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1.0 – WELCOME AND DISCLAIMER
So, it seems like a lot of people are having problems with their new Samsung Epic 4G. I thought I'd take a minute and throw together a little comprehensive guide on, well, everything. I'll be updating this periodically, so be sure to check it out.
I'll also be working on formatting it to improve readability... I'm not so good with this markup language that forums make you use, so bear with me. If I can figure out some basic tricks, we'll be in business.
And, just so you know, this is just a guide. As long as you follow it and do research, everything should go fine. That being said, I am not responsible for what happens to your phone. This is all elective and I am not forcing you to do any of this. You brick your phone, you own up to it. I'm only trying make it as easy as possible for your to avoid that.
2.0 – GETTING STARTED
New to Android? Need to root? Just got your phone? Not totally clear on everything? Start here. Even if you have experience with Android, had your Epic since day one, or whatever, you'll still want to check this section out.
2.1 – TERMINOLOGY
First of all, you need to familiarize yourself with the terminology. This is vital to understanding what you are doing, so I'll outline as many as I can.
Brick – Not a term that should be thrown around as much as it is. If you have a bricked device, it is worthless. Like, completely. It is literally as useful as a brick. You CANNOT fix a brick. Everything else is just just breakage.
Root – a)This term comes from Linux/UNIX. To obtain root access means that you have elevated privileges. Look at this like administrator rights in Windows. It's what allows you to run custom software and access administrator setting in Android.
b)The uppermost folder. Such as “/”, “C:\” , et cetera.
Rooting – Gaining elevated root admin access.
Kernel – A kernel is the base of an operating system. For Android, it's where all the drivers and system information resides. A custom kernel can contain undervolting instructions, overclocking instructions, and many other battery-saving, power-giving, phone-enhancing features. There are several options, so make sure you do your research and choose the kernel that offers what you are looking for.
Shell – The shell is the part that you see. It's the interface that interacts and allows you to interact with the kernel.
ROM – A ROM is the combination of a kernel and a shell. Think of this like an operating system.
Dev – Dev is short for developer. These are the people who spend their days and nights writing code and bug testing to bring you the ROMs you love. These guys are the reason you're here, so show your appreciation!
Chef – Chefs and devs are essentially the same thing.
Recovery – A system that allows basic phone function. You can flash from this, clear data, and do very basic debugging. As long as you can boot to this, your phone is NOT bricked.
Flashing – The act of installing a ROM or fix to your phone through recovery.
Wiping – The act of performing a factory reset or cache clear from recovery. Your settings are gone, your apps are gone, your phone is as it was when you you got (to an extent). Formats /system/. This is not reversible.
CPU – Central Processing Unit. The brain of the phone. All data travels through this at some point.
Overclocking – Pushing your CPU to its limits. The CPU has a stock clock speed (1GHz for the Epic), and overclocking is pushing it past that.
Undervolting – Making the phone use less power. This saves battery.
AOSP – Android Open Source Project. Frequently referred to as “Vanilla”. The actual people who make Android. Go here for more information.
Theme – A cosmetic change to the user interface.
One-Click – A script or program that does everything for you.
Busybox – A collection of scripts that allow deeper editing of the system while it is running.
Remount – An easy method of mounting /system/ for writing.
Stock – Samsung-released, no editing, as-is stuff. Basically, how the phone came.
OTA – Over the air. Updates that automatically come to your phone, through your service.
adb – “Android Debug Bridge” A debug program for accessing your phone.
deODEX – Combining the ODEX file and the APK files for all the items in the /system/ folder. Allows for easier theming and customizing.
FC/Force Close – When a program or app crashes.
2.2 – WHY SHOULD I ROOT MY PHONE?
Rooting offers several great things including, but certainly not limited to, access to hidden features, total customization, better battery life, and overclocking. It gives you control over the device that you paid money for in the first place. The devs here are great at finding features that the manufacturers left out or disabled and making them work.
It also is a great hobby. Even if you aren't a developer yourself, flashing ROMs and trying out new features can be a lot of fun and definitely kill boredom. And who knows? Maybe you'll end up learning something and start coding yourself.
2.3 – ROOTING
Great! Now you know some words! So, what next? Well, we need to achieve root access on your phone. There are a few ways to accomplish this on the Epic. Please note that the one-click methods are hit and miss and are affected by several factors, including computer speed, cable, USB ports, and, for all intents and purposes, random chance. I HIGHLY recommend you open the .bat files and run every command in adb manually. I'll update this guide, eventually, with how to do this.
If you're running Windows, you're going to need the drivers for this phone. Install them BEFORE connecting your phone to your computer. You can get them here:
32-bit: Click here
64-bit: Click here
You'll also need to put your phone into debug mode. After you turn this on, you can just leave it on. To do this, go to settings, and then to applications, then to development, and then tick the “USB debugging” check box.
I also recommend using a cable other than Samsung's cable that came with the phone. Really, that cable is hardly good for anything more than charging. It's low quality and has caused a lot of users more than a headache. If you are unable to get another cable for whatever reason, run each command individually from adb. Check the section about adb and the Android SDK later in the guide for more information on how to do that.
2.3.1 – The Jokeyrim temporary root with noobnl's one-click script method – DO FIRST
Let it be known that I don't recommend relying on this method. It's janky and can cause problems once you get deeper into Android modification. Use it to get your remount scripts and then quickly do the kernel mods in the steps in 2.3.2.
Go here and download the .zip file. Extract the .zip contents to your desktop. Open the folder, run “run.bat” and let it go.
NOTE: This is just root, this is temporary, and this DOES NOT give you access to a recovery. All this will allow you to do is run applications that require root or busybox and adds the remount script.
2.3.2 – The rooted kernel and recovery method method – DO SECOND
I do recommend that you use this method. This gives you true, permanent root.
There are a couple of ways to do this. I actually suggest you follow both guides, too. This will help prevent you ever getting to Samsung's stock recovery, which is worthless for your purpose.
The first is noobnl's recovery method, and definitely the one you should do first. You can find it here. Download the .zip file and extract its contents to your desktop. There is an issue with this .bat file, so you're going to have to do some extra steps. With adb (go to the section about the Android SDK and adb further in the guide if you do not know what this is) and type:
Code:
adb shell
su
remount rw
exit
exit
(the two 'exits' is not a typo)
After running those commands, open your extracted folder and run the run.bat file. Should be smooth sailing.
The second is koush's method. koush's thread is here, but I that's a complicated method. After you do noobnl's method above, go to this thread and download the .zip from that. Put that .zip on the root of your SD card. Boot into the Clockwork recovery by turning the phone off, holding down the camera button, the volume down button, and pressing the power button until the phone turns on. Once in there, do this:
1. BACK UP YOUR PHONE. I cannot emphasize this enough. Backups are sooo important in your Android modding quest. Backup and do it often. (Backup and restore → Backup).
2. Go to “Flash zip from SD card”
3. Choose zip from sd card
4. Select the zip we put there earlier
5. Click “Yes”
6. Let it do its thing
Once you've done this, you need to boot into the phone, go to the market, and download “ROM Manager”. From that, click “Flash recovery” (the top option) and select the Epic. This will take a minute. From this point on, you can use ROM Manager to boot into the Clockwork Recovery.
2.3 – FLASHING ROMS/KERNELS/FIXES
This is the fun stuff. This is why you're here. Now that you have root and a recovery, we can get some work done. First, you have to select a ROM that you want. Always pick a ROM that is designed for the Epic. ROMs designed from other phones can and will brick your phone!
You can find ROMs for the Epic in the Epic 4G Android Development section of XDA. Do some research to each ROM to make sure it's what you want. If you want a kernel, make sure your ROM supports other kernels and that the kernel supports your ROM.
Once you've picked your ROM, put it on the root of your sd card and then boot into Clockwork Recovery using your method of choice, then:
1. BACKUP. I seriously cannot stress this enough.
2. Wipe everything. Factory reset and clear cache.
3. Go to “Flash zip from SD card”
4. Choose zip
5. Choose “Yes”
6. Let it run
7. -OPTIONAL- To ensure it worked, repeat steps 2-6. This is just to make sure everything worked. Problems with this can be intermittent and this helps to avoid them.
