Related
Dear xda'er from the USA: To the disappointment of some in this forum, the xda-team has decided to split the sections on the Samsung Galaxy S i9000 and its US-counterparts into SEPARATE sections! You will be able to get some help here but you will likely be better helped/supported/suited in the forums that belong to your specific device!
Note: Many of the FAQs may still apply to you and you are welcome to make use of our setup. However, if you have open questions I suggest directing them to the above mentioned forums.
IP-Notice: You are welcome to use the information in this thread! If you do, please link the original source.
I try to give credit where due. If you feel I am using your content without your authorization or proper credits, please contact me!
General Note: There are now four official models of the Samsung Galaxy S outside the US: the GT-I9000 (International), GT-I9000M (Canada), GT-I9000B (Brazil), GT-I9000T (Mexico). All information in this FAQ is based on the GT-I9000 International version. Most of them also apply to the other models. The I9000M and I9000T are virtually identical to the I9000 and are mostly compatible with I9000 software. The I9000B has an added digital television receiver and is generally not as compatible. Please check carefully before starting to mess with the firmware on your device, check for possible compatibility issues beforehand and ALWAYS make sure you have three button recovery (see FAQ#A12)
Note: The I9000B has a separate FAQ
Note2: For the Korean Galaxy S SHW-M110S, please see this separate FAQ
Disclaimer: This FAQ is provided as-is without any warranties to completeness/correctness. I will take no responsibility if you break/brick/damage your phone.
Contents:
Post#1: Frequently Asked Questions
Post#2: HOWTO Section
Post#3: ADB Tutorial
Post#4: Tutorials and Fixes
Post#5: Tips & Tricks
Post#6: Firmware Selection Guide
FAQ Sections:
A. General
B. Firmware
C. Modding
D. Applications
E. Recovery
(A) General:
1.How can I reset my phone?
2.I have flashed a new firmware and now my phone won't connect to 3G. What's wrong?
3.Can I disable 2G broadband like on the Desire/N1?
4.I flashed a new firmware and now I cannot download protected apps and Market-enabler doesn't work. How can I still install protected apps?
5.My phone takes forever to get a GPS-fix? Is there a solution to this problem?
6.I am experiencing long loading times when opening apps/intermittent lags when switching screens. What is the problem?
7.My G-sensor seems to be off. How can I calibrate it?
8.I have a SIM-Locked phone. Is there anything I need to look out for?
9.When will Ice Cream Sandwich be released for my shiny new phone?
10.I'm running Linux. Can I still flash my firmware? Do I need to install Windows?
11.Most phones have a bunch of codes that can be entered in the dialer for special functions. What are they on the SGS?
12.My phone cannot enter download mode or recovery mode using the buttons combos. What can I do?
13.I live in Canada/Mexico (The Americas in general). Can I get my phone to use the 850Mhz bands with I9000 Modems?
1.How can I reset my phone?
On the Galaxy S the soft-reset is achieved by pressing and holding the power button. A hard-reset can executed by pressing and holding VolumeUP+Home+Power. There you will find the options "reboot", "apply sdcard:update.zip", "wipe data/factory reset" and "wipe cache partition". (Note: The list of options can vary considerably after installing modified firmware/kernels)
The "wipe data/factory reset" option will restore your phone to the original configuration of the firmware YOU LAST INSTALLED (including any updates made via update.zip). This will NOT bring your phone back to the firmware installed when you originally bought it unless you haven't flashed your phone.
You can navigate the recovery screen using VolumeUp & VolumeDown and use the Home button to select.
2.I have flashed a new firmware and now my phone won't connect to 3G. What's wrong?
The CSC you used is most likely not intended for your area. This means that the broadband provider settings are not included and need to be configured manually. To do this, go to Settings->Wireless and Networks->Mobile Networks->Access Point Names, press the settings-button and select "New APN". You will then need to enter the respective data as provided by you mobile operator. APN settings can usually be found on the operators website.
3.Can I disable 2G broadband like on the Desire/N1?
As of firmware XWJM1 (July 2010), this function is available in the wireless settings. All current firmwares now have this feature.
4.I flashed a new firmware and now I cannot download protected apps and Market-enabler doesn't work. How can I still install protected apps?
This is done by google to protect commercial applications from piracy. This usually only happens on internal beta firmwares. Use Eris Market Fix from the Market or the tutorial in P#4,T#1. Both fixes require root privileges (See FAQ#C1)
5.My phone takes forever to get a GPS-fix? Is there a solution to this problem?
It appears that the XWJM1 and XWJM2 firmwares have mostly fixed the major GPS issues and the general consensus is that these firmwares deliver consistently better GPS results than previous firmwares. The usability, however, still varies per location and sometimes the software gets no fix despite seeing plenty of satellites.
To date, there appear to be no better fixes available. There are still many reports that GPS is flaky and it appears as if Samsung is no longer working on improvements in this area.
6.I am experiencing long loading times when opening apps/intermittent lags when switching screens. What is the problem?
The Samsung Galaxy S uses the internal SD to store cache data by default. This storage uses the severely outdated RFS (FAT-related) filesystem. Next the to poor performance in a good state, RFS appears to rapidly manifest massive amounts of filesystem errors which cause the experience on the SGS to degrade over time.
Currently almost all custom kernels fix the problem by replacing the RFS filesystem with ext4 on (virtually) all partitions (some do not touch the /efs partition). Original credit for the discovery that the filesystem was the problem belongs to mimocan and the fix has since been refined by RyanZA, z4ziggy, sztupy and most notably supercurio.
7.My G-sensor seems to be off. How can I calibrate it?
The G-sensor calibration appears to be off in a lot of shipped devices. Current firmwares can calibrate the accelerometer in the Display menu.
8.I have a SIM-Locked phone. Is there anything I need to look out for?
As of now there are several reports of successfully flashed SIM-locked phones and no reports of any (related) problems.
This means that as of now (there seem) to be no specific restrictions for SIM-locked phone except the lock itself. However, the lock on the Galaxy S can be easily removed. Please refer to T&T#20 for unlocking your phone.
9.When will Ice Cream Sandwich be released for my shiny new phone?
At the moment, there are no indications that Samsung will release a fully featured Android 4.0 firmware for the Galaxy S. They are, however, porting several ICS features to Android 2.3. While this is very disappointing, there are several ICS ports based (in part) on the sources for the Nexus S available already which will probably result in a relatively stable build in the long term.
10.I'm running Linux/OSX. Can I still flash my firmware? Do I need to install windows?
If you are running Linux or OSX you do not need to install Windows. You can either run Odin in a virtual machine or alternatively use Heimdall by Benjamin Dobell. Heimdall runs natively on Linux and OSX and has reached a well tested release state.
11.Most phones have a bunch of codes that can be entered in the dialer for special functions. What are they on the SGS?
There is a list of "secret codes" here. There are also several apps in the market with these features in the market.
12.My phone cannot enter download mode or recovery mode using the buttons combos. What can I do?
Some batches in various countries seem to not have this feature. However, Samsung Canada has released a fix via Kies (for the I9000M) and it has been adopted to suit a larger audience (I9000 and I9000M). Instructions on how to update your phone to get the three-button-combo can be found here or here. Note: Follow the instructions in that post CAREFULLY and read it completely BEFORE attempting to do anything on your phone. If done improperly, this can still brick your device!!!
13.I live in Canada/Mexico (The Americas in general). Can I get my phone to use the 850Mhz bands with I9000 Modems?
Users in the Americas will find that the I9000 modems use the 900Mhz band which is not used in the Americas. However, since the I9000 is virtually hardware-identical to the I9000M and others which do use the 850Mhz band, the band can enabled on the I9000 modems. There is a guide here.
(B) Firmware:
1.What is a ROM/firmware?
2.Can I update my firmware?
3.Why are there sometimes multiple files in the firmware archive/folder?/Why do I get three different versions when using *#1234#?
4.Can I mix PDA/Modem/CSC files from different firmwares without bricking my phone?
5.My phones software version says I9000XXJF3/XXJF5/xxxxx. What does this mean?
6.I want to install new firmware but I want to have a backup of my original firmware to go back to in case I need to go back for warranty reasons. Can I backup my original firmware somehow?
7.Can I flash an Asian ROM on my European device or vice versa?
8.What is the .pit file? Why are there different versions?
9.I flashed a new firmware using Odin (or Kies) and now my phone is acting weird (force closes etc)? Also, my settings are also still there.
1.What is a ROM/firmware?
The firmware/ROM is the software that runs on the phone. In case of the Galaxy S this is (currently) Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread. The Galaxy S was initially released with Android 2.1 Eclair and will most likely not receive any major firmware upgrades anymore. Samsung is porting several features from newer Android versions but has refused to bring a fully-featured Android 4.0 release on the grounds that the TouchWiz UI together with ICS would be to big for the normal system partition.
2.Can I update my firmware?
Most likely: Yes. You can update your firmware through Samsungs official application (Kies) and with firmwares that have been leaked or otherwise been obtained for installation without using the Samsung Kies software. You can find firmwares made by Samsung for phones all over the world, here. You will also find a guide to the installation in HOWTO#1 in the second post of this thread.
Note: Please also keep in mind that not all firmwares that come with phones are available. Reflashing to stock may not be possible because the specific firmware isn't available!
3.Why are there sometimes multiple files in the firmware archive/folder?/Why do I get three different versions when using *#1234#?
Galaxy S firmware updates come in three parts (which are sometimes packaged as one file):
-The CODE itself (called PDA). This is android and all the applications that come with it. (The archives/folders will be named after the version of this file)
-The MODEM (called Phone). This is the firmware of the wireless chipset of the device and will operate you WiFi, Blutooth and 3G/2G/GSM connections. (ie Radio ROM)
-The CSC (short for Customer Specific Customization). This includes connection data for the broadband networks as well as apps that are only available in certain languages/intended for a specific area.
If we ask for your firmware, we want to know all three!
Since not all of these require updates simultaneously, often then CSC and MODEM files will have lower version numbers.
(Also when packaged in one file the repartition option should NEVER be checked in Odin because it will mess up your partition layout and will require a reflash with three-part firmware!)
Most firmwares that are currently available are no longer split up into the three parts and instead delivered as one which can be flashed by entering it as the PDA/CODE in Odin.
4.Can I mix PDA/Modem/CSC files from different firmwares without bricking my phone?
Yes. Most Modem/CSC files will work with any PDA. However, there may be compatibility issues which may force you to reflash your phone. Note also that newer CSCs usually include newer versions of the software that comes with them (Some of which may not be upgradable via the market or other means).
5.My phones software version says I9000XXJF3/XXJF5/xxxxx. What does this mean?
The first two letters describe the country while the third gives the year, the fourth gives the month and the last number/letter is the version of the firmware (from that specific month. Numbering starts at 1-9 and then uses letters from A-Z). For an extensive list of the country codes, see this thread.
Note: To better distinguish the firmware releases based on a new Android version (2.1 vs 2.2 vs 2.3 etc), Samsung has shifted the use of the third and forth letter and these are now no longer coherent with the year and month according to Samsung's old system.
6.I want to install new firmware but I want to have a backup of my original firmware to go back to in case I need to go back for warranty reasons. Can I backup my original firmware somehow?
You can backup most of your firmware through Clockwork Recovery, however, since this already requires root it is not suitable for a warranty return. Nevertheless virtually all firmwares that are currently being shipped with the phone are available and thus a restoration is almost always possible.
7.Can I flash an Asian ROM on my European device or vice versa?
Flashing firmwares between several areas is easily possible. Please make sure you have the correct model before flashing. The international SGS has the model I9000. The Korean version and the US variants have significantly different model numbers and firmwares for those phones should NEVER be flashed on the I9000 or vice versa.
8.What is the .pit file? Why are there different versions?
There are now three different versions of the .pit file. 513.pit, 512.pit and 803.pit. Most firmwares since the end of 2010 do not require a .pit file to be selected. Generally only the 512 version is used. The .pit file is only necessary if you intend to repartition the phone. If you do, you inadvertently wipe all your data (not the internal SDcard). Since the partitioning of the device has not changed for more than a year, repartitioning is almost never necessary unless you used a custom firmware like cyanogenmod, which changes the partition sizes.
The .pit file maps partitions on the NAND storage.
9.I flashed a new firmware using Odin (or Kies) and now my phone is acting weird (force closes etc)? Also, my settings are also still there.
Some firmwares that can be flashed via Odin and the firmwares that are flashed using Kies, do not touch your settings and they do not empty your cache and appdata partitions. As a results, there is data there from previous firmwares which may lead to unforseen complications. Especially so, if your previous firmware was based on a different android version (i.e. flashing from XWJM6(android 2.1) to XXJPC(android 2.2)). You can attempt to overcome this by wiping the cache. Usually, to resolve this, you have to do a factory reset according to FAQ#A1
(C) Modding:
1.What is root/rooting?
2.What are customROMs? How do I get them?
1.What is root/rooting?
root is the user account in Linux with all privileges. The root user can edit anything on the system. For safety reasons, users do not have all those privileges. When you root your phone, you will gain write access to areas of the phone you couldn't previously access and are allowed to run more commands in the terminal. Because applications do not get a lot of priviledges, some of them require you to root the device in order for them to function properly (or fully). There is a tutorial for rooting in the Post #2 and there is a Chainfire Root that works most firmwares. CF-Root essentially is a kernel that is flashed over the original kernel.
If all of this means nothing to you then you are probably wise to NOT root your phone. Mistakes using root can break your phone very easily. (Usually, but not always, these can be solved with a reflash)
2.What are customROMs? How do I get them?
Custom ROMs are modified versions of the Samsung firmware or complete rewrites of the Android OS for the Galaxy S such as Cyanogenmod (and the derivative MIUI). Almost all current custom ROMs are based on Android 2.3 with some now being based Android 4. They can be found in the Android Development Subforum.
(D) Applications:
1.I tried using Allshare/DLNA but it will not recognize my device/play any files?
2.Can I change the default homescreen of the Touchwiz Launcher?
1.I tried using Allshare/DLNA but it will not recognize my device/play any files?
As of now a lot of DLNA certified devices/software do not work with Allshare. However, Samsung TVs should work and Windows Media Player 12 as well as Samsung's PC Share Manager work in most cases.
2.Can I change the default homescreen of the Touchwiz Launcher?
You cannot change the default Homescreen in the settings. However, if you are rooted, there is a way to change the default homescreen. See T&T#5 for more info.
(E) Recovery:
1.WHAAAA! I think I bricked my phone. My flash was unsuccessful/My device boots to a black screen/similar scenarios. Can I still save my device?
1.WHAAAA! I think I bricked my phone. My flash was unsuccessful/My device boots to a black screen/similar scenarios. Can I still save my device?
Most likely: YES! In almost any case, you should still be able to turn off the device (if necessary by removing the battery) and start into download-mode (VolumeDown+Home+Power) or recovery-mode (VolumeUp+Home+Power). After (for example) an unsuccessful flash, you can retry the flash in download-mode (same steps as when flashing a functioning device). If a flash to a functioning f/w (without applying any update.zip) doesn't help or you cannot get your PC to flash at all, you can ask for help here.
If you see a symbol asking you to connect to the PC, depending on how you arrived at this point, it may be sufficient to connect to the PC and run Odin (i.e. press "start" when the phone is recognized) without adding any files. This may, however, leave some residual issues if (for example) had an incorrect/incomplete flash so you may want to do a normal flash after this!
