Database Users

[Q] Help: Installing Rom over existing ROM

I have an HD2 that I had someone flash to android for me.
The phone initially functioned pretty well, although i immediately noticed that the phone would sometimes crash when I launched Navigator.
Months down the road, the phone began crashing more frequently, and now has become a serious concern for me. The phone will crash when running youtube, gps (google & navigator), and sometimes with the camcorder.
Sometimes it will just restart- out of nowhere.
I have about 120 apps- just mentioning-- not sure if this makes a difference--
So I've decided that i would like to change the Rom.
I've been reading through the forum for a while-- I would like to be pointed to the best reference for proceeding with this-- since I haven't actually done this before.
Will I need to go through the process of radios and stuff-- not sure, since i already have an android rom running on the system.
What is one of the better Rom's available, with working features?
Thanks in advance for any help--
here is a shot of my current system:

well i'll say if you ask a 10 people here what ROM is best your bound to get 20 different responces. this is simply because some people rather sence based, some like miui and some prefer CyanogenMod. what i would suggest is a ROM thats rather easy to flash & use so you can get an idea of how to flash it. after you feel comfortable you can check out the vast Android builds the hd2 has to offer.
i would suggest either rafdroid hd found here or bluetopia hd found here. both builds are very easy to flash, just make sure you follow the directions closely and you wont have a problem. you dont need to change the radio more then likely since its probably already been done before. please note that bluetopia is meant for tmous users and not 512. personally i'd check out rafdroid hd anyway just because it has a very detailed description on how to flash the ROM.
both of those are sence builds but if you rather a non-sence base you can look at this webpage for a ROM you rather flash. it lists tons of builds to go through so pick one that you feel would be better for you.

htccraze said:
well i'll say if you ask a 10 people here what ROM is best your bound to get 20 different responces. this is simply because some people rather sence based, some like miui and some prefer CyanogenMod. what i would suggest is a ROM thats rather easy to flash & use so you can get an idea of how to flash it. after you feel comfortable you can check out the vast Android builds the hd2 has to offer.
i would suggest either rafdroid hd found here or bluetopia hd found here. both builds are very easy to flash, just make sure you follow the directions closely and you wont have a problem. you dont need to change the radio more then likely since its probably already been done before. please note that bluetopia is meant for tmous users and not 512. personally i'd check out rafdroid hd anyway just because it has a very detailed description on how to flash the ROM.
both of those are sence builds but if you rather a non-sence base you can look at this webpage for a ROM you rather flash. it lists tons of builds to go through so pick one that you feel would be better for you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad to see a fellow hd2 user on Rafdroid HD.
Yes Rafdroid HD is one of the completed sense roms but is not the latest.
Latest roms have sense 3 but will have bugs
You will need this (ClockWorkMod. aka CWM) Flash magdlr first.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1044830
Depending on rom, you will have to choose cwm partition size. RafDroid Hd uses 400mb. Other roms may have to set custom partition size.Click Here for Rafdroid HD
Lastly, you may need sd-ext3 partition. Recommended 1Gb
1)
...If you are still on magdlr flashing method and not cwm boot to magdlr menu.(Hold power button till you see a menu). Press Android Hardreset.(Call button to select, volume keys up/down)
...If on CWM already, boot to magdlr menu and select Recovery. Press the "delete data/factory reset"
2)
Flash a new cwm partition using USB flasher option.
3)
Put rom in sd card (do not unzip the rom, leave it as .zip)
4)
Boot to CWM and select install zip from sdcard. Navigate to rom file and select. Flashing may take up to 15mins or more.(Just be patient, do NOT remove battery when it is flashing halfway, just leave it alone)
5)
Once done press reboot system. First boot may take longer to load. Once it boots to setup phone screen, youre good to go!

