- Introduction -
This is a primer on why phones get bricked, how to recover from a brick, and how to prevent bricking your expensive hardware. I wrote this because I noticed the same questions popping up over and over, perhaps due to an instant onset of panic, from people that bricked their phones and there doesn't seem to be a single stickied thread that is dedicated to bricks. Sorry for my inability to be brief, but I would still highly recommend that you read this article in its entirety.
- The Android Boot Process -
In order to get a good understanding of why phones brick, we must have a good understanding of the boot process. All android phones have a similar boot process, so most of this information should be applicable to the i897 and any other Android handset.
So, here is what happens when you press the power button on your phone.
1. BOOT ROM - Your phone waits for the power to stabilize, then runs a piece of code that is stored in permanent rom on your cpu called the Boot Rom. The main job of this code is to detect the boot media and load it into memory (in this case, it is the First Stage Bootloader). This code is hard wired and can never be overwritten.
2. First Stage Bootloader - Once the boot rom loads the boot media, it hands control over to the First Stage Bootloader (you may see this in some roms as boot.bin). The job of this bootloader is basically to "find more ram" and load the second stage bootloader into it. When computers first boot up (even PC's), the default memory model usually only allows for very tiny programs to be loaded into memory. For this reason, there is usually two bootloaders, the first of which detects and sets up external ram and loads the second stage bootloader into it. NOTE: The first stage bootloader can be overwritten! If you damage your bootloader, you will have a permanent UNRECOVERABLE brick at this point!
3. Second Stage Bootloader - The first stage bootloader hands off execution to the Second stage bootloader (you may see this in some roms as sbl.bin) once it is loaded into memory. The job of the SBL is to "set everything up" so the main kernel can take over. It is in charge of setting up the file systems, setting up any additional memory, setting up all the hardware, bringing up the modem cpu and setting any sort of low level security that may need to be set. Fun fact: This is where your 3 button combo and "download mode" is handled. Once the hardware is set up, the sbl will look for the kernel. NOTE: The SBL can also be overwritten, meaning if you damage your SBL, you can lose your ability to boot into download mode and thus have a permanent, unrecoverable brick!
4. Kernel - The kernel, if one were to put it simply, is essentially "the os". I know there is far more to it, especially in the case of Android with Dalvik providing most of the things we typically think of as "Android". But for all intents and purposes, the kernel is the core part of the OS that handles all of the hardware interrupts, memory management, memory protection, manages file systems and drivers, threading and access to the processor, and so forth. Once the kernel is loaded into memory, it sets up anything else that needs to be set up, loads Dalvik, and from there the rest of Android is brought up. Fun fact: This is where recovery resides. NOTE: You can still brick your device at this step, though it is only a soft brick and very recoverable - nothing to lose sleep over.
Now that you have a general understanding of how Android boots, let's move on.
- But my phone is bricked -
You probably arrived at this article because it's too late and you've already botched something. You've probably read through the first part and are thinking "Ok professor, that's all good and well, but my phone is dead. Do I have to shoot myself in the head now?" The short answer is "Maybe."
The most important part of analyzing a brick is to figure out what part of the boot procedure it crapped out on. Fortunately, most of the time this is pretty easy to figure out IF YOU REMEMBER WHAT YOU WERE DOING IMMEDIATELY BEFORE THE BAD THINGS HAPPENED. If you look at the previous section, you'll notice a color coding of the various boot steps.
The reason why bad things happen to good telephones is something bad is happening during the boot process, preventing successive stages from completing. If you were flashing a rom (either through CWM or Odin) that included bootloaders and you saw that it died somewhere around the part where it was flashing boot.bin or sbl.bin, you may have a hard brick. If you think about it, it makes sense logically. It's crapping out at the part (or before) where the code that handles the key combos for download mode is being set up. If you've damaged that part of the process, there aren't really any other (easy) alternatives.
Here is a good barometer for checking if you have a hard brick:: Does something show up on your screen when you press power? (This can literally be anything - error messages, boot loops, naked chicks, that infuriating AT&T logo). If it does, congratulations! You're probably in the orange section of the boot process and can recover your phone. If not, and no matter how many times you mash the power button it stays at a black screen, you probably messed it up somewhere in the red part of the boot process and have a hard brick.
- How to recover from a brick -
If you have a hard brick (Black screen, power button isn't doing anything, multiple battery pulls didn't get you anywhere), you're probably out of luck. Sorry, dude. You can still recover it, but it'll require some surgery on your part.. You'll have to order a riff box (http://www.jtagbox.com/), remove the motherboard, and connect it to the riff box and flash your two bootloaders back onto the rom chips directly. Or, you can just do what everyone else here does and mail it back to Samsung or AT&T, with some story about how kies wrecked your junk and you have no idea wtf.
If you have a soft brick (something shows up on your screen), it's just a matter of getting your phone into recovery or download mode. Basically, when dealing with a soft brick, you want to be as unintrusive as possible to NOT MESS IT UP WORSE THAN YOU ALREADY DID. So here are a few basic procedures.
1. Don't panic.
2. Can you get into recovery?
Pull the battery out.
Put the battery back in!
Press and hold Volume Up, Volume Down, and Power, and wait until something shows up on the screen.
Release power! Keep holding Vol up+Vol down.
Did it go into recovery?
If that worked, try flashing a different kernel from recovery. If it still doesn't work, it's probably not the kernel but something else in the rom, so flash a different rom altogether. NOTE: The key combo for recovery is different with the new 2.3 bootloaders! It is now Vol up+power instead of Vol up+Vol down+Power.
3. If not, boot it into download mode.
Pull the battery out and make sure the phone is NOT connected by a usb cable.
Put the battery back in!
Hold vol up+Vol down. DO NOT PRESS POWER.
Plug in the USB cable.
NOTE: The key combo is different with the new 2.3 bootloaders. It is now Vol down+Power. You no longer need to connect the usb cable.
The phone should boot into download mode. If it still does not, you can try using a USB jig. They are very easy to build - it is just a 301k resistance across pins 4 and 5 of the microusb slot. You can find plenty of instructions by searching the General section. You can also find a usb breakout board here: http://www.sparkfun.com/products/10031 and 100k (make sure it's 100k and not 100) resistors at radio shack. To use the jig, simply pull the battery out, put the jig in the microusb slot, DO NOT TOUCH THE JIG WITH YOUR FINGERS AS YOU MAY CHANGE THE RESISTANCE, and put the battery back in. It should kick you into download mode within 3 seconds.
Once you are in download mode, flash back to stock. Refer to the Odin guide at the end of this article for instructions. ***NOTE***: DO NOT FLASH A ROM THAT INCLUDES BOOTLOADERS - THIS INCLUDES THE ODIN ONE CLICK PACKAGE - IT IS AN UNNECESSARY RISK AS YOUR PHONE ALREADY HAS PROPER WORKING BOOTLOADERS
I actually don't like the one-click package very much in general, simply because there seems to be an element of randomness around it. It seems to work with a certain build of phone, and seems to cause problems with newer phones.
- You may have to flash bootloaders -
So you're probably thinking, "What if I don't have a working 3 button combo?" Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but to my understanding a certain batch of phones were shipped out with corrupt sbl's. If you're one of those unlucky folks that has a phone with a busted 3 button combo, you'll have to flash new bootloaders to fix it. There is a bootloader fix package you can flash somewhere in the dev section, and if I'm not mistaken, the Cognition rom also flashes properly working bootloaders.
You will also have to flash new bootloaders if you want to upgrade from 2.1/2.2 to the official Samsung 2.3 roms (or any custom roms based off of the official 2.3's). Don't try to flash these individually if you happen to find them somewhere. The best way to get the new bootloaders is to download the stock JVB rom from www.samfirmware.com and flash it using Odin3.
Be warned - by flashing bootloaders, you may brick your phone permanently. Remember, you're flashing the red part of the boot process at this point. If things go boom, your phone ends up in an unrecoverable state. The chances of it crapping out while flashing the bootloaders may be a million to one, but there's still a chance it might happen and I've seen people brick their phone from this several times.
Be warned #2 - If you've successfully flashed working bootloaders, don't flash other bootloaders for sport. There isn't any point to it and it doesn't give you anything "extra", and even though the chances of things going sour are slim, keep it up and sooner or later you'll end up with an unresponsive device.
