[Q] Can't Install Roms - Phone is poorly. - Galaxy S II Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I shall try to explain the situation best I can.
A long time back, I rooted my S2, then I thought I would sell it, so I wanted to put it back to stock and unroot, which I did.
Now months later, I decided to root the phone once again and put another rom on.
To cut a long story short, currently my phone wont accept any roms of any kind.
If I install CM7, MIUI, Sensation Rom, all of them seem to install a kernel as well, which causes the phone to panic upon boot. Which puzzles me, because if they are made for the S2, then why are they causing problems with my phone?
The only kernel that works for me so far is CF-Root-SGS2_XW_XEU_KE2-v4.0-CWM4. This allows me to access the internal SD via usb and put on roms. But I can't install them. As every time I do, I just either get a kernel panic or a black screen. I even used this guide, which should be foolproof and all I get is a black screen.
My phone has been in this useless state for 24 hours now and I've googled until I feel asleep at the keyboard.
Im hoping someone can seriously help me with this, as I don't pretend to know what I'm doing.
I was on ICS before this happened.

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If you want your phone back then use the method in cnet to get it working again
and about the roms issue, did you factory reset and full wipe your phone before installing a rom?

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I reset and wiped everytime. If I follow the cnet instructions to the letter, it just hangs on the Galaxy S2 logo when you turn on the phone and doesn't go any further. The only solution is to put on the kernel I mentioned above to get access to the SD card on my pc.
I now have managed to get CM7 RC working, but that's not the one I wanted. I wanted to use the Sensation rom, but that installs its own kernel which my phone, for some odd reason, doesn't like.
My phone details now are:
CM Mod 7.2 RC1
Kernel 2.6.35.14-g68ea119
[email protected] #1

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1.Boot into recovery
2.Full wipe
3.Wipe cache
4.Advanced->Wipe dalvik cache
5.Install sensation rom zip only
6.Reboot
7.Wait for 5 mins

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I followed your instructions precisely. I then installed SensatioN_ROM_3.0_ICS_i9100.zip from this thread
It installed, installed a kernel, flashed modem and said done. I then rebooted and waited.
It comes up with the S2 logo with the triangle, fine but now It just shows a battery symbol with a circle in the middle. After a while it goes to black and then comes back. Like its rebooting over and over.
I unplugged the usb cable and instead of the batter I just get the logo with the triangle. That stays there for a while, goes to black and comes back. Over and over.
I can't even get to recovery. Only thing I can do now is go into download mode and start over, put on the kernel I know that works, install CM7 RC1 and then at least I have a phone. But why sensation rom doesn't work is a mystery to me.

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X82X said:
I followed your instructions precisely. I then installed SensatioN_ROM_3.0_ICS_i9100.zip from this thread
It installed, installed a kernel, flashed modem and said done. I then rebooted and waited.
It comes up with the S2 logo with the triangle, fine but now It just shows a battery symbol with a circle in the middle. After a while it goes to black and then comes back. Like its rebooting over and over.
I unplugged the usb cable and instead of the batter I just get the logo with the triangle. That stays there for a while, goes to black and comes back. Over and over.
I can't even get to recovery. Only thing I can do now is go into download mode and start over, put on the kernel I know that works, install CM7 RC1 and then at least I have a phone. But why sensation rom doesn't work is a mystery to me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't install anything else
Repeat the steps without any modem or anything
Any try to redownload the zip

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How do I stop the install of the modem? The thread only shows one zip file and if I install that in recovery, it installs everything. I can't chose what parts to install. Do I have the wrong zip?

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X82X said:
How do I stop the install of the modem? The thread only shows one zip file and if I install that in recovery, it installs everything. I can't chose what parts to install. Do I have the wrong zip?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just install this zip by the method above
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0Bzv8B0L32Z8lZ2hSanUtVHpSb0tFUlhkRVQ1RFhEUQ
Nothing else

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While it downloads from google, I just want to clarify.
Wipe data, wipe cache, wipe dalvik. Then I go to install zip from sd. Find SensatioN_ROM_3.0_ICS_i9100.zip, then it installs. But the last time I did this, it scrolls up saying it was installing file system, then flashing kernel, then flashing modem.
Am I doing something wrong here?
And that google link is slow as hell, quoting me 7 hours to download it. Got it from hotfile instead, going to try that one.

