Well,
I have just got my new samsung galaxy S-II white. For a start i know what is rooting and why it should be done to unlock the potential of the phone. Have read quite some threads in various forums over here, just to get more confused .
I am mainly tangled in the variety of ways and numerous methods of doing the same thing, or apparently the same thing with different objective and consequences.
Hence I need help to clear up the confusion with a simplified path to explore the device:
1. ROM, Kernel, Firmware..........are these different names for the same thing, or are they different. If they are different, at which level does rooting work, do I need to update all of them or some or one to get the rooted phone.
2. What are the different versions of ROM , Kernel and Firmware available and which ones are recommended. Is Gingerbread 2.3.4 a ROM or a firmware.
3. I have read a lot about custom cooked ROMs. For a newbie like me is there any recommendation. I am thinking about getting on to Cyanogen Mod, is it a ROM or a kernel or a firmware and is it the best all rounder in battery/performance/features ratio. If not then any other recommendations.
5. Insecure Kernel....?, is it a mandatory requirement for rooting, or rooting can be done without it. How do I find the one which is compatible with my phone version / region.
6. CF-Root, SuperOneClick, ROOT APP ????? which one is the safest with easier possibility of recovery (if anything goes bad) and most recommended.
7. Nandroid, ClockworkMod, Odin ???????????? what are these used for. Is it mandatory to use them before rooting to make phone backup images. Which one is the easiest and safest to use in case of a recovery situation.
8. Can I or do I update the original Samsung OTA firmware updates, once I have rooted the phone or if i have flashed with custom ROM/firmware/kernel like Cyanogen Mod.
Thats it for now. My Phone details are as follows (Settings -> About Phone):
Android Version:
2.3.4
BaseBand Version:
I9100XXKI1
Kernel Version:
2.6.35.7-I9100XWKI4-CL575468 [email protected] 143#2
Build Number:
GINGERBREAD.XWKI4
Would be really thankful if anyone can guide me and lot others like me to a more clear path to making our way through the world of Android and SGS-II.
Best Regards,
Cheers.
Lets see if I can answer all of your questions...
1. ROM is the software of the phone and kernel is the core of that software. As you might think, rooting ocurs in the core, so it affects the kernel.
2. ROMs you have a lot in this forum, as well as different kernels. Recomended are several (CM7, MIUI or Hypedroid for example).
3. CyanogenMod is a ROM, but cooking ROMs is more a term of changing the visual (icons, battery stats, animations, etc) more than building a ROM itself. You can build a ROM from it sources, but it's a totally different thing from cooking a ROM. If you want performance, you should seek a minimal ROM or some ROM that could let you easily add/delete components, to avoid having much load on the ROM and thus improving the phone. Also the kernel works a great deal in battery performance, you can see several discussion threads in the forum about them.
5. I think any rooted kernel is considered an insecure kernel, but I might be wrong on this one...
6. I would say CF-Root, its not complicated to follow and the result is the desired.
7. ClockworkMod is a custom recovery used to backup the phone (nandroid), flash ROMs and many other things. Odin is a PC flashing software used to flash directly to the phone. For a recovery you should use CWM.
8. If you update a stock ROM (or OTA update) into a rooted kernel, the kernel will be overwriten and you will loose root. You can follow the same steps to achieve root from there.
Guide
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1125282
jje
Related
I have just purchased SII (previously i had HTC Desire). With Desire it wasn't so difficult to understand all those ROMs and Radios. You choose a ROM and install, if there is a new Radio just download and install, simple as that. Now with S2 i can't seem to understand all these SCS codes, different kernels, roms, modem firmwares!!!
Could someone please explain why there are so many different kernels, roms, modems? What are the differences between them? Can you switch between them? Are there any implications and is it safe if you do so?
I have rooted my phone using CF-Root, now if i wanted to install another ROM/Kernel/Modem do i use CF CWM or do i need to have original CWM recovery?
Maybe not relevant but fyi my phone infos are:
PDA: I9100XWKF3
PHONE: I9100XXKE7
CSC: I9100XXKF1 (NEE)
Baseband: I9100XXKE7
Kernel: I9100XWKF3
Android 2.3.3
Thank you
► Many ROM's are there for different purposes. Visit the Original Dev section and see them one by one, you will get the idea.
► Different Kernel also same, for different purposes. One will support Overcloking, the other will support BLN, and some other with Voltage settings and etc.
