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I have some questions about my Galaxy S II I bought a few weeks back, regarding returning the device to a pre-modified state?
After a few hours of browsing, (and, unfortunately, not being able to answer this question on my own), I've found that, should I root my device (and then do anything after, like installing a custom ROM), that my warranty is voided, and this being a $900 phone, that's something that troubles me (especially when I'm also paying another $15p/month to my carrier for additional cover ).
So, my main question is, is there a way that I can restore my phone to it's current state (carrier-installed apps, stock Samsung apps, no modifications whatsoever), so that it would be able to be returned under warranty (assuming that I go ahead and root it)? I've read that there is a counter for every ROM that is flashed (or modification made?), so I'd need to be able to return that back to it's original state as well, I assume.
I live in Australia, and my carrier is Optus.
The only thread that I've found that is of any use to me really, is this one:
[HOWTO] reset custom binary counter in download mode
Though I am slightly confused by the process
I've seen so many amazing mods, like the camera mod from here: [MOD] Hacked Camera.APK for better audio quality, usage with any battery life & MORE!
The audio mod: [GUIDE]DSP Manager + CM Music Player on SGSII = Awesome!
etc. and not to mention the overclocking potential of the GSII, I'm finding it hard to resist rooting this phone.
If someone could help me, I'd be eternally grateful. I've searched through the forums thoroughly, and returned nothing of substantial use, but I apologise if I've posted a previously-answered question
Stock Rom thread in Dev section or Branded rom thread dev section reflash original firmware removes root .
The only thread that I've found that is of any use to me really, is this one:
[HOWTO] reset custom binary counter in download mode
Though I am slightly confused by the process
process is turn phone off>> Plug USB jig in to USB port >> phone boots done .
jje
Oh wow, I feel like such an idiot for missing that...
For clarification, you were referring to this thread, yes?
[ROMS]Official i9100 carrier branded firmware download for Odin Flash
And after reading the requirements to reset the binary counter (which, as far as I can tell, is essential if I want to return the device), I don't think I'll be going ahead with rooting the device. Making the jig is out of the question for me, and I have no idea how to properly use it.
Either way, thanks for your help
You can buy the jig on ebay for something like £4, no need to make one yourself. As for using it, it's as JJ said: phone off, jig in... done. I'd be surprised if you couldn't find video instructions on you tube if you wanted to see it in action
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA Premium App
Thanks, Isadora.
So, am I correct in saying:
If I was to root the device, but then need to return it under warranty, all I'd need to do is flash it back to the stock ROM, and then use the jig to reset the binary counter, and it'd be able to be returned under warranty (in theory, at least)?
Sorry for the repetitive questions
screamworks said:
Thanks, Isadora.
So, am I correct in saying:
If I was to root the device, but then need to return it under warranty, all I'd need to do is flash it back to the stock ROM, and then use the jig to reset the binary counter, and it'd be able to be returned under warranty (in theory, at least)?
Sorry for the repetitive questions
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Click to collapse
Yes mate - exactly that
I've red on another section of the forum that Samsung put a second hidden counter that cannot be reset... this could void the warranty anyway.
Can anyone confirm ?
NO.
Its a rumour until a second counter if it exists is found .
jje
Ok thanks. Hope it's just a rumour ...
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App
flute said:
I've red on another section of the forum that Samsung put a second hidden counter that cannot be reset... this could void the warranty anyway.
Can anyone confirm ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is some BS, I've been searching for a second counter and cannot find anything to even suggest that one exists.
edit: Just to clarify I mean the rumour is BS.
I've got two questions,
Since I used a CWM kernal and made a backup of my 2.3.3 rom before I put back on the original kernal can I STILL put CWM back on and then flash and restore from that backup? It's still on the SD card.