If you do not have download mode and for some ludicrous reason felt the need to go ahead and modify your firmware regardless of this lacking, there is now a guide on creating a home-made JIG which will force your device into download mode without the actual button combo here. Also pre-fabricated JIG dongles can be purchased on ebay for a couple of EUR/USD.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Changelog:
[12th July] FAQ created.
[12th July] Added Flash HOWTOs in Post#2
[13th July] Added list of CustomROMs in FAQ#10
[16th July] Added notification for US phone users
[18th July] Added rooting to HOWTOs
[18th July] Added ADB tutorial in Post#2
[19th July] Moved ADB tutorial to Post#3
[19th July] Added Tutorial/Fix section in Post#4
[19th July] Added "Protected Apps Market Fix" in Post#4, Tutorial#1
[24th July] Removed SIM-Unlocked as a requirement from flash HOWTO (Post#2, HOWTO#1).
[24th July] Added Tags for categorizing the FAQ
[26th July] Added Tip&Tricks section in Post#5
[20th August] Added a ROM-Selection Guide in Post#6
[30th August] Major Rework of the FAQ section
[8th October] Added "Installing any official firmware using Kies" in Post#4, Tutorial#2
[17th October '10] Added "Extracting Samsung Phone Drivers from Kies Installer" in Post#4, Tutorial#3
[2nd March '11] Began Major Update
[5th November '11] Updated to recent release of Android 2.3 and other changes
[7th January '12] Some updates to reflect recent changes regarding software and Android 4.
[6th April '12] More updates regarding Android 4.0 and some other updates.
Flash/Update Guides
!!!READ THE GUIDES AND NOTES COMPLETELY!!!
General Note:Flashing may refer to both methods. However, Method 2 requires files to already be on the phone. Therefore if you semi-bricked your phone, method 1 is usually the preferred way to fix it.
General Note 2: Flashing firmware and/or factory resets will WIPE your APN settings. Make sure you are using the right APN if that is a possible issue with your provider.
Important General Note: Several batches of phones that were sold have the download-mode button combo disabled (VolumeDown+Home+Power or alternatively Home+Power on some phones). Check if the download-mode combo works BEFORE flashing! Please refer to FAQ#A12 and T&T#23 for a fix for the download mode if it doesn't work on your phone!
HOW TO:
1.Flash Firmware and kernels using Odin.
Note: This will in (almost) all cases erase all your data and applications (includind root!). It will NOT touch the internal or external SD card.
Requirements:
-Odin3 version 1.82 (Note: Odin should be on the system partition (the partition where windows is installed) to avoid possible issues)
-".PIT" file for the Samsung Galaxy S (See FAQ#B9 or the source of the FW for the version to use! Not needed for kernel flashes.) .PIT files are usually not necessary anymore since the partition layout of the SGS hasn't changed since the end of 2010
-USB cable
-Desired firmware package or desired kernel package
Procedure:
1.Open ODIN. (And close Kies, if you have it open. It is important to have ODIN open BEFORE connecting the phone via USB!)
2.Select the PDA/Modem/CSC/.PIT files in Odin. (For kernel flashes, only PDA is required. For FW flashes, at least a PDA is required. Some PDAs have Modem and CSC integrated. If you decide to repartition, make sure you choose the right file, currently almost always the one with the ending 512.PIT)
[Optional]3.Check the "Re-Partition" checkbox. (Only do this if you have separate packages for PDA, Modem and CSC AND you have a .PIT file selected! Don't do this for single PDA flashes or kernel flashes!)
4.Turn the phone into the download mode by pressing and holding VolumeDown+Home+Power.
5.Connect your phone with your computer and wait until the drivers are installed.
6.When the drivers are installed, click Start.
7.The phone will be flashed and once it’s finished, it will boot up. (Do NOT disconnect the usb-cable, remove the battery or otherwise interrupt this process!)
8.You have successfully flashed your phone.
2.Update to CustomROMs/Mods/Root using .zip files
Note: Depending on the firmware you selected, this may or may not wipe your applications and the respective data. In any case, it will not touch your internal and external SDcards!
Requirements:
-ADB (from the Android Software Development Kit) -- Optional
-CustomROM File
-USB-cable
-2e recovery, Clockwork recovery (can be installed using HOWTO#1 and an appropriate kernel) (Note: 3e recovery will not allow the installation of .zip files that aren't signed by Samsung and is as such not usable for this procedure)
There are two methods for applying the update. Procedure A requires some basics in using a terminal (and ADB). Procedure B can be carried out by anybody but usually isn't available if the bootloader does not have download mode. See FAQ#A12 for more information on download mode using the button combo.
Note: The recovery screen can be navigated using the Volume Up and Volume Down Buttons (Up and Down) and the Home Button (To Select)
Procedure A: (Requires ADB)
1.Copy the CustomROM/root file to the "/sdcard/" folder on the phone and (if not already the case) rename to "update.zip"
2.On the phone go to Settings->Applications->Development and check "USB debugging"
3.Extract the Android SDK and navigate to the /tools/ subfolder of the SDK folder using cmd.exe.
4.Run "adb reboot recovery" to enter recovery mode
5.Wait for the recovery screen en select "apply: /sdcard/update.zip"
6.Wait for it to finish and reboot.
Procedure B: (Does NOT require ADB)
1.Copy the CustomROM/root file to the "/sdcard/" folder on the phone and (if not already the case) rename to "update.zip"
2.Restart in Recovery Mode by pressing an holding VolumeUP+Home+Power.
3.Wait for the recovery screen en select "apply: /sdcard/update.zip"
4.Wait for it to finish and reboot.
If you encounter trouble with the ROM afterwards, enter recovery mode again and select "factory reset/wipe data/cache" and confirm before seeking help.
ADB Tutorial
ADB Tutorial
Many tutorials, fixes and mods are written assuming a basic knowledge of ADB. ADB is a command-line tool that is part of the Android Software Development Kit (a.k.a. Android SDK or ADK). This tutorial is aimed at getting you acquainted with the basic functions/workings of the ADB tool.
(Note: I do not currently use/have Linux installed. For now, this tutorial will be Windows-only. However, I suspect Linux users are versed in command-lines already and do not need a tutorial like this to open adb)
Requirements:
-Android Software Development Kit (you do not need to run "SDK Setup.exe" to use ADB!)
-Rooted Samsung Galaxy S
-Busybox (installed from market and updated!)
Basic Setup:
In order to use ADB you will first need to decompress the Android SDK. For simplicity, decompress the folder "android-sdk-windows" into the root of one of your partitions. (I am using the root folder of my D: partition for the purpose of this tutorial)
You now need to start the Windows Command-Line tool "cmd". This differs per Windows version:
XP: Go to the start menu and click "Run", type "cmd.exe" and confirm with "Run"
Windows Vista/7: Go to the start menu, type "cmd.exe" and hit enter.
You will now see a command-prompt open (I erased my username):
As stated before, my "android-sdk-windows" folder is located on my D: partition. You will now need to navigate to the "platform-tools" subfolder of the "android-sdk-windows" folder:
Before we go any further we will now have to complete some steps on our phone:
-Make sure the phone is rooted (find the application "Superuser Permission")/has the latest version of busybox installed (Run "BusyBox installer" and make sure it says, that the latest version is installed). If not, root your phone according to the HOWTO in Post#2 and install busybox from the market (and follow the instructions in the description) respectively.
-Put your phone in USB debugging mode: "Settings"->"Applications"->"Development" and check "USB debugging"
-Close all other applications on your phone and go back to the TouchWiz Launcher Home Screen
-Connect the phone to your PC
Now, we are ready to run ADB:
I hope this helps all those who were clueless so far on all the adb-based tutorials for fixes etc.
Tutorial for Market Fix
Note: This section is strictly a work in progress and new tutorials will be added when they become available and have been confirmed as working!
Content:
1.Market Protected Application Fix
2.Installing any official firmware using Kies
3.Extracting Samsung Phone Drivers from Kies Installer
4.Backing up the /efs folder
Tutorials/Fixes:
1.Market Protected Applications Fix
Background: In order to prevent the illegal copying of copyrighted applications google has integrated what are called protected apps. These applications have some copying protection which means they cannot be backup-ed without root. In order to prevent rooted/modified phones from getting those applications, google market checks the build.prop file in the /system/ folder against a verified list to see if the version of your firmware is an official release. This tutorial will show you the steps to replacing the build.prop of the firmware you installed with that of a firmware that is verifiedand accepted by google.
Note: MoDaCo's r2 and the derivatives thereof have a fix included for this in the ROM (can be found in "MCR Scripts").
NOTE: As of now, "Eris Market Fix" from the android market seems to work on the SGS. It uses a similar procedure and should achieve identical results (for now). The app itself can be uninstalled after the fix is working.
Requirements:
-Rooted Samsung Galaxy S
-ADB (from the Android Software Development Kit)
-build.prop from a recognized official firmware
Procedure:
1.Download and extract "build.prop".
2.Copy the "build.prop" to the root of your internal SD card (to the folder "/sdcard")
3.Make sure the phone is rooted (find the application "Superuser Permission")/has the latest version of busybox installed (Run "BusyBox installer" and make sure it says, that the latest version is installed). If not, root your phone according to the HOWTO in Post#2 and install busybox from the market (and follow the instructions in the description) respectively.
4.Run the following commands in ADB (for a tutorial on ADB, see Post#3):
Code:
adb shell
su
mount -o remount,rw -t yaffs2 /dev/block/mtdblock3 /system
busybox mv /sdcard/build.prop /system/build.prop
reboot
5.Wait for the phone to reboot. Check if can see protected apps (for example the paid version of tapatalk)
6.If you cannot see protected apps, you may have to wait a while in order for market to recheck the build.prop. This process can be helped bu setting the system time (manually) to 23:59 (i.e. 11:59PM) and wait for it to pass the 0:00 (i.e. 12:00AM) mark. Then return the time to the correct time setting and reboot. (You may still need to wait a few minutes before you can actually see protected applications)
7.If you still can't see protected applications, restart in recovery mode ("Volume Up"+"Home"+"Start") and wipe the cache of your phone. (You may still need to wait a few minutes before you can actually see protected applications)
For the interested, here a explanation of the code:
mount -o remount,rw -t yaffs2 /dev/block/mtdblock3 /system
mount is the linux routine to mount a device to a specific path
-o will allow you to issue several commands to the mount routine, separated by commas
remount will unmount and then mount the filesystem again
rw will cause the filesystem to be mounted with read/write permissions
-t is the parameter used to define the filesystem
yaffs2 is "yet another flash file system 2"
/dev/block/mtdblock3 is the hardware-location of the system path
/system is the path to which you want to remount the hardware location
busybox mv /sdcard/build.prop /system/build.prop
busybox causes the following commands to be executed by busybox instead of default android
mv moves files from one location to another
/sdcard/build.prop is the path to the file that is being moved
/system/build.prop is the path where the file gets moved to
2.Installing any official firmware using Kies
Background: In August 2010 Samsung started (if only scarcely) to release official and test updates for the i9000 firmware. Since many users have flashed different firmware and the ways of backing up original product codes were not know at the time, most people who flashed their phones do not have the original settings from their country and/or provider and can thus not get the official updates for their area. Forthermore, some updates were only released in one or a few areas and people outside those areas wanted access. Consequently, Zangieff figured out a way to fake the phone information for Kies in order for it to find and install updates from a specific area. This is a slightly adapted version of his fix.
NOTE: There have been no firmware releases for some areas and providers through Kies. This fix is only able to upgrade to versions that have actually been released on Kies.
Requirements:
-Samsung Galaxy S
-Samsung Kies
-Basic knowledge of regedit
Procedure:
1.Run Kies, connect the phone and make sure it is properly recognized.
1.1.If you have never before opened the firmware upgrade widget with your phone connected before, open it now and then close it again (Do NOT close Kies!)
1.2.Optional: (Only do this if you are looking for experimental updates!)
1.2a. Open the firmware upgrade widget in Kies
1.2b. Press Ctrl+Alt+U+P simultaneously. Kies will confirm the correct sequence with "Test Mode is ON".
1.2c. Close the firmware upgrade widget of Kies
2.Run regedit (Start-->Run...-->Type "regedit"-->Press Ok) (Windows XP)/(Start-->Type "regedit"-->Press Enter) (Windows Vista/7)
3.Use regedit to navigate to "HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Samsung/Kies/DeviceDB/". You will find a number of folders in numerical order (usually) starting from 1. Find the folder with the relevant keys (see below) and make sure it is the one currently in use. [If you find several folders with the keys and don't know which are the right ones, delete all of them, repeat step 1 and 1.1 and find the folder with the lowest value. (You may have to use F5 or View--->Refresh to get to see the new folders)]
4.Find the registry keys "HIDSWVER" and "ProductCode"
5.Replace them with the appropriate keys as needed for your desired upgrade.
6.Open the upgrade widget in Kies and enjoy updating.
To find the appropriate values for HIDSWVER and ProductCode, check this thread for an extensive list of codes.
Note: If you close Kies, you will have to repeat the process.
Note2: You can upgrade to the most recent official firmware version from any firmware version even if you already have the same version or a newer one installed
3.Extracting Samsung Phone Drivers from Kies Installer
Background: Not all users are interested in installing the full software package Kies in order to get to flash their phone via Odin or Heimdall. The Kies installer turns out to be extractable using 7-zip and the phone drivers have a separate installer. This allows for installing only the phone USB drivers and lets you avoid installing Kies and the included bloatware.
Requirements:
-Samsung Kies installer package (found here)
-7-zip (found here)
Procedure:
1.Install 7-zip
2.Right click the Kies installer and Find 7-zip->Extract to "Kies_x.x.x.xxxxx_xx\"
3.Navigate to "Kies_x.x.x.xxxxx_xx-->CabFile-->USB Driver"
4.Right click the "SAMSUNG_USB_Driver_for_Mobile_Phones.exe.cab" file and 7-zip->Extract to "SAMSUNG_USB_Driver_for_Mobile_Phones.exe\"
5.Open the folder SAMSUNG_USB_Driver_for_Mobile_Phones.exe\ and execute SAMSUNG_USB_Driver_for_Mobile_Phones.exe and follow the installer instructions.
6.Enjoy connecting your phone without the full Kies install.
4.Backing up the /efs folder
Background: Some experimental firmwares modify the /efs folder. This can cause IMEI corruption and/or change the product code your phone reports.
Requirements:
-Rooted Phone
Either (A):
-ADB (from the Android Software Development Kit)
Or (B):
-Root Explorer (from market)
Procedure:
1.Make sure your phone is rooted (and busybox is installed for ADB procedure)
A:
1A.Enable USB debugging mode (Settings-->Application-->Development-->USB debugging)
2A.Connect the phone to USB
3A.Open a command prompt and enter adb (see tutorial)
4A.Acquire root privileges (type "su"). (Make sure you accept the root-prompt on the phone)
5A.Execute "busybox cp -a /efs /sdcard/"
6A.Disconnect the phone, deactivate USB debugging, reconnect the phone and backup the copy of the efs folder to your PC
B:
1B.Use root explorer and navigate to the root of the filesystem /
2B.Press "Mount R/W"
3B.Copy the efs folder to your sdcard
4B.Connect the phone to the PC and backup the copy of the efs folder to your PC.
2. Restore the backup if your IMEI gets corrupted or your product code is changed by a firmware.
Tips&Tricks
Handy Tip&Tricks
by Forum Members
This is for all Samsung Galaxy S users (GT-i9000 only. Some might work on US versions). It is a collection of handy tutorials that were posted in the development section but that do not need to be on the first page constantly.
