[Q] Root, kernels, firmwares and roms - Galaxy S II Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Getting a bit confused about all this, so am wondering if i've got it right. A rom is the whole thing, it includes a kernel and so forth? So a Kernel is a part of the rom right? And you can flash kernels individually without flashing a whole new rom? But what is a firmware then? Just another name of a rom?
Also on the Galaxy S2 can you flash custom roms, like Lite'ning, without getting root first? Or do you need to get root before flashing custom roms? If you can flash custom roms first without rooting, will the custom rom then give you root as long as it includes it?
And you also got recovery, which is a separate thing again? Galaxy S2 comes with a very basic one if i've understood correctly, but there is others out there that you can install, which also gives you the ability of flashing roms straight from the microsd/phone storage?
So have i gotten any of this? Hope am not to far off
Edit: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1246131 looks like most of my questions where answered there, though am still a bit unsure if it's possible to flash a custom rom before you root?

ROM's and FIRMWARE: The ROM or Read Only Memory is the internal flash memory where the core operating system resides. The Firmware is a device specific part of the ROM that controls various hardware components. So the firmware is contained in the ROM but in the context of Android the terms are often used interchangeably.
KERNELS: Different kernels offer different advantages, some are fast, some are light weight on the battery and some are a mix, so yes you can in most cases flash a different kernel with a ROM, and then your phone will be running the custom ROM you picked with the new kernel you flashed.
Rooting: You must have a rooted phone inorder to flash a custom rom, but rooting in my opinion seems really safe and it really easy to do on the SG2
There are things that allow you to flash from your SD card and you do that by entering clockworkmod revovery, apps like rom manager also allow you to flash from sd card, but you can always use odin, which is safe and fast
hope this helps

Thanks, and very nicely explained =) Another question then, what is the reason one need root before you can flash custom firmwares? As i heard Galaxy S2 doesn't really have any safety measures put in to stop things, like HTC do with their bootloader. Another thing is that i checked the thread for the Lite'ning rom, and saw the installation procedure, and it doesn't mention anything about having root before starting, so am getting a bit confused there.

You don't need to root before flashing a custom ROM as long as you can enter download mode (power up with volume down, home and power button pressed) and can flash the ROM via Odin.
If the ROM is flashable only via ClockWorkMod recovery (a zip that you copy on your phone) then you need to flash something that includes that recovery before flashing the rom (like CF-Root or any kernel that includes CWM).
Lite'ning ROM that you mentioned earlier is flashable via Odin so no problem.
Every ROM includes a Kernel, the only thing they sometimes don't include is the modem like in VillainROM, you have to flash it separately. And also, if a ROM is announced as rooted, when you flash it, you will have root regardless of the state before flashing

Thanks once again =)
Another question, if one want to get back to stock, flashing one of these "official firmwares": http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1075278 well revert everything right? Even if i got CWM recovery, after flashing on of those "official firmwares" will give me back the original recovery as well?
Edit: Also you mention "modem", if one ROM don't include one, do you have to flash it separately for the ROM to function at all? Or will it just use the modem that's already on the phone or something? Checked out the VillainROM thread and it doesn't say anything about a modem.

Nitrius said:
Another question, if one want to get back to stock, flashing one of these "official firmwares": http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1075278 well revert everything right? Even if i got CWM recovery, after flashing on of those "official firmwares" will give me back the original recovery as well?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes it will revert back everything
Nitrius said:
Edit: Also you mention "modem", if one ROM don't include one, do you have to flash it separately for the ROM to function at all? Or will it just use the modem that's already on the phone or something? Checked out the VillainROM thread and it doesn't say anything about a modem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you dont flash a modem it will just use the one you had before. They talk about it in the old thread and also in the new but not in the firsts posts, you'll have to do a search.

Plus Modem Kernels are interchangeable .
KH3 Firmware with KI4 modem and KH1 kernel .
Guide
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1125282
jje

