Database Users

[i9003] Frustrated First Root

Starting off, I'm probably posting in the wrong section. Excuse my forum etiquette, but I need help with this because I'm insanely frustrated and in pain (Decided to learn how to exploit the android OS while recovering from my surgery).
So, if you've read past that first part and are still willing to help, thank you.
Moderators: If you absolutely need to move this post, please move it to a section where it will actually get attention and I can get an answer. Thanks.
Anyway, the breakdown of my problem is this;
I wanted to root my new day old Sprint CMDA Nexus S, I've never rooted anything android, and if anything the most I've done with a droid OS is installed it on my old iphone 2g.
So I did some googling and first thing to come up was this guide:
nexusshacks(dotcom)/nexus-s-hacks/how-to-root-nexus-s/
Now, usually I would do a bit more research, but because of the lack of blood in my body I'm doing dumb things, making bad decisions, whatever.
So obviously this guide doesn't work, even a quick skim of the comments shows that, I try to follow this guide-
I followed step "fastboot flash boot rootboot.img" then tried to reboot. It freezes at the google boot logo. This is where I start getting a bit nervous because I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing.
So I think "Well, if I jump over to someone elses tutorial and do that it should overwrite any "root"ing data I've tried to put into the device.
So I jump over to this:
androidadvices(dotcom)/root-sprint-nexus-gingerbread-235-update/3/
It has me install PDANet and it's frozen since on the installing PDAnet to your phone.
I just want to get my Nexus S back to original factory default so I can start fresh from there without a terrible guide.
Can someone please help me get there?
Thanks.
tl;dr:
Bad guide soft bricked my phone and I want to restore it to factory defaults

agnl said:
Starting off, I'm probably posting in the wrong section. Excuse my forum etiquette, but I need help with this because I'm insanely frustrated and in pain (Decided to learn how to exploit the android OS while recovering from my surgery).
So, if you've read past that first part and are still willing to help, thank you.
Moderators: If you absolutely need to move this post, please move it to a section where it will actually get attention and I can get an answer. Thanks.
Anyway, the breakdown of my problem is this;
I wanted to root my new day old Sprint CMDA Nexus S, I've never rooted anything android, and if anything the most I've done with a droid OS is installed it on my old iphone 2g.
So I did some googling and first thing to come up was this guide:
nexusshacks(dotcom)/nexus-s-hacks/how-to-root-nexus-s/
Now, usually I would do a bit more research, but because of the lack of blood in my body I'm doing dumb things, making bad decisions, whatever.
So obviously this guide doesn't work, even a quick skim of the comments shows that, I try to follow this guide-
I followed step "fastboot flash boot rootboot.img" then tried to reboot. It freezes at the google boot logo. This is where I start getting a bit nervous because I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing.
So I think "Well, if I jump over to someone elses tutorial and do that it should overwrite any "root"ing data I've tried to put into the device.
So I jump over to this:
androidadvices(dotcom)/root-sprint-nexus-gingerbread-235-update/3/
It has me install PDANet and it's frozen since on the installing PDAnet to your phone.
I just want to get my Nexus S back to original factory default so I can start fresh from there without a terrible guide.
Can someone please help me get there?
Thanks.
tl;dr:
Bad guide soft bricked my phone and I want to restore it to factory defaults
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok I can see you need help but I am inclined to warn you instead. Stop. If you cannot figure out how to root the easiest phone to root then you shouldn't be messing around with your phone. You will end up screwing something up, won't know how to fix it, and come crying here for help. Do yourself some research before you go and ruin your phone.
Yes you posted in the wrong place.
There is a thread in this forum on how to root the nexus s 4g. Rooting is model specific. The T-Mobile Nexus s is different from the sprint, att, Rodgers, o2 etc.
Please please do some more research!
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA Premium App

Thanks for a reply, and I understand I dug a hole.
Now I need to get out of said hole, so if you had any directions of how to dig myself out, that'd be great.

if you can get into fastboot then you are still cool, if not you're gonna have to odin it. I dont actually know where the tar files are, Micheal posted it up but i think they deleted the thread. You should have came to xda first,we have one clicks.

actually rooting is the same across the board. same steps same everything... in fact the one click root version 1 would work on any and all of them, version 2 branches out a bit further due to that it installs cwm.
anyways boot into fastboot, download stock fastboot images from petes thread found here http://wonderly.com/bb/CRESPO4G/OEM/GRJ22IMAGES.zip and flash them all in fastboot.
youll be back on stock grj22 but youll at least be booting.. from there follow a guide for rooting this phone that has you flash cwm (not a prerooted kernel). or be lazy and use my one click root

You sir are a class act. We need a ton more guys like you here at XDA
shabbypenguin said:
actually rooting is the same across the board. same steps same everything... in fact the one click root version 1 would work on any and all of them, version 2 branches out a bit further due to that it installs cwm.
anyways boot into fastboot, download stock fastboot images from petes thread found here http://wonderly.com/bb/CRESPO4G/OEM/GRJ22IMAGES.zip and flash them all in fastboot.
youll be back on stock grj22 but youll at least be booting.. from there follow a guide for rooting this phone that has you flash cwm (not a prerooted kernel). or be lazy and use my one click root
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

mikeyinid said:
You sir are a class act. We need a ton more guys like you here at XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using XDA Premium App

mikeyinid said:
You sir are a class act. We need a ton more guys like you here at XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol you give me way too much credit mikey but thanks for teh vote of confidence

[Q] To custom rom or not to custom rom?

