] Added Tip&Tricks section in Post#5
[20th August] Added a ROM-Selection Guide in Post#6
[30th August] Major Rework of the FAQ section
[8th October] Added "Installing any official firmware using Kies" in Post#4, Tutorial#2
[17th October '10] Added "Extracting Samsung Phone Drivers from Kies Installer" in Post#4, Tutorial#3
[2nd March '11] Began Major Update
[5th November '11] Updated to recent release of Android 2.3 and other changes
[7th January '12] Some updates to reflect recent changes regarding software and Android 4.
[6th April '12] More updates regarding Android 4.0 and some other updates.
Flash/Update Guides
!!!READ THE GUIDES AND NOTES COMPLETELY!!!
General Note:Flashing may refer to both methods. However, Method 2 requires files to already be on the phone. Therefore if you semi-bricked your phone, method 1 is usually the preferred way to fix it.
General Note 2: Flashing firmware and/or factory resets will WIPE your APN settings. Make sure you are using the right APN if that is a possible issue with your provider.
Important General Note: Several batches of phones that were sold have the download-mode button combo disabled (VolumeDown+Home+Power or alternatively Home+Power on some phones). Check if the download-mode combo works BEFORE flashing! Please refer to FAQ#A12 and T&T#23 for a fix for the download mode if it doesn't work on your phone!
HOW TO:
1.Flash Firmware and kernels using Odin.
Note: This will in (almost) all cases erase all your data and applications (includind root!). It will NOT touch the internal or external SD card.
Requirements:
-Odin3 version 1.82 (Note: Odin should be on the system partition (the partition where windows is installed) to avoid possible issues)
-".PIT" file for the Samsung Galaxy S (See FAQ#B9 or the source of the FW for the version to use! Not needed for kernel flashes.) .PIT files are usually not necessary anymore since the partition layout of the SGS hasn't changed since the end of 2010
-USB cable
-Desired firmware package or desired kernel package
Procedure:
1.Open ODIN. (And close Kies, if you have it open. It is important to have ODIN open BEFORE connecting the phone via USB!)
2.Select the PDA/Modem/CSC/.PIT files in Odin. (For kernel flashes, only PDA is required. For FW flashes, at least a PDA is required. Some PDAs have Modem and CSC integrated. If you decide to repartition, make sure you choose the right file, currently almost always the one with the ending 512.PIT)
[Optional]3.Check the "Re-Partition" checkbox. (Only do this if you have separate packages for PDA, Modem and CSC AND you have a .PIT file selected! Don't do this for single PDA flashes or kernel flashes!)
4.Turn the phone into the download mode by pressing and holding VolumeDown+Home+Power.
5.Connect your phone with your computer and wait until the drivers are installed.
6.When the drivers are installed, click Start.
7.The phone will be flashed and once it’s finished, it will boot up. (Do NOT disconnect the usb-cable, remove the battery or otherwise interrupt this process!)
8.You have successfully flashed your phone.
2.Update to CustomROMs/Mods/Root using .zip files
Note: Depending on the firmware you selected, this may or may not wipe your applications and the respective data. In any case, it will not touch your internal and external SDcards!
Requirements:
-ADB (from the Android Software Development Kit) -- Optional
-CustomROM File
-USB-cable
-2e recovery, Clockwork recovery (can be installed using HOWTO#1 and an appropriate kernel) (Note: 3e recovery will not allow the installation of .zip files that aren't signed by Samsung and is as such not usable for this procedure)
There are two methods for applying the update. Procedure A requires some basics in using a terminal (and ADB). Procedure B can be carried out by anybody but usually isn't available if the bootloader does not have download mode. See FAQ#A12 for more information on download mode using the button combo.
Note: The recovery screen can be navigated using the Volume Up and Volume Down Buttons (Up and Down) and the Home Button (To Select)
Procedure A: (Requires ADB)
1.Copy the CustomROM/root file to the "/sdcard/" folder on the phone and (if not already the case) rename to "update.zip"
2.On the phone go to Settings->Applications->Development and check "USB debugging"
3.Extract the Android SDK and navigate to the /tools/ subfolder of the SDK folder using cmd.exe.
4.Run "adb reboot recovery" to enter recovery mode
5.Wait for the recovery screen en select "apply: /sdcard/update.zip"
6.Wait for it to finish and reboot.
Procedure B: (Does NOT require ADB)
1.Copy the CustomROM/root file to the "/sdcard/" folder on the phone and (if not already the case) rename to "update.zip"
2.Restart in Recovery Mode by pressing an holding VolumeUP+Home+Power.
3.Wait for the recovery screen en select "apply: /sdcard/update.zip"
4.Wait for it to finish and reboot.
If you encounter trouble with the ROM afterwards, enter recovery mode again and select "factory reset/wipe data/cache" and confirm before seeking help.
ADB Tutorial
ADB Tutorial
Many tutorials, fixes and mods are written assuming a basic knowledge of ADB. ADB is a command-line tool that is part of the Android Software Development Kit (a.k.a. Android SDK or ADK). This tutorial is aimed at getting you acquainted with the basic functions/workings of the ADB tool.
(Note: I do not currently use/have Linux installed. For now, this tutorial will be Windows-only. However, I suspect Linux users are versed in command-lines already and do not need a tutorial like this to open adb)
Requirements:
-Android Software Development Kit (you do not need to run "SDK Setup.exe" to use ADB!)
-Rooted Samsung Galaxy S
-Busybox (installed from market and updated!)
Basic Setup:
In order to use ADB you will first need to decompress the Android SDK. For simplicity, decompress the folder "android-sdk-windows" into the root of one of your partitions. (I am using the root folder of my D: partition for the purpose of this tutorial)
You now need to start the Windows Command-Line tool "cmd". This differs per Windows version:
XP: Go to the start menu and click "Run", type "cmd.exe" and confirm with "Run"
Windows Vista/7: Go to the start menu, type "cmd.exe" and hit enter.
You will now see a command-prompt open (I erased my username):
As stated before, my "android-sdk-windows" folder is located on my D: partition. You will now need to navigate to the "platform-tools" subfolder of the "android-sdk-windows" folder:
Before we go any further we will now have to complete some steps on our phone:
-Make sure the phone is rooted (find the application "Superuser Permission")/has the latest version of busybox installed (Run "BusyBox installer" and make sure it says, that the latest version is installed). If not, root your phone according to the HOWTO in Post#2 and install busybox from the market (and follow the instructions in the description) respectively.
-Put your phone in USB debugging mode: "Settings"->"Applications"->"Development" and check "USB debugging"
-Close all other applications on your phone and go back to the TouchWiz Launcher Home Screen
-Connect the phone to your PC
Now, we are ready to run ADB:
I hope this helps all those who were clueless so far on all the adb-based tutorials for fixes etc.
Tutorial for Market Fix
Note: This section is strictly a work in progress and new tutorials will be added when they become available and have been confirmed as working!
Content:
1.Market Protected Application Fix
2.Installing any official firmware using Kies
3.Extracting Samsung Phone Drivers from Kies Installer
4.Backing up the /efs folder
Tutorials/Fixes:
1.Market Protected Applications Fix
Background: In order to prevent the illegal copying of copyrighted applications google has integrated what are called protected apps. These applications have some copying protection which means they cannot be backup-ed without root. In order to prevent rooted/modified phones from getting those applications, google market checks the build.prop file in the /system/ folder against a verified list to see if the version of your firmware is an official release. This tutorial will show you the steps to replacing the build.prop of the firmware you installed with that of a firmware that is verifiedand accepted by google.
Note: MoDaCo's r2 and the derivatives thereof have a fix included for this in the ROM (can be found in "MCR Scripts").
NOTE: As of now, "Eris Market Fix" from the android market seems to work on the SGS. It uses a similar procedure and should achieve identical results (for now). The app itself can be uninstalled after the fix is working.
Requirements:
-Rooted Samsung Galaxy S
-ADB (from the Android Software Development Kit)
-build.prop from a recognized official firmware
Procedure:
1.Download and extract "build.prop".
2.Copy the "build.prop" to the root of your internal SD card (to the folder "/sdcard")
3.Make sure the phone is rooted (find the application "Superuser Permission")/has the latest version of busybox installed (Run "BusyBox installer" and make sure it says, that the latest version is installed). If not, root your phone according to the HOWTO in Post#2 and install busybox from the market (and follow the instructions in the description) respectively.
4.Run the following commands in ADB (for a tutorial on ADB, see Post#3):
Code:
adb shell
su
mount -o remount,rw -t yaffs2 /dev/block/mtdblock3 /system
busybox mv /sdcard/build.prop /system/build.prop
reboot
5.Wait for the phone to reboot. Check if can see protected apps (for example the paid version of tapatalk)
6.If you cannot see protected apps, you may have to wait a while in order for market to recheck the build.prop. This process can be helped bu setting the system time (manually) to 23:59 (i.e. 11:59PM) and wait for it to pass the 0:00 (i.e. 12:00AM) mark. Then return the time to the correct time setting and reboot. (You may still need to wait a few minutes before you can actually see protected applications)
7.If you still can't see protected applications, restart in recovery mode ("Volume Up"+"Home"+"Start") and wipe the cache of your phone. (You may still need to wait a few minutes before you can actually see protected applications)
For the interested, here a explanation of the code:
mount -o remount,rw -t yaffs2 /dev/block/mtdblock3 /system
mount is the linux routine to mount a device to a specific path
-o will allow you to issue several commands to the mount routine, separated by commas
remount will unmount and then mount the filesystem again
rw will cause the filesystem to be mounted with read/write permissions
-t is the parameter used to define the filesystem
yaffs2 is "yet another flash file system 2"
/dev/block/mtdblock3 is the hardware-location of the system path
/system is the path to which you want to remount the hardware location
busybox mv /sdcard/build.prop /system/build.prop
busybox causes the following commands to be executed by busybox instead of default android
mv moves files from one location to another
/sdcard/build.prop is the path to the file that is being moved
/system/build.prop is the path where the file gets moved to
2.Installing any official firmware using Kies
Background: In August 2010 Samsung started (if only scarcely) to release official and test updates for the i9000 firmware. Since many users have flashed different firmware and the ways of backing up original product codes were not know at the time, most people who flashed their phones do not have the original settings from their country and/or provider and can thus not get the official updates for their area. Forthermore, some updates were only released in one or a few areas and people outside those areas wanted access. Consequently, Zangieff figured out a way to fake the phone information for Kies in order for it to find and install updates from a specific area. This is a slightly adapted version of his fix.
NOTE: There have been no firmware releases for some areas and providers through Kies. This fix is only able to upgrade to versions that have actually been released on Kies.
Requirements:
-Samsung Galaxy S
-Samsung Kies
-Basic knowledge of regedit
Procedure:
1.Run Kies, connect the phone and make sure it is properly recognized.
1.1.If you have never before opened the firmware upgrade widget with your phone connected before, open it now and then close it again (Do NOT close Kies!)
1.2.Optional: (Only do this if you are looking for experimental updates!)
1.2a. Open the firmware upgrade widget in Kies
1.2b. Press Ctrl+Alt+U+P simultaneously. Kies will confirm the correct sequence with "Test Mode is ON".
1.2c. Close the firmware upgrade widget of Kies
2.Run regedit (Start-->Run...-->Type "regedit"-->Press Ok) (Windows XP)/(Start-->Type "regedit"-->Press Enter) (Windows Vista/7)
3.Use regedit to navigate to "HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Samsung/Kies/DeviceDB/". You will find a number of folders in numerical order (usually) starting from 1. Find the folder with the relevant keys (see below) and make sure it is the one currently in use. [If you find several folders with the keys and don't know which are the right ones, delete all of them, repeat step 1 and 1.1 and find the folder with the lowest value. (You may have to use F5 or View--->Refresh to get to see the new folders)]
4.Find the registry keys "HIDSWVER" and "ProductCode"
5.Replace them with the appropriate keys as needed for your desired upgrade.
6.Open the upgrade widget in Kies and enjoy updating.
To find the appropriate values for HIDSWVER and ProductCode, check this thread for an extensive list of codes.
Note: If you close Kies, you will have to repeat the process.
Note2: You can upgrade to the most recent official firmware version from any firmware version even if you already have the same version or a newer one installed
3.Extracting Samsung Phone Drivers from Kies Installer
Background: Not all users are interested in installing the full software package Kies in order to get to flash their phone via Odin or Heimdall. The Kies installer turns out to be extractable using 7-zip and the phone drivers have a separate installer. This allows for installing only the phone USB drivers and lets you avoid installing Kies and the included bloatware.