Related

[Q] CF Root, now new rom

i've just flashed a new KERNEL onto me sgs2 which went well CF_ROOT 4.1 i also downloaded villin 2.5 in zip format, can this just be put on using CWM?
also I wanted to get the original KERNEL and Rom just incase all goes belly up. How do I know what they are?
I struggled a bit picking a CF KERNEL what the best way to go about picking one which is suitable.
Do all ROMs come with a new kernel?
Many thanks, learning as much as possibale.
jonbet83 said:
i've just flashed a new KERNEL onto me sgs2 which went well CF_ROOT 4.1 i also downloaded villin 2.5 in zip format, can this just be put on using CWM?
What do VR rom instructs say you follow the instructions for each rom .
also I wanted to get the original KERNEL and Rom just incase all goes belly up. How do I know what they are?
You look them up in the place you wrote them down otherwise all you can do is guess at what firmware firmware not kernel.
I struggled a bit picking a CF KERNEL what the best way to go about picking one which is suitable.
Follow the instructs Chainfire tells you exactly how and why .
Do all ROMs come with a new kernel?
No a kernel is part of the firmware stock KE1 will have KE1 firmware
Custom KE7 firmware may have custom kernel .
jje
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
jonbet83 said:
i've just flashed a new KERNEL onto me sgs2 which went well CF_ROOT 4.1 i also downloaded villin 2.5 in zip format, can this just be put on using CWM?
also I wanted to get the original KERNEL and Rom just incase all goes belly up. How do I know what they are?
I struggled a bit picking a CF KERNEL what the best way to go about picking one which is suitable.
Do all ROMs come with a new kernel?
Many thanks, learning as much as possibale.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you remember what your kernel was before you rooted? if not you can check the stock and carrier specific firmware threads by intratech in the original development forum, this should also provide an original rom for you.
To flash villain
1. boot into recovery (hold vol up, home and power on startup)
2. backup ( so you can resore if you wish)
3. wipe data, cache and dalvik cache in advanced.
4. instal Villain zip from sd
5. reboot
6. ??
7. profit.
Have fun
No i didn't think to write them down at all, its only a few day old so i guess it should be quite a new one...
I have already made a back up using CWM, would this restore every thing even if a new ROM is installed back to how it was?
Thanks for the advice

[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] Updating to ICS on a rooted S2 with a custom rom

Hi, I've flashed my S2 (Android 2.3.4) with litening rom (V2.0 XXKG1) a while back.
I've been wanting to root ICS on it with Odin (it's from the UK so I'd use the official firmware from Orange, if there's no better choice), but I'm afraid that since it contains a custom rom that was designed for gingerbread it might have some incompatibility issues.
Do I need to restore my phone to factory settings or can I just root ICS on top of what's already there?
Also, once I root the official new firmware will all those pesky stock apps from samsung come back?
Thanks for any help!
1) Follow whatever instructions the specific ICS rom has re: flashing it.
If it says it's OK to flash directly from GB, then go for it. If it says do something different, do that. If it doesn't mention flashing something else over the top of GB before flashing the ICS rom, I think you can pretty safely assume you don't need to (unless the dev of the ICS rom expects you to be a mind reader).
2) Re: restoring factory settings first, refer to 1 (but likely for most roms so you don't end up with a lot of FCs on system apps).
3) That will depend on whether the rom you flash has those pesky apps included and whether you need to do a factory reset/wipe or not (refer to 2; likely)
Hello,
I have flashed my SG S II with Lite'ning Rom v2.3 XWLP2. Previously i was on a gingerbread previous version of Lite'ning rom, which worked flawlesly for several months.
Everything seemed fine and i restored with Titanium only my missing apps+data (not the system data).
After a few hours, the phone started to at times not be able to see the sd card. More importantly, it would suddenly hung and reboot, appear to be working for a couple of minutes and reboot again. This would happen for 10 mins. Then without changing anything, everything would be normal again for 5-6 hours, after which rinse and repeat.....
Does anybody else have the same problem or did i do something wrong? Could anybody know if fs there anything i could do to fix it other than reflashing again?
Thanks in advance guys...
Factory reset in the first instance, then a reflash with a clean install of everything (No Ti restores).
MistahBungle said:
1) Follow whatever instructions the specific ICS rom has re: flashing it.
If it says it's OK to flash directly from GB, then go for it. If it says do something different, do that. If it doesn't mention flashing something else over the top of GB before flashing the ICS rom, I think you can pretty safely assume you don't need to (unless the dev of the ICS rom expects you to be a mind reader).
2) Re: restoring factory settings first, refer to 1 (but likely for most roms so you don't end up with a lot of FCs on system apps).
3) That will depend on whether the rom you flash has those pesky apps included and whether you need to do a factory reset/wipe or not (refer to 2; likely)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So basically all I need is to flash a Rom that has been updated to ICS and it will update my phone too? I thought I needed to update the firmware and then flash a Rom
As I said yesterday, follow whatever specific instructions the rom you're wanting to flash has; for example, CM7 is pretty specific about having to flash the rom twice, CM9 requires a wipe/factory reset if you're coming from another rom.
Rom is another name for firmware.
Modem is separate, a few roms come with a modem & overwrite/replace your existing modem, most do not. Kernels are also included with pretty much all roms & will overwrite/replace your existing kernel.
Gay-Lussac said:
So basically all I need is to flash a Rom that has been updated to ICS and it will update my phone too? I thought I needed to update the firmware and then flash a Rom
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm I suspected that firmware was the same as Rom but wasn't sure, thanks again.
MistahBungle said:
As I said yesterday, follow whatever specific instructions the rom you're wanting to flash has; for example, CM7 is pretty specific about having to flash the rom twice, CM9 requires a wipe/factory reset if you're coming from another rom.
Rom is another name for firmware.
Modem is separate, a few roms come with a modem & overwrite/replace your existing modem, most do not. Kernels are also included with pretty much all roms & will overwrite/replace your existing kernel.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Back up operator firmware and kernel

