[Q] is there a simple way to move from one rom to another - Galaxy S II Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

hi i have litening 6.1 installed on my SGS2 but as litepro (litening's maker) has technically retired i am thinking of moving to CyanogenMod7, is there an easy way to do this, as i am totally new to all this.
thanks for looking in.
rab1es

Yes, follow the installation guide that the ROM developer took the time to write for installing his/her ROM.

Please use the Q&A Forum for questions Thanks
Moving to Q&A

After a little practice flashing new roms is like changing your t-shirt. I've found the instructions to be quite similar with most roms. Just double-check for specific variations and use paid backup tools. 15 mins to get completely up and running with a new rom if you're optimized.

Flash this kernel with ODin: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1118693
Then install it with CWM. Flash it twice or it won't work,.

sorry for putting it in the wrong section (newbie)
ive downloaded CWM from the market but will have to do some reading as its all foreign to me, is flashing a kernal just like flashing a rom using odin, only point it to the kernal?

rab1es said:
sorry for putting it in the wrong section (newbie)
ive downloaded CWM from the market but will have to do some reading as its all foreign to me, is flashing a kernal just like flashing a rom using odin, only point it to the kernal?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You put it in PDA (it must be a .tar file, so don't extract it. If it is a zip file on't flash it through ODIN)
DO NOT check repartition.
After flashing the kernal I gave you, you will have a CWM version that is compatible with CM7 but you wil need root for this.

rab1es said:
sorry for putting it in the wrong section (newbie)
ive downloaded CWM from the market but will have to do some reading as its all foreign to me, is flashing a kernal just like flashing a rom using odin, only point it to the kernal?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You don't need ODIN to flash subsequent kernels unless specified by their author/developer. The ones I've flashed have necessitated a cache wipe & a davlik cache wipe followed by an installation from the sd card & reboot. Done.
EDIT: don't listen to me if your question is specifically about kernels for use with CM7 because I haven't flashed that ROM but inevitably will end up there.
Don't let the jargon and nomenclature dampen your spirits. After my first flash things started to click. It seems like instructions for flashing roms and kernels are usually tailored for real power users who have quite a decent grasp of all the terminology and concept. I'm sure part of that is just the sheer frequency of these geniuses doing write-ups (that and the fact that many of them use English as a second language). But after actually using CWM and some of the tools referenced in these forums things just start to click.
I'm a pure noob myself but will be happy to lend any assistance where I can. After all I'll need much of the same courtesy.

anonomike, like you said because its all new to me its very daunting, especially when i read stories of people getting their phone stuck on a certain screen and bricking it. (ive read this is almost impossible) i will have a go at it later today, so everybody stay where you are (just in case )

