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[Q] how 2 b pr0 leik u guys

Okay. Ignore the title, I couldn't think of anything to put. In short, I want to know about roms, about clockworkmod, cyanogen mod, and stuff like that. What they do, how to put them on, and I pretty much wanna know about the general stuff you do past rooting your phone. And I know that the section says No Noobs, but technically, I'm a newb, as far as I know i'm not annoying anyone or being completely nooblike.
Mainly with cyanogen. I read the instructions, and they seem too, I dont know, simplistic. I'd prefer exact details. Like, after I have clockwork mod installed, and I flash cyanogen, can i restore all the stuff I had on it? And once cyanogen is on there, is it already rooted, or must i root again? And if someone would explain to me how clockworkmod works in the first place. And how would I flash cyanogen? I thought it'd be through clockworkmod, but if I wipe everything and factory reset, wouldn't clockworkmod be gone?
My phone is a Samsung Galaxy S (Vibrant or not vibrant, I dont even know) It's a GT-i9000M. Running android 2.2.1, Rooted, I have clockworkmod installed, but still no idea what to do past that point. Also, my Kies isn't telling me about any 3.x upgrade, so how would i go about manually installing a new version of android? I know it has to do with Odin, but whenever i tried i ended up not doing anything.
And one last thing about MetaMorph. Where could i find themes for it? And do i need to have a certain Rom running in order to use metamorph themes?
I'm mainly used to iPhones and such, where there isnt really much to do besides jailbreaking and such, and moving on to android phones is pretty intense. XD So much more to do with Android phones.
Well uh, thats about all i can think of at the moment. Also please post anything you feel that a (somewhat) newb to android modding should know.
Sorry for all the questions, and to those that help me, I love you. <3
And if any moderators deem this thread as against the 'No Noobs' rule, at least send me a message telling me you deleted it, or else I'll end up looking endlessly through the forums for my thread. I've done that before, not fun. LOL (Couldn't find a 'My Threads' thingy on the forum i was using.

