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[Q] Sprint can't activate my cyanogenmod 6 android 2.2 htc hero, HELP!!!!!!!

Hi to all xda members, 2 days ago I acquired a sprint htc hero already rooted and modded with cyanogenmod 6 android 2.2, the phone runs great everything works on it via wifi etc...., I called sprint to activate the phone and they gave me instructions, the first was to find the system update or update profile option under settings about phone, well this option does not appear on my phone u deer about phone, and I could not find it anywhere else in the settings menu, so we moved to the dial pad and the gave me three codes each starting with ## and ending with #, none of the codes opened the magic menu that the sprint engineer was expecting, at that point they concluded the phone may have a hardware issue and cannot be activated, they suspect the phone possibly was flashed for use with another service like metrics and flashed back to sprint thus causing chipsets damage, something about changing frequencies making it unactivateable by sprint, now maybe there is another way to activate a modded phone like this that I'm not aware of, so I hope u guys can show me the right way to activate with my sprint phone and data plan a rooted sprint htc hero running cyanogenmod 6 android 2.2
One last note, I have searched on xda and cyanogenmod forums with no luck, it seems his is not an issue with others, I have not found a way to mod the phones MDN and MSID which I think are the essential mods to activate the phone, and it was modes with the clockwork app
Thanks in advance
Joemango

you need to flash to a non cyanogenmod rom, such as fresh, and your ## codes will work, when you are complete, flash back to cyanogen.
edit: for a future FYI... this post really belongs in Q&A

DJAscendance said:
you need to flash to a non cyanogenmod rom, such as fresh, and your ## codes will work, when you are complete, flash back to cyanogen.
edit: for a future FYI... this post really belongs in Q&A
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is correct... you'll need a sprint HTC sense rom for it to function.

Make a nandroid backup, flash NFX's stock ROM. Activate it. And then use your nandroid backup to go back to CM6.
Good Luck,
Tee Jay

wow! quick replies, should i use the Deodexed or oxed version of nfx's stock? and can i flash using ROM manager which is currently on the phone? if not then what method should i use to flash nfx first then after activation flash back cyanogenmod 6 which is already backed up on the sd card and usable with rom manager

i would use the odexed version no real differences just the odex one is going to boot a little faster

thoughtlesskyle said:
i would use the odexed version no real differences just the odex one is going to boot a little faster
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree, I prefer odex as well.

joemango said:
wow! quick replies, should i use the Deodexed or oxed version of nfx's stock? and can i flash using ROM manager which is currently on the phone? if not then what method should i use to flash nfx first then after activation flash back cyanogenmod 6 which is already backed up on the sd card and usable with rom manager
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
seein as you did label this [Q] this is posted in the wrong section. The fact that even after someone told you all you did was say "WOW FAST RESPONSES", Shows you have no respect for the rules. PLUS you didnt read the sticky at the top of this development section and only want to get your question answered and then go on.
I understand your new and most people cant say that..i see you just joined this month so i will give a lil slack to ya..lol(j/p man your good). I also saw you said THANKS IN ADVANCE on your first post so my apologies for that if i seem like im coming off as an arrogant *ick or something like that. Please tho in the future can you post questions in the correct forums.
AND I WOULD SUGGEST myself the odexed version, ive used it and like others it does boot faster and seems for me to run just a lil smoother. Good luck with getting your phone activated...the Hero when done right is a very amazing phone. Glad to have you among the community!

hello all, well I fixed it, the phone is activated and running caynogenmod 6!. Below are the steps i took to activate, I hope this helps others in a similar situation.
Before anything, I made a full system backup and saved on my sd card using nandroid, using a how to on the cyanogen website, just search on google for "Howto: Nandroid Backup - CyanogenMod Wiki"
1. downloaded Sprint.STOCK.2.31.651.7.ODEX_signed.zip from the net
2. plugged my sd card adapter into comp via usb and copied .zip file to root directory
3. put sd card back in phone and turned on phone.
4. ran ROM Manager and chose Install from SD Card
5. Chose the zip file, chose the "wipe" option, did not choose the "backup" option and hit Ok
6. The phone reboots into recovery mode (RA) and automatically installed the ROM i downloaded.
7. in RA mode, choose reboot system now
8. The new ROM fired up with no problems
9. I called Sprint and activated the phone using the update profile option under menu->settings->about phone
10. once activation was complete I wend to android market on the phone and downloaded/installed ROM manager free edition
11. I ran rom manager and went to backup/restore chose manage and restore backups chose the backup containing cyanogenmod 6 and pressed ok.
12. when restore completed i chose restart system (in RA mode) and voila, done, fini, as a last step i tested phone and data connections, all was fine.
one last note, I did all the rom manipulations with the phone on a wall charger to ensure power during these operations.
I hope others find this helpful, Im sorry if i posted in a the wrong forum, hopefully an admin can move this thread to a more suitable forum.
thanks for all your help, I look forward to contributing more, email me questions, comments, etc....
joemango

An XDA member in need requires a quick response!

I went through same..i repkace hero with evo, since id never rooted before(this was june) i decided to preactice on my hero, got it working couple mnths later i gave it to my bro, n had a time trying to get it activated, i almosted slipped bout it being with custom rom...lol..wouldnt been good

513fabe said:
I almosted slipped bout it being with custom rom...lol..wouldnt been good
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just can't understand why any employee of sprint would even care. I go into my local Cellular South store and assist their employees with rooting their phones. They love me and can't understand why Cellular South doesn't offer this as a service.

513fabe said:
I went through same..i repkace hero with evo, since id never rooted before(this was june) i decided to preactice on my hero, got it working couple mnths later i gave it to my bro, n had a time trying to get it activated, i almosted slipped bout it being with custom rom...lol..wouldnt been good
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I accidentally took a Hero and an Evo to the sprint store rooted with fully themed modded roms. The guy noticed instantly, he was cool and we talked about modding phones for a good 30mins. Then the next day my friends data wouldnt work so he called sprint and he accidentally told the lady the Hero was rooted, she joked about it and laughed and then told us how to fix the data and even how to get a brand new phone if we wanted to.