Be warned #3 (for 2.3 people only): Do not flash roms or odin packages that include bootloaders. I'm not entirely sure why some phones are bricking when being flashed back to stock, but something tells me that some of the odin packages are only flashing the second stage bootloader instead of both the first stage and second stage. There is probably some major incompatibility between the 2.1/2.2 first stage bootloader and the 2.3 sbl (perhaps the 2.3 sbl has a different entry point?). Either way, I've noticed that some people have perma-bricked their devices trying to flash back to stock using some of the odin packages. Flashing back to stock using a package that contains both the main bootloader and sbl should be fine (in theory), but I have not tried it and don't know how things will end up. If someone has, let me know and I'll ad it to the guide! Also - there isn't much of a point of going back to the old bootloaders once you have the new ones. I tried flashing 2.1 (JH2) and 2.2 (Serendipity 6.3) roms with the new bootloaders and everything works as expected. I didn't experience any problems or instability with either rom, and was able to boot into download mode and recovery with both.
edit: Apparently some people are reporting success with Odin one-click (JF6). Dunno dudes! Flash at your own risk.
edit edit: According to TRusselo, the odin one-click downloader (JF6) flashes both bootloaders, so it should be fine to use it to flash back to stock. Keep in mind that the JF6 one-click downloader does not work with certain handsets, and if yours is build# 1010 or above (you can check your build number by removing your battery, it should be printed on a label in the battery compartment), you should refer to this guide for how to flash back to stock:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=10056254&postcount=36
Also, I'm pretty sure the above guide will NOT flash new bootloaders. If for whatever reason you really really need the old bootloaders, I would suggest finding a package on samfirmware.com that flashes BOTH bootloaders.
- How to prevent perma-bricking -
Soft bricking is always going to happen. It's a minor software error that isn't a big deal, and common when we fiddle with our devices in ways the manufacturer never intended. The thing we worry about is hard bricking, which is fortunately for us, is easy to prevent!
Here are a few simple rules to help you avoid disaster:
Don't flash roms that flash bootloaders (sbl.bin)
Don't try to flash bootloaders individually.
If you have working bootloaders and can do the 3 buttom combo, don't use Odin packages that include bootloaders, they are an unnecessary risk.
Don't flash when you know your battery is low! Seriously, I see this happening all the time. We know you're excited about a new rom, but it can wait. Put your phone on the charger and let it sit there for a while until you have >50% charge.
Don't mess with your boot partition. I noticed CWM has an option to format your boot partition; I have no idea why.
- Odin guide -
You can find odin by searching the dev section. I use odin3 1.0 simply because that is what I have. I don't know if other versions are better or more stable, but it kind of doesn't matter if you aren't flashing bootloaders anyway.
There are a few videos in this thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=919816 But I'll try to explain in text anyway.
So the first thing you need to do is DOWNLOAD THE DRIVERS! Odin won't recognize your phone in download mode if you don't have the proper drivers. You can find them here:
Windows 64bit: http://www.mediafire.com/?3dh4d6up72me9re
Windows 32bit: http://www.mediafire.com/?0b45zo7o75rc5d5
The next thing you want to do is find a rom to pop in to odin. There are a few in the dev section. There are also a lot of completely stock roms at www.samfirmware.com (WARNING: most of these include bootloaders). When I need to flash back to stock, I use this one: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=751518 as it does not include bootloaders.
Open Odin and you'll notice a bunch of options. You can ignore most of them. Here is what you need to do: examine your rom package that you downloaded. If it was from samfirmware.com, just pick the files that correspond to the option name, ie if the file starts with PDA, put it in the pda slot. If it starts with CRC, put it in the CRC slot. If it's a rom you found on here, it should have come with instructions, so refer to those.
Choose a pit file. The rom should have come with a pit file, but if it didn't, you can use any pit file and it should work fine. Seriously dudes, the differences between the different pit files is negligible, there isn't any mysticism around how they work.
Unless otherwise noted, leave F. Reset Time and Auto Reboot checked. There isn't any need for repartitioning unless you are flashing back to stock from Cyanogenmod 7, in which case you NEED to select repartition.
The next thing you need to do is put your phone into download mode. Once it's in download mode and odin is set up properly, connect it to the computer. It should show up in odin under ID:COM. Once it's there, simply hit start and kick back for a while until it's done. It should reboot and you should be in Android 2.1 JH2.
*If you are using the Odin One-click downloader (JF6), the process is greatly simplified. Simply open odin, put your phone into download mode, connect it to the computer via usb, wait for odin to recognize it and hit start. Also, keep in mind that the one click downloader will flash bootloaders.
Edit: I just remembered something important. MAKE SURE YOU PLUG YOUR CABLE INTO A USB PORT THAT IS DIRECTLY CONNECTED TO THE MOTHERBOARD, OR ODIN WILL NOT RECOGNIZE IT. This usually means a usb port on the back of your computer. So, if you've installed the drivers and odin still isn't recognizing your phone, you might want to try different usb ports. If it's still not recognizing your phone, you might have a bad cable.
- Some additional ways to get into download mode or recovery -
Just thought I should point this out - you can get into both download mode and recovery through adb. You can download adb by downloading the android sdk at http://developer.android.com. It is in the 'platform-tools' folder.
To get into recovery, simply connect your phone and type 'adb devices' to make sure it is being detected. If it shows up in the list of devices, type 'adb reboot recovery'.
To get into download mode, do the above, but type 'adb reboot download' instead.
**Belatedly amending this document in lieu of old man Outler's unbrickable mod. Any place you see the word "unbrickable" in the article above, take it to mean "unbrickable (if the mod hasn't been applied)". - Jul 27 2012
Good read thanks
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA Premium App
Hmmm. About the 2.3 part and flashing back to stock.i am currently on the i9k gb and have flashed the bootloaders .and i also have flashed back to stock.no problems here. Any more info on that part?
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA Premium App
What did you use to flash back to stock?
very good read. Thank you
i used odin one click
bulletproof1013 said:
i used odin one click
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which one, jf6?
Edit: Nevermind, the only one I could find is JF6, I was under the impression that there were others. Weird! Thanks for the info, made a note of it in the article.
modest_mandroid said:
Which one, jf6?
Edit: Nevermind, the only one I could find is JF6, I was under the impression that there were others. Weird! Thanks for the info, made a note of it in the article.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great read! Good stuff too, should be very helpful!
But im currently on Darky 10.0 RC5.3. With the stock JVB bootloaders. I have not had to flash back to stock with GB but in theory wouldnt this be the best way to flash back to stock with GB Bootloaders because it contains NO BOOTLOADERS, thus the only things that would be wrong when flashing back to stock are button combos, and the weird mix and different images at the boot up?
Here is the Odin Flash back to stock from icezar1:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=995143
Can anyone else comment on flashing back to stock with GB bootloaders? Im a build 1010 so I cannot use Odin One click or it just reboots the phone after a "Successful" flash and it flashes AT&T screen then turns off. So that makes me think if I were to do that let the phone "soft"-brick where it just flashes the AT&T screen. Boot it into download mode via. Jig and use this method to get back to stock: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=10056254&postcount=36
Any help is GREATLY appreciated
Well if you flashed back to stock from 2.3 without bootloaders you would still have the gb bootloaders installed .correct?
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA Premium App
bulletproof1013 said:
Well if you flashed back to stock from 2.3 without bootloaders you would still have the gb bootloaders installed .correct?
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ya thats why Im thinking the thing I posted above about flashing back to stock without bootloaders would be the safest way possible
Idk. It works fine for me.(one click stock)
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA Premium App
great work but a couple minor edits you refer to " other odin one-click packages " (eg 3button fix) there is only ONE "odin3 one-click downloader". The other odin3 is " odin3 flashing utility " and the packages for that would not be one click packages. it is these incorrect references everywhere that are confusing to the noobs.
also in the same paragraph in red, about gingerbread bootloaders, you CAN flash other bootloader packages (eg 3button fix) BUT ONLY AFTER "Odin3 One click". (the real one click) as it repalces BOTH bootloaders and 3 button fix flashes only the 2nd bootloader, but they are still compatible so it is all good. All the other "odin packages that cause problems, only flash 2nd bootloader as well, and you cant mix a 2.3 with a 2.1/2 bootloader. So ONE CLICK FIRST then you are back to stock, test if you have working 3 button, then if not flash that, or whatever other rom with bootloader.
to be extra safe on those other odin packages, open up the tar file and look for "sbl.bin" (Secondary Boot Loader) and remove it from the odin package... before flashing. but dont do this to the 3 button fix package, it would defeat the purpose
besides that Great article!
after you edit, ill edit this.
and you might want to link to my Rogers Stock rom thread in my sig, for those odin packages and super awesome instructions AND NO BOOTLOADERS!!! (bootloader version coming though)
Dlev7 said:
But im currently on Darky 10.0 RC5.3. With the stock JVB bootloaders. I have not had to flash back to stock with GB but in theory wouldnt this be the best way to flash back to stock with GB Bootloaders because it contains NO BOOTLOADERS, thus the only things that would be wrong when flashing back to stock are button combos, and the weird mix and different images at the boot up?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
bulletproof1013 said:
Well if you flashed back to stock from 2.3 without bootloaders you would still have the gb bootloaders installed .correct?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Should work fine. I flashed the stock JVB from samfirmware.com, then flashed back to stock a few times using the JH2 firmware mentioned in the article. I didn't flash the old bootloaders and had no problems booting up 2.1 with the new 2.3 bootloaders. The only difference I saw was the i9000 bootup screen before the AT&T logo; other than that there was no problems with the functionality of the phone.