Related

[Q] Fascinate and new ROM

My apologies if this has been asked before, but I've spent hours searching and think I've done a better job of confusing myself, than answering my question.
I've rooted my wife's Samsung Fascinate, using Super One Click and removed all annoyances such as the Verizon bloat ware and got add blocker installed, etc. The point on doing so, was also to improve battery life, backup the ROM and some of the other associated advantages with rooting. One of my main goals was to also install a custom ROM on her phone, as the factory ROM is very flaky. It receives emails, then doesn't. It sends a text, then can't minutes later. It's been a great phone HW wise, but just junk as far as the OS.
Thus far, all attempts to backup the factory (modified) ROM has failed, which evidently is part of the limitation with the stock ROM. At this point, she's so frustrated (me too) with her phone, that it's time to get serious.
So, my confusion stems from varying reports regarding what the proper steps are to install a new ROM. On my Thunderbolt, I simply used CWM to install and backup/restore my ROMs as needed. This doesn't seem to be the case with the Fascinate and there's varying reports of whether this can even be done if Super One Click was used.
Has anyone had experience with flashing new ROMs after the phone was rooted and if so, by what method?
Her current ROM details are:
Firmware
2.2.2
Baseband
S:i500.04 V.ED05
Kernel
2.6.32.9
Build
SCH-I500.ED05
Thanks in advance.
stock roms,radios, and recoveries are flashed via odin. custom roms are flashed via the appropiate cwm for that specific rom.
example: lets say you want cm7
you would odin cwm4 recovery fixed for cm7(pda function only)
three finger boot into recovery
wipe data,cache,dalvik
install cm7 zip
profit
most stock roms and powewashed gingerbread rom are .tar files and need to be flashed in the pda funtion of odin.
then use odin again to flash the appropiate cwm, such as cwmall.tar, which can be found in the pwgb thread(op).
basically just remember zip files are flashed in recovery, .tar and md5 files are flashed in the pda function of odin and you will be set!
droidstyle said:
stock roms,radios, and recoveries are flashed via odin. custom roms are flashed via the appropiate cwm for that specific rom.
example: lets say you want cm7
you would odin cwm4 recovery fixed for cm7(pda function only)
three finger boot into recovery
wipe data,cache,dalvik
install cwm zip
profit
most stock roms and powewashed gingerbread rom are .tar files and need to be flashed in the pda funtion of odin.
then use odin again to flash the appropiate cwm, such as cwmall.tar, which can be found in the pwgb thread(op).
basically just remember zip files are flashed in recovery, .tar and md5 files are flashed in the pda function of odin and you will be set!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay, that makes a lot more sense now. Thanks for the quick reply.
correct me if i'm wrong but when flashing the cwm fixed for cm7, the 3 finger method does not work.
ibsk8 said:
correct me if i'm wrong but when flashing the cwm fixed for cm7, the 3 finger method does not work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it does until the rom is flashed, then you have to long press the power button and select reboot recovery...at that point your no long in cwm4 fixed for cm7. once the bml to mtd conversion takes place it's converted to cwm 5.x.x.
droidstyle said:
it does until the rom is flashed, then you have to long press the power button and select reboot recovery...at that point your no long in cwm4 fixed for cm7. once the bml to mtd conversion takes place it's converted to cwm 5.x.x.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I never could get to the ROM flashing part. Every time I tried I got the same set of errors as when trying to backup the original ROM. I did manage to get the CWM 4 fix applied through ODIN and it said successful, but nothing really changed and my attempts to flash the new ROM still failed.
I searched around this forum and others and found another file to flash and things went very badly. The flash was moving super slow and I left the phone, so I wouldn't be tempted to do anything stupid and after an hour, it was at the same point. When I rebooted the phone, I got a sad face icon only. No Samsung logo or anything.
Luckily, I was able to re flash the stock rom, but after messing with it for 4 hours and getting nowhere, I decided the stock ROM was good enough for now. I have no idea why this phone is so pesky and read how some folks had to ref lash the stock ROM, before being able to flash a new ROM. I made one final attempt to do so and got the same error as the first time, so that was enough for that day. I don't recall exactly what the error said at this point, but I had blue text, followed by orange, which I think said something to the fact that is was unable to verify the package, followed by red text showing the failures.
Sorry there's no more detail than that for now. I may try this again in the future, but as mentioned this is the wife's phone, so I can't take nearly the liberties with it as I could my own.
If anyone has any ideas on what I may be able to try next, that would be great. If not, I may keep digging on this forum (a very helpful place indeed) and see what the options may be.
Thanks everyone for your help.
refer to section 3 of my guide and follow those steps. for some reason certain fascinates have trouble flashing mtd roms when starting from ed05. I have to start with dl09 eclair then flash cm7. look in page 2 of this section for my guide. all files needed can be found there aswell. good luck!