Jus10o said:
I accidentally took a Hero and an Evo to the sprint store rooted with fully themed modded roms. The guy noticed instantly, he was cool and we talked about modding phones for a good 30mins. Then the next day my friends data wouldnt work so he called sprint and he accidentally told the lady the Hero was rooted, she joked about it and laughed and then told us how to fix the data and even how to get a brand new phone if we wanted to.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How do you get a brand new phone, lol ? PM me plz...

Just google search the sprint ruu and run it from pc. get the .5 and run universal androot. set up your phone and androot gives you access to reflash cm6 with the use of RomManager by clockwork mod.

CrashV2010 said:
How do you get a brand new phone, lol ? PM me plz...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey, i wanna know too. I think im not the only one that feels this way either.
Sent from my HERO200 using XDA App

Me to please....new phone? How?
Sent from my HERO200 using XDA App

So what is this about getting a new phone? Tell me more, inquiring minds would love to know.

I agree! I would love to get a new phone. I'm due for an upgrade.
Sent from Bryson the HTC Hero.

If you could tell one more person how you can get a new phone, I would appreciated alot lol thank you
Sent from my HERO200 using XDA App

[Q] Samsung Galaxy Gio (S5660M, not S5660)

Hello,
I have bought a North American (Canadian, to be exact) Galaxy Gio (S5660M, with an additional "M" from the European model).
There are lots of tutorials about S5660 rooting and unlocking, but none for S5660M. There has been some reports that flashing S5660 firmware on S5660M to root and unlock made their phones unusable (randomly changing screen brightness, etc).
I tried searching on google and XDA, but could not find any relating to S5660M.
Is it too early to see any rooting/unlocking on S5660M?
Thank you very much!

Hello,
After some reading on here to compare unlock methods, I decided to take the leap into the unknown. I used the one published in this thread. (EDIT: Check out this one instead, perfectly safe.) (It turns out that the Gravity Smart, Galaxy Q, 551, 550, Mini, Ace, Fit, and Gio are siblings in a few respects. They all share Qualcomm 7x27 family SoCs.)
One deviation from the above linked thread is that SuperOneClick does not work on the 2.3.4 MUGK3 firmware. Updated versions of SuperOneClick do work with the firmware. Worst case scenario the program won't finish gracefully, but you'll have a root shell and you can work from there.
I've uploaded my modified superuser zip that'll work with the 5660M. Install through recovery mode. Removed - the superuser files within were long obsolete. Get the current ones through proper channels.
I wouldn't risk flashing the ROMs posted here until we can get a complete backup ROM, either from samfirmware.com (they don't have one yet) or through efforts here. I'll be starting another thread here for that purpose. Backup made a long time ago and SamMobile has had an official Odin image for some time as well.
There's been some issues reported with the 5660M, ranging from odd screen brightness behavior to bricking. (Many ROMs initially posted for the 5660, left "as is" also flash both the kernel and radio: not good.)
Goodbye,
Darkshado

Thank you for the reply! I have successfully rooted & unlocked using the modified zip. I am not sure if it was your's (I have done it prior to looking at your reply... ), but it worked!
thank you!
Darkshado said:
Hello,
After some reading on here to compare unlock methods, I decided to take the leap into the unknown. I used the one published in this thread. (It turns out that the Mini, Ace and Gio are siblings in a few respects.) Make extra sure to follow the steps intelligently, especially the bit right after you get your code.
One deviation from the above linked thread is that SuperOneClick does not work on the 2.3.4 MUGK3 firmware.
I've uploaded my modified superuser zip that'll work with the 5660M. Install through recovery mode.
I wouldn't risk flashing the ROMs posted here until we can get a complete backup ROM, either from samfirmware.com (they don't have one yet) or through efforts here. I'll be starting another thread here for that purpose.
There's been some issues reported with the 5660M, ranging from odd screen brightness behavior to bricking. (The ROMs posted for the 5660, left "as is" also flash both the kernel and radio: not good.)
Goodbye,
Darkshado
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

could you tell me how I could unlock my phone too.

New tonight
Just picked up a GIO here tonight.
BTW Future Shop in Canada has these on for $80 right now.
I think this is a great deal, for a very responsive 2.3 android phone.
OK,
So S5660m - is the version in canada it would seem.. I think there are going to be quite a lot of owners because of the pricing.
We should use this thread or another to setup a difinitive list of what works.
1. How to root the phone.
2. Unlocks that work - I have heard some methods brick Ms very easy. What is the best unlock method specific to the M
3. What ROMs can we use? do we need to have our own set of modified roms because of the modem portion?
4. Overclocking.. I have heard these can clock up to 1100 and run awsome!!
This is my wish list.
James

Hello James. Welcome to XDA.
Whoa there early thread starter! Use the search engine before even thinking of starting another thread. We don't have a dedicated Gio forum at the moment so things are scattered all over. Advanced search is handy as it outputs threads instead of posts.
Biker1bob said:
1. How to root the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same as a lot of other phones, apply a zip file through CWM. You could also flash an already rooted ROM with Odin.
2. Unlocks that work - I have heard some methods brick Ms very easy. What is the best unlock method specific to the M
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The bml5 method is safe. I noticed I had left a link to the older and unsafe stl5 method in my post above and removed it.
And keep your unlock code accessible somewhere on the phone. This phone is known to relock itself to Bell in some specific scenarios.
3. What ROMs can we use? do we need to have our own set of modified roms because of the modem portion
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, and no. If you only flash system.rfs, and maybe boot.img, it should work based on what others have reported.
I've cooked up a ROM for the 5660M that's called ArpegGioMod if you want to have a look.
Another point to consider if you want to run your phone in French: the Eurasian ROMs may or may not have that locale, and will likely have an AZERTY keyboard instead of a QWERTY one.
Do not flash radio (AMSS) or the other bootloaders from the Euro 5660. The former will make you lose all cellphone connection, the latter is unnecessary and increases your chances of bricking.
4. Overclocking.. I have heard these can clock up to 1100 and run awsome!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where'd you get that? The only kernel mods I've seen so far for any Gio are all ramdisk modifications that left the stock kernel untouched.