greentshirt said:
Also, why is this not a sticky?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Zelendel is busy enjoying his easter
TRusselo said:
great work but a couple minor edits you refer to " other odin one-click packages " (eg 3button fix) there is only ONE "odin3 one-click downloader". The other odin3 is " odin3 flashing utility " and the packages for that would not be one click packages. it is these incorrect references everywhere that are confusing to the noobs.
also in the same paragraph in red, about gingerbread bootloaders, you CAN flash other bootloader packages (eg 3button fix) BUT ONLY AFTER "Odin3 One click". (the real one click) as it repalces BOTH bootloaders and 3 button fix flashes only the 2nd bootloader, but they are still compatible so it is all good. All the other "odin packages that cause problems, only flash 2nd bootloader as well, and you cant mix a 2.3 with a 2.1/2 bootloader. So ONE CLICK FIRST then you are back to stock, test if you have working 3 button, then if not flash that, or whatever other rom with bootloader.
to be extra safe on those other odin packages, open up the tar file and look for "sbl.bin" (Secondary Boot Loader) and remove it from the odin package... before flashing. but dont do this to the 3 button fix package, it would defeat the purpose
besides that Great article!
after you edit, ill edit this.
and you might want to link to my Rogers Stock rom thread in my sig, for those odin packages and super awesome instructions AND NO BOOTLOADERS!!! (bootloader version coming though)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks dude! I didn't get a chance to proof read what I wrote; had to go to the parents' house for dinner tonight. I'll give it a read and edit per your suggestions in a bit, after I take the dog out for a walk.
TRusselo said:
great work but a couple minor edits you refer to " other odin one-click packages " (eg 3button fix) there is only ONE "odin3 one-click downloader". The other odin3 is " odin3 flashing utility " and the packages for that would not be one click packages. it is these incorrect references everywhere that are confusing to the noobs.
also in the same paragraph in red, about gingerbread bootloaders, you CAN flash other bootloader packages (eg 3button fix) BUT ONLY AFTER "Odin3 One click". (the real one click) as it repalces BOTH bootloaders and 3 button fix flashes only the 2nd bootloader, but they are still compatible so it is all good. All the other "odin packages that cause problems, only flash 2nd bootloader as well, and you cant mix a 2.3 with a 2.1/2 bootloader. So ONE CLICK FIRST then you are back to stock, test if you have working 3 button, then if not flash that, or whatever other rom with bootloader.
to be extra safe on those other odin packages, open up the tar file and look for "sbl.bin" (Secondary Boot Loader) and remove it from the odin package... before flashing. but dont do this to the 3 button fix package, it would defeat the purpose
besides that Great article!
after you edit, ill edit this.
and you might want to link to my Rogers Stock rom thread in my sig, for those odin packages and super awesome instructions AND NO BOOTLOADERS!!! (bootloader version coming though)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So are you saying even for someone like me who uses the One-Click and it sends my phone into a boot loop of AT&T screen then off. I should use that because it replaced the bootloaders.
Then use either button combo or my Jig to boot it into Download mode and flash the JH2 Odin via Odin3 for Build 1010+?
Dlev7 said:
So are you saying even for someone like me who uses the One-Click and it sends my phone into a boot loop of AT&T screen then off. I should use that because it replaced the bootloaders.
Then use either button combo or my Jig to boot it into Download mode and flash the JH2 Odin via Odin3 for Build 1010+?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i didnt mention bootloop so slow down, boot-loaders.
you are wondering if? you used " Odin3 One-Click-Downloader " so you should use that?... - WHAT?
you shouldnt get boot loop,
everyone, including the OP says " Odin3 one click downloader " is THE WAY to flash stock. PERIOD.
after that it should boot.
THE ONLY REASON to flash ANY other stock is IF "3 button combo" doesnt work, or to flash my rogers stock. BUT ONLY AFTER one click.
thats what i said.
if you are in bootloop. try booting into recovery and doing facotry reset, clear everything. reboot.
if it doesnt work from there, try flashing one click again.
it works.
all else fails flash back to gingerbread with bootloaders, and flash back without bootloaders, using the many instructions above.
Edit dont mind me
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA Premium App
Been itching to flash a GB rom but scared of all the brick reports. So just to make sure, http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=731989&highlight=odin+click&page=178 This is the Odin One Click we should use to flash back to stock from a GB rom is that correct? Since it has both bootloaders?
There is only ONE odin one click. if that is it, that is it.
if you really want THE ONE. get it from THE GB INSTRUCTIONS!
TRusselo said:
i didnt mention bootloop so slow down, boot-loaders.
you are wondering if? you used " Odin3 One-Click-Downloader " so you should use that?... - WHAT?
you shouldnt get boot loop,
everyone, including the OP says " Odin3 one click downloader " is THE WAY to flash stock. PERIOD.
after that it should boot.
THE ONLY REASON to flash ANY other stock is IF "3 button combo" doesnt work, or to flash my rogers stock. BUT ONLY AFTER one click.
thats what i said.
if you are in bootloop. try booting into recovery and doing facotry reset, clear everything. reboot.
if it doesnt work from there, try flashing one click again.
it works.
all else fails flash back to gingerbread with bootloaders, and flash back without bootloaders, using the many instructions above.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Odin One Click puts my build 1010 into an AT&T screen then off bootloop. I can boot it into download mode.
So that's why I used the JH2 way to flash back to stock in the method above.
You don't understand what I'm trying to say, I CANNOT USE ODIN ONE CLICK.
I may just use the JH2 method and deal with the i9000 screen flashing and different button combos
Sent from my SGH-I897 using XDA App
so you went back to gingerbread bootloaders, then flashed stock without bootloaders, keeping gingerbread ones because odin one click gave you boot-loop.
see how easy that was to say and understand?
and that method is in POST 1...
if your ability to flash is anything like your ability to explain your situation... boot-loop un-avoidable
Almost everyone uses ONE CLICK. that is not my idea! read the first post (its not me!) then read my post again.
EVERYONE suggests it if you want stock bootloaders back.
its the only way and it is KNOWN to work.
Related
I recently upgraded my captivate with the official att/samsung froyo release. So far it seems to have made my phone worse. It's slower, and freezes periodically. I was wondering if it's possible to root after the official upgrade or is this blocked. Hoping I can root and flash new kernel and get better performance. This droid world is new to me, so any assistance would be appreciated, especially if it's written for a novice.
Btw, I've done 2 master resets hoping it would help, and it didn't.
Here is how to install AT&T's official 2.2 Froyo ROM with all of the suckiness removed and a bunch of awsomeness added.
1. Download this. Rename it update.zip and copy it to sd_card, the the phone's internal memory,not the removable micro sd card.
http://www.mediafire.com/?ve234hbg64ctcu0
2. Download this, and copy it to sd_card.
http://www.designgears.com/roms/cognition/Cognitionv4.3.1.zip
3. Use this tool to flash back to 2.1 (don't master clear)
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=731989
4. Remove battery, hold vol up + vol down + power and reinsert battery. Phone will boot into recovery mode.
5. In recovery select "reinstal packages". Then reboot
6. If phone reboots back into a the same recovery, repeat 5
7. Phone should boot into a custom recovery.
8. Select install zip -> choose zip -> Cognitionv4.3.1.zip -> install
9. Reboot
cypho said:
Here is how to install AT&T's official 2.2 Froyo ROM with all of the suckiness removed and a bunch of awsomeness added.
1. Download this. Rename it update.zip and copy it to sd_card, the the phone's internal memory,not the removable micro sd card.
http://www.mediafire.com/?ve234hbg64ctcu0
2. Download this, and copy it to sd_card.
http://www.designgears.com/roms/cognition/Cognitionv4.3.1.zip
3. Use this tool to flash back to 2.1 (don't master clear)
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=731989
4. Remove battery, hold vol up + vol down + power and reinsert battery. Phone will boot into recovery mode.
5. In recovery select "reinstal packages". Then reboot
6. If phone reboots back into a the same recovery, repeat 5
7. Phone should boot into a custom recovery.
8. Select install zip -> choose zip -> Cognitionv4.3.1.zip -> install
9. Reboot
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dont you think you should have told the op that those are directions for flashing Cognition 4.3.1?? What if he doesn't want to flash a rom, just a kernel?
OP: Download Superclick v1.7. It will root your phone. From there, search Development threads for a kernel.
cypho said:
Here is how to install AT&T's official 2.2 Froyo ROM with all of the suckiness removed and a bunch of awsomeness added.