Hi all,
I see the android development section has a lot of goodies in there and i have had great experience with custom ROMs on my old Galaxy S1. But for the GN4. Is there any value addition to the stock ROM, in the custom builds so far?. Kindly share your feedback on the custom ROMs that you.
P.S: I haven't yet rooted the device (i know) ... can someone kindly send me the easiest way to do that as well.
Thanks a bunch for your time.

As far as rooting go just download the toolkit from the dev section follow the instructions on that thread.
And with the custom roms read the thread try them out every dev adds there own tweets. You can always go back to a backup
Sent from my E10i using Tapatalk 2

Personally, I read through the pinned threads and unlocked my bootloader, flashed touch CWM and rooted my phone right after getting it. As for custom ROMs - I don't feel the slightest urge as the rom is imho perfect; although I was a keen flasher before I sold my Galaxy S II.

Custom ROM for N4 are very stable and smooth like stock, maybe even more smoother. More feature like editing nav bar and so on. Happy flashing
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

Thanks guys. definitely gona root the device, gona make a nand and try a couple of customs out as well.

ChrisHRocks said:
As far as rooting go just download the toolkit from the dev section follow the instructions on that thread.
And with the custom roms read the thread try them out every dev adds there own tweets. You can always go back to a backup
Sent from my E10i using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Highly advise against doing this. Prefer yarox method do it manually as you'll need to do fast boot and adb commands eventually. Just take the 20-25 minutes and learn how to do it now. It's very easy and they are stickied for a reason.
Toolkits are very dangerous. The shortcut isn't worth it.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium

zephiK said:
Highly advise against doing this. Prefer yarox method do it manually as you'll need to do fast boot and adb commands eventually. Just take the 20-25 minutes and learn how to do it now. It's very easy and they are stickied for a reason.
Toolkits are very dangerous. The shortcut isn't worth it.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Never liked them!! Besides you don't learn anything using toolkits...

yyz71 said:
Never liked them!! Besides you don't learn anything using toolkits...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly. It's not like you're learning useless crap that you wouldn't use.
In fact for anyone flashing anything on their phone and not knowing a plan b if something goes wrong is scary, then they start panicking and out of no where make a forum thread. Bricked phone??? Uh no man. Anyone bricking a nexus device doesn't deserve one to be honest. It's so hard to brick one because of fast boot factory stock images.
A simple 20-25 minute step by step guide. It pretty much carries you through it and is more important than that lecture you attend every Tuesday that chances are you'd fall asleep because the professor isn't enthusiastic with his studies
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium

May I suggest using wug's nexus root toolkit. Safe and easy with just clicking your mouse. You will be amaze!
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

droidmeup said:
May I suggest using wug's nexus root toolkit. Safe and easy with just clicking your mouse. You will be amaze!
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No. Did you really just say that after what we just said?
It's easy using a toolkit but also very easy to screw up your phone because people using it are clueless and flash whatever links making their phone into a non boot able state.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1469909 is a great read on this topic.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium

zephiK said:
No. Did you really just say that after what we just said?
It's easy using a toolkit but also very easy to screw up your phone because people using it are clueless and flash whatever links making their phone into a non boot able state.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1469909 is a great read on this topic.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But the thing is people can choose whatever method they want to root their phone. Old way using adb or the new step by step on screen instruction toolkit. I choose toolkit to root my n4 just to try it out. I was just amaze how wug's toolkit was so easy as it had on screen instructions every click. I don't see how newbies could brick using wug's toolkit. I don't really care what method people use.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