Requirements:
-Samsung Kies installer package (found here)
-7-zip (found here)
Procedure:
1.Install 7-zip
2.Right click the Kies installer and Find 7-zip->Extract to "Kies_x.x.x.xxxxx_xx\"
3.Navigate to "Kies_x.x.x.xxxxx_xx-->CabFile-->USB Driver"
4.Right click the "SAMSUNG_USB_Driver_for_Mobile_Phones.exe.cab" file and 7-zip->Extract to "SAMSUNG_USB_Driver_for_Mobile_Phones.exe\"
5.Open the folder SAMSUNG_USB_Driver_for_Mobile_Phones.exe\ and execute SAMSUNG_USB_Driver_for_Mobile_Phones.exe and follow the installer instructions.
6.Enjoy connecting your phone without the full Kies install.
4.Backing up the /efs folder
Background: Some experimental firmwares modify the /efs folder. This can cause IMEI corruption and/or change the product code your phone reports.
Requirements:
-Rooted Phone
Either (A):
-ADB (from the Android Software Development Kit)
Or (B):
-Root Explorer (from market)
Procedure:
1.Make sure your phone is rooted (and busybox is installed for ADB procedure)
A:
1A.Enable USB debugging mode (Settings-->Application-->Development-->USB debugging)
2A.Connect the phone to USB
3A.Open a command prompt and enter adb (see tutorial)
4A.Acquire root privileges (type "su"). (Make sure you accept the root-prompt on the phone)
5A.Execute "busybox cp -a /efs /sdcard/"
6A.Disconnect the phone, deactivate USB debugging, reconnect the phone and backup the copy of the efs folder to your PC
B:
1B.Use root explorer and navigate to the root of the filesystem /
2B.Press "Mount R/W"
3B.Copy the efs folder to your sdcard
4B.Connect the phone to the PC and backup the copy of the efs folder to your PC.
2. Restore the backup if your IMEI gets corrupted or your product code is changed by a firmware.
Tips&Tricks
Handy Tip&Tricks
by Forum Members
This is for all Samsung Galaxy S users (GT-i9000 only. Some might work on US versions). It is a collection of handy tutorials that were posted in the development section but that do not need to be on the first page constantly.
Note: These links are provided as-is and most are untested by me! All credit for the procedure goes to the respecitve poster/involved parties.
1. Changing Fonts (for free) by socket84
2. Replacing Samsung Media Player with Android default by aditya_t90
3. Generating TUN.KO for OpenVPN on SGS by newmail
4. Replacing TouchWiz calendar with Android default by tommy34
5. Setting default homescreen in TouchWiz launcher by socket84 or the derived SGS Screen Changer by pedrodh
6. Installing Samsung Phone drivers WITHOUT Kies
7. OneClick Lagfix by RyanZA
8. CFLagFix by Chainfire
9. LagFix using update.zip by Tayutama
10. SuperOneClick Root by CLShortFuse
11. Headphone SoundQuality Fix or MixGet from Market by gilsken
12. AMOLED Screen for Notifications App by madmack
13. Using LED-Button Backlights for notifications by neldar
14. Comparing Firmwares on Packages by GAda
15. Stopping automatic media scan & scan on demand by aditya_t90
16. Overclocking/UnderVoltaging the CPU by raspdeep
17. Creating FlipFont APKs by ritalin
18. Circle Battery Indicator Mod by Fightspit (ported to SGS by designgears)
19. Official Firmware Update without running Kies by miki4242
20. Unlocking/Unfreezing Samsung Galaxy S for Free (collaboration, see thread for credits)
21. Choosing between GlassLock and Android's stock lock screen by Ateisti or Android Stock Lockscreen for JM8,JPH,JPK,JM9,JPM,JPA,JP6 by Project1.exe
22. Flashing under Linux and MacOS X using Heimdall by Benjamin Dobell
23. Restoring the three button recovery/download combo by Richthofen
24. ADB filesystem plugin for Total Commander by sztupy
25. Enabling Landscape Mode in TouchWiz Launcher by scheichuwe
Firmware and LagFix Selection Guide
Last Updated: April 3, 2010. Up-to-date as of April 3, 2011 15:53 CEST
As you may have noticed, there are a lot of firmwares on samfirmware.com and it's not very clear which ones are best/least buggy etc.
In this section, I will give a general guide to which firmware to use depending on your preferences:
If you like the stock Samsung Galaxy S experience and are looking for the most stable/bugfree version:
-Flash I9000ZSJPK or I9000XWJS8 according to HOWTO#1.
-Install the one of the kernels below or one of the lagfixes from FAQ#A6.
If you would like have the latest firmware and are willing to tolerate some bugs (this is beta firmware):
-Flash I9000XWJVK according to HOWTO#1.
For a list of current custom ROMs, see this thread
Lagfixes and Kernels:
In FAQ#A6 the currently used methods for lagfixes are described. There are a number of enhanced kernels (most of which use at least one of the lagfixes) that add features such as more accessible RAM, enhanced compiling, Clockwork Recovery, Blacklight Notification and several various features depending on the Kernel. Here is a list of the popular, well tested, optimized kernels (Note: Some of them include an overclock):
-hardcore's speedmod Froyo
-laststufo's Super Optimized Kernel
-supercurio's Voodoo Lagfix
-DamianGto's Ultimate Kernel
-tegrak's lagfix build Kernel
There is a frequently updated list here
General Note:
If you want to take the modding further, look at FAQ#D2 in Post#1 for a list of Custom ROMs and chose one you like. Depending on whether or not there is a lagfix integrated, you should then apply one of the lagfixes from the first suggestion. I would also suggest avoiding loop-mount fixes like OCLF and CFLF (see FAQ#A6) because performance rapidly declines over time.
Note: None of the available ROMs completely fix the poor GPS. Most of the ROMs noted above are provide roughly the same GPS performance. Samsung is hoping to release a full GPS fix in september (hopefully with the froyo release) It is not clear if or when Samsung will release a full fix for the GPS issues. However, it is doubtful since there are now many indications that the issue is in fact hardware related and even the final Froyo release doesn't completely fix the GPS.
For us coming from HTC devices if we hose the recovery partition is there a way to recover the phone. It was HBOOT (FastBoot) in the HTCs. Does ODIN provide the ultimate "debricking" feature. I realize there are ways to brick that are unrecoverable, but if I hose the recovery and I am done I will be very hands off on modding.
thanks for this. a good starting point to gather all the info!
should sticky this
I think we are still out of a mod for this forum...
might wanna add this for calibration of the orientation sensor:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=6999499&postcount=8
tommy34 said:
might wanna add this for calibration of the orientation sensor:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=6999499&postcount=8
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Added! Thanks =)
can this be a sticky, its very informative?
Great! I've acctually been waiting for a thread like this!
In Sweden one operator(Tele2) seems to have issues with the device not switching to 3G even when available. Does anybody else have these issues with their operators?
FrezoreR said:
Great! I've acctually been waiting for a thread like this!
In Sweden one operator(Tele2) seems to have issues with the device not switching to 3G even when available. Does anybody else have these issues with their operators?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you check your APN settings? Did you contact the provider concerning the issue?
Darkstriker said:
It appears it doesn't take long for this reserved post to become useful. I'll post short guides on flashing firmware here. (...)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In the Flash Firmware using Odin guide didn't you forget to add "SIM unlocked phone" as a requirement?
Akerfeldt said:
In the Flash Firmware using Odin guide didn't you forget to add "SIM unlocked phone" as a requirement?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know it says so in the guide but I recall having read that SIM-locked phones can be flashed as well. Don't quote me on that!
Added it as a requirement for now.
Edit: I did read it here. However, it seems that those phones aren't actually SIM-locked, so for now, SIM-Unlocked is definitely a requirement.
Thanks for pointing it out! =)
Darkstriker said:
Did you check your APN settings? Did you contact the provider concerning the issue?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The APN settings should be fine, the phone works on both 2G, 3G and HSPDA, but when it at some point have switched to 2G it will stay in 2G and you would have to manually set it to 3G.
Yeah we are a group on a Swedish android forum where someone have contacted both samsung and tele2 about the problem. But if not anyone here has the same problem it surely must be tied to the operator, which is what I have thought all along.
efbenson said:
For us coming from HTC devices if we hose the recovery partition is there a way to recover the phone. It was HBOOT (FastBoot) in the HTCs. Does ODIN provide the ultimate "debricking" feature. I realize there are ways to brick that are unrecoverable, but if I hose the recovery and I am done I will be very hands off on modding.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm sorry efbenson, I seem to completely have missed your post.
I'm not sure how this works on HTC android devices since I have only had a Windows-mobile version. What seems to be the equivalent of the features you are "describing" is the download-mode (VolDown+Home+Power) which can be reached even after interrupted firmware-flashed (experienced it myself. Still scary as hell!)
However, I don't think I'm fully qualified to answer your question. Maybe you could reformulate it, since it's not very clear right now.
This definitely deserves a sticky, thanks for this DS
FrezoreR said:
The APN settings should be fine, the phone works on both 2G, 3G and HSPDA, but when it at some point have switched to 2G it will stay in 2G and you would have to manually set it to 3G.
Yeah we are a group on a Swedish android forum where someone have contacted both samsung and tele2 about the problem. But if not anyone here has the same problem it surely must be tied to the operator, which is what I have thought all along.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't had such problems and I dont remember reading anything of the kind so far so this likely is an issue with your provider. Maybe you can check if this occurs everywhere or only in specific areas (like cities) or something like that.
After successfully;
researching, upgrading to the official build of my choosing, getting it to work and typing this tutorial out (for those that like me weren't knowledged in this),
I stumbled across this thread. I thought I should also share it here aswell.
Here's a N00b's (Dummy's) Guide to how to update your device from the stock software to the Official Samsung Froyo ROM (software/operating system) OF YOUR CHOICE!!
Why do this?
You get Froyo. So you get the latest version of Android to support more Apps.
It comes with some UI-tweeks, JIT-compiler, and FLASH 10.1 PLAYER!!!
Also you get a newer (better) kernel on your phone with some of Samsung's fixes for the lag and for the GPS.
You can get features/Apps not available in your native rom build and/or remove the bloatware.
This method (not incl E) can also be used to install custom ROMs (I personally can't wait for the Official English MIUI ROM).
** Denotes steps which I skipped, or was unable/unwilling to follow, or didn't quite understand
Here's the comprehensive, step-by-step, easy-to-follow breakdown/walkthrough (Section E only works on Windows Computers):
A) Remove your microSD card (this will prevent some weid issues later on)
A2) Make sure you have Kies downloaded and installed on your computer
A3) Make sure you have an extractor installed (for Windows 7, winRAR is a great free solution)
B) We need to root your device, for this goto "One Click Root/Unroot" by TGA_Gunnman at http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=742403
B1) Download (2.5MB) the software (depending on your computer, mine is Win7 Home Premium 64-bit) into your computer not phone
B2) Make a folder somewhere in your computer labelled "OneClickRoot" (or anything) and drag the .rar file (the one you just downloaded) into it
B3) Extract the contents of the files by Right-Click then "Extract Here" (If you don't have this option install WinRAR)
B4) Set your phone to USB Debug mode (on your phone goto MENU > Settings > Applications > Developement > USB debugging = Checked) and then connect the phone to the computer via USB cable.
B5) Open the "Galaxy S I9000 One-Click Root" application. (This step didn't work for me, so I instead opened "rootme" batchfile which started the command prompt).
B6) Your phone will shut itself off, and then turn on in a "recovery mode". DO NOT REMOVE THE CABLE. Use the Volume Up and Volume Down buttons to get to "install from " and then hit the Home button.
B7) Now your device should be restarting again but this time it will actually go to your lockscreen.
B8) Now, you have ROOT, Congratulations.
B9) Not sure? We can test to see if you have root. Goto Market on your phone and download two Apps (Superuser and Titanium Backup, use the search to find them fast).
B10) Install both and launch Titanium Backup. As soon as you turn it on it will come up with a pop up and say something like "Your device is not rooted" or "Root is not accessible" ... if you didn't get Root.
B11) If you have root it will say something like "Titanium Backup needs to gain permission from Superuser" here click Apply. If you get to the App, well done you have indeed Rooted your phone
C) Now if you want to Backup your device before the update (recommended) you can follow steps C, otherwise skip straight to Step D.