Hello,
i've reading a lot about all methods of flashing kernels via Odin and flashing new ROM's. I've my N7 rooted and running custom ROM and experienced several ROMs and kernels with my old Galaxy Ace.
Saying this. I've been searching around about ways of backing up the exact image of my stock ROM with operator logos at the beginning and everything like it came from factory since I would not be able to turn it back to warranty service if it doesn't run original stock ROM, which is not in the net -i've searched and have found nothing-.
If I flash let's say: Siyah kernel to avoid risk of bricking from 4.0.4 then root and create a nandroid backup image and then after running some ROMs I decide to run back to nandroid backup, the kernel that I would have had it would be siyah kernel with operator firmware, right?
Any idea, hint or advice would be strongly appreciated.
esponges said:
Hello,
i've reading a lot about all methods of flashing kernels via Odin and flashing new ROM's. I've my N7 rooted and running custom ROM and experienced several ROMs and kernels with my old Galaxy Ace.
Saying this. I've been searching around about ways of backing up the exact image of my stock ROM with operator logos at the beginning and everything like it came from factory since I would not be able to turn it back to warranty service if it doesn't run original stock ROM, which is not in the net -i've searched and have found nothing-.
If I flash let's say: Siyah kernel to avoid risk of bricking from 4.0.4 then root and create a nandroid backup image and then after running some ROMs I decide to run back to nandroid backup, the kernel that I would have had it would be siyah kernel with operator firmware, right?
Any idea, hint or advice would be strongly appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you want to return to a stock rom, just flash it with Odin (roms are on www.sammobile.com and also here on xda). There are also ways to reset your flash counter. That would be all.
To answer your question: if you root your device with Siyah and you make a Nandroid back up, yes, your device will be running the stock rom with the Siyah kernel if you restore this after trying other roms/kernels.
Sent from the Matrix
Donnie Sins said:
If you want to return to a stock rom, just flash it with Odin (roms are on www.sammobile.com and also here on xda). There are also ways to reset your flash counter. That would be all.
To answer your question: if you root your device with Siyah and you make a Nandroid back up, yes, your device will be running the stock rom with the Siyah kernel if you restore this after trying other roms/kernels.
Sent from the Matrix
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your reply, but in Samfirmware the firmware for my mobile company it's not uploaded so I would not be able to run back to original kernel. That's why I need to know if there's a way to backup the kernel or not losing in order to get cwm.
Cheers
I have found what it looks to be a free stock rom for my country running the same kernel than my mobile company kernel. Is it a way to just install the kernel from the file that samfirmware.com provides? My plan is to run the nandroid backup with my original stock rom with custom kernel <whatever name> then just flash the original kernel taken from the stock rom provided by samfirmware.com .

Help with recovery

Hi,
Just got my phone back from servicing.
And now it has a stock recovery 3e and some Stock JB rom (not sure if its rooted or not).
Thing is, i've read like 7-8 different posts on flashing a new Rom, or Kernal or Recovery, but no complete guide to explaing the proccess, and now i'm scared to flash anything from fear of bricking my phone.
I want to flash an official Samy based JB rom (i found one) , but do i need to flash a custom recovery/kernal first (like PhilZ CWM?) or other way around ?
Any help is highly appreciated
The chances are that Samsung have returned your device to fully unrooted stock.
There are root checker apps on playstore that can confirm this.
If you are un rooted, the easiest way to get root back is to use PhilZ kernel......you simply flash it using the stock recovery. With regards to what you *want* to flash.......
You need to provide more details as to what the rom actually is, where it came from, what file format you downloaded the ROM as......that sort of thing....
Hey tnx for replying
Yes , you were right.
I flashed CWM via Odin (worked, but i got the yellow triangle now) sign.
After that i did this : http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s2/orig-development/repartition-memory-s2-t3018749 , worked
And then i installed an Samsung based JB 4.1.2 rom standard via recovery.
all works well now,i think, just booted up 2min ago.
Phone can see all my internal storage space and sd card,think all is well.
Did i do it right ?
It sounds like it, except that you probably didn't need to repartition the device......If you'd been flashing a lollipop rom, then the repartition would have been necessary, but not for JB......
Incidentally, what is the name of the rom you flashed? As Sammy stock roms can normally only be odin flashed.....
I realise that, but the extra space for apps sounded really nice.
I installed this one : http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s2/development-derivatives/rom-custom-stock-rom-5-0-edition-t2076568

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