droidmeup said:
But the thing is people can choose whatever method they want to root their phone. Old way using adb or the new step by step on screen instruction toolkit. I choose toolkit to root my n4 just to try it out. I was just amaze how wug's toolkit was so easy as it had on screen instructions every click. I don't see how newbies could brick using wug's toolkit. I don't really care what method people use.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not the OLD way whatsoever. It's not newbies bricking their phones using the toolkit. It's what they do AFTERWARDS, go read the Q&A forums. Many of the problems coming out of threads are from users doing things that they don't understand because they lack the basic knowledge of the Android system with ADB & Fastboot (they mention toolkit in OP post). Some people rooted using the toolkit and they don't even know how to flash a flashable zip or even restore their phone back to stock because they want to send it in for a RMA.
Like I said in many threads, two methods,
1) Learn how to get from Point A to Point B by using a map and planning it out
2) Using a toolkit and have it get you from Point A to Point B without knowing how you got there.
Let's see what happens.
1) Since you planned it out and have a map beforehand using a step-by-step guide (its not hard) you can remap yourself on how to get there. What if you went to back half way because you forgot to pick up something at the store? You know how to get there
2) Toolkit... oh im at point B, i want to go to the supermarket at Point A.5, how do I get there? exactly. You don't know, you then proceed to ask questions on how to get there (in this case it would be Q&A forum on how to fix their phone because its not booting up).
By spending 20-25 minutes, people are aware of how fastboot works and how to restore their phone when its in a nonbootable state and not mistakenly say that their phone is bricked. This is XDA developers not XDA shortcuts
No one asked for your opinion on what method people used so I don't care that you don't care either?
Next time you should read the thread I posted before commenting. It has nothing to do with 'old ways' vs 'new ways.' If toolkit is the new way then oh man... we are in deep trouble.
Just like my two cases, he couldn't say it any better.
The people who are using these scripts aren't learning what is actually happening when they press 1 on their keyboard. Boom, their phone is unlocked, su-binaries and cwm recovery installed. Then, they flash a rom without creating a nandroid. What happens if something goes wrong and they didn't place any safety nets to help them? They post a thread saying their phone is bricked. People take time out of their day to help these people out, but since the user doesn't understand what the helper is talking about, they can't fix it.
Just last weekend I spent 30 minutes replying to a PM with step by step instructions how to flash stock images and including links to files and resources. The person replied back. Instead of fixing his phone himself, he said he "claimed his phone as stolen and will be getting sent a new one lol". WTF?! Not only is that morally wrong, it's also insurance fraud. And we wonder why carriers and OEM's are trying as hard as they can to lock down non-nexus phones.
Please, take the time to learn how to get yourself out of a mess before you are in a mess.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't constantly post in threads about "OH DONT USE A TOOLKIT ITS TOO EASY. go old fashion with command prompt" for no reason. I do it with a good reason and no one should ever endorse toolkits for this very reason. Learn how to do it, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know how to fastboot/adb when it's in a step-by-step tutorial. It's not hard to unlock a bootloader on a Nexus device. If it was a device with a difficult unlocking method through a exploit, then yes I would endorse a toolkit but for a Nexus its so easy to unlock.
1. set up ADB (do it once and you're SET for life on that computer.. dont have to do it again).
2. install ADB drivers http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1514942
3. boot into bootloader using combo keys
4. command prompt into fastboot -> fastboot oem unlock
5. fastboot flash recovery <whateverthenametherecoveryis>.img
6. DONE.

@zephik
You've inspired me. I don't have my N4 yet but just got my 7 for Christmas. I'm going to pop it back to stock and redo the whole process manually.
I knew I was taking the lazy way out, you have guilted me into doing it properly as you said you learn nothing from a toolkit. Lol
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

ChrisHRocks said:
@zephik
You've inspired me. I don't have my N4 yet but just got my 7 for Christmas. I'm going to pop it back to stock and redo the whole process manually.
I knew I was taking the lazy way out, you have guilted me into doing it properly as you said you learn nothing from a toolkit. Lol
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad to know that I can do a kind of a change. If you need any further assistance or questions ahead of time, feel free to PM me.
Honestly, I'm not doing it to be a bad guy or to waste people's time. If it wasn't important, then I wouldn't stress how imperative ADB & Fastboot are to ANY device, but particularly towards Nexus devices. Fastboot isn't present in all devices, other devices such as Samsung Galaxy etc etc use Odin (Samsung's Firmware Flasher) which is the same thing but its more GUI friendly but it can still cause bricks and fastboot is easier in my opinion.
Just like what franco said,
Why would something happen? This kernel won't brick anything, a Nexus is pretty unbrickable unless someone is very dumb or simply a hardware bug ****s the device up. If anyone bricks this device or any Nexus I'll award him idiot of the year trophy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is REALLY REALLY difficult to brick a Nexus device, and I'm not surprised that it does happen to people because they use the toolkit and aren't aware of what they're doing. It's like solving a math problem, what's the point in getting spoon fed the answer? Just work it out. Except for Nexus devices, you don't even have to work it out!!! all you do is read a GUIDE that one person spent time on writing up. At least have the decency on reading it. You read it, and you do the step, then proceed until you're at the end. It's not difficult, and you get to know what you're doing it and why you are doing it.
People do things and their phone cant boot up but can access bootloader mode. They don't even know how to fastboot flash and then post a thread in Q&A forum saying their phone is bricked.
And you don't have to redo the 7 process lol. Manually unlocking bootloader is one thing and then knowing how to flash is the easy part.
Even the ghetto guide I posted a couple posts above works for any nexus device.
1. set up ADB environment (google sdk) basically get fastboot binary.. if you want ADB you'll need the adb.exe binary
2. install drivers http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1514942
3. bootloader mode
4. fastboot oem unlock
5. unlock the phone on screen using vol keys
6. fastboot flash whatever.img [put in same folder as fastboot.exe]
7. done. you successfully flashed a 3rd-party recovery. now just put a zip file on the sdcard when android starts
8. receovery, wipe factory/dalvik/cache
9. flash rom,gapps(optional depending what rom), kernel (optional)
10. congrats you flashed a rom and kernel.