► CF root is the simplest yet effective method of rooting IMO. It roots the device as well as keep the kernel close to Stock like.
► You can't change ROM's from within the phone, I don't think there is any Dual Booting stuff available atm, so you just have to flash then via Odin.
Regards.
Thanks but i might need to make myself more clear, i kinda know that ROMs are for different purposes but actually my question would be about Stock roms/kernels, why so many directly from Samsung?
Why can't i change the ROM from within the Phone? Isn't CWM the purpose for all those things?
dream_th said:
Thanks but i might need to make myself more clear, i kinda know that ROMs are for different purposes but actually my question would be about Stock roms/kernels, why so many directly from Samsung?
Why can't i change the ROM from within the Phone? Isn't CWM the purpose for all those things?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. That's Samsung. And they don't release changelogs.
2. Because you can't - no OTA updates for stock ROMs as of yet. Edit - misunderstood you I think - see 3..
3. Yes, CWM will do this for you.
dream_th said:
Thanks but i might need to make myself more clear, i kinda know that ROMs are for different purposes but actually my question would be about Stock roms/kernels, why so many directly from Samsung?
Minor improvements or Samsung got fed up with winging about no updates and now its payback time .
Why can't i change the ROM from within the Phone? Isn't CWM the purpose for all those things?
You can if the rom has been written to do so most use CWM recovery a few use Odin .
jje
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i bought a samsung galaxy s2 just day before yesterday and i'm already in love! however, i'm having a hard time completely wrapping my head around the way this part of XDA works. i used to have an sl i9003, things were...simpler there. just a few doubts:
i see different custom roms using different stock roms as base (of course), but in the installation guides, none of them instruct you to flash the base rom first. for example, VillainROM 3.0 has KI3 as base, but it doesn't mention in the installation guide that i should have KI3 first (just put the zip in the sd card and flash in CWM). is having KI3 something i should know instinctively or can i just flash these exactly according to the instructions (i have JPKH1, which android 2.3.3, by the way)?
ditto for mods, themes, etc. except there, people often don't even mention what rom they were made for. so does that mean they'll work with any rom?
and finally, i was looking at cyanogenmod yesterday (i'll wait for the next stable release; until then, looking forward to flashing VillainROM) and one really helpful person told me that it would only work with the old bootloader. for my own convenience, how can i see what bootloader a rom has?
don't think of me as a noob, btw. like i said, i used to do all this stuff on the i9003 all the time. it's just that S2 devs seem to operate on a different wavelength
1. Once you are rooted, just go ahead and install the rom through cwm. It will take care of it's own base.
2. Rom's have different base's and some are deodexed and some not, so check before applying themes/tweaks as they will not all work on your chosen rom.
3. I don't think your friend knows a lot about CM. Just flash through cwm and make sure you are using a cm recommended kernel.
thanks! really appreciate it
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk
my new sgs2 is coming in a few days. what should I do before rooting?
should i update so it has a newer kernel/firmware?
I'm trying to follow Chainfire root: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1103399 and it seems that the old radios are not supported.
You should research. If you found a thread with instructions on what to do and you are not sure, ask there.
You should however NOT ask for hand-outs.
Basically all you need to know is CF-Root. Or you could try one-click-root
lambstone said:
You should research. If you found a thread with instructions on what to do and you are not sure, ask there.
You should however NOT ask for hand-outs.
Basically all you need to know is CF-Root. Or you could try one-click-root
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did do research. My concern is that only the older versions of CF-Root work with older kernels, like KE, etc. so if I get an old phone, I'm wondering if I should then update to the latest gingerbread version before using CF-Root so I can apply like 5.0?
Hello,
first of all if your phone isn't a new one you will see if its already rooted or not !
if its not, then you have to root it and the only way from stock rom is to flash new kernel version with CF-Root, and CWM is great too for not being often on odin/download mode if you don't want to...
anyway have nice time with your phone its a great one and hard to brick as long as you don't touch to bootloader file..
The CF-root thread has a big list of ROM versions. Just pick the kernel that matches the ROM version of your new phone and you should be all set in rooting the phone.
Here you go.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1103399
I'd strongly suggest you use the phone without doing anything to it (rooting, flashing kernels etc.). Most people find the phone just right the way it comes out of the box.