1. Download this. Rename it update.zip and copy it to sd_card, the the phone's internal memory,not the removable micro sd card.
http://www.mediafire.com/?ve234hbg64ctcu0
2. Download this, and copy it to sd_card.
http://www.designgears.com/roms/cognition/Cognitionv4.3.1.zip
3. Use this tool to flash back to 2.1 (don't master clear)
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=731989
4. Remove battery, hold vol up + vol down + power and reinsert battery. Phone will boot into recovery mode.
5. In recovery select "reinstal packages". Then reboot
6. If phone reboots back into a the same recovery, repeat 5
7. Phone should boot into a custom recovery.
8. Select install zip -> choose zip -> Cognitionv4.3.1.zip -> install
9. Reboot
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this is horrible advice for someone running 2.2. 2.2 brought 3e recovery which does not allow flashing 'update.zip' any more.
all the OP was looking for was how to root.
SuperOneClick 1.7 will take care of that in the RAGE method....
Pirateghost said:
this is horrible advice for someone running 2.2. 2.2 brought 3e recovery which does not allow flashing 'update.zip' any more.
all the OP was looking for was how to root.
SuperOneClick 1.7 will take care of that in the RAGE method....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the Rage part. Keep forgetting that, even when I use it on my phone.
So I tried superclick 1.7 and had no luck. It would say waiting for device, I'd plug in. my phone and then would say it was running, but nothing happened. Tried with debugging on and off. Any advice? Also can you direct me where to get superclick. I'm worried that the site I got it from may be malicious. Also I'm running windows 7, just in case that makes a difference.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=803682
make sure you have the drivers installed for you phone, and you have USB debugging ON....it has to be on in order for it to work
Thank you Pirateghost. Got it rooted.
Considering I know very little about all this, is there somewhere you can to direct me to get easy, step by step, directions on how to load a new rom on my phone? I got it rooted using superoneclick v1.7, loaded titanium back up and rom manager. I'm using one click lag fix, although it seems many feel that it's not good. I was thinking of going with cog4. Any suggestions? Your awesome, thanks.
Cdub3 said:
Thank you Pirateghost. Got it rooted.
Considering I know very little about all this, is there somewhere you can to direct me to get easy, step by step, directions on how to load a new rom on my phone? I got it rooted using superoneclick v1.7, loaded titanium back up and rom manager. I'm using one click lag fix, although it seems many feel that it's not good. I was thinking of going with cog4. Any suggestions? Your awesome, thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Flashing a rom is quite simple. Obviously I'm going to be biased and suggest Andromeda3 as the recommended ROM, since I put so much time into that rom. Check out the guides and tutorials found in Q&A and development
Sent from my HTC Vision
Most all of the roms here have flashing instructions on page 1 of that thread.
And back up before you start. You can never back up too much.
Sorry about my stupidity, but people keep mentioning 3e recovery being an issue for me since I have froyo. Will odin take care of this? Also does this whole process take me back to eclair or will it still be froyo. It seems the more questions and information, the more this process its intimidating me. Just don't want to ruin my phone
Cdub3 said:
Sorry about my stupidity, but people keep mentioning 3e recovery being an issue for me since I have froyo. Will odin take care of this? Also does this whole process take me back to eclair or will it still be froyo. It seems the more questions and information, the more this process its intimidating me. Just don't want to ruin my phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes odin will fix this in about 5 seconds or less!
before you start disable lagfix! this is important! but speed mod may just work be cause it has similar lagfix options available in the kernel. still wouldn't try it though.
recovery is part of the kernel. grab a kernel in .tar format. speedmod is great for this
open odin (not one click but full version) put .tar of kernel in pda slot
put phone in download mode (if 3 button is broke you may want to flash back to 2.1 with 3 button fix or another rom with 3-button fix via odin) you can access download mode via use of adb in the mean time.
plug in phone, make sure auto reboot is selected and reformat is not selected.
the left most box in odin should turn yellow. hit start. it takes about 3 seconds. phone will reboot with new kernel all data will be intact.
at that point you can enter recovery mode which will be cwm. you can root from cwm or install a rooted rom that will include another kernel.
kernel flashing doesn't effect data or settings or version number but kernel need to be same android version, eclair rom needs eclair kernel, froyo needs froyo ect. but a 2.2 rom can run 2.2.1 kernel and vice versa. same goes with 2.3 and 2.3.3 ect. also samsung tw roms need tw kernels, sense roms need sense kernels and aosp roms need aosp kernels. and of cource the kernel should be for you phone.
Speedmod is an i9000 kernel, if you want to just root and use stock froyo you will have to flash am I9000 modem.bin or there will be sound issues...
Use the 3e recovery push. Had to use on Vibrant.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
studacris said:
Speedmod is an i9000 kernel, if you want to just root and use stock froyo you will have to flash am I9000 modem.bin or there will be sound issues...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
true but you can flash a different kernel afterwards.
if the op want to read all about fixing 3e recovery with adb or other method fine. but a kernel swap is quick and easy.
Dani897 said:
true but you can flash a different kernel afterwards.
if the op want to read all about fixing 3e recovery with adb or other method fine. but a kernel swap is quick and easy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree, just informing in case he stuck with a captivate modem with that kernel and couldn't understand the issues he was having.
so i did this, and on odin it says it passed and that it was successful, but when i check my kernel, it doesn't say speedmod. it's just the same stock kernel. I don't have kies, I have kies mini. Don't know if that's the prob. I'm in the US and I didn't think you could get the full kies. My drivers said there was an error, saying the I9000 drivers didn't work. I downloaded the kernel version specific for the ATT captivate sgh-1897. I downloaded the odin version, not the cwm version because that is what the instructions on the tourist in paradise site said to do. what now? I honestly think all I need is the kernel. I'm just looking to make my phone run faster and try to get the most out of my battery.. speedmod kernel seems right up my ally. I don't think I even need to mess with a ROM. So will this not work with kies mini? any help is appreciated
Cdub3 said:
so i did this, and on odin it says it passed and that it was successful, but when i check my kernel, it doesn't say speedmod. it's just the same stock kernel. I don't have kies, I have kies mini. Don't know if that's the prob. I'm in the US and I didn't think you could get the full kies. My drivers said there was an error, saying the I9000 drivers didn't work. I downloaded the kernel version specific for the ATT captivate sgh-1897. I downloaded the odin version, not the cwm version because that is what the instructions on the tourist in paradise site said to do. what now? I honestly think all I need is the kernel. I'm just looking to make my phone run faster and try to get the most out of my battery.. speedmod kernel seems right up my ally. I don't think I even need to mess with a ROM. So will this not work with kies mini? any help is appreciated
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
speedmod might not change the kernel version in about phone, some devs do not change that.
use the 3 button combo to get into recovery mode, does it boot into cwm with green text? if it did you are running speedmod.
also when phone boots it will say sgh-i897 on a black splash screen after the att param.ifs splash screen
if you still have blue samsung 3e recovery and no black galaxy s splash screen there was a problem.
So I do get a different screen when phone fires up. It does say sgh-1897 which is different than before, I can't seen to get the 3 button recovery thing to happen though. Hope it's right, just thought my phone would be faster. Seemed faster with oneclick lag fix. Guess I'm crazy. The phone does seem louder when it fires up, which I read this kernel helps make happen. Is there another way to get to recovery to see if the 3e issue is fixed. If so is there another kernel that would be faster for me or do I need to do the ROM thing next. Also, since I didn't think this worked I tried to install oneclick lag fix again, but couldn't because there wasn't enough space.does this mean speed mod went through. I also did the speed mod flash like 3 times thinking that it wasn't working. is that as problem? Sorry for all the questions. I'm just new to all this and I don't have much computer savy either. Thanks for putting up with me.
ok so you do have speedmod.
for recovery, with phone off, press volume+volume for 2 seconds
continue to hold volume and press power, holding all three till the first splash screen pops up then release.
first decide if you want to keep speedmod, you can root in recovery and flash to a different kernel after, can also flash a new rom now.
speedmod is an i9000 port. it may not work perfect with the kb1 modem. if you flash kc1 modem it will not work with bluetooth calling. i use it as a tool to flash other roms, to root, and to flash other kernels and not deal with 3e, that is the point of me suggesting it. but giving up bluetooth calling isn't a big sacrifice to some people and many do use it like you are.
now if you want speedmod and lagfix you can do that in recovery, speedmod has a universal lagfix. disable this before flashing a voodoo kernel (or stock) if you change it later.
the lagfix has the options to set data, dbdata, or cache to ext2,ext3,ext4,ext4 non journalling, or jfs
it can also set /system to ext4
voodoo settings are /system=ext4
/cache=ext4nj
/data=ext4
/dbdata=ext4
these are the most common settings and are very successfull.
feel free to pm me with questions, rom recomendation, ect...
edit, just noticed you already have root via rageagaintthecage method via superoneclick, i always forget about that on the sgs though i have done it on an evo the hard way a while back, now we have superoneclick so it's not hard anymore. you can install a market app called sgs kernel flash and experiment with kernels that way. prolly what i'd have told you if i read the whole thread.
Okay. I have read quite a bit on this forum regarding the ROMs and CWM. I have rooted my phone and am looking to add Gummy Charge. I have never done this with a phone and the rooting process was nerve racking knowing what could be the consequences. I use this phone for work, but would like to enjoy it while I have it.