[Q] switching rom's principle information

Hello friends.
I'm kind of new in "switching rom's" (I have vibrant for 4 months and still use my first rom project-v=> wonderful rom.)
I'm looking for the principle that guides me about "switching rom's" like:
1. If I have project-v rom (2.2 BL) and I want to move to CM7 rom why moving to stock not needed.
2. If I want to move to 2.3 XXJVX\T Rom I need to flash stock first, WHY?
3. What is the best way to flash stock (Is there any rom that already rooted and CWR installed that can be flash from odin once, from there continue like the 2.2 steps)
4. If I have voodoo and I want to switch rom (CM7 \ XXJVX\T) should I disable it or uninstall it?
5. What are the CRITICAL phone files that I need to backup before flash and how (I read something about EFS folder)?
6. What are the common problems that I need to notice when switching Rom to do not hard brick my phone (I know that If I'll flash 2.3 rom with 2.2 BL it can brick my phone OR flash rom that contain SLB.Bin or Boot.Bin with Odin)
I'm looking at this site and other sites but I couldn't find and satisfactory information (I'm not planning to create rom's but I just want to know what am I doing before doing it => I don’t want to brick my phone at the first flashing)
p.s
One thing that I found in this site that moving from 2.2 rom to another 2.2 rom need to use this steps:
Copy rom to sd card
wipe cache partition
wipe data \ factory reset
wipe dalvik cache
install zip from sdcard
Any information will be appreciated.
Thanks.
Someone?
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
1. and 2. I flash stock for a clean install when 2.2 to 2.3 or CM7 Miui.
3. I just Odin the stock firmware and use update.zip method to install CWM and then rom
4. Depends on Rom you are flashing too. If they support voodoo sometimes you won't have to disable voodoo, read OP and posts to confirm.
5. Besides pics music and app data, IMEI is most important though its on back of phone. Personally I throw everything on my phone onto my computer, just in case it bootloops and wipes sd.
6.Usually its just soft bricks,easily fixed with download mode/ODIN or just recovery. Only time I've hard bricked was using Samsung's Kies mini....(make sure GB bootloaders for 2.3 roms, otherwise rainbows in recovery)
~on p.s. Yes you want to do that so you don't get force closes and lag moving to different rom (you can skip factory reset if upgrading new version ROM usually, but read OP.)
Also read the guide sticked on Q&A, his other guides are good too.....
asher_pa said:
Hello friends.
I'm kind of new in "switching rom's" (I have vibrant for 4 months and still use my first rom project-v=> wonderful rom.)
I'm looking for the principle that guides me about "switching rom's" like:
1. If I have project-v rom (2.2 BL) and I want to move to CM7 rom why moving to stock not needed.
2. If I want to move to 2.3 XXJVX\T Rom I need to flash stock first, WHY?
3. What is the best way to flash stock (Is there any rom that already rooted and CWR installed that can be flash from odin once, from there continue like the 2.2 steps)
4. If I have voodoo and I want to switch rom (CM7 \ XXJVX\T) should I disable it or uninstall it?
5. What are the CRITICAL phone files that I need to backup before flash and how (I read something about EFS folder)?
6. What are the common problems that I need to notice when switching Rom to do not hard brick my phone (I know that If I'll flash 2.3 rom with 2.2 BL it can brick my phone OR flash rom that contain SLB.Bin or Boot.Bin with Odin)
I'm looking at this site and other sites but I couldn't find and satisfactory information (I'm not planning to create rom's but I just want to know what am I doing before doing it => I don’t want to brick my phone at the first flashing)
p.s
One thing that I found in this site that moving from 2.2 rom to another 2.2 rom need to use this steps:
Copy rom to sd card
wipe cache partition
wipe data \ factory reset
wipe dalvik cache
install zip from sdcard
Any information will be appreciated.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I COULD answer your questions. The reason I can answer your questions is because I read the stickied threads in the development forums as well as any and all relevant information in the threads of the ROMS and kernels and modems I wanted to flash.
I suggest you do the same, but first, watch this Youtube video.
Did he say he couldn't find any satisfactory information on here?? Lol...wow
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Reminds me of a joke by Jim Gaffigan about the nature of fast food and delivery. "I figure in the future it'll be like, 'Yeah, I want some take out, and I'll need someone to come over and feed me. I'll be in the tub. Keys under the mat. Chip chop chip!'"
Anyone who claims they couldn't find any satisfactory information about flashing ROMs on the XDA Developer forums...
wow...
So much wisdom But with that So much bragging
Many thanks for your help it was very comprehensiveץ
Bragging? What are we bragging about? Being able to read?
as I already told you I read all the guides and FAQ and I understand "What to do" but what I wanted to know is "What I do"....
I think that if I will know what am I doing I will decrease the chance to brick...
(for examples:
1. when in OP it say "came from other \ costume ROM" does it mean to 2.2 rom too
2. in the "back to stock" guide in the stick posts.. => does the "stock rom" is 2.2 \ 2.3 bl?)
again...
for you guys that doing this 5 times in day it sound obvious but for me ... :-(
but for summarize:
you doing wonderful job. Thanks.
Lol
Dude, I spent DAYS reading...and I mean DAYS... When I thought I read enough, I started and bricked my phone. Then again spent hours reading MORE, until I finally unbricked my phone....and started over. Even now, I still have to read read read to understand, and STILL don't...
It's frustrating for those who put in all that time to see posts from people who don't want to take the time to read... And we see it all the time. If you can't find the information here...something is wrong.
MeL
What Miz said.
Not sure if you're lazy, or just the language barrier getting in the way, but if you're still confused after reading through our development forum and sticky posts, you should either:
A) Do not flash a ROM, root your phone, or alter your phone in any way. Stick with stock.
B) Try to find a guide that's in your native language. XDA is pretty much English only.