8. Reboot.
3.0 – ERRORS
Stuff goes wrong. You have to understand, EVERYTHING in this is experimental. The devs here do not have access to EVERYTHING that is required to make these phones work and have to guess at some things and, basically, just do their best (And their best is pretty damn good!).
Basically, just be sure you have backups that you can restore from, and this will all be fine.
3.1 – BLACK SCREEN
Oh no! I flashed ROM X and now my phone won't boot and I hate everything!!!
Worry not! As long as you can boot in to recovery, you have nothing to fear. Just restore the backup that I told you to make and you're back in business. Easy fix.
3.2 – CONSTANT FORCE CLOSES
You boot up your phone and are immediately greeted with force closes. Chances are that you didn't wipe OR that the ROM you're using isn't ready for show time. Again, just restore your backup from Clockwork.
3.2 – CAN'T GET TO RECOVERY, CAN GET TO DOWNLOAD MODE
Well, looks like you'll be returning your phone to stock using Odin. Read later on in the guide how to use Odin in the section about Odin.
3.4 – PHONE WON'T TURN ON AT ALL
Welcome to bricksville, population you. Sorry, but you're phone is a $500 paperweight... Probably shouldn't have flashed that GSM ROM, huh? Not even Odin can save you at this point...
4.0 – THE ANDROID SDK AND ADB
The Android SDK (Standard Developer Kit) is a tool freely available to everyone. You can find it here and it is available for Linux, Mac, and Windows.
4.1 – INSTALLING THE SDK
So, the first step is going to be how to install the SDK on your system. I have experience with Linux and Windows, so that's what I have for now. If someone with a Mac can help write the set up instructions for that, I'd be very appreciative.
4.1.1 – Windows
First, download android-sdk_r07-windows.zip from here to your Desktop. Once it has downloaded, double-click the file and extract it to the root of your C:\ drive (this is optional, but it will make things a lot easier in the future). Rename the extracted folder “android-sdk-windows” to just “android” to make your life easier.
Open the new folder, then run the SDK Manager. If you run into an error about Java, go to java.com and get the latest version of the Java JRE (pretty much just click whatever the biggest “download” button is that you first see).
Once you have the SDK open, it will ask you to install packages. Just tick the “Accept All” radio button on the bottom right and press install. Depending on your internet connection, this can take a long time. Just be patient. Once they are all installed, you're good to go.
How you use adb is simple. Open a command prompt (press the Windows key + r and type “cmd” in the box that shows up, or go to Start → All Programs → Accessories → Command Prompt) and type in “cd C:\android\tools\” and type your commands (list of common commands at the end of this section.
-OPTIONAL- This step is optional, but HIGHLY recommended. Now that we have the SDK set up, we're going to adb to the Windows paths so that you can use adb from anywhere you can open a command prompt.
First, click the start menu and then right-click “My Computer” (Just “Computer” in Vista and 7. You'll also need to click the “Advanced System Setting” on the left side of the window that appears.). Click “Properties” and the Properties window appears. Now, click on the “Advanced” tab and the the “Environment Variables” button. A new window appears with two scrollable boxes. In the lower box, scroll until you find a “path” option and select it. Click “Edit” underneath the box. Move your cursor to the very end (Press END on your keyboard, just to be safe) and type “;C:\android\tools\”” (That leading semi-colon is important and may already be there. Check to be sure).
And you're done! Open a command prompt and type “adb devices” and see what comes up. If a list of devices (phones; will be empty if your phone isn't connected in debug mode) comes up, you've succeeded! Congrats.
4.1.2 – Linux
I use Ubuntu personally, but most of this information should be universal. If anyone running anything else sees anything missing or wrong with other distributions, let me know and I'll update or fix it.
First, you need to acquire the SDK. The file is android-sdk_r07-linux_x86.tgz from this site. Once downloaded, extract the contained folder to your home folder (/home/*USERNAME*, using your username) and rename the folder “android' for later ease of use.
Use terminal and cd to the android folder your created. Use the command “tools/android update sdk” to make the SDK updater come up. Just tick “Accept all” in the bottom right and then click install. This can take a while depending on your internet connection.
Once you have all of the files installed, you're ready to use adb. Using terminal, navigate to /home/user/android/tools and type (For Ubuntu):
Code:
sudo chmod 777 adb
This will allow the adb file to be read as an executable. Note that this only has to be done once. Then, use this code:
Code:
sudo ./adb start-server
(replace 'sudo' for 'su' for distros other than Ubuntu)
This is necessary every time you use adb (in Ubuntu, at least). You only have to do it once per session, but if the adb process is ever killed during your session, you must do it again. I've just gotten into the habit of doing it every time I log into my computer. You could also create a boot script that does this for you... which I've been meaning to get around to. After you have the process running, you won't have to use su/sudo or ./ to use adb.
Note that one-click scripts written for Windows will have to be opened and run manually. There are scripts for Linux floating around, but I can't seem to find the thread.
-OPTIONAL- This isn't a needed step, but you'll probably want to do it. Here we're going to add adb to the paths folder so that after you have started the process as an administrator, you can run it from any folder.
Open terminal and use these commands:
Code:
echo $PATH (should return the directories associated with $PATH)
export PATH=$PATH:/home/user/android/tools (replace with path to your tools directory, you may need to add 'sudo' or 'su' to the beginning of this cmd)
echo $PATH (you should now see your tools directory added to the end of the $PATH variable)
Once done, you're set. Once you have the process started, you can run adb commands from any terminal window.
4.1.3 – Mac OS
-I don't own a Mac, never have, and I have zero experience with Mac and Android... If someone else can help with this section, I'd appreciate it -
4.2 ADB COMMANDS
This isn't a complete list, but it should be enough to get you by for your purpose.
adb shell – opens a terminal on your phone. Terminal is like the command prompt of Linux.
adb push – pushes a file to the phone. The syntax is ”abd push *file location on your PC* *Location you want it on your phone*”
adb pull – pulls a file from your phone. The syntax is “adb pull *file location on the phone* *location to be placed on your PC*
adb shell rm – deletes a file from your phone. The syntax is “adb shell rm *location and name of the file to be deleted*. NOTE: adb shell rm -r is a recursive deletion and can cause damage to your ROM and phone. Make sure you know what you are doing if told to do an rm -r.
adb devices – lists all connected Android phones.
5.0 - ODIN
(I don't have a ton of experience with Odin, so if someone can refine this section, let me know and I'll update it)
Odin is a tool that was created for previous Samsung phones. It is a powerful tool and very useful for saving your phone from many malfunctions. As long as you can boot your phone into download mode (Hold down the “1” key on the slide-out keyboard while powering the phone on) you can almost always save your phone.
That said, Odin is also fairly experimental in its implementation on the Epic. There have been several reports of failed flashes and intermittent errors. This guide will hopefully help prevent that from happening.
5.1 – SETTING IT UP
If you haven't already, you need to get the drivers for the phone. Install them BEFORE Odin and before connecting your phone to your computer. You can get them here:
32-bit: Click here
64-bit: Click here
After that, you're going to need to get Odin. You can find that, as well as a basic guide and the stock files from noobnl, here (External link to SDX). Odin is the .rar file from the first link fo the post.
5.2 - USING ODIN
After you have it downloaded, extract the files somewhere (I recommend a folder on your desktop). From the extracted files, double-click “Odin3_v1.0.exe” and the Odin window opens. Have it completely ready to go before connecting your phone. Put all your files in the spots they belong (refer to the post where you got the Odin files for instructions on that... it seems to vary a lot depending on the purpose). Make sure that no other check boxes are ticked besides “Debug En.” and “Auto-reboot”. All the others can have very negative effects.
Before connecting your phone, put it into download mode by holding down the “1” key on your slide-out keyboard while powering the phone up. Once it is in download mode, connect the phone. The first box in Odin should come up as something akin to “COM4”. If it doesn't say exactly that, don't worry. Make sure all your files are placed correctly, and then click “Start”. It should take up to a few minutes, so be patient. Cutting this process off early can have negative effects. When it is finished, the phone should reboot.
