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[Q] Help with rooting+installing custom ROMs for Samsung Galaxy 3(i5801) running 2.2?

Okay, now I know that there are other threads about this, but the issue is that none are specific to my problem. Either they are not for my phone, or my version is different or the thread is dead and with no replies. So I created a new thread.
Anyway, I was hoping that I could get a step by step procedure on how to root my phone and install a custom ROM.
The issue is, my KIES doesn't work (so help me with that also please) and moreover, I'm very new to all this so I don't quite get a few things.
Also, please tell me what are the best ROMs out there and if something does go wrong in the process, how do I un-brick my phone?
So I'm looking for active replies / repliers since I know I'll have a bunch of questions during the process.
Last, when I go to "about phone" on my phone it says "firmware version 2.2", but the little that I've looked up, people run 2.2.1. Does this mean my rooting process is different?
Thanks. And in case you want it, my kernel version is 2.6.32.9
Appreciate it.

rooting z4root
custom rom - pick a custom rom and follow instruction in that thread.
Your phone is already updated to 2.2 and that is the reason why kies doesn't show new updates. Our phone has 2.2 and not 2.2.1
If you use roms which doesnt have boot then it will not get hard bricked. soft brick can be fixed by reflashing.
What is the exact issue you are facing while using kies? Try a uninstall and reinstall. That should fix it

K, so I fixed KIES. I just had to update though, I was running on an older version. I didn't think a slightly outdated version would not detect my phone.. anyway never mind that.
So I don't really know what the best custom ROM is out there. could you suggest one? one that is fast (speed is really the priority), and not buggy, supports the apps that the stock ROM should. I'm willing to try three-four, so give me the names of the best ones out there.
Don't I need to root my phone before installing a custom ROM? If so, then I need to learn how to do that..
What do you mean it doesn't have a boot?

Well to figure out best ROm you will have to read up on each ROm. Each of them have separate thread where initial posts describe the properties of ROm. There are ROm comparison threads out there but that is just summary. I cant give you best choices. Everybody has different taste. Start with more popular ones, whose threads have more posts. More post -> more popular.
You can root using z4root.
Custom ROM are pre rooted normally so you need not root your phone before flashing custom rom

Mohit12 said:
K, so I fixed KIES. I just had to update though, I was running on an older version. I didn't think a slightly outdated version would not detect my phone.. anyway never mind that.
So I don't really know what the best custom ROM is out there. could you suggest one? one that is fast (speed is really the priority), and not buggy, supports the apps that the stock ROM should. I'm willing to try three-four, so give me the names of the best ones out there.
Don't I need to root my phone before installing a custom ROM? If so, then I need to learn how to do that..
What do you mean it doesn't have a boot?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if speed is a prime consideration then i would suggest kyrillos rom..... fastest rom i ever used....... very less buggy.......
you can also flash lestatious rom..... it is damn fast and surprisingly stable!.....
and check dharam's rom collection too....... i'm using his ultra clean ultimate rom right now..... and it's good although since you are new i would recommend flashing a different rom from his collection.....
As for rooting.... you don't need to root before flashing a custom rom....
And in case you need any information about any of the features or anything.... just post it here ....... i'lll try to help you in whatever way i can.,.....

Mohit12 said:
Okay, now I know that there are other threads about this, but the issue is that none are specific to my problem. Either they are not for my phone, or my version is different or the thread is dead and with no replies. So I created a new thread.
Anyway, I was hoping that I could get a step by step procedure on how to root my phone and install a custom ROM.
The issue is, my KIES doesn't work (so help me with that also please) and moreover, I'm very new to all this so I don't quite get a few things.
Also, please tell me what are the best ROMs out there and if something does go wrong in the process, how do I un-brick my phone?
So I'm looking for active replies / repliers since I know I'll have a bunch of questions during the process.
Last, when I go to "about phone" on my phone it says "firmware version 2.2", but the little that I've looked up, people run 2.2.1. Does this mean my rooting process is different?
Thanks. And in case you want it, my kernel version is 2.6.32.9
Appreciate it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey i would suggest u to go for Indroid 4.3. I m using this and have seen many users jumping from lestatious and kyrollis to indroid.
As a begginer, u will also get many help in Indroid thread.
Z4root doesnt work in Froyo, if u wanna root, choose superone click.
U dont need kies to work, Use Odin to flash ur fone.
Make sure to learn processes better by reading through forums, if u dont wanna brick ur fone.

Hey!! I would suggest Indroid 4.3 or Kyrillos 5.6. They are fast as hey have lagfix.
And no you don t have to root your phone before installing a custom ROM. But if you want to root, use superoneclick to root.
And as for bricking, you can avoid hard brick by installing a ROM that does not have bootloader. Bootloader is a piece of code that runs before any operating system starts. So you should avoid flashing bootloader.
As for soft bricks, you can just reflash to come out of the soft brick.