OK-- I'm not really following all of this CWM stuff-- I watched the guy who put android on my phone go through the process-- and asked him to briefly detail me the steps--
he never mentioned anything about cwm... so what exactly is that?
since android was already flashed to my device-- what would be the best process of removing the current android system and installing another?
i powered up my phone while holding down volume key--
its reads
PB81120 SSB3
SPL-2.08.HSPL 8G XE
0x05
CotullaHSPL 0x40
serial
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i also know that i have a magldr---
how do i know whether i have tmous or 512?

the_mask313 said:
OK-- I'm not really following all of this CWM stuff-- I watched the guy who put android on my phone go through the process-- and asked him to briefly detail me the steps--
he never mentioned anything about cwm... so what exactly is that?
since android was already flashed to my device-- what would be the best process of removing the current android system and installing another?
i powered up my phone while holding down volume key--
its reads
i also know that i have a magldr---
how do i know whether i have tmous or 512?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i would read:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1021837
basically, cwm allows you to flash android roms without using a computer to install. (as opposed to daf.exe roms, which you need to tether to the computer.) it is much more than that, but that is all you need to know now. but read the thread above.
if your hardkey buttons are green/red it is tmousa, 1024
if they are not, it is 512

So- another question-- can anyone take a guess at why my phone is crashing so often--
could it be the number of apps i have downloaded (over 120-- mostly stored to SD)
could it be conflicts in the current ROM being used?
Might it be the battery?
When the ROM was freshly added, the system ran perfectly well, with the exception of Navigator crashing once in a while--
I've probably been running with Android for over 6 months now--
its been acting up for about 3 months now.
problems i often encounter:
crashes when i run-
navigator, gps, youtube, sometimes camcorder
forces closes apps somewhat frequently
I have my system clocked down to around 800mhz on conservative mode, via setCpu, because i feared it was running too hot.

thanks much-- ive read all the posted links--
what i'd like to know-- once i install cwm--
is there a need to wipe the existing rom, before installing another--
or do you just install the desired rom?

yes back up everything 1st. i also like to make a copy of my sd card on my computer. then when your about to flash a ROM you will need tp wipe data & cache. once you've wiped them both you'll need to go down to advanced and select that, go to delvic and wipe that. press back and now you are finally ready to flash the rom by selecting install rom from sd. after it runs dont be alarmed but it can take several mins for it to go through the process. when it says its done then reboot the phone. the boot up time will depend greatly on the rom you've chosen so be patient. it can take up to 10-15 mins for your phone to completly reboot.

htccraze said:
yes back up everything 1st. i also like to make a copy of my sd card on my computer. then when your about to flash a ROM you will need tp wipe data & cache. once you've wiped them both you'll need to go down to advanced and select that, go to delvic and wipe that. press back and now you are finally ready to flash the rom by selecting install rom from sd. after it runs dont be alarmed but it can take several mins for it to go through the process. when it says its done then reboot the phone. the boot up time will depend greatly on the rom you've chosen so be patient. it can take up to 10-15 mins for your phone to completly reboot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this is where i get confused---
where do I "wipe" anything-- what program do i use to do this--
and if I'm "wiping" memory, will i need to reinstall programs like magldr, or any radios, again?
you said "go down to advanced"--- 'advanced' in what running program?

you wipe whats listed above in magldr. you can enter magldr by turning off the phone, then turn on the phone but hold the power button down. you will see magldr pop up if its installed. option 8 is recovery you scroll down my pressing vol up and vol down. to select press the green talk button.
so when you enter magldr you go to option 8, it will go to cwr (recovery) then scroll using vol down/up to wipe data. press the green talk to wipe. do the same thing to wipe cache..then scroll down to advanced and select that by pressing green talk. scroll down to delvic and wipe that by pressing green talk. press back and then select install from sd. now you are able and ready to install a rom. simply select the zip file of the rom you want thats on your sd card. (sorry this should have been listed above..place the rom you want on your sd card) now select the rom by scrolling up or down by vol keys and press talk to select your rom. it will begin flashing. at this point it can take a few mins so dont panic. after it completes you will need to press back button and the reboot phone. when you flash a rom sometimes it can take as long as 10-15 mins for it to boot up. take this time to review and make sure you did every step as its been said and you followed all the instructions listed.
you need to wipe everything between flashes because sometimes there is left over code/data etc that can interfer and mess up your phone. it does not wipe anything like magldr/radio/rom..it really just prepares it for it to except a new rom by deleteing the old data. its the same thing as a factory reset really.