6.0 – CLOSURE
I hope this guide helped you. If you have any questions, you can contact me, but I can't guarantee I can help you. Most devs are willing to help, too, so you can shoot them a PM and they'll try to get back to you.
Good luck and happy flashing!!
[Update Log]
*10-5-2010 - Added sections for Odin and adb/Android SDK. Updated sections, fixed typos and mistakes, reorganized a little. Fixed links.
None of those links are working for me. I get sent to a page with a message saying "Sorry, we can't find "xn--http-fb7a". We suggest that you check the spelling of the web address or search above."
Thanks a bunch, this was a very useful tutorial on the basics and for me helped out greatly with understanding where and what you need to do to be getting the best out of these awsome phones!
blasted across the interwebs by the Epic 4g!
Lonewuhf said:
None of those links are working for me. I get sent to a page with a message saying "Sorry, we can't find "xn--http-fb7a". We suggest that you check the spelling qof the web address or search above."
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Weird. I just went through and checked them all and everything is working on my end. All the URLs are correct. Maybe try clearing your browser cache?
DevinXtreme said:
Weird. I just went through and checked them all and everything is working on my end. All the URLs are correct. Maybe try clearing your browser cache?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
None of them work for me either. The urls all start: http://xn--http-fb7a//forum.xda-developers.com/
dwyw42 said:
None of them work for me either. The urls all start: http://xn--http-fb7a//forum.xda-developers.com/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is so weird... It's showing up like that for me now, too. I've checked the source, and it stills is showing the right links in my post.... It's something on XDA's end right now... I'll look into getting it to work a little later.
Good work! This should be a sticky!
Sent from my Epic 4G
dwyw42 said:
None of them work for me either. The urls all start: http://xn--http-fb7a//forum.xda-developers.com/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah same here, i just cleared everything before "forum" from address bar and page loaded.
You might wanna ad that you need done battery life when flashing a kernal. If your phone dies during the flash your phone will be a useless brick.
You might also wanna adds the odin steps for flashing back to stock
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
mysteryemotionz said:
You might wanna ad that you need done battery life when flashing a kernal. If your phone dies during the flash your phone will be a useless brick.
You might also wanna adds the odin steps for flashing back to stock
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unless whatever you're flashing messes with the recovery partition, an incomplete flash shouldn't cause a brick. As long as you can boot to recovery or download mode, you can save your phone.
And I'm working on an Odin section for my next update to this. A lot of things will be added next time I update the main post.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
i've got the first part of your guide done by completing noobnl's method but i cant get koush's method down. you say to hold down the volume, camera, and power buttons to boot into clockwork recovery, but it seems like it goes into the stock samsung recovery? how do i get the clockwork recovery?
The link for noobnl's easy method always takes me to Koush page not noobnl's might want to check your links there.
but very great idea and should be sticked on the front page.
dsummey30 said:
The link for noobnl's easy method always takes me to Koush page not noobnl's might want to check your links there.
but very great idea and should be sticked on the front page.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=770388
for the proper thread
^^^ I have the same problem he did: I followed the instructions to root, but when I tried to restart with the "Epic 3-finger salute", it went into what appeared to be the stock bootloader, not clockwork.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
bitbang3r said:
^^^ I have the same problem he did: I followed the instructions to root, but when I tried to restart with the "Epic 3-finger salute", it went into what appeared to be the stock bootloader, not clockwork.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same with me. I selected "Flash ClockworkMod Recovery" and after a number of tries it was successful. Yet when I boot with the 3 buttons it still goes into the stock recovery.
you might wanna add how to set adb
Spunkzz said:
i've got the first part of your guide done by completing noobnl's method but i cant get koush's method down. you say to hold down the volume, camera, and power buttons to boot into clockwork recovery, but it seems like it goes into the stock samsung recovery? how do i get the clockwork recovery?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
bitbang3r said:
^^^ I have the same problem he did: I followed the instructions to root, but when I tried to restart with the "Epic 3-finger salute", it went into what appeared to be the stock bootloader, not clockwork.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Vanquish46 said:
Same with me. I selected "Flash ClockworkMod Recovery" and after a number of tries it was successful. Yet when I boot with the 3 buttons it still goes into the stock recovery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think I know the issue here. It's that /system/ isn't being mounted as rw. Run the jokeyrim root method and then go into adb and type this:
Code:
adb shell
su
remount rw
exit
exit
If you don't know how to use adb, just wait until a little later tomorrow. I've got a whole section about it to add to the guide, but I don't have it completed yet (did some work on my laptop in the middle of writing it, forgot to reconnect my WLAN card and was baffled for most of the day...)
dsummey30 said:
The link for noobnl's easy method always takes me to Koush page not noobnl's might want to check your links there.
but very great idea and should be sticked on the front page.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry about that. Should be fixed now. Thanks for pointing it out
mysteryemotionz said:
you might wanna add how to set adb
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All in the works I expect to have the guide updated early tomorrow, if not tonight.
Updated the guide with a lot of new info. Two new sections for adb/the SDK and Odin as well as a general update to the whole thing. Some of the sections changed (HARD and EASY mode are now both required, unfortunately...) and some things got a little moved around.
Also, all of the links should now work correctly. Something about the way XDA was handling quotations... So I just stripped them all from the forum code stuff...
If anyone has any experience with Mac, I could use your help for the adb/SDK section, and I could also use some help from someone more experience with Odin for that part.
Thanks, guys! I really hope this guide helps some people.
not to be a pain Devin but the two links for noobnl's programs goes to the same page for the easy and hard method don't know if that's right or not but wanted to point it out to you.
Thanks again for the great guide.
David
Hi,
I tried finding a better place to post this, but there are no device forums for the bSquare MDP 8660 probably because its not that common and its a 'development phone'.
I'm using one of these devices in the lab I'm working in and I wanted to see if I could flash Google Apps on it since it comes without any of them (Market, Maps, Gmail, etc.).
Since it has an unlocked bootloader, can I just flash Google Apps (from Cyanogen's website) to it the same way you do it when installing the Cyanogen ROM? Are these files device independent? Or would this be an almost sure way of bricking the phone?
Device website: bsquare.com/snapdragon-mobile-development-platform.aspx
OS: Android 2.3.4
I would really appreciate any guidance/suggestions. Thanks!
gjain89 said:
Hi,
I tried finding a better place to post this, but there are no device forums for the bSquare MDP 8660 probably because its not that common and its a 'development phone'.
I'm using one of these devices in the lab I'm working in and I wanted to see if I could flash Google Apps on it since it comes without any of them (Market, Maps, Gmail, etc.).
Since it has an unlocked bootloader, can I just flash Google Apps (from Cyanogen's website) to it the same way you do it when installing the Cyanogen ROM? Are these files device independent? Or would this be an almost sure way of bricking the phone?
Device website: bsquare.com/snapdragon-mobile-development-platform.aspx
OS: Android 2.3.4
I would really appreciate any guidance/suggestions. Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Most probably yes.
Well here's my advice. Follow at your own risk. It might not probably brick it but there's always the slight risk of stuff going awry.
1) Make a Flash backup.
2) See if you have the system/app folder intact.
3) Flash the Google Market(yes, only the market.)
4) Install whatever the apps you want from the Market.
All Google apps except Market and Talk can be downloaded from the Market. You can of course flash the whole gapps update but downloading this way gives you some peace of mind and chances of avoiding any possible incompatible apps. (Like Voice Search which may not work properly on all ROMs. But, if it's AOSP, all Google apps would work and should work. )
Most of the Google apps would be device independent since most of them would use the Android API and not the native platform.
Flashing custom recovery - didn't work
Thanks for the guidelines.
I tried flashing ClockworkMod recovery so that I could make a backup of the phone, but every time I boot into recovery it shows a blank screen now. ADB doesn't recognize the device either. I tried Amon Ra's recovery and the phone is doing the same thing.
Before flashing any of the custom recoveries, the phone would just show the triangle when booting into recovery. It did show up on ADB though.
Would you have any suggestions on how I should continue? In case its of any use, I do have a package that I downloaded from the manufacturer's website that contains the original boot, recovery, and system images (along with some other files).
gjain89 said:
Thanks for the guidelines.