C1) On Titanium Backup if a pop up notification comes with something like "Download an updated BusyBox" allow it to do so.
C2) Now first thing you will want to backup your Apps (all paid and free and the levels/hiscores) make sure you don't have any emulator ROMs on there (they consume too much space) and delete all those unwanted Apps
C3) On Titanium Backup, hit the Menu button > More > Create "update.zip" ...
C4) On this screen select "User application" and "TitaniumBackup-3.6.2.zip" and UN-TICK the "Sign the ZIP file (with ZipSigner)"
C5) Hit the Create "update.zip"... on the bottom and Please wait
C6) Once it finishes it, exit Titanium Backup, go back to settings and disable USB debugging (as posted on B4).
C7) Connect your phone to your computer (through Kies or PC link) and then browse your My Computer until you find Galaxy S I9000.
C8) Open that folder and then open phone. Find "TitaniumBackup-3.6.2.zip" and copy that to somewhere on your computer.
C9) Now that we have backed up your applications, lets backup your ROM.
C10) According to TGA_Gunnman you can use Clockwork MOD Recovery to do this, but this is for a different (Galaxy S) device ie "Samsung Vibrant"
**C11) Follow the steps on http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=734164 to do so, personally I skipped doing so out of fear of bricking the device (there may be subtle differences between the devices that can make your phone a paperweight/brick)
C12) Now if you did follow the Clockwork MOD, be sure to copy the "update.zip" file somewhere into your computer (better be safe than sorry)
D1) Now we need to apply the 3-Button-Combo Fix (this is the only reason for steps A-C because it is highly recommended to have this before flashing ANY rom)
D2) I recommend the Fix by RazvanG http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=821698 because it seems to be the *safest*
**D3) Firstly check if your device is compatible. I wasn't successful to dump my BML1 block, so I couldn't test if the block reads "[email protected]"
**D3) RazvanG has provided some instructions on this method see his post for more information http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=9595936#post9595936
D4) So I took a leap of faith and continued anyways with the risk of bricking my device. I have it on contract/plan so if it fails I would just return it and say Kies was updating and it failed
D5) I followed the steps on the thread but I'll reitterate it here for your convnieance
D6) Download both files (RAZ-FiX-SGS and adbRecovery) from the thread.
D7) Make a new folder (adbRecovery) on your computer and extract the adb .zip file into there
D8) Connect your phone to the computer and copy the RAZ-FiX-SGS.zip into your phone's memory
D9) Delete the old Update.zip file AND rename the RAZ-FiX-SGS.zip to Update.zip
D10) Again, turn on USB debugging (you know how) and open "Recovery" batch file from your computer
D11) This will initiate a command prompt (on Win7) and restart your phone
D12) Your phone will go into recovery mode (like we've seen before)
D13) You need to navigate (Volume buttons) to "apply sdcard; update.zip" and hit the Home button
D14) Your phone will turn off and restart and should get to your lockscreen
D15) So you're at the lockscreen? SUCCESS! (mine didn't brick *pheww*)
D16) Now let's test to see if the 3-Button-Fix worked
D17) *IMPORTANT* Firstly browse into your phone's internal memory and delete update.zip (the one we put there from RazvanG)
D18) Now that you have done so, you can safely just turn off the device
D19) Hold the Volume Down + Home button ... then hold the power button, as soon as the device begins to turn on release the power button (keep holding Volume Down + Home)
D20) If you get a Yellow triangle with the Android robot and "Do not turn off Target", well done, you have the 3BF so you have a means to ensure that you can always recover your phone if you do brick, well done!
D21) You can *safely* remove the battery and restart your phone ONLY if you don't have a Update.zip in the root of your phone
D22) If you don't want to take a leap of faith try this method (safest method but doesn't work for some people): http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=860773
E1) Now is the fun part (we've just past the difficult parts)
E2) You need to hunt down the version of (official Samsung)software you wish to install ... just go through member's reviews and recommendations
E3) You need to find the product code of that build, you can do this navigating through this thread http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=846913
OR by asking members (they can find out with http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=787163)
E4) For me this was the Virgin mobile Australia build (XSA - an unbadged, no-bloatware, unlocked Froyo build with a free copy of Navigon Navigation)
E5) Make sure you update your Kies to "ver 1.5.3.10103_102" (latest as of the time I'm writing)
E6) Go visit this thread http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=835628 for information (the software may have been upgraded)
E7) Download (300KBs) the Kies Registry patcher 1.6.0.0 (latest as of writing) <<This only works on Windows computers, sorry Mac'ners>>
E8) Launch the Kies Registry Patcher WHEN KIES IS OPENED
E9) Click on File > Backup (and save this somewhere in your computer - this is your original product code - better safe than sorry)
E10) Make Enable Spoof to True
E11) Now where it says "Spoof Product Code as" type in the product code of your desire (mine is XSA)
E12) Hit Write Registry and it should say "Registry pathed successfully"
E13) Connect your phone via USB cable to the computer
E14) On your phone select "Samsung Kies" when the pop up comes ... it should be at the "Connected" screen (DO NOT HIT HOME BUTTON)
E15) On Kies it should find your phone, and a pop up on the corner will say "There is a firmware update available for your phone" hit that pop up
E16) Now you will see another pop up and it's asking if you want to "Back up contacts before upgrading firmware" ... seems like a good idea, tick the box and hit Upgrade
E17) If the screen on the phone shuts (ie standby) don't be alerted. Hit the power button to wake it up. DO NOT HIT THE HOME BUTTON!
E18) Another pop up will come to name the contacts file - I just hit save so its the original filename in original (Samsung)folder
E19) Another Pop up will come to say "Save to PC completed" - hit OK, its just letting you know the contacts saved properly
E20) Now you get another Pop up to start the Firmware Upgrade - This is an important area, note down the: Model Name, Current Version and Latest Version (if something goes wrong this info maybe valuable for developers)
E21) Mine is (model)GT-I9000, (current)PDA:JG4 / Phone:JG3 / CSC:JG2 and (latest) PDA:JP5 / Phone:JP3 / CSC:JP4 ......... notice they are diffirent, this is what I was looking for
E22) Hit Upgrade! (Allow Kies to function when Windows 7 or Windows Vista prompts you)
E23) Tick the "All information has been verified" and Click Next
**E24) Let Samsung record your phone number in their database? I don't care (I'm on insurance/contract/plan) and I hit "Allow saving" ad Clicked Next
E25) Wait patiently, its downloading the rom from the server, DO NOT UNPLUG THE DEVICE
E26) A progress bar will appear, your USB will get disconnected, reconnected several times, the phone will be stuck on the yellow triangle screen - these are normal
E27) The progress bar will slowly be filled from grey to blue and a progress bar will appear on your phone - almost there!
E28) The progress bar on the computer will finish and the pop up will read "GT-I9000 Upgrade completed" - Click Close
E29) Your phone will restart and will enter "recovery mode" some yellow texts will appear and scroll forward
E30) The phone will reboot again and you will see the boot image with the Galaxy S logo
E31) The phone will be stuck on that logo for awhile - be patient
E32) The phone will now get to your lockscreen, unlock it
E33) You will have to go through your initial setup firstly its the Swype tutorial, then data settings, and finally the account settings emerges
E34) If the Kies connection screen comes up: hit the home button
E35) Now you should have come to your Homescreen go and test everything (all your passwords, all your bookmarks, all your contacts, all your images/music/videos and all your apps (except bloatware) should be there but the order of all the widgets/apps in TouchWizz will be reset to abc-order)
E36) Goto Settings > About Phone Does it say Android 2.2?
E37) Well done you have passed Android Hacking 101, you are officially smarter than 50% of iPhone and Blackberry users
E38) Donate me a beer, nah just kidding, enjoy everything for free but feel free to donate to the developers that help make this possible
this is a guide for I9000 international
I9000M owners please be advised that the I9000 might cause you to lose the 850 band, and might also trigger the internal SD problem
AllGamer said:
this is a guide for I9000 international
I9000M owners please be advized that the I9000 might cause you to lose the 850 band, and might also trigger the internal SD problem
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You made it into a thread, thanks!
Hopefully this might help fellow xdanians
Aww Mate this is awesome, I have the same Carrier and I had OPTUS crap on my Phone from custom roms, Now I'm back to Stock Froyo!!!!
A great tool to Start from afresh.....
But
At Instruction E11 - Select your product code from the drop down Box and it will populate the next field for you.
Gonna put into my favorites
Wow.
I don't think anybody that don't now much would read that.
I know allot and i would never use it either.
You should stick a warning sign on this tread.
I did read about half of it and then i just stop and shake my head.
I hope this tread is a joke.....
Sent from GT-I9000 jpo. My own kernel for z4mod and with 342MB Ram
DamianGto said:
Wow.
I don't think anybody that don't now much would read that.
I know allot and i would never use it either.
You should stick a warning sign on this tread.
I did read about half of it and then i just stop and shake my head.
I hope this tread is a joke.....
Sent from GT-I9000 jpo. My own kernel for z4mod and with 342MB Ram
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you elaborate?
Joke? No it's no joke but I should disclose (as always) this is a tried-and-true way of getting you to update your software but in no way can I be held responsible for damages.
Things may vary slightly in between different phones which is why the links for each source/thread is up there.
I found myself knowing what to do, but always guessing how to do it.
This is a step-by-step process of how and what I did to upgrade my phone to any ROM I want.
If this was posted up before I attempted my upgrade, I would've been so happy that someone really simplified it for me
This is a noobs guide??!!! Simplified??!! I think that everyone will appreciate the time you have spent typing this up and trying to help, but I'm with DamianGto, dude this guide is scary and just explains how YOU got YOUR particular phone running froyo and lets face it, you certainly didn't go about it the easy way!
Once again I think the time you have spent and the willingness to help is admirable, but there are much simpler and noob friendly guides out there
nagrom78 said:
This is a noobs guide??!!! Simplified??!! I think that everyone will appreciate the time you have spent typing this up and trying to help, but I'm with DamianGto, dude this guide is scary and just explains how YOU got YOUR particular phone running froyo and lets face it, you certainly didn't go about it the easy way!
Once again I think the time you have spent and the willingness to help is admirable, but there are much simpler and noob friendly guides out there
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well you need root + busybox to get the 3 button fix.
If anything a n00b did, they can recover with 3 button trick otherwise they will have a brick.
This is why this guide is long, to ensure things are a-ok.
If you found a friendlier guide can you post the link, much apprecated ;D
How do I exit downloading mode if I forgot to erase update.zip ?
What is it ? Kies
A2) Make sure you have Kies downloaded and installed on your computer
Thanks
Well I think this is an excellent guide that has great potential!
However, a couple of crucial mistakes, which if fixed could help make the guides less confusing...
At beginning of (D) you talk about (A-C) being solely so you could fix your 3 button download (which I don't think is actually true!)
.... But, you should mention 3 button download at the very start of the guide anyway!!
Also, you should include a quick test at the very start to check for 3 button download, because mine is already fine, so a newbie might run all those extra steps when they already had working 3 button download anyway! (The more sections that can be skipped the better!). You can then steer people to the sections they uniquely will need.
However, titanium backup isn't needed for 3 button download fix, but is a wise step before running a rom update. And this works best with root anyway. Hence I don't think your opener for (D) is very accurate. You didn't just complete those steps JUST to get download mode. The backup was important anyway!
Do others think there should be a stage added for backing up contacts etc?
A stage for backing up efi?
Anything else wise that should be in here?
Hi everyone,
If you have any questions relating to Arch on the TF300, please post them here and not in the dev thread
I'll do my best (as well as others, I'm sure) to answer them, but bear in mind that you should have some basic Linux knowledge before flashing!
this is awesome!
cb22 said:
Hi everyone,
If you have any questions relating to Arch on the TF300, please post them here and not in the dev thread
I'll do my best (as well as others, I'm sure) to answer them, but bear in mind that you should have some basic Linux knowledge before flashing!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't thank you enough for this, it's been fantastic so far! I only have a few questions, as I am extremely new to arch linux...as in this is the first time I've used anything aside from debian in the linux world.
To start, how would we go about changing DE's? I've downloaded a couple, but i get errors every time i try to start one saying that another window manager is already running. With ubuntu one just logged out and chose from the log in screen, but there doesn't appear to be a log out process for this, i get a black screen every time i do. Other than that, are there any general programs/settings/tweaks that you would suggest applying? While this is very nice, it still seems to be missing some basic functions, such as putting the screen to sleep and having a set system time.