Gutana said:
Okay. Ignore the title, I couldn't think of anything to put. In short, I want to know about roms, about clockworkmod, cyanogen mod, and stuff like that. What they do, how to put them on, and I pretty much wanna know about the general stuff you do past rooting your phone. And I know that the section says No Noobs, but technically, I'm a newb, as far as I know i'm not annoying anyone or being completely nooblike.
Mainly with cyanogen. I read the instructions, and they seem too, I dont know, simplistic. I'd prefer exact details. Like, after I have clockwork mod installed, and I flash cyanogen, can i restore all the stuff I had on it? And once cyanogen is on there, is it already rooted, or must i root again? And if someone would explain to me how clockworkmod works in the first place. And how would I flash cyanogen? I thought it'd be through clockworkmod, but if I wipe everything and factory reset, wouldn't clockworkmod be gone?
My phone is a Samsung Galaxy S (Vibrant or not vibrant, I dont even know) It's a GT-i9000M. Running android 2.2.1, Rooted, I have clockworkmod installed, but still no idea what to do past that point. Also, my Kies isn't telling me about any 3.x upgrade, so how would i go about manually installing a new version of android? I know it has to do with Odin, but whenever i tried i ended up not doing anything.
And one last thing about MetaMorph. Where could i find themes for it? And do i need to have a certain Rom running in order to use metamorph themes?
I'm mainly used to iPhones and such, where there isnt really much to do besides jailbreaking and such, and moving on to android phones is pretty intense. XD So much more to do with Android phones.
Well uh, thats about all i can think of at the moment. Also please post anything you feel that a (somewhat) newb to android modding should know.
Sorry for all the questions, and to those that help me, I love you. <3
And if any moderators deem this thread as against the 'No Noobs' rule, at least send me a message telling me you deleted it, or else I'll end up looking endlessly through the forums for my thread. I've done that before, not fun. LOL (Couldn't find a 'My Threads' thingy on the forum i was using.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I guess to first start off, here's a few pointers:
1. don't put the title in 1337 (people will most likely not click on it, thus no help)
2. you're right about this being the wrong thread. You should post this under the Samsung Galaxy S section (google your model number and you'll see it instantly) and should probably try the Q&A moreso than a general area (but it doesn't really matter all too much)
3. no matter how nooblike you may or may not be, you're still a noob XD
Now that we've gotten past the anally parts and all (hate doing that, but gotta =P), let's talk about what you came here for: answers.
Let's start with some definitions:
ROMs - these are the (usually modded) softwares that you flash to your phone. Depending on which phone you have, you can only flash ROMs made for your phone. Of course, if you have root/custom recovery, you can also install custom ROMs.
ClockWorkMod (CWM) is a recovery system made in order to allow people more features while they're in recovery mode. Of course, this is one of a few out there, but people stick to CWM cause of its huge support plus it's popularity. When you think of CWM, think of custom features being installed in (almost) one step (modding files and such will be taken care of for you, so you don't have to do it yourself). You can usually also fix a bricked system this way by reflashing either the entire ROM or the boot.img/other files (we'll get to this in a second)
CyanogenMod (CM) is an example of a very popular custom rom. They have a great team and usually is available for most devices, which in turn makes them so popular. It is widely supported and has a lot of extra features like updating to the latest OS and features not previously available on your phone. It's skinned, but usually follows the stock Android look for the OS in which they've skinned.
lol The reason why the instructions look so simple is because they've taken out all the hard work and all the stuff where you can possibly screw up your phone, so that they don't get a million messages saying "OMG MY PHONE BRICKED WHAT HAPPENED" and stuff like that. Protects them, makes it easier for you. If you had made a backup before you flashed CM (usually you only have to back up whats on the phone if it has internal and external memory, but back up your sd card always just in case. never hurt to), then yes. If you backed it up with your previous ROM, then you'll probably need to revert to get it back. If you didn't, chances are whatever you didn't backup and didn't sync, is safe to say gone. You can try recovering it using a recovery software on the computer like i detailed here for another person, but of course you'd skip the whole trying to save the phone part and just start with mounting the phone to your computer and running the software.
CM is a custom rom, and so most (if not all) custom roms have root preinstalled (besides, who wouldn't want root?!) As for CWM, it works by being (usually) flashed into the recovery partition of your phone. The nice thing about the phone is that it's split up into parts: boot, recovery, system, and some other ones i can't think of off the top of my head. Those three are important, as if you get a softbrick, you might still be able to recover all your data simply by using CWM/fastboot (a dev-tool used to flash/unlock, but only available in certain phones, as it is disabled usually) to reflash the boot.img (one requires command line, whereas CWM only needs you to flash a created/pre-made package). Also, since they're in separate partitions, even if your system and boot.img doesn't work, you can probably still access recovery (unless you screwed up really REALLY bad, and in that case I can't help >.<)
Observant you are =] Yes, if you were to flash CM, your CWM will be gone (i don't understand why most people don't just bake it into the ROM in the first place) but, not all is lost. Just go back into the Android Market and redownload ROM Manager. Of course you'll need to open it up and flash the same exact recovery again (annoying, isn't it?) but unless you know how to mod zip/img files and edit the script, you'll just have to make do with that. If you do, you could just (usually) take out the recovery partition and just leave the one you have already in there (but its usually safer and better to just redownload/reflash it as annoying as it is). But yes, you would use CWM to flash it. It's as simple as "Install from SD Card" which is why custom recoveries like CWM are popular. So simple
At this point, I would look into a few things. One is skinning your phone (though you probably can't do too much if you don't want to touch system files). If you find a psuedo-rom (slightly modded) that themes it, that's your best bet. Another is gaining access to certain features in apps you didn't have before (i.e. androidLost, LBE Privacy Guard, titanium backup) and of course more control by the ability to control your system files (if you know what you're doing, of course). Lastly, you can use stuff like MetaMorph to theme out certain sections of your rom (provided that they give you one compatible with your phone model/rom), minus having to flash it and having more fine-tuned controlled. Usually, Metamorph will run on all ROMs, but it doesn't guarantee that there'll be stuff for every ROM. Also, want themes? google it (google is your best friend!)
Kies won't tell you that you have an upgrade because it is ROM-dependent. It looks for their official ROM and says "Hey, this guy has our ROM. Check for an update". Think of owning a custom rom like being kicked out of your family. You won't get anymore updates from them XD. However, if you're looking to get the latest updates, check out the Samsung Galaxy S Dev threads. They will usually have another method of loading in the new ROM into your phone. And if you want to stick with ROM Manager, shell out for premium and they'll include "Check for Updates" in ROM Manager, along with several other functions (though you can check for free via computer/browser ). Mostly, manually updating the software requires the "Install from SD Card" feature in CWM/other recoveries, so you don't have much to worry about.
Odin is, as you stated, most likely your best bet. Not too many people repackage official ROMs into easy-to-flash zips. Odin is the Samsung equivalent to Motorola's RSD Lite from what I googled (i have motorola, so no exp. on odin >.<) It's mostly like a dev tool allowing you to flash/re-flash phones and is also usually your one-way ticket out of a semi/full brick (assuming you didn't mess up the hardware and you can get into download mode). It's the flashing tool that can access the core system of the phone even without root and allows you to reflash OFFICIAL ROMs. Should you use Odin (should be your last resort), you WILL lose root and all your data. No questions asked. Its like reinstalling everything to the state in which you got it in when you bought the phone. Word of advice: BACK UP OFTEN! (did i forget to mention Titanium Backup? )
Yeah, the transition from Apple to Android is so different and had I not had experience with my PSP, i'd be dying with the information overload. However, just read a lot of stuff on the forums (*cough*general android forums*cough*) and you should be just fine. We have an excellent community here that will try our best to fix whatever problems you encounter (note the key word: try. we're not gods XD) You'll get the hang of it soon enough.
Oh, well, I don't want to keep you for much longer, but since you mentioned something that any noob should know, it's definitely ADB (Android Debugging Bridge). This is where you'll probably spend a lot of time, as people's fixes usually involve shell (terminal for your phone). If anything, get acquainted with it, as it might save your butt in the future/unlock a few extra features for you ;D .
Well, that's all i can think of, and honestly, after typing this thing up for about an hour now, I think I'm going to grab me some breakfast Good luck to you and welcome to the Android commmunity! (and next time, remember to post in the right place! XD)
~jojojohnson7410
P.S. PM me if you need anything. =]

Observant you are =] Yes, if you were to flash CM, your CWM will be gone (i don't understand why most people don't just bake it into the ROM in the first place) but, not all is lost. Just go back into the Android Market and redownload ROM Manager. Of course you'll need to open it up and flash the same exact recovery again (annoying, isn't it?) but unless you know how to mod zip/img files and edit the script, you'll just have to make do with that. If you do, you could just (usually) take out the recovery partition and just leave the one you have already in there (but its usually safer and better to just redownload/reflash it as annoying as it is). But yes, you would use CWM to flash it. It's as simple as "Install from SD Card" which is why custom recoveries like CWM are popular. So simple
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just to nit-pick a bit. CWM is part of the recovery partition, and unless the Galaxy S is different from every other android device, flashing will not remove it. ROM Manager and CWM are two different things. ROM manager will allow you to download the roms, which will then instruct CWM to flash the rom (when it reboots).