Choosing wipe data/factory reset wipes all the partitions,, cache,dalvik, etcetera, ,, no need to manually clear all the different bits one by one.

yes but a little extra safety precautions never hurt anyone

Watch the screen when you do 'wipe data's, it clears the cache, data,dalvik,sd-ext.... so if you then do them individually too you are wiping already wiped partitions.

i know it goes through them all, i been flashing a looong time since the days of winmo 6. personally i like the comfort of making sure as do a lot of other people here on XDA do. im not the 1st person to suggest doing this. i've seen numerous people give these instruction & i still feel its a good way of double checking before flashing a ROM.

Which miui?!?!

there's like 20 miui roms with different names. I just want the best one.
I'm going for this: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1123922
but i also dunno about it.
any support?

xriderx66 said:
there's like 20 miui roms with different names. I just want the best one.
I'm going for this: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1123922
but i also dunno about it.
any support?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's the one I flashed yesterday. Follow the install instructions posted in the lithium miui thread.
No app drawer on miui, so using launcher pro. With launcher pro, the widgets are working, which weren't for some reason on the stock launcher.
Make sure you let your phone rest the full 8 and 4 mins, I don't know why but I did, and apparently it's important.
GPS also works, but I had to play with it to get it going.

SamsungVibrant said:
That's the one I flashed yesterday. Follow the install instructions posted in the lithium miui thread.
No app drawer on miui, so using launcher pro. With launcher pro, the widgets are working, which weren't for some reason on the stock launcher.
Make sure you let your phone rest the full 8 and 4 mins, I don't know why but I did, and apparently it's important.
GPS also works, but I had to play with it to get it going.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
but thats my actual question... which one should i download? Is one better or has any advantages than the other?!