okay so i was doing a bit of reading up and i realised the following :
1)First i need to download :
a) Odin (please post version number i have to get for my i5801 (or is it just one thing for all phones?) or a link please.)
b) some backup software. now i downloaded titanium backup, but it won't open because it says my phone is not rooted. so help me go about this.
c) a custom ROM. I think i'll start off with kyrillos rom since i've been told it's the fastest and very less buggy. i'll then move on to Dharam's ROM if i don't like kyrillos rom because Dharam seems to be a very active user, and quite friendly, and i feel he can solve the issues well. after that i'll try Indroid.
d) I also need superone click.
Question : Where do i download these? directly on my phone or on my computer?
2) I can increase my internal storage by partitioning a part of my SD card. Now I have a 4 GB SD card and i barely use it, so i don't mind giving upto 1GB of it. Please suggest the perfect amount. whether 1GB will be too much, or whether 500MB would be too less.
3) some apps do not work with custom ROMs. The app that i really want is 4shared. It's working currently on my phone with the stock ROM, so if someone can check if that will also work on the three ROMs that i mentioned.
4) soft bricking isn't much of an issue, but it's better i avoid it. so can someone give me a rather up-to-date guide (or link) on rooting, because the other ones are REALLY old. at least 4-5 months old and there have been some updates after that.
5) I can also overclock my phone. And from what I read up, SetCPU seems compatible with the above ROMs. And after flashing my phone with a custom ROM, my phone is automatically rooted. Correct me if I am wrong.
6) Flash player isn't available for our processor (V6). Since this is a hardware issue, there's no way i can make it work on some other ROM, can I? Because flash is a rather important software..
So that's it, I guess. Please add anything if i missed out anything.
PS : Does anyone know of any software using which I can download YouTube videos? Because the YouTube app kind of sucks, and buffering takes time since I don't have WiFi.

Wow!! Those are a lot of questions.
1) Link for ODIN.
ODIN>http://goo.gl/nCxCw
OPS FILE>http://goo.gl/ORin0
As for the backup software, Titanium backup is the best out there. As it can backup all the apps and all the settings. Yes you have to be rooted. So root and use.
And for rooting, use this tutorial,
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1011555
Don t worry about the oldness. This works. The link for superoneclicjk is available in that post as well.
Yes. Kyrillos is a good ROM. As it is prelagfixed and offer good internal memory as well after you partition your SD. Sizes, 512 MB ext4 and 128 MB linux swap. Rest of the memory you can use for storage.
As far as overclocking is concerned, in Kyrillos, you again have to flash a new kernel if you want OC.
And for the flash problem, only adobe can solve that problem.

And oh yes, most of the custom roms are prerooted. So after flashin you don t have to root again.

Mohit12 said:
okay so i was doing a bit of reading up and i realised the following :
1)First i need to download :
a) Odin (please post version number i have to get for my i5801 (or is it just one thing for all phones?) or a link please.)
b) some backup software. now i downloaded titanium backup, but it won't open because it says my phone is not rooted. so help me go about this.
c) a custom ROM. I think i'll start off with kyrillos rom since i've been told it's the fastest and very less buggy. i'll then move on to Dharam's ROM if i don't like kyrillos rom because Dharam seems to be a very active user, and quite friendly, and i feel he can solve the issues well. after that i'll try Indroid.
d) I also need superone click.
Question : Where do i download these? directly on my phone or on my computer?
2) I can increase my internal storage by partitioning a part of my SD card. Now I have a 4 GB SD card and i barely use it, so i don't mind giving upto 1GB of it. Please suggest the perfect amount. whether 1GB will be too much, or whether 500MB would be too less.
3) some apps do not work with custom ROMs. The app that i really want is 4shared. It's working currently on my phone with the stock ROM, so if someone can check if that will also work on the three ROMs that i mentioned.
4) soft bricking isn't much of an issue, but it's better i avoid it. so can someone give me a rather up-to-date guide (or link) on rooting, because the other ones are REALLY old. at least 4-5 months old and there have been some updates after that.
5) I can also overclock my phone. And from what I read up, SetCPU seems compatible with the above ROMs. And after flashing my phone with a custom ROM, my phone is automatically rooted. Correct me if I am wrong.
6) Flash player isn't available for our processor (V6). Since this is a hardware issue, there's no way i can make it work on some other ROM, can I? Because flash is a rather important software..
So that's it, I guess. Please add anything if i missed out anything.
PS : Does anyone know of any software using which I can download YouTube videos? Because the YouTube app kind of sucks, and buffering takes time since I don't have WiFi.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The rom is downloaded on your pc and flashed through it using odin.
I don't know any apps that work on stock rom and not on custom rom..... and 4shared works on kyrillos and indroid..... i've used it myself..
Most custom roms are already rooted and setcpu is the best app for setting CPU frequencies.
And as you said flash player isn't compatible with armv6 processors like ours.... so unless adobe makes it compatible no custom rom can do anything.
and for downloading youtube videos i'll suggest an app called you tube downloader or tube-X.......
Hope this helps...

Kernel
I flashed the indroid 4.0 Rom with Odin, and in short I will probably try to flash the indroid 4.3 Rom.
One question however, More and more I read about "kernel"(eg to get the 1% battery thing).
I know the kernel is the core of the operating system, but I don't understand how to use/apply it on my phone. Is the kernel something I have to flash separatly from the Rom, or is it included in the Rom?
If you need to install / flash it seperatly, where can I find the different kernels, and which one is recommended for my phone (Samsung Galaxy 3 Apollo)?
Hope someone can answer!
thnx

funbun77 said:
I flashed the indroid 4.0 Rom with Odin, and in short I will probably try to flash the indroid 4.3 Rom.
One question however, More and more I read about "kernel"(eg to get the 1% battery thing).
I know the kernel is the core of the operating system, but I don't understand how to use/apply it on my phone. Is the kernel something I have to flash separatly from the Rom, or is it included in the Rom?
If you need to install / flash it seperatly, where can I find the different kernels, and which one is recommended for my phone (Samsung Galaxy 3 Apollo)?
Hope someone can answer!
thnx
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The kernel is included in the ROM itself. There are different kernels with different functionalities. For eg : - Most of the kernel that come with the ROMS are non-OC. So, if you want to overclock you phone, you have to flash the required kernel after flashing the ROM. The procedure is same using ODIN. Here s the link to the kernels.
http://code.google.com/p/fugumod-i5800/downloads/list

@ dhirend_6d
thnx!