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X82X said:
While it downloads from google, I just want to clarify.
Wipe data, wipe cache, wipe dalvik. Then I go to install zip from sd. Find SensatioN_ROM_3.0_ICS_i9100.zip, then it installs. But the last time I did this, it scrolls up saying it was installing file system, then flashing kernel, then flashing modem.
Am I doing something wrong here?
And that google link is slow as hell, quoting me 7 hours to download it. Got it from hotfile instead, going to try that one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes it should work like that if you have a i9100

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Done exactly as you said. I downloaded it from the hotfile link instead and installed it.
Came up with the same thing.
Cleaning Old System files
Installing System
Data Files
Symlinks
Flashing Kernel
Flashing Modem
Ready
Then I reboot and the same looping over and over. Can't access recovery. Only solution is using odin to flash the kernel I used before and be forces to use CM7 since nothing else works.
It's so confusing as Im using the same hardware as everyone else on the sensation rom thread, but it wont work for me. at all.

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you sure you have i9100?

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GT-I9100
I'm totally puzzled. MIUI doesnt work, Sensation doesnt work and stops me from using recovery. The only thing that works is kernel CF-Root-SGS2_XW_XEU_KE2-v4.0-CWM4.tar then install CM7 RC1 which upgrades the recovery to version 5 and the phone works. But only on CM7. If I try to install any other rom, it dies a death.

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X82X said:
GT-I9100
I'm totally puzzled. MIUI doesnt work, Sensation doesnt work and stops me from using recovery. The only thing that works is kernel CF-Root-SGS2_XW_XEU_KE2-v4.0-CWM4.tar then install CM7 RC1 which upgrades the recovery to version 5 and the phone works. But only on CM7. If I try to install any other rom, it dies a death.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And don't tell me that you flash cf-root after flashing every rom from recovery

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No, I only flash that when the rom seems to corrupt it. Like when installing sensation. The only way I can access the SD card to put on another rom is to install that kernel.

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X82X said:
No, I only flash that when the rom seems to corrupt it. Like when installing sensation. The only way I can access the SD card to put on another rom is to install that kernel.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is really weird
Maybe someone else can help you
Sent from my x10i using Tapatalk

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ok lets try again........
1: forget everything [ideas you have.]
2: go into clockwork recovery
3: format every partition including system / boot [remove your sdcard before starting]
4: use odin and flash stock 2.3.6 LA2 [u can flash whatever you like] and let it boot.
5: now use cf-root and root your device [http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1103399 ]
6: i assume you know your way from here.
note: its very important to format system / boot partions
if yo dont have cwm or you want to try from scratch heres the latest cwm
http://www.mediafire.com/?wkki6xahfhb3bim

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Thanks for info. Just to clarify, the cf-root link contains loads of different ones. How do I properly know which one to use or doesn't it matter? And as for the stock 2.3.6 LA2, again, where do I find that? Reason I ask dumb questions is I don't want to assume and try the wrong one and come back here and complain when it was my fault, I just want to be 100% sure, so again sorry for the obvious questions.

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I flashed I9100XXLPQ_I9100OXALPQ_I9100XXLPQ_HOME then CF-Root-SGS2_XX_XEO_LPQ-PROPER-v5.4-CWM5.
It seems to be working fine now with the default rom. However, when I go into recovery to say perform a backup or mount the sd card, It won't have any of it.
When I try to mount the sd card it just says "error mounting sd card" and when I mount usb storage it says "unable to open lunfile (no such file or directory)". So I don't want to try another rom yet.

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X82X said:
I flashed I9100XXLPQ_I9100OXALPQ_I9100XXLPQ_HOME then CF-Root-SGS2_XX_XEO_LPQ-PROPER-v5.4-CWM5.
It seems to be working fine now with the default rom. However, when I go into recovery to say perform a backup or mount the sd card, It won't have any of it.
When I try to mount the sd card it just says "error mounting sd card" and when I mount usb storage it says "unable to open lunfile (no such file or directory)". So I don't want to try another rom yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol when i said or what you want i meant from GB you flashed a ICS ROM. well do this and this time just do what i say......
use odin again and flash XILA2 . after boot dial *2767*3855# [a must]
after reboot you should be running a problem free ROM.
now from CF-root find LA2 and flash that now play with it a while and than you do whatever as now you know where and how to get back to working ROM.
plus after LA2 you will find everything on your phone works so any problem you get on other roms is not hardware
recovery issues should be fixed now. otherwise use odin and again flash that cwm file i posted earlier. you wont loose root
Download ROM from Here