Any advice for an Android beginner? - Captivate General

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.

Related

Flashing w/o the use of a PC

Is it possible with the Epic? My MicroUSB port is broken and I don't know how to flash the phone back to stock (removing root, restoring stock apps) and I've got limited time to do this before I can take the phone back to the Sprint store for replacement. I'm searching feverantly, but everything takes me to flashing using Odin, via USB to PC, etc. I just need to know if I can get a DG27 (that's what I'm still running) update.zip file put onto my SD card and let the phone flash itself via the stock recovery console. Can it be done?
http://forum.sdx-developers.com/and...-back-to-stock-without-usb/msg94685/#msg94685
Found this, but it's for the Moment and I'm running an Epic.
I have returned my phones to stock as well when dealing with warranty/insurance, but does it matter if you are having a hardware issue like that? Would they consider it a breach of contract or something?
Of course, if my phone sustained minimal damage and I needed to replace it, there's always totally breaking it...
AndrewZorn said:
I have returned my phones to stock as well when dealing with warranty/insurance, but does it matter if you are having a hardware issue like that? Would they consider it a breach of contract or something?
Of course, if my phone sustained minimal damage and I needed to replace it, there's always totally breaking it...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately, it sounds like you're sol... you could remove all the root stuff like superuser.apk, but you'd still have the recovery to deal with
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
Replacement
You should call your local rep and ask about the terms of exchange. I had a moment and exchanged for the epic and my rep said that software didn't matter. Basically, if it still looks new, they should take it. This is for the 30 day exchange. Are you getting it replaced or exchanging it?
I've tried to make "friends" with the people at the local Sprint stores for issues like this. Since I was about 2 weeks past my 30 exhange window, I got sent from the store that I purchased it from to another store that does more warranty work. Ends up the guy there is someone I had met before at a completely different store back when I had my Moment...nice guy, roots his phones, gave me tons of free paid apps, etc. In the end, apparently Sprint changed their warranty replacement program (again) and he was forced to charge me $35 I won't get the phone till midweek, but I'm justifying the costs in my head by talking with him since he's going to allow me to use some website he's payed onto to be able to download basically any paid app that I want when I return. That means no more Gameloft demos, backup apps, etc...now I get the best of the best.
For those wondering what happened to my phone, I did the Touchstone mod, and while it was working great for a while, apparently too much tension was on the + connection, so it broke right at the joint where the USB connector meets the board...no chance of me fixing that myself. Now my biggest problems are
1) That I'm still rooted, I did a factory wipe on the phone and completely forgot that I deleted a TON of stock apps, including the TW launcher. Once the phone finished it's own wiping, I now have no launcher, so unless someone calls/texts me, I have no phone usage.
2) Since the USB is broken, I don't have a way to charge the phone anymore...and these phones are battery hogs. I've replied on the Touchstone thread to see if I could still use the Touchstone and the battery cover, remove the battery from the phone and charge the battery directly. I know the inherent dangers of over charging, so my only goal is too keep enough of a random charge (maybe a few hours at a time) until the replacement phone arrives.
In the meantime though, I'd still like to see if there is a way to either flash the phone back to stock and/or get a launcher running on the phone again. I have NO launcher now, so hitting the home, menu, etc buttons does absolutely nothing.
Awesome this thread is now about warez
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
bluetooth files transfer would have helped
m5james said:
Is it possible with the Epic? My MicroUSB port is broken and I don't know how to flash the phone back to stock (removing root, restoring stock apps) and I've got limited time to do this before I can take the phone back to the Sprint store for replacement. I'm searching feverantly, but everything takes me to flashing using Odin, via USB to PC, etc. I just need to know if I can get a DG27 (that's what I'm still running) update.zip file put onto my SD card and let the phone flash itself via the stock recovery console. Can it be done?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't use my PC when I flash my phone. I use the "ClockWork Mod" and its "ROM Manager" interface (from the market) and the XDA app from the market. Download the ROM's, kernels, and other tweaks through the xda app and flash them in clockwork mod.