Sorry for replying so late guys. Had a bit of an issue with the internet. Lightening struck somewhere near my house so it was down for a few days.
Anyway, thanks for all your help. I'll try to root+flash my phone day after as I have exams for two more days.
I'll post here if I have any other questions, but thanks a LOT for all your answers and help. But btw, what is the 1% battery mod?

Uh, I was rooting my phone. just one error. Superoneclick gets stuck at "running rageagainstthecage" and accoring to http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1011555 i should set touchwiz as the default launcher. how do i do that?

Mohit12 said:
Uh, I was rooting my phone. just one error. Superoneclick gets stuck at "running rageagainstthecage" and accoring to http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1011555 i should set touchwiz as the default launcher. how do i do that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if u have any other launcher like adw then go to settings > application > Adw launcher (for example) and press clear default.
Then press the home key, It should ask u to set detault launcher. Just click on the checkbox below and select touchwiz launcher.
Tell me if it works or not.

No I do not have any other launcher installed. At least it's not showing up there.. but i did try using the more latest version. 1.9.5. that seemed to work just fine. man, i was so scared before rooting this wondering what if something goes wrong. but that was easy
Titanium backup now and maybe flashing a new rom tomorrow (or in a couple of days, after my exam.) Thanks though! =)

Mohit12 said:
No I do not have any other launcher installed. At least it's not showing up there.. but i did try using the more latest version. 1.9.5. that seemed to work just fine. man, i was so scared before rooting this wondering what if something goes wrong. but that was easy
Titanium backup now and maybe flashing a new rom tomorrow (or in a couple of days, after my exam.) Thanks though! =)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1st step done successfully...congo...welcome to this amazing world.
I would suggest, go for indroid but follow all the steps properly and read the forums for all the problems.

and yeah we also get awesome themes and more memory /system!!
custom roms are faster with better battery backup.
currently on indroid 6!!

[Q] How To Overclock?

I have bought set cpu to overclock my nexus to 1.2 GHX (is this a recommended speed or should i go higher) but it only goes up to 1 GHZ. How do i make it go up to 1.2 GHZ?

Did you flash a new kernel as well? The stock kernel doesn't OC. You need to download one like matr1x or netarchy's

no im on the stock rom still i don't knwo how to flash a kernel...is it a hard/dangerous thing to do?

Not hard, not dangerous. I suggest you take a read of the stickies both in the general and the development forum. They explain it all in detail and very easy to follow as most of them are step by step.

ok so i just looked at the matrix kernel and basically to put it ont here do i just download the version i want, put it on root of sd card, recover in clockwork and then isntall zip from sd? Is this correct or is there something else i should be doing?

Correct, download the zip, put on sd card, boot to clockwork and flash. Upon reboot you can now use setcpu to change whatever settings you like. I believe it boots up @ 1.2GHz by default

any specific stable kernel u recommend? i was looiking at matrix by mathkid and not sure what version to even use. What do u use? does it matter if im on stock rom and such

I use 5.0 CFS. Try and see what works best for you. I don't believe you need a custom ROM, but don't hold me to that. I do recommend switching over to a non stock rom for the performance improvements and added functionality they provide. Totally your call though

also what is the difference between cfs and bfs?

http://www.stackednotion.com/2010/06/04/what-are-bfs-and-cfs

ok is there a rom u can point me to that is stable with performance increase? also does a new rom usually come with a different kernel? To flash a rom is it the same deal? Can i do so through ROM manager?

Which nexus do you have?

non 4g I9020A

I personally have the 4G and can't really help you from first hand experience. I have heard people say good things about that "oxygen" rom. I would try out whatever looks best to you and go from there

ok thanks a lot man

No problem. If you run into any snafu's let us know.... Also feel free to hit that thanks button too It's always welcome!

[GUIDE][INFO] The beginner's info thread (aka. the noob helper)