I tried flashing ClockworkMod recovery so that I could make a backup of the phone, but every time I boot into recovery it shows a blank screen now. ADB doesn't recognize the device either. I tried Amon Ra's recovery and the phone is doing the same thing.
Before flashing any of the custom recoveries, the phone would just show the triangle when booting into recovery. It did show up on ADB though.
Would you have any suggestions on how I should continue? In case its of any use, I do have a package that I downloaded from the manufacturer's website that contains the original boot, recovery, and system images (along with some other files).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As I told earlier, I'm not so familiar with the device.
If ADB is not working in recovery, it could either mean that the USB drivers(the drivers in the device, not PC) are corrupted or that the recovery is incompatible.
If CWM recovery you used is 100% compatible with your device(ie other people are using it without issues), it means that you must reflash all your files to factory and then flash a fresh copy of recovery. Simply, you must start it from scratch.
If you have no idea of the compatibility of CWM with your device,
1) Check and see if ADB/fastboot is working well with your device in other modes(boot, system). You can perform a simple file transfer and check the checksum of the original copy and copy on your device to ensure integrity.
2) If ADB/fastboot works well in all other modes but fails only in recovery, flash stock recovery(only recovery) and see if adb is working well. You can do the same thing as before. If adb/fastboot works well in stock recovery but fails in CWM recovery, it probably means CWM is not fully compatible with your device.
If CWM works well, go ahead and make a backup and proceed to flashing market. But, if like I said in 2), if CWM is not fully compatible with your device, proceed with caution.
As an an alternative, if you are going through all these ONLY to get the market, you can extract the market update and push the relevant files to the correct paths in the device using ADB in recovery or bootloader mode.
Installing only the Market app
Hi Nibras,
Sorry for not replying back to you. My college classes got started and I couldn't spend much time on this project.
I liked the idea of just extracting the Market app and installing that (since that is all I really need).
Do you think I could just use the procedure outlined below, even though I won't be doing it on Honeycomb:
Installing Android Market over your freshly installed HoneyComb will require a different approach than just installing an APK.
Make sure you have ADB up and running, and your device recognized. Refer to our guides on what is ADB and how to install it, and how to enable ADB USB drivers for NVIDIA Tegra and Tegra 2 based devices.
Download this version of the Market (2.2.11).
Download GoogleServicesFramework.apk.
Place the files in any folder on your computer and open a Command Prompt window, browsing to that folder.
Enter these commands in the Command Prompt window:
Code:
adb shell mount -o remount,rw /dev/block/mmcblk1p2 /system
adb push Vending.apk system/app/Vending.apk
adb push GoogleServicesFramework.apk system/app/GoogleServicesFramework.apk
adb shell
cd system/app
chmod 6755 Vending.apk
chmod 6755 GoogleServicesFramework.apk
exit
adb reboot
Now go to apps, open the market and sign in. If the Market won’t open at first, reboot and try again and it should work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
gjain89 said:
Hi Nibras,
Sorry for not replying back to you. My college classes got started and I couldn't spend much time on this project.
I liked the idea of just extracting the Market app and installing that (since that is all I really need).
Do you think I could just use the procedure outlined below, even though I won't be doing it on Honeycomb:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That should work I guess. But, flashing via recovery is just a one step process. =)
Update.zip also does just the above process, I guess. It just saves us a couple of steps. Also, if you make a recovery backup, if anything goes wrong(say boot loop or force close of system at boot), you can revert very easily since recovery is independent of all the other data on phone.
And, I guess you might have to push Talk.apk too. I'm not sure about it though. Some people complained that removing Talk.apk broke the Market authentication.
If you want to push Talk.apk, get the apk file and,
Type adb push Talk.apk system/app/Talk.apk after adb push GoogleServicesFramework.apk system/app/GoogleServicesFramework.apk
Also, type, chmod 6755 Talk.apk after chmod 6755 GoogleServicesFramework.apk.
Btw, you can also ignore Android Market altogether and use Amazon App Store as well as GetJar.com. They both offer install-able Market apps. Of course, they don't have a collection as large as Android Market.
@gjain89:
Did you ever try pushing the Market files to the MDP? If so, then did it work? I have one of these and I'm in a similar position.
Thanks
I have one of these...
I used adb to push the files. However the system partition barely has any room for more apps. so apps larger than 2MB won't install, unless you obtain the APK from a secondary source.
Refer to this thread for more information: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1400737
And this one: https://developer.qualcomm.com/forum/qdevnet-forums/general-discussion/6864
Plus, many apps force close.
Enjoy!
PS: Let's try to stick together, we might be able to fix some of these problems. Maybe someone could build a custom rom.
==========
EDIT
There are two phone models
Galaxy S 4G SGH-T959V
Galaxy S 4G SGH-T959
The one without the V is the Vibrant. Wow Samsung. That was confusing. Phone model is Galaxy S 4G SGH-T959V which NOT the Vibrant.
Answer to my own question:
The "Fully Stock One-Click" solution to revert Samsung Galaxy S 4G SGH-T959V to its factory state. It includes:
Repartitioning: Repartition to stock KJ6 [UVKJ6 Android Gingerbread 2.3.6 Firmware]
Reloading: IBL/PBL, SBL, SBL2, PARAM, Kernel, Recovery, FactoryFS, Data, and Modem.
Formatting: Cache and DBdata
Use this code to format the SD Card *2767*3855#
http://sourceforge.net/projects/tea...T959VUVKJ6_STOCK-UVKJ6-One-Click.jar/download
1. Make sure Visual Studio C++ runtime, Java SE Runtime Environment and drivers are installed under Windows.
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=13523
http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=8328
http://www.java.com/en/download/manual_v6.jsp
http://firon.net/xda/usb_drivers_GalaxyS_x64.zip
http://firon.net/xda/Samsung_Mobile_Driver_V1.3.800_For_SPH-d700_Epic_4G.zip
2. Press and hold USB icon in upper left corner then slide it down to get Notifications displayed > TAP on USB Connected > Turn on USB storage > OK > Your SD Card is accessible from your computer now.
[Do the same and TAP on Turn off USB storage to disconnect the phone from computer.]
3. Make sure to remove the /sdcard/Voodoo directory from your SD Card.
4. Power off your phone.
5. Take your USB cable and plug it into the computer ONLY, not the phone.
5. Hold down both the volume up and down at the same time then plug in the USB cable to your phone with the other hand. Keep holding the volume up and down buttons until you see the Download mode green [Warning!!] message.
5. Press Volume Up button to see" [Downloading... Do not turn off Target!!!]
6. Copy T959VUVKJ6_STOCK-UVKJ6-One-Click.jar to C drive then type this inside DOS prompt to start the process.
C:
java -jar T959VUVKJ6_STOCK-UVKJ6-One-Click.jar
7. Click on [Flash] > You will get a window that instructs you what to do > OK > to click on Options > List All Devices > From drop down menu, Select: SAMSUNG USB Composite Device > Replace Driver > Wait for it to finish > Close > Close the [Replace Driver] Window.
8. Now you should be able to click on [Flash] again and revert to factory state.
9. The phone will automatically reboot.
After running this program, the device should revert to factory state.
END EDIT
=========
Phone was rooted using SuperOneClick and is running T-Mobile Android 2.3.6. I would like to back it up before installing CyanogenMod.
ClockworkMod is installed but I get the error: signature verification failed ClockworkMod
I understand I need to get CF-Root Kernel for T-Mobile Galaxy S 4G Vibrant to be able to backup default OS using ClockworkMod? Which files are needed to do that for Galaxy S 4G Vibrant?
c627627 said:
Phone was rooted using SuperOneClick and is running T-Mobile Android 2.3.6. I would like to back it up before installing CyanogenMod.
ClockworkMod is installed but I get the error: signature verification failed ClockworkMod
I understand I need to get CF-Root Kernel for T-Mobile Galaxy S 4G Vibrant to be able to backup default OS using ClockworkMod? Which files are needed to do that for Galaxy S 4G Vibrant?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Saying vibrant gives me a bad feeling in my stomach. Please take your battery out and confirm the model number says: SGH-T959V
If so, Just say Galaxy S 4G. Saying Vibrant causes unrest in this forum. Too many bricks.