[Q] rom manager not recognizing fascinate

This is the first time I rooted my phone and I used step 6 on this link in your forum http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1238070 . Everything went fine but I then downloaded rom manager and when I select flash clockworkmod it only gives me the choice of choosing the samsung epic4g or the samsung galaxyS i9000. It does not give me the option of choosing the fascinate. I selected the i9000 but stopped there because I figured that I should try to fix this situation and be able to select the fascinate, before I move foward. Please help me move foward so I will be able to put a rom on my phone. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
lucash312 said:
This is the first time I rooted my phone and I used step 6 on this link in your forum http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1238070 . Everything went fine but I then downloaded rom manager and when I select flash clockworkmod it only gives me the choice of choosing the samsung epic4g or the samsung galaxyS i9000. It does not give me the option of choosing the fascinate. I selected the i9000 but stopped there because I figured that I should try to fix this situation and be able to select the fascinate, before I move foward. Please help me move foward so I will be able to put a rom on my phone. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
rom manager is useless for the fascinate...
I also ran into this issue. If your CWM is not "sticky" (it goes to System Recovery <3e> when you reboot recovery), you must flash the appropriate version of CWM with ODIN before a ROM flash. (CWM ALL.tar for bml roms [anything that is not cm7, MIUI, or ICS] or cwm4_fixed_for_cm7.tar for MTD ROM's [cm7, MIUI, or ICS])
MultipleMonomials said:
I also ran into this issue. If your CWM is not "sticky" (it goes to System Recovery <3e> when you reboot recovery), you must flash the appropriate version of CWM with ODIN before a ROM flash. (CWM ALL.tar for bml roms [anything that is not cm7, MIUI, or ICS] or cwm4_fixed_for_cm7.tar for MTD ROM's [cm7, MIUI, or ICS])
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if the op would of followed the guides instructions correctly, he would not of ran into that issue in the first place...
droidstyle said:
rom manager is useless for the fascinate...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But if that's the case, why does Koushik make a ROM for the fascinate and have it available on his site?
(Does the Epic4G simply represent all CDMA phones, and the i9000 GSM? Don't see why that would matter anyway tho)
(I can't post a direct &#% link yet, but it's on his website.
This makes absolutely no sense!? He's got ROMs up there for just about every Android phone on the market, all to be used with ROM Manager.
I wanted to install it via Odin but naturally that would be too simple: it's a zip file and Odin won't recognize anything but tar and 2 others formats.
You can flash any .zip ROM with CWM. There's no need for ROM Manager. BTW, you can post a link if you uncheck "parse links in text automatically."
Nymblz said:
But if that's the case, why does Koushik make a ROM for the fascinate and have it available on his site?
(Does the Epic4G simply represent all CDMA phones, and the i9000 GSM? Don't see why that would matter anyway tho)
(I can't post a direct &#% link yet, but it's on his website.
This makes absolutely no sense!? He's got ROMs up there for just about every Android phone on the market, all to be used with ROM Manager.
I wanted to install it via Odin but naturally that would be too simple: it's a zip file and Odin won't recognize anything but tar and 2 others formats.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
all you need to do is boot into cwm recovery via the power menu and flash away. the problem with rom manager on the fascinate is getting into the right recovery...causes more problems than its worth on this device. make sense yet? probably not since you have not been down this road yet, but many of us have. so take the advice given or dont and learn the hard way.
Honestly, I am trying to take the advice given but not all of it fit my situation.
I'm definitely something of a noob to Android (Not to linux or IT though). I've had my phone for all of a month and rooted it only days ago.
