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[Q] Infuse 4G and Kies

I connected my brandy new infuse 4G monster phone to my PC (Windows 7 - 64 bit OS) and saw the three choices for the phone in USB mode: Kies (Firmware Update); Media Player; Mass Storage. My curiosity got the best of me and I discovered that Kies was an app that would make my Phone friendly with Windows and Outlook and Media players. Yay.
So the hunt began, apparently this is a hard to find program, I finally downloaded a version (2.0.0.11044_11) Installed, rebooted, started the program, connected the phone and got this message from Kies: This device is not supported by Kies 2.0 Make sure that your device is supported and try again.
Now what? Is there a new version that I don't about? Are there drivers that I need? Do I need to be out of the U.S. How do I get this to work please.
I have not rooted my phone yet, not really sure I want to or need to, so let me know if that's a consideration. thanks.

I just went through 45 minutes looking for the same info. lol. This is my first Samsung phone but NOT my first android. What the heck is KIES for anyways? Is it suppsoe to be like itunes?

trdsnow said:
I just went through 45 minutes looking for the same info. lol. This is my first Samsung phone but NOT my first android. What the heck is KIES for anyways? Is it suppsoe to be like itunes?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well it was and so much more but then they decided it wasnt for america, i think something to do with samsung apps or something so they came out with kies mini for the captivate and others but all kies mini does is firmware updates that they dont want to push over the air. and it doesnt run on linux or mac so many users need to borrow a friends pc to get firmware updates
kies full which you can download from the samsung site in europe can edit your contacts and do other functions that i cant remember atm. it can also sideload apps whick likely pissed att off, but now they are changing there tune because they can never regulat the android market so they unknown sources being disabled doesnt help them regulate the phone in anyway useful
the i997 kies version is not available last i looked. the i9000 version in europe may eventually work and that's the one to get. but i have done without it and really hate mtp anyway. id rather drag and drop media into the sdcard.

did they ever kies to work under windows 7 64bit?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using XDA App

Kies Mini works on 7 64-bit for me. New Infuse shows up as unrecognized under the firmware version. When I had my Captivate (broken LCD ), it worked fine on Win7.

Dani897 said:
well it was and so much more but then they decided it wasnt for america, i think something to do with samsung apps or something so they came out with kies mini for the captivate and others but all kies mini does is firmware updates that they dont want to push over the air. and it doesnt run on linux or mac so many users need to borrow a friends pc to get firmware updates
kies full which you can download from the samsung site in europe can edit your contacts and do other functions that i cant remember atm. it can also sideload apps whick likely pissed att off, but now they are changing there tune because they can never regulat the android market so they unknown sources being disabled doesnt help them regulate the phone in anyway useful
the i997 kies version is not available last i looked. the i9000 version in europe may eventually work and that's the one to get. but i have done without it and really hate mtp anyway. id rather drag and drop media into the sdcard.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like it might be a pointless app. So I should I just keep my eyes open for the i997 or i9000 version? Now if only there were a link I could check in with periodically.

menzoom said:
Sounds like it might be a pointless app. So I should I just keep my eyes open for the i997 or i9000 version? Now if only there were a link I could check in with periodically.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you can get the i9000 version by searching google, make sure you get directed to a site that is for england or something, maybe canada as they have the i9000m. it may work.
for the att i997 version you would simply go to samsungs website and look for support downloads for this model phone. it might be listed under firmware or something. im not on windows so it doesnt do me any good anyways.

i tried kies out, just to see what it would do. i got the same error about it not being supported. but what i find funny, is the phone gives you "kies" as the first option when you plug it in.

Kies Mini Recognizes Infuse
Kies Mini recognizes my infuse but calls it "unregistered Device". Can someone else confirm please.

Try and find the app 'kies air'. I have it through the infused rom, but I'm pretty sure you can still get it. It Makes it so you can delete and add files through your web browser on your pc.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using XDA App

Any advice for an Android beginner?

I just got the Captivate about a month ago. Had a regular phone for about a year, touch screen went out, bought a replacement digitizer but knew it was a temporary fix anyway and wanted a new phone. Convinced the maternal unit to use her contract extension to get me a new phone, and snagged the Captivate for $30 from RadioShack. My first Android phone, and I have to say I'm horribly disappointed, but I guess I'm doing something wrong here.
First two or three weeks, my mom had the phone and got to play around with it for a while. Wasn't until the 29th that I got the phone, and I just played around with it for a week and got all the apps I deemed useful and worthwhile. Eventually realized I couldn't use Flash in the browser, nor Skype, etc., without upgrading to 2.2.
So, I went through the tutorial Samsung provided, watched videos on Youtube just to be sure, but followed everything Samsung's tutorial said word for word. ... only for my phone to end up completely screwed up. Gallery, Browser, Music Player, Video Player, and many other default applications were missing. Now I'm smart enough with technology to think, okay, something's wrong. I knew about the factory reset, so I went to go to settings to do that, and realized. ... oh wait, the Settings menu is also missing. Wonderful. There was no "Settings" button in the Applications list, and if I tried getting to it from the menu button, it simply did nothing at all.
Found Odin, flashed back to 2.1, and then factory reset and got rid of every application I had and etc., so that absolutely nothing was on it, basically a stock phone. Tried upgrading again fresh, still following the instructions very closely. Same problem occurred, and I was pissed. Gave up on 2.2, tried flashing back to 2.1 /again/ with Odin, only for my phone to decide it didn't want to enter download mode anymore. Forced it using 'adb reboot download', but alas, it locked up in the middle of flashing back to 2.1 and wouldn't do anything. I waited about 30 minutes to see if it'd resume the flashing process at all, but nothing, so I regrettably had to disconnect the USB cable and hard brick the phone (wouldn't turn on or anything).
Still under warranty, so I replaced it from RadioShack, and now have a new Captivate. Went ahead and installed all the applications I needed, used the Sideload Wonder Machine to install a few third-party applications, had no problem doing that for a while. Didn't bother attempting to upgrade. However, my computer got a trojan and deleted the MBR. Repaired using the XP boot disc, but it meant I was back on SP2. After installing every last one of the damn updates all over again, I decided to check up on some new applications to install via sideloading.
Hooked up my phone, it detected all the new hardware again since the drivers seemingly were also lost amongst everything else during the repair, only for it to encounter an error on the "Samsung Android Composite ADB Interface". So, I uninstalled the drivers, tried installing them manually. Hooked up the phone, but it still wanted to try to install that one driver and failed. I've restarted my computer, uninstalled the drivers, attempted manually installing them through device manager, you name it. Still can't get it to work -- it keeps having a fatal error every time. However, it's only when my phone has USB Debugging on. Installs every single driver perfectly fine when it's off, in MTP/Mass Storage/Kies mode. Just has a "fatal error" in USB Debugging on that one driver.
tl;dr, the drivers are broken on my computer and I can't fix them despite actually /not/ being computer illiterate. And, I kind of still want 2.2, but apparently the stock 2.2 update is a pain in the rear end and I no longer have a warranty through RadioShack now, so I can't risk bricking my phone due to a faulty update process. Any suggestions?

err, the only thing you should have needed to do was install the latest version of Kies, plugged the phone in, it would have prompted you to do the update. It's quite painless..

