[Q] first android first root, some questions - AT&T Samsung Galaxy S II SGH-I777

so i have the i777 and i rooted using a guide on the android central forum
basically i downloaded kies, odin, cwm, and superoneclick
i put the cwm.tar file through odin, and than ran superoneclick, and i was rooted pretty easily
i than downloaded rom manager and through there i flashed CWM. I tried to make a back up using rom manager but that failed, no biggie i hear other people have the same problem. I boot up into CWM using rom manager and it says stuff like "failed to verify whole file signature"
im not sure if this means i rooted incorrectly?
i made a back up just fine using CWM. However i found out this stuff about flash increments and how i flashed a custom CWM kernal or something (sorry my definitions in this subject are still noob)
i decided i want to get rid of the yellow triangle + i9100 message every boot, no biggie but i am here to learn and i figure might as well if i can. I read a couple threads here and im not sure if this is my answer but i think it is please advise
my plan is to go back completely as if i never rooted and than root by using a stock rom/kernal so i dont get the error triangle message as well as the incorrect international i9100 display
i think this is my solution
"2b.) How to root by flashing Entropy512's Return/Unbrick to Stock, Kernel + Rooted System Package from the command line using Heimdall (Linux and Mac OS)
* Tested on Linux, should work on Mac OS
* Download and install the latest version of Heimdall Command Line for your operating system from here. (Latest version 1.3.1 at this writing.)
* Download Entropy512's Return/Unbrick to Stock, Kernel + Rooted System Package from here. Extract the PDA.tar file from this package to a directory on your hard disk drive, then extract the two component files from the tar - zImage and factoryfs.img.
* Place zImage and factoryfs.img both in the directory where you have the Heimdall command line executable, and enter the following at the command prompt:
Code:
heimdall flash --kernel zImage --factoryfs factoryfs.img
* Reboot the phone. Success. You're Rooted.
"
i am under the impression that if i flash the .tar file that is 200+mb (why so big) that i will be RE ROOTED and COMPLETELY stock, therefore no error message and no international thing popping up
also, no more flash counter increments ? << this one is also important as this is one major reason i want to re root
im not really sure but i think that by flashing this new .tar it will over ride my custom.tar file that i do not want any more, i dont know how to get rid of it so this is the only thing i can think of
im worried because i dont know if i have to UNROOT before i install entropys thing or if it will just over ride
thanks so much to any one who can give me advice

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Really the best instructions are in creepncrawly's write up on how to return to stock. It covers any question you could have:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1313659
And for doing it right:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1311081
Plus new tools:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1367319
The write ups he does are top notch and should be mandatory reading for first time visitors.
The file is so big because it contains the entire android os.
The issues you're having in cwm sound like clockworkmod needs to be reflashed.
The triangle will be removed simply by the stock kernel being replaced. The flash counter as of now can only be reset by a usb jig ~ less than $10.
Though a few have reported returning the phone for warranty issues and they did not check the flash counter.
The only way the flash counter is tripped is by using pc Odin to flash a non stock kernel.
Sent from my páhhōniē

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ok thanks for the help, tomorow im gona read the links you posted thoroughly but i was wondering
if i flash a stock kernal, than how am i rooted
i am not even really sure what "roots" my phone but i thought that it was installing CWM because its a recovery tool which allows more options "superuser"
thanks again! cant wait to waste all day tom reading more about rooting

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DroidBehavior said:
ok thanks for the help, tomorow im gona read the links you posted thoroughly but i was wondering
if i flash a stock kernal, than how am i rooted
i am not even really sure what "roots" my phone but i thought that it was installing CWM because its a recovery tool which allows more options "superuser"
thanks again! cant wait to waste all day tom reading more about rooting
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's a stock plus root package. One of the best ways to root in my opinion.
Root means installing SuperUser.apk, su, and busybox. That's it. The stock + root package has those already included, but also gives you the bone stock kernel.
You install a custom kernel to, among other things, get ClockworkMod Recovery.