jojojohnson7410 said:
Well, I guess to first start off, here's a few pointers:
1. don't put the title in 1337 (people will most likely not click on it, thus no help)
2. you're right about this being the wrong thread. You should post this under the Samsung Galaxy S section (google your model number and you'll see it instantly) and should probably try the Q&A moreso than a general area (but it doesn't really matter all too much)
3. no matter how nooblike you may or may not be, you're still a noob XD
Now that we've gotten past the anally parts and all (hate doing that, but gotta =P), let's talk about what you came here for: answers.
Let's start with some definitions:
ROMs - these are the (usually modded) softwares that you flash to your phone. Depending on which phone you have, you can only flash ROMs made for your phone. Of course, if you have root/custom recovery, you can also install custom ROMs.
ClockWorkMod (CWM) is a recovery system made in order to allow people more features while they're in recovery mode. Of course, this is one of a few out there, but people stick to CWM cause of its huge support plus it's popularity. When you think of CWM, think of custom features being installed in (almost) one step (modding files and such will be taken care of for you, so you don't have to do it yourself). You can usually also fix a bricked system this way by reflashing either the entire ROM or the boot.img/other files (we'll get to this in a second)
CyanogenMod (CM) is an example of a very popular custom rom. They have a great team and usually is available for most devices, which in turn makes them so popular. It is widely supported and has a lot of extra features like updating to the latest OS and features not previously available on your phone. It's skinned, but usually follows the stock Android look for the OS in which they've skinned.
lol The reason why the instructions look so simple is because they've taken out all the hard work and all the stuff where you can possibly screw up your phone, so that they don't get a million messages saying "OMG MY PHONE BRICKED WHAT HAPPENED" and stuff like that. Protects them, makes it easier for you. If you had made a backup before you flashed CM (usually you only have to back up whats on the phone if it has internal and external memory, but back up your sd card always just in case. never hurt to), then yes. If you backed it up with your previous ROM, then you'll probably need to revert to get it back. If you didn't, chances are whatever you didn't backup and didn't sync, is safe to say gone. You can try recovering it using a recovery software on the computer like i detailed here for another person, but of course you'd skip the whole trying to save the phone part and just start with mounting the phone to your computer and running the software.
CM is a custom rom, and so most (if not all) custom roms have root preinstalled (besides, who wouldn't want root?!) As for CWM, it works by being (usually) flashed into the recovery partition of your phone. The nice thing about the phone is that it's split up into parts: boot, recovery, system, and some other ones i can't think of off the top of my head. Those three are important, as if you get a softbrick, you might still be able to recover all your data simply by using CWM/fastboot (a dev-tool used to flash/unlock, but only available in certain phones, as it is disabled usually) to reflash the boot.img (one requires command line, whereas CWM only needs you to flash a created/pre-made package). Also, since they're in separate partitions, even if your system and boot.img doesn't work, you can probably still access recovery (unless you screwed up really REALLY bad, and in that case I can't help >.<)
Observant you are =] Yes, if you were to flash CM, your CWM will be gone (i don't understand why most people don't just bake it into the ROM in the first place) but, not all is lost. Just go back into the Android Market and redownload ROM Manager. Of course you'll need to open it up and flash the same exact recovery again (annoying, isn't it?) but unless you know how to mod zip/img files and edit the script, you'll just have to make do with that. If you do, you could just (usually) take out the recovery partition and just leave the one you have already in there (but its usually safer and better to just redownload/reflash it as annoying as it is). But yes, you would use CWM to flash it. It's as simple as "Install from SD Card" which is why custom recoveries like CWM are popular. So simple
At this point, I would look into a few things. One is skinning your phone (though you probably can't do too much if you don't want to touch system files). If you find a psuedo-rom (slightly modded) that themes it, that's your best bet. Another is gaining access to certain features in apps you didn't have before (i.e. androidLost, LBE Privacy Guard, titanium backup) and of course more control by the ability to control your system files (if you know what you're doing, of course). Lastly, you can use stuff like MetaMorph to theme out certain sections of your rom (provided that they give you one compatible with your phone model/rom), minus having to flash it and having more fine-tuned controlled. Usually, Metamorph will run on all ROMs, but it doesn't guarantee that there'll be stuff for every ROM. Also, want themes? google it (google is your best friend!)
Kies won't tell you that you have an upgrade because it is ROM-dependent. It looks for their official ROM and says "Hey, this guy has our ROM. Check for an update". Think of owning a custom rom like being kicked out of your family. You won't get anymore updates from them XD. However, if you're looking to get the latest updates, check out the Samsung Galaxy S Dev threads. They will usually have another method of loading in the new ROM into your phone. And if you want to stick with ROM Manager, shell out for premium and they'll include "Check for Updates" in ROM Manager, along with several other functions (though you can check for free via computer/browser ). Mostly, manually updating the software requires the "Install from SD Card" feature in CWM/other recoveries, so you don't have much to worry about.
Odin is, as you stated, most likely your best bet. Not too many people repackage official ROMs into easy-to-flash zips. Odin is the Samsung equivalent to Motorola's RSD Lite from what I googled (i have motorola, so no exp. on odin >.<) It's mostly like a dev tool allowing you to flash/re-flash phones and is also usually your one-way ticket out of a semi/full brick (assuming you didn't mess up the hardware and you can get into download mode). It's the flashing tool that can access the core system of the phone even without root and allows you to reflash OFFICIAL ROMs. Should you use Odin (should be your last resort), you WILL lose root and all your data. No questions asked. Its like reinstalling everything to the state in which you got it in when you bought the phone. Word of advice: BACK UP OFTEN! (did i forget to mention Titanium Backup? )
Yeah, the transition from Apple to Android is so different and had I not had experience with my PSP, i'd be dying with the information overload. However, just read a lot of stuff on the forums (*cough*general android forums*cough*) and you should be just fine. We have an excellent community here that will try our best to fix whatever problems you encounter (note the key word: try. we're not gods XD) You'll get the hang of it soon enough.
Oh, well, I don't want to keep you for much longer, but since you mentioned something that any noob should know, it's definitely ADB (Android Debugging Bridge). This is where you'll probably spend a lot of time, as people's fixes usually involve shell (terminal for your phone). If anything, get acquainted with it, as it might save your butt in the future/unlock a few extra features for you ;D .
Well, that's all i can think of, and honestly, after typing this thing up for about an hour now, I think I'm going to grab me some breakfast Good luck to you and welcome to the Android commmunity! (and next time, remember to post in the right place! XD)
~jojojohnson7410
P.S. PM me if you need anything. =]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, thanks a lot. I still have a question or two, bear with me.
Well for one, is flashing roms made for different firmwares alright, or no? Since I have 2.2, and im assuming the latest cyanogen is made for 3.x, would I have to upgrade my firmware to the corresponding firmware.
And about Clockwork, if my phone bricks, I'd have to restore using odin, right? But if the phone still works, i can just root and cwm and restore it using rom manager?
And uh, I'm not sure if this is a problem or im just doing something wrong, but in RomManager, i click Backup Current ROM, and it goes into recovery mode, and theres no new options, there's just like, format, factory reset, clear cache, reboot, but nothing involving rom manager. And when i check for the recovery file in my sd card, it's not. Wut do.