As I said, I have read quite a bit, but am still confused. I have a few questions:
1) Define flash.
2) I have dowloaded the following files:
- GummyCharged_FE_1.9.1_FullOdin.tar.md5.7z
- 0817_charge_recovery.tar.md5
- Voodoo-stable-5.5-Froyo-GT-I9000-odin-pda.tar
Are these the files I need for this process?
3) What order to add these to the phone through Odin?
4) Once these are added, do I start up after each install?
I think this will cover it for now.
I appreciate everyone's time and hope this is not a repeat series of questions. I really appreciate all developers and the time they have spent putting all this together for our benefit.
Scott
K so forget the i9000 file all together. Actually just delete it before you really screw something up.
Flashing is the act of overwriting system partitions with alternate firmware. Thats my best shot at a clear def.
On to the rest. Be sure youve got odin set up properly drivers and all.
Now all youve got to do is flash the gc1.9 odin package. Let boot. Go back to download mode then flash recovery in odin and let the phone boot.
Ps you may not need to flash the recovery in odin but i can't remember if that gc package includes one do you might as well just do it....
Also I believe that package includes a voodoo kernel so it could take quite a while to boot up the first time..
Happy flashing my friend!
Sent from my Gummy Charged GBE 2.0 using XDA App
Thank you for your quick response.
I'm assuming I have all the drivers for Odin since I used it for the rooting process.
If there is something I may be overlooking please let me know.
You mention:
Now all youve got to do is flash the gc1.9 odin package. Let boot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is this what I use Odin for or is Odin only used to "place" the file in the phone? Are there steps that I need to do to "flash" the phone or do I just boot up and I'm now running Gummy Charge.
TacticalMonk said:
Thank you for your quick response.
I'm assuming I have all the drivers for Odin since I used it for the rooting process.
If there is something I may be overlooking please let me know.
You mention:
Is this what I use Odin for or is Odin only used to "place" the file in the phone? Are there steps that I need to do to "flash" the phone or do I just boot up and I'm now running Gummy Charge.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
all you need to do is get the phone into download mode and connect it with Odin open on your pc, press PDA (NOT PHONE) and browse for the Gummy odin package ending in .tar.md5, place the battery back in and press start then let Odin flash the rom to your phone... when its finished unplug your phone and remove battery, then put it back in and boot the phone up (first bootup may take a while so bear with it) then enjoy your rooted and custom rom'd phone... using ClockWorkMod that installs with the rom you can then flash anything you want in the future like newer kernels or different roms
blazing through on my 4G Droid Charge
This thread is really intended for developers, specifically those working on kernel development. Warnings included to dissuade usage in case of tl;dnr.
In the course of modifying the Bali SK4G kernel, I have soft bricked my phone several times. Always a fun moment, seeing the Samsung logo disappear and reappear again.
At first I used Heimdall to restore the entire phone back to stock, using ayoteddy's excellent ODIN howto and files, along with AdamOutler's Heimdall one-click thread.
But it's laborious to go that route. After restoring stock, I would have to re-root, re-flash CWM, re-flash the custom ROM. Then I could try to flash my kernel package again.
However, I found that using sk4g.pit and my most recent known-good zImage, I could recover quickly from a bad kernel flash. That made it a lot faster to assemble a working kernel.
This post is essentially a remix of knowledge from ayoteddy, AdamOutler, and possibly others. If you feel your work is represented here without proper credit, please let me know and I will do my best to correct the situation.
WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING
Following these instructions, you could soft brick your phone. Or you could hard brick your phone. Or some other bad thing could happen. Nobody but you is responsible if you attempt this. I hope it can be helpful, but flashing is risky. Be clear about the risk.
Please read at least the OP in these threads before you try this:
ayoteddy - [ROM][ODIN] Stock ODEXED T839UVKD1 (Sidekick 4G) Firmware [6/12/11] - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1088413
AdamOutler - [UVKG2][Heimdall One-Click] Total Stock - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1350060
Benjamin Dobell - [PROGRAM] Heimdall - Open-Source Cross-Platform Flashing Suite (1.3.2 Now Available) - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=755265
Please do not try this if the loss of use of your phone, perhaps requiring UART or JTAG access, or the Unbrickable mod, is not a risk you are wiling to take. It worked for the soft brick situations I have recently encountered, but it might not work for your phone or situation. It could make things worse.
WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING
These instructions assume that you already have Heimdall Suite installed (from http://www.glassechidna.com.au), and that you are familar with its basic operation.
Not every kernel will work with every ROM, and flashing a bad combination could easily make things much worse. Really, the safest option is the known-working zImage you had installed immediately before your bad kernel flash.
Extract a known-working zImage from a kernel or ROM .zip of your choice.
Fire up heimdall-frontend. Don't change anything on the Load Package tab. Switch to the Flash tab.
Click Browse in the PIT section, and select sk4g.pit from AdamOutler's UVKG2 Heimdall total stock thread. This configures Heimdall for the Sidekick's partition table layout. Leave Repartition and No Reboot both unticked.
Click Add under the Partitions (Files) section.
Under the Partition Details section, change Partition Name to KERNEL. It is critical that you set the Partition Name properly. Under the File sub-section, click Browse. Choose your known good zImage.
Review all the above to check for mistakes. If you proceed and any settings are wrong, say hello to hard brick. Ask yourself again whether you're prepared to risk it. If the answer is still "yes", then proceed to the next step.
If your phone isn't already connected and in download mode, connect it and put it in download mode. See the "FOOL PROOF WAY TO GET INTO DOWNLOAD MODE" section of ayoteddy's Stock ODEXED T839UVKD1 post.
Still ready for the risk? Click the Start button.
Your phone will now hopefully now accept the download, reboot, and boot up to its last known-good state.
I also used this technique to upload untested development kernels, and it worked -- it never bricked my phone any worse than a bad .zip flash, and I was always able to recover using the same technique. I'm not recommending anyone use this to flash development kernels, but it sure does speed up the process! It's a lot quicker than packing up a ZIP, pushing it to the phone, rebooting into recovery, and applying it there. Once I got the kernel in good shape, then I started working on the ZIP.
Thanks.
Hello Canadian users with SGH-T959W!
I spent some time the last few days comparing the kernel source for SGH-T959W and SGH-T959V, and found they are exactly the same (plus a few fixes for us on SGH-T959V from the SGH-T959W source!)!
This is good for you, because we have unofficial cm7, cm9, aokp, et alii... ports for the SGH-T959V.
Maybe a forum admin could update the Samsung Galaxy S 4G forum to also say: SGH-T959V & SGH-T959W
Technically, the only real difference is that the stock roms for the SGH-T959W will have different pre-installed software. The hardware of the SGH-T959W is the same as the SGH-T959V.
Enjoy!
Read this stuff to continue:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=28566711#post28566711
BTW, if anyone has an odin or kies tarball, please PM me!
This way I can verify if the bootloaders are different or not, and if they are different, I can make you guys custom Heimdall OneClick and Odin packages.
bhundven said:
I spent some time the last few days comparing the kernel source for SGH-T959W and SGH-T959V, and found they are exactly the same (plus a few fixes for us on SGH-T959V from the SGH-T959W source!)!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry to bump this thread, but out of curiosity, what were the fixes you were able to implement after seeing the kernel source for the 959W?
If it's something you'd rather not explain and will just be rolling out in future kernels, no big deal; just curious.
Thanks.
fingolfin14 said:
Sorry to bump this thread, but out of curiosity, what were the fixes you were able to implement after seeing the kernel source for the 959W?
If it's something you'd rather not explain and will just be rolling out in future kernels, no big deal; just curious.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The hardware is exactly the same. There is still a problem with the OTA Assert, meaning, how the rom knows if it is able to install on the phone or not during install from cwm. Also how it identifies itself to the play store.
I'm fixing this in the next cm9 unofficial release (coming soon, eta... a few hours, maybe).
The only real difference between SGH-T959V and SGH-T959W is the pre-installed/bundled software on the phone.
Everything else is one-to-one.
I'm still paranoid about bootloaders. So I'm still waiting for someone to post Kies or leaked tar.md5 for the SGH-T959W so that I can diff the bootloaders. If they are different, I will create new Heimdall OneClicks for SGH-T959W so that it is simple for you to go back to stock. See my current Heimdall OneClick thread to get an idea of what I mean.
On the other hand, we have some issues with our SGH-T959V bootloaders, and I have Unbrickable Mod on my phone. So, if the bootloaders are different, I would like to try flashing the SGH-T959W bootloaders to see if they work any better.
Also, there are a few fixes in the SGH-T959W kernel source that I will be incorporating into the current unofficial CM7 and CM9 ports I work on. Not having these fixes shouldn't have any negative impact on SGH-T959W.
I hope this info is informative. If not, ask more!