Just to clairify darkshadow, by "bml5 method" you mean this ?
0) brand new locked GT-S5660M phone frome the store
1A) root the device using this zip
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=16962635&postcount=2
simplest method :
1.1 To begin, download the zip file from the link above and copy it to the root of your SD card.
1.2 Power the phone off.
1.3 Boot into recovery mode by holding the middle button and pressing the power button.
1.4 Once in recovery mode, select update from sdcard and choose the update.zip that you copied to your SD card.
1.5 Let the file flash and once done, reboot your phone.
OR
1B Follow EDIT2, for temp rooting on same URL below
2. Follow exact instructions as per here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=17148825&postcount=334
(with the slight modification for HEX code to search specified here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=17311381&postcount=358 )
Question: Does it matter if there is a SIM card in the phone when following these instructions ?
Any thoughts about "Network Lock Control Key" ?? ( ... would appear that this shows up as a separate issue for some users some time after unlocking see:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=992564 )
THANK YOU so much for confirming I got this right....I just want to make sure I am not missing anything, and these instructions are really safe as far as you know before attempting anything.

Darkshado said:
Hello James. Welcome to XDA.
Whoa there early thread starter! Use the search engine before even thinking of starting another thread. We don't have a dedicated Gio forum at the moment so things are scattered all over. Advanced search is handy as it outputs threads instead of posts.
Same as a lot of other phones, apply a zip file through CWM. You could also flash an already rooted ROM with Odin.
The bml5 method is safe. I noticed I had left a link to the older and unsafe stl5 method in my post above and removed it.
And keep your unlock code accessible somewhere on the phone. This phone is known to relock itself to Bell in some specific scenarios.
Yes, and no. If you only flash system.rfs, and maybe boot.img, it should work based on what others have reported.
I've cooked up a ROM for the 5660M that's called ArpegGioMod if you want to have a look.
Another point to consider if you want to run your phone in French: the Eurasian ROMs may or may not have that locale, and will likely have an AZERTY keyboard instead of a QWERTY one.
Do not flash radio (AMSS) or the other bootloaders from the Euro 5660. The former will make you lose all cellphone connection, the latter is unnecessary and increases your chances of bricking.
Where'd you get that? The only kernel mods I've seen so far for any Gio are all ramdisk modifications that left the stock kernel untouched.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
so i'm pretty new here... i have a gio n my usb port is messed up.. i wiped tha phone the other day n the network lock came back on.. so seeing that i can't use any usb what should i do?
thanks in advance
IMEI: Mod Edit: IMEI # Removed...not a great idea to post them on a public forum

Let me start with things you shouldn't do:
-Resurrect two year old, stale, threads.
-Post your IMEI for everyone to see.
Exactly *how* is your USB port messed up? Just not talking to the computer or not working at all?
Are you rooted? If not, get that sorted out by using one of the exploits that worked on Gingerbread. You'll have to do it manually, no SuperOneClick for you. (Although the binaries included might come in handy.)
It is possible to do the commands to get bml5 via a terminal emulator app, and then transfer that file over wi-fi. (Samba, WebDAV, FTP, Dropbox, etc...)
I'm not sure anymore if this is possible in GB, look into using ADB over wi-fi instead of USB. I've sold my Gio months ago, and all of my current devices run 4.1+.

I'm new on rooting a phone and I need help please guy's could anyone help me. Thanks

Hello there guy's I'm new with rooted charge phones. Well guy's last night I did a stupid thing with my phone.. I accidentally updates my phone with the new OTA FP1 with rooted rom. Well guy's now my phone is screwing up.
So I followed few steps on at XDA.. How to fix my phone.. So I got my phone on stock rom and also I got the new update OTA FP1.
Well guy's I need some help on rooting this phone with the new update stock OTA FP1 rom.
The person who help me on rooting my phones he left to a church mission at south Africa.
Could any one please guide me on steps on rooting this phone on the new stock Rom (FP1) rooted also includes radios, kernel.
Please I need help guides steps with this phone issues because I'm not great person on rooting.
Sent from my SCH-I510 using xda premium

sgtkillspot said:
Hello there guy's I'm new with rooted charge phones. Well guy's last night I did a stupid thing with my phone.. I accidentally updates my phone with the new OTA FP1 with rooted rom. Well guy's now my phone is screwing up.
So I followed few steps on at XDA.. How to fix my phone.. So I got my phone on stock rom and also I got the new update OTA FP1.
Well guy's I need some help on rooting this phone with the new update stock OTA FP1 rom.
The person who help me on rooting my phones he left to a church mission at south Africa.
Could any one please guide me on steps on rooting this phone on the new stock Rom (FP1) rooted also includes radios, kernel.
Please I need help guides steps with this phone issues because I'm not great person on rooting.
Sent from my SCH-I510 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Follow direction #5:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1560117

re
I was fuclking frustrated when trying to CWM / ROOT / CUSTOM rom my charge.
I have rooted and installed more roms than i can shake a stick at with my other phones.
But the lack of information on sooooo many of the dev threads that leave out soooooooooooooooooooooooo much info made my head spin.
First of all.
Odin is a program that you can install clockword mod with, as well as some custom roms.
Clockwork mod is a recovery / install tool that you install to be able to install custom roms and packages.
Even installing clockwork mod is a hassle, often you have to install it with odin and select, dont auto reboot. then pull the usb and then the battery.. then you have to hit the VolumeUp button + power + home to get into cwm.. and hopefully it will stick..
Once you get cwm installed you have to download a rom..
There are many of them, i went with a package that you load via odin instead of installing from clockwork mod.
i went with a package that was a stock 2.3.6 with root.
after i installed it, it was recommended that you wipe devlink cache, system cache.
finally after i rebooted i finally had a rom that was rooted.
This was after 2+ hours of searching through threads, downloading way too much crap and swearing at my computer for the lack of quality directions.
Usually XDA is rife with STICKYS that are easy to follow.
The charge forum is quite the opposite.
If i was not tired / drunk and frustrated i would post a correct HOW TO thread.. that i would imagine would not get stickied.