WoZZeR999 said:
Just to nit-pick a bit. CWM is part of the recovery partition, and unless the Galaxy S is different from every other android device, flashing will not remove it. ROM Manager and CWM are two different things. ROM manager will allow you to download the roms, which will then instruct CWM to flash the rom (when it reboots).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol true true that would be my mistake. XD Nice catch
~jojojohnson7410

Gutana said:
Wow, thanks a lot. I still have a question or two, bear with me.
Well for one, is flashing roms made for different firmwares alright, or no? Since I have 2.2, and im assuming the latest cyanogen is made for 3.x, would I have to upgrade my firmware to the corresponding firmware.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, you wouldn't have to upgrade to the latest firmware to get the ROM installed. So long as the ROM is confirmed to work for your device, you can flash any ROM you want (which is convenient in my case since I have an Atrix 4G and it was oh-so-lonely without some Gingerbread XD)
Gutana said:
And about Clockwork, if my phone bricks, I'd have to restore using odin, right? But if the phone still works, i can just root and cwm and restore it using rom manager?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, the thing is, you really only need that usually if you're on a stock rom or some official version and either you want to flash a new stock ROM from Samsung or you want to pull your phone out of a brick. Most of the time, however, even if you bricked it, so long as you can get into the recovery menu, you'll be alright. Just re-flash the ROM that you want (or in my case yesterday when I was dealing with an Inspire, I had to use a different ROM to unbrick the phone. I don't know why this happen, but it was being nit-picky >.<)
Gutana said:
And uh, I'm not sure if this is a problem or im just doing something wrong, but in RomManager, i click Backup Current ROM, and it goes into recovery mode, and theres no new options, there's just like, format, factory reset, clear cache, reboot, but nothing involving rom manager. And when i check for the recovery file in my sd card, it's not. Wut do.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol nooo this is not a problem at all. See, like the guy above me posted, the Recovery Menu is completely separate from anything in the ROM. It's located in the recovery partition rather than the system and the boot partitions, so they usually don't touch the recovery. ROM Manager is just a means of providing GUI to CWM so then you can either flash the CWM to your phone or help download ROMS into your SD card. Stuff like backup and everything needs you to boot into recovery as you can't be backing up the system while your system is mounted on, so they send you to CWM. From there, there's an option called "backup and restore". In this place, you can choose where to save the backup. And since the backup is made by CWM, it will be recognized by CWM if you want to restore it. I think it saves it in a zip file, but im not 100% positive, so take that one with a grain of salt.
Hope this answers the questions! Let me know if you need more help (or just PM me. I check that regularly )
~jojojohnson7410

jojojohnson7410 said:
No, you wouldn't have to upgrade to the latest firmware to get the ROM installed. So long as the ROM is confirmed to work for your device, you can flash any ROM you want (which is convenient in my case since I have an Atrix 4G and it was oh-so-lonely without some Gingerbread XD)
Well, the thing is, you really only need that usually if you're on a stock rom or some official version and either you want to flash a new stock ROM from Samsung or you want to pull your phone out of a brick. Most of the time, however, even if you bricked it, so long as you can get into the recovery menu, you'll be alright. Just re-flash the ROM that you want (or in my case yesterday when I was dealing with an Inspire, I had to use a different ROM to unbrick the phone. I don't know why this happen, but it was being nit-picky >.<)
lol nooo this is not a problem at all. See, like the guy above me posted, the Recovery Menu is completely separate from anything in the ROM. It's located in the recovery partition rather than the system and the boot partitions, so they usually don't touch the recovery. ROM Manager is just a means of providing GUI to CWM so then you can either flash the CWM to your phone or help download ROMS into your SD card. Stuff like backup and everything needs you to boot into recovery as you can't be backing up the system while your system is mounted on, so they send you to CWM. From there, there's an option called "backup and restore". In this place, you can choose where to save the backup. And since the backup is made by CWM, it will be recognized by CWM if you want to restore it. I think it saves it in a zip file, but im not 100% positive, so take that one with a grain of salt.
Hope this answers the questions! Let me know if you need more help (or just PM me. I check that regularly )
~jojojohnson7410
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But theres no backup and restore options, its jut the recovery options you'd get if you were on a brand new phone.

