Database Users

My 1st gen Vibrant, advice

Hello,
I really love the screen on this phone, the hardware capabilities (720p rec, etc.) and although newer and better processors in phones are coming out I like this 1 enough to hold me over for a long time.
so here is my issue:
I purchased my vibrant about 2 weeks after came out, and the biggest problem I faced initially was the problem with the gps. At this point I have not even use gps is the first month I bought it, instead I just use google maps in follow the directions it gives me.
Since that time, I have rooted my phone. I was really happy to get the first update that was rolled out, even though it was rooted. I have heard of all the difference solutions to fix the gps but is it really worth the effort to practically void my warranty even further than rooting it by opening it up and trying to solder whatever antenna is in there.
Now I know my phone is covered under samsung warranty. I should also mention the other big problem I have with it is the battery life. If I can fix these 2 issues I would love the phone forever.
here's my question:
is it feasible and worth the effort to get my phone returned back to samsung so that the battery and gps are of the newest generation?
does anyone have experience doing this and how willing is samsung to work with me?
Finally if I do end up getting a replacement then I know I will have to un root my phone before I send it to samsung. I'm not stupid but I just haven't flashed any roms before. if I did get my phone back to stock settings, then would I lose all of the applications and I paid for and all the customization I have done to the phone (contacts, accounts, data)?
also just curious but I haven't received the 2.2 over the air update yet am I even going to get it since my phone is rooted? I figure I may as well try 2.2 before I actually send in the phone.
I know these are a lot of questions but I really like this phone and I want to get it to work.
thank you and I appreciate any suggestions or advice for me.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

New and old Vibrants alike have GPS problem.
I don't have an answer to all your questions, but what I can tell you is that you should not wait for your phone to update to 2.2 because it is an over-the-air update.
Follow these instructions if you want to update your phone:
http://forums.t-mobile.com/t5/Samsu...-upgrade-to-Android-2-2-Froyo-now/td-p/678871

As far as I've heard the newer ones after 10/10 don't seem to have the same problem. It may be worth it to take it to the store and show them how bad the GPS is. They may exchange it for you. I'd unroot and go back to stock first.
That won't address the battery issue, but that's generic to most of these newer phones. You can do tweaks to get more life out of them, but that seems to be about it.

if I unroot and go back to stock is it going to erase my applications and contacts, and settings?
I bought it online so I would have to send it back to letstalk.com, I'll have to check out the return policy.
thanks for the replies.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

You will not lose your paid apps, they are tied to your google account. Use titanium backup before you unroot your phone to backup all your data, including app data. When you get your new phone, you will have to reroot and then you can restore everything from titanium.
You can try to get a warrantly replacement from Samsung rather than using letstalk, I think it's a pain to exchange with them, but I'm not sure.

As said above, Titanium backup will handle it. I have my phone from someone on this board, so I had to go directly with Samsung. Once I could get the tech support person to understand the phone just didn't work it was easier. Don't know how that would go with the GPS. Mine was for the phone not working as a phone, ie, no connection to the network.

zharptitza said:
As far as I've heard the newer ones after 10/10 don't seem to have the same problem. It may be worth it to take it to the store and show them how bad the GPS is. They may exchange it for you. I'd unroot and go back to stock first.
That won't address the battery issue, but that's generic to most of these newer phones. You can do tweaks to get more life out of them, but that seems to be about it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I find that to be incorrect. My Vibrant has a 11.01 (2011 January) build date on it and the gps is horrible. I've tried every rom, but I do notice the gps being a little more better with certain roms.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

Here is my story:
I phone up t-mobile and say my GPS doesn't work. They made me go through a four day dance trying stuff, but if it doesn't work, it doesn't work.
They then replaced it with a brand new phone.
And they charged me $10 shipping & handling for the new phone.
Before the phone never could reliably get and hold on to a GPS lock; afterwards it locks in seconds and never drops.

Hmm, threads I had seen were saying it was better. I have an older one that I just fixed myself. I was hoping they'd gotten their act together and fixed their antenna construction. Its such a simple thing to fix, you'd think they'd do it at the plant.

False
zharptitza said:
As far as I've heard the newer ones after 10/10 don't seem to have the same problem. It may be worth it to take it to the store and show them how bad the GPS is. They may exchange it for you. I'd unroot and go back to stock first.
That won't address the battery issue, but that's generic to most of these newer phones. You can do tweaks to get more life out of them, but that seems to be about it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
False, I've personally used Vibrants made after 10/10 and the GPS is no better than ones produced earlier.
There is no change in hardware, and it has never been proven that a hardware revision on the GPS was made on phones manufactured after 10/10. Just speculation and rumor.

SamsungVibrant said:
False, I've personally used Vibrants made after 10/10 and the GPS is no better than ones produced earlier.
There is no change in hardware, and it has never been proven that a hardware revision on the GPS was made on phones manufactured after 10/10. Just speculation and rumor.
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Click to collapse
Yeah, I think I've got to agree on this one.
In the gps case, I really think it is really a hit or miss issue. My gps works pretty decently but my hubby's doesn't work at all. Even when we were both stock, I could lock on some birds but his was never able to. On top of that, when I flashed Nero onto my phone, my gps got even better. Granted, I don't think it would ever see a thing if it was working on standalone; but with wireless networks on, this thing would (and has) pinpoint(ed) me on a moving train accurately.
Aside from firmwares (now), the only difference between them was the build dates: his - 07/10, mine - 09/10.