Note: These links are provided as-is and most are untested by me! All credit for the procedure goes to the respecitve poster/involved parties.
1. Changing Fonts (for free) by socket84
2. Replacing Samsung Media Player with Android default by aditya_t90
3. Generating TUN.KO for OpenVPN on SGS by newmail
4. Replacing TouchWiz calendar with Android default by tommy34
5. Setting default homescreen in TouchWiz launcher by socket84 or the derived SGS Screen Changer by pedrodh
6. Installing Samsung Phone drivers WITHOUT Kies
7. OneClick Lagfix by RyanZA
8. CFLagFix by Chainfire
9. LagFix using update.zip by Tayutama
10. SuperOneClick Root by CLShortFuse
11. Headphone SoundQuality Fix or MixGet from Market by gilsken
12. AMOLED Screen for Notifications App by madmack
13. Using LED-Button Backlights for notifications by neldar
14. Comparing Firmwares on Packages by GAda
15. Stopping automatic media scan & scan on demand by aditya_t90
16. Overclocking/UnderVoltaging the CPU by raspdeep
17. Creating FlipFont APKs by ritalin
18. Circle Battery Indicator Mod by Fightspit (ported to SGS by designgears)
19. Official Firmware Update without running Kies by miki4242
20. Unlocking/Unfreezing Samsung Galaxy S for Free (collaboration, see thread for credits)
21. Choosing between GlassLock and Android's stock lock screen by Ateisti or Android Stock Lockscreen for JM8,JPH,JPK,JM9,JPM,JPA,JP6 by Project1.exe
22. Flashing under Linux and MacOS X using Heimdall by Benjamin Dobell
23. Restoring the three button recovery/download combo by Richthofen
24. ADB filesystem plugin for Total Commander by sztupy
25. Enabling Landscape Mode in TouchWiz Launcher by scheichuwe
Firmware and LagFix Selection Guide
Last Updated: April 3, 2010. Up-to-date as of April 3, 2011 15:53 CEST
As you may have noticed, there are a lot of firmwares on samfirmware.com and it's not very clear which ones are best/least buggy etc.
In this section, I will give a general guide to which firmware to use depending on your preferences:
If you like the stock Samsung Galaxy S experience and are looking for the most stable/bugfree version:
-Flash I9000ZSJPK or I9000XWJS8 according to HOWTO#1.
-Install the one of the kernels below or one of the lagfixes from FAQ#A6.
If you would like have the latest firmware and are willing to tolerate some bugs (this is beta firmware):
-Flash I9000XWJVK according to HOWTO#1.
For a list of current custom ROMs, see this thread
Lagfixes and Kernels:
In FAQ#A6 the currently used methods for lagfixes are described. There are a number of enhanced kernels (most of which use at least one of the lagfixes) that add features such as more accessible RAM, enhanced compiling, Clockwork Recovery, Blacklight Notification and several various features depending on the Kernel. Here is a list of the popular, well tested, optimized kernels (Note: Some of them include an overclock):
-hardcore's speedmod Froyo
-laststufo's Super Optimized Kernel
-supercurio's Voodoo Lagfix
-DamianGto's Ultimate Kernel
-tegrak's lagfix build Kernel
There is a frequently updated list here
General Note:
If you want to take the modding further, look at FAQ#D2 in Post#1 for a list of Custom ROMs and chose one you like. Depending on whether or not there is a lagfix integrated, you should then apply one of the lagfixes from the first suggestion. I would also suggest avoiding loop-mount fixes like OCLF and CFLF (see FAQ#A6) because performance rapidly declines over time.
Note: None of the available ROMs completely fix the poor GPS. Most of the ROMs noted above are provide roughly the same GPS performance. Samsung is hoping to release a full GPS fix in september (hopefully with the froyo release) It is not clear if or when Samsung will release a full fix for the GPS issues. However, it is doubtful since there are now many indications that the issue is in fact hardware related and even the final Froyo release doesn't completely fix the GPS.
For us coming from HTC devices if we hose the recovery partition is there a way to recover the phone. It was HBOOT (FastBoot) in the HTCs. Does ODIN provide the ultimate "debricking" feature. I realize there are ways to brick that are unrecoverable, but if I hose the recovery and I am done I will be very hands off on modding.
thanks for this. a good starting point to gather all the info!
should sticky this
I think we are still out of a mod for this forum...
might wanna add this for calibration of the orientation sensor:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=6999499&postcount=8
tommy34 said:
might wanna add this for calibration of the orientation sensor:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=6999499&postcount=8
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Added! Thanks =)
can this be a sticky, its very informative?
Great! I've acctually been waiting for a thread like this!
In Sweden one operator(Tele2) seems to have issues with the device not switching to 3G even when available. Does anybody else have these issues with their operators?
FrezoreR said:
Great! I've acctually been waiting for a thread like this!
In Sweden one operator(Tele2) seems to have issues with the device not switching to 3G even when available. Does anybody else have these issues with their operators?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you check your APN settings? Did you contact the provider concerning the issue?
Darkstriker said:
It appears it doesn't take long for this reserved post to become useful. I'll post short guides on flashing firmware here. (...)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In the Flash Firmware using Odin guide didn't you forget to add "SIM unlocked phone" as a requirement?
Akerfeldt said:
In the Flash Firmware using Odin guide didn't you forget to add "SIM unlocked phone" as a requirement?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know it says so in the guide but I recall having read that SIM-locked phones can be flashed as well. Don't quote me on that!
Added it as a requirement for now.
Edit: I did read it here. However, it seems that those phones aren't actually SIM-locked, so for now, SIM-Unlocked is definitely a requirement.
Thanks for pointing it out! =)
Darkstriker said:
Did you check your APN settings? Did you contact the provider concerning the issue?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The APN settings should be fine, the phone works on both 2G, 3G and HSPDA, but when it at some point have switched to 2G it will stay in 2G and you would have to manually set it to 3G.
Yeah we are a group on a Swedish android forum where someone have contacted both samsung and tele2 about the problem. But if not anyone here has the same problem it surely must be tied to the operator, which is what I have thought all along.
efbenson said:
For us coming from HTC devices if we hose the recovery partition is there a way to recover the phone. It was HBOOT (FastBoot) in the HTCs. Does ODIN provide the ultimate "debricking" feature. I realize there are ways to brick that are unrecoverable, but if I hose the recovery and I am done I will be very hands off on modding.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm sorry efbenson, I seem to completely have missed your post.
I'm not sure how this works on HTC android devices since I have only had a Windows-mobile version. What seems to be the equivalent of the features you are "describing" is the download-mode (VolDown+Home+Power) which can be reached even after interrupted firmware-flashed (experienced it myself. Still scary as hell!)
However, I don't think I'm fully qualified to answer your question. Maybe you could reformulate it, since it's not very clear right now.
This definitely deserves a sticky, thanks for this DS
FrezoreR said:
The APN settings should be fine, the phone works on both 2G, 3G and HSPDA, but when it at some point have switched to 2G it will stay in 2G and you would have to manually set it to 3G.
Yeah we are a group on a Swedish android forum where someone have contacted both samsung and tele2 about the problem. But if not anyone here has the same problem it surely must be tied to the operator, which is what I have thought all along.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't had such problems and I dont remember reading anything of the kind so far so this likely is an issue with your provider. Maybe you can check if this occurs everywhere or only in specific areas (like cities) or something like that.
Galaxy Tab GT-P1010 NooB Guide - Last Revised 2012-02-29
2013-03-09 - SEE POST 9 FOR IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Revisions
2012-02-27 - Initial Publication
2012-02-29 - Added Firmware Download, Thread Consolidation, Custom ROM's, Flashing Stock Firmware and Q&A Section(s)
Post Summary
In this thread I will attempt to outline the details I know of regarding the Galaxy Tab GT-P1010. I feel this is a necessary thread because this device is NOT the same as the various other devices that garner so much attention within this forum and I personally experianced quite a difficult time searching to find the questions to my answers as they releated to this device in particular. While it is my opinion that this device should have it's own sub-forum, I do not believe it is popular enough. This said I feel that it is a fairly solid device and if you are like me, you are somewhat lost in in finding the approriate information. Hopefully this thread will be informative and popular enough that it may get stickied so us lowly 1010 users can find the information they are looking for. I am an active XDA member and will do my best to keep this thread updated as new information & techniques become available. If you see some information that you feel should be included do not hesitate to bring same to my attention and I will update the OP's accordinglly. These Instructions are for use on Windows machines even though I personally use a Mac. If you are in the same boat, I recomend running windows within a Virtual Machine (VM). I use Parallels but VirtualBox is a free alternative. Mac and or Linux only instructions may follow at a later date, but honestly a majority of users use Windows so I'm starting there. Without further a do, let's get started.
GT-P1010 Device Specifications
The GT-P1010 is also know as the "Wi-Fi Only" 7" Galaxy Tab. It differs from a majority of the devices in this forum because it has NO 3G or cellular capabilities. The hardware of the device is also different enough from the 3G/Cellular versions, that the Development going on for these other devices will NOT work for it. The GT-P1010 is unfortunately considered a "forgotten" device and even Samsung has seemingly abandoned providing updates for it. This is particularlly evident within the United States (US), however other Countries, speciffically the United Kingdom (UK) have been seeing updates. For the record I am the owner of a US version and this guide was written using my experiance on that device.
A complete list of specifications can be viewed from Samsung's US Website HERE
MD5 Sums
When downloading files from the internet is extremly important that you verify the download was complete and not corrupted. Insuring this can avoid troubleshooting issues that may simply be because of a bad file. All files available from this post will have an MD5 sum next to them. To verify that your file is EXACTLY the same as the file on the server you will need to run it through an MD5 checker. These checkers are available freely over the internet and Mac OS X even has one built in. I'm not going to make this post about how to run these programs but have included a few links below to get you started. A complete explanation of MD5 Sums can be found at Wikipedia.
WinMD5Free
Drivers - Samsung KIES
In order to perform updates to your P-1010 you need to be able to communicate with the device via a USB cable. While there are stand-alone USB drivers available, I chose to install Samsung's "KIES" application so that I could see if any updates were being pushed directly from Samsung. The KIES program also offers additional functionality to allow you to sync various media on your device. This functionality may or may not be needed for all users but by installing the software you are also guaranteed that the drivers needed to communicate with the device are installed on your machine. The US Samsung KIES site can be accessed HERE but I have included a direct link to the latest Windows Version below.
Kies_2.2.0.12014_18_7 ---- MD5 Sum: 7116aa29ce9df3dc2e916128c9c0aa4c
Download the file and double click it to install KIES and the drivers to you system. Once this is acomplished running the program will present you with a screen similar to the one below:
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
ODIN
ODIN is a utility that communicates with your device when it is in Download Mode (see below). This utility allows you to flash different firmware and other files to your Galaxy Tab. A screenshot of ODIN running is posted below.
To Run ODIN you will need to download and Un-zip the following file. Once this is acomplished you can run the program by simply double clicking the .EXE file "Odin3 v1.85.exe" which will be inside the un-zipped (extracted) folder. The program does NOT get "installed" and this section is just an overview of the tool. Additional steps on when to use it, and how, will be included in the appropriate sections below.
Odin3-v1.85.zip. ---- MD5 Sum: 414e3af7c4c01e21527aeaab65e68a75
Download Mode
Initiating Download Mode
To communicate with ODIN the device needs to be placed into Download Mode. This is accomplished (from an OFF condition) by holding the Volume Down button + the Power Button at the same time until Download Mode is activated. I have found that the easiest way to do this is to press and hold the Volume Down button and then press and hold the Power Button. Download mode will activate within a couple of seconds and your device will indicate such by presenting you with the following screen. As soon as that happens you can release both buttons.
Exiting Download Mode
If you flash any updated files to your Tab using the procedures outlined below, the device will accept the files and reboot on it's own thereby exiting download mode. If you find that you have entered download mode when you did not intend to use ODIN to flash files, you can EXIT download mode by Holding the Power Button for about 10 seconds. The device will then turn off and when you turn it back on it will boot normally. This can be a little scary considering the warning stating "Do Not Turn of the Target". This warning can be ignored and it is actually telling you not to turn it off while files are being written to it.
Connecting Device to ODIN
To play it safe, I recomend that you try connecting your device to KIES FIRST just to insure that the drivers have been installed properly. If KIES can recognize the device then so can ODIN. Simply open KIES and connect the device to your computer via the USB cable. Once you see that KIES is communicating with the Tab you can close KIES and disconnect the Device from the USB. This will only need to be done once, again, just to make sure the communication is working. Once you are satisfied that it is ....
Run ODIN by double clicking the executable file as outlined above. Place the device in download mode as outlined above. Connect the device to the computer using the USB cable. You will then notice that ODIN has found and is communicating with your device because the ID:COM field will turn yellow and assign a COM port to your device. This COM port will vary by user so don't be alarmed if you personally don't see "COM5" as shown in the screenshot below. As long as this field turns yellow you are good to go.
Recovery Mode - Stock
A stock Tab has a built in recovery mode that will allow you to perform a factor reset on the device and other "maintenance". This mode is entered (from an OFF condition) by holding the Volume Up button + the Power Button at the same time until you see the Samsung Logo, then Release the Power button but continue to hold the Volume up button until Recovery Mode is activated and your device presents you with the following screen. As soon as that happens you can release the Volume Up button. Once Recovery is activated you can toggle through the menu items by using the Volume up & Volume down buttons. To execute a selection use either the Power OR Home Button. It is the Power button on my device but this apparently varies on some models.
Rooting
If you are here on XDA then you are probably interested in "Rooting" your device. Rooting has many advantages and certain Market Applications will only work if you have these Root Powers. The US version of the Stock GT-P1010 is currently running the Froyo version of the Android Operating System. A Gingerbread version has not been officially released and may never be. We will deal with upgrading to Gingerbread later in the Tutorial. For now, if you want to Root your device running Froyo (My device had Build: Froyo.UEKC6), you can follow these steps:
1. Download the application Z4Root from the following link:
Z4Root.1.3.0.zip ---- MD5 Sum: 077974421412b25089289acdc763b1c1
2. Unzip the archive to Extract the file : "z4root.1.3.0.apk"
3. Connect your Tab to the PC and initiate "Mass Storage Mode"
Connect USB Cable
Drag down Status Bar and Click "USB Connected" under the ongoing tasks
Click "Turn on USB Storage"
Your device should mount and be available as a Removable Drive in Windows
4. Copy the .apk file from step 2 to your device
It doesn't matter where you put this file. Just remember where so you can find it in the next step(s)
The easiest place would be the "root" of the Removable Disk
5. Enable "Unknown Sources" on your Tab
Settings >> Applications >> Check Unknown Sources Box
6. Enable "USB Debugging" on your Tab
Settings >> Applications >> Development >> Check USB Debugging Box
7. Install Z4Root
Use any "file explorer" program on the Tab. You should have an application called "My Files". It will work fine
Navigate to the .apk file you put on the device in Step 4
Click the .apk file
Click Install
Application will install and you will have a Z4Root Icon in your app drawer
8. Setup Z4Root
Click the Z4Root Icon
You will be presented with two (2) Options. Temporary Root & Permanent Root
I chose Permanent Root but you could "try" it first if you like
In my case the device re-booted and I was rooted.
To test this I installed an application called Titanium Backup (see next Section).
Note: The Z4Root Icon will remain and if you open it again you will be given the option to"Un-Root".
Titanium Backup
Titanium Backup is a GREAT program that lets you backup all your applications as well as the user data that is used by them. For example your game progress, high scores, ETC. Titanium Backup REQUIRES Root access and in my opinion is reason enough to Root your device. There is a Free as well as a Paid version of this application. Let's install this program to verify that we have in fact "rooted" our device.