Despite all of that, this has breathed new life into my tablet, you're doing fantastic work and I hope you only continue to make it more amazing!
fankuan19 said:
To start, how would we go about changing DE's? I've downloaded a couple, but i get errors every time i try to start one saying that another window manager is already running. With ubuntu one just logged out and chose from the log in screen, but there doesn't appear to be a log out process for this, i get a black screen every time i do. Other than that, are there any general programs/settings/tweaks that you would suggest applying? While this is very nice, it still seems to be missing some basic functions, such as putting the screen to sleep and having a set system time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Take a look at the .xinitrc file in the home directory. It's a hidden file so you may need to "show hidden" or give an editor the full path (/home/user/.xinitrc)
The file runs the following by default:
Code:
exec startxfce4 --with-ck-launch
You can change everything after `exec` to the script for a different DE, such as `startkde`. If you don't know the command, there should be a list of session templates in /usr/share/xsessions/. Inside each .desktop file there's an "Exec=" line, everything after that is the command to sub in.
My crappy bash skills threw together a quick command to get a list of installed xsessions:
Code:
grep "Exec=" /usr/share/xsessions/*.desktop | sed -E 's/^Exec=(.+)$/\1/'
The output on the default rootfs will just be "startxfce4". If you have KDE another line should output "startkde", and so on. Put the command in your .xinitrc (making sure to replace the current one) and then reboot as there's no proper way to log out.
whoops
timothyb89 said:
Take a look at the .xinitrc file in the home directory. It's a hidden file so you may need to "show hidden" or give an editor the full path (/home/user/.xinitrc)
The file runs the following by default:
Code:
exec startxfce4 --with-ck-launch
You can change everything after `exec` to the script for a different DE, such as `startkde`. If you don't know the command, there should be a list of session templates in /usr/share/xsessions/. Inside each .desktop file there's an "Exec=" line, everything after that is the command to sub in.
My crappy bash skills threw together a quick command to get a list of installed xsessions:
Code:
grep "Exec=" /usr/share/xsessions/*.desktop | sed -E 's/^Exec=(.+)$/\1/'
The output on the default rootfs will just be "startxfce4". If you have KDE another line should output "startkde", and so on. Put the command in your .xinitrc (making sure to replace the current one) and then reboot as there's no proper way to log out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First of all, thanks for the help! Unfortunately, I appear to have done something incorrectly, as the Linux partition will no longer boot. That code didn't return anything but a ">", although as I type this i realize I may have needed to be root...haha, regardless, I tried to edit the .xinitrc file with "exec /bin/usr/startlxde", which is what was after "exec=" in the xsessions directory, nothing happened after waiting quite a while after boot.
I suppose I'll have to reflash the entire partition, considering i can't access the filesystems to change it back. Ah, the wonders of linux!
Sorry if I repeat my question,but how can i activate the keyboard without using a pc with linux ?
fankuan19 said:
First of all, thanks for the help! Unfortunately, I appear to have done something incorrectly, as the Linux partition will no longer boot. That code didn't return anything but a ">", although as I type this i realize I may have needed to be root...haha, regardless, I tried to edit the .xinitrc file with "exec /bin/usr/startlxde", which is what was after "exec=" in the xsessions directory, nothing happened after waiting quite a while after boot.
I suppose I'll have to reflash the entire partition, considering i can't access the filesystems to change it back. Ah, the wonders of linux!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You should be able to gain access easily via Recovery. Just adb shell in, mount /dev/mmcblk0p8 /mnt and look in /mnt/linux - that's your root file system...
Razorbacktrack5535 said:
Sorry if I repeat my question,but how can i activate the keyboard without using a pc with linux ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Without using a PC... Hmm, that could be tricky. If you're in Android, and you add this line to the top of /data/linux/home/user/.xinitrc
Code:
maliit-server &
(before the exec line)
It should give you the virtual keyboard when you restart into Linux.
cb22 said:
You should be able to gain access easily via Recovery. Just adb shell in, mount /dev/mmcblk0p8 /mnt and look in /mnt/linux - that's your root file system...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was actually able to just use the terminal emulator in android to navigate back to the .xinitrc file, turns out i wasn't supposed to leave the "--with-yadda-yadda" bit, so i got lxde working...and as it turns out, i don't like it nearly as much as the DE you included, so i'll be switching back to that!
First off: thank you SO much for your hard work at this! My tab has never browsed the web this well. It's better than the desktop I'm sitting next to. Arch is amazing!
Just a few questions. Do we have basic tab controls yet? I'm looking for, specifically:
Brightness Control
Enable/Disable Touchpad
Volume Control
Sleep/Suspend/Hibernate
Especially that last one! As far as I can tell, if I'm not going to use the tab for more than a couple minutes, it's apparently best to shut it down or reboot back into Android so it can "sleep". Or plug it in. I know we're rough around the edges yet, but is this stuff in, or no?
koiulpoi said:
First off: thank you SO much for your hard work at this! My tab has never browsed the web this well. It's better than the desktop I'm sitting next to. Arch is amazing!
Just a few questions. Do we have basic tab controls yet? I'm looking for, specifically:
Brightness Control
Enable/Disable Touchpad
Volume Control
Sleep/Suspend/Hibernate
Especially that last one! As far as I can tell, if I'm not going to use the tab for more than a couple minutes, it's apparently best to shut it down or reboot back into Android so it can "sleep". Or plug it in. I know we're rough around the edges yet, but is this stuff in, or no?
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I don't think sleep/suspend/hibernate is implemented at all quite yet. The backlight seems to turn off completely when the screen times out though so you can fake having a low power mode, though obviously true sleep would be nice.
As for volume control, use pavucontrol. You may need to install it with `pacman -S pavucontrol`.
For brightness ... there's no good way to do this as far as I can tell. XFCE has a brightness control applet you can add to the bottom panel but it doesn't seem to work, and most of the usual packages (e.g. xbacklight, etc) don't detect the backlight device. Oddly enough I gave e17 a try and its builtin brightness applet worked fine, I wonder what they do differently ...
At any rate you can control it manually: the file /sys/class/backlight/pwm-backlight/brightness has a 0-255 value which controls the screen brightness. Note that you need to run the echo command as root
Code:
# echo "1" > /sys/class/backlight/pwm-backlight/brightness # minimum brightness
# echo "255" > /sys/class/backlight/pwm-backlight/brightness # maximum brightness
# echo "0" > /sys/class/backlight/pwm-backlight/brightness # completely turns off backlight. use with care
Setting it to zero makes it next to impossible to see the screen. I ended up having to ssh into the device (or reboot) to get it back.
I modified the file through a PC and It works ! Thanks, no problems with wifi
Sleep / Suspend isn't implemented yet.
But, I did a bit of testing, and the TF should last for about ~40 hours with the screen off, and the processor in the Low Power mode (which it does automatically. Obviously, it's still wasteful compared to proper suspend, but it's not too bad.
Really liking this so far, other than managing to break wifi once, which I fixed by doing a quick re(install I guess is the proper term). Any chance of a future release having SLiM or something setup out of the box(I'd do it but looking at some of the guides, we are missing some files(?) :s) either that or is there a way to autologin a new user other than the default one named user?
(edit for more info) I've tried following a guide I found on the arch wiki which had me modify [email protected], but it didn't boot so I had to edit it back to the default.
Thanks for all your work cb22, and thanks for taking my advice and switching file hosts
This may be a dumb question
But I can't for the life of me find out how to flash the hybridkernel.blob, I've already done every other thing, but i'm lost as to what to do there. Can I get a bit of guidance please?
:Nevermind: Silly me forgot to go to fastboot, I was trying to do it with adb, for any others though, reboot to fastboot on your tf300t and then run go to the location of fastboot on your pc and hold shift and right click and select open comand line here. Then move the hybridkernel.blob to the same location as the fastboot and run fastboot -i 0x0B05 flash staging blob
Shingaling said:
But I can't for the life of me find out how to flash the hybridkernel.blob, I've already done every other thing, but i'm lost as to what to do there. Can I get a bit of guidance please?
:Nevermind: Silly me forgot to go to fastboot, I was trying to do it with adb, for any others though, reboot to fastboot on your tf300t and then run go to the location of fastboot on your pc and hold shift and right click and select open comand line here. Then move the hybridkernel.blob to the same location as the fastboot and run fastboot -i 0x0B05 flash staging blob
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Disregard, didn't see the edit until after you posted essentially the same thing I did.
So, does Adobe Flash support work at all in Chromium? I haven't gotten it to recognize the plugin at all. Any way to get this working, or is it just gonna keep bugging me to install it?
koiulpoi said:
So, does Adobe Flash support work at all in Chromium? I haven't gotten it to recognize the plugin at all. Any way to get this working, or is it just gonna keep bugging me to install it?
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I don't think it works at all, I've tried every permutation sudo pacman -S flash-plugin that I could think of and I've gotten notwhere.
They is no flash for ARM for pure Linux.
Wysyłane z mojego ASUS Transformer Pad TF300T za pomocą Tapatalk 2
Itege said:
Any chance of a future release having SLiM or something setup out of the box(I'd do it but looking at some of the guides, we are missing some files(?) :s) either that or is there a way to autologin a new user other than the default one named user?
(edit for more info) I've tried following a guide I found on the arch wiki which had me modify [email protected], but it didn't boot so I had to edit it back to the default.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In theory you should be able to install a proper display manager without too many issues:
Code:
# pacman -S lightdm lightdm-gtk-greeter
# systemctl enable lightdm
...though when I tried this the DM would never actually be run. I was able to run it manually over SSH without issues (both lightdm and slim worked, more or less). I'm in the process of investigating why it isn't run at startup like it should be, whatever the issue is doesn't seem to be related to the display manager itself.
I have an issue with wifi.
1: The WLAN do not find any Network with Channel 12 or 13.. I think I must change the region in germany, but where?
2. The WLAN do not connect, they search for an network adress and after 30seconds they ask for wlan key again.. the key is correct and my router shows the connection.. but archlinux means the key is wrong.. testet with router und smartphone wlan hotspot..
3. 3G not connecting, i have create a profile for BASE Germany, but they do not connect.
UPDATE:
for 2: Sometimes they connect and I can surf. But the ping are more then 600ms.. After few seconds the connection lost, sometimes they connect again, sometimes say ask for wlan key again.
Maybe you can help me. Sorry for my bad english.
Yours Sincelery
Robert
Could any of you guys find out if you have a process running in "interruptible" state named "kinteractive_lo"?
You can check that using "top" in CLI or installing gnome-system-monitor. I guess the standard xfce task manager works as well.
It's driving me nuts and I believe is one of the reasons why I have to hard-reboot my tablet, since invoking reboot with --force works perfectly.
Thanks in advance!
Parts of a ROM
i. The kernel.
Android (like many other Smartphone operating systems) runs on the Linux kernel. The Linux kernel was created in the early 1990’s by a gentleman named Linus Torvalds in Helsinki, Finland. It’s incredibly stable, incredibly friendly, and incredibly difficult for the layman to understand and modify. Thankfully it’s also very popular so it has been ported on to a multitude of hardware, including our Android devices.
Think of the kernel as an interface layer between the hardware and software on your device. The kernel decides when things happen, such as the LED indicator gets lit or when the soft button's LED gets lit. An application sends a request to the operating system to blink the LED. The operating system then sends the request to the kernel, which makes the light flash for the amount of time requested by the OS.
What sounds like a round-about way to get things done is also what makes the system so scalable and robust. Application developers only have to code in a way the operating system understands and the kernel makes it work on the hardware. This also keeps the application running in it’s own user-space and separate from the kernel. That means when you run the latest uber-cool app that wasn’t designed for your particular OS version, or is still very beta and it crashes, the kernel gives you the option to Force Close the application and the kernel can run untouched.
In a standard Android ROM (we will leave developer images and the like for another discussion) the kernel is bundled along with a set of instructions that tell the device how to load the kernel and the OS during boot. This is the boot.img that you see inside a zipped ROM that your not able to easily open. The device knows to extract this image to internal memory (the ramdisk) and follow a series of scripts (init scripts) to load the kernel and then the other portions of the OS. That’s what’s happening while you’re watching the boot animation. Interestingly enough this is done the same way for a PC, your smartphone, an Android tablet, or even a smart Linux powered toaster. If you’re feeling exceptionally geeky, plug your Android phone into the USB port on your PC and let the PC boot from the USB device. No, it doesn’t actually load, but you can watch the animation while it tries to match up the hardware support with what’s inside your PC. As I said, Linux is amazingly scalable and as a result so is Android.