Zei said:
bluetooth files transfer would have helped
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately I can't get to anything past the lock screen since I've got no launcher.
kasl33 said:
I don't use my PC when I flash my phone. I use the "ClockWork Mod" and its "ROM Manager" interface (from the market) and the XDA app from the market. Download the ROM's, kernels, and other tweaks through the xda app and flash them in clockwork mod.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I never installed the Clockwork Mod since it was still having issues with using QuickBoot and not going to recoverry like it was supposed to. I've been in no rush to custom ROM/Kernal this phone, so all I did was root it so I could delete a bunch of the stock apps.
I'm getting a replacement sent to me, should be here mid week. Once 2.2 comes, I'll be waiting for custom things then, but in the meantime, I'm far happier with this phone vs the Moment.
First thing you should -always- do is install clockwork.
The only reason why I didn't is because it doesn't work 100% with QuickBoot, but I guess in this situation I still could have manually gotten to recovery so I could have put a launcher back onto the phone and it wouldn't be a brick sitting on my desk right now. In an effort to preserve battery life, I only turn it on for about 5 minutes, a couple of times a day, to see what calls and texts I miss and then I return them all via my other phone.
My list of to-do's once I get my next phone:
Root (I just need to decide which version again, seems like there are a bunch and I don't know which is best/safest), not delete any apps until I know what I'm doing w/ this phone vs the Moment
Clockwork Revocery
Wifi tether
Launcher Pro
...and I'll probably leave it at that. It should come with DI18 already installed, but I don't want the phone giving me grief (like it did before trying to update since I'm still running DG27 but had a bunch of deleted stock apps) when the 2.2 update finally gets released. I can suffer with having 3 launchers and a bunch of useless Sprint apps for a while I guess
Firon said:
First thing you should -always- do is install clockwork.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I presume this would be the safest way to go to get everything in one shot?
http://forum.sdx-developers.com/epi...t-and-recovery-1-0-for-windows-osx-and-linux/
m5james said:
The only reason why I didn't is because it doesn't work 100% with QuickBoot, but I guess in this situation I still could have manually gotten to recovery so I could have put a launcher back onto the phone and it wouldn't be a brick sitting on my desk right now. In an effort to preserve battery life, I only turn it on for about 5 minutes, a couple of times a day, to see what calls and texts I miss and then I return them all via my other phone.
My list of to-do's once I get my next phone:
Root (I just need to decide which version again, seems like there are a bunch and I don't know which is best/safest), not delete any apps until I know what I'm doing w/ this phone vs the Moment
Clockwork Revocery
Wifi tether
Launcher Pro
...and I'll probably leave it at that. It should come with DI18 already installed, but I don't want the phone giving me grief (like it did before trying to update since I'm still running DG27 but had a bunch of deleted stock apps) when the 2.2 update finally gets released. I can suffer with having 3 launchers and a bunch of useless Sprint apps for a while I guess
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Download any rom of your choice place to rom on your sd card. Flash the rom threw CWM.
To put a rom on your sd card since you can't connect your phone to the computer you remove the micro sd card. Your phone should have came with an adapter. Place the adapter with the micro sd card I'm any thing that can read the card if you don't have a card reader on your pc. Place the rom on your sd card install back in your phone the flash
Sent from my Emotionless Beast of an Epic using the XDA App
The only problem with that is I've already said more than once that I don't have CWM installed, I've only got the stock recovery. I explained in the post above when I never got around to installing CWM. My phone is only rooted and running one of Noobnl's kernals, deleted a bunch of stock apps (including TW, hence my problem) and nothing more.
If your still rooted, you can try downloading rom manager and using it to download and install clockwork.
Sent from my spot on the earth
Fortunately I was able to get a new phone from Sprint. It cost me $35, which ironically is the same price as the Media Dock I should have just gotten instead of trying to do the Touchstone, which is what broke my phone in the first place.
kasl33 said:
I don't use my PC when I flash my phone. I use the "ClockWork Mod" and its "ROM Manager" interface (from the market) and the XDA app from the market. Download the ROM's, kernels, and other tweaks through the xda app and flash them in clockwork mod.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
how do you do that? clockworkmod only updates from .zip, and there of no .zip got dg27. How can I upgrade to dg27 without a pc cuz my pc will not recognize my phone.
Elazgar said:
how do you do that? clockworkmod only updates from .zip, and there of no .zip got dg27. How can I upgrade to dg27 without a pc cuz my pc will not recognize my phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe this will fix your problem.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=797090
I have not tried this, but I downloaded it a while back as a emergancy measure if I ever needed to.