Secondly, how do you get rid of the custom binary download counter, the one that shows up when you put the S2 into download mode. I'm just worried that Samsung would refuse service or a store would refuse to take it back plus when I need to return the phone I'd like to have it in as factory condition as possible; is there a way to reset that counter?
aniteshj said:
I've got two questions,
Since I used a CWM kernal and made a backup of my 2.3.3 rom before I put back on the original kernal can I STILL put CWM back on and then flash and restore from that backup? It's still on the SD card.
Secondly, how do you get rid of the custom binary download counter, the one that shows up when you put the S2 into download mode. I'm just worried that Samsung would refuse service or a store would refuse to take it back plus when I need to return the phone I'd like to have it in as factory condition as possible; is there a way to reset that counter?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Yeah as long as you have the backup on your sdcard you can always restore it with CMW
2. You can reset the counter with a usb jig. You can find one from Ebay for example. Just search for a "Samsung Galaxy S II usb jig". This will reset the counter but there is a secondary counter that's counting the times you've used the jig, and there is currently no way to reset that counter that I know of.
I have put on a lot of custom roms and used the usb jib method and too be honest I would be very surprised if a repair happened samsung would't warrant it.
Until that happens and hopefully it won't then no one will really be able to know.
tenretni elibom said:
but there is a secondary counter that's counting the times you've used the jig, and there is currently no way to reset that counter that I know of.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is this true? I heard about this rumour several weeks ago here at XDA but no-one could really find or confirm this counter at that time. Could you please tell me where this has been confirmed?
Otherwise there is an obvious risk that this very weak rumour starts to become true due to misunderstanding.
daleski75 said:
I have put on a lot of custom roms and used the usb jib method and too be honest I would be very surprised if a repair happened samsung would't warrant it.
Until that happens and hopefully it won't then no one will really be able to know.
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Click to collapse
Well I'll have to slip my supervisor a question about this, I'm only in sales but someone has to know about this.
aniteshj said:
Well I'll have to slip my supervisor a question about this, I'm only in sales but someone has to know about this.
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Click to collapse
Why put a custom rom counter on a phone if not to inform service that a custom rom has been installed and therefore warranty is void . Absolutely no other point for the counter .
jje
I recently attempted to root my SGS2 but I mistakenly installed firmware from the i9100 instead of the version I had, the i777 ( I was unaware there were two versions of the SGS2).
Odin failed, and all my subsequent efforts to flash proper firmware got as far as the LAST file (hidden.img) and then failed, too. I'm guessing it was a driver issue or a cable issue or something.
In desperation I started looking around the forums for any way to salvage this, and ended up going down a few fruitless tangents, but I did find out about the jig method of resetting the flash counter.
I booted into download mode and realized that the flash counter is actually zero - it says that I have an official binary loaded.
With that said, will Samsung / Sprint honor my warranty under these conditions? I have heard that people have gotten replacement phones even when they successfully flash custom firmware to their phones via the jig reset, so I'm feeling pretty confident they will.
Thanks for your help!
sirdangolot5 said:
I recently attempted to root my SGS2 but I mistakenly installed firmware from the i9100 instead of the version I had, the i777 ( I was unaware there were two versions of the SGS2).
Odin failed, and all my subsequent efforts to flash proper firmware got as far as the LAST file (hidden.img) and then failed, too. I'm guessing it was a driver issue or a cable issue or something.
In desperation I started looking around the forums for any way to salvage this, and ended up going down a few fruitless tangents, but I did find out about the jig method of resetting the flash counter.
I booted into download mode and realized that the flash counter is actually zero - it says that I have an official binary loaded.
With that said, will Samsung / Sprint honor my warranty under these conditions? I have heard that people have gotten replacement phones even when they successfully flash custom firmware to their phones via the jig reset, so I'm feeling pretty confident they will.
Thanks for your help!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Somethings up if you are mentioning sprint
Sent from my SGH-I777 using XDA App
Do you have an AT&T phone or a Sprint phone?
AT&T = SGH-I777
Sprint = SPH-D710
If you have the Epic 4G Touch on Sprint, you are in the wrong forum.