Installing and Checking for Root
Go to the market and search for Titanium Backup
Give the free version a try just to confrm Root. Simply install it from the market.
Once installed open the application and you should be presented with a dialog box stating that "Titanium Backup is requesting Super User Permissions".
Click allow and follow any on-screen instructions
You will eventually get to an "Overview" screen and should see that Root Access has a Green Checkmark next to it and that BusyBox was installed from the app.
Congratulations you are now rooted
Backing up Files
To backup your applications and user data using Titanium Backup follow the steps below:
Open Titanium Backup and click the Backup/Restore Tab near the top of the screen
A list of the applications installed on your device will appear
Click the Settings Drawer Hardware Key
Click Batch
Under the Backup section on the next screen click Run next to "Backup all User App + System Data"
On the next screen Select the applications you want to backup, They are ALL selected by default.
Make sure the "Pause Active App's" radio button is selected
Click "Run the batch operation" button
Congratulations. You have just performed an application Backup!
Saving your backup to your computer
There is no reason performing a backup if you are just going to leave it on your device. Obviously if something catastrophic were to happen, you would lose the backup as well. The backup files are located in the /sdcard/TitaniumBackup directory.
Initiate "Mass Storage" as outlined in the Rooting Section above.
Once the device is mounted navigate to the TitaniumBackup directory. Note: When mounted to the PC, the /sdcard directoy is the one mounted so TitaniumBackup should appear in the root of the Removable Disk.
Copy the entire TitaniumBackup Directory to your PC
You now have a folder that can be restored to your device allowing you to restore your applications without re-downloading them from the Market.
Remember to copy this folder to your computer after perfoming any future backups.
Restoring your applications
To restore your applications and user data using Titanium Backup make sure that the backup containing the files you wish to restore is located at /sdcard/TitaniumBackup and follow the steps below:
Open Titanium Backup and click the Backup/Restore Tab near the top of the screen
A list of the applications installed on your device will appear
Click the Settings Drawer Hardware Key
Click Batch
Under the Restore section on the next screen click Run next to "Restore missing apps with data"
On the next screen Select the applications you want to Restore, They are ALL selected by default.
Decide if you want to restore just the app, the app and it's data or just the data by clicking the appropriate radio button
Click "Run the batch operation" button
Follow the prompts to install each application
Congratulations. You have just perfored a restore
Note: Once we get into flashing custom Rom's in the sections that follow, sometimes restoring application "data" can be problematic. If you flash a new firmware or Rom and are experiancing issues with an application after restoring it's data, this may be the reason.
Custom Recovery - ClockWorkMod
In the section above we explained about the System Reovery that was built and installed by Samsung. This is great for restoring your system to an out of the box (OOB) condition but not for much else. In order to flash custom Rom's and perform Nandroid Backups we will need to replace the "stock" recovery with a Custom version. ClockWorkMod (CWM) is the recovery of choice for a majority of users and while there are "others" out there, only CWM has been made available for our devices. A Nandroid backup is an exact copy or "image" of your system and can be used to restore your system to the exact state it was in at the time you made the backup. So, lets get to installing CWM.
You will need to download the following file:
Skin1980_P1010_CWM-RECOVERY-BETA-1 ---- MD5 Sum: ca14360ee5f1eebd0efaec5adc77940e
Note: This file is only to be used if you are running the Froyo Version of Android
Using the information above put your device in Download Mode and connect it to ODIN
click the PDA button in ODIN and navigate to the file you just downloaded
Make sure your ODIN screen is setup and matched the screenshot below:
Click the "Start" button and watch your device and the "Message" section of ODIN. You will see some some text in the message center and your screen will show a progress indicator.
Once this completes your device will re-boot. It may boot directly to your new ClockWorkMod OR it might boot back into your operating system.
If it boots to the operating system you can get to CWM using the same procedure outlined in the "Stock" recovery section above. Volume up + Power.
Make sure you are booted into CWM and see the screen shown below:
Once you are in CWM the Volume Up / Down buttonas re used to navigate through the menu choices and the Settings Drawer Hardware ley is used to select an option. The Back hardware key also functions to go back to the previous menu but all screens also offer a "Go Back" choice. If you click the Power Button and are presented with a blank screen simply click it again and CWM will come back up. Now, lets make out first Nandroid Backup!
Making a Nandroid Backup
Navigate and Execute the "Backup and Restore" menu item
Navigate and Execute the "Backup" menu item
Sit back and wait for your backup to complete.
A progress indicator as well as some text will be flashing across the screen
When it completes you will see .. "Backup Complete"
That's it! Congratulations!
Saving your backup to your computer
Again, as with Titanium there is no reason performing a backup if you are just going to leave it on your device. The CWM backup files are located in the /sdcard/clockworkmod/backup directory. Inside this directory you will see a folder that is named based upon the date and time you performed the backup. For Example 2012-02-27.21.57.14 means that the backup was created on February 27, 2012 at 21:57:14. This is UTC time so make sure you add or subtract your UTC offset to get to "local" time.
Initiate "Mass Storage" as outlined in the Rooting Section above.
Once the device is mounted navigate to the clockworkmod/backup directory. Note: When mounted to the PC, the /sdcard directoy is the one mounted so clockworkmod directory should appear in the root of the Removable Disk.
Copy the folder containing your backup to your PC
You now have a folder that can be restored to your device allowing you to restore your system to the exact sate it was in at the time of the backup..
Remember to copy any future backups to your PC as Well.
Restoring a Nandroid Backup
To restore your system to it's nacked up state make sure that the backup containing the Nandroid you wish to restore is located at /sdcard/clockworkmod/backup and follow the steps below:
Boot into CWM
Navigate and Execute the "Backup and Restore" menu item
Navigate and Execute the "Restore" menu item
Sit back and wait for your restore to complete.
A progress indicator as well as some text will be flashing across the screen
When it completes you will see .. "Restore Complete"
Navigate to and execute the "Reboot System Now" menu item
Your device will reboot and you will be restored to the exact state your system was in when you made the backup
Mounting Mass Storage in CWM
In some instances you may be faced with a system that won't boot which makes getting your Nandroid Backup put back on your device problematic. Don't fear. Using CWM you can mount the USB Mass Storage without the need to be running the operating system. Here's how:
Boot into CWM
Plug your USB Cable into your PC
Navigate to and Execute the "Mounts and storage" menu item
Navigate to and Execute the "mount USB storage" menu item
The Device will mount and you will have access to it from your PC
Copy your Nandroid Backup to the clockworkmod/backup folder
Go "back"
Go "Back"
Go to "backup and restore"
Restore your Nandroid
Reboot
Welcome back to a running machine!!
Credit and Thanks
While I have compiled all the files, tested them, generated MD5 Sums and written this tutorial based upon my experiance, it should be noted that other users are responsible for the actual Development. If you think I have done a good job and find this information usefull Please click my "THANKS" button. It is not necessary to thank me by witing a seperate post and by not doing so you keep this thread clean and easy to find the information that others may be looking for You should also visit the following users, find a post or two from them and THANK them as well. Without them none of this would be possible.
Skin1980 for his Development of ClockWorkMod for the GT-P1010
RyanZA for his Development of Z4Root
motafoca for his Development of ClockWorkMod for the KPI Firmware
Donations
While I enjoy tinkering with devices and trying new methods, doing so can be time consuming. Compiling and witing this tutorial took me a considerable amount of time. I have also convieniently placed all the required files on an Ad-Free, Fast Download server so you can get them quick and don't need to hunt around. Mediafire was my server of choice but it is NOT free. I pay a monthly service charge to host on the server and this will also insure that the files are available now AND in the future. If you like my work and feel that it has helped you, I would appreciate a donation as a token of your appreciation. Simply click the button below or the "Donate to Me" button under my Username. Anything you can spare will be appreciated and go toward keeping the file sharing up and running as well as keep me interested in generating more tutorials. Thanks in advance!
Questions or Comments
If you have any questons or feel that certain information could be added or clarified, feel free to post them. I will do my best to check this thread often and assist you as best I can. Valid questions will be answered and added to the Q&A post below.
Firmware and Kernel's for P1010
This section will contain a list and download links for the various Firmware's available for the GT-P1010. As noted above the US version has been getting no love from Samsung with regard to updates. This is a shame and makes no sense to me considering the UK version HAS been actively updated. With this said however many users have been "flashing" the UK versions to their US Tab's with success.
SamMobile Firmware Page
Latest Firmware
Europe Firmware
Middle East Firmware
Compliments of Mod2Xtreme.com
Forum Post Link
Firmware Direct Links
P1010XWKC1_OXX.rar ..... MD5 Sum: 95bd7437271f3bee6eacb017d0ef45a1
P1010XXKPG_P1010XEUKPG_XEU.zip .... MD5 Sum: 3b0f63ccb0b42643d953fcba472eb5f2
P1010XXKPI_XEUKPI_Android_2.3.6.zip .... MD5 Sum: 4d33426db6cecdb48568adecf10bc8fd
Kernel's
P1010ZHKF1-kernel.ZIP .... MD5 Sum: 6dc467ff92fc676c1f61e59e893493eb
Custom Rom's
2/29/2012
Currently there are no Custom Rom's available for the GT-P1010. A Developer named Motafoca is working on a port of Cyanogenmod and information regarding progress can be viewed in the following thread.
Motofoca's Cyanogen Port
Motofoca is a member of the MadTeam and they have their own forum which can be viewed HERE.
The only other "Non-Stock" alternative at this time is CleanRom developed by scrosler There is also a website dedicated to this ROM viewable HERE.
I used the term "Non-Custom" because the CleanRom is based upon a Stock Gingerbread European firmware. From the Website they did the following:
Removed Samsung Bloat!
ADW Launcher or TouchWiz Launcher!
95% AOSP Gingerbread themed
All Apps up to date!
De-Odexed
Zip Aligned
Flashing Stock Firmware(s)
Flashing Stock Firmware(s)
We have said that updated firmware for the US version of the GT-P1010 has NOT been actively provided by Samsung however if you look in Post 2 above you will see that all is not lost. The Europe version of this device has been provided with an update as late as January 2012. I would recommend (and really it was the reason I wrote this tutorial) that you perform ALL the steps above BEFORE flashing any type of Firmawre update/upgrade. This will not only give you experiance running the "tools" but it will allow you to perform the various back-ups in case anything goes "wrong".
Quite simply, Firmware is "flashed" to your device using ODIN. I have searched for a complete guide explaining the vaious sections of ODIN to no avail. Honestly I don't know when certain fields (PIT, CSC), ETC need to be populated and when they don't. I believe, but am not 100% sure that when flashing a brand new Firmware (for example from a US to European version) that the PIT, PDA and CSC fields need to be filled in and the Re-Partition radio button needs to be Checked. I have ALWAYS had the Auto-Reboot & F. Rest Time boxes checked, but again, I can't say why. It is my belief that if the Re-Partition button is checked, that it has the effect of "wiping" all partitions on the device.The only guide I have found is the following:
P1010-Flashingguide.pdf
It is probably a fair statement to make that if a Zip or RAR file you download contains a PIT or CSC file, then you probably need to included them in your flash. Keep in mind that I have experianced an issue where a seperate ZIP file was compressed inside an overall ZIP container. Always make sure that you not only extract the main downloaded file but that you also look inside the extracted folder for another ZIP file that may need to also be extracted.
I will provide an example of my experiance upgrading my US version to the latest UK version below.
Upgrading US Version to Latest Rooted UK Version
First, I must give full Credit to Taney for developing the instructions from This Thread. I followed them and experianced no significant issues. I will be re-creating a portion of them, expanding (clarifying) on some areas that I felt would give NooB's difficulity and then taking the instructions a step farther to upgrade to what is known as the "KPI" version of the Firmware which is the latest one Available. PLEASE make sure that you "Thank" Taney because without the instructions that he provided none of this would be possible.
A. Upgrade / Downgrade to the Latest Froyo Firmware
Place your Device in Download Mode and connect it to ODIN as outlined in the tutorial above.
Download the P1010XWKC1_OXX.rar file from the link in Post 2 of this thread and check the MD5 Sum
Extract this rar file to create a folder called "P1010XWKC1_OXXKC1"
Within ODIN Click the PIT button and navigate to the file "p1wifi_20110128_r10_00.pit" within the folder you extracted.
Click the PDA Button and navigate to the file "P1010XWKC1-REV03-ALL-low-CL946441.tar.md5"
Click the CSC Button and navigate to the file "GT-P1010-MULTI-CSC-OXXKC1.tar.md5"
Make sure the Re-Partition, Auto-Reboot and F. Reset Time buttons are CHECKED
Click "Start". ****** NOTICE THIS WILL WIPE ALL DATA ON YOUR DEVICE*****
When these steps are completed and the process running your ODIN screen should look like this:
When the process Completes your Device will Re-boot. The first Boot could take significantly longer than normal. Just wait and when you see the lock screen open it and enter the OS. At this point you may be experiancing what is known as a "boot-loop". Simply stated the device will keep re-booting and not allow you to do anything without throwing "force close" errors, In his tutorial Taney says that this may or may not happen. It did for me and the fix is in the next section.
B. Flash updated Kernel
To fix the effects of the boot loop you need to flash another file known as a kernel. Like I said I personally DID experiance the boot-loops and had to perform these steps. Since my overall procedure was successful, it is my recomendation that you do it whether you experiance the boot-loop or not. This decision is entirely up to you but you have my suggestion. To flash the Kernel perform the following:
Download the file file "P1010ZHKF1-kernel.ZIP" from the Kernel's section in Post 2 of this thread and check the MD5 Sum
Extract the ZIP file to create the folder "P1010ZHKF1-kernel"
If ODIN is still open replace the file in the PDA field with the file "P1010ZHKF1-KERNEL-eng.tar" from the extracted folder OR
If ODIN was closed open it, repopulate the PIT and CSC fields as outlined in Section A above and select the new file for the PDA field.
UN-CHECK the Re-partition check box
Power off your Tab. NOTE: If it is stuck in a bootloop I found that holding the power button down finally was able to shut off the device.
Start the device in Download mode and connect it to ODIN
If everything is set-up as outlined and ODIN has found your Device.. Press Start
When the process completes your device will re-boot and the ODIN screen will look like this:
At this point you should have a bootable Device and not experiance any further boot-loops. Your About Device Information should read as follows:
Firmware: 2.2.1
Kernel: 2.6.32.9 ([email protected]_24 #1)
Build: Froyo.XXKC1
C. Flash KPG Gingerbread update
In this step we will flash our first Gingerbread update known as the "KPG Version". Follow these steps:
Download the file "P1010XXKPG_P1010XEUKPG_XEU.zip" from the Firmware section in Post 2 and Check the MD5 Sum.
Extract the ZIP file to create the folder "P1010XXKPG_P1010XEUKPG_XEU"
If ODIN is still open replace the file in the PDA field with the file "P1010XXKPG_P1010XEUKPG_HOME.tar.md5" from the extracted folder OR
If ODIN was closed open it, repopulate the PIT and CSC fields as outlined in Section A above and select the new file for the PDA field.
UN-CHECK the Re-partition check box
Power OFF your Tab
Start the device in Download mode and connect it to ODIN
If everything is set-up as outlined and ODIN has found your Device.. Press Start
When the process completes your device will re-boot.