@zephiK. Thanks for the expert advice. I used Samsung S1 in the past and never used adb, was scared of it. I took your advice. Followed the guide and got rooted, the adb way. I have to admit. It was pretty satisfying to know what i was doing. Thanks again to everyone here.

thanks
zephiK said:
It's not the OLD way whatsoever. It's not newbies bricking their phones using the toolkit. It's what they do AFTERWARDS, go read the Q&A forums. Many of the problems coming out of threads are from users doing things that they don't understand because they lack the basic knowledge of the Android system with ADB & Fastboot (they mention toolkit in OP post). Some people rooted using the toolkit and they don't even know how to flash a flashable zip or even restore their phone back to stock because they want to send it in for a RMA.
Like I said in many threads, two methods,
1) Learn how to get from Point A to Point B by using a map and planning it out
2) Using a toolkit and have it get you from Point A to Point B without knowing how you got there.
Let's see what happens.
1) Since you planned it out and have a map beforehand using a step-by-step guide (its not hard) you can remap yourself on how to get there. What if you went to back half way because you forgot to pick up something at the store? You know how to get there
2) Toolkit... oh im at point B, i want to go to the supermarket at Point A.5, how do I get there? exactly. You don't know, you then proceed to ask questions on how to get there (in this case it would be Q&A forum on how to fix their phone because its not booting up).
By spending 20-25 minutes, people are aware of how fastboot works and how to restore their phone when its in a nonbootable state and not mistakenly say that their phone is bricked. This is XDA developers not XDA shortcuts
No one asked for your opinion on what method people used so I don't care that you don't care either?
Next time you should read the thread I posted before commenting. It has nothing to do with 'old ways' vs 'new ways.' If toolkit is the new way then oh man... we are in deep trouble.
Just like my two cases, he couldn't say it any better.
I don't constantly post in threads about "OH DONT USE A TOOLKIT ITS TOO EASY. go old fashion with command prompt" for no reason. I do it with a good reason and no one should ever endorse toolkits for this very reason. Learn how to do it, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know how to fastboot/adb when it's in a step-by-step tutorial. It's not hard to unlock a bootloader on a Nexus device. If it was a device with a difficult unlocking method through a exploit, then yes I would endorse a toolkit but for a Nexus its so easy to unlock.
1. set up ADB (do it once and you're SET for life on that computer.. dont have to do it again).
2. install ADB drivers http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1514942
3. boot into bootloader using combo keys
4. command prompt into fastboot -> fastboot oem unlock
5. fastboot flash recovery <whateverthenametherecoveryis>.img
6. DONE.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
wow. good post. thanks a lot!

Is wallet working on all to Roms? Sorry to butt in this thread..

malikusmanrasheed said:
@zephiK. Thanks for the expert advice. I used Samsung S1 in the past and never used adb, was scared of it. I took your advice. Followed the guide and got rooted, the adb way. I have to admit. It was pretty satisfying to know what i was doing. Thanks again to everyone here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not a expert advice by any means. Just been around for a long time so I observe the commonalities between all users. I just really dislike it when people say or recommend things when really they don't know anything. Not saying I'm perfect by any means, but people need to stop being so cocky on the forums acting like they know everything. Instead of trying to defend themselves, ask questions on why I feel this way or whatever.
That's what forums are all about right? That's what XDA is all about. Spreading information. Not clicking a button that spoon feeds you something and you don't know how or why it's like that.
If someone gave you a car with one click (toolkit), what's the point in having a car if you can't drive it? (Toolkit) do you expect to click one button and the car drives you from home to where you need to be and back? What happens if it doesn't work? You ask questions on how to do this and th at.
You have to go through the procedure of learning how to use it. If you learn from the beginning (like I said, it's not hard, if it was then it's understandable about a toolkit) then it'll be a breeze. When I first got started, I was a lurker on XDA, I didn't post. All I did was read. I didn't have toolkits, I had to telnet my G1 to obtain root access through a exploit that took 40-55 minutes, one mess up and I would of bricked my phone and i had to do it with my hands, that's a scary thought knowing that you can't go back once you started. People nowadays should be grateful that unlocking bootloaders aren't as difficult anymore but yet people still feel the need to use a toolkit when it already is simple.
wow. good post. thanks a lot!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't post it. That guy did. Definitely a great read and pretty much what I always believed in when I saw a toolkit. Should be banned from the forums but eh, who am I to call the shots
Is wallet working on all to Roms? Sorry to butt in this thread..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes Google Wallet works on any ROM as well as kernel. It says incompatible because you're rooted but it should work regardless of that text on the top of the app. Flash away!
Edit: May 5, 2009: http://androidandme.com/2009/05/beg...r-rooting-your-android-g1-to-install-cupcake/
August 17, 2009: http://androidandme.com/2009/08/news/how-to-root-a-t-mobile-g1-and-mytouch-3g-android-phone/
First guide one of the first rooting methods. August 17 is sort of one clickish but you still had to do a lot of things to get through it. So as you can see, it's not spoon fed to you, compare that to what you have to do now. Tell me that unlocking the Nexus bootloader is hard after reading all that ... it isn't.

@zephiK Can you link me to where it shows me how to root, and install CWM? Please
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium

xxMAGICxx said:
@zephiK Can you link me to where it shows me how to root, and install CWM? Please
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2019273
I actually prefer TWRP over CWM. Your preference though.
Both can be found in Android Development Forum.

How do i update Rooted Nexus 4?!?!

I updated my Nexus using the tutorial in this thread but I don't know how to update and I am terrified of bricking my phone! Please help

oshae said:
I updated my Nexus using the tutorial in this thread but I don't know how to update and I am terrified of bricking my phone! Please help
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thought I'd jump in to make a suggestion before you get filleted like a fish. Please see this post: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2145848. It will tell you EVERYTHING you need to know. Read, re-read if necessary; trust me, it's all in there. It's VERY well written with a tremendous amount of time spent to help all of us out.