This guide is intended to be an all-in-one resource for people coming to Samsung phones after using other devices. It is a general introduction to the S4 and a glossary/explanation of terms you may see here in the forums.
This thread is slightly out of date but the info is still good, I will be updating again soon!!! Remember to hit thanks if this was useful
Disclaimer "Just because I am trying to be helpful does not make me responsible for anything that you do to your phone. Playing with any of this stuff could destroy your phone"
The layout of this post is as follows:
Welcome
FAQ
Glossary of terms
First off, welcome to XDA
The XDA community is home to the most talented and helpful phone developers on the planet.
These developers spend lots of their free time working on making all of our phones better. You should be nice and respectful to them and follow the rules. WHY? If the statement above isn’t enough reason then think selfishly, the less time they are dealing with redundant questions, the more time they have to develop stuff for all of us!
Help them help you by following the following basic rules:
1.If you are confused or have a question, the first thing to do is READ! Read lots, look things up both on xda and using google.
2.If after searching you still have not answered your question, then post in the Q&A forum.
3.Asking for ETAs on ROMs, updates, etc. is considered rude.. DON’T DO IT!
4.Don’t report bugs to a developer unless:
a.You know 100% that it hasn’t already been reported,
b.You know how to reproduce it
c.You can get a logcat of the problem (more on this later)
Some advice if you are new to all this and don’t want to ruin your phone:
1.Be patient. Don’t be the first or even the tenth person to flash anything. Wait until you see others using whatever Rom or kernel with success.
2.If you have any doubts about what you are doing, read more. Don’t flash.
3.Make sure you are in the forum for your device, not some similar or related device.
FAQ:
Q. Is my bootloader locked?
A. Only if you have an AT&T or Verizon phone
******* Info for AT&T users *******
Q. What is LOKI?
A. Loki is an exploit for phones with locked boot loader that allows us to bypass the locked boot loader in order to install custom roms or recoveries. More Loki info down below
Q. Whats the deal with MF3?
A. MF3 is the current firmware from AT&T that comes on any new phone. Your phone may also auto update to MF3 if you are not careful. MF3 patched the ability to use Loki to install custom roms/recoveries so if you are on MF3 things are much more difficult.
Q. How can I keep my phone from updating to MF3?
A. If you want to avoid the update, you should root your phone and freeze the following three apps using titanium backup or some similar app.
1. AT&T Software update Vxx_x_xxxx_x_x
2. FWUpgrade x.x.x
3. LocalFOTA vx_xxxx_x_x​
Why flash?
by flashing your device you can make your phone act differently, look different, and enable new or disabled options. you could ,for example:
enable native tethering
enable call recording
change the look of your phone
add custom toggle buttons
overclock or undervolt
increase battery life
etc..
Kernel vs Rom vs Recovery vs Modem
Kernel is the layer between the phone hardware and the rom. it controls things like Wi-Fi power, touch sensitivity, possible range of screen brightness, phone logging, and processor max and min speed. kernel must be designed not only for your device but also for the type of rom you are using (Sammy rom or Aosp) some kernels support all roms, others are specific.
Rom is the operating system of your phone. there are three main categories of roms.
roms that are based off of the Samsung stock rom (Sammy rom)
roms that are based off of Android open source project aka AOSP (AOSP, AOKP)
roms based off of the miui project (these used to be a branch of AOSP but recently they have also used Sammy base for miui)
recovery is a partition that you can access at boot by holding down a combination of keys. (volume up and home button in the case of our sgs4) every phone has recovery stock but it doesn't do much. you can replace stock with clockwork mod recovery which is extremely useful for flashing all kinds of things and making backups before you do. There are other alternative recoveries besides clockwork but that seems to be the most common. TWRP is also gaining popularity these days. You can easily switch between recoveries and or upgrade your current recovery. All that needs to happen is for a new image to be flashed onto the recovery partition. See the rooting guide for more info on how to flash a custom recovery.
modem is a file that controls the cell radio of the phone. Helps determine what frequencies to use and settings for a particular network. It is important when flashing a radio that you flash a radio that is for the AT&T sgs4
Methods for flashing files - Odin vs mobile Odin vs. clockworkmod(cwm) vs adb
Odin is the internal Samsung tool for flashing. I believe it only exists on Windows platform. This tool is mostly used to initially flash an insecure kernel or rooted kernel, OR to return to completely stock rom.. Files for flashing in odin generally should end in .tar or .tar.md5 although sometimes they come zipped and the tar is inside the zip. Read more about Odin before using it as it can easily break your phone. !!!as a general rule make sure you never check the "partition" checkbox EVER!!!
Mobile Odin (THIS TOOL DOES NOT SUPPORT ALL S4 MODELS...make sure you check that it specifically works with yours first. I think at this time it works on your phone unless you have locked bootloader but STILL DOUBLE CHECK) is a phone based version of Odin made by the very talented developer Chainfire. It can be installed on a rooted phone and used to flash the same .tar based files as the desktop version. Mobile odin has a few advantages. 1 you can use it from your phone. 2 it can auto root a stock rom (nice if you want to try out a brand new update that has not been rooted yet)
clockworkmod(cwm) or TWRP is recovery based tool that can make backups of your entire phone, flash new roms, kernels etc.., and do many other useful tasks. Once you have this on your phone my guess is that most of your flashing will be done through this tool. The files for flashing through clockworkmod are .zip files.
ADB is the android develpment bridge. It allows for command line interface with your phone through its debugging options. ADB can do most anything as I understand it. In my several years of flashing I have only had to use it once, and i could have waited for someone to come up with another solution. In general as a noob i recommend you stay away from ADB.
open source vs Samsung base(aka Touchwiz or TW) vs miui