At this point you should have a bootable Device running Gingerbread. Your About Device Information should read as follows:
Firmware: 2.3.6
Kernel: 2.6.35.7 - CL749223 ([email protected] #1)
Build:GINGERBREAD.XXKPG
D. Reinstall ClockWorkMod
The steps above have had the effect of returning your device to stock and therefore the Recovery Partition was overwritten with the "stock" recovery. We need to re-install ClockWorkMod at this point.
Download the following file and check the MD5 Sum
Skin1980-P1010-NEW-CF-ROOT-GB.tar .......MD5 Sum: 1cab6775d572c416371c09f9c3654823
Put your device in Download Mode and Connect it to ODIN
Navigate to the File you downloaded using the PDA field
Leave the PIT and CSC fields BLANK and Un-Checked
Un-Check the Re-Partition Check Box
Click RUN
When the operation completes the device will re-boot
At this point you will have a Rooted KPG Version of Gingerbread with a fully Functioning ClockWorkMod Recovery. You may wish to stop here but reports informed me that the KPI firmware was faster. I decided to Install it as outlined blelow/
E. Flash KPI Gingerbread update
Before Installing the KPI Update I did the following:
From within the running system went to CWM application and opened it.
Granted the application Superuser Permissions
Used the application to "Re-Boot to Recovery"
Device Re-Booted into CWM and I performed a Nandroid Backup
While still in CWM "Wipe Data / Factory Reset" AND
Wipe Cache Partition AND
Wipe Dalvik Cache
Power Off
Your Device is now ready to recieve the KPI Firmware Update
Download the file "P1010XXKPI_XEUKPI_Android_2.3.6.zip" from Post 2 and Check the MD5 Sum
Extract the the file to create the folder "P1010XXKPI_XEUKPI_Android_2.3.6"
Start you Device in Download Mode and connect it to ODIN
Navigate to the file "P1010XXKPI_P1010XEUKPI_HOME.tar.md5" in the PDA Field
Leave the PIT and CSC fields Blank and Un-cjecked
Make sure the Re-Partition checkbox is Un-Checked
Click Run
While the program is running your ODIN screen will look like this:
When the Process completes your Device will Re-Boot and your About Device Info will be as follows:
Firmware: 2.3.6
Kernel: 2.6.35.7-CL882382 ([email protected] #1)
Build: GINGERBREAD.XXKPI
At this point I performed the following:
Went Through Initial Setup Screens
Powered Off Device
F. Re-Install ClockWorkMod AGAIN
Same as before. The procedure has wiped out our Recovery and we need to Re-install it. This time however we will use a different file beause I do not Believe the Skin1980 Gingerbread Version is compatible with the KPI Firmware. Luckily we have another Developer working on this Device. Please visit and Thank Motafoca for providing the following file:
madteam-cwm-p1010-kpi.tar .......MD5 Sum: f868e789245ec3dae87efaf2e30b1165
Put your device in Download Mode and Connect it to ODIN
Navigate to the File you downloaded using the PDA field
Leave the PIT and CSC fields BLANK and Un-Checked
Un-Check the Re-Partition Check Box
Click RUN
When the operation completes the device will re-boot
At this point you will have a Rooted KPI Version of Gingerbread with a fully Functioning ClockWorkMod Recovery.
G. Final Steps (Optional)
Opened CWM Application and Granted SuperUser Permissions
Rebooted to Recovery Using "Reboot Recovery"
NOTE: This version of CWM uses different button mappings. Volume Up / Volume Down to navigate and POWER button to Select
Mounted Device using Mounts / Storage and connected to PC
Put Titanium Backup files back on Device
Reboot System Now
Setup Date and Time
Connected to WiFi
Went to Market and Added Google Account
Waited for Account Sync to complete
Re-Enabled "Unkonon Sources"
Downloaded and Installed Titanium Backup
Ran Titanium Backup and Restored app's and data
DONE and running PERFECT !!!! Enjoy!!!
Donations
While I enjoy tinkering with devices and trying new methods, doing so can be time consuming. Compiling and witing this tutorial took me a considerable amount of time. I have also convieniently placed all the required files on an Ad-Free, Fast Download server so you can get them quick and don't need to hunt around. Mediafire was my server of choice but it is NOT free. I pay a monthly service charge to host on the server and this will also insure that the files are available now AND in the future. If you like my work and feel that it has helped you, I would appreciate a donation as a token of your appreciation. Simply click the button below or the "Donate to Me" button under my Username. Anything you can spare will be appreciated and go toward keeping the file sharing up and running as well as keep me interested in generating more tutorials. Thanks in advance!
Thread Consolidation and Links
The following Threads have been found and pertain strictly to the GT-P1010. If you find another thread that you feel should be included either link it in a post or PM me. I will review same and add to this section as appropriate.
[WIFI Only] [How-to] GT-P1010 Gingerbread Update ........ Thanks Taney
[CWM][RELEASE] Clockworkmod recovery for P1010 ....... Thanks Skin1980
Galaxy Tab p1010 tweaks ..... Thanks s2h2golf
[Tool / Mod] - CleanMOD 1.0.1 for GT-P1010 Gingerbread 2.3.6! Mod the Tab! ..... Thanks scrosler
Omg. G-R-E-A-T thread. Soo cool. Well, maybe we can cm on the tab, but a lot of developers are selfish
thank you for creating this guide!!
I got one of these for my daughter to play with and I was having a hard time figuring out what information pertains to her model.
Question and Answer Section
***** Reserved for Questions and Answers *********
2013-03-09 - I have been away from these forums for awhile now and apologize if I haven't been around to answer any questions. Just been too busy with other responsibilities. While I still own this device, I have moved on to another and have not kept up with development on the GTP-1010. I hope that many users have had success but I know from reading the posts that a few have struggled. Thank you to those that have attempted to assist in my absence. Honestly, without doing much with this device, I don't know how to answer some of the PM's I have received. This device was at the time considered "Legacy" in my mind and over 1 year later I don't believe anything has changed. With this said I will not be providing additional information or files and it does not make financial sense for me to continue paying for the "Pro" mediafire account. I will be canceling it today but have paid for it through 2013-04-01 at which time it will revert to a "free" account. I have no idea at this time what will happen to the links in my posts on that date but suggest that anyone interested, download everything before then. If time permits I will attempt to move everything over to a new server but I make no promises. The "free" version of Mediafire may still work but I vaguely remember paying for "pro" for a reason. I just don't remember why. Thanks for all the "thanks". I'm glad this has at least helped some people. Again, I appologize for not being around and for any issues with the links after April, 1 2013
******* One More for Good Measure ********
Bravo
Thank you for your hard work. Sent donation. Saved me hours of searching and coordinating the info. C'mon guys, how much time has this post saved you?
Hi i followed your instructions until i got to "Rooting" section.. the little problem issue i have is that the device i have doesn't have the Android Market..(i know i was shocked too) it has the Samsung Apps online but even that doesn't have the Titanium Backup App... any suggestions of how to install the Android Market? (btw love the instructions, nice and clear)
apolonetics said:
Hi i followed your instructions until i got to "Rooting" section.. the little problem issue i have is that the device i have doesn't have the Android Market..(i know i was shocked too) it has the Samsung Apps online but even that doesn't have the Titanium Backup App... any suggestions of how to install the Android Market? (btw love the instructions, nice and clear)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry about the late response. Honestly this forum gets very little attention and I haven't been checking as often as I should.
That said ... I think you need to review post 4 which is an extension of the lessons learned in post 1. The firmware files ALL have the market built into them and following those steps should return you to a STOCK ROM. Make sure you backup any user files that you need before you begin. An internet search should allow you to find the .apk file for titanium backup. If you enable "unknown sources" in settings and get the app onto your device, clicking it should install the application. I'm not sure though if you finished the rooting step of stopped short or it. You NEED root to run Titanium,
Also, Keep in mind that as stated I performed these steps on a US version of the hardware and I don't offer that devices from other regions will be 100% compatible. But, from my research I believe most should be.
In summary, please provide me with additional details regarding your device and it's history. I'm sure we can get you squared away. There is always a Google App's package (GAPPS) that could be flashed to your device to get the Market but I am concerned about the fact that your's doesn't have it. This makes me think that without starting from a fresh ROM we would ultimately just be chasing our tails trying to troubleshoot other issues.
Thank you so much for replying.. i didn't think you'll reply to my post... but before i go to the next step.. i was playing around with it.. following your instructions on updating drivers and rooting etc... i then got stuck on "rooting" section hence me posting for help on getting the Titanium Backup... anyway i decided to upload couple of rugby videos so i can watch it later... i was in the middle of one video when all of sudden it stopped and turned itself off, i turned it back on and it stuck on the Samsung logo and it has been stuck on that since 24+ hrs ago after turning it on/off... on/off - i think i might have f'd it up...
I got it as a prize from a competition last year (2011) in Oct, and ever since i've been having problems with it.. let me know what other info you need me to provide!
much appreciated for the help!
THANKS SO MUCH! You made my day!
-Redbearded Tyrant
"Sic Semper Tyrannus"
apolonetics said:
Thank you so much for replying.. i didn't think you'll reply to my post... but before i go to the next step.. i was playing around with it.. following your instructions on updating drivers and rooting etc... i then got stuck on "rooting" section hence me posting for help on getting the Titanium Backup... anyway i decided to upload couple of rugby videos so i can watch it later... i was in the middle of one video when all of sudden it stopped and turned itself off, i turned it back on and it stuck on the Samsung logo and it has been stuck on that since 24+ hrs ago after turning it on/off... on/off - i think i might have f'd it up...
I got it as a prize from a competition last year (2011) in Oct, and ever since i've been having problems with it.. let me know what other info you need me to provide!
much appreciated for the help!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Honestly in order to support you I believe you should start from scratch. You should be able to get the device to download mode even if it is stuck on the Samsung Logo. Hold the power button until the unit turns off completely and then use the instructions to enter download mode. Then follow all the instructions in Post 4.
This will of course wipe your device totally clean so make sure you have everything backed up. Even though you can't get the system to boot you may be able to access your files by hooking it up to the PC. This is certainly true if you have already installed CWM. Look in the tutorial and find the section where I discuss "Mounts & Storage" from within CWM. This will allow you to copy off any important files. Then perform all the steps in Post 4.
That is really all I can offer as I don't know what you have done on the device to this point.
hai there.
i have few questions regarding upgrade to gingerbread.
my OS is 2.2.1 Froyo.DXKG1
if i want to upgrade my device to gingerbread P1010XXKPI_XEUKPI_Android_2.3.6, should i upgrade my device to the latest froyo (P1010XWKC1_OXX) then to gingerbread (P1010XXKPG_P1010XEUKPG_XEU) then to gingerbread (gingerbread P1010XXKPI_XEUKPI)??
or i can upgrade it straight away to gingerbread P1010XXKPI_XEUKPI_Android_2.3.6??
Thank you
Hi, i can't find your Post 4, are you able to post a link here please... ta
totihut said:
hai there.
i have few questions regarding upgrade to gingerbread.
my OS is 2.2.1 Froyo.DXKG1
if i want to upgrade my device to gingerbread P1010XXKPI_XEUKPI_Android_2.3.6, should i upgrade my device to the latest froyo (P1010XWKC1_OXX) then to gingerbread (P1010XXKPG_P1010XEUKPG_XEU) then to gingerbread (gingerbread P1010XXKPI_XEUKPI)??
or i can upgrade it straight away to gingerbread P1010XXKPI_XEUKPI_Android_2.3.6??
Thank you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes! This is what worked 100% for me so I recomend all the steps. The first upgrade to latest froyo has repartition checked which essentially gives you a clean slate. The seperate GB steps insure you end up with root. Good luck!
apolonetics said:
Hi, i can't find your Post 4, are you able to post a link here please... ta
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its the 4th post in THIS thread. "Flashing Fimware" section.
(Guide) (Beginners) You have rooted your phone, now what can you doNote – I will keep updating this guide as much as I can
Note - Please ask as many questions as you need, there is no question to basic to ask, it would be better being asked here instead of starting a new thread.
Note – Please don’t swear in this thread fu**ing is still swearing, using this - ** - still means you are swearing. Also please don’t call anyone a Noob after all this is a guide for beginners.
Final note – Can all beginners please thank people if they give you an answer to your question.
So welcome to the world of being rooted, you now have a nice shiny new rooted Android phone, but what can you do now. Well I have decided to start this thread to tell you what you can now do. This guide is for beginners and should be treated as it is intended, keeping it simple and just going over the basics. This guide will be broken down into main sections –
Post 1
• Super User
• Clockwork Mod Recovery (CWM)
• Apps
• Roms
Post 2
Further reading, it’s time to get you geek on
Post 3
More usefull apps that you might like
Super User
When you have a rooted phone you will need this little app called super user that has a massive job. When you rooted your phone it will have more than likely come with this app, if not then you can download it here. The basic idea behind super user is to control the root access to you phone. Your phone must have this app before you continue with the rest of this guide. Using Super User is easy when you open an app that needs root access a prompt will come up asking if you want to allow this app super user access, giving you two options deny or allow.
Clockwork Mod Recovery (CWM)
Once you have rooted your phone one of first thing you need to do is make sure you have Clockwork Mod Recovery. All phones have a recovery mode that can be accessed when turning on your phone or some root access apps allow you to access recovery mode through them. What CWM recovery does is modifies this recovery mode to make it better, allowing you to flash nearly anything you want or need, such as roms, themes and kernels. Also through CWM Recovery you can create a nandroid backup, which is a backup of your whole current rom, you can also carry factory data wipes and more advance features.
So how do you get CWM, well the first thing to do is check, depending what root method you used you might have it all ready (power off your phone and then hold the power, home and volume up buttons together until you enter recovery mode). You will know if you have CWM Recovery by looking at the top of the screen is should say “Clockworkmod Recovery”; if it doesn’t then you need to get it. The easy way to get CWM is by downloading the app Rom Manager (talked about below), open Rom Manager and there is an option to flash Clockwork Mod recovery, select that select which phone you have and it will do the rest for you.
Controls for CWM Recovery – Then volume buttons allow you to move and the power button is used to select.
Apps
Right there are a number of apps that will take advantage of you root access, and I am going to cover what I believe are the basics.
Remember when using any app that uses the root access of your phone it can come with risks.
Rom Manager – So Rom Manager and CWM sort of go hand in hand, being that Rom Manager is the nice user friendly app, giving you control of CWM from your phone home screen. Just like in CWM you can backup and restore your rom, flash new roms, fix permitions and partition SD card. As said above you can use Rom manager to flash CWM for you straight from the app, you can download this app here.
BusyBox – Trting to keep this simple, when you have a rooted phone there are sets of commands that you do not have, installing BusyBox will give these. This is required to run some apps that require root access. I think that was simple enough, oh and before I forget you can get it here.
Titanium Backup Root – Titanium Backup is an enormously useful app. Not only can it backup apps, but it can backup apps and all their data, and it can delete apps—even system apps or bloatware (bloatware are apps that come with your phone that you normally can’t remove like Games hub), making regular backups of all your apps and their data. You can download Titanium Backup here, also if you would like to know more about how to backup and restore most things when changing roms (more about roms just below) you can use my other guide here.
These are the very basic apps that you will need to see you of into the future of a android custom android experience, I will include other cool apps that use root access in post 3.