It's all starting to come together, finally. It's tricky for a noob because there are so many different versions of the phone hardware, versions of Android, this or that kernel that only works with these ROMs, old/newer versions of those, old posts and advice, newer posts with adjusted advice.. etc.. It's been a week long crash course!
Anyhoo, I couldn't flash/upgrade CWM because it didn't stick from the original Odin install. When I rebooted, I'd always return to the stock <3e> recovery. Even after two more installs of CWM via Odin.
I used the cwm-recovery-all.tar in your guide, Droidstyle. (great job BTW)
I followed the directions in Section 6 to the letter. I even printed it out and highlighted key sections.
So you see, I was in a catch-22; I needed CWM to flash CWM? Odin was my only option at that point.
Then I read on another thread here about renaming the /system/recovery-from-boot.p script, and installing CWM once more.
That worked, so now I can finally boot into CWM recovery like a happy man. (I also tried a more specific version of CWM for good measure: cwm4-bml-i500.tar, not really sure if that made a difference)
So I made my first real nandroid backup last night.
Next on my list is a new kernel. Still deciding between KGB, lean, and whatever else is out there.
I still don't get the whole mess with ROM Manager though. I agree with you, DS, I just don't get why he'd have zips for every phone under the sun but his own app doesn't seem to allow them to be used. It's bizarre. The latest reviews on the market are not flattering either.
Nymblz said:
It's tricky for a noob because there are so many different versions of the phone hardware
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are on the Samsung Fascinate. If it is Verizon then it is model number i500. If it doesnt say Fascinate or i500 it isn't for your device and you don't need to worry about it. If you flash something that isn't stated as being for the i500 or VERIZON Fascinate then you will have a lovely new temporary paper weight.
Nymblz said:
Anyhoo, I couldn't flash/upgrade CWM because it didn't stick from the original Odin install. When I rebooted, I'd always return to the stock <3e> recovery. Even after two more installs of CWM via Odin.
I used the cwm-recovery-all.tar in your guide, Droidstyle. (great job BTW)
I followed the directions in Section 6 to the letter. I even printed it out and highlighted key sections.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You couldn't have followed it to the letter because it is a well known fact that if you boot up with a stock kernel still flashed it will replace your recovery. Droidstyle certainly knows this and certainly accounted for it in his guide. So, you need to either boot directly into CWM or flash a non-stock kernel prior to rebooting the phone.
Nymblz said:
Then I read on another thread here about renaming the /system/recovery-from-boot.p script, and installing CWM once more.
That worked, so now I can finally boot into CWM recovery like a happy man. (I also tried a more specific version of CWM for good measure: cwm4-bml-i500.tar, not really sure if that made a difference)
So I made my first real nandroid backup last night.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah it sounds like that will work...not the most elegant way to take care of it...but it sounds like it would be okay.
Nymblz said:
Next on my list is a new kernel. Still deciding between KGB, lean, and whatever else is out there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We already talked about the kernel situation. Consider Geewiz if you want something thats all-in-one and pretty much impossible to mess up. KGB is good. Leankernel always gave me the best battery life but YMMV.
Nymblz said:
I still don't get the whole mess with ROM Manager though. I agree with you, DS, I just don't get why he'd have zips for every phone under the sun but his own app doesn't seem to allow them to be used. It's bizarre. The latest reviews on the market are not flattering either.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He showed no interest in helping the devs here get ROM manager working (again) on the phone. If you gave him money, blame him for not providing the support and resources to get it working on this phone. Some people are umm...."lacking in people skills."
Oh, and as great as the Gingerbread ROMs are...the mtd ICS roms blow them out of the water

SD card required?