Edit: Sorry irrelevant

sw411 said:
err, the only thing you should have needed to do was install the latest version of Kies, plugged the phone in, it would have prompted you to do the update. It's quite painless..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
At the time I tried, Kies itself didn't support the Captivate. Only Kies mini. And in order to do that upgrade, I had to install the drivers, then put the phone into download mode to install more drivers for some odd reason, restart the phone (taking out the battery and putting it back in), then hook it up. Kies mini wouldn't detect the phone for several tries at first, finally got it about the 10th time in. Then go to the "Upgrade phone" link, and yeah. I followed the instructions from Samsung's official SGH-i897 Froyo upgrade guide.
I did EXACTLY as the instructions say, down to the wire. Still ended up both times with all those applications missing and the settings panel missing, unable to do a factory reset without flashing back to 2.1 first.

Install z4root and root phone
Install rom manager
Flash clockwordmod recovery from rom manager
Choose a 2.2 rom from the forums
Download and copy to SD card
Install via rom manager
????????
Profit
Hope this helps. Btw I reccomend firefly or serendipity for the rom
Sent from my Captivate running CyanogenMod7 using XDA Premium App

brendanmurphy said:
Install z4root and root phone
Install rom manager
Flash clockwordmod recovery from rom manager
Choose a 2.2 rom from the forums
Download and copy to SD card
Install via rom manager
????????
Profit
Hope this helps. Btw I reccomend firefly or serendipity for the rom
Sent from my Captivate running CyanogenMod7 using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Only downside to rooting the phone is the voided warranty. I don't entirely know what I'm doing there when it comes to flashing, and if I manage to do something wrong and brick the phone again, I'm completely wiped. I don't have the money to replace the phone at all. I have no job. ._. Only reason I got the phone was because I managed to get some spare money fixing up a friend's computer, and the maternal unit's contract extension was available. I'm not paying for the phone, still my parents. Damn economy in this state is so broken, and I'm screwed over worse since I have no diploma.
However, I was looking into info on the roms, and while I was tempted to try out CM7 for the fact it was 2.3, I actually considered getting Paragon RC6 from what I had read. Just decided not to because I can't replace the phone if I screwed up. In the slim chance I do opt to risk not having a phone at all if I do something wrong, would you say Paragon's worthwhile or would it be better to go with Serendipity? I do like TouchWiz, and Wifi access is a must (200 MB plan isn't going to cover it with how I use data; I'm frequently using Wifi in as many places as is possible), but I'm pretty sure both of those are fine there. Just not really sure which would be better overall, performance-wise.
I can't do either of them right now anyway until I figure out why the drivers aren't installing. So that's my first issue.

Don't worry about bricking I almost guarantee you will brick your phone once. But that is what Odin is for and it's almost impossible to hard brick a phone these days. Just install paragon with the instructions I gave its really fool proof these days to install rom. You will learn by trying if you mess up so be it that's what xda is here for to help.
Drop me a pm anytime if you need help
Sent from my Captivate running CyanogenMod7 using XDA Premium App

brendanmurphy said:
Don't worry about bricking I almost guarantee you will brick your phone once. But that is what Odin is for and it's almost impossible to hard brick a phone these days. Just install paragon with the instructions I gave its really fool proof these days to install rom. You will learn by trying if you mess up so be it that's what xda is here for to help.
Drop me a pm anytime if you need help
Sent from my Captivate running CyanogenMod7 using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well. Despite it being almost impossible, I've managed it once already within the first month of having one. Kind of why I'm a bit skittish about actually going through with it. I'm definitely all about modding and customizing things to your liking, but not having the funds to fall back on if I /do/ screw up bigtime again, yeeeeah.
After looking at Firefly and Serendipity thoroughly, though, I'm impressed. It's a tough choice between the three (Paragon, Serendipity, and Firefly). I'm leaning towards Serendipity now though after watching a video just to see the interface. Kinda not a huge fan of the GB launcher -- I liked the side-scrolling app launcher more, honestly -- but that's not a big deal.
So, let's see if I've got the details down right before I try anything. Search z4root in Market, install. Subsequently get Rom Manager, install it. Flash ClockworkMod (via Rom Manager). Pick a 2.2 rom (which will be a tough choice), and download it to my microSD card to put in the phone. Install said rom (via Rom Manager). And then, voila, it's done.
Did I miss anything, or am I actually following instructions right here?
Edit: Nope, can't find z4root in the Market anyways. Means I'd have to Sideload it, and until I get this driver issue solved, that's not gonna work either. That's gonna be the first thing necessary to fix since it also means I can't use Odin if I do anything wrong... Downloading Serendipity now though, so if I can get that fixed, I may go ahead and try this out after I get some sleep. But since I'm nocturnal, time for some rest. Hoping for some tips or pointers when I get back on. Definitely looking forward to good experiences with XDA and my Android phone.

Yea those are the exact steps its really simple. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=944418 try this it will install drivers for you ans sideload apps. This is a useful tool
Sent from my Captivate running CyanogenMod7 using XDA Premium App

The.Se7enth said:
Only downside to rooting the phone is the voided warranty.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Quick question. Did you purchase the insurance through AT&T for the phone? If so, you will most likely always be able to get it replaced even if it's been rooted. It's just as simple as calling the help line, and saying that you have no idea what happened, and it won't work now. Of course that is worst case scenario
From my experience, the Captivate is a pretty difficult phone to hard brick compared to some others. For a beginner, all of this can be somewhat overwhelming, we've all been there. But once you get the hang of the whole process, you'll be good to go!

Yeah I've done that once already. Just called in and told them that it seems like a software problem and they replaced it no charge.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA Premium App

Beginner help....
AT&T warranty is for 1 year on new phones, 90 days on phones you purchase as refurbished. (30 day "I just don't like THIS phone" replacement/return in both cases.) If Radio Shack will not replace the phone, AT&T should swap. If neither is willing to help, Samsung will honor their 1 year warranty, but it requires shipping back to Samsung.
Your situation sounds like your Windows PC is the problem. A complete reinstall of Windows & apps (not just a quick MBR repair / install over top of existing stuff) may be your best bet if you can't use a different machine.
Kies Mini should upgrade your phone to 2.2 painlessly - without you having to do anything but plug it in and click the on screen button.