Roms
So the best part about having a rooted phone well for me anyway is the massive list of roms out there. If you don’t know what a rom is then here we go. When you get your android phone and turn it on, you’re faced with this impressive software that allows you access to apps throught the market, make phone call, txt, maps, voice commands, email and the list is never ending. This is all done through the software known as the Rom, the rom you get when have your phone is known as a Stock Rom. Now it this stock rom that we can change to improve our Android mobile experience known as a Custom Rom, and there are lots of custom roms out there. Some are made to give you a better battery, better custimization, improved features, so to provide a vanilla experience and some try to make a balance of them all, but the main idea is to make android better. So roms are broken down into different categories, here is a breakdown of them for you.
Stock Rom – As talked about before stock roms are the software that comes with the phone, some people prefer the stock experience but I don’t. The main problem with stock roms is that manufactures will place an extra layer of software on top of the rom known as a user interface (UI), such as Samsung wither their touchwiz UI and HTC with HTC Sense UI. The problem I have with these UI are they are power hungry and well not to sound mean but touchwiz is not very well made.
AOSP – Android open Source Project is the android rom in its basic form, so it has no bloatware or power hungry UI’s. This is where you will get most of your custom roms from, there are devs within the android community most found right here on XDA, that will use AOSP and make their own custom roms with this adding to and improving it to make the best rom they can. Just as a note there is no best rom and you will never get an answer as to which is the best. Each rom is to their own and suit different people with different needs, but as a starter rom to get use to the idea of flashing roms and learning everything that is needed then I would recommend a Cyanogen Mod Rom, as this is the most popular and you will get the most advice from the community is it is the most used. You can find the Cyanogen Mod website here. The best way to find roms is to look through the forum and look in the Development and Original Development threads.
INDEX - Android Development [29 March] - Here is a Rom list from the Android Development Fourm, the list includes both ICS and GB roms, thanks to daniel_costa_rj
There is a lot more to roms that just this basic overview and I will be adding more in the future as this will take just as long as writing this whole thread, so keep an eyeout for more updates, including AOKP.
EFS Folder (Important)
Ok this is more of a you must do and not a what you can now do. So the efs folder is a very important folder within your android system that contains infomation like your IMEI number, and just well important infomation trust me it's important. When people start to mod their phone such as flashing roms, kernels e.t.c, this folder can become corrupt, making you phone usless. So backing up this folder is important and their is an easy way in which you can do this, a more user friendly way using a great app by hellcatdroid. You can get this app from google play here, and it will give you all the tools to back up the folder. I will also include a guide on further reading for you to have a look over, so please backup your efs folder.
Well that’s it for now, this is my first draft and I will be making a lot on adding and changing over the next week.
Thanks for reading and I hope this guide helps even a handful of people.
Further reading, it’s time to get you geek on
[Guide] Back up your data before moving to a new rom
[REF] Guide to the Galaxy S II and Android (04/10/11)
[GUIDE] Fix an unflashable or soft bricked GSII
[REF][TWEAKS] Kernel Governors, Modules, I/O Schedulers, CPU Tweaks, AIO App Configs
Android Terms,Slang & Definitions
Forum & Marketplace Rules
[REF] Backup /efs folder. IMPORTANT.
More usefull apps that you might like
Root Browser Lite - Root Browser is for both non-root and rooted users. If you are rooted then this app will give you access to ALL of Android's file system. With a beautiful interface, tons of features and a cheap price Root Browser is a must have!#
ROM Toolbox - ROM Toolbox is the MUST HAVE app for any rooted user.
ROM Toolbox combines all the great root apps all tied up into one monster app with a beautiful and user-friendly interface. It also adds many more unseen features!, Check out the link for the full feature list
SGS2 Dual-Boot Setup (LolBoot) - Dual-Boot your Galaxy S2!
/!\ Requires root /!\
/!\ This is for the Galaxy S2 *ONLY* /!\
When the dual-boot is set up, you can (re)boot between two different, independent ROMs.
Just powering on boots into the primary ROM (duh!).
Using the recovery button combo (VOL-UP+HOME+POWER) will boot into the second ROM instead of recovery!
Pluggin in a USB cable or AC charger when the phone is powered off will make the phone boot into recovery.
AdFree Android - THIS APP IS FOR ROOTED PHONES ONLY!
AdFree removes most ads in the browser and other apps. It does this by nullifying requests to known host names in the system hosts file.
If you have problems with this app, or you know of additional host names not being filtered, please comment in xda-developers.com forum so it can be fixed!
kTool - Tool for a few functions after rooting. Kernel dump/flash, EFS backup/restore...
/!\ Requires Root /!\
/!\ Works on the >Galaxy S2< and >Galaxy Note< *ONLY* /!\
(i) the "lock pattern bug" is currently being investigated and worked on!
kTool is a small tool originally bundled with Hellcat's Root-Kernel for the Galaxy S2.
It offers a few functions usefull after rooting the device:
- Dump current kernel to /sdcard/zImage
- Flash kernel from /sdcard/zImage
- Backup the phone's EFS (sensitive storage are holding the IMEI and other vital data) as a raw .IMG dump and a .tar archive
- Restoring EFS from the raw .IMG or the .tar backup
- Format EFS (create fresh filesystem for cases where you want to restore seperate files or a .tar backup, but the filesystem is stuck/locked in read-only due to corruption)
- Reboot (normal, directely to recovery or directely to downlaod mode)
EFS Pro - EFS Pro - For Samsung Android Devices
Advanced Backup and Restore of your Device's '/efs' folder!
Features:
Supports Backup and Restore of Partition Image (*.img) and Compressed TAR Archive (*.tar) formats.
Automatically detects saved EFS Backups on Device and PC for hassle free restoring.
Re-Scan option to refresh Backup list for restoring Backups.
Automatically Re-Mounts '/efs' folder with Read/Write permissions during restore for users 'stuck' with Read Only permissions.
Automatic detection and prompting of Mass Storage Mode.
Automatic detection and termination of SAMSUNG Kies application on startup.
Supports Multiple Backup handling.
Option to Format '/efs' partition before restoring an EFS Backup.
Displays Device, ROM and BusyBox information on startup.
(NEW!) Attempt NV Recovery - Restores NV Data from '*.bak' files if they exist to fix corrupt or incorrect IMEI number.
(NEW!) Repair NV Data - Repairs NV Data file ownership to fix 'Unknown Baseband' and 'No Network / Signal'.
Introduction to Kernels
What is a kernel
So to keep this simple their 3 parts of your device the hardware, Software (rom) and your kernel. The kernel is the communication link between hardware and Software, although some of the seen as more important things are battery life, touch, wifi and more. You can also use a kernel to give you greater controll of your phone with such things (each kernel has its own conrtoll features).
You can swap your kernel just like you can swap your rom, although you need to check that the kernel you are going to flash with work with the rom you are using. some kernels will work woth all rom types such as SiyahKernel, others are made to be used on certain roms only such as Stock Roms, AOSP roms, AOKP Roms, and some even more specific such as CM9, MIUI and diffrent versions such as GB and ICS. So you will need to check the thread for that kernel and see what the features are and what Roms it will work on.
Their are many kernels on XDA Develpoers and the idea is for you to try a few out and see which suits your needs best, as their is no best kernel, the same as their is no best rom. So here is a list of a few kernels to get you started, and remember to check that the kernel you are about to flash will work on your device.
[KERNEL][ICS][ExTweaks][All-in-1kernel][DualBoot] SiyahKernel v3.2b6
[KERNEL][05.05][APP/PRO/OTA][AOSP&SAMMY] N.E.A.K. ICS - Designed by Nature (v2.0.4x)
[KERNEL] SpeedMod SGS2 ICS [K3-16 CIFS ROOT / NO-ROOT CWM5]
[KERNEL] SpeedMod SGS2 [K2-21 CWM5 CIFS ROOT]
[KERNEL] XPLOD 3.0.24 opensource kernel
Learn more about kernels
I will be adding more reading on kernels soon
reserved for later
My very own rom
Ok so here it is my very own rom go to the link to see more
[Rom][4.0.3][Vertumus][Apex & Galaxy 3 TW Launcher] Dark Angel
Gonna try Adsfree. My best improvement with my custom rom (resurrection remix 1.1) is that now i can tether. And overall is much better than the stock one.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA
Great guide
u said that u can flash new roms now that your phone is rooted but my question is dont you have to unlock bootloader to do that
i'm still new so i'll ask alot of questions
If you install ClockworkMod Recovery, it will allow you to flash roms as it will unlock bootloader for you
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA
ok then nevr heard of that but i'm still new to everything
would clockwork mod unlock the bootloader of xperia play r800i i recently rooted it(last night to be exact)
i know this may not be the xperia play section but i was searching and stumbled upon this thread
RealMcoy said:
ok then nevr heard of that but i'm still new to everything
would clockwork mod unlock the bootloader of xperia play r800i i recently rooted it(last night to be exact)
i know this may not be the xperia play section but i was searching and stumbled upon this thread
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am not sure you would have to look in the relevent thread for you device, i wouldent want to give you advice on a device i have never worked with.
Updating thread
I have started to add more to the thread -
Extra reading and more i have add some apps, their is a lot more to come.
fantastic post
I spent 10mins to go through the whole post and very helpful for me. As a newbie, I have learned a lot from you. Thanks for your work and keep updates.
AOKP sms related
I have rooted my phoen and installed custom ROM with AOKP sms, can some one please help me that how can i send sms to multiple ppl @same time, i mean how can i add contact group in AOKP sms, i tried a lot but not able to find it..
Did you install an aokp Rom or a custom AOSP rom and install the SMS.apk from AOKP source
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA
Update to thread
I have updated the thread a little with more guides for you to geek up on, and i have added a link to a rom list................ Enjoy
Just a thought mate, how about linking up a thread on how to back up your efs folder after root, last few months been lots of threads about efs being messed up, there is also a guide to re-storing ya efs if ya screw it up. Nice thread btw
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2
E_Goldstein said:
Just a thought mate, how about linking up a thread on how to back up your efs folder after root, last few months been lots of threads about efs being messed up, there is also a guide to re-storing ya efs if ya screw it up. Nice thread btw
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will make an edit to the 1st post and include a guide on efs backup, not that many people now how important efs folder is so thanks for the idea.
Great Guide
This is very helpful indeed.
If you just switched from iPhone or BB or this is ur first android. Read this thoroughly and see ur questions get eliminated by this guide. if you find this helpful than show your appreciation and hit that thnx button.
All Credit Goes to appdroid for this amazing post.
I don't take any credit I Googled everything. I do take credit of modifying some stuff in word. I won't have this Phone but I am just being helpful to the community.
Little in-depth information about Android. Must Read. Thank You Pirateghost.
ADB → Android Debug Bridge (adb) is a versatile command line tool that lets you communicate with an emulator instance or connected Android-powered device..
Android →Unveiled on 5 November 2007, Android is a mobile operating system running on the Linux kernel developed by Google.
AOSP → Android Open Source Project
Apps2SD → Move applications from the internal NAND memory on the device to a removable SD Card.
BLN → BackLight Notification
Bloatware → Software bloat is a process whereby successive versions of apps include an increasing proportion of unnecessary features that are not used by end users, or generally use more system resources than necessary, while offering little or no benefit to its users. Like all the crap that comes from At&t
Brick → When used in reference to consumer electronics, "brick" describes a device that cannot function in any capacity (such as a device with damaged firmware). This usage derives from the fact that some electronic devices (and their detachable power supplies) are vaguely brick-shaped, and so those which do not function are useful only as actual bricks. The term can also be used as a verb. For example, "I bricked my phone when I tried to modify its firmware."[
Hard Brick → When your phone does not turn on at all. When you can’t get in to CWR/CWM Or Stock recovery. You are basically screwed.
Soft Brick → When your phone bootloops. When you can get into CWR/CWM. When You can use jigtag to get into download mode.
Busybox → BusyBox provides several stripped-down Unix tools in a single executable. It runs in a variety of POSIX environments such as Linux, Android, FreeBSD and others, such as proprietary kernels, although many of the tools it provides are designed to work with interfaces provided by the Linux kernel. It was specifically created for embedded operating systems with very limited resources. Platforms counterparts, but they are pretty close and useful nonetheless.
CWR OR CWM ClockworkMod Recovery →A custom recovery for Android phones and tablets that allows you to perform several advanced recovery, restoration, installation and maintenance operations on your Android device that aren’t possible with the stock recovery.
DEODEX → Apk files have respective odexes that devs use to supposedly save space. Deodexing means you convert it back to a .dex file and put it back inside the apk. This allows you to easily replace file (not having to worry about odexes), but the main point was to deodex services.jar so that you can change all text to different colors (such as the clock color to white) and to deodex services.jar, you need to deodex everything.
Flashing → The process of applying a firmware image (or ROM) to a device. It generally entails a very specific order of steps. Failing to complete any one of these steps properly may result in bricking the device.
Firmware → is a term often used to denote the fixed, usually rather small, programs and/or data structures that internally control various electronic devices. Programs stored in the ROM, EPROM, or flash memory that usually control various internal electronic devices (Hard Drives, Keyboards, Displays, etc). Firmware is typically 'fixed' software that is not updated in consumer devices, however it is often updated (or 'flashed') by advanced users to fix bugs or add features to the device. Flashing firmware designed for one device onto a different device, or not following a specific procedure while flashing will often render the device unusable.
Kernel → is the main component of most computer operating systems; it is a bridge between applications and the actual data processing done at the hardware level. The kernel's responsibilities include managing the system's resources (the communication between hardware and software components
Radio → The cellular radio on the device which needs control software called firmware to control it.
ROM → Read Only Memory. In the context of an Android device, ROM is the internal flash memory where the core operating system resides. It can also refer to a specific version firmware that can be applied to a device through a process usually referred to as flashing. An improperly flashed ROM can often brick the device, rendering it unusable.
Superuser→ A program, which gives unlimited access privileges to perform any or all operations on the operating system.
ODIN → Odin is the Samsung software used to update Samsung phones. It does not work with any other devices other than official Samsung phones.
OTA or FOTA → (F)OTA stands for (Firmware) Over The Air and is the process by which required updates and enhancements to your phone's basic operating system can be sent to you through the cellular network. The Galaxy S II software update will be sent via FOTA and is available through Samsung Kies mini.0
ODEX → In Android file system, applications come in packages with the extension .apk. These application packages, or APKs contain certain .odex files whose supposed function is to save space. These ‘odex’ files are actually collections of parts of an application that are optimized before booting. Doing so speeds up the boot process, as it preloads part of an application. On the other hand, it also makes hacking those applications difficult because a part of the coding has already been extracted to another location before execution.
SDK → Software Development Kit.
Logcat → A debugging tool built into Android devices that displays system logs as they occur. See Logcat.
NANDroid → A set of tools that will enable anyone who has root on their Android device to make FULL system backups, in case something goes wrong or you want to try out that new experimental ROM/theme. NANDroid will backup (and restore) /system, /data, /cache, and /boot partitions.
Recovery Mode → A special environment that you can boot into for troubleshooting and upgrading purposes.
Kang → The process of creating a code based of someone else's code or reapplying code that someone else created into your own code (e.g. git cherry-pick)
Rooting → is a process that allows users of mobile phones and other devices running the Android operating system to attain privileged control (known as "root access") within Android's Linux subsystem with the goal of overcoming limitations that carriers and manufacturers put on some devices.
HOW TO ROOT YOUR SAMSUNG GALAXY SIII I9300
Step 1. Download Odin3.07 from HERE
Step 2. Power off your Galaxy S3. Then hold down Volume Down, Center Home, and Power buttons together until you see the warning screen.
Step 3. Hit Volume Up button to enter Download mode and connect a microUSB cable from your Galaxy S3 to your computer.
Step 4. Next, download GalaxyS3RootNew.zip, unzip the files and run odin3.07.exe by double-clicking on the file.