[REF] Complete Noob FAQ [8/7/11] - PDT

So i've been here on the Sidekick 4G forums since the day its been made. From the first thread to the one your on right now. And i saw as development began to pick up many new Sidekick 4G users or people new to android in general have questions and some of these questions get asked multiple times and is answered by the same people all the time. We all do our best to keep a friendly atmosphere on the forums and make everyone here feel comfortable and welcome. But sometimes when the same people answer the same question 30+ times they may get a bit impatient and loose their friendly outlook, although they mean no harm.. they can still get frustrated. So thats why i decided to make this thread, i saw how well it works in other Forums and hopefully it helps here too.
First and foremost, this is the development section, not Q&A. If you need to ask a question such as "how do i...", "what does...do/mean", etc post it in the general section as we do not yet have a Q&A. Or simply post it here and i'll answer it for you. it is much better than to have 5+ new questions in the Development section every week and such a small count of ROMs and other things that actually contribute to Development for the Sidekick.
So Lets begin - FAQ
Q - What is Android ?
A - Android is a Mobile OS for smartphones, more specifically it's a version of Linux. There are several versions to date and they all have names as well as version codes. The most recent (at the moment) are Froyo(2.2), Gingerbread(2.3), and Honeycomb(3.0). also theres the upcoming Icecream Sandwich(4.0).
Q - What is Root ?
A- Short answer: If you don't know, you don't need it. Long answer: root is equivalent in Linux to having administrator privileges in Windows. It allows you to change more system settings as well as run apps that need root access. It also allows you to flash custom ROMs as well as do a lot more. Root is for power users, not your average user. Can the average user benefit from root? yes but power users will benefit more. Root can also screw your phone if you don't know what you're doing.
Q - Where can i get root ?
A - There is an easy one Click root method Guide for the SK4G here [GUIDE]SuperOneClick - Root/Unroot Your Samsung Sidekick 4G
Q - What is a Custom ROM ?
A - A Custom ROM, simply put, is software for your phone. It's the main OS and usually includes other apps, tweaks, settings, and things you like that you don't normally find in a stock phone.
Q - Where can i find a custom ROM ?
A - Here in the Devopment Section
Q - How do I flash a ROM ?
A - Short Answer: In Recovery (CWM) wipe data and cache then install XXROMXX.zip from sdcard. Long Answer: Download XXROMXX.zip and put it on the Root of your SDcard, Reboot into recovery and wipe your data and cache from the main menu. Then if you are on a orange Recovery be sure to Check your Mounts (if on RED VOODOO CWM then no need for this) to make Sure they look like this under "Mounts and storage" selection in CWM:
"UNMOUNT CACHE
MOUNT DATA
MOUNT SDCARD
UNMOUNT SYSTEM" - if they do then its safe to flash the zip select flash zip. Now go back to CWM main menu and select install zip from sdcard>choose zip from sdcard>XXROMXX.zip>yes, and the ROM will begin to flash. Once done if your on Orange CWM recovery check your mounts again to make sure they are still the same then select Reboot System Now.
Q - How do i get into recovery ?
Manually, Using the 3ButtonCombo (VolDown+VolUp+POWER, simultaneously) . Or while on the phone, Use an app like quick boot and if your ROM has an extended power menu you will have a recovery option that will boot you into recovery.
Q - How do i Flash a Kernel ?
A - The Same way you would flash a ROM
Q - What is a Kernel ?
A - A kernel is the core of a Linux OS, it's what all the other software is built around. No core/kernel, no OS. A custom kernel enables features that the stock kernel didn't have such as OCing and/or Ext4 capability
Q - How do i flash a modem ?
A - Same way you Flash a ROM
Q - Where can i find other modems ?
A - There are very few at the moment but you can find them in this thread [REF][MODEMS][CWM] Samsung Sidekick 4G
Q - How do i know what modem im currently on ?
A - Go to setting>about phone and it tells you under Baseband version. The last 3 characters are the code for your current modem.
Q - What is "cooking" a ROM ?
A - Building a ROM from source is usually referred to as "cooking" a ROM, but sometimes cooking can also mean rebuilding a themed ROM.
Q - Where can i find the Best ROM ?
A - There is no best ROM, only ROMs that are best for you. Look through the different ROMs and see which one fits your needs the best.
Q - I tried to flash a ROM now my phone is stuck at the "Sidekick 4G" Slash Screen HELP !?!
A - Most likely you missed a step in the installing process, possibly didnt check your mounts ? try a battery pull, then well if you can get back into recovery try wiping and trying the installation over carefully. If that doesnt work or you cannot get into Recovery your phone can still be recovered you just need to ODIN back to stock
Q - What is ODIN ?
A - Its a firmware flashing software for samsung devices, you can use it to restore you phone back to stock incase you need to return it or if you have softbricked your phone (or whatever else reason), you need to be in download mode for the program to Detect/connect with your device
Q - How do i get into download mode ?
A - Easy way is Using simultaneously holding the Trackpad+volDown+Power. The Fool Proof way is described here in this short post a made for another person having trouble getting into download mode
Q - Where can i find the Odin ROMs ?
A - For the firmware the phone was released with (KD1) Go Here and for the Update that Tmbile began Rolling out on July 21st (KG2) , Go Here
Q - How do i find out what version of android i am on ?
A - Go to Settings>about phone and it tells you under firmware version
Q - i still have questions that you havent answered, Should i make a new thread here ?
A - ... Nope, You can comment below and i can answer your question and add it to the OP if necessary. Or you an make a thread in the general section as we dont yet have a Q&A Section.
Thanks to dbzfanatic for inspiration to make a FAQ for the Sidekick 4G
Hope this is helpful to others ! If you would like/suggest i add anything to this post let me know below.