Which version do you see at the top of recovery?
When you say ClockworkMod, do you mean Rom Manager or the ClockworkMod Recovery? Rom Manager doesn't work on the SGH-T959V.
Sorry, just trying to clear up some terminology before we make mistakes
SGH-T959V
FCC ID: A3LSGHT959V
I thought that the term 'Vibrant' is just a name to distinguish T-Mobile as the carrier of the Galaxy S 4G phone.
GOAL:
1. While using the phone, start an app and tell it to save the current ROM.
2. The phone reboots and saves it to your SSD card.
I was using this to accomplish that
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.koushikdutta.rommanager
But upon reboot on the SGH-T959V, I get the error: signature verification failed ClockworkMod
I thought that in order to not get this error, I would need CF-Root Kernel?
Stickied: Don't use rom manager aka rom mangler!!! Thanks management!!!
Please use the backup in your recovery, not any user-land application.
Especially if you are coming off GB, you might want to read http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1897227 for some suggestions on how to back up and restore. Most GB "system" data is not binary-compatible with ICS.
Thank you. What does the acronym GB stand for? Edit: I think you are referring to Android 2.3 version on phone, thanks. When you say don't use the app, can you use the App on CyanogenMod 7.2 which I plan to install on the Galaxy S 4G or are you just advising against it on the native ROM?
The link in the quote below appears to only lead to some internet petition, do you have another link?
What is the exact command to use with Terminal Emulator (if it can be used) to push the file to /system/bin as instructed?
krylon360 said:
Here is CWM Final for the SGS4G.
You will still need to modify your stock recovery binary to be able to use CWM.
Kernel Devs can also compile CWM into their kernel by extracting the update.zip and building it into their initramfs.
To modify recovery download this file
http://www.multiupload.com/UW4R9NXSVO
and use root explorer or adb push the file to /system/bin
DO NOT delete the current one there, or rename any files.
Just overwrite it.
CWM Final
http://www.krylon360.com/file_host/SGS4G/update.zip
Place in the root of your SD. If you have a update.zip there already, delete it, and replace it with this one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
GB is "Gingerbread"
You don't need to flash CWM any more. Use the Heimdall One-Click instead.
Thank you. My goals for phone Galaxy S 4G SGH-T959V are:
Backup current default T-Mobile 2.3.6 ROM onto SD card.
Backup CyanogenMod 7.2 after it is installed onto SD card.
1. Does Heimdall One-Click allow me to backup T-Mobile ROM 2.3.6 if the phone is rooted? Which software is used for this if not https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.koushikdutta.rommanager?
2. Can ROM Manager ClockworkMod be used on CyanogenMod 7.2 or is your advice against it only for T-Mobile native ROM?
Backup your data as described in the thread I linked -- Titanium Backup and potentially other tools for Contacts, SMS/MMS, call logs
Do not use ROM Manager. Period.
There is no need, in my mind, to back up the stock "ROM" (in contrast to your data), since there is a one-click that restores your phone to "stock."
You make a good point about stock ROM for most people, but is the one click-option to return to Native available *after* CyanogenMod is installed?
But to rephrase my original intent:
To preserve all custom settings and installs, ideally I would like to to simply start an app, the phone reboots, reimages, and boots right into either Native ROM or CyanogenMod, can imaging process be started *from* inside both Native and Cayanogen ROMs?
I understand you are saying not to use this under any circumstances on Galaxy S 4G: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.koushikdutta.rommanager
Once again, my goal is not to simply backup contacts, my goal is a complete system image - containing all settings, fonts, apps and contacts - just like imaging an OS partition on Windows. You mentioned Titanium Backup, is this what I should use to accomplish that:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.keramidas.TitaniumBackup
I am trying to apply the same approach I use on the PC: it takes me less time to reimage my complete operating system partition than it takes time for a short bathroom break. Slightest Windows hickup and I nuke the entire partition and reimage. Simply trying to do that on the phone, setup everything just like I want it to be then create images for stock and native and launch the reimage process with just one click.
You'll have to flash just a GB kernel first, one that has root and recovery built in. You can make a "nandroid" backup from that.That backup can only restore your GB state over a GB ROM.
You won't be able to go from any MTD ROM (any ICS, some recent GB) to BML (stock GB) because the "disk partitioning" is different without flashing "back-to-stock" first. (Namely, your GB nandroid backup can't be used if you are partitioned using MTD.)
You won't be able to just restore an image of your data from GB to an ICS ROM without corrupting things horribly.
If you're not comfortable, I would follow the steps I gave in the thread I linked. It goes step by step and should give you confidence that you can flash and migrate data.
What you're looking for is nandroid backups which you can create and restore from recovery.
However the current problem with that is the BML vs MTD file systems(unsure about the terminology here) between the stock Samsung rom and it's variants and the cyanogen based roms.
Currently the only method to go back from MTD is to one-click back to BML and then restore a nandroid for that.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1358498
This is currently the easiest method to go back to BML, the one-click by eollie has the latest kernel with the correct cwm to flash over to MTD but you can't restore a nandroid from one to the other.
OK, check. Flash Kernels, then reimage Native or Cyanogen Mods accordingly only after flashing Kernels.
Before installing CyanogenMod, with the current Kernel being native, can I use any app to image? Can Titanium Backup do it?
In other words, I will go through the linked information in detail of course, but if I may just ask you, can this be a one-two process of:
1. Flash Kernel
2. Use Titanium Backup from within Native and CyanogenMod ROMs. (any other app suggestions for this, I'd like to sample a few to see which one is best for me?)
Image -- no -- your phone is supposed to be "locked down" when you got it from the carrier. This means no low-level access to users. Titanium Backup does not image, it creates backups of the files. (You could do it using 'nix command-line tools, but not only it is a bad idea to image a filesystem on a running system, but also it doesn't sound like you're a' nix user.)
Again, you can't restore a BML "nandroid" backup on an MTD filesystem or vice versa. For that matter, you can't easily restore a Clockwork Recovery backup using TWRP or vice versa and, last I checked, you couldn't restore selected partitions using Clockwork Recovery (though TWRP will).
Backup? Not really. Most backup programs require root access.
Other apps instead of Titanium Backup? There really isn't any other Android app that an experienced user would go with these days, as far as I know. For that matter, I would guess a majority of the "serious" users have purchased the "Pro" version.
This doesnt require root access. But it is limited to what you can do.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rerware.android.MyBackupPro
c627627 follow what jeff is suggesting. Currently in a unrooted state you are very limited to what you can do and pretty much what you are asking is impossible until you gain root access. You can flash antonx heimdall one click and get root access and shouldnt lose your current settings. But you might have to set everything up again so be prepared.
But te very first sentence of this thread is telling you that my phone is rooted.
jeffsf said:
Image -- no -- your phone is supposed to be "locked down" when you got it from the carrier. This means no low-level access to users.
[...]
Backup? Not really. Most backup programs require root access.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My phone is rooted. I am not sure if you missed that or if you are referring to other limitations. On my Motorola Cliq, I use this to quickly image CyanogenMod with just one tap: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.koushikdutta.rommanager
If it is the same version of CyanogenMod, is it something in the hardware of the phone that has changed now so that with older phones you could of that and with newer ones you cannot?
I am definitely only interested in full scale operating system backup only, so Titanium backup would not work for me. I want every setting in every app, every setting and every option I set on the phone backed just like I make CyanogenMod 7.2 backups on my Motorola Cliq now.
So specifically, initial points of confusion are:
Why can I back up old Motorola Cliq rooted phone but not the rooted Galaxy S 4G using one tap backup?
I think we need to establish if you were mistaken about my phone not being rooted or if you are talking about Native ROM vs CyanogenMod backup options. Are all the replies above about unrooted phones?
On a stock phone, even if rooted, you don't have a recovery that lets you make an image backup.
All phones are different. What works on one won't necessarily work on another. The SGS4G is very different, even from other Samsung phones.
Unless you flash a kernel and recovery, you're not going to be able to do an image backup.