Step 5. When ODIN program opens, you should find a highlighted yellow box with a random COM number. If you don’t see this, download and install Samsung USB drivers below:
SAMSUNG_USB_Driver_for_Mobile_Phones.exe
Step 6. DO NOT TOUCH ANYTHING ELSE, hit “PDA” button and select the file CF-Root-SGS3-v6.4.tar.
Step 7. Hit “Start” button. This will install ClockworkMod Recovery on your Galaxy S3 i9300. If you get stuck on this step, just try a different USB port.
Step 8. Once ODIN is done flashing, you will see “PASS!” in green highlighted box.
Step 9. Your Galaxy S3 will reboot once into CWM Recovery and automatically install root and Superuser app.
Step 10. Once your phone reboots, you will find an app called “SuperSU”, this is your superuser app.
Step 11. Download and install Titanium Backup app from Play Store to verify you have root, a Superuser request window should pop up.
That’s it! This should take you less than 5 minutes to do and does not affect your phone in any way but give you Superuser, root, and custom ClockworkMod Recovery.
I highly recommend you to boot into ClockworkMod Recovery and make your first backup ROM at this point, which will save everything including the stock ROM, your apps and settings.
Thanks to galaxys3root.com for sources
HOW TO DO A NANDROID BACKUP
Step 1. We will first reboot into ClockworkMod Recovery by holding down Volume Up, Center Home, and Power buttons together for about 10 seconds.
Step 2. Once in ClockworkMod Recovery on your rooted Galaxy S3, choose “backup and storage”.
Step 3. You will have an option to “backup” or “backup to internal storage”. The first option will backup to your microSD card while the latter to the internal storage.
Step 4. Your rooted Galaxy S3 should now be backing up. Backing up ROM takes 5-10 minutes so go ahead and get your cup of coffee and come back.
HOW TO RESTORE FROM A BACKUP
Step 1. To restore ROM, simply use the same “backup and restore” menu then choose “restore” or “restore from internal sdcard” depending on where you backed up your ROM.
That was easy right?
So, don’t delay and make a backup ROM if you just rooted your phone, you will thank me later and save yourself time and headache when things go wrong.
Thanks to galaxys3root.com for sources
HOW TO FLASH A ROM
Basic Steps
! Choose the ROM that you want and download its .zip file
!! Transfer the zip file to your phone’s sd card. Do not put it into any folder.
!!! Turn off your phone and reboot into recovery, usually by holding the down button and power button at the same time.
!!!! Do a Nandroid backup
!!!!! Do a full Data wipe, wipe the Cache and also wipe Dalvik
!!!!!! Flash the zip file that you put on your sd card
!!!!!!! Reboot phone
You can find all ROMS HERE
HOW TO FLASH A KERNEL WITH CMW
_Download the Kernel You want to flash and put it in sd card.
__Boot in to CWM!
___Wipe cache & Dalvik Cache
____Press install from Sd card!
_____Select the kernel that you dloaded!
______Flash it!
_______Reboot!
________Check in CPU SPY to see if you successfully flashed Kernel.
All Kernels Can Be Found In The Development Section
HOW TO GO BACK TO UNROOTED STOCK
Step 1 - Download an Official Stock Rom from - HERE
Step 2 - Extract the Firmware
Step 3 - Open up Odin
Step 4 - Turn OFF your device
Step 5 - Put your device into Download MODE (Home + Volume Down + Power)
Step 6 - Click PDA and select *.tar.md5
Step 7 - Then finally click START!
Great noob dictionary!
But why reserve so many posts?
I guess they're free right?
nfsmw_gr said:
Great noob dictionary!
But why reserve so many posts?
I guess they're free right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank You. I have only edited this Guide to adapt to this Phone.
And now you should be able to see why I reserved so many posts lol
Nick Fury said:
Thank You. I have only edited this Guide to adapt to this Phone.
And now you should be able to see why I reserved so many posts lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Got it,now it makes sense...great work mate.
Nick Fury said:
!!!!! Wipe the phone 3 times by clearing cache/factory restore 3 times and wiping dalvik cache and system format
!!!!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
3 times is a little overkill don't ya think? In fact I remember seeing a ROM thread in the development section waaay back in the first few weeks of launch and a dev had in his set of instructions to wipe and factory reset 3 times before flash. A moderator made him change it because it was unnecessary to wipe that many times and stated that it would cause issues... what exactly, I can't remember but it sounded legit. Just my 2 cents
But.. great reference guide!
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium
Coreym said:
3 times is a little overkill don't ya think? In fact I remember seeing a ROM thread in the development section waaay back in the first few weeks of launch and a dev had in his set of instructions to wipe and factory reset 3 times before flash. A moderator made him change it because it was unnecessary to wipe that many times and stated that it would cause issues... what exactly, I can't remember but it sounded legit. Just my 2 cents
But.. great reference guide!
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank You for the Feedback and the post has now been edited with the Correct information.
If anyone finds that any of the information above is incorrect or needs updating then please let me know and I will get the Guide updated.
Thank You for reading.
Nice one
Nick Fury said:
If anyone finds that any of the information above is incorrect or needs updating then please let me know and I will get the Guide updated.
Thank You for reading.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for setting up this guide.
"account currently disabled" ??
Great guide for newbies.
Cheers!
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
Thanks
Hi,
Great intro for noobs.
Keep up the good work.
another great thread nick
i'm in the process of researching both the language and process of rooting my s2. i've been reading articles and watching videos and will write out a "script" for me to follow before i root and flash a ROM. would it be OK to ask a few questions prior to this endeavor to clear up any uncertainties i might have? i know XDA has rigid rules as to where to discuss certain topics (which i completely respect and understand).
bk11222 said:
i'm in the process of researching both the language and process of rooting my s2. i've been reading articles and watching videos and will write out a "script" for me to follow before i root and flash a ROM. would it be OK to ask a few questions prior to this endeavor to clear up any uncertainties i might have? i know XDA has rigid rules as to where to discuss certain topics (which i completely respect and understand).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please feel free to to ask any questions. This would be the perfect spot as it is topic related.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium
thanks!
great guide includes everything thanks :good:
R: [REF} All in One guide for NOOBS! With Videos Now!
Glad Thatcher tour thread seems to have more success than mine which id similar but with some others tutorials
You can see it here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2113656
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
R: [REF} All in One guide for NOOBS! With Videos Now!
Since my thread was closed ( i don't know if it was reported to admin by someone asking to close it) i could paste my tutorials here if you want
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium
★★★★[INFO]ANDROID ROM & How they Work★★★★
Parts of a ROM
i. The kernel.
Android (like many other Smartphone operating systems) runs on the Linux kernel. The Linux kernel was created in the early 1990’s by a gentleman named Linus Torvalds in Helsinki, Finland. It’s incredibly stable, incredibly friendly, and incredibly difficult for the layman to understand and modify. Thankfully it’s also very popular so it has been ported on to a multitude of hardware, including our Android devices.
Think of the kernel as an interface layer between the hardware and software on your device. The kernel decides when things happen, such as the LED indicator gets lit or when the soft button's LED gets lit. An application sends a request to the operating system to blink the LED. The operating system then sends the request to the kernel, which makes the light flash for the amount of time requested by the OS.
What sounds like a round-about way to get things done is also what makes the system so scalable and robust. Application developers only have to code in a way the operating system understands and the kernel makes it work on the hardware. This also keeps the application running in it’s own user-space and separate from the kernel. That means when you run the latest uber-cool app that wasn’t designed for your particular OS version, or is still very beta and it crashes, the kernel gives you the option to Force Close the application and the kernel can run untouched.
In a standard Android ROM (we will leave developer images and the like for another discussion) the kernel is bundled along with a set of instructions that tell the device how to load the kernel and the OS during boot. This is the boot.img that you see inside a zipped ROM that your not able to easily open. The device knows to extract this image to internal memory (the ramdisk) and follow a series of scripts (init scripts) to load the kernel and then the other portions of the OS. That’s what’s happening while you’re watching the boot animation. Interestingly enough this is done the same way for a PC, your smartphone, an Android tablet, or even a smart Linux powered toaster. If you’re feeling exceptionally geeky, plug your Android phone into the USB port on your PC and let the PC boot from the USB device. No, it doesn’t actually load, but you can watch the animation while it tries to match up the hardware support with what’s inside your PC. As I said, Linux is amazingly scalable and as a result so is Android.
What is a kernel? If you spend any time reading Android forums, blogs, how-to posts or online discussion you'll soon hear people talking about the kernel. A kernel isn't something unique to Android -- iOS and MacOS have one, Windows has one, BlackBerry's QNX has one, in fact all high level operating systems have one. The one we're interested in is Linux, as it's the one Android uses. Let's try to break down what it is and what it does.
Android devices use the Linux kernel, but it's not the exact same kernel other Linux-based operating systems use. There's a lot of Android specific code built in, and Google's Android kernel maintainers have their work cut out for them. OEMs have to contribute as well, because they need to develop hardware drivers for the parts they're using for the kernel version they're using. This is why it takes a while for independent Android developers and hackers to port new versions to older devices and get everything working. Drivers written to work with the Gingerbread kernel on a phone won't necessarily work with the Ice Cream Sandwich kernel. And that's important, because one of the kernel's main functions is to control the hardware. It's a whole lot of source code, with more options while building it than you can imagine, but in the end it's just the intermediary between the hardware and the software.
When software needs the hardware to do anything, it sends a request to the kernel. And when we say anything, we mean anything. From the brightness of the screen, to the volume level, to initiating a call through the radio, even what's drawn on the display is ultimately controlled by the kernel. For example -- when you tap the search button on your phone, you tell the software to open the search application. What happens is that you touched a certain point on the digitizer, which tells the software that you've touched the screen at those coordinates. The software knows that when that particular spot is touched, the search dialog is supposed to open. The kernel is what tells the digitizer to look (or listen, events are "listened" for) for touches, helps figure out where you touched, and tells the system you touched it. In turn, when the system receives a touch event at a specific point from the kernel (through the driver) it knows what to draw on your screen. Both the hardware and the software communicate both ways with the kernel, and that's how your phone knows when to do something. Input from one side is sent as output to the other, whether it's you playing Angry Birds, or connecting to your car's Bluetooth.
It sounds complicated, and it is. But it's also pretty standard computer logic -- there's an action of some sort generated for every event. Without the kernel to accept and send information, developers would have to write code for every single event for every single piece of hardware in your device. With the kernel, all they have to do is communicate with it through the Android system API's, and hardware developers only have to make the device hardware communicate with the kernel. The good thing is that you don't need to know exactly how or why the kernel does what it does, just understanding that it's the go-between from software to hardware gives you a pretty good grasp of what's happening under the glass. Sort of gives a whole new outlook towards those fellows who stay up all night to work on kernels for your phone, doesn't it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ii. The operating system.
Once the kernel is loaded, the init scripts tell the Operating System to load. Android is the user interface for a custom built Java virtual machine called Dalvik. Dalvik was written by Dan Bornstein, who named it after the fishing village of Dalvik in Iceland, where his family originated from. The debate of which Java VM is superior is best left for another discussion, so I’ll simply say that DalvikVM is a register-based machine versus true JavaVMs which are stack based.
The Dalvik machine creates executable files (.dex files) which can be interpreted by the OS and run by the end user. These .dex files are OS version dependant. That simply means that applications and core functions built to work with one version of Android may or may not work well with other versions. Google provides the tools through it’s Software Development Kit (SDK) for applications to communicate with the OS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
iii. Core functions.
No smartphone would be complete without a set of functions that allow the device to be used as intended. Things like the phone and dialer interface, the calendar, the messaging system are core functions of the Operating System. In Android, these are run on top of the kernel as separate applications. The merits (or lack of) of providing these needed functions as separate applications is once again best left for another discussion, but this is what allows developers like HTC or Motorola to replace the standard functions with alternatives that provide a different look and feel from stock. HTC’s onscreen keyboard or Motorola’s MotoBlur contact list are great examples of this. The “little guy” isn’t left out of the mix either. Handcent SMS or Chomp SMS can integrate into the OS very well, as most of us already know.
An additional set of Core Functions are provided by Google. Popularly called GoogleBits, things like Gmail, sync, Gtalk and the Android Market are applications written by Google that give an extra set of useful functions to the OS. You’ll find these on all smartphones, as well as many other Android devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
iv. Optional applications.
These are applications provided by the manufacturer to give the device even more usability. Things like the Amazon MP3 store, PDF readers, Corporate Calendar etc. allow you to do even more with your device. Remember - Droid Does
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
B. How is a ROM packaged?
In most cases a ROM will come packaged in a .zip file. The recovery image’s kernel (yes, it has one too!) has the ability to unzip and copy the contents into the correct place. Inside this zip file is a folder (META-INF\com\google\android\) that contains a script prepared by the ROM “cooker” (another of those techie terms - it means the person(s) who developed the ROM) that tells the system what to format, what to copy and where, and any file operations that need to be done. Each device does things a bit differently, but this script is where it all gets done. More on this folder later.
You’ll also see a /system folder. This is the meat of the ROM. It has the necessary OS files, the Core functions, and any optional applications the cooker decided to include. The folder is structured the same way it is on your device - /system/app, /system/framework, etc. The whole tree is usually copied over and the existing /system folder is overwritten. The cooker uses the script to tell the kernel to erase the existing system folder, copy the new folder over, and set the file permissions.
Sometimes you will also see a data folder. This usually is space set up for optional applications, including optional system tools like busybox or SuperUser white list. These applications could be placed in the /system folder, but placing them in the data folder makes it easier for the end user (you and I) to remove or update them as needed.
You’ll also notice a META-INF folder. This contains the update script we talked about earlier, as well as secure keys that need to be provided so the device knows the update can be trusted. A special note needs made here. Trusted means that the update is trusted to be in the correct form to load the device. It in no way means the ROM is safe from malicious code. Anyone is able to use a set of test keys and create a ROM that will flash and run your device - even those people with bad intentions. Flashing and running a custom 3rd party ROM is putting faith in the cooker that he or she not only knows what they are doing, but are honest as well. Also, some Motorola custom ROMs will have a small update.zip stored inside this folder to be run on first boot of the device.
Finally we are left with the boot.img file. This is the kernel and ramdisk image we discussed earlier. Your phone copies this over to be decompressed and run when the device boots.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
2. How do I install a ROM?
In this section we’re discussing how to install a custom 3rd party ROM. ROMs from the manufacturer usually have a utility that runs on your PC to flash and load the new image.
A. Got Root???
Yes ?:good:!!!
Custom ROM’s simply will not load on devices that aren’t rooted. In theory, it may be possible to sign a 3rd party ROM with the keys that the stock recovery image will flash, but for the most part you need to have flashed a custom recovery image before you can change your device’s ROM. Instructions and tutorials on how to root your device are all over the internet. Some are good, some are bad. The hacking forum is a great place to go and learn more about rooting and how to successfully get it done on your device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
B. Recovery
Most Android devices have had a custom recovery image written for them. This will overwrite the stock recovery image, allowing you to flash 3rd party ROMs as well as giving extra functionality. Help with finding and flashing the custom recovery image for your device can also be found in the hacking forum. The installation of a custom recovery image also allows for a very important function. Backup and restore.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
.C. Nandroid
Nandroid is a set of bash scripts and code written by that copies the state of your system and stores it in a folder on your SD card. You can then use the restore function of Nandroid to restore to this point at any time. This is a priceless feature and reason enough to root your phone. It’s included by default in most custom recovery images, and the code is freely available to use if you’re inclined to write your own recovery image.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In most situations, using Nandroid to back everything up is easy:
1. Verify you have a memory card with enough free space (~300MB to backup, ~500MB to restore).
2. Reboot your device into recovery. It’s slightly different for each device, once again hacking forum FTW!
3. Navigate through the menu and select the Nandroid Backup function.
4. Apply your choice and wait for the device to tell you it’s finished.
It’s always good practice to copy the entire nandroid folder from your SD card to a safe place. You can then copy it back to the SD card if the card is ever damaged, lost or erased.