sprintrjm said:
I was fuclking frustrated when trying to CWM / ROOT / CUSTOM rom my charge.
I have rooted and installed more roms than i can shake a stick at with my other phones.
But the lack of information on sooooo many of the dev threads that leave out soooooooooooooooooooooooo much info made my head spin.
First of all.
Odin is a program that you can install clockword mod with, as well as some custom roms.
Clockwork mod is a recovery / install tool that you install to be able to install custom roms and packages.
Even installing clockwork mod is a hassle, often you have to install it with odin and select, dont auto reboot. then pull the usb and then the battery.. then you have to hit the VolumeUp button + power + home to get into cwm.. and hopefully it will stick..
Once you get cwm installed you have to download a rom..
There are many of them, i went with a package that you load via odin instead of installing from clockwork mod.
i went with a package that was a stock 2.3.6 with root.
after i installed it, it was recommended that you wipe devlink cache, system cache.
finally after i rebooted i finally had a rom that was rooted.
This was after 2+ hours of searching through threads, downloading way too much crap and swearing at my computer for the lack of quality directions.
Usually XDA is rife with STICKYS that are easy to follow.
The charge forum is quite the opposite.
If i was not tired / drunk and frustrated i would post a correct HOW TO thread.. that i would imagine would not get stickied.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey bro, no need to get frustrated, you tried too hard to learn all at once. Let talk about what you have on your phone and what you want to achieve? I will take you through step by step.
Another thing I want to clear with you about Odin and CWM. They both are two useful tools to flash rom/kernel etc.. If kernel or full rom image are created in a ZIP format or extension, you use cwm. If a rom/kernel created in a MD5 format or extension, you would use Odin.
For example; the new FP1 kernel was made in both format so you have a choice to use either to flash.
Summary:
1. If the file ended with ZIP extension like "FP1_kernel.ZIP", you would use CWM to flash.
2. If the file ended with MD5 extension like "FP1_kernel.MD5", then you would use Odin to flash.
In order to use cwm, it has to be installed on your phone. cwm was created in MD5 extension, so you need to use Odin to install cwm to your phone. Once cwm installed on your phone, in order to access it, you need to hold Vol up+home+power button to get to it, then you can use it to flash zip file.
Odin is an execution PC file (.exe), you download and install on your PC and it used to flash MD5 file. In order for Odin to talk to your phone, you have to put your phone in "download mode". By remove battery, plug in usb cable between your PC and phone, press Vol down button, this will put your phone in download mode, now you re insert battery back to ensure a stable data transfer between your PC and phone. Without put back battery, data transfer may fail. After this, Odin is ready to flash Md5 file to your phone.
Like I said, let me know what's on your phone and what you want to achieve, I can help you step by step to get it done. After you have some practice, you will understand what involved and how to use them. Cheers!!!

re
yeah.. i should have just read through the forums a day or so to figure out the odin / rooting / rom process for this phone.
But i am a seasoned vet in the android world and got pretty frustrated, mainly because a few of the other xda forums made me a little jaded by the process.
I have a fully functioning 2.3.6 rooted charge with CWM and the edited build prop to keep the Unwanted ota updates from bugging me.
Thanks for not flaming the f-out of me.
BTW have yall come across a thread about sandblasting or sandpapering the back cover of the phone to make it less slippery? I have sweaty f-ing hand, i know gross, but its a slippery phone for me.

sprintrjm said:
yeah.. i should have just read through the forums a day or so to figure out the odin / rooting / rom process for this phone.
But i am a seasoned vet in the android world and got pretty frustrated, mainly because a few of the other xda forums made me a little jaded by the process.
I have a fully functioning 2.3.6 rooted charge with CWM and the edited build prop to keep the Unwanted ota updates from bugging me.
Thanks for not flaming the f-out of me.
BTW have yall come across a thread about sandblasting or sandpapering the back cover of the phone to make it less slippery? I have sweaty f-ing hand, i know gross, but its a slippery phone for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not a problem, you can get a back cover from ebay for a few bucks and it will do the trick.
Seems like you already knew how to handle cwm, why don't you flash (using cwm) FP1 eclipse rom, kernel and radio, so you will be on the latest O/S?

Clockwork mod ??

Hi. I am having trouble finding the clockwork mod for this device on this forum. I found some instrucions on the cyanogen mod forum with an oficial rom from them. Which one anyone suggest me? roms from the forum or cyanogens 7. im searching for an ics rom..
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using Tapatalk 2 Beta-5

The hard way is usually what new owners of the Captivate learn, and fast, like I did over the past week or so. I ended up:
- getting the i897uckk4 Odin One Click - Stock ROM and flashing that so it was fully updated (at least as far as the AT&T stock stuff is concerned)
- located the Odin3 v1.85 flasher
- flashed the captivate-recovery-cwm5-kernel.tar onto the Captivate (it's the stock KK4 kernel with CWM 5 ready to go)
- then used CWM to update/upgrade from a bunch of ROMs, currently using Doc's Master beta v9, but I've tried about 10 ROMs in the past few days, this one is working fine at the moment aside from some ROM Control FC issues, but it's beta obviously
That should get you going. Found all the files here by searching, use the names I just mentioned above to locate them as I didn't save individual links, sorry.
Hope this helps...

Thank U Very Much
br0adband said:
The hard way is usually what new owners of the Captivate learn, and fast, like I did over the past week or so. I ended up:
- getting the i897uckk4 Odin One Click - Stock ROM and flashing that so it was fully updated (at least as far as the AT&T stock stuff is concerned)
- located the Odin3 v1.85 flasher
- flashed the captivate-recovery-cwm5-kernel.tar onto the Captivate (it's the stock KK4 kernel with CWM 5 ready to go)
- then used CWM to update/upgrade from a bunch of ROMs, currently using Doc's Master beta v9, but I've tried about 10 ROMs in the past few days, this one is working fine at the moment aside from some ROM Control FC issues, but it's beta obviously
That should get you going. Found all the files here by searching, use the names I just mentioned above to locate them as I didn't save individual links, sorry.
Hope this helps...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank U Very Much, Your guild is awesome worked the 1st time, I been trying for 3 days NOW, THANK U SO Much.