At this point I'd read the "Before you flash anything..." post and the Heimdall one-click threads. What you may know from another phone isn't how the SGS4G works.
Once again, do not use ROM Manager.
I think you should re-examine why you are flashing anything and how much reading and understanding you need to complete before you try.
Posted from my SGS4G, thanks to Team Acid development
Thanks. That clarifies it. Since other posters were using the term 'unrooted' I did not know whether they understood that the phone is rooted.
I will not use the ROM manager with this phone at all. I now understand that there is no App that would backup the phone's operating system, regardless if it is native or CyanogenMod.
I will take time reading the linked threads to figure out the best way to create/restore images.
Once you have custom recovery installed, you'll be able to do image backups.
However, an Android app can't reliably do an image backup as it can't stop filesystem writes.
Posted from my SGS4G, thanks to Team Acid development
jeffsf said:
Once you have custom recovery installed, you'll be able to do image backups.
However, an Android app can't reliably do an image backup as it can't stop filesystem writes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am assuming that after "custom recovery is installed" - image backups are done by holding the three buttons and entering some menu and starting the image/reimage process?
I read the link you posted. It is to fully restore the device to its factory state. I rewrote the linked page to make it a three step easy to follow process. I'll figure out how to get the custom recovery installed next.
Heimdall One-Click 1.31
The "Fully Stock One-Click" solution to revert Samsung Galaxy S 4G SGH-T959V to its factory state. It includes:
Repartitioning: Repartition to stock KJ6 [UVKJ6 Android Gingerbread 2.3.6 Firmware]
Reloading: IBL/PBL, SBL, SBL2, PARAM, Kernel, Recovery, FactoryFS, Data, and Modem.
Formatting: Cache and DBdata
Use this code to format the SD Card *2767*3855#
http://sourceforge.net/projects/tea...T959VUVKJ6_STOCK-UVKJ6-One-Click.jar/download
1. Make sure Visual Studio C++ runtime, Java SE Runtime Environment and drivers are installed under Windows.
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=13523
http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=8328
http://www.java.com/en/download/manual_v6.jsp
http://firon.net/xda/usb_drivers_GalaxyS_x64.zip
http://firon.net/xda/Samsung_Mobile_Driver_V1.3.800_For_SPH-d700_Epic_4G.zip
2. Press and hold USB icon in upper left corner then slide it down to get Notifications displayed > TAP on USB Connected > Turn on USB storage > OK > Your SD Card is accessible from your computer now.
[Do the same and TAP on Turn off USB storage to disconnect the phone from computer.]
3. Make sure to remove the /sdcard/Voodoo directory from your SD Card.
4. Power off your phone.
5. Take your USB cable and plug it into the computer ONLY, not the phone.
5. Hold down both the volume up and down at the same time then plug in the USB cable to your phone with the other hand. Keep holding the volume up and down buttons until you see the Download mode green [Warning!!] message.
5. Press Volume Up button to see" [Downloading... Do not turn off Target!!!]
6. Copy T959VUVKJ6_STOCK-UVKJ6-One-Click.jar to C drive then type this inside DOS prompt to start the process.
C:
java -jar T959VUVKJ6_STOCK-UVKJ6-One-Click.jar
7. Click on [Flash] > You will get a window that instructs you what to do > OK > to click on Options > List All Devices > From drop down menu, Select: SAMSUNG USB Composite Device > Replace Driver > Wait for it to finish > Close > Close the [Replace Driver] Window.
8. Now you should be able to click on [Flash] again and revert to factory state.
9. The phone will automatically reboot.
After running this program, the device should revert to factory state.
c627627 said:
I am assuming that after "custom recovery is installed" - image backups are done by holding the three buttons and entering some menu and starting the image/reimage process?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you have a stock (or mainly stock) ROM installed, you need to get into "recovery mode" on boot. The "guaranteed" way into recovery is to press and hold VolUp and VolDn at the same time, while holding them, press the Power key until you see the boot sequence start, release Power, and release VolUp/VolDn once you see recovery start. On many custom ROMs, there is an option when you long-press the Power key and get the pop-up menu. You can also do that on a rooted phone that is connected to your computer with adb by using $ adb reboot recovery (for any ROM, I believe).
I read the link you posted. It is to fully restore the device to its factory state.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like you're well on your way! Now all we have to do is get you off Windows and on to Linux
hi,
I'm afraid that installing a custom rom on my asus tf300 would break compatibility
with the keyboard dock. Also mine is azerty .
I'm looking for cyanogenmod in particular, what do you think ?
Also there are other consideration for a custom rom:
- my main motivation to install a custom is to get rid of the bloatware.
I just do not wish to spend time with every added apps to understand their purpose,
and they take space.
- ads. I've installed overcome rom in my previous tablet (unfortunately bricked),
and one thing I really liked, is how lot of ads in apps were filtered.
Too much ads popping from nowhere now , which discourage the use of "free" apps.
- if there's some built in mechanism to limit the risk of bricking that would be nice.
My previous tablet was bricked without any reason, perhaps because I didn't use the original charger.
- somehow all the updates that pop up frequently, nags me.
To summarize, I'm looking for a custom rom, that is compatible with my azerty keyboard dock of the tf300;
and preferably all the criteria mentioned above ( no bloat, blocked ads, anti bricking mechanism, less updates).
Thanks
extrabigmehdi said:
hi,
I'm afraid that installing a custom rom on my asus tf300 would break compatibility
with the keyboard dock. Also mine is azerty .
I'm looking for cyanogenmod in particular, what do you think ?
Also there are other consideration for a custom rom:
- my main motivation to install a custom is to get rid of the bloatware.
I just do not wish to spend time with every added apps to understand their purpose,
and they take space.
- ads. I've installed overcome rom in my previous tablet (unfortunately bricked),
and one thing I really liked, is how lot of ads in apps were filtered.
Too much ads popping from nowhere now , which discourage the use of "free" apps.
- if there's some built in mechanism to limit the risk of bricking that would be nice.
My previous tablet was bricked without any reason, perhaps because I didn't use the original charger.
- somehow all the updates that pop up frequently, nags me.
To summarize, I'm looking for a custom rom, that is compatible with my azerty keyboard dock of the tf300;
and preferably all the criteria mentioned above ( no bloat, blocked ads, anti bricking mechanism, less updates).
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Curious AZERTY Keyboard is french layout? But still ASUS Brand Keyboard Dock correct?
Lummers said:
Curious AZERTY Keyboard is french layout? But still ASUS Brand Keyboard Dock correct?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes. With US keyboard the first letters you see in top left are QWERTY, while for french keyboard it' s AZERTY.
If I set improperly the local, I guess I'll get the Q letter when I type A on keyboard and so on.
I think the layout of keyboard was selected, with first run (choose you language , hour etc...).
My guess is that asus use a "standard rom" despite the different keyboards , but I'm not 100% sure.
Maybe cyanogenmod handle this ?
Annoying, with my samsung P1000 using a custom rom, was more straightforward.
Finally used CROMi-Xenogenesis mod.
It was harder than I thought, with silly unexpected problems from time to time.
For instance, you can't use the bootloader unlocker from asus, if you set the font size of system to max (try if you don't see why).
The dos shell that refused to change dir once in administartor mod , in order to use that fastboot thing ( weird, but worked after typing a drive letter ). Twrp that refused to mound the sd card even with fat32 system (I realized later I could reset while keeping the rom to install).
And finally , no f***** step by step manual, to install the custom rom.
Overcome was more newbie friendly.
No problem with locals, as already announced before by the author of rom.
Now it seems : less bloated, and I have ads blocked .
Will customize more later.
extrabigmehdi said:
Finally used CROMi-Xenogenesis mod.
It was harder than I thought, with silly unexpected problems from time to time.
For instance, you can't use the bootloader unlocker from asus, if you set the font size of system to max (try if you don't see why).
The dos shell that refused to change dir once in administartor mod , in order to use that fastboot thing ( weird, but worked after typing a drive letter ). Twrp that refused to mound the sd card even with fat32 system (I realized later I could reset while keeping the rom to install).
And finally , no f***** step by step manual, to install the custom rom.