D. Copy and Flash
You’re rooted, have downloaded a custom ROM, have your system backed up and are now ready to flash your device. This is not nearly as scary as it sounds.
1. Mount your SD card to your PC, and copy the .zip file to the root folder of the card. Don’t unzip the file, and don’t look for a folder called root. The root folder in this case means the base folder, what you will see when you mount your card to a PC or the device.
2. Reboot your phone into recovery.
3. Navigate through the recovery menu and select the flash update option. Depending on your recovery image, the file may need to be named update.zip, or you may be able to select any zip file on your card as long as it’s the correct format. The cooker knows this as well and if the ROM needs to be named update.zip it will be.
4. Apply your choice and wait for your device to tell you it’s finished.
5. Reboot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It’s worth noting that many times a new ROM will require that you wipe and factory reset your devices data. While inconvenient, it’s often necessary to get rid of the old data as it may be incompatible. As long as you’re using the cloud for calendar and contacts, they will be re- downloaded and stored back on your device automatically.
Dirty flash and Clean flash
A dirty flash is only wiping cache and davlik then flashing your ROM....
a Clean flash is at LEAST factory reset/data wipe + wiping davlik(factory wipe takes care of /cache also)... Maybe doing a format /system also.
***Odin***
Odin is the ROM Flashing Tool for SAMSUNG smartphones. ROM files flashable with Odin come with .tar extension.
Most of the ROMs you are going to flash with Odin are the official stock Samsung ROMs (or leaked stock ROMs). Custom ROMs are rerely flashable by Odin because they come with .zip extension that Odin does not recognize (it recognizes .tar files).
Custom kernels, however, are sometimes provided in .tar format by their developers (e.g. CF-Root kernels), so that they can be flashed by Odin. When your phone is new and running official firmware you most often cannot flash a custom ROM to it because a Samsung phone often requires a custom recovery and root rights that are included in a custom kernel to be able to flash custom ROMs. That's why Odin often comes in handy in rooting and flashing a custom firmware to your phone because you (often) can flash a custom kernel with it that already includes root and custom recovery and enables you to flash custom firmware (custom ROMs). I use the word "often" very frequently in the previous sentence because every Samsung smartphone is different and requires various procedures for rooting it and flashing custom ROMs (see the section about using Odin below).
If it comes to stock ROMs, the best source of stock (official) Samsung ROM files is located at this excellent website: SamMobile.com/firmwares (link). It requires registration (it's free) and I encourage you to set up an account there because you will most likely use this site several times during your stay at XDA. You will most likely come across 1 .tar or 3 .tar file ROMs there, flashable by Odin. Refer to the Odin flashing guide below for more info.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
****Heimdall****
What is Heimdall?
Heimdall is a cross-platform open-source tool suite used to flash ROMs onto Samsung Galaxy S devices.
How does it work?
Heimdall uses the same protocol as Odin to interact with a device in download mode. USB communication in Heimdall is handled by the popular open-source USB library, libusb-1.0.
Why “Heimdall”?
The flashing software Odin is named after the king of gods in Norse mythology. Loke, the software component on the Galaxy S that provides functionality to flash, may also to be named after an important character in Norse mythology, often translated as Loki. As such I have named my flashing software Heimdall, after the Norse god, and guardian of the Bifrost Bridge.
What platforms does Heimdall run on?
Linux, OS X and Windows (XP, Vista, 7 etc.)
Why use Heimdall when we can use Odin?
Odin is generally unreliable and only runs on Windows systems. Furthermore, Odin is leaked Samsung software that is not freely available or well understood by the community.
Is Heimdall safe?
No matter what method you chose, flashing firmware onto your phone has a lot of potential for disaster. We have tested Heimdall with a variety of phones flashing several different firmware versions resulting in a 100% success rate. As such we believe that Heimdall is generally reliable. However keep in mind, just like any flashing software, Heimdall has the potential to brick your phone if not used correctly.
How do Galaxy S phones get bricked when flashing?
Besides the inherent risks like power outs, accidental removal of the USB cable etc. The Galaxy S appears to be running extremely unreliable USB control software.
A failure to flash does not automatically equate to a bricked phone. However if you're extremely unlucky and the flash fails whilst transferring the primary boot-loader, secondary boot-loader or params.lfs (all quite small) than you've got yourself a paper weight that you're hoping Samsung will replace.
Please be extremely careful mixing files from different firmware releases. Don't do so unless you're certain it will work!
What Galaxy S variants has Heimdall been tested with?
We’ve tested Heimdall with a Galaxy S GT-I9000 (8 GB) from the United Kingdom and Galaxy S GT-I9000 (16 GB) from Australia. We don’t personally have access to any other devices to test with, however users have confirmed Heimdall functions correctly with the AT&T Captivate, Bell Vibrant, Telstra GT-I9000T, Epic 4G and the Galaxy Tab.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
^
CWM Errors and Solutions
ERRORS encountered in CWM Recovery
.
What is CWM Recovery ?
ClockworkMod Recovery is a custom recovery for many Android devices. It is considered to be the most popular recovery for Android due to its easily-ported nature, and integration with ClockworkMod ROM Manager by Koush(Koushik Dutta). The easiest way to recognize it is by the printed name when it first starts, and the background logo of a gear and hat.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ERROR STATUS 6
This is usually caused by CR/LF EOL(Windows style End Of Line) in updater-script. Change it to LF EOL(Unix Style EOL) using Linux command: dos2unix updater-script, then re-signing the ZIP, will usually fix this error.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ERROR STATUS 7
This is usually caused by a corrupt download, or bad file signature. Re-downloading (or re-signing) the ZIP will usually fix this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We have been consistently seen and heard people facing error “Status 7″ error while trying to flash or install
custom ROMs or firmware packages on their Android smart phones or tablets with ClockworkMod Recovery. Many
of the users are nowadays facing this problem with CWM Recovery while flashing .zip files of modded or custom
Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) or Jelly Bean (JB) ROMs on their devices. So, you have also downloaded a custom ROM,
placed its .zip file in your phone’s or tablet’s SD card, booted into ClockworkMod Recovery, selected – “install zip
from sdcard” and then chosen the .zip file of the ROM to get it installed on your device. But instead of getting
flashed successfully, if you are facing the issue mentioned below, then just keep reading this article to find out
what’s wrong and fix up the problem :
Finding update package…
Opening update package…
Installing update…
Error in /sdcard/custom-jelly-bean-rom.zip (Status 7)
Installation aborted
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
or the following error right after CWM recovery shows –
Installing update…
assert failed: getprop(“ro.product.device”) == “I9103″ || getprop(“ro.build.product”) == “I9103″ || getprop
(“ro.product.board”) == “I9103″
Error in /sdcard/android-4-1-1-ics-rom-latest.zip (status 7)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So, if you are facing any of these errors while trying to install the desired custom ROM package on your Android
phone or tab, then you may try a various things or steps which may turn out to be the workaround of this
problem. Here are a few tips to get this “Status 7” error fixed in ClockworkMod Recovery and flash the ROM
successfully on your device :
(1) First of all, make sure your device’s bootloader is unlocked. If it is already unlocked but you are still
not able to flash the ROM, then just extract the .zip file of the ROM into a new folder, find the boot.img file from
that directory and flash it up on your phone or tablet via fastboot on your PC.
(2) Make sure that you are having the appropriate Radio or Baseband version installed on your device which is
supported by the custom ROM you are trying to flash. Most of the ROMs requires the latest version of Baseband, so
just update or upgrade your device to the latest Baseband version and then try to install the ROM once again.
(3) Update your device to the supported / latest build of official firmware before trying to install the ROM. You can
do it from – Settings > About Phone / Device > Software Update.
(4) Make sure you are having the supported or required kernel installed on your phone or tab. If it’s not, then flash
a new kernel right away and try to install your custom ROM once again.
(5) Is the ROM which you are trying to flash really works ? Find out whether it is working for other users or not.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Error Status 0
Well sometimes while flashing some ROMs especially the cooked ones we get Error status 0 in the CWM Recovery
this error is an indicator of Wrong Update Binary.This is usually caused by an incompatible update-binary in edify ZIPs. Replacing it with a compatible one, then re-signing the ZIP, will usually fix this error.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Partitions
Now it's time for the partitions :good:
Let’s start with a list of standard internal memory partitions on Android phones and tablets. These are:
/boot
/system
/recovery
/data
/cache
/misc
In addition, there are the SD card partitions.
/sdcard
/sd-ext
Note that only /sdcard is found in all Android devices and the rest are present only in select devices. Let’s now take a look at the purpose and contents of each of these partitions.
/boot
This is the partition that enables the phone to boot, as the name suggests. It includes the kernel and the ramdisk. Without this partition, the device will simply not be able to boot. Wiping this partition from recovery should only be done if absolutely required and once done, the device must NOT be rebooted before installing a new one, which can be done by installing a ROM that includes a /boot partition.
/system
This partition basically contains the entire operating system, other than the kernel and the ramdisk. This includes the Android user interface as well as all the system applications that come pre-installed on the device. Wiping this partition will remove Android from the device without rendering it unbootable, and you will still be able to put the phone into recovery or bootloader mode to install a new ROM.
/recovery
The recovery partition can be considered as an alternative boot partition that lets you boot the device into a recovery console for performing advanced recovery and maintenance operations on it. To learn more about this partition and its contents, see the ‘About Android Recovery’ section of our guide to ClockworkMod recovery.
/data
Also called userdata, the data partition contains the user’s data – this is where your contacts, messages, settings and apps that you have installed go. Wiping this partition essentially performs a factory reset on your device, restoring it to the way it was when you first booted it, or the way it was after the last official or custom ROM installation. When you perform a wipe data/factory reset from recovery, it is this partition that you are wiping.
/cache
This is the partition where Android stores frequently accessed data and app components. Wiping the cache doesn’t effect your personal data but simply gets rid of the existing data there, which gets automatically rebuilt as you continue using the device.
/misc
This partition contains miscellaneous system settings in form of on/off switches. These settings may include CID (Carrier or Region ID), USB configuration and certain hardware settings etc. This is an important partition and if it is corrupt or missing, several of the device’s features will will not function normally.
/sdcard
This is not a partition on the internal memory of the device but rather the SD card. In terms of usage, this is your storage space to use as you see fit, to store your media, documents, ROMs etc. on it. Wiping it is perfectly safe as long as you backup all the data you require from it, to your computer first. Though several user-installed apps save their data and settings on the SD card and wiping this partition will make you lose all that data.
On devices with both an internal and an external SD card – devices like the Samsung Galaxy S and several tablets – the /sdcard partition is always used to refer to the internal SD card. For the external SD card – if present – an alternative partition is used, which differs from device to device. In case of Samsung Galaxy S series devices, it is /sdcard/sd while in many other devices, it is /sdcard2. Unlike /sdcard, no system or app data whatsoever is stored automatically on this external SD card and everything present on it has been added there by the user. You can safely wipe it after backing up any data from it that you need to save.
/sd-ext
This is not a standard Android partition, but has become popular in the custom ROM scene. It is basically an additional partition on your SD card that acts as the /data partition when used with certain ROMs that have special features called APP2SD+ or data2ext enabled. It is especially useful on devices with little internal memory allotted to the /data partition. Thus, users who want to install more programs than the internal memory allows can make this partition and use it with a custom ROM that supports this feature, to get additional storage for installing their apps. Wiping this partition is essentially the same as wiping the /data partition – you lose your contacts, SMS, market apps and settings.
With this, we conclude our tour of Android partitions. Now whenever you install a ROM or mod that requires you to wipe certain partitions before the installation, you should be in a better position to know what you’re losing and what not and thus, you’ll know what to backup and what not.
You should at least post the source of such a large copy paste post.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 2
Source? How do you post a source for an article which is compiled from 10+ sites? Plus my own addition?
Started from the bottom
Good job man, this saves me the time to do all this researches.
Keep it up
Best regards
Sifou
Using a Samsung N7100
sos_sifou said:
Good job man, this saves me the time to do all this researches.
Keep it up
Best regards
Sifou
Using a Samsung N7100
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
DO tell me if you have some suggestions for the thread.
"Thanks button is just to avoid "THANKS" posts in threads. Nothing more than that. Don't ask in signature or post for it and defeat the purpose why it was introduced"
I think that this is a pretty good summary of the basics. I even converted it to epub and stocked it on my e-reader for reference
You can get to the details if you want? Adding some info about flashing softwares like odin and the Linux based one (i don't remember it name)
The different recoveries available and their advantages vs désavantages
How to protect yourself from malicious applications, starting from knowing what are permissions...
Keep it up mate
Best regards
Sifou
Using a Samsung N7100
sos_sifou said:
I think that this is a pretty good summary of the basics. I even converted it to epub and stocked it on my e-reader for reference
You can get to the details if you want? Adding some info about flashing softwares like odin and the Linux based one (i don't remember it name)
The different recoveries available and their advantages vs désavantages
How to protect yourself from malicious applications, starting from knowing what are permissions...
Keep it up mate
Best regards
Sifou
Using a Samsung N7100
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Heimdall?
"Thanks button is just to avoid "THANKS" posts in threads. Nothing more than that. Don't ask in signature or post for it and defeat the purpose why it was introduced"
Tha TechnoCrat said:
Source? How do you post a source for an article which is compiled from 10+ sites? Plus my own addition?
Started from the bottom
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess you have a point, it's just the scientist in me with source-referral-ocd.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 2
adytum said:
I guess you have a point, it's just the scientist in me with source-referral-ocd.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
DO tell me if you have any problems or if you want something to be added.
"Thanks button is just to avoid "THANKS" posts in threads. Nothing more than that. Don't ask in signature or post for it and defeat the purpose why it was introduced"
Thread updated with Odin and Heimdall information.
"Thanks button is just to avoid "THANKS" posts in threads. Nothing more than that. Don't ask in signature or post for it and defeat the purpose why it was introduced"
Tha TechnoCrat said:
Source? How do you post a source for an article which is compiled from 10+ sites? Plus my own addition?
Started from the bottom
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
By listing ALL the different sources? And obviously crediting yourself with bits you've added.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda premium
You should make the title of the thread more presentable though.
Simone said:
You should make the title of the thread more presentable though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Would like some suggestions.
"Thanks button is just to avoid "THANKS" posts in threads. Nothing more than that. Don't ask in signature or post for it and defeat the purpose why it was introduced"
Tha TechnoCrat said:
Would like some suggestions.
"Thanks button is just to avoid "THANKS" posts in threads. Nothing more than that. Don't ask in signature or post for it and defeat the purpose why it was introduced"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You should think of your own. That would be the best
Make it more professional looking, though.
Everything else is good.
Guys I have got my Note 2 finally. Will compile some guides for it too.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda app-developers app
You bought a note 2? Congrats mate !
Best regards
Sifou
Using a Samsung N7100
sos_sifou said:
You bought a note 2? Congrats mate !
Best regards
Sifou
Using a Samsung N7100
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks buddy. Get ready for more guides
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda app-developers app