Clockwork mod is a recovery kernel replacement which allows flashing of unsigned zip files. You flash or "reinstall packages" as an update.zip from the original recovery. This roots the phone and installs Clockwork recovery.
Flashing roms without knowing the three button method to get into recovery or the button combo to get into download mode could spell trouble for people who are just learning about rom flashing.
It takes a few months of reading threads until a level of understanding is reached where you can flash roms and get out of trouble on your own.

br0adband said:
The hard way is usually what new owners of the Captivate learn, and fast, like I did over the past week or so. I ended up:
- getting the i897uckk4 Odin One Click - Stock ROM and flashing that so it was fully updated (at least as far as the AT&T stock stuff is concerned)
- located the Odin3 v1.85 flasher
- flashed the captivate-recovery-cwm5-kernel.tar onto the Captivate (it's the stock KK4 kernel with CWM 5 ready to go)
- then used CWM to update/upgrade from a bunch of ROMs, currently using Doc's Master beta v9, but I've tried about 10 ROMs in the past few days, this one is working fine at the moment aside from some ROM Control FC issues, but it's beta obviously
That should get you going. Found all the files here by searching, use the names I just mentioned above to locate them as I didn't save individual links, sorry.
Hope this helps...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks alot..im going to try that now and se how it goes
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using Tapatalk 2 Beta-5

askpcguy said:
Clockwork mod is a recovery kernel replacement which allows flashing of unsigned zip files. You flash or "reinstall packages" as an update.zip from the original recovery. This roots the phone and installs Clockwork recovery.
Flashing roms without knowing the three button method to get into recovery or the button combo to get into download mode could spell trouble for people who are just learning about rom flashing.
It takes a few months of reading threads until a level of understanding is reached where you can flash roms and get out of trouble on your own.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ive been flashing for a while now. I have a galaxy fit rooted and with clockwork..i was just asking because i want to now if i do this will it take away my currently settings..since i network unlocked it and am currently using it with claro.. Im on stock rooted 2.3.5 uckk4 unlocked network
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using Tapatalk 2 Beta-5

br0adband said:
The hard way is usually what new owners of the Captivate learn, and fast, like I did over the past week or so. I ended up:
- getting the i897uckk4 Odin One Click - Stock ROM and flashing that so it was fully updated (at least as far as the AT&T stock stuff is concerned)
- located the Odin3 v1.85 flasher
- flashed the captivate-recovery-cwm5-kernel.tar onto the Captivate (it's the stock KK4 kernel with CWM 5 ready to go)
- then used CWM to update/upgrade from a bunch of ROMs, currently using Doc's Master beta v9, but I've tried about 10 ROMs in the past few days, this one is working fine at the moment aside from some ROM Control FC issues, but it's beta obviously
That should get you going. Found all the files here by searching, use the names I just mentioned above to locate them as I didn't save individual links, sorry.
Hope this helps...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Soooo sorry to bother, but I'm at my wits end trying to root and remod my new captivate. The last one crapped out on me, so I was able to get a replacement, but I don't remember flashing it being this hard 6 months ago...lol! Anyway, here's my current stats and what I'm looking for:
Firmware: 2.3.5
Baseband: I897UCKK4
Kernel: 2.6.35.7-I897UCKK4-CL614489
Build: Gingerbread.UCKK4
I can if need be flash it back to 2.1 with Odin, but I followed your instructions, and now I'm stuck. I can't for the life of me find the captivate-recovery-cwm5-kernel file anywhere, on here or elsewhere. I don't even think the phone is rooted now, which is very strange because I was able to flash it, but anyway...any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!!

I can't upload the Odin One Click ROM, it's too much for my current situation, but here's the captivate-recovery-cwm5-kernel.tar file:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/19019338/captivate-recovery-cwm5-kernel.tar
MD5: 8464e7cee89c7364d62b760c28a4ca73
File size: 6,359,040 bytes
and here's Odin v1.85 if you don't have it:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/19019338/Odin3_v1.85.zip
MD5: 9a81990a61454402e8714f494bb4eb68
File size: 204,173 bytes
Now, the basics are thus so pay attention:
Since Samsung is never going to release a proper ICS build for us, from what I understand - let me repeat that: from what I understand everything is working with Gingerbread bootloaders, so that's the important aspect. Before you go flashing anything, you'll need to get the Captivate OFF Froyo of any version if you're still using it. So, update that thing using Samsung Kies to the latest version which is that KK4 ROM - that's all that's required.
Once you're done that, and you're "stock" then you would flash the captivate-recovery-cwm5-kernel.tar kernel using Odin (run Odin with Admin privilege, put the Captivate in download mode, connect it, when detected, click the PDA button in Odin to load that captivate-recovery-cwm5-kernel.tar file, then Start to flash it). Once that's done you have the same kernel for KK4 but with CWM ready to go when you are with a proper GB bootloader and you're set.
The only reason I mentioned the Odin One Click above was because I did a few things that "pooched" my Captivate and soft-bricked it at one point but recovered it with Odin and the One Click when Kies couldn't do anything at all. There's a thread around here with all the Odin One Click ROMs, that's where I got mine from.
tl;dr version:
- if you're running any Froyo anything, use Kies to do the upgrade to Gingerbread, NOT the Odin One Click. Kies will update the bootloader from Froyo to GB as required (the Odin One Click was part of what caused my soft-brick, so I learned from the experience)
- if you're already running any Gingerbread ROM, you already have the GB bootloader, so you can use the Odin One Click to go to a pure stock AT&T basic clean ROM as mentioned above
- once you're "stock" use Odin v1.85 to flash the captivate-recovery-cwm5-kernel.tar so you get the same stock kernel but CWM as well
- use CWM to install whatever ROM you want from that point on making sure the ROM archive(s) and any updates or whatever are copied to the internal storage
Personal suggestion: remove the microSD card from the Captivate before doing any flashing at all. Yes it's possible to read from that device (called the external SD in CWM), I simply don't recommend it, ever.
That's about it. The Odin One Click KK4 is not rooted, iirc, I can't say for certain at this moment either way. I only used it a few times to "save" me from the soft-brick. Now that CWM is in there, I've jumped from ROM to ROM over the past week or so but Doc's Master v8 is my fall back stable one so far. Obviously when you load a ROM, look at the Apps and if you don't see SU or SuperUser, it's not rooted.