also i need to disable voodoo lagfix right? Because I just did it...
i'm going to go ahead and flash the one i linked to, it seems to look better. Thanks for the help.
edit:
am i meant to follow THESE instructions?
cashyftw said:
Lets get this out of the way first. I am not responsible if you screw up your phone, but you are probably here because you already screwed up your phone. I have now been through this several times over the last few days. Some will say this process is overkill, but there is no denying that it always works, so please refrain from stating the obvious.
If you have installed or updated CM7/MIUI and lost your baseband, IMEI, or both, this should help you. Due to the amount of people currently having this problem, I would recommend this be stickied at least temporarily until things are straightened out, so people can find it easily.
For Windows only, I do not have a Mac.
Step 1 - Read the entire post and understand everything involved before you attempt this. This is a long ride, probably 30-40 minutes from start to end. This is not for new people, and will assume you have a certain amount of knowledge because you attempted to flash CM7/MIUI.
DO NOT SKIP OR SHORTCUT ANY STEP IN THIS PROCESS, UNLESS I SPECIFICALLY STATED YOU MET THE CRITERIA TO DO SO. DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT TRYING THIS UNLESS YOU CAN REACH DOWNLOAD MODE AND RECOVERY USING BUTTONS WITH THE PHONE OFF!
Step 2 - Gather what you need...
1 - The AIO Vibrant Toolbox : http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=954509
Install according to directions in the post. Donate to this guy. He spent alot of time making this easy for you to do.
2 - The old CM7 install files : http://www.mediafire.com/?gn4qoonoe3cjyp6
Unzip to a location that is easy to get to.
3 - The new version of CM7/MIUI you want to install, from the thread of your choice. Donate to the developer you are using, they spend alot of their free time making your phone better. They don't get paid for it, and they dont charge you for it.
4 - Your phone, with a full battery.
Step 3 - Odin to JFD and install Clockwork 2.x
1 - Fire up the AIO Toolbox. Do not connect your phone yet, but power it down and pull your battery. See that sticker under it that says IMEI? Write it down! You will be referencing it a few times throughout the process. Start Odin and select your pit and pda files, they should automatically come up if you are using the toolbox. Hold down your volume up and down buttons, and insert your USB cable, then insert your battery. You should go to download mode, and see Odin connect. Hit start and let it fly. Once it reboots, unplug your phone. Go to settings/about phone and you should have a JFD baseband. Hit status, and check your IMEI. See how it matches the one you wrote down? Yay! Move on to the next item. If it does not, you have some reading to do because you really screwed something up, and it is beyond my power to help you...
2 - Mount phone and put the following files on the root of the sd card:
vibrant-efsbackup.zip (if you already have a backup/efs folder on your sd card you do not need this)
cm7-vibrant-initial-20110224.zip
The zip file of the new CM7/MIUI rom you want to flash.
3 - Download ROM Manager and install clockwork recovery 2.x (if you already have the update.zip on your sd card, which you should, you can also skip this) and power down your phone.
4 - Boot into recovery using the 3 button method (holding volume up and down and power, releasing power when the word VIbrant appears on your screen), hit reinstall packages, you may have to hit it twice to get to clockwork recovery. Choose to install zip from sd card, and select vibrant-efsbackup.zip. Let it do its thing. Then select reboot, and when it does, check your sd card for a backup/efs folder. Got it? Good. Power down the phone. (Obviously, if you already have the efs backup completed, you could have skipped this step.)
Step 4 - Install Clockwork 3.x and Old CM7
1 - Fire up the AIO Toolbox. Do not connect your phone yet, but pull your battery. Start Odin and hit the pda button, select the file cm7-vibrant-initial-kernel.tar from the CM7 package you unzipped (Remember, in a place that is easy to find). THIS IS IMPORTANT - UNCHECK AUTO REBOOT!!! Hold down your volume up and down buttons, and insert your USB cable, then insert your battery. You should enter download mode, and see Odin connect. Hit start and let it fly. Once it is finished, pull the usb cable. With the download mode screen still on your phone, boot into recovery using the 3 button method. You should now be in clockwork recovery 3.x. Move on to the next item! If you did not get in, you can try to pull your battery, replace it and boot into recovery from there. If you still can't get there, you get to go where the people who do not properly follow instructions go... back to Step 1.
2 - In clockwork 3.x, choose factory reset, and let it do it's thing. Then go to mounts and storage, and format system, data, and cache. Choose install zip from sd card and choose cm7-vibrant-initial -20110224.zip. As it is installing, one of the last things you see should be "restoring efs". Hit reboot when finished, and boot into CM7. When it boots, make sure you toggle the lockscreen a couple times so it connects to service. Check baseband and IMEI again. Baseband should have changed, but it does not matter until we get to where we are going. IMEI still the same right? Awesome! Power down the phone, move to the next step! It's not? You my friend, get to meet all your other friends back at Step 1.
Step 5 - Installing what you really want...
1 - Boot into recovery using the 3 button combo. Do a factory reset, wipe cache partition, go to advanced and wipe Dalvik cache. Choose install zip from sd card, and pick that shiny new version of CM7/MIUI you picked out. You are almost there. Flash it! Reboot, and when it comes back up, take note of what time it is and DO NOT TOUCH THE PHONE FOR 15 MINUTES. You have no idea the amount of bugs this squashes. After that, check the baseband and IMEI, even though you already know it is right anyway. If it is not, do i have to say it again? You know where you are going...
2 - Destroy the paper you wrote your IMEI on, you would not want that info in the wrong hands...
3 - Enjoy your new rom
FAQ:
Q: I did everything you said, and it did not work!
A: You either skipped a step, or did not stop at the point I told you you were screwed.
Q: No, seriously, I did everything you said!
A: Seriously, I have done this 5 times in the past 3 days, and it worked every time.
Q: I installed CM7 nightly #9,10,or 11 with this method, and I have no sound on calls. What gives?
A: These builds have known issues with in call audio. Flash CM7.1
Q: Once I am on CM7/MIUI, do I have to do this every time or can I update normally?
A: Once you are on CM7 or MIUI with the proper IMEI and a good baseband, you should be able to update via the rom posting instructions. If you decided to switch from CM7 to MIUI or vice versa, I would go back to this process to get your initial installation.
Q: I installed CM7.1 and then tried to go to MIUI, and lost everything again, what happened?
A: There are changes betweeen CM7 to 7.1 that have made this difficult due to compatability issues, which is why I recommend doing this process again if you want to switch between the two.
Q: I thought there was an easier way to do this, why so many steps?
Read the first paragraph of the post, but I guess that is also asking too much...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