If you have the Epic 4G Touch, you have not only flashed the wrong firmware (I9100) but you have tried to fix it with the wrong firmware (I777).
Otherwise, why do you say:
sirdangolot5 said:
will Samsung / Sprint honor my warranty under these conditions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, I didn't even realize that was the case. I'm looking for the SPH-D710, which is the model of phone I definitely have. I'll make a thread there with the exact same text.
No need for a long explanation, just a link or two, and/or some terms I can google for.
And, yes, I have been reading/searching the forum, and only find old posts mentioning Odin as a technique. Is there anything like SuperOneClick out?
Thanks!
Hi, Rooting through odin currently seems to be the most reliable and safest option.
There is other methods however can cause problems with the phone.
Head over to http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1103399
Based on the current firmware download the cf root that matches it, extract it and flash using odin.
Hope this helps.
I literally just received my SGS2 about 2 hours ago and read a bit of the thread, not all considering how large it is.
I know this roots but does this unlock the BL at the same time since its installing CWM?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using xda premium
Up until recently, SGS2 bootloaders have been 'unlocked'. The easiest way to test this would be to try and use a jig to reset the flash counter on the phone after you've rooted it.
If you can't reset the counter, then the firmware that came with your phone has the locked bootloader (I'm sure someone will be along any second now & tell us exactly which version the bootloader started to be locked in . The details are somewhere on the forum).
Easy fix to this is to flash firmware that has the bootloader unlocked. Alternatively, you simply flash the old bootloader over whatever firmware you're running. This is also available on the forum *somewhere* (I don't have a link handy).
Edit to add - About halfway down the page in this thread , there's a section in bold red type which has a link to a tar of the old bootloader you can flash in Odin should you need to.
Auxilium said:
I literally just received my SGS2 about 2 hours ago and read a bit of the thread, not all considering how large it is.
I know this roots but does this unlock the BL at the same time since its installing CWM?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
MistahBungle said:
Up until recently, SGS2 bootloaders have been 'unlocked'. The easiest way to test this would be to try and use a jig to reset the flash counter on the phone after you've rooted it.
If you can't reset the counter, then the firmware that came with your phone has the locked bootloader (I'm sure someone will be along any second now & tell us exactly which version the bootloader started to be locked in . The details are somewhere on the forum).
Easy fix to this is to flash firmware that has the bootloader unlocked. Alternatively, you simply flash the old bootloader over whatever firmware you're running. This is also available on the forum *somewhere* (I don't have a link handy).
Edit to add - About halfway down the page in this thread , there's a section in bold red type which has a link to a tar of the old bootloader you can flash in Odin should you need to.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
I've rooted my sgs2 using CF-Root, i found it better than OneClickRoot, reason for that is when i used oneclickroot the phone rooted then went back after i rebooted, which is weird. So i flashed CF-Root using ODIN and its perfect.
What I want to ask if you could help me please, is how can i see my flash counter? (if there is any)
and what is a jig, does it mean usb connection or is it a device i need to buy?
Thanks
Go into download mode (switch phone off - then do 3 finger reboot - hold home, volume down & power button at the same time), if you've flashed a non-stock rom/kernel in Odin it will show Custom binary download: x, where x is the number of times you've flashed a rom or kernel in Odin.
The jig is a usb plug with a certain amount of resistance over some of the pins of the plug (301k Ω or thereabouts I believe). To use it, you switch the phone off, plug the jig into the usb port on the phone, it reboots the phone into download mode and you'll get a message saying "Erasing download information successful". It will now show Custom Binary Download as no & Custom Binary as Samsung Official.
This will also get rid of the yellow warning triangle that appears at boot as long as you're using an "old" bootloader. Samsung recently started including "locked" bootloaders with their newer firmware in the last few months that don't allow a jig to reset the flash counter.