Open Source Roms such as AOSP/AOKP are built using Google's open source android code as a base. The developers then add functionality specific to the device. The advantages of these builds are that they often have tons of options built in to the rom that change the behavior and look of the phone. They usually allow you to change the toggles in your notification pull down, change the battery display, make all kinds of adjustments to sounds, vibration etc... Some people also prefer the "vanilla" android look and feel. These roms often provide "bleeding edge" concepts, design, and modifications. The Disadvantages of these roms is that some of the hardware coding is done closed source by the phone manufacturers, which means that things like Infrared, bluetooth, camera, video recording, and MHL video out often don't work or take much longer to get working by the developers. Basically anything that relies on the Samsung framework will not work in an open source build. This means Svoice, Snote, and the Samsung camera app will not work.
Samsung based roms (aka Touchwiz/TW) are taken from the Samsung original phone software and modified by the developer. Usually, these roms are modified in order to be faster and to make changes to some of the features. Expect to see changes to the stock rom like: debloated (ATT and samsung software removed), de-odexed (explained later), enable tethering, unlimited sms recipients, added notification toggles, etc. Most of these changes are made to: make the phone faster, improve battery life, make the phone easier to theme. The advantage of these roms is that they still use the Samsung framework so all the proprietary stuff like camera, bluetooth, MHL still work, the disadvantage is that they will never be as customisable as open source roms.
MIUI is a rom that focuses on theming. Official MIUI (Chinese) gets updated weekly on Friday and then there are lots of miui developers who adapt it to other languanges and make some tweaks to it. MIUI can be built from AOSP source or Samsung source and depending will have different features. The first MIUI rom for our phone just appeared in these forums and it is based off of AOSP. MIUI has a unique look and is also highly customizable through theming. There are tons of themes available for download through the rom itself and you can mix and match any part of any theme you want. This includes icons, lockscreen style, etc.. Some people criticize while others praise MIUI for being very "iphone like". This is because the icons look more iphone like and there is no app drawer in the MIUI launcher. However, you can still use any launcher you like within MIUI.
odexed vs de-odexed
odexed is how the phone comes stock from Samsung. Odexed means that system files and apps are split into two pieces and kept in different places on the phone. This is done to speed things up a bit. However, it makes it harder to theme the phone because the apps are split up. Most custom roms choose to de-odex (basically regroup the files back into one) so that custom themers can make themes more easily for the phone.
Flashing "dirty" vs flashing "clean"
Clean
Doing a clean install of a rom means erasing or formatting all the data from the previous rom before you flash the new one. This is the prefered way to flash a rom to ensure that it will run smoothly. It is necessary if you are switching from one rom type to another (CM to Samsung base). In order to do a clean flash you need to boot into recovery and select the following options: wipe user data (this wipes all apps and personal data, but not your photos/videos), wipe cache, advanced>wipe dalvik cache, storage/mounts>format system. This will ensure that no trace of the former rom is left on the phone. Beware that at this point your phone will not boot until you install a new rom. I suggest using titanium backup to backup apps and smsbackup+ for texts to make getting your new rom configured easy.
Dirty
Doing a dirty install means just flashing a new rom right over the top of the old one without wiping any data. The advantage to this is that you don't lose any apps or account info. The disadvantage is that you open up the possibility for problems. Generally you only want to flash this way if you are upgrading a rom (CM10 nightly to the next nightly, or from one samsung based rom to another). If you decide to flash over the top and have any issues, you should not report bugs, but try flashing clean first.
Logcat
Logcat is a way to access the android system log for everything that is going on behind the scenes. This tool is used to help developers pinpoint problems in a rom. If you want to actually be helpful to a dev when reporting a bug, you should really learn to use this tool. I am no expert on logcat but you can find some good information in this post: http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=1726238
What is the Bootloader?
The bootloader is basically what it sounds like...it loads the boot image of the device. Basically it is one of the first things to run on the phone and it shows the phone where to find the boot image and how to start. The bootloader is also responsible for allowing access to the recovery part of the phone.
Locked Bootloader?
This seems to confuse a lot of users so here goes: The AT&T and Verizon versions of our phone have a locked bootloader. What does this mean? To the noob, it means that the devs had to figure out how to bypass or unlock this part of the phone in order to be able to boot custom recoveries such as CWM and TWRP. Getting a custom recovery means being able to backup the phone as well as flash custom roms. Luckily for us, Djrbliss (make sure and thank him! his thread is here:http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2292157) figured out how to bypass the locked bootloader. The exploit he used is known as Loki. Please remember that the loki exploit is not the same thing as unlocking the bootloader, it is a bypass/trick. AT&T and Verizon have fixed the exploit that allowed loki to work in there newest firmware. Loki patch will not work for MF3 firmware or later.
Loki
refers to the exploit that allows us to run custom recoveries as well as custom roms. You only need to have a loki'd rom if you have a model with a locked bootloader (AT&T). Thankfully, you can install a custom recovery that will auto-Loki any rom you flash so that you can install almost any rom built for our model phone (see below). I strongly recommend flashing an auto loki recovery if you have a phone with locked bootloader. I use this one here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2291956
Compatible Roms
you should be able to run any rom built for AT&T, TMobile, or the I9505 international model (NOT I9500!!) as long as you flash with an auto loki recovery. You can check out this thread for more info. Make sure and thank TheAxman! http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2295557
You may have to manually set the APN. If you encounter problems with the rom look in that roms thread for answers.