Kindle Fire OTA software update coming in less than two weeks

In the wake of many user complaints about web browsing speeds and other performance issues, Amazon has told the New York Times that it will be releasing a software update for the Kindle Fire "in less than two weeks." That timeframe would put this new software update about a month after the 6.2 update released at the end of November.
http://www.theverge.com/2011/12/11/...ta-software-update-coming-less-than-two-weeks

Oh God lol, now I have to root again....
Sent from my Kindle Fire using xda premium

Well hopefully this time it will be at least a worthwhile update. instead of a no visible difference update like the last one or take away a feature like the one before that.
Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk

Let's hope the Development get a solid kernel and Rom by then...I don't want to be stock when they update the bootloader and lock it down after all the returned rooted and bricked fires due to people testing kernels that didn't know what they were doing and then returning them.....
Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk

Lets hope some concrete updates...... But wht about some hardware issues......
http://mirolta.com/2011/12/12/amazo...for-kindle-fire-to-encounter-critical-issues/

The OTA will be a non-issue as much as the 6.2 update was. Sure you might have to reroot but Big Deal! That took all of a 30 seconds to do again.
Stuff about Amazon changing to a locked bootloader ignores the fact that most people never root or modify their device. The ones that do are a very miniscule minority of the total users that have the unit. Besides, has any device manufacturer locked a bootloader for a device that was originally released as unlocked? I don't think so.
I bet a lot more units are returned due to some malfunction than due to some someone screwing up their unit trying to modify it.
My wife has her unit stock... no mods, no tweaks, just uses it the way it came. I have mine rooted, different launcher and tons of apps that I have loaded from Android Market or side loaded via other means. I think the device is great for the price.
People who use forums like this have a very skewed idea of how many people actually modify their devices... most never do, never know about it and don't even know forums like this.

krelvinaz said:
The OTA will be a non-issue as much as the 6.2 update was. Sure you might have to reroot but Big Deal! That took all of a 30 seconds to do again.
Stuff about Amazon changing to a locked bootloader ignores the fact that most people never root or modify their device. The ones that do are a very miniscule minority of the total users that have the unit. Besides, has any device manufacturer locked a bootloader for a device that was originally released as unlocked? I don't think so.
I bet a lot more units are returned due to some malfunction than due to some someone screwing up their unit trying to modify it.
My wife has her unit stock... no mods, no tweaks, just uses it the way it came. I have mine rooted, different launcher and tons of apps that I have loaded from Android Market or side loaded via other means. I think the device is great for the price.
People who use forums like this have a very skewed idea of how many people actually modify their devices... most never do, never know about it and don't even know forums like this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly ... That's a well explained post

Yeah, companies lock bootloaders for concrete reasons. They are not going to all of a sudden lock the device down a month after it was released just to mess with modders. Because that is literally the only thing it would do.
The Nook Tablet, for instance... I believe the reason the bootloader is locked is because they had to as part of an agreement with Netflix to provide higher quality streaming to the device. B&N decided that annoying the tiny minority of modders was worth it in exchange for high quality Netflix streaming - something that a much larger percentage of users can benefit from and of course an extra marketing bullet point for them to use.
I'm fine with them updating the device. Look at all the Android phones that don't get regular updates. All people do is whine about NOT getting updated! The KF is some great hardware for the price but it still has issues. Touchscreen responsiveness still needs to be improved, battery life REALLY needs to be improved, and they have to fix the sleep of death as well. I will GLADLY go through the hassle of re-rooting and re-installing the market if these things are fixed.
Of course I'd prefer to have a custom ROM so I can get updates without having to redo all that stuff, but it's only a matter of time.

please, dear god, let non-rooted users change the lockscreen wallpaper

Is there a way yet to block OTA updates (that is also easy to reverse)?
Don't want to be caught with my pants down by this update if it does more than anticipated ....

andTab said:
Is there a way yet to block OTA updates (that is also easy to reverse)?
Don't want to be caught with my pants down by this update if it does more than anticipated ....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haven't read through it, but this post seems to cover it.

ryanlbowen said:
please, dear god, let non-rooted users change the lockscreen wallpaper
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This. 10char

Also hoping for a clean re-root-only response to this update... I have it stowed away as a gift for my wife, and take it out at night to perform nerd-surgery. It would be great to not have issues right before holiday, as it's going to be enough fun explaining the different launchers, etc.

ReverseWolf said:
Also hoping for a clean re-root-only response to this update... I have it stowed away as a gift for my wife, and take it out at night to perform nerd-surgery. It would be great to not have issues right before holiday, as it's going to be enough fun explaining the different launchers, etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have nothing to contribute to this, just lmfao at your analogy of what you do late at night. ;-)
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App

andTab said:
Is there a way yet to block OTA updates (that is also easy to reverse)?
Don't want to be caught with my pants down by this update if it does more than anticipated ....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not the best solution, but it's easy: turn off wireless.
You don't need a widget for this, but it's nice. I recently installed a power control widget ( I used Widgetsoid ) to allow me to turn off wireless ( as well as adjust brightness, volume, toggle USB, and turn off GPS ).
Since I'm mostly content with my setup for now, I leave the wireless turned off to conserve battery and avoid the next update. I'd rather wait until I hear from the good folks here that the next update is OKAY before I turn on wireless and let it update. In the meantime, if I need wireless, I can check here just to be sure there is no update waiting to be pushed, flip on the wireless, do what I need, then turn it back off.
Like I said, it's not the best solution, but it works for me, and it's really simple.

ReverseWolf said:
Also hoping for a clean re-root-only response to this update... I have it stowed away as a gift for my wife, and take it out at night to perform nerd-surgery. It would be great to not have issues right before holiday, as it's going to be enough fun explaining the different launchers, etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let me ask you something- same situation here.. My wife's just came in the mail today. I'd like to know more about device setup before said "nerd surgery" as I want to do a similar thing.. Did you login with your own amazon account or hers? If I login w/ hers I don't want her to get a "Congrats on your Kindle registration" type of email- as this is a surprise after all.. But- I'm also thinking that if I go ahead and login w/ mine- anything I do as far as loading apps, etc will be wiped out when she has to login w/ hers?
Sorry to be long winded- overall my main question is- Whats the best way to tinker/root/play with this thing w/o giving away any surprises or having to re-do work?

I'd leave it in the box. When my wife's came, she wanted it right away. It auto registered to MY account, not hers. Didn't add anything to it, it just happened.
I had to deregister it and then reregister it to her account. Doing so is like a default reset.
Also, it is going to auto update at least once as they come with 6.1 and 6.2 is the current. Might even be 6.3 or whatever the new OTA is by the time she opens it.

Do you remember if she got an email when you deregistered and assigned it to her account?

Dont recall. I don't read her email so I don't know and I did a quick check of my email and don't see anything either...