Also if you root and need to return it just flash back to stock which will take away root and at$t is none the wiser, most likely

peypey008 said:
Quick question. Did you purchase the insurance through AT&T for the phone? If so, you will most likely always be able to get it replaced even if it's been rooted. It's just as simple as calling the help line, and saying that you have no idea what happened, and it won't work now. Of course that is worst case scenario
From my experience, the Captivate is a pretty difficult phone to hard brick compared to some others. For a beginner, all of this can be somewhat overwhelming, we've all been there. But once you get the hang of the whole process, you'll be good to go!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope. Don't feel their insurance policies are worth it. You spend more money on the insurance policy in total, even if it's month-to-month, than you would on a brand new contractless phone. Besides, I had only made $120 from fixing up three ancient computers (so ancient they actually had ISA slots and DIMM SD-RAM memory -- one was even a Pentium II), and only had $50 by the time I bought the phone which was a couple months later. My $50 went towards the phone and a pack of screen protectors, while my mom covered the upgrade fee. Couldn't afford the insurance policy even if we wanted to.
But I do greatly appreciate the encouragement. I'll give it a go in a bit, and try out flashing Serendipity. I'll follow the official instructions from their own website though, because I read this on their FAQ:
"Never use ROM Manager. EVER, EVER, EVER, EVER, EVER!"
pouelle said:
AT&T warranty is for 1 year on new phones, 90 days on phones you purchase as refurbished. (30 day "I just don't like THIS phone" replacement/return in both cases.) If Radio Shack will not replace the phone, AT&T should swap. If neither is willing to help, Samsung will honor their 1 year warranty, but it requires shipping back to Samsung.
Your situation sounds like your Windows PC is the problem. A complete reinstall of Windows & apps (not just a quick MBR repair / install over top of existing stuff) may be your best bet if you can't use a different machine.
Kies Mini should upgrade your phone to 2.2 painlessly - without you having to do anything but plug it in and click the on screen button.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
RadioShack replaced the phone the first time, but the manager there said after replacing it once, the warranty was thus void. I'm not sure if profanity is allowed here, but you can figure out which word I wanted to reply to him. It's eight letters long, starts with bull.
I've read posts on AT&T forums saying if the phone's bricked or can't be repaired by user methods though, especially if it's rooted, that they won't honor the warranty at all and will consider it user error and that you're out of luck. Even people who tried to upgrade to 2.2 stock had issues with that. But I dunno.
Anyways, my machine works perfectly for everything else. Before the repair, when I tried to upgrade? It was a fresh install. I had just reformatted it because it was performing sluggish before and I decided I wanted a single-boot installation instead of having my old dual-boot of Windows 7 and XP. It's now just XP for the time being, seeing as how the hardware's limited and I want to get the best out of it for gaming (I can run 7 with ease, but it uses more resources than XP, thus games don't run as well).
I realize earlier I may have come off as implying the upgrade to 2.2 process was difficult. I don't mean it was "difficult" by any means necessary. It was simply a plug the phone in, let all the drivers install, unhook and put in download mode, hook up again for more drivers. Restart phone, start up kies, hook up phone, and click "Upgrade phone" button. Accept the terms of service or whatever, and wait. Upgrade starts, phone flips into download mode on it's own, restarts a couple times, and voila, you're on 2.2. I thought it was a piece of cake. My issue is that regardless of how easy it was, it still ended up rather broken because all those applications were missing, on top of the fact the Settings panel was also gone, leaving me unable to perform a factory reset.
I have one last question. If I do somehow manage to get these drivers to work again (without reformatting, which I don't have the time to do), should I have the SIM card out while flashing the ROM? I'm wondering, subconsciously, if somehow that may have had something to do with the upgrade to 2.2 screwing up so bad. I had the SIM card in, with all my applications installed at first. Second time, no apps or anything were installed, but the SIM card was still in.
Edit: Well aware of most forums having a "do not double post" rule, as much as I want to bump this thread with an update on the issue. But, I've restarted my computer, tried a different USB cable, uninstalled and reinstalled the drivers from numerous different sources, and still the same "fatal error" issue on "Samsung Android ADB Composite Interface". I simply cannot get that to install whatsoever, and without it, the phone isn't detected as being hooked up even by SWM, much less anything else. Seriously, what do I do? I'm not reformatting my computer, because I simply see no reason for it, but I have no other computer I can use. How do I get these drivers to install properly like they did before?

The.Se7enth said:
At the time I tried, Kies itself didn't support the Captivate. Only Kies mini. And in order to do that upgrade, I had to install the drivers, then put the phone into download mode to install more drivers for some odd reason, restart the phone (taking out the battery and putting it back in), then hook it up. Kies mini wouldn't detect the phone for several tries at first, finally got it about the 10th time in. Then go to the "Upgrade phone" link, and yeah. I followed the instructions from Samsung's official SGH-i897 Froyo upgrade guide.
I did EXACTLY as the instructions say, down to the wire. Still ended up both times with all those applications missing and the settings panel missing, unable to do a factory reset without flashing back to 2.1 first.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Fail, Kies Mini works from Kies mode on the phone. It puts the phone into download mode when you start the upgrade from Kies Mini.
Just saying...

The.Se7enth said:
Nope. Don't feel their insurance policies are worth it. You spend more money on the insurance policy in total, even if it's month-to-month, than you would on a brand new contractless phone. Besides, I had only made $120 from fixing up three ancient computers (so ancient they actually had ISA slots and DIMM SD-RAM memory -- one was even a Pentium II), and only had $50 by the time I bought the phone which was a couple months later. My $50 went towards the phone and a pack of screen protectors, while my mom covered the upgrade fee. Couldn't afford the insurance policy even if we wanted to.
But I do greatly appreciate the encouragement. I'll give it a go in a bit, and try out flashing Serendipity. I'll follow the official instructions from their own website though, because I read this on their FAQ:
"Never use ROM Manager. EVER, EVER, EVER, EVER, EVER!"
RadioShack replaced the phone the first time, but the manager there said after replacing it once, the warranty was thus void. I'm not sure if profanity is allowed here, but you can figure out which word I wanted to reply to him. It's eight letters long, starts with bull.
I've read posts on AT&T forums saying if the phone's bricked or can't be repaired by user methods though, especially if it's rooted, that they won't honor the warranty at all and will consider it user error and that you're out of luck. Even people who tried to upgrade to 2.2 stock had issues with that. But I dunno.
Anyways, my machine works perfectly for everything else. Before the repair, when I tried to upgrade? It was a fresh install. I had just reformatted it because it was performing sluggish before and I decided I wanted a single-boot installation instead of having my old dual-boot of Windows 7 and XP. It's now just XP for the time being, seeing as how the hardware's limited and I want to get the best out of it for gaming (I can run 7 with ease, but it uses more resources than XP, thus games don't run as well).
I realize earlier I may have come off as implying the upgrade to 2.2 process was difficult. I don't mean it was "difficult" by any means necessary. It was simply a plug the phone in, let all the drivers install, unhook and put in download mode, hook up again for more drivers. Restart phone, start up kies, hook up phone, and click "Upgrade phone" button. Accept the terms of service or whatever, and wait. Upgrade starts, phone flips into download mode on it's own, restarts a couple times, and voila, you're on 2.2. I thought it was a piece of cake. My issue is that regardless of how easy it was, it still ended up rather broken because all those applications were missing, on top of the fact the Settings panel was also gone, leaving me unable to perform a factory reset.
I have one last question. If I do somehow manage to get these drivers to work again (without reformatting, which I don't have the time to do), should I have the SIM card out while flashing the ROM? I'm wondering, subconsciously, if somehow that may have had something to do with the upgrade to 2.2 screwing up so bad. I had the SIM card in, with all my applications installed at first. Second time, no apps or anything were installed, but the SIM card was still in.
Edit: Well aware of most forums having a "do not double post" rule, as much as I want to bump this thread with an update on the issue. But, I've restarted my computer, tried a different USB cable, uninstalled and reinstalled the drivers from numerous different sources, and still the same "fatal error" issue on "Samsung Android ADB Composite Interface". I simply cannot get that to install whatsoever, and without it, the phone isn't detected as being hooked up even by SWM, much less anything else. Seriously, what do I do? I'm not reformatting my computer, because I simply see no reason for it, but I have no other computer I can use. How do I get these drivers to install properly like they did before?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea once you have serendipity installed don't use rom manager but for initial install your fine
Sent from my Captivate running CyanogenMod7 using XDA Premium App