Sticky!!

Well damn, I thought I knew a lot, but after reading this thread, I really didn't. Well done. :good:

Incredible resource for those coming in from a different ecosystem.
Thanks much!!

Thread stuck!! Nice work!

Got my new At&t Samsung Galaxy S4 and this will definitely help me!!

this is another thread that really helped me as well these two have really helped me so far i have rooted several divices and just relied on everyone else and not i am starting to take a lot more of an interest ant these threads have been the most helpful
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=42055644#post42055644

WoW
Great work! I'm sure this thread will be very helpful to a lot of people (Myself included). Tanks bro! :victory:

More! More! :d

I've been searching high and low ive read everything and maybe im not understanding but after I root my phone how do I do the whole loki thing??... I'm eager to start flashing roms... Ive read of some recoveries that do this is that an accurate assessment??

KINGDROID25 said:
I've been searching high and low ive read everything and maybe im not understanding but after I root my phone how do I do the whole loki thing??... I'm eager to start flashing roms... Ive read of some recoveries that do this is that an accurate assessment??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What exactly are you trying to do?
If you want to install a custom ROM or kernel, you need a custom recovery. The ROM or Kernel developer will have LOKI-fied it for you.
For TWRP (my custom recovery of choice) Download GooManager from the Play Store and install.
Inside the goo.im app, go to menu>Install OpenRecovery Script
then you can boot into recovery to apply kernels, ROMs, etc to your hearts desire

joeybear23 said:
What exactly are you trying to do?
If you want to install a custom ROM or kernel, you need a custom recovery. The ROM or Kernel developer will have LOKI-fied it for you.
For TWRP (my custom recovery of choice) Download GooManager from the Play Store and install.
Inside the goo.im app, go to menu>Install OpenRecovery Script
then you can boot into recovery to apply kernels, ROMs, etc to your hearts desire
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its tht ez just root and add custom recovery??.. The whole loki thing is what's been throwing me off
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 2

KINGDROID25 said:
Its tht ez just root and add custom recovery??.. The whole loki thing is what's been throwing me off
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes... the difficult part is if you are a developer. They make our lives much easier.

joeybear23 said:
Yes... the difficult part is if you are a developer. They make our lives much easier.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanx ima root tonight I jus need to get a copy of the stock firmware
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 2

KINGDROID25 said:
Thanx ima root tonight I jus need to get a copy of the stock firmware
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Stock Firmware:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2261573
That is a HUGE download, but the process is simple.

im not a newb but i need to boost my post count lol...soooo spam

KINGDROID25 said:
I've been searching high and low ive read everything and maybe im not understanding but after I root my phone how do I do the whole loki thing??... I'm eager to start flashing roms... Ive read of some recoveries that do this is that an accurate assessment??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have updated the OP to explain Loki, hope that helps :good:

Noob here first time posting I rooted my phone and installed cwm using casual method, created backup and installed mint rom love it but after a couple of post I see I didn't backup EFS should I be worried?

I'm not sure what the deal is with backing up the IMEI number on our phones yet. I have not seen anyone post about losing their IMEI yet so I wouldn't be too worried. On the s3 only the international model phones could be backed up by saving the efs folder. The backup process for AT&T phones was much more complex. I assume the same holds true on the s4. Will update when I find out more
Sent from my GT-I9505 using xda premium

I wanted to make sure Thx. Is it to late to back EFS or can I just restore my backup and do it?

[Q] Tablet stuck at Asus loading logo (after twrp 2.6 recovery)

Okay! (bit of a noob here but I really want help T_T)
I'm on 4.2.1 by the way - build number should be latest available.
So I finally decided to get root on my tablet. I followed the instructions by a youtube user, and succeeded. I downloaded SuperUser and a root checker to make sure everything went right, and proceeded to download PacMan 4.2 Milestone, as well as CyanogenMod 10
I did a factory reset from the settings menu of the tablet, and tried to set up PacMan. It worked alright until the loading screen, where the ghost would bounce indefinitely. When it was clear I wasn't going to get in, I restarted, and factory reset again from the TWRP menu, this time making sure to erase Dalvik, cache, and system (I think that's all?).
I then tried to install CM10, which didn't work either. I found out later it was because CM 10 didn't work with the 4.2 bootloader.
So I factory reset again, erased dalvik, system, and cache, and proceeded to reboot into the recovery I made on external. I don't know if it's normal, but when it reached the step 'restoring data,' it was basically stuck. I let it continue overnight, and found that recovery overall took 1933 seconds (is this a sign of something bad?)
And now I'm back to booting! It's taking a really long time though - at least ~45 minutes on the ASUS screen with the little circle going around.
I guess my question is, (1) what do I do, (2) what is the situation I'm in/how did I get here, (3) how do I avoid it (if possible) in the future?

by the way, I forgot to mention that I can still access the twrp menu. I don't know if that helps though?

Hope this helps!
hobomobile said:
Okay! (bit of a noob here but I really want help T_T)
I'm on 4.2.1 by the way - build number should be latest available.
So I finally decided to get root on my tablet. I followed the instructions by a youtube user, and succeeded. I downloaded SuperUser and a root checker to make sure everything went right, and proceeded to download PacMan 4.2 Milestone, as well as CyanogenMod 10
I did a factory reset from the settings menu of the tablet, and tried to set up PacMan. It worked alright until the loading screen, where the ghost would bounce indefinitely. When it was clear I wasn't going to get in, I restarted, and factory reset again from the TWRP menu, this time making sure to erase Dalvik, cache, and system (I think that's all?).
I then tried to install CM10, which didn't work either. I found out later it was because CM 10 didn't work with the 4.2 bootloader.
So I factory reset again, erased dalvik, system, and cache, and proceeded to reboot into the recovery I made on external. I don't know if it's normal, but when it reached the step 'restoring data,' it was basically stuck. I let it continue overnight, and found that recovery overall took 1933 seconds (is this a sign of something bad?)
And now I'm back to booting! It's taking a really long time though - at least ~45 minutes on the ASUS screen with the little circle going around.
I guess my question is, (1) what do I do, (2) what is the situation I'm in/how did I get here, (3) how do I avoid it (if possible) in the future?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hobomobile said:
by the way, I forgot to mention that I can still access the twrp menu. I don't know if that helps though?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Assuming you know how to do this, try flashing the ASUS stock rom and kernel using TWRP. Before asking more questions, use the search tool in XDA developers first since it is most likely someone may of been in a similar situation to yours.
2. It is probably that the person who you followed on youtube might of been be using a different build of stock. That's just my hypothesis-others may differ to mine. Since you have TWRP, you will be able to recover from this situation. (Pun not intended)
3. You should always research about what you're doing with your android device before you do anything about it, especially if the guide is not moderated by the wonderful people from XDA-Developers, and even more so if you are a noob-even if you consider yourself a novice (like me)
To save you some time:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1697227 The mother of guides, read this first.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=42407269 [TOOL]Minimal ADB and Fastboot
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2257421 Ask any question here-Noob friendly help thread.
Will update this post with more information if need be. Don't be afraid to ask if you're absolutely confused.
Hope this helped.
Live long and prosper.
If I have helped you in any way, shape or form, hit the thanks button. If I have given you a link to someone on XDA that helped you, give them thanks first.