br0adband said:
I can't upload the Odin One Click ROM, it's too much for my current situation, but here's the captivate-recovery-cwm5-kernel.tar file:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/19019338/captivate-recovery-cwm5-kernel.tar
MD5: 8464e7cee89c7364d62b760c28a4ca73
File size: 6,359,040 bytes
and here's Odin v1.85 if you don't have it:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/19019338/Odin3_v1.85.zip
MD5: 9a81990a61454402e8714f494bb4eb68
File size: 204,173 bytes
Now, the basics are thus so pay attention:
Since Samsung is never going to release a proper ICS build for us, from what I understand - let me repeat that: from what I understand everything is working with Gingerbread bootloaders, so that's the important aspect. Before you go flashing anything, you'll need to get the Captivate OFF Froyo of any version if you're still using it. So, update that thing using Samsung Kies to the latest version which is that KK4 ROM - that's all that's required.
Once you're done that, and you're "stock" then you would flash the captivate-recovery-cwm5-kernel.tar kernel using Odin (run Odin with Admin privilege, put the Captivate in download mode, connect it, when detected, click the PDA button in Odin to load that captivate-recovery-cwm5-kernel.tar file, then Start to flash it). Once that's done you have the same kernel for KK4 but with CWM ready to go when you are with a proper GB bootloader and you're set.
The only reason I mentioned the Odin One Click above was because I did a few things that "pooched" my Captivate and soft-bricked it at one point but recovered it with Odin and the One Click when Kies couldn't do anything at all. There's a thread around here with all the Odin One Click ROMs, that's where I got mine from.
tl;dr version:
- if you're running any Froyo anything, use Kies to do the upgrade to Gingerbread, NOT the Odin One Click. Kies will update the bootloader from Froyo to GB as required (the Odin One Click was part of what caused my soft-brick, so I learned from the experience)
- if you're already running any Gingerbread ROM, you already have the GB bootloader, so you can use the Odin One Click to go to a pure stock AT&T basic clean ROM as mentioned above
- once you're "stock" use Odin v1.85 to flash the captivate-recovery-cwm5-kernel.tar so you get the same stock kernel but CWM as well
- use CWM to install whatever ROM you want from that point on making sure the ROM archive(s) and any updates or whatever are copied to the internal storage
Personal suggestion: remove the microSD card from the Captivate before doing any flashing at all. Yes it's possible to read from that device (called the external SD in CWM), I simply don't recommend it, ever.
That's about it. The Odin One Click KK4 is not rooted, iirc, I can't say for certain at this moment either way. I only used it a few times to "save" me from the soft-brick. Now that CWM is in there, I've jumped from ROM to ROM over the past week or so but Doc's Master v8 is my fall back stable one so far. Obviously when you load a ROM, look at the Apps and if you don't see SU or SuperUser, it's not rooted.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks dude... I only have one question in all this. I network unlock my phone when it was on eclair, i updated to ginger via kies and it stayed unlock will i loose the unlock if i installed cmw and any rom?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using Tapatalk 2 Beta-5

Jose0726 said:
Thanks dude... I only have one question in all this. I network unlock my phone when it was on eclair, i updated to ginger via kies and it stayed unlock will i loose the unlock if i installed cmw and any rom?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using Tapatalk 2 Beta-5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can't say on that respect, mine is not even being used as a phone, actually - it's basically a DAP/PMP/PocketPC for me.
Still can't find a service provider with a decent plan that I'd be willing to fork over some money for so, until I find one (if I ever do), this Captivate of mine won't even have a SIM in it.

You won't loose network unlock ever unless your EFS gets modified in anyway...
Sent from my SGH-I897 using xda premium

br0adband said:
I can't upload the Odin One Click ROM, it's too much for my current situation, but here's the captivate-recovery-cwm5-kernel.tar file:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/19019338/captivate-recovery-cwm5-kernel.tar
MD5: 8464e7cee89c7364d62b760c28a4ca73
File size: 6,359,040 bytes
and here's Odin v1.85 if you don't have it:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/19019338/Odin3_v1.85.zip
MD5: 9a81990a61454402e8714f494bb4eb68
File size: 204,173 bytes
Now, the basics are thus so pay attention:
Since Samsung is never going to release a proper ICS build for us, from what I understand - let me repeat that: from what I understand everything is working with Gingerbread bootloaders, so that's the important aspect. Before you go flashing anything, you'll need to get the Captivate OFF Froyo of any version if you're still using it. So, update that thing using Samsung Kies to the latest version which is that KK4 ROM - that's all that's required.
Once you're done that, and you're "stock" then you would flash the captivate-recovery-cwm5-kernel.tar kernel using Odin (run Odin with Admin privilege, put the Captivate in download mode, connect it, when detected, click the PDA button in Odin to load that captivate-recovery-cwm5-kernel.tar file, then Start to flash it). Once that's done you have the same kernel for KK4 but with CWM ready to go when you are with a proper GB bootloader and you're set.
The only reason I mentioned the Odin One Click above was because I did a few things that "pooched" my Captivate and soft-bricked it at one point but recovered it with Odin and the One Click when Kies couldn't do anything at all. There's a thread around here with all the Odin One Click ROMs, that's where I got mine from.
tl;dr version:
- if you're running any Froyo anything, use Kies to do the upgrade to Gingerbread, NOT the Odin One Click. Kies will update the bootloader from Froyo to GB as required (the Odin One Click was part of what caused my soft-brick, so I learned from the experience)
- if you're already running any Gingerbread ROM, you already have the GB bootloader, so you can use the Odin One Click to go to a pure stock AT&T basic clean ROM as mentioned above
- once you're "stock" use Odin v1.85 to flash the captivate-recovery-cwm5-kernel.tar so you get the same stock kernel but CWM as well
- use CWM to install whatever ROM you want from that point on making sure the ROM archive(s) and any updates or whatever are copied to the internal storage
Personal suggestion: remove the microSD card from the Captivate before doing any flashing at all. Yes it's possible to read from that device (called the external SD in CWM), I simply don't recommend it, ever.
That's about it. The Odin One Click KK4 is not rooted, iirc, I can't say for certain at this moment either way. I only used it a few times to "save" me from the soft-brick. Now that CWM is in there, I've jumped from ROM to ROM over the past week or so but Doc's Master v8 is my fall back stable one so far. Obviously when you load a ROM, look at the Apps and if you don't see SU or SuperUser, it's not rooted.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you SO much for the links and all the time you put in to the explanation. I followed your suggestions, and now I'm running ICS Cyanogenmod 9 in dazzling full color!! You've made what could potentially be a very complicated process extremely easy...I wish I could thank your post 10-fold!! How is your ROM on battery life, btw? I was running CM 7 on my other Captivate, and it wasn't all that great on the battery...waiting to see how 9 works, but my girlfriend still insists it was because I had "too much junk" on the phone...lol! Thanks again!!