Hey, im new here, and completely new to the whole "custom rom flashing" thing.
I would like to get into rooting my phone and then installing a custom rom like resurrection for example, but I have a couple of questions.
1. Do I need an SD card in my phone, to be able to root my phone/install custom roms? or can I just use the phones internal 16gb memory?
2. Would someone be kind enough to point me to a guide to rooting/installing custom roms for complete newbies like myself? I have searched the forums, but theres so many threads about different stuff, like clockworkmod/odin/cyanogenmod etc, my head is completely boggled. I just don't know where to begin with any of it.
Cheers.
1) No.
2) Everything you need to know is in the Stickies.
MistahBungle said:
1) No.
2) Everything you need to know is in the Stickies.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. No you cant root without an SD card? or No you don't need an SD card? elaborate please.
2. Nothing in that thread helps someone like me who is totally new. I don't know what any of it means. Surely there is a simple guide that explains exactly how to root your phone, without linking you to 7 other threads in the process? That's all I've found up until now.
This requires sdcard
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1501719
This doesn't
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1103399
Thanks, thats what I was looking for.
One more thing, just so I dont make a mistake, could you tell me which kernel to download? my kernel version is 3.0.15-I9100BVLPB-CL310231
cheers.
Read the bit in bold read which says 'Help ! Which file do I use ?'. This short section answers your question exactly.
ok well i tried CF-Root-SGS2_XX_OXX_LPB-v5.2-CWM5-PROPER.zip and my phone no longer boots....
tried CF-Root-SGS2_XX_OXX_LPB-v5.2-CWM5.zip and I get the same thing, so im stuck now. great.
I can get into CWM recovery, but I have no idea how to copy the rom I want to use onto the phone when its in recovery mode. This is something that is just not explained anywhere
help?
Right. In order of importance:-
1) No bumping threads within 37 minutes. Not cool. This is not your personal tech support forum.
2) You're having problems. Why ? Who knows. We're not there looking over your shoulder so we have no idea exactly what you did. I suspect you're having problems because you are in too much of a hurry/took shortcuts & didn't do what was suggested immediately after your OP.
3) However...Given the situation you find yourself in, I recommend you do one of two things:-
A) If you are absolutely sure you have CWM Recovery & not Android recovery (I say this because if your phone isn't booting normally, that normally means the flash didn't work & normally CWM wouldn't be successfully installed either), follow whatever instructions the rom you're wanting to flash has.
Every single rom on here has flashing instructions, normally on the first post on the first page of the thread on here devoted to the rom. If you can't be bothered reading those, I can't help you.
or
B) Go to Samfirmware.com. Search for the firmware that was on your phone before you tried to root it. Download this firmware. Flash the firmware you download following the instructions here. If you also end up with a .dll file, bin it. You don't need it. This will give you a clean install of stock. From there, I strongly suggest you read the CFRoot thread very carefully before you attempt to root your phone again. I also strongly recommend you read the Stickies linked to above, so you have some sort of understanding around what's what with this phone.
If you don't, being a betting man, I'll wager there's a fair chance you'll find yourself in the situation you currently find yourself in again (best case scenario), or worst case you'll end up with a 135gm paperweight as many people have on here over the past few days.
It's all up to you now. Your phone's destiny is in your hands.
Thanks for the reply, much appreciated.
Sorry for bumping, I panicked a little when my phone wouldnt boot. I just expected it to work because I have done things like this in the past and never had problems. Im a pretty tech savvy person really, im just new to android.
I wish it was as simple as reading one thread, but there are dozens of different threads on how to root this phone, and different methods, its extremely confusing.
Im downloading the stock kernel now (300+mb for some reason, and its going to take over an hour to download)
Once I get my phone back to normal, I'll read through some more threads and try and get a better understanding on how to root my phone.
I had it rooted properly as the recovery mode stated CWM in the corner, I think the issue I had was not being able to copy the rom I wanted to use, onto the phone, because I dont have an SD card.
Anyway, thanks for the help, and fingers crossed I can at least get my phone to boot again.
Man, I've never come across anything so complicated in all my life lol.
Edit: Sorted! Flashed back to original kernel and its working as it was before I started. Thanks very much for your help mate, and at least now I know how to restore my phone if I mess it up again in the future.
just thought I would update this thread and say I finally accomplished what I wanted.
Incase anyone is wondering, this is what I did:
Restored my phone back to factory settings/firmware/kernel
Booted the phone up, and copied my rom of choice to the internal memory via USB connection, and enabled debug mode.
restarted in download mode and flashed cf-root kernel (ended up with bootloop)
went ahead and installed the rom via clockwork recovery (creating a backup first)
The phone now boots into the rom im using (Resurrection Remix)
So if anyone is a little worried by getting the bootloop (but can still get into clockwork recovery) try flashing your required rom. Your phone may boot fine with new rom anyway. Mine did.