I definitely got an email when I registered mine.
Sent from my BAMForever Thunderbolt

Just Got My Galaxy Note Today

PLEASE HELP!!!
Hello, Guys I just got my GNote International today, I'm fairly well at the rooting and getting things going after I get a push in the right direction. My Current devices are only the Galaxy Note and Asus Transformer Prime, HP Touchpad, But in the past Ive done rooting with The original GTab from Viewsonic -First tablet, Nook, Streak 7, ZTE warp, Galaxy Tab 10.1, HP Touchpad, Asus Transformer Prime- Current Tab. I have never rooted a phone before besides the Warp and it was very simple, one click deal, The GNote seems very complex it is a different beast. So I really need some help with This bad boy, If you can help thank you very much.
Here is the Rundown on my Phone. Just got it Today. Sim Will be here tomorrow.
International Ver.
Gingerbread 2.3.6
Kernel
2.6.35.7 N7000XXLA4-CL886827
[email protected]#2
Build
GINGERBREAD.XXLA4
1. I wont get my Straight Talk [email protected] Sim card until tomorrow, I was told to order the att straight talk Sim Card is that right. I had the option of unlocked or ATT and on the message board most responses said get att, so you don't get stuck on EDGE and t-mobile.
2. Should I let it update and root before I get the Sim in it. I'm ready to get started now but like i said I wont get my Sim until tomorrow. Its already asking me to update but I haven't done anything yet because I know update can ruin rooting methods, etc.
3. I live in the US this phone will be fine as working right it was the only white one and I wanted a white one with the home button. I don't think it matters just making sure I didn't jump the gun, and that this will work with straight talk ATT Sim.
On my current version and rom, kernel etc. what would be the easiest root method for me. So I can put CWM and start setting it up to my liking.
If you need anymore info just let me know I haven't put this thing down since I got it. My Asus Prime aint been out all day. It seems like the Phone are way more complicated to root and get set up with Sim Cards. Maybe its just because I'm new to the phones, my Warp was a 4.3 Boost Mobile and I thought that would be all the bigger I would need but I like Samsung products and this is just so much bigger than it sounds like it would be, and the use of a tablet and phone is what made me jump.
My tech knowledge is decent at least 7-8 so I will figure it out. I just don't want to skip important steps. I want to make sure I do everything in order, that's why I asked if I can root and all that before my sim card gets here tomorrow, remember this is my first root on a phone that is unlocked. If anyone can help me make sure I don't do anything out of order, I will appreciate it a lot. Thanks for any help in advance.

It doesnt matter if you root with or without sim card. Probably need to find the apn settings for your chosen carrier.
Best way to answer all your other questions is below. Search is your friend.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=1349

Ok I understand that but will it matter if I root it first, set up ICS and CWM before setting up my APN settings with straight talk on my original rom? Does it really matter?
Root put on ICS rom then I can still set up service with straight talk or
set up service with straight talk then root CWM and ICS any difference?
I'm just wondering if I root this thing and set up my new ICS rom will I still be able to set up my straight talk service, or should I wait first to set up my service when my Sim gets here?

drvsbsm said:
Ok I understand that but will it matter if I root it first, set up ICS and CWM before setting up my APN settings with straight talk on my original rom? Does it really matter?
Root put on ICS rom then I can still set up service with straight talk or
set up service with straight talk then root CWM and ICS any difference?
I'm just wondering if I root this thing and set up my new ICS rom will I still be able to set up my straight talk service, or should I wait first to set up my service when my Sim gets here?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For APN, download APN backup & restore from market, then backup your current APN, then even if you flash official or custom roms, you can always restore your son if the from doesn't have it
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium

drvsbsm said:
Ok I understand that but will it matter if I root it first, set up ICS and CWM before setting up my APN settings with straight talk on my original rom? Does it really matter?
Root put on ICS rom then I can still set up service with straight talk or
set up service with straight talk then root CWM and ICS any difference?
I'm just wondering if I root this thing and set up my new ICS rom will I still be able to set up my straight talk service, or should I wait first to set up my service when my Sim gets here?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can set your apn first/middle/last, it doesnt matter. Just like your previous devices, your apn is always available in your settings option. You can change it whenever or add one whenever. Root just gives you access to system files and will not effect your apn.
Stop thinking so hard lol. But make sure you read, read, read before installing ics. I would recommend downloading a few stock gb roms and making backup of your current rom before going forward. Its extremely hard to brick a samsung device, but make sure you have something ready before installing.

Root now..the sim card is just your service..you set apn on any new rom.just jump on wifi for data...don't ever update the phone through settings..unless you want to lose root..always install rooted roms so you may wait a day for a rooted version.
Personally Samsung is a different animal then what I'm use to which is HTC.
I have not used Odin for the PC at all..I've only used mobile Odin pro from the market or cmw.
Sent from my GT-N7000

Root now..the sim card is just your service..you set apn on any new rom.just jump on wifi for data...don't ever update the phone through settings..unless you want to lose root..always install rooted roms so you may wait a day for a rooted version.
Personally Samsung is a different animal then what I'm use to which is HTC.
I have not used Odin for the PC at all..I've only used mobile Odin pro from the market or cmw.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I know that is true I have only rooted one cell in my life and it was one click job, simple! This seems to be a lot more technical but I will figure it out. I have rooted many tablets though right now I have a Asus Transformer Prime, HP Touchpad, ZTE Warp-Phone, Nook Color all rooted. In the past I've rooted plenty other tabs but just one phone and it was with one mouse click, and done.
When you first get into something new its like **** man this is crazy, then after about a week it gets easier. I hope that is the case with this phone. So why not ever do an over the air update? So I need to uncheck this RIGHT NOW So if the original ICS comes out don't do it over the air? Wait and do it another way correct? My phone already did one first boot, it was already check marked to download and install updates in the settings when I turned it on it did an update. I really didn't even have time to see what it was but it was a small minor update I think so. I used the settings for straight talk from here in the thread and I get around 3-5 MB down but have only tried it like 5 times in my basement.
The weird thing is that it thinks I'm in Kansas or something because speedtest.net app says finding the closest server and it finds one in Kansas and says I'm like 30klm away from the server and its the closest one? Anyone know why this is, or WTF is going on? I gave them my correct ZIP when I ordered the ST Sim Card. Most of the time it stays on HSDPA mode but I never see where it says who my carrier is, edit I see it says HOME I guess that's my carrier? so far that Ive noticed. I don't understand the location issue. maybe I should set up my GPS I don't like it on if I don't need it.
How do you avoid from them catching on or saying I'm using too much data, I know to use WiFi whenever possible, that's a given, but what else do you guys do? Don't unlimited mean unlimited? I mean if I bought a straight talk phone and watched you-tube all day can they really say anything, its unlimited right or at least suppose to be. Anyways any tips on keeping straight talk out of my business, and off my @ss would be appreciated. Thanks
Any other tips are welcome I got two cases coming their TPU style cases which I prefer but I might have to put this in a wallet type case also? But I got super slim TPU style cases so it don't get much bigger I don't want to really add more bulk to it its getting hot outside, time for shorts, and that means no jacket pocket, I wear mostly loose fitting jeans/shorts nylon sports type. so I should be alright. Do I need a screen protector I saw one that strengthens it suppose to anyways. Alright enough questions I just don't want to ruin a $650 phone I just got, that's all.