I have a SGH-T959W which seemed to have a bad flash already (from before.. and I am trying to revive it) on it (seems stuck on the cwm screen, and the system partition doesn't seem to have all the data that it needs to). Is there any way of getting the original ROM for this phone? Even if I install a cm build for the T959V, I don't get errors but its stuck in a cwm loop (keeps coming back to cwm).
When I try any of the one-clicks for the T959V, it succeeds on the kernel upload but always fails on the modem upload.
Where would you look for the Kies tar for this phone? Any possible way of getting the original ROM from a brand new phone? (any instructions for these would be great)
bhundven said:
The hardware is exactly the same. There is still a problem with the OTA Assert, meaning, how the rom knows if it is able to install on the phone or not during install from cwm. Also how it identifies itself to the play store.
I'm fixing this in the next cm9 unofficial release (coming soon, eta... a few hours, maybe).
The only real difference between SGH-T959V and SGH-T959W is the pre-installed/bundled software on the phone.
Everything else is one-to-one.
I'm still paranoid about bootloaders. So I'm still waiting for someone to post Kies or leaked tar.md5 for the SGH-T959W so that I can diff the bootloaders. If they are different, I will create new Heimdall OneClicks for SGH-T959W so that it is simple for you to go back to stock. See my current Heimdall OneClick thread to get an idea of what I mean.
On the other hand, we have some issues with our SGH-T959V bootloaders, and I have Unbrickable Mod on my phone. So, if the bootloaders are different, I would like to try flashing the SGH-T959W bootloaders to see if they work any better.
Also, there are a few fixes in the SGH-T959W kernel source that I will be incorporating into the current unofficial CM7 and CM9 ports I work on. Not having these fixes shouldn't have any negative impact on SGH-T959W.
I hope this info is informative. If not, ask more!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
phaedrus81 said:
I have a SGH-T959W which seemed to have a bad flash already (from before.. and I am trying to revive it) on it (seems stuck on the cwm screen, and the system partition doesn't seem to have all the data that it needs to). Is there any way of getting the original ROM for this phone? Even if I install a cm build for the T959V, I don't get errors but its stuck in a cwm loop (keeps coming back to cwm).
When I try any of the one-clicks for the T959V, it succeeds on the kernel upload but always fails on the modem upload.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is annoying, sorry you are going through this. It sounds like something dorked your param.lfs.
I've had this happen to me, and it always appends 'bootmode=2' to the kernel command line. Only way to fix it is to flash a new param.lfs from the stock image...
phaedrus81 said:
Where would you look for the Kies tar for this phone? Any possible way of getting the original ROM from a brand new phone? (any instructions for these would be great)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
...which brings me to this part. Someone told me that they have this image, but when I asked them to post it somewhere, I got no response.
Bug Wind and Samsung for a kies mini or a stock image that you can flash to the phone. Samsung is probably not going to be as helpful as Wind, so I'd try bugging the crap out of Wind.
Hopefully someone will get me the tar.md5 soon, and we can get you guys a one-click with bootloaders (which includes the param.lfs).
If you feel bold/brave, you can try flashing the bootloaders from my Stock oneclick in my signature.
Since it should be the same hardware it should work the same. Granted after flashing your phone will now be a SGH-T959V and not an SGH-T959W.
I hold no guarantee that it will work, and/or that it won't try to shoot you at your favorite new 3d film. <.< ... >.>
Thanks for the info about what might be causing the cwm loop issue
I think I will the one-click with bootloaders a try (will update this thread with the results). At this point I think I have exhausted all other options to revive the device.
bhundven said:
This is annoying, sorry you are going through this. It sounds like something dorked your param.lfs.
I've had this happen to me, and it always appends 'bootmode=2' to the kernel command line. Only way to fix it is to flash a new param.lfs from the stock image...
...which brings me to this part. Someone told me that they have this image, but when I asked them to post it somewhere, I got no response.
Bug Wind and Samsung for a kies mini or a stock image that you can flash to the phone. Samsung is probably not going to be as helpful as Wind, so I'd try bugging the crap out of Wind.
Hopefully someone will get me the tar.md5 soon, and we can get you guys a one-click with bootloaders (which includes the param.lfs).
If you feel bold/brave, you can try flashing the bootloaders from my Stock oneclick in my signature.
Since it should be the same hardware it should work the same. Granted after flashing your phone will now be a SGH-T959V and not an SGH-T959W.
I hold no guarantee that it will work, and/or that it won't try to shoot you at your favorite new 3d film. <.< ... >.>
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
phaedrus81 said:
Thanks for the info about what might be causing the cwm loop issue
I think I will the one-click with bootloaders a try (will update this thread with the results). At this point I think I have exhausted all other options to revive the device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Also, just to make sure you have tried different cables and computers.
Not being able to flash the modem sounds like a cable/computer issue.
If you have that issue while flashing bootloaders, you could hard-brick your phone.
The first time you flash with the oneclick, it will not flash bootloaders. The second time, the option to flash bootloaders opens up, but you still have to enable it.
Don't forget to read all the documentation in my thread before doing anything.
If you have any questions, ask before you do.
The Root Doesn't work. I follow the step and it damaged my phone! T959W
bhundven said:
Hello Canadian users with SGH-T959W!
I spent some time the last few days comparing the kernel source for SGH-T959W and SGH-T959V, and found they are exactly the same (plus a few fixes for us on SGH-T959V from the SGH-T959W source!)!
This is good for you, because we have unofficial cm7, cm9, aokp, et alii... ports for the SGH-T959V.
Maybe a forum admin could update the Samsung Galaxy S 4G forum to also say: SGH-T959V & SGH-T959W
Technically, the only real difference is that the stock roms for the SGH-T959W will have different pre-installed software. The hardware of the SGH-T959W is the same as the SGH-T959V.
Enjoy!
Read this stuff to continue:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=28566711#post28566711
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I try your root process for my T959W now My phone Can't turn on . It turn on and off with the glaxy S 4G logo and T-Mobile . HELP PLS i tried to unroot It does work and It . PLS HELPPPP!!!!!
GMK63 said:
I try your root process for my T959W now My phone Can't turn on . It turn on and off with the glaxy S 4G logo and T-Mobile . HELP PLS i tried to unroot It does work and It . PLS HELPPPP!!!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please be more specific as to which 'process' you followed and what you did.
Sorry I've been delayed in responding!
Again, if you can be more specific as to exactly what you did, I will be better prepared to help you.
It does look like it could be a cable/computer issue. I tried different cables and some of them didn't get as far as the modem (failed the kernel upload as well). Haven't got a cable which succeeds in the modem flash yet.
All of the driver stuff on windows makes me nervous though. Is there any way to flash this on linux. Does the one-click package work with fastboot or can fastboot be used to flash the individual pieces?
bhundven said:
Also, just to make sure you have tried different cables and computers.
Not being able to flash the modem sounds like a cable/computer issue.
If you have that issue while flashing bootloaders, you could hard-brick your phone.
The first time you flash with the oneclick, it will not flash bootloaders. The second time, the option to flash bootloaders opens up, but you still have to enable it.
Don't forget to read all the documentation in my thread before doing anything.
If you have any questions, ask before you do.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
phaedrus81 said:
It does look like it could be a cable/computer issue. I tried different cables and some of them didn't get as far as the modem (failed the kernel upload as well). Haven't got a cable which succeeds in the modem flash yet.
All of the driver stuff on windows makes me nervous though. Is there any way to flash this on linux. Does the one-click package work with fastboot or can fastboot be used to flash the individual pieces?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
These phones do not have fastboot, but they have download mode.
Yes, you can do this from: Windows, Linux, or Mac OS X
If you still have problems with multiple cables, I highly recommend trying a different computer. I've had this problem myself before. It drove me nuts until I got a friends laptop and everything worked perfectly. My laptop's usb ports had gone bad for some unexplainable reason.
Check out the wiki pages we have written:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/wiki/Samsung_Galaxy_S/SGH-T959V
Steps I followed
managed to get my Wind SGH-T959W rooted and up and running with a unofficial CM9 build, but it took a bit of work.
Firstly, I tried just about every one-click solution out there, to no avail. It's possible SOC 1.7 with rattlethecage works, but I didn't have the patience to find out whether I simply had to wait a bit longer.
I followed this guide(whilst clenching every clenchable muscle I could consciously control):
http://www.galaxyforums.net/forum/of...ngerbread.html
The gist is, Odin 1.7, stock+voodoo for T959V, plus some update that I'm not qualified to describe. That should get you rooted and if that's all you're looking for, you'll have to suffer through a little T-Mobile branding on startup.
Once you got it all rooted, you'd think it'd be a good idea to toss sgs-ics on there, right? Well, no. After installing the 4G variant, it promptly set off into a boot loop which I'm again, unqualified to diagnose. The obvious solution was to try another team's version of ICS, which I indeed found here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=1730954
Barring some missing features, it sounds like a good alternative to sgs-ics. Though I had to go through one additional step, which I really, honestly assure you I was under-qualified to execute. When I tried to load Team Acid's CM9 r3 it gave me an assert on the updater-script, since the hardware didn't match up. Easy. Unzip the package, open up META-INF/com/google/android/updater-script, remove the first check. You know it's the same hardware, you don't need some stinkin' script to tell you it won't work.