You should only consider rooting or flashing something if you have a specific need for it.
i am from galaxy mini forum so get a galaxy s2 but how to know if it is S2 or S2 GT-i9100 o and what the diffirence?? and can you gays pleas link me to a tut aboug instaling costome recovery, which ODIN to use and so on .... last thing which is the best stable rom to use .....thanks in advance
1) Check the sticker on the phone chassis under the battery.
2) Differences between SGS2 variants ? Wikipedia.
3) Just about everything you need to know to get you started is in the Stickies.
4) There's no such thing as the "best stable rom to use". There are a heap of custom roms for the SGS2, it's an individual preference thing. And because no two people use their phone the same way or have it setup the same, and because component-wise no two phones come out of the factory exactly the same, your experience with a particular rom will most likely vary from mine.
The best thing to do is to get your phone rooted, preferably with CWM installed. This will enable you to backup, restore & flash roms/kernels in a matter of minutes. You can than try a bunch of roms for yourself. If you find you don't like a rom you try, it's easy to go back to your previous setup easily by restoring a backup; recommended regularly/before you flash anything to your phone.
ok so by flashing cwm and then a costom rom the divise will root by it self and do i have to flash a stock ics rom to install a costom ics rom??????
Lackchoo,
Flash one of Chainfire's kernels. His instructions are very clear. That will give you root and CWM, and possibly also a yellow triangle at startup which you shouldn't worry about at all.
You don't need to flash a stock ICS ROM to flash a custom ROM. After rooted, in CWM, just install the downloaded ZIP ROM file of the custom ROM. You will keep root and triangle will go away.
Ditto what the above person said about ROM's. However, you can try Cyanogen (Do a 'stable' release, not a 'nightly'), its the most 'popular' ROM in terms of numbers. One can't and shouldn't say which one is best. But for a newbie, I think Cyanogen is a good place to start. Perhaps it will give you the least issues and the most 'oohs!' for your initial newbie effort
I don't have the links with me from the smart phone, but just search 'chainfire kernel root galaxy s2' and 'cyanogen galaxy s2' and you should find the relevant thread. Read it slowly and repeatedly! I know I had to
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2
How to give a "second life" to my old galaxy s2 ? wipe, kernels, roms, repartition ?
So i have my old galaxy s2, and i want to completly wipe everything and make it better.
There are a lot of tutorials, but im really confussed. For example there are roms that require android 4.4 or sth like that. I just want to do a fresh install. I also don't get what's going on with kernels.
Right now it runs old android 2.3.3 gingerbread and it's really slow.
I want:
- Some stable, battery friendly android lollipop rom, with all functions working (like usb internet tethering, wifi tethering, camera and so on).
- Only one partition like in new phones (like in galaxy s5)
- kernel ?
- root
- custom recovery
Can anyone give me some step by step instructions, what should i do first ? I would also appreciate if you could send me links to appropriate tutorials.
4.4.4 any custom without GApps then microG it.. with MOAB and Fdroid. All can be found in the forum.. Cheers.
kkamil4sz said:
So i have my old galaxy s2, and i want to completly wipe everything and make it better.
There are a lot of tutorials, but im really confussed. For example there are roms that require android 4.4 or sth like that. I just want to do a fresh install. I also don't get what's going on with kernels.
Right now it runs old android 2.3.3 gingerbread and it's really slow.
I want:
- Some stable, battery friendly android lollipop rom, with all functions working (like usb internet tethering, wifi tethering, camera and so on).
- Only one partition like in new phones (like in galaxy s5)
- kernel ?
- root
- custom recovery
Can anyone give me some step by step instructions, what should i do first ? I would also appreciate if you could send me links to appropriate tutorials.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I assume it's on non-rooted stock ROM (android operating system). Backup all data you don't want to loose, format the external SD card (the one you can take out) if you have one (not required, but a good idea to start from scratch) from settings, then do a factory reset from settings.
Then connect the phone to Samsung Kies (download from samsung.com) and update the phone to the latest stock ROM (See which in your country here: http://www.sammobile.com/firmwares/database/GT-I9100/)
Let me know if you succeed in doing so.
I just installed stock Android 4.1.2 ROM, it's not rooted right now.
Android: 4.1.2
Modem, Baseband version: I9100XXMS2
Kernel: 3.0.31 - 1155032
Build number: JZO54K.I9100XXMS7
What to do next ? I want some good lollipop rom (or kitkat if it's faster), custom recovery and root.
@edit:
Ok, i managed to repartition my device memory and i flashed CyanogenMod 11 (m12) with cwm recovery (compatible with kitkat).