drvsbsm said:
Yeah I know that is true I have only rooted one cell in my life and it was one click job, simple! This seems to be a lot more technical but I will figure it out. I have rooted many tablets though right now I have a Asus Transformer Prime, HP Touchpad, ZTE Warp-Phone, Nook Color all rooted. In the past I've rooted plenty other tabs but just one phone and it was with one mouse click, and done.
When you first get into something new its like **** man this is crazy, then after about a week it gets easier. I hope that is the case with this phone. So why not ever do an over the air update? So I need to uncheck this RIGHT NOW So if the original ICS comes out don't do it over the air? Wait and do it another way correct? My phone already did one first boot, it was already check marked to download and install updates in the settings when I turned it on it did an update. I really didn't even have time to see what it was but it was a small minor update I think so. I used the settings for straight talk from here in the thread and I get around 3-5 MB down but have only tried it like 5 times in my basement.
The weird thing is that it thinks I'm in Kansas or something because speedtest.net app says finding the closest server and it finds one in Kansas and says I'm like 30klm away from the server and its the closest one? Anyone know why this is, or WTF is going on? I gave them my correct ZIP when I ordered the ST Sim Card. Most of the time it stays on HSDPA mode but I never see where it says who my carrier is, edit I see it says HOME I guess that's my carrier? so far that Ive noticed. I don't understand the location issue. maybe I should set up my GPS I don't like it on if I don't need it.
How do you avoid from them catching on or saying I'm using too much data, I know to use WiFi whenever possible, that's a given, but what else do you guys do? Don't unlimited mean unlimited? I mean if I bought a straight talk phone and watched you-tube all day can they really say anything, its unlimited right or at least suppose to be. Anyways any tips on keeping straight talk out of my business, and off my @ss would be appreciated. Thanks
Any other tips are welcome I got two cases coming their TPU style cases which I prefer but I might have to put this in a wallet type case also? But I got super slim TPU style cases so it don't get much bigger I don't want to really add more bulk to it its getting hot outside, time for shorts, and that means no jacket pocket, I wear mostly loose fitting jeans/shorts nylon sports type. so I should be alright. Do I need a screen protector I saw one that strengthens it suppose to anyways. Alright enough questions I just don't want to ruin a $650 phone I just got, that's all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you never do OTA updates because you will lose root and possibly the exploit that gave you root has been patched so you may be stuck without root..
The latest stuff will always be available very soon after its released so don't worry.
You're on prepaid so it will show Home as your carrier even though you're on AT&T and thats what you're on if you have a AT&T sim.
I would imagine if you use too much data they would throttle you instead of cut you off...that appears to be what at&t likes to do..I am almost always on wifi so its no biggy..
I would consider ICS ROM's advanaced so if this is new I would stick with gingerbread for the time being.

I'm used to ICS on my Transformer prime and I got it on my HP Touchpad, using CWM clearing old data caches and data etc. Then install my new rom so I don't think ICS would be that new to me. Is that what you are referring too. Or something else specific?
The question I have is that wont OTA Rootkeeper work while doing over the air updates, I use it for everything almost?

[Q] Stock Recovery Image SGH-I437 Samsung Galaxy Express

Hello, I have a samsung galaxy express sgh-I437 with AT&T that I've somehow managed to eliminate the recovery image on. I've tried to create my own CWM recovery image, but as I have no idea how to create one didn't succeed, i did however create an image through CWM that Odin pushes through fine and it raises my counter, but still no recovery image, and I have scoured the world looking for even a stock recovery image and can't find one anywhere. If some one could help me or even point me into the right direction on how to create the image or where to find one I would be greatly appreciative. All of this because I deleted some stock apps and now I can't update to JB, even after reinstalling missing apps (ChatOn)
Thanks guys and everyone here is awesome, this is and has been my go to site since i started in the android world with my HTC Inspire

Join the crowd of Galaxy Express owners hoping that someone is able to delve into this somewhat decent device and make some magic with it (recovery, stock ROMs, custom ROMs, whatever). So far it just doesn't seem to have much interest sadly, but there are quite a few searches I've noted (right now the advanced search showed 40, yesterday when I checked there were over 70, the day before over 115, etc).
It'll either get some support or it won't - I'm considering selling mine already and I've only had it for 2+ days. My worry is that if I do decide to sell the thing that 5 minutes later someone will announce they're going to develop for it or already have some custom ROM ready, I don't know but I've had that happen in the past: get a device, nobody cared about it, sold it, then literally the same day someone starts working on it and it turns out to be a fantastically capable device for experimentation and development.
Oh well, such is the flux of Android devices and development I guess. :silly:
As for your issue(s), I upgraded mine to Jelly Bean on Saturday night and I've had issues with GPS and the CPU not downclocking as it should (sticks at about 1.1 GHz and won't go lower) so if you're still on ICS, stick with it - that's my suggestion.
(and hope someone takes an interest in the Galaxy Express, soon)