You should be able to download that zip on your epic and flash it in clockwork no problem.
Good Luck

[HELP] What do I do now? Captivate dead.

Yessss another dead captivate thread.
I think I'm gonna go die now.
I followed the video guide to install a custom ROM, in the development thread to the letter, and now my phone wont even turn on... (now that im thinking about it, I think I may have left the debugging mode OFF before I went to flash back to stock, maybe thats why?)
I got into download mode, plugged the phone into odin3 JF6 one click, it started and at some point during the process it said "removed" even though I didnt touch anything, and then i got a weird msg saying my device is not recognized, keep in mind the drivers were installed properly, and I had everything double checked before i flashed....
wtf do I do now? Cant boot at all or go back into download mode. this is my third galaxy, got it two days ago ffs.
My only 2 suggestions. Go to the Dev section and in the guides there is a method to make a USB Jig without solder or anything. You're out like $1 if it doesn't work.
Also, what rev is your phone? There's been some threads started saying the newer Rev phones, maybe 1010 and up crap out using normal One-click. Do check your rev level under the battery and do a search of the forums. I know I have seen the threads.
good luck.
1 reboot pc
2 use different usb ports (direct to motherboard)
3 open odin first as administrator
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
bobbylx said:
My only 2 suggestions. Go to the Dev section and in the guides there is a method to make a USB Jig without solder or anything. You're out like $1 if it doesn't work.
Also, what rev is your phone? There's been some threads started saying the newer Rev phones, maybe 1010 and up crap out using normal One-click. Do check your rev level under the battery and do a search of the forums. I know I have seen the threads.
good luck.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure if I was looking at the right place, but I think its 10.12. I'll do a search and see what comes up, thanks for your help.
JayPhill89 said:
1 reboot pc
2 use different usb ports (direct to motherboard)
3 open odin first as administrator
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll try that, thanks.
Open Odin first then,
1. Remove your battery for 30 seconds, remove external SD card and SIM card
2. Reinsert battery.
3. Hold down both volume buttons and while holding them down plug the phone in.
It should get into download mode then. I bricked my phone and it wouldn't boot up at all and this worked for me.
On a side note, I have not had much luck flashing or doing much of anything on Windows 7 64 bit. I would suggest trying it on an XP machine if you have access to one.
G.Hook said:
Open Odin first then,
1. Remove your battery for 30 seconds, remove external SD card and SIM card
2. Reinsert battery.
3. Hold down both volume buttons and while holding them down plug the phone in.
It should get into download mode then. I bricked my phone and it wouldn't boot up at all and this worked for me.
On a side note, I have not had much luck flashing or doing much of anything on Windows 7 64 bit. I would suggest trying it on an XP machine if you have access to one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've tried every possible key combination out there and nothing works. I think my best bet is a Jig, unfortunately the source didnt have any transistors in stock so im SOL for now.
Use JIG ... It will be your last help.
Use it as a paper weight.
If you look up samsung captivate jig on ebay you will find some pre built. I bought one not long ago just to have and it works just fine.
I hope this helps. Best of luck to you.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
Sounds like you are a victim of the one size odin fits all debacle. You will indeed need a jig to recover and then you must use odin to flash jh2 or later firmware to your phone. Unfortunately, most guides still direct people to flash jf6 even though your situation comes up on a regular basis.
Check out this link for a jig. And there is a video to show you how to build one. Or mobiletechvideo guy sells them for 17 bucks.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=889128&highlight=usb+jig
Sent from my SGH-I897 using XDA App
newter55 said:
Sounds like you are a victim of the one size odin fits all debacle. You will indeed need a jig to recover and then you must use odin to flash jh2 or later firmware to your phone. Unfortunately, most guides still direct people to flash jf6 even though your situation comes up on a regular basis.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It seems to me like there's consistent irregularities with the entire process, its not uniform at all, which is very frustrating, every one faces different problems, and the solution is never the same.
Anyways, I went out and bought 3 resistors, turns out they were the wrong ones, I found out the colors werent the same of what I needed, but then that just goes to show you how difficult it is, its partly my fault i got the wrong ones, but someone like me who doesnt know much about hardware hacking, walks into an electronic store, faced with several options, is some times lost.