xriderx66 said:
also i need to disable voodoo lagfix right? Because I just did it...
i'm going to go ahead and flash the one i linked to, it seems to look better. Thanks for the help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just install the one you linked to, the one direct from miui.us.
The other Lithium one looks like it's customized, overclock kernal, stuff like that.
I disabled vodoo lag fix. I odin back to 2.1. Then I installed stock 2.2.
Then I followed the instructions exactly. Wipe dalvic cashe, format system/data/cache, wipe factory restore, etc etc.
Not sure if I had to install 2.2 first, but I did anyway since the install instructions were for upgrading from a 2.2 rom and not a 2.1 rom.

thanks for the help. I'm on MIUI now, just gotta wait the total 12 mins for it to settle down. ;P

@xriderx66, please will you be kind enough to let me know your experience with the MIUI. i am strongly thinking of flashing same rom.
Thanks in advance.

No, that lengthy install instruction is outdated
xriderx66 said:
thanks for the help. I'm on MIUI now, just gotta wait the total 12 mins for it to settle down. ;P
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You don't have to install via those long instructions anymore. Apparently those are outdated.
Just manually backup your /efs and keep a copy on your computer, just because everyone should have a copy of their /efs folder and nv_data.bin, otherwise if you run into trouble you can lose your IMEI.
Then follow these simple instructions as outlined by user nickmcminn60 for his Lithium MiUi rom, but it worked for the regular MiUi also:
INSTALL INSTRUCTIONS (For Lithium and SS-11 If you are on MIUI, CM-7 or a 2.2)
-Wipe Dalvik Cache
-Wipe Cache Partition
-Wipe Data/Factory Reset
-Format-System, Cache and Data (Located under "Mounts & Storage)
-Flash LE Lithium (EDIT by me samsungvibrant..OR THE STOCK VERSION OF MIUI could be flashed here)
-Fix Permissions
-Reboot and Let Settle For 8 Min
-Reboot again Let Set For 4 Min..
No need to do the longer install process you had mentioned in the prior post.

belushi7 said:
@xriderx66, please will you be kind enough to let me know your experience with the MIUI. i am strongly thinking of flashing same rom.
Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's a very smooth rom, it has fast animations and i love em'
The only thing bugging me right now is battery life drains way faster than what i'm used to. I'll find out more on calibrating the battery/changing kernels etc.
SamsungVibrant said:
You don't have to install via those long instructions anymore. Apparently those are outdated.
Just manually backup your /efs and keep a copy on your computer, just because everyone should have a copy of their /efs folder and nv_data.bin, otherwise if you run into trouble you can lose your IMEI.
Then follow these simple instructions as outlined by user nickmcminn60 for his Lithium MiUi rom, but it worked for the regular MiUi also:
INSTALL INSTRUCTIONS (For Lithium and SS-11 If you are on MIUI, CM-7 or a 2.2)
-Wipe Dalvik Cache
-Wipe Cache Partition
-Wipe Data/Factory Reset
-Format-System, Cache and Data (Located under "Mounts & Storage)
-Flash LE Lithium (EDIT..OR THE STOCK VERSION OF MIUI)
-Fix Permissions
-Reboot and Let Settle For 8 Min
-Reboot again Let Set For 4 Min..
No need to do the longer install process you had mentioned in the prior post.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, thanks, i figured that out.
Any specific kernels you're using for better battery life?