Respectfully request some help on the Express...
br0adband said:
Join the crowd of Galaxy Express owners hoping that someone is able to delve into this somewhat decent device and make some magic with it (recovery, stock ROMs, custom ROMs, whatever). So far it just doesn't seem to have much interest sadly, but there are quite a few searches I've noted (right now the advanced search showed 40, yesterday when I checked there were over 70, the day before over 115, etc).
It'll either get some support or it won't - I'm considering selling mine already and I've only had it for 2+ days. My worry is that if I do decide to sell the thing that 5 minutes later someone will announce they're going to develop for it or already have some custom ROM ready, I don't know but I've had that happen in the past: get a device, nobody cared about it, sold it, then literally the same day someone starts working on it and it turns out to be a fantastically capable device for experimentation and development.
Oh well, such is the flux of Android devices and development I guess. :silly:
As for your issue(s), I upgraded mine to Jelly Bean on Saturday night and I've had issues with GPS and the CPU not downclocking as it should (sticks at about 1.1 GHz and won't go lower) so if you're still on ICS, stick with it - that's my suggestion.
(and hope someone takes an interest in the Galaxy Express, soon)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I noted in your sig that your Express is unlocked.What about rooting? Can you tell a very new noobie, what method can be used to root the Express? And can you tell me if it is possible to root it now AFTER I have let it update to Jellybean 4.1.2? I would really appreciate the information. I noticed your post and noted that you are the one person I have found that can hopefully tell me something about rooting the Express. I keep searching the internet and I can find nothing definitive. It seems it was an easy matter to root it when it was still on ICS, but now that I have updated I found one video of rooting an S3 with 4.1.2 and he says in the video that it should work on any Jellybean 4.1.2 device. But the rooting method used is with ODIN using a rooted img file (I looked inside the tar file). My gut tells me that I don't want to use an image file for an S3 to root my Express, but as I said, I am a noobie and maybe this is possible. Any help is greatly appreciated.

I haven't even attempted to root it. There are several threads mentioned here (in those searches I talked about) and several methods are talked about but it doesn't appear to have a proper working root at this time. That might change if someone takes an interest in this phone but, since none of the methods I've read about are confirmed to work - one person says method A worked for them, another person says method B worked, five other people say none worked at all, etc - I'm not taking any chances on bricking this thing since it's in pristine shape and I can (hopefully) sell it. I've got it listed on craigslist at the moment actually, so...
Unlocking it was cake, it uses the same method the Samsung Galaxy S3 does: enter the code to get to the hidden menu, bring up one or two of the menu options, wait 30 seconds or so, go back a step, wait a minute or so, then reboot, that's it, unlocked. Doesn't get much simpler than that, and it works with T-Mobile's recently activated (just last week) 4G LTE network here in Las Vegas without a hitch too.
But while I wouldn't mind rooting it (have a few apps that need root) I'll wait, or I'll end up selling it with the first good offer from the craigslist ad. At this point it doesn't matter I suppose, it just seems like a decent device that's getting ignored, but there could be a reason for it (some screwy new protection mechanism from Samsung, who knows, I did read that the recovery partition isn't where it should be or it's hidden, something to that effect).
Bleh... my advice for the present time: leave it alone, with ICS, unrooted, until someone potentially comes up with a breakthrough that gets things rolling.

Unlocking and it's already updated....
br0adband said:
I haven't even attempted to root it. There are several threads mentioned here (in those searches I talked about) and several methods are talked about but it doesn't appear to have a proper working root at this time. That might change if someone takes an interest in this phone but, since none of the methods I've read about are confirmed to work - one person says method A worked for them, another person says method B worked, five other people say none worked at all, etc - I'm not taking any chances on bricking this thing since it's in pristine shape and I can (hopefully) sell it. I've got it listed on craigslist at the moment actually, so...
Unlocking it was cake, it uses the same method the Samsung Galaxy S3 does: enter the code to get to the hidden menu, bring up one or two of the menu options, wait 30 seconds or so, go back a step, wait a minute or so, then reboot, that's it, unlocked. Doesn't get much simpler than that, and it works with T-Mobile's recently activated (just last week) 4G LTE network here in Las Vegas without a hitch too.
But while I wouldn't mind rooting it (have a few apps that need root) I'll wait, or I'll end up selling it with the first good offer from the craigslist ad. At this point it doesn't matter I suppose, it just seems like a decent device that's getting ignored, but there could be a reason for it (some screwy new protection mechanism from Samsung, who knows, I did read that the recovery partition isn't where it should be or it's hidden, something to that effect).
Bleh... my advice for the present time: leave it alone, with ICS, unrooted, until someone potentially comes up with a breakthrough that gets things rolling.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Too late for ICS. I already let it update to Jellybean 4.1.2 and I really like it. It is much more responsive and accurate even with the voice-to-text feature in messaging. But, you sound very wise as far as the rooting subject goes, so I will wait for a while to see what happens. But as far as the unlocking, can you give me a link to how to do this? Or can you be more specific, please? I am such a noobie that I don't even know how to get to this "hidden" menu that you are talking about. Can you help me with more specific instructions please? I have a much better chance to sell it if it is unlocked than if it is tied to AT&T. Thank you.

Same one for all the Galaxy S3 models:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2023709
My suggestion: change the timer on the backlight to 5 minutes when you're doing this so it doesn't keep dropping back to sleep mode, and then get started.
Pretty simple stuff, just pay attention to the 3rd step (as soon as you choose that option, wait for at least 30-40 seconds before continuing - don't do anything, just sit there holding the phone in your hand or whatever for 30-40 seconds, then go to the next step.
When you get to the last step, definitely wait at least 60 seconds before you do a reboot of the phone (JB now offers the restart option, so restart directly from there - don't back out of any of the menus, just wait the 60+ seconds, hold Power for the menu, choose Restart and when it reboots you should be unlocked.
Just to ask, did you do any testing of the GPS in ICS? I did, and as I noted in another post in another thread, I was pulling in 22 satellites from inside my apartment in under 10 seconds and a fix in 3-5, now with JB I can't get more than 6-8 satellites in the same exact spot and it takes nearly 4 or 5 minutes to get a solid fix so I'm positive there's something going on with Jelly Bean on this device but, alas, I can't roll back to ICS now.