cappysw10 said:
Fail, Kies Mini works from Kies mode on the phone. It puts the phone into download mode when you start the upgrade from Kies Mini.
Just saying...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can "say" all you want, my good sir, but google the instructions. They tell you clearly to put the phone into download mode TO FINISH INSTALLING DRIVERS. You don't start up Kies mini until after all the drivers are installed, at which point you hook up the phone with USB Debugging, not Kies mode. I appreciate your willingness to help, but be sure to read everything I say before you correct me. I'm not that slow. I read instructions thoroughly and I've read quite a lot of posts on these forums. I work with computers regularly -- just not Android. The issue had nothing to do with that anyway, so that doesn't even matter.
brendanmurphy said:
Yea once you have serendipity installed don't use rom manager but for initial install your fine
Sent from my Captivate running CyanogenMod7 using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm sure it's possible, and I don't mean to come off disrespectful, but I'm just gonna go with the instructions on their website. Just seems a safer route to install a ROM by the creator's instructions, you know? Only thing I'm not sure about is what they mean by "Flash it in 2e recovery (twice)." on ClockworkMod.
The.Se7enth said:
I have one last question. If I do somehow manage to get these drivers to work again (without reformatting, which I don't have the time to do), should I have the SIM card out while flashing the ROM? I'm wondering, subconsciously, if somehow that may have had something to do with the upgrade to 2.2 screwing up so bad. I had the SIM card in, with all my applications installed at first. Second time, no apps or anything were installed, but the SIM card was still in.
Edit: Well aware of most forums having a "do not double post" rule, as much as I want to bump this thread with an update on the issue. But, I've restarted my computer, tried a different USB cable, uninstalled and reinstalled the drivers from numerous different sources, and still the same "fatal error" issue on "Samsung Android ADB Composite Interface". I simply cannot get that to install whatsoever, and without it, the phone isn't detected as being hooked up even by SWM, much less anything else. Seriously, what do I do? I'm not reformatting my computer, because I simply see no reason for it, but I have no other computer I can use. How do I get these drivers to install properly like they did before?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
These two are still my top questions now. Is it a good idea to have the SIM card out during the upgrade process, and not put it back in until after the update is 100% complete?
Also, I'm really frustrated about this whole driver thing. I know the drivers aren't broken because I used them on this very computer before, and the repair shouldn't have damaged anything because absolutely everything else is working flawlessly. But every time I've uninstalled the drivers completely, and hook up the phone, it keeps getting a fatal error on that. Apparently "S3C6410 Android ADB" is the name of the device that can't install drivers.

[Q] Should I let OTA updates install?

Hi there, I just got this tablet with its awesome screen a couple of days ago and as the title says I'm not sure if I should let the OTA run.
I already have a GS2 so I was aware of the eMMC bug and I also have an overly cautious nature so I said no to the updates and turned the auto check for updates feature off.
I got the P6810 version.
Currently it is on a ROM the firmware websites don't recognise:
2.6.36-P6810DTKL4-CL602212
I have no idea what version it will update to as if I ask it to check and agree to the disclaimers the download size is listed as less than a megabyte.
I have read quite a few of the threads here but none of them made things completely clear as to what to do in this situation. One of the posts said not to do a wipe with a Honeycomb based ROM which is what this is.
By the sounds of it we should get Jelly Bean in a month or so, well it is rumored and that would be great. I'm not sure I really need a rooted custom ROM but I definitely need to be off Honeycomb!
Thanks for your time.

I was having problems with my wi-fi connection and had to set it manually, I thought that perhaps the update might address that so I let it update.
It was 0.07Mb and has taken it to:
2.6.36-P6810DTKL5-CL604290
Now it says no updates available but the firmware sites say there are a few newer versions including an ICS based one. I guess I need to do that manually or via Kies, which I don't really trust.
I'll wait for advice from more knowledgeable people.

I would and have trusted Samsung Kies before for updates... not on this device, but on my Notes... and it did just fine...
good luck

jimmbomb said:
I would and have trusted Samsung Kies before for updates... not on this device, but on my Notes... and it did just fine...
good luck
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply Jimmbomb, I had a bit of a think about it and figured if it died I'd just be without it while it got fixed or replaced. Given I wasn't used to having it I probably wouldn't miss it so I gave Kies another try. This is unlike my phone which I need to work and, after it wiped and failed to restore my data and settings, I haven't updated my phone. I know I really should but once burnt twice shy.
I haven't used Kies for over a year, in that time it has improved significantly and actually did what it claimed to!
My initial reluctance to use it was based off my initial experience with it, it seems like Samsung have listened to feedback and fixed it up which is good news for us.
Now we just need to patiently wait for the JB release, hopefully it will be like the update for the GS2 and include the fancy features, smart stay being the one I expect will be most useful for a tablet.

I was wrong, Kies still has some problems.
I thought I'd plug my SGS2 in to see what would happen, it doesn't detect it although windows has no problems talking to it and letting me copy files via explorer.
I did the 'troubleshoot connection' procedure and all it does is reinstall the USB driver, since doing that neither device will connect to Kies!
Time to uninstall and try again I guess, SO frustrating given the size of company Samsung is.

Yep.
Samsung fraks it up on a number of fronts.
I think they need to learn that putting 5000 versions of devices on the market and then providing crappy support is an approach to business that leaves a bad impression.