Overcome was more newbie friendly.
No problem with locals, as already announced before by the author of rom.
Now it seems : less bloated, and I have ads blocked .
Will customize more later.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm using Comi-X a well, I didn't know you were looking for that I had a post earlier that I had great help from people on the board.
I'm using Hund's Kernel so I'm overclocking a little on that machine.
No more lag!! It's amazing how much faster it is with the rom.
Please let me know if you need a hand with anything, I'm still a noob but I'll try my best to help you out.
extrabigmehdi said:
Finally used CROMi-Xenogenesis mod.
It was harder than I thought, with silly unexpected problems from time to time.
For instance, you can't use the bootloader unlocker from asus, if you set the font size of system to max (try if you don't see why).
The dos shell that refused to change dir once in administartor mod , in order to use that fastboot thing ( weird, but worked after typing a drive letter ). Twrp that refused to mound the sd card even with fat32 system (I realized later I could reset while keeping the rom to install).
And finally , no f***** step by step manual, to install the custom rom.
Overcome was more newbie friendly.
No problem with locals, as already announced before by the author of rom.
Now it seems : less bloated, and I have ads blocked .
Will customize more later.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would suggest doing the NvFlash for your tablet so it becomes unbrickable now that you have a custom ROM. Link in sig
cmendonc2 said:
I would suggest doing the NvFlash for your tablet so it becomes unbrickable now that you have a custom ROM. Link in sig
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately I just find this nvfash thing just too much confusing.
For miscellaneous reasons:
1) there's no "official" tutorial to restore bricked tablet with nvflash
2) I don't understand what nvflash (or the steps to create "nvflash backup files" ) will exactly change to my current install, if there's a risk of incompatibility/conflict, if I'll need to re-install twrp afterward. Would the bootloader be changed ? Its there a nvflash bootloader ? Unclear.
3) Sorry the part " you will need to flash the AndroidRoot patched custom bootloader" is just Chinese to me.
4) If I install in future , a new rom based on a new android version (and I guess a new bootloader ?) , would I loose the ability to use nvflash ?
5) which file do I need to keep exactly, and where. Let's say I want to save space, do I need to keep blob files etc inside tablet ?
6) ironically there's a risk of bricking my tablet while following this "anti-brick" tool, and with the not so clear tutorial, I have reasons to hesitate.
extrabigmehdi said:
Unfortunately I just find this nvfash thing just too much confusing.
For miscellaneous reasons:
1) there's no "official" tutorial to restore bricked tablet with nvflash
2) I don't understand what nvflash (or the steps to create "nvflash backup files" ) will exactly change to my current install, if there's a risk of incompatibility/conflict, if I'll need to re-install twrp afterward. Would the bootloader be changed ? Its there a nvflash bootloader ? Unclear.
3) Sorry the part " you will need to flash the AndroidRoot patched custom bootloader" is just Chinese to me.
4) If I install in future , a new rom based on a new android version (and I guess a new bootloader ?) , would I loose the ability to use nvflash ?
5) which file do I need to keep exactly, and where. Let's say I want to save space, do I need to keep blob files etc inside tablet ?
6) ironically there's a risk of bricking my tablet while following this "anti-brick" tool, and with the not so clear tutorial, I have reasons to hesitate.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1.) Google NvFlash Commands, or read original NvFlash thread, or ask a dev at AndroidRoot
2.)NvFlash files are backups. It doesnt change the BL. The BL just needs to be jellybean
3.) NvFlash is done using a custom version of CWM recovery, so it runs all the scripts for u. You just have to press a few buttons
4.) If you've done NvFlash once, it doesnt matter what you do to your tablet like changing BL
5.) The blob file is about 2 MB, the other backups that are recommended are about 10MB. You wont run out of space. The files that need to be saved are listed in the guide, as well as the way to save them
6.) If you follow the guide down to the word, there is no problem. Unlocking your bootloader and and flashing a rom has the same risk of bricking. If you have any questions ALWAYS ask before proceeding.
cmendonc2 said:
1.) Google NvFlash Commands, or read original NvFlash thread, or ask a dev at AndroidRoot
2.)NvFlash files are backups. It doesnt change the BL. The BL just needs to be jellybean
3.) NvFlash is done using a custom version of CWM recovery, so it runs all the scripts for u. You just have to press a few buttons
4.) If you've done NvFlash once, it doesnt matter what you do to your tablet like changing BL
5.) The blob file is about 2 MB, the other backups that are recommended are about 10MB. You wont run out of space. The files that need to be saved are listed in the guide, as well as the way to save them
6.) If you follow the guide down to the word, there is no problem. Unlocking your bootloader and and flashing a rom has the same risk of bricking. If you have any questions ALWAYS ask before proceeding.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was reading about the NvFlash as it was just recently released.
Couple of questions (sorry if hijacked this thread)
Does it work with TWRP? Or will I have to use CWM?
I've read the NvFlash Guide but I'm still unsure of the necessities.
Lummers said:
I was reading about the NvFlash as it was just recently released.
Couple of questions (sorry if hijacked this thread)
Does it work with TWRP? Or will I have to use CWM?
I've read the NvFlash Guide but I'm still unsure of the necessities.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So to get TWRP, u flash a custom CWM, but after you have your backups and blobs, you can flash back TWRP
cmendonc2 said:
1.) Google NvFlash Commands, or read original NvFlash thread, or ask a dev at AndroidRoot
2.)NvFlash files are backups. It doesnt change the BL. The BL just needs to be jellybean
3.) NvFlash is done using a custom version of CWM recovery, so it runs all the scripts for u. You just have to press a few buttons
4.) If you've done NvFlash once, it doesnt matter what you do to your tablet like changing BL
5.) The blob file is about 2 MB, the other backups that are recommended are about 10MB. You wont run out of space. The files that need to be saved are listed in the guide, as well as the way to save them
6.) If you follow the guide down to the word, there is no problem. Unlocking your bootloader and and flashing a rom has the same risk of bricking. If you have any questions ALWAYS ask before proceeding.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All right , basically you replace the "recovery tool" with one custom that allows to save the nvflash files (how I interpret it).
I tried to follow the steps but not without problems.
I tried to install "Universal Naked Driver" , but it didn't work.
I uninstalled the asus official driver first , but the universal naked driver wasn't recognized.
Reading some discussions, suggested that it doesn't work with win 7 x64 anyways.
So I re-installed again the "ASUS Pad PC Suite" in order to get the driver again, but also all the stuff I don't care , such like asus clouds and asus sync (if I try to skip, the setup freeze).
Then I followed the step for nvflash, and I got a problem at step where I type "adb pull /data/media/AndroidRoot " . I got the error "device not recognized" .
I retyped again the menu command to generate the blob ; thinking it might help, and all I got is a new wifi error.
So I searched a bit on the web, some discussion suggesting I do the adb command in regular android mode, and after enabling "debug mode".
But enabling the debug mode is not anymore straightforward, you must do some kind of magical trick, where you tap seven time the version build :crying:. I'm happy I didn't install the java sdk, some people suggest to install it in order to use the adb thing :silly:.
So I finally got 8 files .
Reboot in "APX mode" , I get this time the error in windows that the driver is missing. This time I used "universal naked driver " for this,
driver recognized. Reboot of windows, just in case.
Finally I got a frightening black screen, making you think that the tablet might be bricked (they say "blank screen" in tutorial , but I was hoping a white background ).
But fortunately I ended all the nvflash steps successfully.
And then I reflashed TWRP.
extrabigmehdi said:
All right , basically you replace the "recovery tool" with one custom that allows to save the nvflash files (how I interpret it).
I tried to follow the steps but not without problems.
I tried to install "Universal Naked Driver" , but it didn't work.
I uninstalled the asus official driver first , but the universal naked driver wasn't recognized.
Reading some discussions, suggested that it doesn't work with win 7 x64 anyways.
So I re-installed again the "ASUS Pad PC Suite" in order to get the driver again, but also all the stuff I don't care , such like asus clouds and asus sync (if I try to skip, the setup freeze).
Then I followed the step for nvflash, and I got a problem at step where I type "adb pull /data/media/AndroidRoot " . I got the error "device not recognized" .