@SamsungVibrant, please how do you backup your /efs? is there a thread you can point me at so I can read it up?

how do i make my phone stop vibranting everytime i get a text message?

belushi7 said:
@SamsungVibrant, please how do you backup your /efs? is there a thread you can point me at so I can read it up?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With root explorer, free from market. Enable root within that app in settings. Also enable root with superuser app in tools folder. Then navigate to efs folder copy and paste it.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App

xriderx66 said:
how do i make my phone stop vibranting everytime i get a text message?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is in settings, sounds.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App

I always flash MIUI still being on Voodoo and I don't notice anything.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA Premium App

Is it ok to flash with gb bootloaders???

Yup but ur external SD card wont work
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA Premium App

From what I have seen Lithium is actually meant to be more of a development ROM for new features. The other ROM made by that developer is the SS series which is meant to be more of a daily driver (eg. more stable), and it has additional tweaks from the official MIUI release to try to achieve things like better battery life as well as a OC or UVable kernel.
SS can be found here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1099533
and here:
http://forums.miui.us/showthread.php?7067-ROM-SS-11.1-%281.9.30%29-**UPDATED**-10-01-11

Unrelated to the OP, but if you're using Launcher Pro you're missing out on one of the best aspects of MIUI: No App Drawer! Instead you organize your apps into folders on the Home page. It makes you wonder why there ever was an app drawer. Seems like a silly concept now that I've been using MIUI for a while.

Alanrocks15 said:
Yup but ur external SD card wont work
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
not true anymore, can be flashed with GB bootloader.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using xda premium

[Q] Unable to activate Bluetooth in TyphooN CyanogenMod 7 Nightly v3.6.x

Hi friends,
this is my first post here so I think it's time to say thankyou to the devs and the mods of this forum. really great work.
After my CoreDroid install crashed (most apps wouldn''t start any more) a friend of mine pointed me to the typhoon cm mod. I'm very happy with this mod as it is very smooth und looking good.
My first version was 3.6.5.
Some days after install I noticed that I couldn't start BT. It says "activating.." but then stays off.
I updated today to 3.6.9. but this didn't change anything.
Is there anything I have to configure or am I doing something wrong?
Thanx in advance for your help!
Edit: Hm. No answer at all? Was this a stupid question? When searching this forum I just find bluetooth connection problems. Should I take any steps like task29 and reinstall this mod? Do you need some more information about the phone?

Sorry, just bumping.

Really no one?
Not even a tiny neat hint?
It seems to me as I also have the bluetooth power drain bug (~60mAh in Standby with only 2g/3g activated data off, wlan off and of course no bluetooth active - at least it seems so).
pleeeaasse... heeelp..

Seeing as it's not something that has come up before, you will need to do a cwm backup then do some testing, try a few roms, maybe go back to winmo, post back with what works what doesn't.
Without trying other roms there's no hint whether its hardware or software.

Thank you for this hints.
Would you suggest to do a hardreset after making a cwm-backup? What other steps of precaution should I take between switching between different mods for beeing on the clean side?

no, not a hard reset (assuming you meant a winmo hard reset, , that doesnt do anything), , , if you are flashing another android rom, , in CWM choose 'wipe data factory reset' which will wipe all the partitions, most importantly this will wipe the sd-ext partition and clear the protected android folders on the fat32 part of the sd card.
Do this even if you are going to change the partition size (i.e reflash CWM for a rom that requires a different size) because re flashing cwm will clear all the nand partitions, but wont touch anything on the sd card, and its often the stuff left over on the sd card that causes problems.
I'd try one android rom, and if that doesn't work id go back to winmo stock (if you have a tmous, usual warnings apply to ONLY use tmous stock roms), and if it still doesnt work, its almost certainly hardware fault. had any bumps or bangs?

hm. some problem here: cmw seems to be corrupted. when I press either up or down vol, it seems as if "abort" (red) is also pressed (the hat appears on screen). after pressing up/down vol again, the menue appears again and the marked line moved one step.
this way I can do a backup, but when navigating in the secodn level menues, I fall back to top level menue. :/
Any way I can repair cwm?
I can't remember how I installed it. Think it came with magldr.
What now?