These cost a few dollars on eBay, do a search for "Samsung Galaxy S2 jig" or similar.
ab.riyami said:
Hi,
I've rooted my sgs2 using CF-Root, i found it better than OneClickRoot, reason for that is when i used oneclickroot the phone rooted then went back after i rebooted, which is weird. So i flashed CF-Root using ODIN and its perfect.
What I want to ask if you could help me please, is how can i see my flash counter? (if there is any)
and what is a jig, does it mean usb connection or is it a device i need to buy?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Search for the zergRush method. Its the easiest one so far. I personally used odin to flash a rooted cf-kernel but used zergRush to root a friens sgs2 and its really easy. You must have the adb drivers installed for sgs3.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk
bobkoure said:
And, yes, I have been reading/searching the forum, and only find old posts mentioning Odin as a technique. Is there anything like SuperOneClick out?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wanna bet 100$ that you didn't? Paypal only.
There's a ****ing sticky with one non-Odin method, which you just missed, because you were too busy furiously searching for other methods, which were also described many times in the same forums.
Hi kinda off topic, i already rooted my SGS2 by flashing insecure kernel from Odia for DXKL3 and rooting it then flashing back the original kernel. now i want to install CWM, I see a lot of guides and searched, all looks like that need to install a CWM enabled rom or use a kernel that is compatible with CWM, thats where the part i get confused since most of the guide points you to a diffrent kernel from the insecure kernel, cant you use the insecure kernel tha odia posted specific for my DXKL3? and i dont want to install a custom ROM just for CWM it would defeat the purpose since i want to back up my stock firmware.
MistahBungle said:
Go into download mode (switch phone off - then do 3 finger reboot - hold home, volume down & power button at the same time), if you've flashed a non-stock rom/kernel in Odin it will show Custom binary download: x, where x is the number of times you've flashed a rom or kernel in Odin.
The jig is a usb plug with a certain amount of resistance over some of the pins of the plug (301k Ω or thereabouts I believe). To use it, you switch the phone off, plug the jig into the usb port on the phone, it reboots the phone into download mode and you'll get a message saying "Erasing download information successful". It will now show Custom Binary Download as no & Custom Binary as Samsung Official.
This will also get rid of the yellow warning triangle that appears at boot as long as you're using an "old" bootloader. Samsung recently started including "locked" bootloaders with their newer firmware in the last few months that don't allow a jig to reset the flash counter.
These cost a few dollars on eBay, do a search for "Samsung Galaxy S2 jig" or similar.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the explanation mate, so then the jig is a device to buy not just the normal usb wire.
I'm thinking of getting it but now that its useless if firmware wont allow counter resets using jig......
quick Q, is there another method of resetting the counter and removing the yellow triangle? (it doesnt matter to me but incase i need to take it back for warrantee id need to do that i reckon)
There's no other way to reset the counter that I'm aware of. There's another method you can use to get rid of the triangle tho. 2nd post of the CFRoot thread details how to do this.
I suggest you get a jig. For less than $5 the peace of mind having one gives you is priceless.
ab.riyami said:
Thanks for the explanation mate, so then the jig is a device to buy not just the normal usb wire.
I'm thinking of getting it but now that its useless if firmware wont allow counter resets using jig......
quick Q, is there another method of resetting the counter and removing the yellow triangle? (it doesnt matter to me but incase i need to take it back for warrantee id need to do that i reckon)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i used the zergrush exploit, worked fine
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1319653
Hello fellow XDA user
I have recently bought a the I9100 internation version and I am really pleased, however I do know the power of a ROM and how much it could improve or brick your phone.
However I came from the Galaxy S i9000, I never managed to recover the phone, so it would be recognized by kies, it did recognize my phone, but it said that 'Kies didn't support any upgrades for it'. Meaning if I would like to return it for garantee reasons, the shop or manufacturer will see I have been messing with my phone, which excludes my warranty.
Therefore I wonderd if there was a possibility to install roms or root your phone and unroot it, so kies would regonize it again.