Thanks a lot! I'll do my best trying to find the info - sorry if I have to bother you again though!

Okay, so I have minimal ADB (I actually used that to get root in the first place), and I downloaded the latest kernel and firmware - I'm pretty sure they're the right versions too (10.6.1.27).
Do I just open TWRP, factory reset, clear dalvik and cache, and install both of the above from an SD card? I did some looking around, but I still don't get what a kernel does, or if it's necessary in this situation.
I'm looking at this right now, by the way (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2187982), method three.

Okay, so I downloaded this: ASUS Transformer Pad TF300T Firmware: V10.6.1.27.1 Only for US SKU (Android 4.2) - 2013.07.29 update, unzipped the file, went back into twrp, and wiped system, data, and dalvik. When I tried to install it though, it says 'failed.'
What now?

Potential Solution?
Quote:
hobomobile said:
Okay, so I downloaded this: ASUS Transformer Pad TF300T Firmware: V10.6.1.27.1 Only for US SKU (Android 4.2) - 2013.07.29 update, unzipped the file, went back into twrp, and wiped system, data, and dalvik. When I tried to install it though, it says 'failed.'
What now?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hobomobile said:
Okay, so I have minimal ADB (I actually used that to get root in the first place), and I downloaded the latest kernel and firmware - I'm pretty sure they're the right versions too (10.6.1.27).
Do I just open TWRP, factory reset, clear dalvik and cache, and install both of the above from an SD card? I did some looking around, but I still don't get what a kernel does, or if it's necessary in this situation.
I'm looking at this right now, by the way (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2187982), method three.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Define Kernel:
Google:
Define Kernel:
ker·nel
/ˈkərnl/
Noun
A softer, usually edible part of a nut, seed, or fruit stone contained within its hard shell.
The seed and hard husk of a cereal, esp. wheat.
Synonyms
core - nucleus - pith - grain - heart - seed - essence
So that was useless. :silly:
XDA:
Define Kernel-and ROM, and everything:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/wiki/index.php?title=ROM-VS-Kernel "ROM vs Kernel"
If I was you, I would just flash a custom ROM. From here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1697227
There are plenty of ROMs linked there. Even if you want to use one based on the Stock ROM, you can find the links there.
Flash it in TWRP the same way you flashed the "ASUS Transformer Pad TF300T Firmware: V10.6.1.27.1 Only for US SKU".
Personally, I prefer custom roms because they provide a lot of customisation options.
Is that what your looking for, or do you really want to use the stock ROM?
Remember to at least have a look at the ROMs before dismissing them.
The kernel needs to be the same type as the ROM. e.g, A stock (based) rom will need a stock (based) kernel. AKOP/ASOP ROMS need ASOP/AKOP Kernels. You get the point. See the link mentioned for more information.
Check the compatibility of the ROM with your bootloader before you flash it to not get into situations like this again. (From when you said that CM10 failed to work with your boot loader.
Hope this helped.
BTW, this did not bother me one bit. Your Welcome!
Live long and prosper.
If I have helped you in any way, shape or form, hit the thanks button. If I have given you a link to someone on XDA that helped you, give them thanks first.

If you are running "10.6.1.27" that might be the issue some roms don't boot if you can access fast boot try downgrading to 10.6.1.15.3
Sent from my HTC Desire C using xda app-developers app

1337 H4X0R said:
XDA:
Define Kernel-and ROM, and everything:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/wiki/index.php?title=ROM-VS-Kernel "ROM vs Kernel"
The kernel needs to be the same type as the ROM. e.g, A stock (based) rom will need a stock (based) kernel. AKOP/ASOP ROMS need ASOP/AKOP Kernels. You get the point. See the link mentioned for more information.
Check the compatibility of the ROM with your bootloader before you flash it to not get into situations like this again. (From when you said that CM10 failed to work with your boot loader.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just to add a *tiny* little tidbit right here: every rom has a kernel. It wouldn't boot without one. Yes, a dev can remove the kernel and force you to find one to flash, but that's utterly pointless. I'm just saying that you really don't have to bother yourself with that as yet.
While it's great to educate yourself, don't get overwhelmed. You have PLENTY time to learn more.

I ran into similar issues. You need to make sure your ROM/kernal matches your bootloader and matches your recovery. If not all three match, you run into this issue.
Sent from my EVO using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

so far no good :/
I gave up on this for a couple days, figuring I'd come back to it later when I wasn't as distressed.
so right now, my goal is to get back to stock, and get everything working again before downgrading to 10.6.1.15.3, and then install a custom ROM
Not sure why, but right now, I can't even install the stock kernel flashed onto the device - twrp still tells me 'failed.'
I'm sure that I got the right stock kernel/rom for my build number, so what is going on?