4.2.2 made the device impossible to use

I'm not even kidding, everything takes a good 10 seconds to open. I can't scroll through settings because it takes 3 seconds to register my swipe.
It's a family members tablet and it has never been rooted, or flashed any custom ROMs. The 4.2.2 update came from Samsung and ever since then they've been complaining to me about how slow it is.
I'm having the same problem when trying to clear the cache through recovery - the dead android and 'error'!
I do NOT want to flash a new ROM because it involves resetting all apps and settings back to how they used to be. The owner hardly has any idea how to use it, so any changes will just freak them out.
Is there anything I can do to fix this thing?

eKulzz said:
I'm not even kidding, everything takes a good 10 seconds to open. I can't scroll through settings because it takes 3 seconds to register my swipe.
It's a family members tablet and it has never been rooted, or flashed any custom ROMs. The 4.2.2 update came from Samsung and ever since then they've been complaining to me about how slow it is.
I'm having the same problem when trying to clear the cache through recovery - the dead android and 'error'!
I do NOT want to flash a new ROM because it involves resetting all apps and settings back to how they used to be. The owner hardly has any idea how to use it, so any changes will just freak them out.
Is there anything I can do to fix this thing?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can root it and then try installing agni kennel from recovery
Sent from my GT-P3100 using Tapatalk

eKulzz said:
I'm not even kidding, everything takes a good 10 seconds to open. I can't scroll through settings because it takes 3 seconds to register my swipe.
It's a family members tablet and it has never been rooted, or flashed any custom ROMs. The 4.2.2 update came from Samsung and ever since then they've been complaining to me about how slow it is.
I'm having the same problem when trying to clear the cache through recovery - the dead android and 'error'!
I do NOT want to flash a new ROM because it involves resetting all apps and settings back to how they used to be. The owner hardly has any idea how to use it, so any changes will just freak them out.
Is there anything I can do to fix this thing?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Root it and install an app called seeder .
It makes 4.2.2 super fast ..

Greetings;
Either it was a terrible custom Rom, or you didn't flash it properly.
If you wan't it to work properly consider that you will have to Backup your Applications; their Data and your Contacts as well if they are not syncronized with your Gmail Account.
Perform a "Clean Flash" whenever you Flash a Rom to prevent Issues, and use Odin (for PC - Never Odin Mobile) for such "Clean Flash).
Also Consider Researching Before Doing any Operation you are not familiar with.
What you should try:
0) Backup your Apps & Data;
1) Boot your Device under Recovery;
2) Under Recovery:
- Perform Factory Reset
- Clean Cache
- Reboot into Download Mode
3) Open Odin, under PDA Load you Stock Rom [MD5 file] (to revert your Device Settings to Stock).
4) Under Odin: Considering your Device is Recognized, Press Start.
Do NOT Disconnect USB Cable until Odin Displays "PASS" Message.
5) Reboot into " Download Mode " to Flash ClockWorkMod Recovery or CF-Root (or your Fav. Recovery).
6) Once Completed, Boot your Device into Recovery and Perform " Factory Reset ".
7) Test your System.
Let me know how it went.
Best Regards,
Richard

Any Joy
eKulzz: Did you have any success with the above suggestions? I am in exactly the same boat. I inherited the device (Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 5113 16gig) from a family member. I am not really sure precisely when it started to suck so bad....I am assuming, based on the internet posts, that it happened as a result of the 4.2.2 upgrade. It is taking literally minutes in some cases to load a web page. Flipboard is particularly bad. I have cleared cache, uninstalled or disabled every app the tablet will allow, done a full revert to factory, and nothing works. My wifi throughput goes down to miniscule rates (5, 10 , 15 kbps), although once in a while, for larger objects it will jump up to 5 or 10 mbps....so I know it can do it!). I have done IP traces, thinking it might be my internet provider, but the delays are after the TCP/IP response is returned. It seems to peg the CPU and wander off for 10 or so seconds, and then proceed to do the next TCP/IP request.......so if a page has lots of content, it can take minutes to load.
I am at the point that I either throw it away, try to revert to the original android version the tab was delivered with, or possibly go the other way and instally cyanogenmod, in which case it would be interesting to know the best version of android to install on this device, based on other people's experiences.
It is so amazing that this can happen....and it doesn't seem like an isolated case....the vendor just seems to have effectively bricked a major part of their customer base, and won't admit or do anything about it. You can be sure my next purchase will not be Samsung!
However, in Samsung's defence, almost the same thing happened with my Nexus 7 2012 WIFI tablet. The android 5.1 upgrade has made it almost as bad as the Samsung. I wasted days following threads and screwing around, but only achieved minor gains...it is still not really usable. Again, no mea culpa from Google.... I find it amusing that there is such furore when a new release of android comes out and there is such outrage if peoples devices are not supported, or not upgraded fast enough. My point of view now is that I don't want to see an upgrade on any device I have that is working acceptably.....I think there is such pressure from users for upgrades that the vendors are not testing enough and not asking themselves if the upgrade is actually improving usability for the device....
Rick

Have you tried downgrading?
Go sammobile website, Download the Rom version for your device, and follow the procedures i wrote previously.
(Dont forget to erase cache(s)).
Also check for flash counter. You may need to reset it.
Let me know how it went - with detailed info.
Best regards;
Richard

Tried Downgrade
rgxHost said:
Have you tried downgrading?
Go sammobile website, Download the Rom version for your device, and follow the procedures i wrote previously.
(Dont forget to erase cache(s)).
Also check for flash counter. You may need to reset it.
Let me know how it went - with detailed info.
Best regards;
Richard
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I gave it a try. Got stymied with the USB drivers. I installed them, but the PC (windows 10) will not recognize the USB device, so Odin does not see the tablet.
I got the drivers from the Samsung web site, and also tried another set, but no luck. I am pretty sure they are the correct drivers...., and were installed successfully, so I am not sure whether it is a Windows 10 thing or a driver problem. The PC sees the device when you plug it in and remove it, but reports it as an unrecognized device. I tried re-booting the PC, just in case.
Anyway....it has pretty well stopped me in my tracks.
Rick

Update
Rickster22 said:
I gave it a try. Got stymied with the USB drivers. I installed them, but the PC (windows 10) will not recognize the USB device, so Odin does not see the tablet.
I got the drivers from the Samsung web site, and also tried another set, but no luck. I am pretty sure they are the correct drivers...., and were installed successfully, so I am not sure whether it is a Windows 10 thing or a driver problem. The PC sees the device when you plug it in and remove it, but reports it as an unrecognized device. I tried re-booting the PC, just in case.
Anyway....it has pretty well stopped me in my tracks.
Rick
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Update: Tried installing the USB drivers from Samsung on a 32 bit windows XP netbook I had lying about. Same result. The tablet is reported by the OS as an "unrecognized device" when I plug it in, and Odin does not see it.
I guess it could be my cable....but it is the only one I have, and since Samsung uses a non standard cable, I would have to buy a new one to find out. I definitely am not going to do that....talk about good money after bad. I have spent about 10 hours on this.
Interestingly, I ran into a guy at a party last night that is experiencing the same slowness on a galaxy tab 2 7" . Seems too coincidental! We were wondering if it could be related to slow SD ram with bad memory locations degrading over time, and possibly a change in android 4.2.2 garbage collection or memory management.
I think the outcome of this is that Samsung is an undependable vendor, that I don't want to invest any more time or money in. No future product I purchase will be from them.