I think the thread linked above should answer your question pretty well. Also, in future please search before posting and post questions in the Q&A forum.

oshae said:
I updated my Nexus using the tutorial in this thread but I don't know how to update and I am terrified of bricking my phone! Please help
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
like they said above....read.
however, to answer the question simply, if you want to update to stock ota after rooting, you will need to reflash stock recovery, then you can either wait for the notification to update or you can download the signed ota zip and sideload it with stock recovery. you do not need to worry about actually being rooted....this does not affect whether you can update or not. what does affect it, though, is the recovery you have installed. and in order to root, you needed to install a custom recovery. This must be revered to stock prior to updating.

Some people shouldn't flash phones!!!

Sorry to rant, but I know this forum is to help people get more from their phones, but quite a lot of people still are incompetent, and can't follow basic instructions!!!! Take for instance, the modem problem, where you lose your imei or imei starts with 0049, read the stickies!!! Read the guides!!! Back up your efs!!! Virtually every post in dev forum has someone who didn't read properly!!! Another thing is people not understanding what BETA means!!! Android 4.3 is fairly new, and the great devs have done a sterling job bringing it to our s3's....things are not gonna work perfectly straight from the off! There will be bugs!! Please please use search first!!!!

They are deaf and blind towards this thread, just as they are towards instructions and such
Sent from my liquid glowing bomb shell

A standard in flashing anything is make a good nandroid you can go bk on and many efs bkups and have the right modem. And last but not least don't flash nothing that's not ment for your phone. It's just a shame that s3 threads are full of old information that's no use to no one now a days. S2 threads are upto date and more useful I have found.
I9100/I9300

It's just a shame that s3 threads are full of old information that's no use to no one now a days. S2 threads are upto date and more useful I have found.
I9100/I9300[/QUOTE]
Basic reasons for that are the general page gets flooded with non relevant stuff .
Any user can and has posted a guide even when wrong in parts .
SGS3 has had a number of critical changes during its life in regard to guides . One SDS and two new EFS as examples ,Noobs don't bother looking and would prefer to post a question that was asked in the last hour . Many boobs are non XDA brick their phone and end up on XDA via Google .
Many many experienced members just get sick and tired of the same repetitive help posts and no longer bother .
Why go to the trouble of making a guide and spend your next thousand posts telling users to read the guide first .
SGS3 simply has a poorer new users base as anyone with no knowledge will flash anything . There was a time when this was a developers forum and new users started out by learning the basics first .
jje

JJEgan said:
It's just a shame that s3 threads are full of old information that's no use to no one now a days. S2 threads are upto date and more useful I have found.
I9100/I9300
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Basic reasons for that are the general page gets flooded with non relevant stuff .
Any user can and has posted a guide even when wrong in parts .
SGS3 has had a number of critical changes during its life in regard to guides . One SDS and two new EFS as examples ,Noobs don't bother looking and would prefer to post a question that was asked in the last hour . Many boobs are non XDA brick their phone and end up on XDA via Google .
Many many experienced members just get sick and tired of the same repetitive help posts and no longer bother .
Why go to the trouble of making a guide and spend your next thousand posts telling users to read the guide first .
SGS3 simply has a poorer new users base as anyone with no knowledge will flash anything . There was a time when this was a developers forum and new users started out by learning the basics first .
jje
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The higher the quantity, the lower the quality, it's a principle that applies to mankind itself
Sent from my liquid glowing bomb shell

I understand the changes it's had but say for instance root. I had problems rooting this the other day. I really wanted to stay away from odin cuz I don't like it and it bricks phone. I looked and read for guides on how to but all that was there was no good for me. But alone my travels I learned a lot about how efs changed and am very grateful for the info that has bin put down about this. But it's scattered info. If some one made a guide and made it a sticky on how to root for every change then I could of just gone to this read it and would never of had to ask the question. On s2 there is a guide on how to root every firmware all in one. Read it and jobs done your rooted weather is gb or ics or jb it's all there and how to do it. If more thread like this are made then it would be a better place I think. Same with imei problems. Read it and jobs done. Imei sorted. Like I said the info on s3 is scattered about and hard to find what's right and what's not. Odin lol info on that I went bk to @Hopper8 guide on that cuz it's probably the best guide out there on any thread to solve problems with it. I read I understood and rooted my phone no problems. Like I said iv never use odin but now I'm the boss of odin. But if I did have problems I no that guide would of got me out of the jam. Basics are one thing but actually using these are different in the real world.
I9100/I9300

andrewwright said:
I understand the changes it's had but say for instance root. I had problems rooting this the other day. I really wanted to stay away from odin cuz I don't like it and it bricks phone.
That is not true .
I looked and read for guides on how to but all that was there was no good for me.
Stickied faqs and guides Post One Understanding the basics before rooting .
Post two EFS .
. Same with imei problems.
Stickied faqs and guides are not scattered all over the place .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Out of top 3 guides in sticky roll-up...
Pm'd zoot1. He updated to point to cf auto root instead of cf root
Pm'd jonnny for advice about noob thread. Good thread, absent op. Needs to go (shame) or not point to cf root as cwm 5 is sds dangerous
Pm'd op of flashing guide as root method is insecure kernel flash. Ics method. No response. Offline for months. Again shame to lose. Will ask @Jonny for advice
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 4