Battery life using Doc's Master v8 is as expected, didn't do any extended testing with the CM9 nightly, but then again I'm on the original Samsung stock battery too so, it doesn't hold a full charge anymore like a brand new one would.
I'm hoping to get some cash together soon to get that Anker 2-pack w/charger on Amazon (the 1800 mAh batteries that everyone raves about). I thought about getting the 3500 mAh monster extended on off eBay but, as I'm still trying to locate that Trident Cyclops case (which you just sent me 2 PMs about, thanks), I figure having 2 batteries instead of one would still be a more efficient solution while still being able to keep the Captivate in a nice protective case.
Maybe I need to do some guides for people and put up a donate button to get me some batteries and that case, who knows.
Glad the instructions proved useful.

br0adband said:
Battery life using Doc's Master v8 is as expected, didn't do any extended testing with the CM9 nightly, but then again I'm on the original Samsung stock battery too so, it doesn't hold a full charge anymore like a brand new one would.
I'm hoping to get some cash together soon to get that Anker 2-pack w/charger on Amazon (the 1800 mAh batteries that everyone raves about). I thought about getting the 3500 mAh monster extended on off eBay but, as I'm still trying to locate that Trident Cyclops case (which you just sent me 2 PMs about, thanks), I figure having 2 batteries instead of one would still be a more efficient solution while still being able to keep the Captivate in a nice protective case.
Maybe I need to do some guides for people and put up a donate button to get me some batteries and that case, who knows.
Glad the instructions proved useful.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could any one give me a link to the cm9 ics. I recently flashed aokp and dark night but couldnt use my phone as i got a no network message and when try to ad apns settings were not saving :/
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using Tapatalk 2 Beta-5

http://goo.im/cm/captivatemtd/nightly
Bottom of the list, and apparently a new nightly was just posted a short time ago (20120412) so... time for a backup and a flash to see what's changed.
And also remember to get the latest Gapps from that site as well when flashing CM (which is 20120317)
http://goo.im/gapps

[Q] Any tips for me prior to running casual?

Hi all, I'm newly registered here, however, I have been coming here to XDA for over two years now as unregistered to browse and become more knowledgeable regarding rooting, unlocking and ROMing my phones. I would like to use the Casual Root/Unlock/Recovery AIO Toolkit and finally have more freedom over my locked down Verizon Galaxy S3. I am currently running MF1 and I'm completely 100 percent stock. I've downloaded Casual, have all the Samsung drivers installed and am anxious to pull the trigger. I just want to confirm I'm on the right page and do diligence first. After I run Casual and Root, unlock the bootloader and install TWRP, would it be wise to immediately boot into recovery and then backup the rooted MF1 firmware and then back up my imei by copying the efs folder to the SD card and my PC? Is this method correct for backing up the imei or is there a specific program for it? I have searched through many custom ROM's and I am planning on flashing Beanstown106's Jelly 'Beans' Build 19 ROM, as I love the fact it's AOSP themed but has a lot of features from Touchwiz. Does this ROM happen to back up the imei automatically by chance? I've already backed up my contacts and important information, so are there many things I'm missing or am I on the right track? Before flashing Jelly 'Beans', would I need to wipe the cache / davlik at all? Or is that only when coming from a different ROM? Any help wouwould be greatly appreciated and many thanks in advance for your time!

K20Z1 said:
Hi all, I'm newly registered here, however, I have been coming here to XDA for over two years now as unregistered to browse and become more knowledgeable regarding rooting, unlocking and ROMing my phones. I would like to use the Casual Root/Unlock/Recovery AIO Toolkit and finally have more freedom over my locked down Verizon Galaxy S3. I am currently running MF1 and I'm completely 100 percent stock. I've downloaded Casual, have all the Samsung drivers installed and am anxious to pull the trigger. I just want to confirm I'm on the right page and do diligence first. After I run Casual and Root, unlock the bootloader and install TWRP, would it be wise to immediately boot into recovery and then backup the rooted MF1 firmware and then back up my imei by copying the efs folder to the SD card and my PC? Is this method correct for backing up the imei or is there a specific program for it? I have searched through many custom ROM's and I am planning on flashing Beanstown106's Jelly 'Beans' Build 19 ROM, as I love the fact it's AOSP themed but has a lot of features from Touchwiz. Does this ROM happen to back up the imei automatically by chance? I've already backed up my contacts and important information, so are there many things I'm missing or am I on the right track? Before flashing Jelly 'Beans', would I need to wipe the cache / davlik at all? Or is that only when coming from a different ROM? Any help wouwould be greatly appreciated and many thanks in advance for your time!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To backup your imei/eri check the synergy rom thread. They have a zip to back them up. It's in the attachments. It only takes a few seconds but will save you a world of headache. If you want my opinion that's the first thing you should do once you root, unlock and have your custom recovery. Store that zip on your SD card, PC and cloud(Dropbox, Copy, Box, Mediafire, etc).
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 4

TheAfroSamurai said:
To backup your imei/eri check the synergy rom thread. They have a zip to back them up. It's in the attachments. It only takes a few seconds but will save you a world of headache. If you want my opinion that's the first thing you should do once you root, unlock and have your custom recovery. Store that zip on your SD card, PC and cloud(Dropbox, Copy, Box, Mediafire, etc).
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I greatly appreciate your insight and input TheAfroSamurai. I will check that thread out and get that zip to backup the imei / eri.

K20Z1 said:
I greatly appreciate your insight and input TheAfroSamurai. I will check that thread out and get that zip to backup the imei / eri.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here you go : http://forum.xda-developers.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1281376&d=1345868740

Once you get root and unlock the bootloader, backing up your EMEI is recommended (I did not until I flashed my first ROM). There is a great
thread that the previous poster may have pointed you too (if so, sorry for the repost): http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1852255
Previously you were pointed to the Synergy method (B). But A is very easy too, requiring you to have a terminal emulation app on your phone (I have Rom Toolbox Pro, which has a terminal emulator). Type in the two commands as instructed and it reboots. I then did B and hopefully I am doubly covered.
After that, flash your preferred ROM (lots of really good ones, I use BoneStock 3.4) and you are ready to go.

TheAfroSamurai said:
Here you go : http://forum.xda-developers.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1281376&d=1345868740
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ahh, thanks very much for the link, even easier to find.