Rickster22 said:
Update: Tried installing the USB drivers from Samsung on a 32 bit windows XP netbook I had lying about. Same result. The tablet is reported by the OS as an "unrecognized device" when I plug it in, and Odin does not see it.
I guess it could be my cable....but it is the only one I have, and since Samsung uses a non standard cable, I would have to buy a new one to find out. I definitely am not going to do that....talk about good money after bad. I have spent about 10 hours on this.
Interestingly, I ran into a guy at a party last night that is experiencing the same slowness on a galaxy tab 2 7" . Seems too coincidental! We were wondering if it could be related to slow SD ram with bad memory locations degrading over time, and possibly a change in android 4.2.2 garbage collection or memory management.
I think the outcome of this is that Samsung is an undependable vendor, that I don't want to invest any more time or money in. No future product I purchase will be from them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your guess is right, that's the cable issue, I have changed 3 cables already for my tab 2. I bought a cheap USB cable, and that worked same like the original one.(not suggesting you do the same)
Now, about the slowness, it's an every user issue who are on stock rom, yes, Samsung messed up things with ics/jb and a cheap emmc, but you can stop it before the bug hits the stock user and make the tab a hard bricked tab. few users have reported this already. they were on stock, never went custom, still their devices started slowing and eventually bricked or worse, rendered a read only device.
it's that time already, when I would want to see every tab user who are running on stock to take their tabs in their hands and start flashing the custom rom before the tab hits the brick. Good Luck

billysam said:
Your guess is right, that's the cable issue, I have changed 3 cables already for my tab 2. I bought a cheap USB cable, and that worked same like the original one.(not suggesting you do the same)
Now, about the slowness, it's an every user issue who are on stock rom, yes, Samsung messed up things with ics/jb and a cheap emmc, but you can stop it before the bug hits the stock user and make the tab a hard bricked tab. few users have reported this already. they were on stock, never went custom, still their devices started slowing and eventually bricked or worse, rendered a read only device.
it's that time already, when I would want to see every tab user who are running on stock to take their tabs in their hands and start flashing the custom rom before the tab hits the brick. Good Luck
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks very much for your feedback....nice to know I am not alone, and not losing it! If it is happening to all Samsung Tab 2 users, and the product is basically destined to become useless after a few years of use, and Samsung did not warn users of this limitation when they purchased.....seems like the kind of thing class actions are made of!
As a newbie, I would like to clarify your comments a bit to make sure I end up doing the appropriate thing. When you say that every Tab user should start flashing the custom ROM, I assume you are not talking about the Samsung provided ROMS for 4.1.1 (P5113UECLK7_P5113XACCLK7_XAC) or an updated Samsung 4.2.2. It sounds like doing that will not resolve the issue. Are you talking about Cyanogenmod? and if so, what version of Cyanogenmod and Android OS would be appropriate? .........I wouldn't mind giving it one more kick at the cat, if someone knowledgeable says there is a little glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel!
Thanks for your assist!
Rick

Rickster22 said:
Thanks very much for your feedback....nice to know I am not alone, and not losing it! If it is happening to all Samsung Tab 2 users, and the product is basically destined to become useless after a few years of use, and Samsung did not warn users of this limitation when they purchased.....seems like the kind of thing class actions are made of!
As a newbie, I would like to clarify your comments a bit to make sure I end up doing the appropriate thing. When you say that every Tab user should start flashing the custom ROM, I assume you are not talking about the Samsung provided ROMS for 4.1.1 (P5113UECLK7_P5113XACCLK7_XAC) or an updated Samsung 4.2.2. It sounds like doing that will not resolve the issue. Are you talking about Cyanogenmod? and if so, what version of Cyanogenmod and Android OS would be appropriate? .........I wouldn't mind giving it one more kick at the cat, if someone knowledgeable says there is a little glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel!
Thanks for your assist!
Rick
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I meant Custom ROM(cynogenmod) and not stock official builds as they have fixed the trim related problem present with the old stock official ROMs, that's causing the slow downs and eventually causing the tab emmc card to die.
Check here for this emmc bug
http://wiki.cyanogenmod.org/w/EMMC_Bugs
that's one reason, cheap emmc is second (although both users have been hit with the emmc bug but c'mon a person who had never rooted or flashed a custom ROM on his tab ever got hit with this was very disappointing for stock users)
If you check other threads in help and troubleshoot you will see numerous users on stock having more brick issues than the custom ROM users. I have been here from long and have been watching over on all the issues. both have equal share of risks.
See this case here too
http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-tab-2/help/gt-p3100-boot-loop-recovery-information-t3307456
So, if you're planning to choose custom ROMs, take a tour of the General sections for guides and Android development section for ROMS.
Most of the ROMs of our TAB 2 developer Android-Andi, CCD and tuxafgmur are fine and near stable(with updates) (don't go below KK versions)

How to upgrade Note 20 Ultra from...Android 5.1. Seriously.

I need help from someone a lot smarter than me. First time poster, but no stranger to rooting. (If I break some protocol, please correct me, I want to be a good citizen.)
Background (can be skipped)
I bought a Note 20 Ultra 5G (model #SM-N9860F) from a guy for a steal of a deal. Now I know why. Before buying we started it up and made a phone call, so I figured most everything else would be fine. Took it home and started messing with it, only to find it laggy and exhibiting other odd behaviors. So I went to check for updates before loading it up with my stuff.
But there was no Update button. I tapped "Software Info" and the next thing I saw made me read it three times. It showed, "Android version: 5.1."
Issues
So...
The phone functions but with lag and issues. SIM is recognized, then unrecognized. SIM cannot be used for data (though wifi is fine).
Not kidding, Kingo Root says it was able to root this Snapdragon phone. Root Checker Basic confirms it as rooted.
Using all the various key combinations posted all over the Internet, I cannot get into Download mode. I've tried for days.
Rebooting into Recovery shows Chinese options. (After many days of messing with it I finally found a way for it to show the English list...happy to share how I got there if anyone cares.)
The phone does connect to a Windows PC successfully via USB and can share files to internal and external memory.
Interestingly, the 500GB of internal memory only shows a fraction of it as available. Wondering if Android 5.1 just can't recognize that much space.
Bottom line
I am unable to get into Download mode. When I do get to where I think Download mode should be, the green Android guy is lying down with the words "No command" underneath. Therefore I can't use Odin, or a paid service, or Samsung Smart Switch...even tried the old Kies, since it has Android 5.1 on it. ALL of them require me to get into Download mode, and it just won't go.
Plan B?: I've heard repeatedly that rooting a Note 20 Ultra is (nearly?) impossible. Since multiple apps on my device insist I successfully rooted it, I was hoping I could use the TWRP app (it's installed) to flash something that could help. But I don't know what that would be, or if it would help at all. TWRP doesn't recognize the .zip, .tar, or any other files I've found and copied to the device. Maybe it's looking for a .img? I'm just not sure, and I don't even know what to look for.
Additional info
I've attached a few screen shots and photos.
I'd be ever so grateful for anyone's guidance. Again,
How can I get into Download mode? Seems that would get me back on the paths I know better.
And/or what can I flash using TWRP on what appears to be a rooted device? Would that even help?
Thank you!