What is a kernel? If you spend any time reading Android forums, blogs, how-to posts or online discussion you'll soon hear people talking about the kernel. A kernel isn't something unique to Android -- iOS and MacOS have one, Windows has one, BlackBerry's QNX has one, in fact all high level operating systems have one. The one we're interested in is Linux, as it's the one Android uses. Let's try to break down what it is and what it does.
Android devices use the Linux kernel, but it's not the exact same kernel other Linux-based operating systems use. There's a lot of Android specific code built in, and Google's Android kernel maintainers have their work cut out for them. OEMs have to contribute as well, because they need to develop hardware drivers for the parts they're using for the kernel version they're using. This is why it takes a while for independent Android developers and hackers to port new versions to older devices and get everything working. Drivers written to work with the Gingerbread kernel on a phone won't necessarily work with the Ice Cream Sandwich kernel. And that's important, because one of the kernel's main functions is to control the hardware. It's a whole lot of source code, with more options while building it than you can imagine, but in the end it's just the intermediary between the hardware and the software.
When software needs the hardware to do anything, it sends a request to the kernel. And when we say anything, we mean anything. From the brightness of the screen, to the volume level, to initiating a call through the radio, even what's drawn on the display is ultimately controlled by the kernel. For example -- when you tap the search button on your phone, you tell the software to open the search application. What happens is that you touched a certain point on the digitizer, which tells the software that you've touched the screen at those coordinates. The software knows that when that particular spot is touched, the search dialog is supposed to open. The kernel is what tells the digitizer to look (or listen, events are "listened" for) for touches, helps figure out where you touched, and tells the system you touched it. In turn, when the system receives a touch event at a specific point from the kernel (through the driver) it knows what to draw on your screen. Both the hardware and the software communicate both ways with the kernel, and that's how your phone knows when to do something. Input from one side is sent as output to the other, whether it's you playing Angry Birds, or connecting to your car's Bluetooth.
It sounds complicated, and it is. But it's also pretty standard computer logic -- there's an action of some sort generated for every event. Without the kernel to accept and send information, developers would have to write code for every single event for every single piece of hardware in your device. With the kernel, all they have to do is communicate with it through the Android system API's, and hardware developers only have to make the device hardware communicate with the kernel. The good thing is that you don't need to know exactly how or why the kernel does what it does, just understanding that it's the go-between from software to hardware gives you a pretty good grasp of what's happening under the glass. Sort of gives a whole new outlook towards those fellows who stay up all night to work on kernels for your phone, doesn't it?
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ii. The operating system.
Once the kernel is loaded, the init scripts tell the Operating System to load. Android is the user interface for a custom built Java virtual machine called Dalvik. Dalvik was written by Dan Bornstein, who named it after the fishing village of Dalvik in Iceland, where his family originated from. The debate of which Java VM is superior is best left for another discussion, so I’ll simply say that DalvikVM is a register-based machine versus true JavaVMs which are stack based.
The Dalvik machine creates executable files (.dex files) which can be interpreted by the OS and run by the end user. These .dex files are OS version dependant. That simply means that applications and core functions built to work with one version of Android may or may not work well with other versions. Google provides the tools through it’s Software Development Kit (SDK) for applications to communicate with the OS.
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iii. Core functions.
No smartphone would be complete without a set of functions that allow the device to be used as intended. Things like the phone and dialer interface, the calendar, the messaging system are core functions of the Operating System. In Android, these are run on top of the kernel as separate applications. The merits (or lack of) of providing these needed functions as separate applications is once again best left for another discussion, but this is what allows developers like HTC or Motorola to replace the standard functions with alternatives that provide a different look and feel from stock. HTC’s onscreen keyboard or Motorola’s MotoBlur contact list are great examples of this. The “little guy” isn’t left out of the mix either. Handcent SMS or Chomp SMS can integrate into the OS very well, as most of us already know.
An additional set of Core Functions are provided by Google. Popularly called GoogleBits, things like Gmail, sync, Gtalk and the Android Market are applications written by Google that give an extra set of useful functions to the OS. You’ll find these on all smartphones, as well as many other Android devices.
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iv. Optional applications.
These are applications provided by the manufacturer to give the device even more usability. Things like the Amazon MP3 store, PDF readers, Corporate Calendar etc. allow you to do even more with your device. Remember - Droid Does
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B. How is a ROM packaged?
In most cases a ROM will come packaged in a .zip file. The recovery image’s kernel (yes, it has one too!) has the ability to unzip and copy the contents into the correct place. Inside this zip file is a folder (META-INF\com\google\android\) that contains a script prepared by the ROM “cooker” (another of those techie terms - it means the person(s) who developed the ROM) that tells the system what to format, what to copy and where, and any file operations that need to be done. Each device does things a bit differently, but this script is where it all gets done. More on this folder later.
You’ll also see a /system folder. This is the meat of the ROM. It has the necessary OS files, the Core functions, and any optional applications the cooker decided to include. The folder is structured the same way it is on your device - /system/app, /system/framework, etc. The whole tree is usually copied over and the existing /system folder is overwritten. The cooker uses the script to tell the kernel to erase the existing system folder, copy the new folder over, and set the file permissions.
Sometimes you will also see a data folder. This usually is space set up for optional applications, including optional system tools like busybox or SuperUser white list. These applications could be placed in the /system folder, but placing them in the data folder makes it easier for the end user (you and I) to remove or update them as needed.
You’ll also notice a META-INF folder. This contains the update script we talked about earlier, as well as secure keys that need to be provided so the device knows the update can be trusted. A special note needs made here. Trusted means that the update is trusted to be in the correct form to load the device. It in no way means the ROM is safe from malicious code. Anyone is able to use a set of test keys and create a ROM that will flash and run your device - even those people with bad intentions. Flashing and running a custom 3rd party ROM is putting faith in the cooker that he or she not only knows what they are doing, but are honest as well. Also, some Motorola custom ROMs will have a small update.zip stored inside this folder to be run on first boot of the device.
Finally we are left with the boot.img file. This is the kernel and ramdisk image we discussed earlier. Your phone copies this over to be decompressed and run when the device boots.
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2. How do I install a ROM?
In this section we’re discussing how to install a custom 3rd party ROM. ROMs from the manufacturer usually have a utility that runs on your PC to flash and load the new image.
A. Got Root???
What is Root?
Android rooting is the process of allowing users of smartphones, tablets, and other devices running the Android mobile operating system to attain privileged control (known as "root access") within Android's subsystem.
Rooting is often performed with the goal of overcoming limitations that carriers and hardware manufacturers put on some devices, resulting in the ability to alter or replace system applications and settings, run specialized apps that require administrator-level permissions, or perform other operations that are otherwise inaccessible to a normal Android user. On Android, rooting can also facilitate the complete removal and replacement of the device's operating system, usually with a more recent release of its current operating system.
As Android derives from the Linux kernel, rooting an Android device is similar to accessing administrative permissions on Linux or any other Unix-like operating system such as FreeBSD or OS X.
The process of rooting varies widely by device, but usually includes exploiting a security bug(s) in the firmware (i.e. in Android) of the device, and then copying the su binary to a location in the current process's PATH (e.g. /system/xbin/su) and granting it executable permissions with the chmod command. A supervisor application like SuperUser or SuperSU can regulate and log elevated permission requests from other applications. Many guides, tutorials, and automatic processes exist for popular Android devices facilitating a fast and easy rooting process.
For example, shortly after the HTC Dream was released, it was quickly discovered that anything typed using the keyboard was being interpreted as a command in a privileged (root) shell. Although Google quickly released a patch to fix this, a signed image of the old firmware leaked, which gave users the ability to downgrade and use the original exploit to gain root access. Once an exploit is discovered, a custom recovery image that skips the digital signature check of a firmware update package can be flashed. In turn, using the custom recovery, a modified firmware update can be installed that typically includes the utilities (for example the Superuser app) needed to run apps as root.
The Google-branded Android phones, the Nexus One, Nexus S, Galaxy Nexus and Nexus 4, as well as their tablet counterparts, the Nexus 7 and Nexus 10, can be boot-loader unlocked by simply connecting the device to a computer while in boot-loader mode and running the Fastboot program with the command "fastboot oem unlock".[9] After accepting a warning, the boot-loader is unlocked, so a new system image can be written directly to flash without the need for an exploit.
Recently, Motorola, LG Electronics and HTC added security features to their devices at the hardware level in an attempt to prevent users from rooting retail Android devices.[citation needed] For instance, the Motorola Droid X has a security boot-loader that puts the phone in "recovery mode" if a user loads unsigned firmware onto the device, and the Samsung Galaxy S II displays a yellow triangle indicator if the device firmware has been modified.
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Yes ?:good:!!!
Custom ROM’s simply will not load on devices that aren’t rooted. In theory, it may be possible to sign a 3rd party ROM with the keys that the stock recovery image will flash, but for the most part you need to have flashed a custom recovery image before you can change your device’s ROM. Instructions and tutorials on how to root your device are all over the internet. Some are good, some are bad. The hacking forum is a great place to go and learn more about rooting and how to successfully get it done on your device.
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B. Recovery
Most Android devices have had a custom recovery image written for them. This will overwrite the stock recovery image, allowing you to flash 3rd party ROMs as well as giving extra functionality. Help with finding and flashing the custom recovery image for your device can also be found in the hacking forum. The installation of a custom recovery image also allows for a very important function. Backup and restore.
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.C. Nandroid
Nandroid is a set of bash scripts and code written by that copies the state of your system and stores it in a folder on your SD card. You can then use the restore function of Nandroid to restore to this point at any time. This is a priceless feature and reason enough to root your phone. It’s included by default in most custom recovery images, and the code is freely available to use if you’re inclined to write your own recovery image.
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In most situations, using Nandroid to back everything up is easy:
1. Verify you have a memory card with enough free space (~300MB to backup, ~500MB to restore).
2. Reboot your device into recovery. It’s slightly different for each device, once again hacking forum FTW!
3. Navigate through the menu and select the Nandroid Backup function.
4. Apply your choice and wait for the device to tell you it’s finished.
It’s always good practice to copy the entire nandroid folder from your SD card to a safe place. You can then copy it back to the SD card if the card is ever damaged, lost or erased.
D. Copy and Flash
You’re rooted, have downloaded a custom ROM, have your system backed up and are now ready to flash your device. This is not nearly as scary as it sounds.
1. Mount your SD card to your PC, and copy the .zip file to the root folder of the card. Don’t unzip the file, and don’t look for a folder called root. The root folder in this case means the base folder, what you will see when you mount your card to a PC or the device.
2. Reboot your phone into recovery.
3. Navigate through the recovery menu and select the flash update option. Depending on your recovery image, the file may need to be named update.zip, or you may be able to select any zip file on your card as long as it’s the correct format. The cooker knows this as well and if the ROM needs to be named update.zip it will be.
4. Apply your choice and wait for your device to tell you it’s finished.
5. Reboot.
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It’s worth noting that many times a new ROM will require that you wipe and factory reset your devices data. While inconvenient, it’s often necessary to get rid of the old data as it may be incompatible. As long as you’re using the cloud for calendar and contacts, they will be re- downloaded and stored back on your device automatically.
Dirty flash and Clean flash
A dirty flash is only wiping cache and davlik then flashing your ROM....
a Clean flash is at LEAST factory reset/data wipe + wiping davlik(factory wipe takes care of /cache also)... Maybe doing a format /system also.
ERRORS encountered in CWM Recovery
.
What is CWM Recovery ?
ClockworkMod Recovery is a custom recovery for many Android devices. It is considered to be the most popular recovery for Android due to its easily-ported nature, and integration with ClockworkMod ROM Manager by Koush(Koushik Dutta). The easiest way to recognize it is by the printed name when it first starts, and the background logo of a gear and hat.
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ERROR STATUS 6
This is usually caused by CR/LF EOL(Windows style End Of Line) in updater-script. Change it to LF EOL(Unix Style EOL) using Linux command: dos2unix updater-script, then re-signing the ZIP, will usually fix this error.
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ERROR STATUS 7
This is usually caused by a corrupt download, or bad file signature. Re-downloading (or re-signing) the ZIP will usually fix this.