I retyped again the menu command to generate the blob ; thinking it might help, and all I got is a new wifi error.
So I searched a bit on the web, some discussion suggesting I do the adb command in regular android mode, and after enabling "debug mode".
But enabling the debug mode is not anymore straightforward, you must do some kind of magical trick, where you tap seven time the version build :crying:. I'm happy I didn't install the java sdk, some people suggest to install it in order to use the adb thing :silly:.
So I finally got 8 files .
Reboot in "APX mode" , I get this time the error in windows that the driver is missing. This time I used "universal naked driver " for this,
driver recognized. Reboot of windows, just in case.
Finally I got a frightening black screen, making you think that the tablet might be bricked (they say "blank screen" in tutorial , but I was hoping a white background ).
But fortunately I ended all the nvflash steps successfully.
And then I reflashed TWRP.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Woah....
Totally sounds like a little bit of a challenge for people that are new to the android scene..
I'm going to give this a whirl this week sometime and get it backed up.
Im also looking into NVflash, my bootloader is unlocked but I have yet to root and pick a rom. I am also looking for something that will work with a keyboad, I have yet to buy one but my birthday is coming up.
As the title states, I need help with understanding the basic steps on rooting the ASUS TF300.
I am not a programmer, I do not know the lingo or terms, and searching on the site has yielded very confusing results.
Basic steps?
1. Unlock boot loader - Why? What does this do?
2. TWRP? I have no clue, but I see references all over the place
3. Custom Recovery - What does this do? Do I need it?
4. Kernel - What is this?
5. ROM - What is this?
6. Install Super SU or SuperUser (what's the difference?, what does this do?
7. Install a root check app (to check if rooted I presume)
8. Install some form of file explorer (I have Fx File Explorer) and backup/control app (I have Titanium backup)- both paid forms
9. De-bloat with caution!
Where does the OEM firmware/software fit in this scheme? Does it exist as a backup or is it over-written? Do I have a choice?
As you can guess I'm lost. Reading threads after searching for "root TF300" or even the guides or the very good index, I have more questions than answers. How does one know what to do if the acronyms used are cryptic? (example TWRP~ what does this even stand for?)
I believe that not all steps are required, but I also believe the order I do things is important, and I'm concerned about bricking my TF300 by doing something wrong. I also don't want to assume that this is the same for every device or phones. (what steps work for a phone may not be the best for a tablet)
All I want to do is root and remove bloat. After I get this, I may consider upgrading the OS (kernel? Rom?) to something better.
Any links would be greatly appreciated. Please just bear in mind I'm so noob to this I don't know a ROM from a Kernel yet. (When I search, all answers are overly complicated developer definitions.)
Thank you!
Here is a "simple Step by Step" with notes in red as to how my mind tries to grasp this:
1. Upgrade your tablet to the desired firmware: 4.1 or 4.2 I assume they mean any OTA upgrade~ my tablet is current with JB 4.2.1 and I do not believe ASUS will plan on upgrading this anytime soon)
2. Be sure the correct drivers for your tablet are installed!! Installed where? on my PC? How do I know what are the correct drivers? Where can I get them?
3. Download the updated rooting toolkit: Updated Motochopper rooting toolkit -OK, I can do this!
4. Download TWRP for your firmware version:
- 4.1: TWRP 2.5.0.0 for Jellyeban 4.1
- 4.2: TWRP 2.5.0.0 for Jellybean 4.2 -This makes sense to me, as I am jellybean 4.2.1
5. Rename the downloaded TWRP blob file to twrp.blob and copy it to the root of your sdcard -what is a blob file? Is there a size requirement for the SD card? Does the SD have to be blank?
5. Extract the rooting toolkit to a place you like. -I assume the above mentioned motochopper? Does this answer my question above about the SD card?
== Part 2 - Rooting ==
1. Open up the folder where you placed the rooting toolkit. - with what program? A simple file explorer I assume?
2. Open the run file and follow the instructions -I hope there aren't any cryptic/over my head choices to make!
After installation the tablet should reboot and you should be rooted. -Does this install all the SuperSu stuff or is this it? What about customer recovery? Can I go back? what are the limitations of doing it this way assuming it works....
And this is just PART of the process!
I'll answer in logical order:
broderp said:
5. ROM - What is this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's the Operating System that's running on your tablet, i.e. what is called Lollipop or KitKat, or even further what makes the difference between Android and iOS.
Your ROM may come with some preinstalled apps, but with some ROMs they are separate (i.e. the Google apps).
broderp said:
1. Unlock boot loader - Why? What does this do?
2. TWRP? I have no clue, but I see references all over the place
3. Custom Recovery - What does this do? Do I need it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On your ASUS tablet you can, by default, only install ASUS supplied ROMs (i.e. updates).
In order to install a new ROM you need to unlock your device. You do that by unlocking the boot loader. Once you have unlocked the boot loader, you can install a custom recovery, such as TWRP (there are many custom recoveries, but for your device TWRP is recommended).
Once you have a custom recovery, installing a new ROM, or rooting your device, becomes a lot easier. No need to type in commands, but you can now use touch.
broderp said:
4. Kernel - What is this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your kernel is the most important part of your ROM. It's the software between apps and your actual hardware, the lowest level actually. The kernel determines if you can talk to certain pieces of hardware or not. If the kernel does not support certain hardware, that's it, you can't use it.
When your tablet boots up, the first thing it loads its the kernel, the kernel loads all other programs. Another responsibility of the kernel is to allow you to run multiple programs at once.
broderp said:
6. Install Super SU or SuperUser (what's the difference?, what does this do?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They allow you to execute programs with root privileges (i.e. no limit to privileges, can do anything), but also give you some protection so malicious programs cannot become root: you have to give explicit permissions for every app.
broderp said:
7. Install a root check app (to check if rooted I presume)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes.
broderp said:
8. Install some form of file explorer (I have Fx File Explorer) and backup/control app (I have Titanium backup)- both paid forms
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Optional, pick whatever you like.
broderp said:
9. De-bloat with caution!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No clue!
broderp said:
Where does the OEM firmware/software fit in this scheme? Does it exist as a backup or is it over-written? Do I have a choice?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Firmware often is part of the hardware: it gets written to special memory, and "sticks", i.e. when you reboot it stays there. If you get a T300 you should let ASUS run all the updates as it installs new firmware. Some firmware gets written when your device boots, meaning the special program, the kernel, starts, and at some point writes updated firmware to hardware.
So firmware is software that makes hardware a bit more flexible: else everything is hard-wired, if there's a problem you can't fix it, but with software you sometimes can fix a hardware issue.
Hope this helps!
First, to unlock the bootloader, you need to go the asus site and register your tablet. Then you can download the unlock app from the asus site as well. Next, move the unlock app from where ever it downloaded on your pc to your tablet. You can put it on the tablet RAM or on an SD card, it doesn't matter. On your tablet, go into the settings menu. under security(I think it is there) and enable 'unknown sources' for app installation. I haven't had the stock ROM for so long, I can't recall where that option is. Run the unlock app. It may take a couple times to unlock the tablet. WARNING! this will void your warrenty! So if your tablet is relatively new, think hard about this. Once your tablet is unlocked, then you can worry about TWRP and ROMS
TWRP is a custom recovery. It is officially Team Win Recovery Project, hence TWRP. It is a program that will allow you to back up your tablet before you make changes(very important in case you screw something up) and a host of other things including flashing custom ROMs. If you go into the LP 5.1 for the TF300 thread in the development area, it will have all the links for stuff like the current TWRP, Gapps packages and the newest LP ROM. It is great for our tablets and really wakes it up. Oh yeah, the TWRP site will have instructions for flashing TWRP on your newly unlocked tablet as well.
All this seems very intimidating for noobs, I was one about 4 months ago. I now feel sort of not-noobish. To install TWRP you will need either Fastboot or ADB on your computer. Google Fastboot or ADB and you should find plenty of answers. There are also 'lite' versions of Fastboot out there too. If you are on Windows 8 or 8.1 you will need one of those. Windows doesn't like fastboot or ADB for some reason
HTH