Many new android member's needed this , thank's for posting ill add it in my bible in a bit .
ayoteddy said:
So i've been here on the Sidekick 4G forums since the day its been made. From the first thread to the one your on right now. And i saw as development began to pick up many new Sidekick 4G users or people new to android in general have questions and some of these questions get asked multiple times and is answered by the same people all the time. We all do our best to keep a friendly atmosphere on the forums and make everyone here feel comfortable and welcome. But sometimes when the same people answer the same question 30+ times they may get a bit impatient and loose their friendly outlook, although they mean no harm.. they can still get frustrated. So thats why i decided to make this thread, i saw how well it works in other Forums and hopefully it helps here too.
First and foremost, this is the development section, not Q&A. If you need to ask a question such as "how do i...", "what does...do/mean", etc post it in the general section as we do not yet have a Q&A. Or simply post it here and i'll answer it for you. it is much better than to have 5+ new questions in the Development section every week and such a small count of ROMs and other things that actually contribute to Development for the Sidekick.
So Lets begin - FAQ
Q - What is Android ?
A - Android is a Mobile OS for smartphones, more specifically it's a version of Linux. There are several versions to date and they all have names as well as version codes. The most recent (at the moment) are Froyo(2.2), Gingerbread(2.3), and Honeycomb(3.0). also theres the upcoming Icecream Sandwich(4.0).
Q - What is Root ?
A- Short answer: If you don't know, you don't need it. Long answer: root is equivalent in Linux to having administrator privileges in Windows. It allows you to change more system settings as well as run apps that need root access. It also allows you to flash custom ROMs as well as do a lot more. Root is for power users, not your average user. Can the average user benefit from root? yes but power users will benefit more. Root can also screw your phone if you don't know what you're doing.
Q - Where can i get root ?
A - There is an easy one Click root method Guide for the SK4G here [GUIDE]SuperOneClick - Root/Unroot Your Samsung Sidekick 4G
Q - What is a Custom ROM ?
A - A Custom ROM, simply put, is software for your phone. It's the main OS and usually includes other apps, tweaks, settings, and things you like that you don't normally find in a stock phone.
Q - Where can i find a custom ROM ?
A - Here in the Devopment Section
Q - How do I flash a ROM ?
A - Short Answer: In Recovery (CWM) wipe data and cache then install XXROMXX.zip from sdcard. Long Answer: Download XXROMXX.zip and put it on the Root of your SDcard, Reboot into recovery and wipe your data and cache from the main menu. Then if you are on a orange Recovery be sure to Check your Mounts (if on RED VOODOO CWM then no need for this) to make Sure they look like this under "Mounts and storage" selection in CWM:
"UNMOUNT CACHE
MOUNT DATA
MOUNT SDCARD
UNMOUNT SYSTEM" - if they do then its safe to flash the zip select flash zip. Now go back to CWM main menu and select install zip from sdcard>choose zip from sdcard>XXROMXX.zip>yes, and the ROM will begin to flash. Once done if your on Orange CWM recovery check your mounts again to make sure they are still the same then select Reboot System Now.
Q - How do i get into recovery ?
Manually, Using the 3ButtonCombo (VolDown+VolUp+POWER, simultaneously) . Or while on the phone, Use an app like quick boot and if your ROM has an extended power menu you will have a recovery option that will boot you into recovery.
Q - How do i Flash a Kernel ?
A - The Same way you would flash a ROM
Q - What is a Kernel ?
A - A kernel is the core of a Linux OS, it's what all the other software is built around. No core/kernel, no OS. A custom kernel enables features that the stock kernel didn't have such as OCing and/or Ext4 capability
Q - How do i flash a modem ?
A - Same way you Flash a ROM
Q - Where can i find other modems ?
A - There are very few at the moment but you can find them in this thread [REF][MODEMS][CWM] Samsung Sidekick 4G
Q - How do i know what modem im currently on ?
A - Go to setting>about phone and it tells you under Baseband version. The last 3 characters are the code for your current modem.
Q - What is "cooking" a ROM ?
A - Building a ROM from source is usually referred to as "cooking" a ROM, but sometimes cooking can also mean rebuilding a themed ROM.
Q - Where can i find the Best ROM ?
A - There is no best ROM, only ROMs that are best for you. Look through the different ROMs and see which one fits your needs the best.
Q - I tried to flash a ROM now my phone is stuck at the "Sidekick 4G" Slash Screen HELP !?!
A - Most likely you missed a step in the installing process, possibly didnt check your mounts ? try a battery pull, then well if you can get back into recovery try wiping and trying the installation over carefully. If that doesnt work or you cannot get into Recovery your phone can still be recovered you just need to ODIN back to stock
Q - What is ODIN ?
A - Its a firmware flashing software for samsung devices, you can use it to restore you phone back to stock incase you need to return it or if you have softbricked your phone (or whatever else reason), you need to be in download mode for the program to Detect/connect with your device
Q - How do i get into download mode ?
A - Easy way is Using simultaneously holding the Trackpad+volDown+Power. The Fool Proof way is described here in this short post a made for another person having trouble getting into download mode
Q - Where can i find the Odin ROMs ?
A - For the firmware the phone was released with (KD1) Go Here and for the Update that Tmbile began Rolling out on July 21st (KG2) , Go Here
Q - How do i find out what version of android i am on ?
A - Go to Settings>about phone and it tells you under firmware version
Q - i still have questions that you havent answered, Should i make a new thread here ?
A - ... Nope, You can comment below and i can answer your question and add it to the OP if necessary. Or you an make a thread in the general section as we dont yet have a Q&A Section.
Thanks to dbzfanatic for inspiration to make a FAQ for the Sidekick 4G
Hope this is helpful to others ! If you would like/suggest i add anything to this post let me know below.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Revolution said:
Many new android member's needed this , thank's for posting ill add it in my bible in a bit .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks, no need to quote the entire post though cause its pretty long

Sorry ^.^ breh

very hepful faq. much needed imo.
although, i do have a question. i have orange cwm, where can i find the flashable *.zip file for red voodoo cwm?
ive been messing with android for a while, so im not a noob, but i just cant seem to find an answer to this question.
thanks
EDIT: ahhh, nevermind i found the answer. the "reboot into recovery" option in rom manager takes me to orange cwm, but manual button combo takes me to red voodoo cwm. so all is good. thanks

Red CWM is only found in the Bali kernel, as it includes the Voodoo Tweaks, that are only implemented in the Bali kernel. Orange CWM will work fine if you wish to use a stock kernel and CWM.

Another question to add:
How do I flash these Extras? AOSP Lockscreen, Battery Icons, etc.

Kuzar said:
Another question to add:
How do I flash these Extras? AOSP Lockscreen, Battery Icons, etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
put the zip on the sdcard then wipe dalvik cache choose the zip file wipe dalvik cache again and reboot the system

What is busybox?
Hi, last night I installed lighting rom and I see this Busybox installer. What's that for? SHould I ionstall it? (noob explanation please) Thanks

Busybox is a system tool kit, that provides a small, but extremely useful version of most system tools. It is smaller than a full blown gnu-utils install, providing core utlities to the system and usr, while saving space, ideal for embedded systems like your phone. The sidekick stock roms use toolbox, which is a completely barebones tool kit, borderline useless (imho).
The system itself is fine with toolbox, and most busybox installs leave toolbox as the primary tool.
Why you as a user would want to install busybox is convienence, as the busybox tools are infinetely better. If you dont muck around with the system (through connectbot or android commander or adb) and dont install any apps tha specifically need busbox (some root required apps might need it) you will never use it.
Tl:dr version, if you dont know what it is, you dont need it yet

This thread is now stickied by request to prevent confusion and duplicates.

A very good FAQ, very informative. Thanks.