GPS and thank you...
br0adband said:
Same one for all the Galaxy S3 models:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2023709
My suggestion: change the timer on the backlight to 5 minutes when you're doing this so it doesn't keep dropping back to sleep mode, and then get started.
Pretty simple stuff, just pay attention to the 3rd step (as soon as you choose that option, wait for at least 30-40 seconds before continuing - don't do anything, just sit there holding the phone in your hand or whatever for 30-40 seconds, then go to the next step.
When you get to the last step, definitely wait at least 60 seconds before you do a reboot of the phone (JB now offers the restart option, so restart directly from there - don't back out of any of the menus, just wait the 60+ seconds, hold Power for the menu, choose Restart and when it reboots you should be unlocked.
Just to ask, did you do any testing of the GPS in ICS? I did, and as I noted in another post in another thread, I was pulling in 22 satellites from inside my apartment in under 10 seconds and a fix in 3-5, now with JB I can't get more than 6-8 satellites in the same exact spot and it takes nearly 4 or 5 minutes to get a solid fix so I'm positive there's something going on with Jelly Bean on this device but, alas, I can't roll back to ICS now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Both on ICS and on Jellybean it can't seem to get a good lock on any satellite, it has to go through the wifi for its location services. It even took forever to get a lock outside when I was on ICS. I will try it now on Jellybean and report back. BTW, how do you note the number of satellites that you are pulling from and how do you get the GPS to manually start. It just seems to do it randomly on my phone. I've got a navigation device (TomTom) that pulls about 16 satellites here at home but it reports it right on the screen. So, how do I force the Express to do a GPS locating and how do I find out how many satellites it is pulling from? Do I need a special app? You have really made me curious and I am learning a lot from you, so thank you. If you can just be bothered one more time to answer these questions, I will immediately test it inside and outside the house. Thank you again for all your help so far.
---------- Post added at 04:19 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:28 PM ----------
caine0001 said:
Both on ICS and on Jellybean it can't seem to get a good lock on any satellite, it has to go through the wifi for its location services. It even took forever to get a lock outside when I was on ICS. I will try it now on Jellybean and report back. BTW, how do you note the number of satellites that you are pulling from and how do you get the GPS to manually start. It just seems to do it randomly on my phone. I've got a navigation device (TomTom) that pulls about 16 satellites here at home but it reports it right on the screen. So, how do I force the Express to do a GPS locating and how do I find out how many satellites it is pulling from? Do I need a special app? You have really made me curious and I am learning a lot from you, so thank you. If you can just be bothered one more time to answer these questions, I will immediately test it inside and outside the house. Thank you again for all your help so far.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tested its ability to use GPS on Jellybean by turning off location by wifi. I used the yp app and it pulled an address within 30 feet of my house... When I used the AT&T Navigator Diagnostic tool I got 10 satellites outside with accuracy of 26 ft. Inside I get 5 satellites. So it works pretty good (not as good as my TomTom). Now I need to cancel that Navigator before they charge me. Hope this information helps you. Jellybean seems to give me an almost instant GPS lock, so I have to say, that's pretty good. Again, I hope this helps you in diagnosing your problems somehow. If I had more money I would upgrade to a better phone, but for the $49 I paid, this thing is pretty darned good. I understand how someone who is used to high-end phones might be disappointed, but if you want a good bang for the buck, I think the Express is a pretty good choice:good: (certainly better than my wife's IPhone 4S).

I use GPS Status & Toolbox from Google Play more than anything else for basic GPS duties, I don't own a car anymore (gave that up years ago) so the only real purpose I have for GPS is using it with Wigle for Wi-Fi access point mapping. Having said that, I still expect GPS to work as designed so whenever I have issues it's one of the first things I notice.
I just rebooted the phone since it's been running JB for about 2 days now and should be "settled in" as Android has a tendency to do. Remarkably I just pulled in 21 satellites from inside my apartment - something it wasn't doing on Saturday night right after I did the upgrade to JB but now it is, and got a fix in a matter of seconds so, I suppose the settling in helped (?!?!?!)
Mind you, that's pure GPS in the screenshot below: no Wi-Fi assistance, no location awareness, and no carrier assistance either, everything is disabled except the GPS itself so, yeah, I'm somewhat satisfied now since it seems to be working pretty much as well as it did on ICS the other day before the JB upgrade.
Anyway, when I enabled the Power Saving mode, the CPU finally started clocking itself up and down as expected so I suppose that too is also now working as designed, we'll see what happens. So far so good is all I can say at the moment.

Here is a copy of the stock recovery. Have fun =)
This is not a flashable zip. It only a copy of the mmcblk0p18 (Recovery) partition from ICS 4.0.4 of the Samsung Galaxy Express I437

BlindArtisan said:
Here is a copy of the stock recovery. Have fun =)
This is not a flashable zip. It only a copy of the mmcblk0p18 (Recovery) partition from ICS 4.0.4 of the Samsung Galaxy Express I437
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awesome thank you...now...
I'm a newb at stock recoveries, unless Theyve already been Made, so pay no attention If my next question seems dumb but what do I do with it now? How do I create a flashable recovery from that?

br0adband said:
Join the crowd of Galaxy Express owners hoping that someone is able to delve into this somewhat decent device and make some magic with it (recovery, stock ROMs, custom ROMs, whatever). So far it just doesn't seem to have much interest sadly, but there are quite a few searches I've noted (right now the advanced search showed 40, yesterday when I checked there were over 70, the day before over 115, etc).
It'll either get some support or it won't - I'm considering selling mine already and I've only had it for 2+ days. My worry is that if I do decide to sell the thing that 5 minutes later someone will announce they're going to develop for it or already have some custom ROM ready, I don't know but I've had that happen in the past: get a device, nobody cared about it, sold it, then literally the same day someone starts working on it and it turns out to be a fantastically capable device for experimentation and development.
Oh well, such is the flux of Android devices and development I guess. :silly:
As for your issue(s), I upgraded mine to Jelly Bean on Saturday night and I've had issues with GPS and the CPU not downclocking as it should (sticks at about 1.1 GHz and won't go lower) so if you're still on ICS, stick with it - that's my suggestion.
(and hope someone takes an interest in the Galaxy Express, soon)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have managed to get root on this device well at least with 4.0.4 ICS, that part was relatively easy with unlock root and It let you unlock root without paying for It lol and I agree I hope someone takes interest in this device soon when you compare it to the s3 the specs arent that far apart lol

ChronicScribe said:
Awesome thank you...now...
I'm a newb at stock recoveries, unless Theyve already been Made, so pay no attention If my next question seems dumb but what do I do with it now? How do I create a flashable recovery from that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you are on 4.0.4 and rooted read this post of mine.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=39626678#post39626678
ChronicScribe said:
compare it to the s3 the specs arent that far apart
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The partition layouts are identical, but the kernels and images are different.