Nomad1600 said:
Once you get root and unlock the bootloader, backing up your EMEI is recommended (I did not until I flashed my first ROM). There is a great
thread that the previous poster may have pointed you too (if so, sorry for the repost): http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1852255
Previously you were pointed to the Synergy method (B). But A is very easy too, requiring you to have a terminal emulation app on your phone (I have Rom Toolbox Pro, which has a terminal emulator). Type in the two commands as instructed and it reboots. I then did B and hopefully I am doubly covered.
After that, flash your preferred ROM (lots of really good ones, I use BoneStock 3.4) and you are ready to go.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I greatly appreciate your help and advice as well, it's nice to know of other possible options backing up the imei. Something else I just thought of, once I root, unlock and get recovery using Casual, should I expect to see a message from Verizon stating that the software running is not official and to visit one of their stores? I have seen others mentioning this, but I'm not sure if and why that pops up. If it does, does it continue to pop up or stay on the screen at all? Or is it something that you can dismiss and you don't see it again?

Do you guys know if terminal emulator comes already installed on the Jelly beans rom by chance? Because that seems the easiest way to do it just by typing in those two commands. However, I would still download that .zip tool from Synergy as backup. Or would that not be needed at all if I was to use terminal emulator?

TheAfroSamurai said:
To backup your imei/eri check the synergy rom thread. They have a zip to back them up. It's in the attachments. It only takes a few seconds but will save you a world of headache. If you want my opinion that's the first thing you should do once you root, unlock and have your custom recovery. Store that zip on your SD card, PC and cloud(Dropbox, Copy, Box, Mediafire, etc).
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After using casual, do I just place that zip on my sdcard pc and cloud and then run it if and only when the imei is lost? Or run it prior to placing it on the SD card and such? Sorry for all the newb questions.

K20Z1 said:
After using casual, do I just place that zip on my sdcard pc and cloud and then run it if and only when the imei is lost? Or run it prior to placing it on the SD card and such? Sorry for all the newb questions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After you finish casual place the zip on your external sd card. If you haven't flashed a custom rom with boot to recovery menu you'll have to get to your recovery the hard way. Power down phone, hold vol up and home button at the same time you press power. Keep holding home and vol up key and let power button go. Phone should boot to your custom recovery, either CWM or TRWP depending on what you choose to use. Next go to install and navigate to the Synergy zip and choose install just like flashing a rom, kernel,etc. It will place a Synergy folder on your external sd. That folder will contain the backup zip you'll need in case you lose your IMEI/ERI. Make at least a couple backups of that.

Awesome! I really appreciate the help and quick responses. So once I've done that, if my imei should become lost, I would open that synergy folder and use the backup to restore the imei?

K20Z1 said:
Awesome! I really appreciate the help and quick responses. So once I've done that, if my imei should become lost, I would open that synergy folder and use the backup to restore the imei?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you should ever need to just flash the zip in the Synergy folder, hopefully you won't ever need to. Once I got mine restored I haven't had to yet...fingers crossed.

Ok, perfect. That really sums it all up for me. Yea, hopefully you won't ever need it.

K20Z1 said:
Hi all, I'm newly registered here, however, I have been coming here to XDA for over two years now as unregistered to browse and become more knowledgeable regarding rooting, unlocking and ROMing my phones. I would like to use the Casual Root/Unlock/Recovery AIO Toolkit and finally have more freedom over my locked down Verizon Galaxy S3. I am currently running MF1 and I'm completely 100 percent stock. I've downloaded Casual, have all the Samsung drivers installed and am anxious to pull the trigger. I just want to confirm I'm on the right page and do diligence first. After I run Casual and Root, unlock the bootloader and install TWRP, would it be wise to immediately boot into recovery and then backup the rooted MF1 firmware and then back up my imei by copying the efs folder to the SD card and my PC? Is this method correct for backing up the imei or is there a specific program for it? I have searched through many custom ROM's and I am planning on flashing Beanstown106's Jelly 'Beans' Build 19 ROM, as I love the fact it's AOSP themed but has a lot of features from Touchwiz. Does this ROM happen to back up the imei automatically by chance? I've already backed up my contacts and important information, so are there many things I'm missing or am I on the right track? Before flashing Jelly 'Beans', would I need to wipe the cache / davlik at all? Or is that only when coming from a different ROM? Any help wouwould be greatly appreciated and many thanks in advance for your time!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Man i was right there with you. Not quite two years, but maybe two months of reading, researching, watching vids, etc. I downloaded the casual too because i am not great with adb commands, etc. I will tell you from personal experience exactly what my opinion is of what you should do. Someone else more experience may have a better way but now that i have become a serial flashaholic hindsight is always 20/20.
1. Find the stock firmware for the Verizon Samsung Galaxy S3 any version whether is be VRBMF1 or older and download Odin. That way if anything happens short of a hard brick you can ALWAYS Odin back to stock if you are completely out of options.
2. Run CASUAL to (a) Root (b) Unlock the Bootloader and (c) download TWRP ; I have used Clockword Mod and TWRP and I personally found TWRP much easier to use
3. First thing I would do is download the Synergy HWkeys backup zip and flash it while you are still stock rooted to backup the imei. Thank God i haven't lost the imei before i backed mine up but that way you have plan b and plan c, etc.
4. Make a TWRP Nandroid backup of your stock rom that way you can always restore back up stock.
After you do that you are good to flash away my brotha. And a note too, remember that for most roms you need to flash gapps separately. I freaked my first flash and thought i broke my phone because i had no google apps but that was noob stuff on my end.
I hope this helps but all these roms and everything are really cool. the reason i came to android in the first place. and i dont donate as much as i should but you gotta give it up to these developers. anyways. later man
happy flashing

Synergy backup works. I recently lost mine and had to restore it. It was super easy to do, but I wasn't sure at first if it was going to work. Couldn't tell you what caused it because I am super careful to download all the correct files to flash Roms. Also all AOSP Roms require you to download the GAPPS for whatever version of android it is running. All TW based Roms already have the GAPPS included in the ROM zip file. Just be careful when switching back and forth between AOSP and TW Roms. A good practice is to wipe everything 3 times to make sure you got everything. Sometimes also there are residual files and/or folders left over from AOSP Roms when switching back to TW so I have a practice of wiping internal storage before I switch back to TW. Just move whatever files you want to save to your external SD card. I switch Roms often so I usually don't have to move very much. I also don't restore apps or data from titanium backup. This most likely can cause problems if you're restoring data from a different ROM.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 4