kbtraveler said:
I need help from someone a lot smarter than me. First time poster, but no stranger to rooting. (If I break some protocol, please correct me, I want to be a good citizen.)
Background (can be skipped)
I bought a Note 20 Ultra 5G (model #SM-N9860F) from a guy for a steal of a deal. Now I know why. Before buying we started it up and made a phone call, so I figured most everything else would be fine. Took it home and started messing with it, only to find it laggy and exhibiting other odd behaviors. So I went to check for updates before loading it up with my stuff.
But there was no Update button. I tapped "Software Info" and the next thing I saw made me read it three times. It showed, "Android version: 5.1."
Issues
So...
The phone functions but with lag and issues. SIM is recognized, then unrecognized. SIM cannot be used for data (though wifi is fine).
Not kidding, Kingo Root says it was able to root this Snapdragon phone. Root Checker Basic confirms it as rooted.
Using all the various key combinations posted all over the Internet, I cannot get into Download mode. I've tried for days.
Rebooting into Recovery shows Chinese options. (After many days of messing with it I finally found a way for it to show the English list...happy to share how I got there if anyone cares.)
The phone does connect to a Windows PC successfully via USB and can share files to internal and external memory.
Interestingly, the 500GB of internal memory only shows a fraction of it as available. Wondering if Android 5.1 just can't recognize that much space.
Bottom line
I am unable to get into Download mode. When I do get to where I think Download mode should be, the green Android guy is lying down with the words "No command" underneath. Therefore I can't use Odin, or a paid service, or Samsung Smart Switch...even tried the old Kies, since it has Android 5.1 on it. ALL of them require me to get into Download mode, and it just won't go.
Plan B?: I've heard repeatedly that rooting a Note 20 Ultra is (nearly?) impossible. Since multiple apps on my device insist I successfully rooted it, I was hoping I could use the TWRP app (it's installed) to flash something that could help. But I don't know what that would be, or if it would help at all. TWRP doesn't recognize the .zip, .tar, or any other files I've found and copied to the device. Maybe it's looking for a .img? I'm just not sure, and I don't even know what to look for.
Additional info
I've attached a few screen shots and photos.
I'd be ever so grateful for anyone's guidance. Again,
How can I get into Download mode? Seems that would get me back on the paths I know better.
And/or what can I flash using TWRP on what appears to be a rooted device? Would that even help?
Thank you!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like you got what you paid for, it's probably a fake Note20 Ultra.
From what I can tell, the model & build numbers conflict, they're from different models of the Note 20 Ultra, that's why I think it's a fake.
Even the model number doesn't look right, it has a hybrid Chinese/European model number........

KOLIOSIS said:
Sounds like you got what you paid for, it's probably a fake Note20 Ultra.
From what I can tell, the model & build numbers conflict, they're from different models of the Note 20 Ultra, that's why I think it's a fake.
Even the model number doesn't look right, it has a hybrid Chinese/European model number........
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Koliosis,
Yeah, thanks, that has crossed my mind, and that's why I posted those images. If it's fake it's a really good one, but I am aware I could have to chalk that up to experience.
Still, why in the world would a fake have Android 5.1 on it? And it works(-ish)! Isn't that still bizarre? Anything that can be done to force it into Download mode or to flash something with TWRP to at least get an OS from the modern era?
Thanks again...

kbtraveler said:
Hi Koliosis,
Yeah, thanks, that has crossed my mind, and that's why I posted those images. If it's fake it's a really good one, but I am aware I could have to chalk that up to experience.
Still, why in the world would a fake have Android 5.1 on it? And it works(-ish)! Isn't that still bizarre? Anything that can be done to force it into Download mode or to flash something with TWRP to at least get an OS from the modern era?
Thanks again...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There should be several threads/tutorials here that show how to flash firmware using Odin (& of course,includes how to get into download mode).
Before you try that out,have you tried to use Samsung's Smart Switch program on your PC?
Given the information you've posted,it's difficult to determine which model you have,which makes matters worse since we don't want to make a bad situation worse.
I'd start with the Samsung Smart Switch, hopefully it'll be able to determine the make of your phone & flashing stock firmware should be a breeze. (If it's indeed a genuine Samsung Device).

KOLIOSIS said:
There should be several threads/tutorials here that show how to flash firmware using Odin (& of course,includes how to get into download mode).
Before you try that out,have you tried to use Samsung's Smart Switch program on your PC?
Given the information you've posted,it's difficult to determine which model you have,which makes matters since we don't want to make a bad situation worse.
I'd start with the Samsung Smart Switch, hopefully it'll be able to determine the make of your phone & flashing stock firmware should be a breeze. (If it's indeed a genuine Samsung Device).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes sir, and that's my problem. I've rooted and changed ROMs on a dozen devices or more in the past (thanks to XDA!!), always using Odin. But this phone simply will not go into Download mode at all. Using every key combination I can find I either wind up with the Chinese recovery selections I mentioned or I get that "No command" screen with the Android lying on its back.
So far I've tried these PC apps:
Odin (several versions)
Smart Switch
Kies
FixPPO (https://android.imyfone.com/android-issues/android-no-command-error/)
DroidKit (https://www.imobie.com/android-system-recovery/fix-android-no-command-error.htm)
Some, like Odin and the paid options, require Download mode - which isn't working for me - so those apps can even tell I've plugged a phone into the USB port.
Just to put it out there, when the phone is booted into the OS and attach it to the PC, Windows recognizes it's connected but Smart Switch does not. That supports your point that it may not be a Samsung device, but I wondered if it could also have something to do with Smart Switch coming after 5.1 was old.
I just wondered if somebody who didn't know what they were doing somehow downgraded this phone to Android 5.1 before I accept it as a full loss. Still hoping...