Hopefully, we can get somebody with stock ics to do a factory reset then a system dump. I tried flashing my system dump with odin and it seemedto be trying to flash something to boot thus invoking our cursed locked bootloader. I don't know why it would try flashing to boot as it should have been only the /system partition. Maybe something to do with initramfs
? I'm hoping a system dump performed after factory reset might have different results
Now, since we cant flash a zimage that means we're stuck with jb kernel. Would that be an issue, I wonder? If we had jb kernel (and initramfs) with ics /system?
Another thing would be for a rooted ics to use ota rootkeeper for update, then system dump.
Factory reset, root, ota rootkeeper, update, system dump.
If not, then cwm and an insecure kernel would be our best bet. Although we would need the initramfs from the jb zimage. Which we can't get without root...
Sigh.
As to the recovery image. You'll need to use odin 3.07. I don't have a link handy. Also, the file must be prepared in a certain way. I have one at hone. Can upload later.

ChronicScribe said:
Awesome thank you...now...
I'm a newb at stock recoveries, unless Theyve already been Made, so pay no attention If my next question seems dumb but what do I do with it now? How do I create a flashable recovery from that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Of course, you can make your own odin img as follows:
Either in linux or in an android terminal emulator:
First of all, cd to the directory the recovery image is stored.
E.g.
cd /mnt/extSdCard
Then:
tar -c recovery.img > recovery.tar
md5sum -t recovery.tar >> recovery.tar
mv recovery.tar recovery.tar.md5
Note: rename original recovery image to recovery.img. Not sure exactly how odin determines what goes whereand suspect it might be the name.
Easy.
Same procedure for kernel and system, by the way. zimage and factoryfs.rfs respectively.

+1

Alright thanks to BlindArtisan and invert_nexus i was able to create and successfully flash the stock recovery back onto the express. I'll post it here for anyone who might need it :victory: this does not have CWM on it but i'm currently trying to figure that out also I also have a copy of the update to JB that i'm going to attempt to use to get the phone to allow me to update and I'm going to use OTA RootKeeper to see root access will stay.
Once again thanks to everyone here for their expertise and knowledge hopefully we can get the attention of some people to get the galaxy express ball rolling lol
Now my counter is up to 3 and I have triangle away put i'm afraid to use it at the moment because I don't won't to completely screw the phone up, is anyone aware as to whether or not it will work on the express without bricking it?

Well I ended up getting an offer on my Galaxy Express so I offloaded it earlier tonight for a somewhat decent profit, guess I'll move on to the next device and edit the signature yet again.
Good luck to those that pursue development on this device, it sure could use some love.

So apparently i've done something horrible lol my express no longer allows me to install apps, i can't open the play store at all, i can't install apps from the web, unlock root says i have root access but i can't push any files to the system folder because i'm not rooted, nothing opens on the phone, except settings, did a factory reset and still have the same issue...any advice?

ChronicScribe said:
Alright thanks to BlindArtisan and invert_nexus i was able to create and successfully flash the stock recovery back onto the express. I'll post it here for anyone who might need it :victory: this does not have CWM on it but i'm currently trying to figure that out also I also have a copy of the update to JB that i'm going to attempt to use to get the phone to allow me to update and I'm going to use OTA RootKeeper to see root access will stay.
Once again thanks to everyone here for their expertise and knowledge hopefully we can get the attention of some people to get the galaxy express ball rolling lol
Now my counter is up to 3 and I have triangle away put i'm afraid to use it at the moment because I don't won't to completely screw the phone up, is anyone aware as to whether or not it will work on the express without bricking it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i use this recovery image but is like i mess up everything now is not even been recognize by kies software anymore pls i need some help if i can recover this phone at all to original or New firmware

ICS vs JB GPS
br0adband said:
Just to ask, did you do any testing of the GPS in ICS? I did, and as I noted in another post in another thread, I was pulling in 22 satellites from inside my apartment in under 10 seconds and a fix in 3-5, now with JB I can't get more than 6-8 satellites in the same exact spot and it takes nearly 4 or 5 minutes to get a solid fix so I'm positive there's something going on with Jelly Bean on this device but, alas, I can't roll back to ICS now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was able to do side by side testing of ICS vs JB since mine got upgraded & my wife's didn't and your GPS observation seems spot on. Neither of us had ever used GPS so 1st thing I noticed was mine with JB it took about 10 minutes to get a lock where hers took about 30 seconds. Keep in mind these phones were side by side. Granted indoors but near a window but either way they were next to each other so should get the same signal/sats. I left them both searching for sats for about 1/2 hr then swapped spots & let them go another 1/2 hr. Even after leaving them for awhile the JB one definitely finds less sats & takes longer to lock. A very strange thing to note is for some reason the compasses show completely different direction but not sure why. Funny thing is neither is right but ICS is closer & JB is WAYY off.
I attached pic of them side by side after same amount of time searching and also a video showing them sync. Granted time difference is negligible now, the # of sats is definitely lower for JB. (JB on left & ICS on right. Can see the upgrade nag at the top as it was postponed.)
Hopefully poor GPS doesn't plague this phone if JB is being forced on us.
Bill
EDIT: Apologies to OP, this thread came up searching to compare ICS vs JB & I didn't pay attention I was OT replying. While already OT I'll add a few more observations about JB vs ICS. JB seems to be using 171MB more memory than ICS comparing mine to my wife's with mine @ 494MB used & my wife's @ 323MB. (Some apps are the same, just larger, but there are a few new ones like Simple Alarm Clock 3.5MB, PageBuddyNotiSvc 3.0MB & Stock Daemon(EUR 4.2MB to name a few but many other crapware's I'd love to kill. (I can kill some of them temporarily but they come back) ATT Software Update is using 10MB, Media Hub 4.6MB, S Suggest 3.9MB, AT&T Hot Spots 3.0MB and a few i'm not sure on like Synchonize 5.0MB S Voice 6.3MB com.sec.phone 2.7MB.) They took away the Mobile Data button on the drop-down menu! The new dialer is FUGLY! (Granted I hate the stock dialer because it's so hard to dial & find people so I use Dialer One but still WOW what is up with the white dialer.) On both rom's I miss the Power widget. Really need to get this this ROOTED ASAP to kill some of that crap.