How to replace CM12.1 with stock ROM or with other custom ROMs in GT-I9100?

Hi sirs,
The title says it all, I want to change back to stock rom or change to other custom roms but I am not sure what to do. I have cm12.1 nightly build 5.1.1 (i guess that's the name) currently installed in my phone. I followed a tutorial on how to do THINGS in my phone but I am unsure whether it will work or not. I am SO VERY VERY VERY new to these things and I don't know how to proceed. And also, i get confused of the terms like KERNEL or ROM and i kind of mixed them up. So I am here to ask for your help and clarification on my problem.
According to a tutorial that I've read, a custom recovery is needed. So, following a tutorial, I replaced the Cyanogenmod recovery with TWRP recovery. My questions are:
1. Is it safe to flash a ROM (like Omega Series Rom, which I kind of bumped in while doing research) over the current CM12.1 system?
2.Is there any patterns or magical incantations in order to flash a new rom into my device successfully? If so, can someone show me a step-by-step instructions?
3.Will it brick my phone if I missed a step?
I know this is too much to ask for, but please help me Sirs/Maams. I'm desperate. THANKS SO SO SO MUCH in advance.
P.S. Sorry if my english is so horrible. English is not my first language.
Sincerly,
Me
To install a new ROM, boot into recovery, and wipe /data and /cache and if you want also /system. After that install the ROM and Gapps zip files. Always double-check you're using & choosing the correct files. I recommend to always use the smallest possible Gapps package to make sure it fits into the /system partition.
Make sure you're using the right recovery. For example Cm12.1 needed a KitKat-compatible recovery for a successful install.
Notice that all apps and app data will be deleted at a new flash. In some cases, the recovery is included in the ROM, then it will overwrite the one you had before.
I personally think flashing a new ROM isn't that dangerous. There are more critical things, for example repartition. But there are some rare cases at almost every ROM where someone's phone dies, for whatever reason. So there's always a little risk. But even if you should succeed soft-bricking your phone, there already are some guides how to solve it.
And one more tip: in general, always read as much as possible about a ROM before flashing it. Avoid less documented ROM threads. You decide what you risk and do everything on your own responsibility.
I know this things are logical, but it seems as if there are still people flashing everything, reading nothing, spamming everything with their problems they get then
Hope I helped you a little bit.
BenjyTec said:
To install a new ROM, boot into recovery, and wipe /data and /cache and if you want also /system. After that install the ROM and Gapps zip files. Always double-check you're using & choosing the correct files. I recommend to always use the smallest possible Gapps package to make sure it fits into the /system partition.
Make sure you're using the right recovery. For example Cm12.1 needed a KitKat-compatible recovery for a successful install.
Notice that all apps and app data will be deleted at a new flash. In some cases, the recovery is included in the ROM, then it will overwrite the one you had before.
I personally think flashing a new ROM isn't that dangerous. There are more critical things, for example repartition. But there are some rare cases at almost every ROM where someone's phone dies, for whatever reason. So there's always a little risk. But even if you should succeed soft-bricking your phone, there already are some guides how to solve it.
And one more tip: in general, always read as much as possible about a ROM before flashing it. Avoid less documented ROM threads. You decide what you risk and do everything on your own responsibility.
I know this things are logical, but it seems as if there are still people flashing everything, reading nothing, spamming everything with their problems they get then
Hope I helped you a little bit.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply kind sir.