Oh well, I could've fixed it, had I got the right resistors, but then again, who was going to guarantee I wasn't going to kill it again, for the exact same reason I mentioned in the first post, because I need to consider a few things here, first and foremost, that I have a rogers branded device, and these are the ATT forums.
I called rogers and a replacement has been placed, I should be getting it by friday, or tomorrow if im lucky, with whatever comfort that brings, I still have several concerns, and now that I've basically rendered 3 devices to "almost" none-working condition (this one being an exception because I can "possibly" fix it) I'm not even sure how far I want to go.
rsnt said:
It seems to me like there's consistent irregularities with the entire process, its not uniform at all, which is very frustrating, every one faces different problems, and the solution is never the same.
Anyways, I went out and bought 3 resistors, turns out they were the wrong ones, I found out the colors werent the same of what I needed, but then that just goes to show you how difficult it is, its partly my fault i got the wrong ones, but someone like me who doesnt know much about hardware hacking, walks into an electronic store, faced with several options, is some times lost.
Oh well, I could've fixed it, had I got the right resistors, but then again, who was going to guarantee I wasn't going to kill it again, for the exact same reason I mentioned in the first post, because I need to consider a few things here, first and foremost, that I have a rogers branded device, and these are the ATT forums.
I called rogers and a replacement has been placed, I should be getting it by friday, or tomorrow if im lucky, with whatever comfort that brings, I still have several concerns, and now that I've basically rendered 3 devices to "almost" none-working condition (this one being an exception because I can "possibly" fix it) I'm not even sure how far I want to go.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My first captivate went fubar within my 30 days and I damaged the nv_data.bin on my second captivate and was stuck with the test IMEI. Samsung fixed my second one for free. Now I'm at the point where I'm totally sure about what precautions I need to take to keep me out of trouble but I'm not sure if I want to risk it again, heh.
The cheap jig does work. It helped me when I accidentally unplugged my phone during an odin flash.
Yes, you make a good point. You will find that most of the guides are written by people like myself who have an early revision or a phone from the initial release. For most of us, from what I've read and experienced, our phones are really hard to brick, ie, button recovery always works, odin one-click works, etc.
I honestly don't know all the differences now between revs. The first hiccup was the phones missing button recovery/download, and now it seems that people are having issues using the Odin One-click that we have been using for months.
I would recommend with your next phone check the rev or manufacture date, then search the forums for people with similar or same revs that have been successful at flashing and find out what they did.
good luck
@bobby
I wasnt trying to diminish the help that the guides provide. The work that went into creating them is certainly appreciated. The problem arises when so many people just tell newcomers to flash with x version of odin without considering the changes that have occured in the newer builds.
Sent from my Liquid Metal using XDA App
newter55 said:
@bobby
I wasnt trying to diminish the help that the guides provide. The work that went into creating them is certainly appreciated. The problem arises when so many people just tell newcomers to flash with x version of odin without considering the changes that have occured in the newer builds.
Sent from my Liquid Metal using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with you completely. I tend to take it for granted that button recovery works for me and that good old odin one-click does too. It seems we need to start collecting data and making new guides.
Something like,
If you have rev, 1006, 1007,1008 go here,
If you have rev 1009 to 1012 go here,
etc.
latest update,
Two cables, and six resistors later, my phone won't go into download mode, lol, I'm not even sure I did things right, I'm gonna try stripping the same cable, used in one of those videos on how to make a jig, I still have three extra resistors.
I'm starting to think its because of it being with rogers. im gonna search the forums.
A micro usb breakout board is the simplest method for constructing a jig.
Wow, I guess I'm lucky that the used Captivate I picked up for my gf is an older one at 1007. Root procedure for her went without a hitch.
From stock rom, all set up and in daily use, WITHOUT ROOTING first.
Put clockwork update.zip on her sdcard.
Reboot into recovery.
Reinstall packages twice to get into clockwork recovery.
Wipe data/factory reset.
Flash Cognition.
Profit.
She's been using it this way for two weeks and loves it so much more than stock.