kbtraveler said:
Yes sir, and that's my problem. I've rooted and changed ROMs on a dozen devices or more in the past (thanks to XDA!!), always using Odin. But this phone simply will not go into Download mode at all. Using every key combination I can find I either wind up with the Chinese recovery selections I mentioned or I get that "No command" screen with the Android lying on its back.
So far I've tried these PC apps:
Odin (several versions)
Smart Switch
Kies
FixPPO (https://android.imyfone.com/android-issues/android-no-command-error/)
DroidKit (https://www.imobie.com/android-system-recovery/fix-android-no-command-error.htm)
Some, like Odin and the paid options, require Download mode - which isn't working for me - so those apps can even tell I've plugged a phone into the USB port.
Just to put it out there, when the phone is booted into the OS and attach it to the PC, Windows recognizes it's connected but Smart Switch does not. That supports your point that it may not be a Samsung device, but I wondered if it could also have something to do with Smart Switch coming after 5.1 was old.
I just wondered if somebody who didn't know what they were doing somehow downgraded this phone to Android 5.1 before I accept it as a full loss. Still hoping...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Makes since you tried Kies (given the stated Android version).
Can you download/sideload any apps that may help identify the phone (& check for Knox 0x0) such as this one:
Phone INFO+ (SAM) - Apps on Google Play
All-in-one INFO and TOOLS for Samsung devices.
play.google.com
AIDA64 - Apps on Google Play
Hardware and software information utility for Android devices
play.google.com
I wish I had more to offer,it's been years since I've dealt w/a rooted Samsung (Note 5).
Hopefully,others will chime in & offer a solution.
FWIW,Definitely following this thread, I'm interested in how things work out, hopefully for the better.

Aah i made an account just to respond to you
i had an iPhone 7 Jet Black replica with android 5.1 once upon a time, same symptoms- 8GB actual storage but will show 128GB when connected to PC
So here are my two cents: These devices won't be recognized by samsung tools as they are not having motherboards made by samsung. I would recommend that you check actual specs from AIDA64 and you will find out which company has made the motherboard or device, mine had strange MediaTek processor though. And hopefully you will find some chinese websites where people are talking about how to flash firmwares in these phones but i recommend not to do that, i had to lose my device as it got bricked.

Well, that's exactly why I come here. I'd never come across that AIDA64 app, and I've attached screen shots. I've never heard of a "Kirin," but sure enough, it's Huawei. Dang it!
@priteshsolanki, hate to hear about your experience. Thanks for the heads up.
So...does Huawei have a Smart Switch equivalent, lol? And by the way, even if I got this working, would Huawei have enough hardware in this bugger to be able to listen in and send data back to Mother China?? I don't know how that kind of thing works...

kbtraveler said:
Well, that's exactly why I come here. I'd never come across that AIDA64 app, and I've attached screen shots. I've never heard of a "Kirin," but sure enough, it's Huawei. Dang it!
@priteshsolanki, hate to hear about your experience. Thanks for the heads up.
So...does Huawei have a Smart Switch equivalent, lol? And by the way, even if I got this working, would Huawei have enough hardware in this bugger to be able to listen in and send data back to Mother China?? I don't know how that kind of thing works...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is strange, i think The AIDA64 app is being fooled here too! To find which company has made it, Its gonna be same experience as finding father of an orphan child which just had permanent memory loss
Its not Kirin, its not huawei.. why?-
So its showing ARMv7 32bit processor, which is definitely not Kirin 1020. because kirin 1020 is a high end processor itself too and uses 5nm technology and Cortex A78 architecture! (While yours is showing stone age 28nm with Cortex A7)
Then there is Platform MT6799. When i look up for that, its again showing totally different company- MediaTek chipset "Helio X30 (MT6799)" which is a deca core processor but what we got here in your details is a Quad core processor.
What we know about your processor:
- its Cortex A7 @1301 MHz and has 28nm manufacturing process
(can't be 5G at any cost)
- From above details it seems like an ancient processor which came out somewhere around 2012, probably thats why its running 5.1.
- The performance is equivalent to high end Android Jellybean device, but definitely not suitable for using in 2022
- The storage and RAM amount shown there are just to fulfill fantasies, dont expect it to be reliable. Its probably a 1 or 2GB Ram with 4 or 8GB storage.
- The software in the phone is really fantastic, i have never thought that a clone can be so perfect that even Apps like AIDA64 will have a hard time finding the facts!
Now coming to the main questions:
1) Can it be upgraded?
90% no based on research i have done in google, this phone is totally non existent for google. for remaining 10% you can expect the rom maker to contact you in DMs after seeing your thread here and offer you an upgrade lol
2) Should you use any file syncing tools with it?
Quick answer: Syncios app is your best bet to sync data between phone and back, but only luck can help you find actual firmware of the device
Slightly long answer: So according to our findings all these data shown in phone settings fake, and syncing apps back in 2011-12 i think its going to give you hard time finding a working one. Android 5.1 in todays time is not something you should be using as daily driver for sure. I suggest you to just treat it like a toy.
About my iPhone 7 back in the day, i bought that one for some 60USD but it was worth it, had some kind of apple music app which never required login but was able to stream any songs for free. so ive used that one out for music only.
I really wish there was a better way to put it, but you can try one last dry hope at needrom website to see if they have any details about this device.

kbtraveler said:
But there was no Update button. I tapped "Software Info" and the next thing I saw made me read it three times. It showed, "Android version: 5.1."
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Like has been said, sounds like you got a fake, Software info is one of the first things I would have checked before buying, not after you have bought it and then start having issues. Unfortunately you only really have yourself to blame. like is quite often said if the deal "seems to good to be true" there are reasons why.

@samorgs60, you are very right. I've taken many chances like this one on many electronic devices, and to my recollection, this is the first time I got burned. It's kind of like speeding: I don't always obey the speed limit to the letter (number?), so in the past when I got what I believe was an unfair speeding ticket - I was accused of going faster than I was - I dealt with it my accepting it as a balance in the universe for all the times I should have been busted.
@priteshsolanki, what a catch! Wow. That is kinda amazing, and would explain why it has 5.1 on it. I'm actually astonished at the quality of the device in every way, other than the obvious.
So I hate to ask this, but...isn't it true that carriers (I won't mention mine by name here) make offers for value against a new phone if your current phone simply 1) turns on and 2) does not have a cracked screen? That kinda seems to describe what I've got right now. Not interested in misleading on purpose, but what is the likelihood this would qualify as a trade-in? If they took it initially, what's the likelihood of it coming back to haunt me (the carrier contacting me about it not being a Samsung)?
Really appreciate the help, guys!

It sucks that you got a fake. If you paid with PayPal or Credit, I'd file a claim/dispute and try to return for a refund. Carriers usually log the IMEI of trade ins and if it doesn't match the model or is blacklisted in any way, the trade will be denied.