So it's safe to flash a new ROM over the current CM12.1 system? And if so, will my current recovery (which is TWRP recovery) suffice for flashing a new ROM? or do I have to replace my recovery? If ROMs have compatibility issues with recovery systems, can you please give or show me a list of ROMs that can be flashed using TWRP recovery (I'm so sorry, I have don't completely understand these kinds of things).
Thanks for your help sir. I really appreciate it. And sorry for the questions.
ZaorotheFirst said:
Thanks for the reply kind sir.
So it's safe to flash a new ROM over the current CM12.1 system? And if so, will my current recovery (which is TWRP recovery) suffice for flashing a new ROM? or do I have to replace my recovery? If ROMs have compatibility issues with recovery systems, can you please give or show me a list of ROMs that can be flashed using TWRP recovery (I'm so sorry, I have don't completely understand these kinds of things).
Thanks for your help sir. I really appreciate it. And sorry for the questions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's safe to flash whichever rom you want over cm12.1. The only thing to keep in mind is whether it is a .zip file or .tar file(as for stock rom), which will tell you whether to use recovery(your TWRP is fine for this), or odin(for stock rom in .tar format)
But as BenjiTec said, READ, READ, READ before you go ahead and flash a rom. Always read the OP(first post) and maybe first 2 or 3 pages of the rom thread, plus the all the pages from when the rom version you want to flash was released(maybe 10-20 pages). You probably don't need to read ALL pages if it is an old version. Understand what you are doing, rather than follow steps blindly, and you will always know what to do in case of something going wrong
Thanks a lot sirs, both of you, BenjyTec and noppy22, for the clarification.
One last question (or sets of questions. sorry )
So I have decided that I will flash a stock ROM to my S2 from SamMobiles using Odin. Do I have to wipe the the /data, /system, etc. before flashing the stock ROM via Odin? Or i can just directly flash the ROM over the CM12.1 system and TWRP recovery? And I have searched a lot of the possible outcomes and failures (like Odin ROM installment failure). What are the chances that the installation will fail? And what do I do if it DID fail (let's hope not)?
I know that these kinds of questions have been already answered in many threads but I just want to have my answers DIRECTLY from experts. Not from old threads and guide thingies.
Again, THANK YOU SO MUCH for the clarifications and answers. GOD BLESS
ZaorotheFirst said:
Thanks a lot sirs, both of you, BenjyTec and noppy22, for the clarification.
One last question (or sets of questions. sorry )
So I have decided that I will flash a stock ROM to my S2 from SamMobiles using Odin. Do I have to wipe the the /data, /system, etc. before flashing the stock ROM via Odin? Or i can just directly flash the ROM over the CM12.1 system and TWRP recovery? And I have searched a lot of the possible outcomes and failures (like Odin ROM installment failure). What are the chances that the installation will fail? And what do I do if it DID fail (let's hope not)?
I know that these kinds of questions have been already answered in many threads but I just want to have my answers DIRECTLY from experts. Not from old threads and guide thingies.
Again, THANK YOU SO MUCH for the clarifications and answers. GOD BLESS
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It doesn't matter so much whether you wipe before or after. The easiest way is:
1. Run odin on your pc
2. Connect your phone, after booting in download mode(turn off, then hold vol down, home, power buttons until samsung screen) Use a trusted data cable, not all cables work
3. Flash stock rom through odin until PASSED(untick reboot device/auto reboot before flash)
4. Disconnect phone, take battery out, then put it back in. Reboot to recovery(vol up, home, power buttons)
5. In stock(3e) recovery, do a factory reset
6. Reboot and leave it for 5-10 minutes until you get a brand new stock rom
Stock ROM installing succeeded! THANKS SO MUCH SIRS! THANKS for all the clarifications and answers to my questions! KUDOS to both of you!!!

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