So all said and done, I now have a Wind Mobile SGH-T959W running ICS 4.0.4 courtesy of bhundven, the Odin folks, Team Acid, and likely a slew of other contributors.
Thanks folks, and enjoy!
PS, if you want that tarball bhundven, send me a PM with some brief instructions, and hopefully you can help my fellow Winders.
.......(---------THAT WHAT I FOLLOWED .
But I did the first part and They said i should get the stuff I store on my SD Card to pull out a file (``12) In CWM, use your volume up/down positions to navigate, scroll down to "Install Zip From SDcard". Select with a click of the power button. Navigate to where you put sms-T959V-KJ6-v0.1.1-rc1-unsigned-update.zip (in the root of your SDcard) and select with the power button. Confirm you want to install.
``)
but it doesn't give me the option to go get it on my SDcard and Now my Phone just turns on and off with the samsung galaxy S logo plus T-mobile exclusive logo . The only possitive thing about all the damage is that I can still put my phone on dowload mode and I just think if someone knows how to get my phone back to it state they will need me to put it on download mode. :crying:
:fingers-crossed::fingers-crossed::fingers-crossed::fingers-crossed::fingers-crossed:
Thank you in advance for your Help, for replying and offering to help.:highfive:
I appriciate it. My phone is Mobillicity carrier just like wind .
GMK63 said:
.......(---------THAT WHAT I FOLLOWED .
But I did the first part and They said i should get the stuff I store on my SD Card to pull out a file (``12) In CWM, use your volume up/down positions to navigate, scroll down to "Install Zip From SDcard". Select with a click of the power button. Navigate to where you put sms-T959V-KJ6-v0.1.1-rc1-unsigned-update.zip (in the root of your SDcard) and select with the power button. Confirm you want to install.
``)
but it doesn't give me the option to go get it on my SDcard and Now my Phone just turns on and off with the samsung galaxy S logo plus T-mobile exclusive logo . The only possitive thing about all the damage is that I can still put my phone on dowload mode and I just think if someone knows how to get my phone back to it state they will need me to put it on download mode. :crying:
:fingers-crossed::fingers-crossed::fingers-crossed::fingers-crossed::fingers-crossed:
Thank you in advance for your Help, for replying and offering to help.:highfive:
I appriciate it. My phone is Mobillicity carrier just like wind .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, this is really simple. I've explained it in quite a few threads in the Galaxy S 4G forums in General, Q&A, and the Dev forum. I'm going to explain this, but in a way to be more general. So I'm being verbose in case anyone else with a T959W happens to run across this and has not tried anything yet.
Again, I'm not good with windows at all, and I prefer it that way.
If you're on windows, check out our wiki:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/wiki/Samsung_Galaxy_S/SGH-T959V
There is tons of help there for setting up heimdall on windows with all the right drivers and such.
Once you have heimdall setup get AntonX's latest cwm zip for his kernel.
This kernel is a BML kernel, and this guide I am giving you right now will help you get cm9 installed which is an MTD kernel. You can find out more about BML vs. MTD here.
Once you have downloaded AntonX's kernel, extract the zImage from it and open up the terminal/cmd prompt and navigate to the directory you extracted the zImage to.
Put your phone into Download Mode and type the following in the command prompt:
Code:
heimdall flash --kernel zImage
The heimdall program will flash this kernel+initramfs to the kernel partition and reboot the phone. Do not unplug the usb cable until you see the "Galaxy S" screen. When you see that screen, unplug the usb cable and remove the battery from the back.
Assuming you downloaded CM9 and put it on your sdcard already, you can get into recovery by holding the vol+ and vol-, then pressing the power button to turn the phone on. When you see the "Galaxy S" screen, let go of the buttons, and you should be in the recovery now.
This is where things get a little tricky. If you have not tried to do anything to your phone yet. This would be a great time to use the "Backup and Recovery" menu on CWM. Do a full backup.
The "assert 7" error that the previous person got was because the cwm install script (the updater-script) checks the already installed /system/build.prop's data against the "to be installed" build.prop to verify this rom can be installed. If it doesn't exist, then it moves forward.
So the first order of business is to wipe the /system partition. Go to "Mounts and Storage" and format the system partition.
Now go back to the main screen and do "Factory Reset/Wipe Data".
Now go "Install zip from sdcard" -> "choose zip from sdcard" -> and use the volume keys to select the zip file.
After the rom is installed, navigate back to the main screen and "Reboot the system now" if it doesn't reboot by itself.
When the phone reboots, because it is going from BML to MTD, it obviously can't just install the files to what would be an MTD partition if the kernel knows nothing about MTD. So it boots into the newly installed MTD kernel and continues the installation, which in the end will also reboot again.
The first boot is very slow. It is building a cache of all the pre-installed system applications. Let it sit for a while. I know it's tempting to go play with your phone right away, but resist if you can.
The next CM9 release will be on a different kernel, and albeit a much better rom.
I will also be adding OTA Asserts for SGH-T959W so that you will not have to wipe /system before installing the rom, but I do that still just for good measure. But this also means that your phone will work properly with the google play store.
If this still does not work, please let me know what went wrong and I will be happy to assist!
-Bryan
Confused
bhundven said:
Ok, this is really simple. I've explained it in quite a few threads in the Galaxy S 4G forums in General, Q&A, and the Dev forum. I'm going to explain this, but in a way to be more general. So I'm being verbose in case anyone else with a T959W happens to run across this and has not tried anything yet.
Again, I'm not good with windows at all, and I prefer it that way.
If you're on windows, check out our wiki:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/wiki/Samsung_Galaxy_S/SGH-T959V
There is tons of help there for setting up heimdall on windows with all the right drivers and such.
Once you have heimdall setup get AntonX's latest cwm zip for his kernel.
This kernel is a BML kernel, and this guide I am giving you right now will help you get cm9 installed which is an MTD kernel. You can find out more about BML vs. MTD here.
Once you have downloaded AntonX's kernel, extract the zImage from it and open up the terminal/cmd prompt and navigate to the directory you extracted the zImage to.
Put your phone into Download Mode and type the following in the command prompt:
Code:
heimdall flash --kernel zImage
The heimdall program will flash this kernel+initramfs to the kernel partition and reboot the phone. Do not unplug the usb cable until you see the "Galaxy S" screen. When you see that screen, unplug the usb cable and remove the battery from the back.
Assuming you downloaded CM9 and put it on your sdcard already, you can get into recovery by holding the vol+ and vol-, then pressing the power button to turn the phone on. When you see the "Galaxy S" screen, let go of the buttons, and you should be in the recovery now.
This is where things get a little tricky. If you have not tried to do anything to your phone yet. This would be a great time to use the "Backup and Recovery" menu on CWM. Do a full backup.
The "assert 7" error that the previous person got was because the cwm install script (the updater-script) checks the already installed /system/build.prop's data against the "to be installed" build.prop to verify this rom can be installed. If it doesn't exist, then it moves forward.
So the first order of business is to wipe the /system partition. Go to "Mounts and Storage" and format the system partition.
Now go back to the main screen and do "Factory Reset/Wipe Data".
Now go "Install zip from sdcard" -> "choose zip from sdcard" -> and use the volume keys to select the zip file.
After the rom is installed, navigate back to the main screen and "Reboot the system now" if it doesn't reboot by itself.
When the phone reboots, because it is going from BML to MTD, it obviously can't just install the files to what would be an MTD partition if the kernel knows nothing about MTD. So it boots into the newly installed MTD kernel and continues the installation, which in the end will also reboot again.
The first boot is very slow. It is building a cache of all the pre-installed system applications. Let it sit for a while. I know it's tempting to go play with your phone right away, but resist if you can.
The next CM9 release will be on a different kernel, and albeit a much better rom.
I will also be adding OTA Asserts for SGH-T959W so that you will not have to wipe /system before installing the rom, but I do that still just for good measure. But this also means that your phone will work properly with the google play store.
If this still does not work, please let me know what went wrong and I will be happy to assist!
-Bryan
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have Window 7 and I went on wiki. I don't know what rom or what I am suppose to download to get heimdall . Plus the steps is not for T959W.
GMK63 said:
I have Window 7 and I went on wiki. I don't know what rom or what I am suppose to download to get heimdall . Plus the steps is not for T959W.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
:facepalm:
Then send your phone back to Mobillicity. Tell them that you don't know what a smart phone is and did something stupid to it. Go get yourself a nice clamshell phone.
I gave you explicit instructions that work for SGH-T959V and SGH-T959W. As a matter of fact, these instructions work on any "Galaxy S" phone, but you shouldn't flash just any other phone's rom to any other phone.
It just so happens that the SGH-T959V and SGH-T959W are the same exact hardware, just pre-packaged with different software and sold in different regions.