Enter magldr, "USB flashing", flash cwm.

didn't do the trick.
still not able to navigate in cwm.
but: nand gone. no android to boot. :[
Edit: I'm trying to get into the bootloader by holding down vol-down then hold down power. But I get into magldr.
Doing it wrong?

sounds to me like you have a hardware problem with the keys. Also, there are a few threads that talk about not being able to get into bootloader, not read any of them, but thats probably where you should start.

Vibrant (Not rooted) not starting up properly...

My Vibrant (which is not rooted at all, its 2.2) is not starting up properly. When I start it up, it makes it past the S logo and it only shows the notification bar (which has the time, battery status, etc.) at the top which doesn't go down when I pull it down. Everything on the screen under the bar is just blank black and every 10 seconds it all goes blank and the notification bar reappears again and that's all.
I've tried taking out the battery and restarting several times. I've also held down the 2 Volume (up & down) keys while holding down Power and entered the recovery menu thing which has some options for me. I see: reboot system now / reinstall packages / delete all user data / delete cache data / format internal sd-card
What is wrong with my phone and what do I do?
Any answers would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Do you know what Odin is?

I've seen Odin around here a lot, but I'm not fully aware of it. Would it be helpful in my case?
Will it delete all my data from my phone or just the apps? If so, is there any way I can fix my phone without deleting my photos, videos, music, etc. I don't care if some apps get lost but I want my media.

Odin will delete your apps but it will not lose your Photos, Videos, Music, any of that stuff. It resets your phone to stock state (2.1 eclair) and doesn't touch the internal SD (unless you tick Masterwipe-so don't do that).
I posted this in another thread but it'll do for you too.
Go to the Dev section and download tha AIO Toolbox (Stickied at the top). It has the Odin v1.8 (I think), all the drivers and pit/tar files that you need to get back to stock 2.1 and then you can download CWR from my signature, find a ROM.zip that you want to install and put them on your Internal SD card.
Make sure you put the ROM in a folder and also make sure that the CWR that you get from my sig is on your internal and is the only thing on it labeled Update.zip. Once those are done, boot into recovery, scroll down to "Reinstall PAckages" and hit it. Let it cycle through and you might have to do it again. Once it cycles through your recovery will go from Blue (stock) to Green (CWR) from there, you can flash your ROM and profit. [If you are going to an ICS flavor, you may have to be on GB bootloaders and flash CM7 as an intermitant step. I suggest trying Moped_Ryder's ROM and Fishman's Bionix Mod-both 2.2 but quality and everything works.]
The toolbox is a valuable thing and you can do many things with it, but mainly and most importantly, it HAS the files to get you back to TMo 2.1. (I use it all the time and I am not even a TMo customer).

One thing you could try before going the Odin route that Woodrube mentioned(which sounds like what you're going to have to end up doing anyway) is find a CWR (Clockwork Recovery) zip file that you can install. You can find them somewhere on XDA if you do some searching; should be a little under 2 megs.
If your status bar comes up, even briefly, are you able to mount your phone on your PC and copy a file over? If you can, I'd say try putting that CWR zip file (renamed to update.zip) on your internal SD (where everything else is) and in the recovery you can get to now do "reinstall packages".
It'll load up CWR (you may have to do that "reinstall packages" twice), and you can do a couple of last ditch efforts. Wipe the cache, go to advanced and wipe the dalvick cache, and then fix the permissions.
You don't have to be root to do that, and while a long shot it may at least get you back to workable. But even if you do you should still backup your apps and goodies in preparation to Odin back to stock and format everything. I'm a big fan of clean wipes when things get all quirky like that.