What was so complicated about the procedure you followed? Or was it the same as this but it just didn't work?
rsnt said:
...and now that I've basically rendered 3 devices to "almost" none-working condition (this one being an exception because I can "possibly" fix it) I'm not even sure how far I want to go.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you may have a good point. Eventually your carrier will stop replacing bricks for you. If you still have the inclination to play with flashing, investing in a jig would definately be a wise investment and if I were in your shoes, I wouldn't flash anything without one. I made a jig for myself before I ever flashed anything but luckily I have never had to use it, probably because I took the time (about a month and a half of trolling around here reading.) to research what all was involved with what I was about to jump into. Just something to consider in case you want to try again. Good luck!

[SOLVED] No service, no imei, more info within...

Hello, thank you for reading this, to start with.
First off, here are the specs of the phone I am asking about:
Galaxy S 4G exclusive from T-mobile
Model #: SGH-T959V
Firmware: 2.2.1
Kernel:2.6.32.9
Build #: FROYO.VUVKD1
If that's not enough please ask.
Back Story: Phone was given to my ex by his mother. It was for T-mobile, which don't have good plans for pre-paid/pay as you go in my area. So I was asked to make it work for ATT. I rooted using Superoneclick, and then did the hex voodoo and unlocked the phone. It worked for a few months, no problem. There was no data plan so no phone internet was acessed, wifi was but only rarely. It DID work.
Then, the other day, my ex dropped it. It worked just fine for a minute or two, but now is stuck with no service, and such. No imei number. No phone number. Nothing. Searches for the provider. Sim card has been replaced just in case. I've restored and re-rooted, but i couldn't re-unlock the sim # as the hex editor couldn't find the code. AND the sim doesn't ask for an unlock code when inserted.
I have googled and searched my tushie off to figure this out. All my answers are bad flashing of roms and such, and the last anything that was done to it out of ordinary use was me unlocking it, and it worked for months.
Keep in mind that i haven't a clue what flashing a rom means, or what odin is (i read that several times, haven't a clue what it is), and I know how to follow step by step instructions as long as they use reasonably understandable terms to the android nooblett.
I am currently running on an ubuntu laptop, so downloading and running anything means I download, put it on a flash drive, and install it or run it on a windows computer that doesn't have internet access (long story, i'm rambling as it is).
Some extras:
I did not do any backups, because everything worked for the longest time anyways.
I've tried a few things involving nv_data.bin and the like, but it seems they don't exist or are hidden from my silly self.
I have to re-root and such as I've just performed a factory reset to see if that would fix the issue.
I am extremely tired so I'll likely do nothing tonight, including responding, as I have to work tomorrow and lots of other things.
I am a rambling idiot, feel free to mock me for it, but i do try and give out as much information as I can.
Any questions? If not, please, please, please tell me an answer that doesn't involve sending this phone back, because it's long out of warranty and has passed through many hands (the previous people did not like t-mobile either...).
And thank you for reading the ramblings of this idiot.
Are you sure it's not a hardware issue? I dropped my old iPhone 3G and it stopped recognizing my SIM unless it was placed just right. Have you tried any other SIM cards in there? Take a look at my SGS4G carrier unlocker (link is in my signature) and see if it scans through your nv_data.bin file correctly. I never liked that people encourage direct editing of that file. :/
Have you tried seeing if Samsung Kies mini will recognize your phone? Since you still seem to be on factory stock and did a factory reset.... download Kies mini, plug your phone in and see if it will recognize it. Kies mini - in case you are unaware is Samsung's software to update our phone.
If it recognizes your phone - try to do the upgrade to Gingerbread. If it will upgrade to Gingerbread, it might rewrite your efs folder - which is where the IMEI and phone information is stored. If it doesn't rewrite the efs folder... it shouldn't matter if your phone is out of warranty as Kies mini - you will say and not mention the other stuff you have done - messed it up during the upgrade... which is happening to people more than you would think. Take it back to where you purchased the phone and give it a shot. Or try contacting Samsung. Many have done that as well. You need a computer you can download Kies mini to and do the upgrade... in other words - a computer with internet access you can work on.
o You may start with another Factory Reset
o Download Kies mini if you do not already have it. < - - Click link here for Kies mini - When you follow this link you will see two tabs - 'Manuals' and 'Software' - click software and download.
o Make sure your phone is charged.
o Make sure USB Debugging is off.
o Start Kies mini on the computer.
o Make sure phone is not connected to computer yet.
o In USB Settings on phone select ‘Kies (Firmware update)’ if it is not set to ask every time.
o Plugged in phone, let device drivers install on computer. You will see a notification on your computer when complete.
o Then Kies mini will recognize the phone.
o Hit upgrade and wait.
o Phone will eventually reboot. Check your IMEI.