Thanks! Great thread...tons of information.
---------- Post added at 06:55 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:30 PM ----------
My Sidekick 4g is running very slow. I've started shutting it down at least once a day, but even when it first boots, it runs slow.
It's stock...right now. Trying to figure out which ROM would be best...I am not a heavy user, and I have the 3G turned off, in a feeble attempt to conserve battery life.
Assuming I can get this rooted (looks simple), does anyone have a suggested ROM I should try for speed and good battery life?
Thanks!

fuzzie said:
Thanks! Great thread...tons of information.
---------- Post added at 06:55 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:30 PM ----------
My Sidekick 4g is running very slow. I've started shutting it down at least once a day, but even when it first boots, it runs slow.
It's stock...right now. Trying to figure out which ROM would be best...I am not a heavy user, and I have the 3G turned off, in a feeble attempt to conserve battery life.
Assuming I can get this rooted (looks simple), does anyone have a suggested ROM I should try for speed and good battery life?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Turning 3G (or did you mean 4G?) Off won't really save battery life since your internet runs on the same radio (sprint's 4G wimax uses different radios so having 4G on sucks battery life bad) turning off wifi and gps will help a little. You should definitely flash a custom rom, they will help in both speed and battery life. You can go by date, the newer the ROM is the better because the devs have been able to grow and add more tweaks over time. Currently glorious overdose is your best bet, ICS looks promising but has some bugs to be worked out to make it good for every day use.

I think I got root...not sure how to check.
SuperOneClick didn't work for me, though.
I put the ROM on the SD card, booted into recovery, and it says it is in manual mode. Tried installing the ROM, claims bad fingerprint.
Ugh.
Any suggestions?
Thanks!

I'm not able to get root access, it keeps getting stuck on step #7, what is strange is that apps that would normally only work on rooted phones, work perfectly well on the sidekick now, even though superoneclick claims that my phone is not rooted. It seems I am semi rooted? Sounds stupid, but those apps work.
Sent from my Htcclay's SuperCM7 G2 using XDA App

can i get a new bootloader?

dj2muchxx said:
I'm not able to get root access, it keeps getting stuck on step #7, what is strange is that apps that would normally only work on rooted phones, work perfectly well on the sidekick now, even though superoneclick claims that my phone is not rooted. It seems I am semi rooted? Sounds stupid, but those apps work.
Sent from my Htcclay's SuperCM7 G2 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Use Titanium Backup to update superuser. If you really have root, then su app is all you are missing. What's step #7?

Hello, I've been using lightning Rom on my sdk4g for a while now and it's giving me a hard time so I want to try something new.
1. Could you recommend me the latest and best Rom for my sidekick?
2. What are the steps to change Roms?
Have a nice day and thanks in advance! :0)

4G Random Bootloop
Hey guys, I rooted and flashed Bali 2.2 and a custom rom thinking it would fix the random boot-loops, but it hasn't. It's not all the time, just sometimes, maybe when the cache is too full? I remember old versions of CM used to have random reboots when the cache was full. But I'm not sure why the phone would just do that. I'm seeing suggestions to flash back to odin, but I'm attempting to avoid that. Any suggestions?
Thanks.

[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+.

Cant install custom recovery & rom

Hello everyone.......... So lets begin from the starting. I have recently bought an iphone x clone device. I thought it will have good enough hardware compared to its price but unfortunately it only has attractive outlook finishing but inside its really bad. I cant even watch youtube videos because of hang & crash. So I decided to root it and install ram expanding software to create vram which really helped solving the crashes....... But still the device feels laggy so I was thinking about installing a soft custom rom which will consume less rom & ram. I tried to backup my stock recovery and install a twrp custom recovery via different apps like flashify, mobile uncle tool, twrp manager etc. But all of them failed to create a backup or even flash a recovery. I had to try different custom recovery image as my device is clone and not included inside twrp supported device list. I even downloaded my stock recovery from internet (not 100% sure if its the right one but tried my luck as I couldn't collect a backup copy of my stock recovery from adb) and tried to port with other custom recoveries and install it...... But still all I boot into is my chinese stock recovery which is useless for me. After trying 2 days I have done everything I could and couldn't get further than rooting and installing some useful apps to make my device little bit stable. But this isn't enough, I need help now to find correct custom recovery and soft custom rom for my device.
Here are some pics about my device details which will help you get some idea about which device im using. drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ieMNTSkgTAIWNn1xNSqg2iCzUPXheEdI?usp=sharing

really very disappointing......... its been more than a week and i got no help from a large active tech community like xda

Khaled786 said:
really very disappointing......... its been more than a week and i got no help from a large active tech community like xda
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol, it's because you have an unsupported cloned device that has no actual stock source or stock firmware to work with, it has a firmware that has been hacked together. Ask yourself why it has hacked software, it is because there is no real software for this device other than what they hacked together when they made it. I doubt you'll find anything that can be installed "as-is", you'll have to do the same thing the device maker did, you'll have to put your own software together which will require either building a whole new ROM for your device or it will require porting an existing ROM to work on your device.
It is very difficult to identify cloned hardware and very difficult to find compatible software.
And this is a "large active tech community" but most members here don't have/own/use/buy or have experience with cloned devices because we know they are junk, regardless of the specs, we have better sense than to waste our time and money on them.
Sent from my LGL84VL using Tapatalk

flashing twrp via odin

Hi I just got this tablet GT-P5113. It has been a long time since i used odin or did anything with samsung devices. In fact I havent really had to do any modding in years because I switched to nexus/pixel and those just work snappy and clean out of the box. But samsung has far superior hardware so I want to breath new life into this. It is running 4.2.2 now. I dont need to put android 11 on this thing but something like 6 or 7 would be good.
I downloaded odin i see it has changed a bit. so to put twrp on this what part of odin do i use? BL, AP,CP, or CSC?
Most of the stuff on these fourms are outdated and the links dont work. once I get twrp on this I should be food to go and figure out the rest.