Thanks alot and feel free to suggest any rom
Intensity007 said:
Hello fellow XDA user
I have recently bought a the I9100 internation version and I am really pleased, however I do know the power of a ROM and how much it could improve or brick your phone.
However I came from the Galaxy S i9000, I never managed to recover the phone, so it would be recognized by kies, it did recognize my phone, but it said that 'Kies didn't support any upgrades for it'. Meaning if I would like to return it for garantee reasons, the shop or manufacturer will see I have been messing with my phone, which excludes my warranty.
Therefore I wonderd if there was a possibility to install roms or root your phone and unroot it, so kies would regonize it again.
Thanks alot and feel free to suggest any rom
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes there is a way cfroot to which will give you superuser access and also CWM recovery by then swapping back to stock kernel will unroot also if you using odin to flash this wil increase binary counter look for a app called triangle away this will reset the binary counter but only works on ics.
this is just basics to answer quickly your question please still search within the sgs2 forum sections most of all new users questions have been answered and there is many guides for new users to refer to in development sections prior to installing customs roms etc
DJBoxer said:
yes there is a way cfroot to which will give you superuser access and also CWM recovery by then swapping back to stock kernel will unroot also if you using odin to flash this wil increase binary counter look for a app called triangle away this will reset the binary counter but only works on ics.
this is just basics to answer quickly your question please still search within the sgs2 forum sections most of all new users questions have been answered and there is many guides for new users to refer to in development sections prior to installing customs roms etc
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know about CF root .. but as I said before, I managed to restore the stock functionality of my Galaxy S, but I never managed to get support from Kies again. ('Kies doesn't support updates for your phone'). I don't know if the Galaxy S II method might diffrentiate from that .. but I do want to be on the safe side with my warranty and I don't want another bad to happen to my phone.
Quik Recap
1) Prepare Odin --> Go download Mode (Power + volume down + home button)
2) Flash Phone --> Odin --> Install CF Root Kernel
3) Mount Phone ---> USB --> Download Rom ---> Boot ClockWorkRecovery (Power + volume up + home button)
4) Enjoy Rom --> Enjoy Xda Power
5) How to Revert?, will kies regonize it and support it
Code:
[URL="http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=20075898&postcount="]CF Root Kernals By Chainfire[/URL]
Can someone please answer my post above, I really want to start modding, but I also want to be able to get back to an unrooted version with Kies support
Check out the links in my signature, especially the one about going back to stock. That should satisfy your request.
Long story short, reset your flash counter and flash stock rom. But make sure you READ
OK. The experience on here over the past 6 mths or so goes something like this. About 50% of people who go back to stock firmware for their region after using custom roms or stock firmware not for their region seem to be able to get OTA updates via Kies OK. For some reason(s), the other 50% or so of these people seem not to be able to get OTA updates to work despite flashing a full stock rom for their region (with correct CSC).
Why doesn't it seem to work for some people ? Who knows ? I don't think I've seen a single answer that could cover even a small majority of those cases.
Regardless, if you find you ever go back to stock with the intention of getting OTA firmware updates & they don't work, do what plenty of people on here do & flash them via Odin. Easy fixed.
The bottom line with warranties is this. The moment you start rooting your phone or flashing non-stock firmware on it, you should forget about/lose all expectations of warranty service/replacement should something go wrong with your phone. At the end of the day, you mess with your phone, why should Samsung/your telco foot the bill ?
Having said that, if you format everything, go back to stock & reset the flash counter, again, the experience on here is many people seem to get warranty service OK.
What you seem to be looking for is a 100% iron-clad guarantee.
There isn't any. If potentially borking your phone & having to pay to have it repaired/replaced yourself frightens you, best advice would be simply don't mess with it. Stay on stock. That's the only way you're getting 100% guarantees. If you've only ever been on stock/OTA updates & never rooted/flashed custom firmware and the phone borks, they pay to fix it.
Pretty simple really.