Why don't you just root it while you at it its makes life easier lol
Sent from my Sensation using xda premium

I would recommend trying out a custom rom if you are going to Odin anyway. I had numerous issues with Samsung's software. You can Odin flash quite a few custom roms as well.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using xda premium

[Q] Attempting to flash ICS333 - Stuck at CWM/Can't access SD card error

Hi all,
For the last couple of days I've been trying to flash my Galaxy S with ICS333 using the following guide - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=25722239#post25722239
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"3. Enter Download Mode, open Odin, check Re-Partition, press PIT button and browse for the PIT file, press PDA button and browse for the PDA file in the ROM folder, press PHONE button and browse for the PHONE file, press CSC button and browse for the CSC file and finally press START button.Wait till it`s finished and when the phone reboots disconnect from PC.
4. When the phone has booted into the ROM and you see the wizard screen just enter download mode again, plug your phone into the PC, open Odin, press PDA button and browse for the CF-Root kernel, press START button and wait for it to finish.After the phone reboots disconnect it from the PC, let it boot and when you`re in the ROM, set your phone to mass storage mode from settings>wireless & network>usb settings and plug your phone into the PC, copy the ICS333 ROM to your internal SD root location, assuming you have downloaded it from here : http://goo.gl/LuXvH and disconnect from PC.
5. Enter CWM, Wipe Data/Factory Reset, Wipe Cache, Wipe Dalvik Cache and flash the ROM.You will notice the phone will reboot immediately because it will switch kernels, from CF-Root to Semaphore, prior to flashing the actual ROM.As a result, it will boot loop or get stuck on Semaphore logo, so just force it into CWM using the 3 key combo (no need to take the battery out).Now flash the rom again and wait till it`s finished and > Reboot to system!."
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After performing stage 3 I waited for the phone to restart and understand that I should have seen a ROM/Wizard appear. This did not happen and now the phone just goes straight into CWM upon boot.
Whilst in CWM I get the error E:Can't mount /sdcard/ and non of the functions work. What should I do next? I've had a search around these and other forums but can't work out what to do. Don't want to just keep trying random things and end up making the situation worse.
Thanks for any help you can offer.
Louis

king llama said:
Don't want to just keep trying random things and end up making the situation worse.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
get back into download mode to flash a rescue kit or a JVU upgrade from My Android Collections also tick update bootloader
But First power down, pull out Battery, SIM CARD, and EXT SD card, press power button for a minute , than power up without SIM and Ext SD Card...make sure you have more than 50% battery charge before you attempt any sort of flashing

Thanks very much for the help. Used the darkyrom resurrection kit and it worked like a charm.

king llama said:
Thanks very much for the help. Used the darkyrom resurrection kit and it worked like a charm.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One last thing before I go ahead and try flashing ICS again. Can I go straight from darkyrom to ICS or do I need to put a Gingerbread installation on the device first?
Thanks again
Louis

king llama said:
I need to put a Gingerbread installation on the device first?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
nope, should work from there

xsenman said:
nope, should work from there
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry to be a bother again but I now have a new problem. I have updated to CM 9 android version 4.0.4 which appears to function correctly but gives me no access to the sim card (can't see any phone numbers/contacts and won't connect to the network).
I understand that this usually has something to do with EFS settings (I took a backup of the EFS using GPS Aids before I flashed) which I have tried to restore using Nitrality but with no success.
I have checked the sim card in another phone and it works correctly.
Starting to think that this flashing business is not for me.
Any ideas as to what I should try next?
Thanks
Louis

You can change the efs folder via terminal but I found the easiest way (I had incorrect imei on hellybean) was..
Flash stock GB via Odin. Flash semaphore kernal via Odin. To get cwm.
Boot into recovery and flash cm7, boot into recovery and flash cm9, boot into recovery and flash cm10.
Obviously make sure you have cm versions on the card first. Efs corrupts when you don't flash in order example GB to JB missing out ICS. Doesn't happen all the time but that's usually the cause.
Worked like a charm for me.
sent using my fat fingers from the robot eating the apple...

creative0100 said:
You can change the efs folder via terminal but I found the easiest way (I had incorrect imei on hellybean) was..
Flash stock GB via Odin. Flash semaphore kernal via Odin. To get cwm.
Boot into recovery and flash cm7, boot into recovery and flash cm9, boot into recovery and flash cm10.
Obviously make sure you have cm versions on the card first. Efs corrupts when you don't flash in order example GB to JB missing out ICS. Doesn't happen all the time but that's usually the cause.
Worked like a charm for me.
sent using my fat fingers from the robot eating the apple...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have returned the phone to stock Gingerbread and the problem still persists.