I haven't flashed more than 3 devices, but for TWRP it has always been AP in those cases.
If you flash a complete stock ROM it's much more than Recovery, so in those cases you flash separate files like bootloader (BL) etc...
Decide which ROM you want to try and read what Dev recommends in terms of Odin version and TWRP version. But a newer version than recommended should be fine (Odin).
I use 3.09 for my old P3100 but also 3.14 worked for me.
I also recommend getting the same stock ROM you already have from Sammobile.com + make a backup before modding.
For Root I have no recommendation. If Dev recommends Magisk for the ROM, try it and see.
The ROMs I tried was rooted with SuperSU 2.82 even if it's outdated nowadays. Our devices are so old so SU is fine if you ask me.
And most of the time it's SU in the ROM thread by the Dev anyway, so choose ROM and the thread for that and go from there

Android go apps
So I have the latest version of twrp on this and android is running really good and stable. The issue is it has no ram. Just basic with nothing else. Running it is taking up 85% of the system resources.
I found a. Zip that is supposed to. Enable low. Ram. Mode. But it fails on twrp install. It class. To work with devices 4.4.4 and higher. I did disable the Google app and install the lite version which helped alot and I got a memory cleaner app. Supposedly flashing this zip makes the system think it's android go and will allow to install go apps. I think this tablet would benefit greatly fr{m this mod. I was wondering if I have to mod the build. Prop. I will. I. Just want to know.Your thoughts on this matter as always thank. You for your opinions I respect. You and your advice. I found these two files on the web.

mojorisin7178 said:
So I have the latest version of twrp on this and android is running really good and stable. The issue is it has no ram. Just basic with nothing else. Running it is taking up 85% of the system resources.
I found a. Zip that is supposed to. Enable low. Ram. Mode. But it fails on twrp install. It class. To work with devices 4.4.4 and higher. I did disable the Google app and install the lite version which helped alot and I got a memory cleaner app. Supposedly flashing this zip makes the system think it's android go and will allow to install go apps. I think this tablet would benefit greatly fr{m this mod. I was wondering if I have to mod the build. Prop. I will. I. Just want to know.Your thoughts on this matter as always thank. You for your opinions I respect. You and your advice. I found these two files on the web.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you talking about Low-RAM Property Patcher the thread is here:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/software-hacking/mod-low-ram-property-patcher-android-t3737373
Perhaps your ROM doesn't support Go features, and in that case the developer has to update the ROM.

Tab_Triggerhappy said:
Are you talking about Low-RAM Property Patcher the thread is here:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/software-hacking/mod-low-ram-property-patcher-android-t3737373
Perhaps your ROM doesn't support Go features, and in that case the developer has to update the ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
my rom is 6.0 will the one you linked to work since its for 8?
yeah the rom is basically bare bones aosp. But without anything installed besides gapps nano it uses 80% of the memory. I did disable the google app and install the go app and that helped alot. I am trying to enable low memory mode I found this:https://www.nextpit.com/turn-smartphone-into-android-go-device It says it enables low memory mode and then when you go to the play store all the go apps are availabe. so it looks like it tricks it into tinking that android go is the os. I dont know what the specifice differences are between android and android go besides go is a more stripped down version made for devices with lower end specs. They dont nmake a go version for the galaxy tab 2. Im just trying different things to make it work. This is how I learn how to do things. The great people at xda sharing their knowlage with me.

Tab_Triggerhappy said:
I haven't flashed more than 3 devices, but for TWRP it has always been AP in those cases.
If you flash a complete stock ROM it's much more than Recovery, so in those cases you flash separate files like bootloader (BL) etc...
Decide which ROM you want to try and read what Dev recommends in terms of Odin version and TWRP version. But a newer version than recommended should be fine (Odin).
I use 3.09 for my old P3100 but also 3.14 worked for me.
I also recommend getting the same stock ROM you already have from Sammobile.com + make a backup before modding.
For Root I have no recommendation. If Dev recommends Magisk for the ROM, try it and see.
The ROMs I tried was rooted with SuperSU 2.82 even if it's outdated nowadays. Our devices are so old so SU is fine if you ask me.
And most of the time it's SU in the ROM thread by the Dev anyway, so choose ROM and the thread for that and go from there
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did alot of work to get this thing back to life. First sammobile doesnt have the stock files anymore its too old. But one of the guys on the fourm had one and gave it to me. I had an older version of twrp installed and thats why i could not get anything higher than 4.4.4 or magisk. I found a newer version of twrp under the unified galaxy tab 2 development. Once i installed an updated version of twrp I was able to instal android 6 and root with magisk. it even passes saftey net. Now I am trying to disable as much as i can because it is using too mjuch ram. over 80%. It is a work in progress. Thank you for your tips. This is how I have always learned was by asking and the very knowledgeable people here at xda giving me tips. The development community is full of good smart people who like to share their knowledge.

Hello again,
I have the Tab2 P3100 and found stock firmware at Sammobile, but I had to register and become Premium user if I remember correctly. Old firmwares are archived.
Anyway... it looks like the thing I linked is the same that you linked.
I'm going to test it in my tab. My ROM is based on 6.1, will report back
Edit:
No, I get error message when installing zips and can't get it to work. LineageOS.
Best tip I can give is to install everything you want to use and then get rid of Gapps. Well, unless you use some Gapps stuff...

Tab_Triggerhappy said:
Hello again,
I have the Tab2 P3100 and found stock firmware at Sammobile, but I had to register and become Premium user if I remember correctly. Old firmwares are archived.
Anyway... it looks like the thing I linked is the same that you linked.
I'm going to test it in my tab. My ROM is based on 6.1, will report back
Edit:
No, I get error message when installing zips and can't get it to work. LineageOS.
Best tip I can give is to install everything you want to use and then get rid of Gapps. Well, unless you use some Gapps stuff...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah gapps are really memory hungry. I dont really need to use this tablet for anything special. Its more the chalenge than anything else. And I learn so much doing stuff like this. Years ago I got y first android phone the lg g2x. Not too long after that I discovered xda and just started reading and asking questions. Then one day I took the jump and learned so much just by asking the devs questions and you know getting them a beer here or cup of coffee there. I love xda for that.