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We have been consistently seen and heard people facing error “Status 7″ error while trying to flash or install
custom ROMs or firmware packages on their Android smart phones or tablets with ClockworkMod Recovery. Many
of the users are nowadays facing this problem with CWM Recovery while flashing .zip files of modded or custom
Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) or Jelly Bean (JB) ROMs on their devices. So, you have also downloaded a custom ROM,
placed its .zip file in your phone’s or tablet’s SD card, booted into ClockworkMod Recovery, selected – “install zip
from sdcard” and then chosen the .zip file of the ROM to get it installed on your device. But instead of getting
flashed successfully, if you are facing the issue mentioned below, then just keep reading this article to find out
what’s wrong and fix up the problem :
Finding update package…
Opening update package…
Installing update…
Error in /sdcard/custom-jelly-bean-rom.zip (Status 7)
Installation aborted
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or the following error right after CWM recovery shows –
Installing update…
assert failed: getprop(“ro.product.device”) == “I9103″ || getprop(“ro.build.product”) == “I9103″ || getprop
(“ro.product.board”) == “I9103″
Error in /sdcard/android-4-1-1-ics-rom-latest.zip (status 7)
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So, if you are facing any of these errors while trying to install the desired custom ROM package on your Android
phone or tab, then you may try a various things or steps which may turn out to be the workaround of this
problem. Here are a few tips to get this “Status 7” error fixed in ClockworkMod Recovery and flash the ROM
successfully on your device :
(1) First of all, make sure your device’s bootloader is unlocked. If it is already unlocked but you are still
not able to flash the ROM, then just extract the .zip file of the ROM into a new folder, find the boot.img file from
that directory and flash it up on your phone or tablet via fastboot on your PC.
(2) Make sure that you are having the appropriate Radio or Baseband version installed on your device which is
supported by the custom ROM you are trying to flash. Most of the ROMs requires the latest version of Baseband, so
just update or upgrade your device to the latest Baseband version and then try to install the ROM once again.
(3) Update your device to the supported / latest build of official firmware before trying to install the ROM. You can
do it from – Settings > About Phone / Device > Software Update.
(4) Make sure you are having the supported or required kernel installed on your phone or tab. If it’s not, then flash
a new kernel right away and try to install your custom ROM once again.
(5) Is the ROM which you are trying to flash really works ? Find out whether it is working for other users or not.
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Click to collapse
Error Status 0
Well sometimes while flashing some ROMs especially the cooked ones we get Error status 0 in the CWM Recovery
this error is an indicator of Wrong Update Binary.This is usually caused by an incompatible update-binary in edify ZIPs. Replacing it with a compatible one, then re-signing the ZIP, will usually fix this error.
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Now it's time for the partitions :good:
Let’s start with a list of standard internal memory partitions on Android phones and tablets. These are:
/boot
/system
/recovery
/data
/cache
/misc
In addition, there are the SD card partitions.
/sdcard
/sd-ext
Note that only /sdcard is found in all Android devices and the rest are present only in select devices. Let’s now take a look at the purpose and contents of each of these partitions.
/boot
This is the partition that enables the phone to boot, as the name suggests. It includes the kernel and the ramdisk. Without this partition, the device will simply not be able to boot. Wiping this partition from recovery should only be done if absolutely required and once done, the device must NOT be rebooted before installing a new one, which can be done by installing a ROM that includes a /boot partition.
/system
This partition basically contains the entire operating system, other than the kernel and the ramdisk. This includes the Android user interface as well as all the system applications that come pre-installed on the device. Wiping this partition will remove Android from the device without rendering it unbootable, and you will still be able to put the phone into recovery or bootloader mode to install a new ROM.
/recovery
The recovery partition can be considered as an alternative boot partition that lets you boot the device into a recovery console for performing advanced recovery and maintenance operations on it. To learn more about this partition and its contents, see the ‘About Android Recovery’ section of our guide to ClockworkMod recovery.
/data
Also called userdata, the data partition contains the user’s data – this is where your contacts, messages, settings and apps that you have installed go. Wiping this partition essentially performs a factory reset on your device, restoring it to the way it was when you first booted it, or the way it was after the last official or custom ROM installation. When you perform a wipe data/factory reset from recovery, it is this partition that you are wiping.
/cache
This is the partition where Android stores frequently accessed data and app components. Wiping the cache doesn’t effect your personal data but simply gets rid of the existing data there, which gets automatically rebuilt as you continue using the device.
/misc
This partition contains miscellaneous system settings in form of on/off switches. These settings may include CID (Carrier or Region ID), USB configuration and certain hardware settings etc. This is an important partition and if it is corrupt or missing, several of the device’s features will will not function normally.
/sdcard
This is not a partition on the internal memory of the device but rather the SD card. In terms of usage, this is your storage space to use as you see fit, to store your media, documents, ROMs etc. on it. Wiping it is perfectly safe as long as you backup all the data you require from it, to your computer first. Though several user-installed apps save their data and settings on the SD card and wiping this partition will make you lose all that data.
On devices with both an internal and an external SD card – devices like the Samsung Galaxy S and several tablets – the /sdcard partition is always used to refer to the internal SD card. For the external SD card – if present – an alternative partition is used, which differs from device to device. In case of Samsung Galaxy S series devices, it is /sdcard/sd while in many other devices, it is /sdcard2. Unlike /sdcard, no system or app data whatsoever is stored automatically on this external SD card and everything present on it has been added there by the user. You can safely wipe it after backing up any data from it that you need to save.
/sd-ext
This is not a standard Android partition, but has become popular in the custom ROM scene. It is basically an additional partition on your SD card that acts as the /data partition when used with certain ROMs that have special features called APP2SD+ or data2ext enabled. It is especially useful on devices with little internal memory allotted to the /data partition. Thus, users who want to install more programs than the internal memory allows can make this partition and use it with a custom ROM that supports this feature, to get additional storage for installing their apps. Wiping this partition is essentially the same as wiping the /data partition – you lose your contacts, SMS, market apps and settings.
With this, we conclude our tour of Android partitions. Now whenever you install a ROM or mod that requires you to wipe certain partitions before the installation, you should be in a better position to know what you’re losing and what not and thus, you’ll know what to backup and what not.
ADB-Android Debugging Bridge
Android Debug Bridge (adb) is a versatile command line tool that lets you communicate with an emulator instance or connected Android-powered device. It is a client-server program that includes three components:
A client, which runs on your development machine. You can invoke a client from a shell by issuing an adb command. Other Android tools such as the ADT plugin and DDMS also create adb clients.
A server, which runs as a background process on your development machine. The server manages communication between the client and the adb daemon running on an emulator or device.
A daemon, which runs as a background process on each emulator or device instance.
You can find the adb tool in <sdk>/platform-tools/.
When you start an adb client, the client first checks whether there is an adb server process already running. If there isn't, it starts the server process. When the server starts, it binds to local TCP port 5037 and listens for commands sent from adb clients—all adb clients use port 5037 to communicate with the adb server.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The server then sets up connections to all running emulator/device instances. It locates emulator/device instances by scanning odd-numbered ports in the range 5555 to 5585, the range used by emulators/devices. Where the server finds an adb daemon, it sets up a connection to that port. Note that each emulator/device instance acquires a pair of sequential ports — an even-numbered port for console connections and an odd-numbered port for adb connections. For example:
Emulator 1, console: 5554
Emulator 1, adb: 5555
Emulator 2, console: 5556
Emulator 2, adb: 5557
and so on...
As shown, the emulator instance connected to adb on port 5555 is the same as the instance whose console listens on port 5554.
Once the server has set up connections to all emulator instances, you can use adb commands to access those instances. Because the server manages connections to emulator/device instances and handles commands from multiple adb clients, you can control any emulator/device instance from any client (or from a script).
Note: When you connect a device running Android 4.2.2 or higher to your computer, the system shows a dialog asking whether to accept an RSA key that allows debugging through this computer. This security mechanism protects user devices because it ensures that USB debugging and other adb commands cannot be executed unless you're able to unlock the device and acknowledge the dialog. This requires that you have adb version 1.0.31 (available with SDK Platform-tools r16.0.1 and higher) in order to debug on a device running Android 4.2.2 or higher.
Syntax
You can issue adb commands from a command line on your development machine or from a script. The usage is:
adb [-d|-e|-s <serialNumber>] <command>
If there's only one emulator running or only one device connected, the adb command is sent to that device by default. If multiple emulators are running and/or multiple devices are attached, you need to use the -d, -e, or -s option to specify the target device to which the command should be directed.
LOGCAT
The Android logging system provides a mechanism for collecting and viewing system debug output. Logs from various applications and portions of the system are collected in a series of circular buffers, which then can be viewed and filtered by the logcat command. You can use logcat from an ADB shell to view the log messages.
-b <buffer> Loads an alternate log buffer for viewing, such as event or radio. The main buffer is used by default. See Viewing Alternative Log Buffers.
-c Clears (flushes) the entire log and exits.
-d Dumps the log to the screen and exits.
-f <filename> Writes log message output to <filename>. The default is stdout.
-g Prints the size of the specified log buffer and exits.
-n <count> Sets the maximum number of rotated logs to <count>. The default value is 4. Requires the -r option.
-r <kbytes> Rotates the log file every <kbytes> of output. The default value is 16. Requires the -f option.
-s Sets the default filter spec to silent.
-v <format> Sets the output format for log messages. The default is brief format. For a list of supported formats, see Controlling Log Output Format.
awesome thread to learn everything in a quick while
Again.? :good:
But highlight the Status error with big & bold font.
Disturbed™ said:
Again.? :good:
But highlight the Status error with big & bold font.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think he's trying to take over XDA
But just to keep this on topic, great thread for those who are learning and aren't sure what certain things are for.
I guess I'll have to make another thread in this forum just so other RCs don't take all the ideas
SGS2 FAQ | HTC One FAQ
KidCarter93 said:
I think he's trying to take over XDA
But just to keep this on topic, great thread for those who are learning and aren't sure what certain things are for.
I guess I'll have to make another thread in this forum just so other RCs don't take all the ideas
SGS2 FAQ | HTC One FAQ
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lolzzz.. Yes buddy. He is something else.
Collecting Informations & useful stuff for all users. May be in near future, he will take over XDA.
It's all your love guys. Sometimes even my guides correct my mistakes!
Started from the bottom
Guys if you like this thread please press the tip us button so that more and more people who are willing to learn about android phone and how they work can get help.
I will be grateful to you all.
Started from the bottom
Very nice write up TechnoCrat :good::good::good:
TEAM MiK
MikROMs Since 3/13/11
Long way to go mate!
Congo! This thread got featured on XDA Portal
http://www.xda-developers.com/android/android-101-how-it-all-fits-together/
Thank you very much. I needed this definition thread. I kinda understand but it'd nice to hear official language that's understandable.
Sent from that FBI van parked down the street.
Thanks for the CWM errors write up and another bookmark.
Tha TechnoCrat said:
i. The kernel.
If you’re feeling exceptionally geeky, plug your Android phone into the USB port on your PC and let the PC boot from the USB device. No, it doesn’t actually load, but you can watch the animation while it tries to match up the hardware support with what’s inside your PC
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What. The. Hell. Are you talking about?
If you mean booting the device's kernel on the PC, unless the device uses an x86 processor, it flat out will not boot, let alone mount the device's system, to display the bootanimation.zip
/snarkieness
Sorry, I had to let that out.
Also, init is called/started after the kernel has started, and generally after it has setup most of the hardware.
so I’ll simply say that DalvikVM is a register-based machine versus true JavaVMs which are stack based.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't even truly understand that, so could add a little more detail, or remove it?
I'm speaking mostly from my implied knowledge, gained from tinkering with android/linux for a few years.
ADB and Logcat added
Hey, Thanks for the article. Can you talk about root? There is some mis-leading information and I really want to learn about it. Thanks again.
ak700 said:
Hey, Thanks for the article. Can you talk about root? There is some mis-leading information and I really want to learn about it. Thanks again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay buddy
Editone! !!
"Thanks button is just to avoid "THANKS" posts in threads. Nothing more than that. Don't ask in signature or post for it and defeat the purpose why it was introduced"
Bump to update newbies
"Thanks button is just to avoid "THANKS" posts in threads. Nothing more than that. Don't ask in signature or post for it and defeat the purpose why it was introduced"
Code:
/*
*
* Your warranty is now void.
*
* I am not responsible for bricked devices, dead SD cards,
* thermonuclear war, or you getting fired because the alarm app failed. Please
* do some research if you have any concerns about features included in this ROM
* before flashing it! YOU are choosing to make these modifications, and if
* you point the finger at me for messing up your device, I will laugh at you.
*
*/
IMPORTANT: Read the ENTIRE instructions set before starting, make sure you know what you are getting into. I have been as straight forward as possible with my instructions to assist noobs with the procedure.