---------- Post added at 05:32 AM ---------- Previous post was at 05:26 AM ----------
FBis251 said:
I dropped my old iPhone 3G and it stopped recognizing my SIM unless it was placed just right. Have you tried any other SIM cards in there?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You owned an iPhone FB? Damn!
FB is one of the best on here... however, if you are on stock you should try an upgrade if Kies mini will recognize your phone. I have read flashing stock - in this instance via Kies mini - has many times rewritten the efs folder for people with IMEI problems. Either way - if he is on stock everything he can take it in to T-Mobile and ask for you?
Thoughts on that FB?
lumin30 said:
You owned an iPhone FB? Damn!
FB is one of the best on here... however, if you are on stock you should try an upgrade if Kies mini will recognize your phone. I have read flashing stock - in this instance via Kies mini - has many times rewritten the efs folder for people with IMEI problems. Either way - if he is on stock everything he can take it in to T-Mobile and ask for you?
Thoughts on that FB?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I still have it lying around and it's bricked. I wanna try flashing it again with another USB cable but I can't find my spare.
Hmm, haven't ever tried the kies mini approach but it's worth a shot, especially if it'll restore the /efs directory.
If it IS fully stock, then yes take it in to T-Mob and see if they'll give you a replacement and next time don't go editing anything in /efs directly.
Thank you everyone. I will try these things later today. Like I said the only things I've personally done to it are root and unlock. I dunno what happened and its possible it could be hardware, but ill try updating it through kies first. Again thank you, ill keep you updated on what happens.
RamblingIdiot said:
Thank you everyone. I will try these things later today. Like I said the only things I've personally done to it are root and unlock. I dunno what happened and its possible it could be hardware, but ill try updating it through kies first. Again thank you, ill keep you updated on what happens.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
If the problem is solved for you please edit the title in the OP and add [SOLVED] to it
10x
Ok Guys/Gals, I'm stumped...
Followed the instructions. Mini Kies on computer that works with it (windows vista 32 bit), waited til kies told me to plug in the device. I did. Drivers installed. I waited. And waited. And waited. And waited a bit more. Then it pops up for me to enter a pattern. No pattern had been established with that phone before. So I set one up on the phone, and redid all that, thinking that's all I had to do. Asked me for the pattern again, I put it in.
Here are the steps i'm taking.
Mini kies asks me to plug in my phone.
I do it (this is the phone in the thread, not my actual phone).
And I wait. A while, actually. Somewhere in the line of 1-5 minutes.
And now i get a little popup. "Pattern" the header reads. "The mobile phone is locked. To connect, use the mouse to enter the pattern as specified by the mobile phone." Followed by the pattern unlocker.
I place the pattern i created on the phone in to the one on the computer. It must not be right (as there was none to begin with, and i had to create new and redo this whole step) because now it reads:
Firmware version: device cannot be upgraded
Firmware upgrade: (this is a blank nothingness)
Agh, don't get me wrong, i love this stuff, but after dealing with a defaulty U-scan computer all day (i am a cashier...), computers are not on my good list.
Please help ?
Ok, so after hours of crying, moaning, cursing, yelling at the phone, cursing SD cards for being so small, cursing the better phone for being more retarded than it's cheapo brother the Prevail, I fixed it.
I was so frustrated, i reset everything, again. Still wouldn't work with kies. Checked everything. Made sure I was doing everything right. Googled every last letter i could find about my issue.
I wanted to throw the phone, but instead, i took the battery out, the sim card out, and the SD card out, and cursed each and every one of them out. Before I continue, let me say, that I'd done this before, for approximately the same time, if not longer. Then, i threatened their inanimate lives and put them back, and tried to do the kies update. Turned on the phone, not expecting any miracle of any sort. Suddenly the phone's alive with all sorts of missed calls and texts and who knows what else. So while the phone is no longer rooted, it's still unlocked, and works like a dream again.
TL;DR version? Took the battery, sim, and SD card out for a while. Even though I'd done this as the first thing i did when this issue started happening, perhaps yelling at them made the difference.