JJEgan said:
andrewwright said:
I understand the changes it's had but say for instance root. I had problems rooting this the other day. I really wanted to stay away from odin cuz I don't like it and it bricks phone.
That is not true .
I looked and read for guides on how to but all that was there was no good for me.
Stickied faqs and guides Post One Understanding the basics before rooting .
Post two EFS .
. Same with imei problems.
Stickied faqs and guides are not scattered all over the place .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Iv spent all my time on xda on s2 threads.
Odin don't brick phones people brick phones. But the risk of using odin over cwm/twrp is massive. Say the power go's out or pc/laptop shuts down... Game over. This is why I never used Odin or had to in just under two years with my s2. I read lots of threads just for the sake of it. Stickies I never did. One reason... No user feed bk. Real world feed bk cuz there locked. You see no one really wants to go from link to Link to link and read and read and read when if a thread was opened and all them links were all in the same thread at the top and users could add there own feed bk to it on how they did restore there imei and others could read it and work out how to do it there self instead of posting "how do I restore imei" think about it... If a thread was in q and a now on how to do that there would be half them threads not made. Like in s2 q and a. Take a look at "how to restore you imei in 9 steps" on q and a. Great feed bk and people send people there. It's well known and used. If you can't restore from that it's service centre job.
I9100/I9300
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

The "stickies" aren't actually stickied. Just linked in one locked sticky to keep it tidy. All those threads linked have user feedback.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 4

rootSU said:
Out of top 3 guides in sticky roll-up...
Pm'd zoot1. He updated to point to cf auto root instead of cf root
Pm'd jonnny for advice about noob thread. Good thread, absent op. Needs to go (shame) or not point to cf root as cwm 5 is sds dangerous
Pm'd op of flashing guide as root method is insecure kernel flash. Ics method. No response. Offline for months. Again shame to lose. Will ask @Jonny for advice
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why not create a new thread for the noob and flashing guides, copy the previous posts but correct with current info, then adjust sticky to point to the new thread.
Original poster could still be acknowledged, without leaving noobs using dangerous tools.

boomboomer said:
Why not create a new thread for the noob and flashing guides, copy the previous posts but correct with current info, then adjust sticky to point to the new thread.
Original poster could still be acknowledged, without leaving noobs using dangerous tools.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If I had the time, I would consider it but they both only need a tiny adjustment. 1 needs to point to cf auto root. Another needs root section removed. Rather than remove the thread, if a moderator would allow the concept of suggesting the updates, that's the quickest step. If not, then your suggestion is the only realistic one. Lets see what jonny says. I don't really like replacing existing threads with my own unless completely necessary.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 4

rootSU said:
Pm'd jonnny for advice about noob thread. Good thread, absent op. Needs to go (shame) or not point to cf root as cwm 5 is sds dangerous
Pm'd op of flashing guide as root method is insecure kernel flash. Ics method. No response. Offline for months. Again shame to lose. Will ask @Jonny for advice
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oops, sorry for not replying - I meant to and got side tracked then completely forgot about it (been doing overtime at work so also tired which doesn't help my memory)

Jonny said:
Oops, sorry for not replying - I meant to and got side tracked then completely forgot about it (been doing overtime at work so also tired which doesn't help my memory)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No probs jonny.
In the i9300 roll-up sticky thread, the 2nd and 3rd guides both point to outdated root methods. Would like to hear your opinions on how to deal with them. Shame to lose them. Edit preferable from my perspective but what's your take?
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 4

I'm a s3 noob but had no probs rooting (without odin) and flashing roms. All the info is there if u can be bothered to read. I knew all about imei etc well before I even got the phone. The problem nowadays is that its too easy to root and flash, which means that a user do not need any knowledge of android. Its like giving a 5 year old a gun, eventually something bad will happen.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

rootSU said:
No probs jonny.
In the i9300 roll-up sticky thread, the 2nd and 3rd guides both point to outdated root methods. Would like to hear your opinions on how to deal with them. Shame to lose them. Edit preferable from my perspective but what's your take?
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First thing to do would be to PM the OP's of those threads and ask if they would be willing to update their threads, if they are then great, if not then if someone is willing I can transfer the post ownership to them to edit
Edit: Yes editing would be preferable to deleting the threads.

Jonny said:
First thing to do would be to PM the OP's of those threads and ask if they would be willing to update their threads, if they are then great, if not then if someone is willing I can transfer the post ownership to them to edit
Edit: Yes editing would be preferable to deleting the threads.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks jonny. I will pm link 2 op. I have already pm'd link 3 op several weeks ago with no response. Im happy to make the edit to remove the root part of the guide if that's ok?
To be clear, its this thread by intratech... http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=26530736
We just need to edit out the root section which involves using odin to flash an ics insecure kernel...
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 4

biggary said:
Sorry to rant, but I know this forum is to help people get more from their phones, but quite a lot of people still are incompetent, and can't follow basic instructions!!!! Take for instance, the modem problem, where you lose your imei or imei starts with 0049, read the stickies!!! Read the guides!!! Back up your efs!!! Virtually every post in dev forum has someone who didn't read properly!!! Another thing is people not understanding what BETA means!!! Android 4.3 is fairly new, and the great devs have done a sterling job bringing it to our s3's....things are not gonna work perfectly straight from the off! There will be bugs!! Please please use search first!!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True.
It's like a sickness on the other note why Samsung put such important area unprotected... Didn't see lg / HTC guys have this problem before I think
sent from the state where marijuana is NOT illegal !!