Mission Statement
The purpose of this post is to combine the following 4 guides, in an easy to read manner to help people get from a stock Note 4 Version running 6.0.1 to a fully rooted Note 4 running CM13.0
Guides Referenced and Summarized:
[Guide] A noob's guide to Perm Root & TWRP on Verizon Note 4 Retail 5.1.1 (BPA1) http://forum.xda-developers.com/note-4-verizon/general/guide-noobs-guide-to-perm-root-twrp-t3360883
[HOWTO] Bootloader Unlock and Upgrade to Marshmallow [N910V] http://forum.xda-developers.com/not...t/howto-bootloader-unlock-upgrade-to-t3398144
(no title, sub post #1403, describes going from CPD1 to Jasmine with CPF3 and Firmware/Kernel Patch) http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=67481370&postcount=1403
[ROM] [6.0.1] [UNOFFICIAL] CyanogenMod 13.0 [Jul 24, 2016] http://forum.xda-developers.com/note-4-verizon/development/cyanogenmod-t3253973
I will use large chunks from some of these guides, skip some parts not necessary and/or extrapolate/modify on the instructions given within.
Thankx & Achnologments
Main Contributors (I plagiarized, quoted, or sourced)
Robots_Never_Die
hsbadr
Tech Support
BickNasty
Feel like I missed you, it wasn't intentional....PM me and I'll consider adding you, if I feel you actually contributed in some way or I copied your work.
Satisfied Customers (Did my method work for you? Post a reply and let us know, I'll add you to the list)
jwp1299 - 1 hour
Viper-Link
keviinese - 1.5 hours
pfcland - 1.5 hours
Required Apps (Google Play) All Free
Search for and install these apps
eMMC Brickbug Check (free)
Required Downloads (note on version numbers: version numbers I specify are ones available at the time I wrote this guide. For most tool grab the newest version, such as Odin/ADB)
NOTICE Total size of Downloads is approximately 7 GB, some of the links may be slow! Time required may vary due to your network speeds, and luck with speeds from file hosts. (expect several hours)
ADB – minimal_adb_fastboot_v1.4.0_setup.exe
Odin - newest version (3.12.3 at time of writing)
Kingroot - Grab latest stable version, only grab NewKingroot(XXXXX).apk
Samsung USB drivers (windows) - newest version
Bootloader Unlock - samsung_unlock_n4-fix
TWRP - twrp-3.0.2-0-trltevzw.tar.md5
N910VVRU2BPA1_N910VVZW2BPA1_VZW.tar.md5
N910VVRU2BPA1_N910VVRU2CPD1_FullFirmware.tar.md5 (Alternate Torrent if slow: Torrent started by pfcland)
JasmineROM_v7.0_N910VVRU2CPF3.7z
N910VVRU2CPF3_PartialFirmware_PatechedKernel.tar.m d5.7z
Gapps For ARM SDK23 (Android 6.0) (mini version is recommended)
UNOFFICIAL CyanogenMod 13.0 Builds for Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note 4 (SM-N910V) (grab newest from top)
Xposed framework for ARM SDK 23 (NOTE: Grab both the xposed23.zip and XposedInstaller****.apk)
XPosed is OPTIONAL, but there are a lot of rooted apps that use the XPosed framework to get more control over your phone. Such as hiding mock locations for example.
NOTE: Internet is REQUIRED for KingRoot to function (grants temporary root, so ADP commands can be executed to unlock bootloader), at one point WiFi will NOT function but internet is still required. So a valid SIM with internet is required (Verizon will definitely work, others might[/] work)
NOTE: The entire installation will take an estimated 1-2 hours. (Not including time spent downloading) All steps are MANDATORY, do not SKIP anything....You've been warned
Install eMMC Brickbug Check (free) on your phone, and RUN IT. Your CID MUST start with 15. If it doesn't I can't help you, and this guide is not for you.
Install the Samsung USB drivers on your windows PC
Backup your phone, if you don't know how.....google it...And learn how, you will want to backup frequently. Every time you get to a point you can boot up into Android, backup...it's safer for you...I will not remind you again, this is on your head.
Disable Encryption on your phone, both the SD card and Device
Disable Samsung Phone Lockout. YOU MUST DO THIS OR ELSE!!!! (Settings > Security > Reactivation Lock)
Do 2 factory resets on your phone, one after another (hold volume up, home button, power when starting to enter recovery mode where you can reset phone). Not required but if you don't, you'll spend an extra hour or two doing this because Kingroot will crash/fail more often.
Boot up your phone in Download Mode (hold volume down, home button, power)
Open Odin3, Click the AP button and select the file N910VVRU2BPA1_N910VVZW2BPA1_VZW.tar.md5, once it checks it, goto options and make sure the Re-Partition is NOT selected. Now click start to flash and downgrade to Android 5.1.1.
Turn on your phone, and let it boot up.
Skip everything possible when setting up your phone. Don't even put in a google account, not necessary
Goto Setings and set the following
Settings > Security > Reactivation Lock = Disabled (EXTREMELY IMPORTANT, VERIFY)
Settings > Security > Unkown Sources = Enabled
Settings > Developer Options > USB debugging = Enabled
Developer options are unlocked by going to Settings > About Phone. Find "Build Number", and start clicking it till you get a message that Developer Options have been unlocked (about 10 clicks I believe, never counted).
Settings > Developer Options > Verify App via USB = Enabled (should be by default, CHECK)
Settings > Lock Screen = None
Settings > Display > Turn off Display = 10 Minutes
Plug your phone into your computer via USB, copy the NewKingroot****.apk to your download directory (samsung-sm-N910V\Phone\Download)
Install ADB onto your Windows PC. Select an easy directory such as c:\ADB
Copy the following file directly into the ADB directory
samsung_unlock_n4-fix
Open up command line interface. Hold windows key & press R key for run, type in "cmd" press enter. Will open a terminal window for you. Type the following commands:
cd\
cd adb (or whatever you named your directory where you installed ADB)
adb devices
This should return a list of devices you have connected, something like:
Code:
List of devices attached
SerialNum device
If no devices are displayed, check you have the Samsung USB drivers installed properly.
Type the following command
adb push samsung_unlock_n4-fix /data/local/tmp/
Got an error? check your spelling (or copy/paste from me), check you put the file into the ADB directory (not just a link), your phone must be on and screen not locked and check you have usb debugging enabled.
BTW: Do NOT CLOSE the window unless I instruct you to!
Install Kingroot on your phone, which you previously moved into your downloads folder, you can find it via My Files app that comes with phone.
Now run KingRoot. Flip down to the bottom and click "Try It", it will run some quick test then give you a button to try to root your phone.
Wait...Wait...Do not worry if your phone restarts, it will go back into KingRoot automatically on reboot. Just sit back and wait, it may fail multiple times and you may have to re-run Kingroot. Just keep trying . Once it succeeds you must do the following IMMEDIATELY AND AS FAST AS POSSIBLE. Kingroot is HIGHLY UNSTABLE.
On the windows PC, back in the command window you left open. Start Typing.
adb shell
su
cd /data/local/tmp/
chmod 777 samsung_unlock_n4-fix
chown root.root samsung_unlock_n4-fix
./samsung_unlock_n4-fix
After the last command it may prompt you to type yes, do so immediately. it won't write on the screen but type yes anyway for it to continue. Once it's done it should automatically start to reboot your phone. Unplug it and pull the battery, wait 5 seconds, put battery back in and plug the phone back in.
This was the initial setup for unlocking your bootloader, you now have to run it AGAIN so turn your phone back on. Repeat steps 22-24, after the 2nd time PULL OUT YOUR SD CARD BEFORE TURNING ON YOUR PHONE
Congratulations you now have an unlocked bootloader, you can close the command window on your PC.
The SD card has a restore point for your phone prior to removing your bootlock. Save it if you want, or plug into your phone and format the 18mb partition you are able to. You must format it on a PC before you can use it again in a phone!!!! Will shut your phone off immediately if you put the SD in without formatting that 18mb partition.
Now reboot your phone into download mode (hold volume down, home and power buttons when turning on)
Open Odin App on your PC, Click the "AP" button and select the file twrp-3.0.2-0-trltevzw.tar.md5 (which you downloaded earlier). Once it does it's check, verify that re-partition is NOT selected in options. Now click start to flash twrp bootloader.
Your phone will restart, re-enter download mode. If you missed it pull cable/battery and try again.
Now extract and flash N910VVRU2BPA1_N910VVRU2CPD1_FullFirmware.tar.md5 via Odin, same as you did with twrp. VERIFY THAT RE-PARTITION IS NOT SELECTED IN OPTIONS.
Boot up in recovery mode (hold volume up, home and power when turning on) (note: no longer TWRP since you flashed firmware, will look different again)
"Wipe data/factory reset ", then reboot your phone.
Now repeat steps 9-12 (NewKingRoot should still be in your downloads, but verify anyway) (NOTICE: wifi will NOT work with the CPD1 firmware, but Verizon internet should in case you need internet for some reason, wifi will restore later in guide - Other internet from other providers MIGHT work with proper APN settings)
Install a clean SD card into the phone.
Now repeat steps 15-25. This time you should only need to run the samsung_unlock_n4-fix file once to break your boot. This is what it typically says on successful bootloader unlock: (if you got this message, pull the battery, cable and SD card.)
Code:
[email protected]:/ # cd /data/local/tmp/
[email protected]:/ # chmod 777 samsung_unlock_n4-fix <
[email protected]:/ # ./samsung_unlock_n4-fix
============================== samdunk unlock 0.0.1 ==============================
NOTE 3 BETA UNLOCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!
this application comes with NO WARRANTY (express or implied)
this binary may not be rehosted, repackaged, one-clicked, etc.
there is no support provided for this application
this application has been tested on the Verizon Galaxy S5 only
it may work on the AT&T Galaxy S5, and possibly other similar Galaxy devices
there are no compatibility checks, do your research first
if run on an incompatible phone, it will likely permanently ruin the device
we STRONGLY advise against running any binary not obtained from the official source
official source is available at http://github.com/beaups/SamsungCID
SD card is required, all data on the SD card will be destroyed
changing to this developer CID may have other implications
the psn derived from the CID may be used for critical services
changing this psn may cause unexpected behavior or loss of services
continue at your own risk, you've been warned
aboot dev signature research credit to ryanbg
http://forum.xda-developers.com/member.php?u=766721
eMMC vulnerability, exploit, and the code you are running by beaups (sean beaupre)
http://forum.xda-developers.com/member.php?u=711482
Do you understand the implications of these warnings?
(Yes/No)
[+] CID at boot time is/was: 150100523231384d4100657e54fc1200
[+] dev CID matching, proceeding to unlock
[+] backing up loaders, this will take a few minutes
[+] loaders successfully backed up
[+] success! powering off device, hopefully its not bricked!
Now boot back into download mode
Flash TWRP via Odin again (I'm summarizing greatly now, as you should by now understand this kind of shorthand)
Ok, now boot up into TWRP recovery mode (vol up, home, power)
Navigate through TWRP menus to create a Backup. Click Backup Button, and swipe to create backup. (this is just so that it creates the directory structure on your phone)
Click the Reboot System button, skip all the setup you can again. (DO NOT INSTALL SUPERSU!!! will cause bootloop)
Extract the "JasmineROM_v7.0_N910VVRU2CPF3.7z" file it will create a directory called "JasmineROM_v7.0_N910VVRU2CPF3".
Plug USB into phone and to computer. Copy the JasmineROM_v7.0_N910VVRU2CPF3 folder into \Internal storage\TWRP\BACKUPS\Phone SN\
Reboot into TWRP recovery
Click the Restore button (DONT start the restore yet!!!), and check that your JasmineROM is listed as a recovery option. (don't recover YET) If it's not there you copied it into the wrong directy, try again before proceeding.
Go back to the main menu, Click the Wipe button. Click the 'Advanced Wipe' button, and wipe the following cache/dalvik/system/data
Go back to Restore (from 2 steps ago) and run the JasmineROM_v7.0_N910VVRU2CPF3 recovery, return to main menu afterwards
Go to wipe, and wipe the cache/dalvik only this time.
Reboot into download mode
Flash the N910VVRU2CPF3_PartialFirmware_PatechedKernel.tar.m d5.7z file via Odin
Reboot the system, this will take a LONG TIME. WAIT for it. (if reboot takes >10 min, pull battery and restart)
Once it boots up, skip all the setup again. Copy the CM13, Gapps and XPosed (both zip and apk) to your downloads. Don't unzip anything, not necessary.