[Q] Why install custom rom? New guy here

Hello everyone, I just registered to XDA. I ordered my nexus 5 and I expect it by the end of the week and I just have a few questions.
Please dont judge me hard as I dont have much knowledge on the subject.
1. What is a custom rom?It is a custom OS based on an android version right?
2. I see many people putting custom roms on nexus 5. Why is that? What do custom roms offer?
3. Which one would you suggest me to install to my new phone?
4.Can you help me on how to do the installation?
Thanks in advance

giannis1995 said:
Hello everyone, I just registered to XDA. I ordered my nexus 5 and I expect it by the end of the week and I just have a few questions.
Please dont judge me hard as I dont have much knowledge on the subject.
1. What is a custom rom?It is a custom OS based on an android version right?
2. I see many people putting custom roms on nexus 5. Why is that? What do custom roms offer?
3. Which one would you suggest me to install to my new phone?
4.Can you help me on how to do the installation?
Thanks in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Custom ROMs are basically just third-party-developer-versions of the Android operating system. They usually offer software modifications you can't find on stock versions of Android, such as overclocking your processor (making it run faster than it's supposed to). I'd recommend for starters to go with CyanogenMod. I will look for a good ROM for you to start out with, and when I find one, I'll return and post instructions on how to install it. I'll aos post instructions for how to Root and install a custom recovery (these are things you MUST do before installing any ROM).
EDIT: Here's a guide for how to get your Nexus 5 up to the point where you are running a custom ROM on it. If there's anything you don't understand, please feel free to ask what it means and I'll try my best to explain. Just as a warning, by doing this, you will probably void any warranty you may have with your device. So if you are NOT OK with a warranty being void, please DO NOT proceed. Otherwise, keep reading:
1) Make sure you have a computer with the proper Nexus 5 drivers installed.
2) Root and unlock the bootloader on your Nexus 5. Take a look at THIS for how to do both of them.
3) Read through THIS for how to install a custom recovery. I'd recommend using TWRP. If you already unlocked the bootloader in the previous step, then just ignore the part where this article tells you how to unlock the bootloader.
4) Next you need to download the ROM itself and save it to your Nexus 5's internal storage. My friend who has a Nexus 5 uses THIS ROM, and he seems to like it. Save THIS (ROM) and THIS (Google Apps) to your phone's internal storage. Remember where you put these. Do NOT extract the contents, leave them as a .zip file.
5) Boot your phone into recovery
5.5) DO A FULL BACKUP IN RECOVERY!!! IN CASE SOMETHING GOES WRONG, JUST BOOT INTO RECOVERY, AND SELECT TO RESTORE THE BACKUP AND YOUR PHONE WILL BE BACK TO THE STATE IT WAS BEFORE YOU TRIED TO FLASH THE ROM. THIS IS IMPORTANT! You should do this EVERY TIME you want to flash a Custom ROM. It should be pretty easy to find out how to do a backup in recovery. If you use TWRP Custom Recovery like I suggested, there should be a button in the main menu that says "Backup". Just press that, make sure everything is checked, and then initiate the backup. If you ever need to restore a backup, there should be a "Restore" button in TWRP Recovery's main menu as well. Just select the backup you made, press restore, and let it do its thing.
6) Do a factory reset. That means wipe the data and cache.
7) Select to install/flash a zip file. First flash the ROM zip file, THEN flash the google gapps zip file.
8) Reboot your phone
9) Give it some time to turn on. The first time your phone restarts/turns on after installing a new ROM (what I like to call "First-Boot") will usually take a lot longer than normal. Just give it time.
10) You're done!

jasonmerc said:
Custom ROMs are basically just third-party-developer-versions of the Android operating system. They usually offer software modifications you can't find on stock versions of Android, such as overclocking your processor (making it run faster than it's supposed to). I'd recommend for starters to go with CyanogenMod. I will look for a good ROM for you to start out with, and when I find one, I'll return and post instructions on how to install it. I'll aos post instructions for how to Root and install a custom recovery (these are things you MUST do before installing any ROM).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks a lot dude i really appreciate it and i'll be waiting for your reply! by custom recovery you mean save what I want before installing the rom correct?

giannis1995 said:
thanks a lot dude i really appreciate it and i'll be waiting for your reply! by custom recovery you mean save what I want before installing the rom correct?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, that is not what I mean by custom recovery. But yes, you should back up any important files/photos/videos/whatever to a computer or something before proceeding in case something does go wrong. Custom Recovery refers to the Recovery Mode of your device. The stock recovery mode image doesn't allow for flashing custom Android modifications such as ROMs, but custom recovery images do.

jasonmerc said:
No, that is not what I mean by custom recovery. But yes, you should back up any important files/photos/videos/whatever to a computer or something before proceeding in case something does go wrong. Custom Recovery refers to the Recovery Mode of your device. The stock recovery mode image doesn't allow for flashing custom Android modifications such as ROMs, but custom recovery images do.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i'll try to install it as soon as I get my phone. Overclocking is good but what about the battery?Will it be more demanding?

giannis1995 said:
i'll try to install it as soon as I get my phone. Overclocking is good but what about the battery?Will it be more demanding?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you overclock, then yes. It will use up more battery life, depending on how much you overclock it. The Nexus 5 already has a fast CPU, so overclocking isn't ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY, but you can do it if you want.

jasonmerc said:
If you overclock, then yes. It will use up more battery life, depending on how much you overclock it. The Nexus 5 already has a fast CPU, so overclocking isn't ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY, but you can do it if you want.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
how will I overclock it if I want?Was it mentioned in one of the steps?

giannis1995 said:
how will I overclock it if I want?Was it mentioned in one of the steps?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure if this specific ROM supports it, but from my past experience, CPU clock speed settings should be under Settings>Performance. If Performance doesn't show up, try going to Settings>About, look for "Build Number", and tap that very fast until you see "You are now a developer". Then go back and see if Performance is listed. If it isn't listed even after that, then the ROM may not natively support overclocking.