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DroidBehavior said:
ok thanks for the help, tomorow im gona read the links you posted thoroughly but i was wondering
if i flash a stock kernal, than how am i rooted
i am not even really sure what "roots" my phone but i thought that it was installing CWM because its a recovery tool which allows more options "superuser"
thanks again! cant wait to waste all day tom reading more about rooting
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
in reality, 'rooting' your phone is nothing more than placing 2 files on the /system (only one is really needed, since you can download Superuser from the market)
what happens is this:
android version release (say 2.3.5)
extremely smart people find way to exploit a memory hole in the OS, and create a 'rooting' method. what this method does is exploit that hole, which allows for a 'temp root' while it injects the needed files for root
needed files for root:
/system/bin/su <- this is the binary that allows you to retain root access
/system/app/Superuser.apk
without root access, /system is a read-only partition. utilizing the exploit, it will create temp root, then remount the /system partition as read/write, allowing your rooting tool to inject the required files into /system
rooting actually has nothing to do with the device at a true hardware level. it is all within the OS itself. anything outside the OS (recovery, boot, bootloaders, etc) dont get 'rooted' because root is only access to the /system within the OS
samsungs have this awesome ability to be easily rooted via CWM. its extremely easy with ODIN or heimdall to flash recovery/new kernel with recovery built in, and use a cwm zip file to inject the needed files into /system rather than relying on an exploit to do it for you.
its a common misconception that i hate to see when people associate rooting with access to anything outside the OS itself.
'i am having problems flashing this rom/kernel/mod in cwm'
'are you sure you are rooted? try re-rooting'
asinine logic...to say the least

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^^
That needs to be stickied in every android forum on xda.
Sent from my páhhōniē

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ok im back, i read a lot of the guides n a lot of pages and i successfully rooted using entropys 2a method return to stock + root
now i have a 2-3 second delay in my home button, and an additional 1 second delay when i turn my phone ion with the power button to show my display
i also added CWM by using the android terminal and that worked
but im regretting all this because of the delay, my error message is gone so thats good but now i have a delay
what could be the problem? i dont remember any one mentioning this issue and if im the only one than i dont know what to do, also i noticed the flash counter is still at 1 so i know i did everything right

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DroidBehavior said:
ok im back, i read a lot of the guides n a lot of pages and i successfully rooted using entropys 2a method return to stock + root
now i have a 2-3 second delay in my home button, and an additional 1 second delay when i turn my phone ion with the power button to show my display
i also added CWM by using the android terminal and that worked
but im regretting all this because of the delay, my error message is gone so thats good but now i have a delay
what could be the problem? i dont remember any one mentioning this issue and if im the only one than i dont know what to do, also i noticed the flash counter is still at 1 so i know i did everything right
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like you still have reading to do. And kudos to you for taking what they said as constructive criticism.
The flash counter can only be reset by a usb jig. Mobile Tech videos make some very good quality ones.
The delay from the home button is due to the vlingo app shortcut being tied to the home button (double tap home button) so it's waiting to see if you hit it twice before it takes you to the home screen. Cusom roms remove the vlingo app from being there which helps cut down on the delay.
But you may notice it more since what you did. And you should. By adding cwm you likely flashed Entropy512's kernel. Which is an awesome kernel. One of the ways that kernel helps battery life is by setting the cpu govener to conservative. It slows the cpu from jumping too high too quick. That explains why you may have not noticed the delay before you did anything. As well as the delay from unlocking the phone.
For me the extra battery life is worth it. If you don't like the delay one of the easier ways to set it back to ondemand (stock) is to use the app SetCpu:
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.mhuang.overclocking&hl=en
Hope that explains everything.
Sent from my páhhōniē

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yeah that makes perfect sense thanks for the explanation
right now i installed miui and i ****ing love it! the interface is so smooth and sexy its like iphone spliced with android
minimalistic ftw
the interface was so much smoother i ran quadrant but the score was the same heh, but still its impressively smooth