Now reboot into recovery go to WIPE and do a factory reset by swiping.
Then goto Install (still in recovery) and install CM13, then Install Gapps.
Reboot your phone, this time you are setting up properly reboot will take a while to optimize your apps depending on Gapps version used. So do all your setup as you want your phone setup. Once that's done, restart the phone in recovery. (if reboot takes > 5 min, pull battery and restart)
Install via TWRP the XPossed.zip file.
Reboot your phone, once on. Navigate via My Files, to downloads and install XPosed.apk
CONGRATULATIONS. You now have a fully Unlocked, Rooted Note 4 Verizon with CryanogenMod 13.0 installed and XPosed Installed.
Suggested Apps
Kernel Auditor [ROOT], will allow you to adjust kernel settings. Such as CPU clock speeds and thermal throttling, if your phone is too hot.
Note: About ROOT[/], you will have root once you finish this guide. But it is disabled by default, you can enable root in developer options (no reboot required when changing). Unlock your developer options again, and scroll down you will see an option to enable/disable root. This allows you to keep turn off during normal use, and only enable it when you need to install an app that requires root. You can always just leave it on all the time, that is your choice.
Note: Some apps on Google PlayStore will become unavailable due to incompatibility (according to google, HA). Such as YouTube Music, you will no longer be able to install it through the store. But you can install it by using an APK site, such as APK Downloader. On this site you find the app you want on play.google.com, copy the HTTP link and put it into the APK Downloader and it will generate a direct download link to the APK file. Copy onto your phone and sideload (ie. install) through file explorer. I don't endorse them, they are just one of many places you can get APK files.
Change Log
7/28/2016
Another success story :good:
Added note about how root works in CM 13.0
Corrected Step 34
Minor text adjustments, for clarification
Made note that wifi doesn't work with CDP1 flash
Added note that you MUST HAVE a valid sim card with internet access for step 35! KingRoot requires internet to function, and Wifi will NOT WORK after flashing CPD1 firmware (incomparable drivers).
Added another note about internet at the top of the instructions, to make sure people are aware.
7/27/2016
Added Bicknasty to the Contributors list - helped resolve issues I had with CM 13.0 kernel & modem.
Added a note to downloads section regarding total size of files downloaded and expected time.
Re-wrote steps 40-48 to make it easier to understand. Adding some steps and explaining in more detail.
Added note at the top to read ALL the instructions once before starting
Added note with the estimated time to perform all the steps
Added note suggesting Kernel Auditor app, and made reference to the fact that some apps on playstore will NOT install from playstore. Suggested APK Downloader for apps not available from store
Added a Success Story Section
Added note on how to enable developer options
Any faster source for N910VVRU2BPA1_N910VVRU2CPD1_FullFirmware.tar.md5
jwp1299 said:
Any faster source for N910VVRU2BPA1_N910VVRU2CPD1_FullFirmware.tar.md5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Probably, but that's the only one I know which is a free download that I'd trust.
JacekRing said:
Probably, but that's the only one I know which is a free download that I'd trust.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Alright, still works just a little long. Thanks so much for the guide, working great so far!
jwp1299 said:
Alright, still works just a little long. Thanks so much for the guide, working great so far!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How far are you now?
And let me know when you finish, critique my guide. If parts weren't clear enough let me know.
And finally if you run into any issues let me know.
Great guide (I honestly haven't read it, it's too long but it looks thorough, and I know you were annoyed with the tedious process), glad I was able to help you figure things out!
Bicknasty said:
Great guide (I honestly haven't read it, it's too long but it looks thorough, and I know you were annoyed with the tedious process), glad I was able to help you figure things out!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea I do appreciate the help Bicknasty. I'll add you to contributors list later as helping with cyanogen issues I was having.
Bicknasty said:
Great guide (I honestly haven't read it, it's too long but it looks thorough, and I know you were annoyed with the tedious process), glad I was able to help you figure things out!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You know it wasn't so much that it annoyed me it's that there was no concrete guide telling me what to do. It's a thread here, a post there to do a specific thing but they aren't coordinated in a logical way for users to easily find.
Alright ignore what I said before this edit, I just skipped a step.
I must say though, steps 41-43 are very confusing. What is the ROM folder?
jwp1299 said:
Alright ignore what I said before this edit, I just skipped a step.
I must say though, steps 41-43 are very confusing. What is the ROM folder?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The ROM folder I'm referring too is the folder inside the Jasmine zip file. I only reference it so people wouldn't try to take just the files inside the folder which is inside the zip file. Lol yea that's confusing....I'll think about how to rewrite those and make adjustments in a couple hours to make it clearer.
But basically when you extract the Jasmine zip file it creates a folder with files in it. Copy the whole folder not just the files to where it makes your recovery folders.
JacekRing said:
The ROM folder I'm referring too is the folder inside the Jasmine zip file. I only reference it so people wouldn't try to take just the files inside the folder which is inside the zip file. Lol yea that's confusing....I'll think about how to rewrite those and make adjustments in a couple hours to make it clearer.
But basically when you extract the Jasmine zip file it creates a folder with files in it. Copy the whole folder not just the files to where it makes your recovery folders.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay, awesome. Also I think the TWRP part could be explained a little clearer.
Other than that, 100%
oh also, at the start I would say to read the entire thing before starting, and give a warning that downloads will take like 4 hrs
jwp1299 said:
Okay, awesome. Also I think the TWRP part could be explained a little clearer.
Other than that, 100%
oh also, at the start I would say to read the entire thing before starting, and give a warning that downloads will take like 4 hrs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol yea, didn't think to mention reading the whole thing first. To me that's a given I always read everything before starting. I'll add a note to read everything.
As to download time, well it is like what 12 gigs in total? Basically 4 full versions of the Android OS at 2 gigs reach plus all the extras.
I'll try to see if I can't explain the twrp recovery of Jasmine better. Only reason you need to do Jasmine is for the 6.0.1 device drivers (such as modem).
jwp1299 said:
Okay, awesome. Also I think the TWRP part could be explained a little clearer.
Other than that, 100%
oh also, at the start I would say to read the entire thing before starting, and give a warning that downloads will take like 4 hrs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've modified the guide appropriately, to resolve all of the issues (I think) you mentioned. And to make some steps easier to understand and follow.
I also added a recommended app on the bottom, and mentioned a site you can use to get PlayStore apps which will now list as incompatible with our phones.
Finally, question: Did you succeed using this Guide? Just curious if everything is working as expected after following my guide. I wrote the thing from memory, after spending 3 days rooting my phone and figuring everything out from various sources. Hopefully this saves people some time where they don't have to piece a dozen sources together to figure out how to do it. I only mentioned the main 4 I referenced, but there were other lessons learned from various places that aren't covered in those posts.
JacekRing said:
I've modified the guide appropriately, to resolve all of the issues (I think) you mentioned. And to make some steps easier to understand and follow.
I also added a recommended app on the bottom, and mentioned a site you can use to get PlayStore apps which will now list as incompatible with our phones.
Finally, question: Did you succeed using this Guide? Just curious if everything is working as expected after following my guide. I wrote the thing from memory, after spending 3 days rooting my phone and figuring everything out from various sources. Hopefully this saves people some time where they don't have to piece a dozen sources together to figure out how to do it. I only mentioned the main 4 I referenced, but there were other lessons learned from various places that aren't covered in those posts.
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I was quite successful with the root. Even though I messed up a few times (skipping steps), it all works out and now it's working lovely. It only took an hour of actual work, plus a lot of download time because of slow hosts.
Thanks so much for the guide, the only issue was with the slow hosts, and that's hardly your fault. I do wonder if maybe setting up a torrent of the heavier files might help though.
Edit: I will say, this is a wonderfully tedious root effort.
jwp1299 said:
I was quite successful with the root. Even though I messed up a few times (skipping steps), it all works out and now it's working lovely. It only took an hour of actual work, plus a lot of download time because of slow hosts.
Thanks so much for the guide, the only issue was with the slow hosts, and that's hardly your fault. I do wonder if maybe setting up a torrent of the heavier files might help though.
Edit: I will say, this is a wonderfully tedious root effort.
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Click to collapse
An hour..........I spent 2 hours watching kingroot try and root my damb phone, LOL because I didn't wipe before trying to get temporary root the first time you use it (before I read in a post that wiping twice will make it MUCH more successful). Took me 10+ hours of actual work to get my phone rooted and CM 13.0 setup, because I didn't have steps to follow, LMAO. Made it up as I went.
As to the Torrent, I'd be the only one sharing and my upload speeds are not that great. maybe 500 kbps, I live in a rural area. At least my download speed is 40 mbps.
And it is hellofa tedious root for the Note 4, I haven't seen any other phone as crazy tedious to root.
Edit: Mind if I add a 'success story' section and add you to it?
JacekRing said:
An hour..........I spent 2 hours watching kingroot try and root my damb phone, LOL because I didn't wipe before trying to get temporary root the first time you use it (before I read in a post that wiping twice will make it MUCH more successful). Took me 10+ hours of actual work to get my phone rooted and CM 13.0 setup, because I didn't have steps to follow, LMAO. Made it up as I went.
As to the Torrent, I'd be the only one sharing and my upload speeds are not that great. maybe 500 kbps, I live in a rural area. At least my download speed is 40 mbps.
And it is hellofa tedious root for the Note 4, I haven't seen any other phone as crazy tedious to root.
Edit: Mind if I add a 'success story' section and add you to it?
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Click to collapse
Oh of course, go ahead and add me.
Also, if you do end up making a torrent, i'd be happy to help seed at least for a while. I have pretty good upload and no data caps or anything so it would probably help a bit (anything is faster than that 100 kbps that xda was giving)
You called N910VVRU2BPA1_N910VVZW2BPA1_VZW.zip, "N910VVRU2BPA1 Full Firmware". Which kinda got me confused, (maybe its just me trying to do this at 1 am >_>) but might want to edit that. Other then that Iv'e had a pretty easy time following this guide. Thanks! (still doing it fyi, I got an infinite bootloop, so figured I messed up somewhere after reflashing TWRP, now im starting from scratch.)
I have a Very weird problem , I followed your instructions correctly i was on step 25 did exactly what you said pulled the unpluged the USB and pulled the battery and and waited 5 seconds and put the battery back in and rebooted the phone only problem is now it is stuck in a boot loop of the image Samsung galaxy note 4 and just keeps rebooting . I haved tryed doing a factory reset and wiping cache and reinstalling 5.1..1 via odin and it is still doing the boot loop i am not sure what i did wrong or what to do . I know its not hard brick because i can get into recovery and download but just wont boot the past the Samsung not 4 logo
---------- Post added at 05:05 AM ---------- Previous post was at 04:57 AM ----------
Ok so i went and wiped and factory rest like 10 times and now it got past the screen So that is a relief lol
Viper-Link said:
You called N910VVRU2BPA1_N910VVZW2BPA1_VZW.zip, "N910VVRU2BPA1 Full Firmware". Which kinda got me confused, (maybe its just me trying to do this at 1 am >_>) but might want to edit that. Other then that Iv'e had a pretty easy time following this guide. Thanks! (still doing it fyi, I got an infinite bootloop, so figured I messed up somewhere after reflashing TWRP, now im starting from scratch.)
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Not sure what to tell you viper as not enough info. Hope you figured it out...
pfcland said:
I have a Very weird problem , I followed your instructions correctly i was on step 25 did exactly what you said pulled the unpluged the USB and pulled the battery and and waited 5 seconds and put the battery back in and rebooted the phone only problem is now it is stuck in a boot loop of the image Samsung galaxy note 4 and just keeps rebooting . I haved tryed doing a factory reset and wiping cache and reinstalling 5.1..1 via odin and it is still doing the boot loop i am not sure what i did wrong or what to do . I know its not hard brick because i can get into recovery and download but just wont boot the past the Samsung not 4 logo
---------- Post added at 05:05 AM ---------- Previous post was at 04:57 AM ----------
Ok so i went and wiped and factory rest like 10 times and now it got past the screen So that is a relief lol
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Was this after the first time you inputted the adb commands our second? Make sure you pull the SD card after the second time, as it will cause reboots after the second time until you reformat the SD card on your PC. Size will be wrong on PC but size will fix when you reformat the SD card a second time on your phone.
Edit it creates like 20 partitions on the ad card when you do adb, it creates a backup of your phone os.