THEY ARE THE SAME PHONE!
With that, I am done with this thread. It was not meant for support! It was merely an announcement.
If you need any more help, please check out the Galaxy S 4G forums.
You can find plenty of directions that will work on either SGH-T959V or SGH-T959W on the wiki.
If you are looking for general information, look at the General forum.
If you need help or are asking a question, look at the Q&A (Questions and Answers) forum.
If you are looking to provide constructive feedback and/or logs to help development of ROMs and Kernels, check out the Developer forum. (Note, do not ask questions in the developer forum).
Don't forget the XDA Forum Rules
Okay so, I love my Infuse but getting really tired of not being able to download anything off the play store. Just tired of it's rather less than great performance right now as well. It's is running 2.3.6 GB and want to get this thing up to ICS if possible. Just something running 4.0 so I can use my phone for what I need too. It is not rooted, no cyanogenMod, NOTHING. As the title says, I'm a full on noob here and I apologize if all this is covered in other threads, however I have just gotten to the point where I have found myself even more lost than where I started on what I needed to do/get. If someone can, I will literally need this spelled out to me (no pun intended), in order of the steps I need to take with everything. I'm getting tired of confusing myself even more from all the different stuff I have seen all over the place and I know without some serious guidance, I will just brick my phone. Thanks for any help! :laugh:
I understand this community can be a bit unorganized and confusing so I'll give you my process for rooting and installing custom firmware (there are other ways, but this works for my AT&T Infuse 4G SGH-i997).
First of all, no one uses ICS on the Infuse. There is a ROM, but it's underdeveloped because JB came out so quick. You will need to flash it to get to higher operating systems, but it is by no means a daily driver. Even JB is a little buggy compared to KitKat on the Infuse these days.
The first thing you want to do is root your phone and get a custom recovery.
There are more than a few options for rooting, but I prefer using ODIN (as I understand it, this is the tool Samsung uses to restore soft bricked phones). So this is a good thing to know how to do, in case you ever do soft brick your phone, you'll know exactly what to do.
Read the ODIN instructions in full as I will only briefly explain.
You're going to have to install Samsung drivers.
You'll be using UCLB3_Unbrick_root_1.1.zip. If you used UCLB3_Unbrick_1.1.zip it would just get you back to stock GB with no root added.
To put your phone into download mode, first turn off your phone. Plug a usb cable into your computer. Then with the phone off, hold down both volume buttons and plug the usb cable into your phone. A warning will come up and you push volume up to accept, realizing that you can easily soft brick your phone if you loose power or unplug during a download.
Once downloading is done, the phone will reboot and you'll be disappointed to see that nothing has changed. Except one small thing, you are now rooted and you should have an application called SuperUser that will allow you to do nifty and also dangerous things.
Now follow this step in the ODIN instructions to add the custom recovery (CWM = Clock Work Mod):
The version with root works exactly like the above version, but adds root. To add CWM recovery to the rooted version, download a custom Gingerbread kernel from HERE or HERE and flash the zImage using SGS Kernel Flasher (found in the Play Store) on the phone. If you go this route for root and CWM, your Custom Binary Download counter will not show any custom binary activity.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you follow the link in the second "HERE," you'll get the kernel I prefer since it was most recently updated. Scroll down the downloads section and grab "2013.04.30-CWM-Synthesis-1.2Ghz.zip." (1.2Ghz is stock for our processor, anything higher will be overclocked which I don't recommend).
Extract that and grab the zImage file in the update folder. You're going to copy this to your phone in a second.
But first you need SGS Kernal Flasher, you can get it off the playstore, but I despise having to log in to an OS I'm going to write over in less than a minute so I download the APK from here. Hopefully you know how to install APKs from your SD card and that you'll have to check install from unknown sources.
Now flash the zImage using SGS Kernel Flasher. Your phone will reboot and hang on the Samsung logo and a creepy voice is going to tell you about how she's partitioning your phone and installing Voodoo lag fix. This is normal. Eventually your phone will reboot back into GB and you'll be ready to flash any ROM of your choice by rebooting into recovery.
You reboot into recovery by holding the volume up and volume down button while powering on the phone. This is different than download mode and will take you do a new screen that you control with the volume keys.
You'll be using this to put new software on your phone.
Now you can bassically follow the instructions for getting to CyanogenMod 11 (Kit Kat) from GB.
The first bullet is what I just explained in detail.
Note that I didn't include the links in these instructions, just follow the link above to get to the original post.
Obtain CWM, this can be done using Jscotts Odin back to stock (Follow instructions and use SGS kernal flasher to obtain CWM)
Run Qksters IMEI backup script here
Make certain you are on ICS, this can be done by flashing Entropy's CM9
It is recommended now that you remove your SD Card
CWM: Wipe Cache / Factory Reset
Install ROM: Scroll down for downloads sectoion
... The package will start to install..
... Phone will reboot into the install screen again...
... Continue to install [Automatically] If not manually flash again
... Phone will reboot again and be at the recovery screen...
Install Gapps: Here - Working swipe!
CWM: Wipe Cache Partition
CWM: Advanced/Wipe Dalvik Cache
Reboot
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To be clear, when you flash a ROM, it won't be like flashing the zImage (that was just to get custom recovery). To flash the CM9 ROM or Qksters IMEI backup script for example, you leave the rom in the .zip file and simply put it on your SD card. Once in the recovery screen, you select "Install Update from ZIP" and navigate to the particular ROM you wish to install.
Also after updating to a higher version of Android, your phone will sometimes hang on the install screen for a long time. If it does for more than five minutes, it's safe to pull the battery and try flashing again (and sometimes necessary).
After flashing Entropy's CM9, you will be on ICS, you can use if you want but I don't advise it. You should continue with the instructions and update to KitKat after getting to ICS. I recommend Scott's CM11 (what I linked you to) or Scott's BeanStalk (find it in the Android Development Section).
Lately I've been using CyanFox and I have to say, it's the most stable ROM I've used in a while.
If you have any questions about this, feel free to ask.
Best of luck and happy flashing,
~bokonon9
Thank you muchness!
Thank you very much for helping me in this mess! I greatly appreciate it. I love my Infuse and do not want to get rid of it quite yet so hopefully this will help! Once I get a new usb cord I will get on this. My toddler decided to get a hold of it and it has to set a certain way now and can't be moved. This, is no bueno! Anyways, THANKS AGAIN!!! :laugh:
Goodluck! :laugh: :good:
I'm new in the android world and I'm using a nexus 7 and an infuse to make experiments just to learn.
bokonon9, thank you! You're guide has been precious to me.
Unfortunately I only succeeded installing ICS, infact I get till here:
After flashing Entropy's CM9, you will be on ICS, you can use if you want but I don't advise it. You should continue with the instructions and update to KitKat after getting to ICS. I recommend Scott's CM11 (what I linked you to) or Scott's BeanStalk (find it in the Android Development Section).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried to install CM11 and even CM10 at least half a dozen times each, following step by step the instructions that I've found on the thread but all the times I have the same issue:
after the zip rom update and the reboot, the bootloader keeps launching the CWM recovery. I see the logo, the progress bar and then I land in recovery
I don't get any kind of error (and I don't know where to look for to get more information than what's shown on the screen) and I'm just stuck in the recovery and I have to start from scratch every time using Odin all the way down.
I'm not interested in Gapps so, at the beginning I tried without installing them but then I tried also using the appropriate gapps as indicated in the procedure. Either way I didn't get any solution to my problem.
Do you have an idea? Is there a way for me to provide more information or debug?
Thank you!
wwr said:
I'm new in the android world and I'm using a nexus 7 and an infuse to make experiments just to learn.
bokonon9, thank you! You're guide has been precious to me.
Unfortunately I only succeeded installing ICS, infact I get till here:
I tried to install CM11 and even CM10 at least half a dozen times each, following step by step the instructions that I've found on the thread but all the times I have the same issue:
after the zip rom update and the reboot, the bootloader keeps launching the CWM recovery. I see the logo, the progress bar and then I land in recovery
I don't get any kind of error (and I don't know where to look for to get more information than what's shown on the screen) and I'm just stuck in the recovery and I have to start from scratch every time using Odin all the way down.
I'm not interested in Gapps so, at the beginning I tried without installing them but then I tried also using the appropriate gapps as indicated in the procedure. Either way I didn't get any solution to my problem.
Do you have an idea? Is there a way for me to provide more information or debug?
Thank you!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i would say go back to stock gb with odin and basically start over but with ics i always let it reboot to get a "feel" for it then i reboot to recovery and wipe basically everything then flash the next level of android which should be cm 10 then i let that boot then repeat that to get to kitkat 4.4.3 CarbonRom....sometimes you have to flash the same rom twice to get it to flash tho
I already tried all that and I can't figure out a way out ... I'm really banging my head against the wall
wwr said:
I already tried all that and I can't figure out a way out ... I'm really banging my head against the wall
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2091900&page=370
read the last post on that page by scmfxt