Thank you all for putting up with me and my rambling idiocy.
Awesome, glad you got it working again. Maybe we need to put "threatening sdcard/SIM card" methods into the wiki...
stephen_w said:
Awesome, glad you got it working again. Maybe we need to put "threatening sdcard/SIM card" methods into the wiki...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Stephen
I threaten my phone with a trip to the recycling yard all the time. It works.
And to the OP glad you got it figured out. A few people with the imie issue have used the pull battery wait ten approach and it seems to work.
Glad you fixed it.
I strongly suggest you make a copy of your efs folder in case you have an IMEI issue again. I keep a copy of my efs folder on my external sdcard and my PC.

[Q] Need help fixing my Infuse, more info inside

Alright, so, to get started, I am actually decently tech savvy, and I wish i had rooted my phone before I even tried following the crap that samsung put up, but heres how it went.
I have a Samsung Infuse 4G on the ATT network
I finally found out how to update to Gingerbread through Kies. I spent all night charging my phone, went to Kies, and started the upgrade. About 6% through the upgrade, it said it needed an emergency recovery. I was worried, and I followed all instructions. I let the emergency recovery page sit for a day, and all it did was sit at 6% the whole time, so I resorted to my next best option, rooting it.
I have tried Ultimate Unbrick, One Click Unbrick, and Hiemdall, though I didn't get extensive with Hiemdall.
One Click said it was successful, but my phone doesn't turn on, so I tried the emergency recovery again, and still sat at 6%, then it switched to that it couldn't fix it.
Ultimate Unbrick starts off well, seeming as it is doing soemthing, but then freezes at factoryfs.rfs. Mind you I am running it in compatability mode for XP SP2 as an administrator, and I have run it on Win7 as an admin as well.
Hiemdall I got a little confused, so Im going to try that again.
Im gonna have to say, Im done with Samsung after this phone. Ive had samsung phones for 10 years (not by choice, im 19 and my mom pays for it), and every time something stupid happens, its like they kill themselves on purpose.
Is anyone possibly able to help me get my phone back to working condition? I wont be able to get a new phone for about a month, and thats only if I can find a job, which is hard when I have no phone.
Thank you to anyone who can help.
Does your phone display anything on its screen at all? If so, there's still hope.
Have you installed drivers properly?
Make sure that anything related to Kies is killed on your computer's task manager.
Try using different USB ports.
As much as possible, use a Windows XP. I had the same "stuck at factoryfs.rfs" problem and I tried it at an XP and it worked.
If nothing works, try buying a jig off of e-bay. They're about a dollar or two. Invest in some.
If it's completely borked, time to go buy an S3.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using xda premium
I can get into download mode where it shows the android shoveling in a caution sign
I installed the drivers
I havent checked that kies thing yet, Ill do that now
Ill try another USB port and get back to ya on that part
I don't own any computers with windows XP. Only a Win7 and a crappy laptop with Ubuntu on it (the laptop is crappy, not ubuntu)
Im so broke a candybar looks like rich food
And Im done with Samsung after this, Ill prob go windows phone and hack the Android market onto it.
LMAO Idk I still like Samsung over HTC and Apple. It can get really complicated --yes -- but it's worth.
Also, make sure to restart computer and then do the things I suggested you to do.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using xda premium
Im aiming for Nokia.
So, I disabled kies
Restarted my computer
Tried a different USB port
restarted Odin
Reran everything
and now, it wont even get to factoryfs.rfs
Do you possibly have a link to Hiemdall thats the newest version?
You should restart before disabling Kies. This is because of the fact that when you restart, your computer re-runs Kies.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using xda premium
I disabled after I restarted as well. Sorry, my steps were out of order.
Hmmm that's odd. Try it on a different computer tomorrow. Possibly a friend's?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using xda premium
Im gonna try heimdall first and see if I can contact a friend tomorrow. I just moved and my friends out here are more busy than the other ones I used to live by.
Heimdall Link.
Try fresh installation remove drivers from Driver Manger, run the drivers again and use Heimdall package. you need to have latest java and it need to be run as application not in any of the zip/jar file opener like 7zip etc., right click and you will see run using java<your version >
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1524081
it is clearly explained on the link what to do,
If you found difficult you can read the thread to see some probable answers as well.
Hope it will solve your query.

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)

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