andrewwright said:
Odin don't brick phones people brick phones. But the risk of using odin over cwm/twrp is massive. Say the power go's out or pc/laptop shuts down... Game over. This is why I never used Odin or had to in just under two years with my s2. I read lots of threads just for the sake of it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No. No. No. There is literally a millisecond of flashing that can fully brick your device if you lose power. The files are SO small that they're done in less than the blink of an eye. If you lose power on system, cache, data, kernel, or recovery flashing. Its always recoverable. (As long as its for your device originally.)
Sent from my GT-I9300 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

b-eock said:
No. No. No. There is literally a millisecond of flashing that can fully brick your device if you lose power. The files are SO small that they're done in less than the blink of an eye. If you lose power on system, cache, data, kernel, or recovery flashing. Its always recoverable. (As long as its for your device originally.)
Sent from my GT-I9300 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It took 1min and 30sec for auto root to finish and odin to say pass on the laptop.
My point is is that I think that cwm/twrp is safer. Much much safer than odin. And if a person flashes something not ment for your phone then that person needs to buy an iPhone and stay well aways from Android.
I9100/I9300

big thanks!

just want to give a big thanks to @simms22 for going above and beyond to help me fix my nexus 6...
:good:

why not also share the problem and the fix so anyone who will have the same issue will be thankful to you to
Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk

the only reason I hangout on XDA now-a-days is to learn about any new things that my device would enjoy(not much), but mostly to help people out

AhmadOkda said:
why not also share the problem and the fix so anyone who will have the same issue will be thankful to you to
Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i am not sure i can describe the issues correctly, and i will sound dumber than i already feel.
basically i flashed a rom without doing a backup. something went wrong, and i wound up with a non-working phone. thought it was the 72-hour google hold, but after 72 hours i still had a non-functioning phone. it turned out to be that i needed to flash a factory image, and then re-flash twrp and re-root.
@simms22 walked me through the steps, and provided links so i knew where to look.
i definitely learned a lot about fastboot, and adb, but it just shows how much i still need to learn.
again, thanks for being patient.

can you quote his reply here where he stated the steps and links
I don't mean to be rude or something but really this mobile has a lot of outdated guides and new tips that it is not easy for newbie to find the correct way without reading A LOT or creating a new thread to ask, so having a very neat reply with steps and links should be very helpful
Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk

AhmadOkda said:
can you quote his reply here where he stated the steps and links
I don't mean to be rude or something but really this mobile has a lot of outdated guides and new tips that it is not easy for newbie to find the correct way without reading A LOT or creating a new thread to ask, so having a very neat reply with steps and links should be very helpful
Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it was a long conversation with many replies via pm. the guides here are right.. it was just a matter of explaining the steps where he misunderstood, and following through with them instead of getting nervous and freaking. I did help by providing a few links, like to SuperSU 2.66, and virtually being there behind him, just for support. but really, he did it all himself. basically, I was a friend supporting another friend :angel:

AhmadOkda said:
can you quote his reply here where he stated the steps and links
I don't mean to be rude or something but really this mobile has a lot of outdated guides and new tips that it is not easy for newbie to find the correct way without reading A LOT or creating a new thread to ask, so having a very neat reply with steps and links should be very helpful
Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can try to type up a step-by-step since it is still pretty fresh in my mind.
I started with a fresh slate, stock 6.0.1 mmb29s ROM, and I already had the android sdk platform tools and adb installed and working properly. As long as you have all that going for you, you are in the same boat as I was and you can follow.
First, unlock the bootloader. I just followed the steps listed here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=56938530&postcount=1
Then I flashed TWRP. I made a folder on my desktop called "Nexus6", and saved the TWRP .zip in it. I renamed it recovery.img to make it easier. Boot into fastboot, plug the phone in, and open a command prompt window. Then I typed:
fastboot flash recovery C:\xxxx\recovery.img (xxxx meaning the rest of the file path)
I used the volume rocker to boot into recovery to make sure it brought me to TWRP, which it did. TWRP asked me if I wanted to allow it to make modifications to the system or leave it read only. I wasn't sure, and after reading a bit and seeing both answers, I allowed it to make modifications, but when it asked me if I wanted it to install SuperSU, I denied that. I booted up regularly after that just to make sure everything was still working, which it was, so I booted into TWRP and made a backup at this point, in case something went wrong while rooting.
After the backup, I rebooted, and downloaded SuperSU v2.66 to my internal storage. Then I booted into TWRP, flashed the SuperSU .zip, followed the onscreen prompts, and rebooted the system when it was all done.
I already had RootChecker installed, and after all was said and done, I had root.
Like I said, I know just enough to be a danger to myself, and these are the steps that worked for me. Hopefully they work for you as well. I don't think I left anything out, and my biggest issue was figuring out how to make fastboot flash from a certain file path, which in hindsight really isn't tough.
So now I am on an unlocked, rooted stock 6.0.1 ROM.

just so that EVERYBODY knows, if you don't flash SuperSU yourself, then if twrp asks if you want it to install SuperSU, press no. it has a really old version, it won't give anybody root. and some won't be able to boot up after.