[Q] Update on Furious at AT&T- NOT A RANT

Long story short; I sent the phone to a former NTSB investigator who confirmed what I already knew. Thermal damage.
The refurbished phone that they sent as a replacement was FULL of issues, so I had to have it replaced, as well. The camera would not focus, the sound recorder only recorded static, it wouldn't retain my preferences that I set in the phone, and randomly reverted to the default ringtone.
When I called back to get it replaced; I was greeted by a VERY friendly, helpful, and understanding representative who told me that the original claim WAS NOT handled properly. She overnighted a new phone and battery and asked me to return the original phone to a different address for examination. She agreed that they would probably just take one look at it and claim that it was physical damage. She reversed the charges for the replacement - even though I had the "Premium" insurance on it. She also noted that I had a written report with photos to verify that it was a manufacturing defect - with the obvious caveat that if there really was physical damage that I would have to pay the deductible. Naturally; I used my Sony video microscope to take photos of every angle of the phone, the edges, etc. - to prove that there wasn't so much as a single blemish anywhere on the phone that they could construe as being "physical damage" - aside from the obvious darkening to the inner plastic from the internal heat, and it was isolated to the rear of the display.
I got back in town early yesterday and the newest replacement was already waiting. I charged the battery and fired it up. So far; so good. Works like a champ. Bear in mind, it's been less than 24 hours...
Oddly; I didn't start having issues until AT&T forcefully crammed the firmware update down my throat. And, no; I had done no modifications - such as rooting or work-arounds to either phone. So; I actually have a legitimate question: Have any of you experienced any phantom issues with your S4's, post firmware (FM3, I think) update? I know that it gave me a message: "Updating Camera Firmware", and the camera would no longer focus. I took copious photos and videos with it and have saved them for reference. In the videos; you can see that the camera is constantly zooming in and out of focus - even though it was stationary, aimed at a fixed subject, and at a very reasonable distance. Many of my downloaded programs also no longer worked, or would freeze up for no apparent reason. They all had worked perfectly prior to the update, as well as on my previous Motorola Atrix HD. They still are working perfectly on the Atrix HD that I passed down to my kids, after I unlocked it, rooted it, and installed the Pac-Man 4.3 ROM. When I got the first replacement S4; it kept prompting me to download the firmware update, and I kept denying permission - in the event that I felt frisky enough to do some fancy footwork on it later down the road. One morning I woke up and it had a message on the screen: "Software Update Successful!" After I angrily cleared that screen, it gave me the message about updating my camera firmware. Now; I'd only had it a day or so, so I can't verify that everything was working properly before - it just seemed to be OK.
My next question is: Is there any way to block them from updating this phone, and constantly bombarding me and forcing me to install useless "bloatware" that I'll never use and only uses up more of my internal memory. I have the 32GB S4 so it's not a huge issue, but it's obnoxious, at the very least that they think that they know better than I do what I want to be installed on my phone. I can hide them, uninstall the updates and put them out of sight, but they're there, none the less, and I don't want them! Yeah; I know I agreed to their terms, but that just seems downright controlling and unfair. And, by the way; even if I do hide them, and uninstall the updates; they magically reappear in a few days and it seems like I'm constantly receiving messages prompting me to update them. Even if I decline; they download anyway. Sort of a "Wash, Rinse, Repeat" scenario.
OK; after my last nasty rant, I expect (and deserve) some nasty feedback, but I'd really appreciate any suggestions or insight to these issues. Any similar experiences? I'd been foaming at the mouth waiting to get this phone, but it seems like it's been one terrific headache after another. I've only owned Motorola phones (since 1985) until now. Motorola now seems lackluster compared to the newer models or I'd have never jumped ship. Now; it seems like I made a $700.00 mistake. I really hope I'm wrong and just unfamiliar with other manufacturers equipment. Save me from myself!
Thanks, everyone!
Nukesnooper

The Samsung updates are kind of like the old "Window Updates needs to restart, postpone for X hours." But if you leave it there, then it will reboot by itself. Kind of like this updated by itself. The only way to avoid updates is rooting the phone and freezing or deleting that service, or of course, changing ROMs. (But I believe you're on MF3 firmware now so..)
Other than that, can't say much as I have the T-Mobile variant.

If you have MDB or MDL firmware do this. It will stop AT&T updates. I would freeze anything that even looks like a Samsung updater also.
Link Here

Thanks!
~wolverine~ said:
If you have MDB or MDL firmware do this. It will stop AT&T updates. I would freeze anything that even looks like a Samsung updater also.
Link Here
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess the next obvious question is: "How?" I don't want to root the phone yet, but didn't think you could freeze any of their apps without rooting or modifying the stock firmware. I'm afraid to do any mods to it until I know it's going to be a stable device - and hence; not taking any chance of voiding my warranty. Sorry for what's probably a dumb question, but I'm new to modifying phones.
Also; what is the best way to sterilize the phone that I'm returning of contacts, remnants of uninstalled programs, etc?
Added: It already has the MF3 update installed. Grrr!
Thanks again!
NS

nukesnooper said:
Also; what is the best way to sterilize the phone that I'm returning of contacts, remnants of uninstalled programs, etc?
Added: It already has the MF3 update installed. Grrr!
Thanks again!
NS
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A factory reset from settings/accounts/backup & restore will wipe out all that. I would think it would be safe to do that with MF3, but I'm no expert. You might want to get other opinions also.

ptguca cross
~wolverine~ said:
A factory reset from settings/accounts/backup & restore will wipe out all that. I would think it would be safe to do that with MF3, but I'm no expert. You might want to get other opinions also.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great until I went to confirm that I was going to delete everything in my brain and give them a pint of virgin blood; then it asked for a "New Password" and wouldn't give me anything but a numeric keypad. Huh??? Sup wid dat? It wouldn't delete ANYTHING until I confirmed my "password" which isn't numeric at all, but gave me no other options. I'm going to try booting it up from "off" and see if there's a way to do it from there. FEAR.