Could I replace the SuperSU apk inside TWRP after decompiling it with Anddroid Image Kitchen or would I have to rewrite some of the code too?
Edit: Just looked at it for my N7. Looks like there is a .sh file that I'd have to rewrite. I'm not comfortable with that.

Quote @simms22: he did it all himself. basically, I was a friend supporting another friend
Now thats the spirit, you sir are one of the prince(s) among thieves
But basicaly thats what XDA should be all about.

gee2012 said:
Quote @simms22: he did it all himself. basically, I was a friend supporting another friend
Now thats the spirit, you sir are one of the prince(s) among thieves
But basicaly thats what XDA should be all about.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
absolutely. very many forget that around here.
---------- Post added at 04:17 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:10 PM ----------
biglil1 said:
Could I replace the SuperSU apk inside TWRP after decompiling it with Anddroid Image Kitchen or would I have to rewrite some of the code too?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
replace the app? huh? why would you decompile it, or want to replace it?

simms22 said:
absolutely. very many forget that around here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup, me included sometimes to be honest. Sometimes its hard to keep the faith when users keep asking the same questions or discuss the same issues over and over again, thread after thread. There should be done more searching and reading by many users before posting something

simms22 said:
absolutely. very many forget that around here.
---------- Post added at 04:17 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:10 PM ----------
replace the app? huh? why would you decompile it, or want to replace it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just curiosity!! But I looked at it after unpacking an image for my N7 I found the SuperSU folder and where to place the apk but it also has some files and I know off one now that I'd have to rewrite but I don't know what I'm doing so I'm not!! Again was just curious! Thought it'd be like with a rom.zip. Take out what you don't want add or replace as needed! Thanks!

biglil1 said:
Just curiosity!! But I looked at it after unpacking an image for my N7 I found the SuperSU folder and where to place the apk but it also has some files and I know off one now that I'd have to rewrite but I don't know what I'm doing so I'm not!! Again was just curious! Thought it'd be like with a rom.zip. Take out what you don't want add or replace as needed! Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ahh.. all my years of android, no one has ever had any interest in changing anything about SuperSU, at least none that wanted to change it and asked publicly. so congrats, you are a first

simms22 said:
ahh.. all my years of android, no one has ever had any interest in changing anything about SuperSU, at least none that wanted to change it and asked publicly. so congrats, you are a first
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No that's not what I meant. I don't know where the misunderstanding lays but I was talking about replacing the SuperSU. apk inside of TWRP with an updated one. Outside of flashing a zip I have no clue on how to manually root my device. I did look it up once and got nowhere so I wouldn't want to mess with or change SuperSU its perfection as is IMHO.
simms22 said:
just so that EVERYBODY knows, if you don't flash SuperSU yourself, then if twrp asks if you want it to install SuperSU, press no. it has a really old version, it won't give anybody root. and some won't be able to boot up after.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When I saw this I was curious as if it was possible to update the SuperSU. apk inside of TWRP with an updated one. I have Android Image Kitchen on my rig and thought I could unpack the TWRP.img with it and replace the outdated supersu.apk.
Both are truly out of my league so now my curiosity is settled.

biglil1 said:
No that's not what I meant. I don't know where the misunderstanding lays but I was talking about replacing the SuperSU. apk inside of TWRP with an updated one. Outside of flashing a zip I have no clue on how to manually root my device. I did look it up once and got nowhere so I wouldn't want to mess with or change SuperSU its perfection as is IMHO.
When I saw this I was curious as if it was possible to update the SuperSU. apk inside of TWRP with an updated one. I have Android Image Kitchen on my rig and thought I could unpack the TWRP.img with it and replace the outdated supersu.apk.
Both are truly out of my league so now my curiosity is settled.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That doesn`t mean its impossible, you could PM the TWRP devs and ask them to offer a TWRP version with the latest systemless root installed. The result would be the same

gee2012 said:
That doesn`t mean its impossible, you could PM the TWRP devs and ask them to offer a TWRP version with the latest systemless root installed. The result would be the same
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I see now that it is but its something I'm not comfortable with doing. Yes most definitely if it was a big concern of mine I'd do so but truly its not hard to hit " Do not Install" when exiting TRWP. I didn't know that the SuperSU.apk built into TWRP was outdated but I did know that it caused issues with systemless root. So in that aspect then maybe it should be addressed with the devs but I'm sure it's already in the works for they were probably more aware of the issue then I. That and I'm not the one to be like " hey dev when you gonna update". Thanks to you both though I do truly appreciate it. I just got curious.

biglil1 said:
I see now that it is but its something I'm not comfortable with doing. Yes most definitely if it was a big concern of mine I'd do so but truly its not hard to hit " Do not Install" when exiting TRWP. I didn't know that the SuperSU.apk built into TWRP was outdated but I did know that it caused issues with systemless root. So in that aspect then maybe it should be addressed with the devs but I'm sure it's already in the works for they were probably more aware of the issue then I. That and I'm not the one to be like " hey dev when you gonna update". Thanks to you both though I do truly appreciate it. I just got curious.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Stay curious for the rest of your life and benefit :good:

I found that's how one learns; you see something that sparks your interest then let curiosity take care of the rest!

biglil1 said:
I found that's how one learns; you see something that sparks your interest then let curiosity take care of the rest!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
in my experience, it helps a lot in learning, and it helps in the interest of learning something new. also, curiosity sometimes gets me in trouble :angel: