Hi. My very first post - a bit nervous so if this is something that I should know before now, please let me know (gently if possible) and I'll go back to my corner.
I'm a former (reformed?) iPhone user and back in early March, I bought my first Android, a Bell Galaxy Note i717M. Being a former iOS/iCloud user, I immediately missed the security of being able to perform a full backup so I used Da_G's method of rooting the phone with Odin (which worked perfectly). This tripped the binary counter, of course, but at the time I wasn't as well read as I am now.
Now, I'd like the option to return the phone to stock (just in case). Thing is, I'm not really sure what I changed/replaced when I rooted it. From what I've read, it's probably just the kernel but I'm not 100% sure. IF it WAS just the kernel that I flashed, Da_G has another thread explaining how to unroot but with a stock Bell kernel (kernel only). But again, I'm not sure if it WAS just the kernel that I rooted and even if I can unroot by just resetting the kernel, that doesn't reset the flash counter.
There's another thread by braway over in the development forum that explains how to reset the flash counter and it seems to work for the Bell Note as well. However, in order to use it, you need to have CWM installed on the Note. So it seems that I can reset the binary counter but then I'm left with CWM and root on the phone.
If my understanding is correct, I can then unroot the phone without once again tripping the flash counter but to do that, I'd need a full Bell stock ROM (kernel, system, ROM, radio, God knows what else....) and no one seems to have come up with one yet. Does that sound about right?
SO much information to digest...can get a bit confusing, wish there was a manual. But I honestly am trying to learn more about the whole process. Still, utter noob for now.
Related
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.
Hello Community!
So I had my Desire for quite long time, december 2010, and I rooted it and installed CM on it. When the CM team announced the CM9 devices I was heartbroken: no update for my sweet desire So a week ago I bought my S3!!! I LOVE IT! I just miss the old CM Yes I like touchwiz and stuff, but CM and rooting is just so much more powerful for a device like that(and desire was horrible with stock lol).
So my actual question is:
Am I still going to use clockworkmod?
Can I brick my phone?
Can I unroot my s3 if I root it?
If I brick the phone, is there any way to unbrick it?
tips and hints?
from nervous me
In order (to the best of my current knowledge)
Yes you will still be using CWM unless you flash EXT4
I believe you can like always but if you read everything twice and follow it to the line you should be safe
As far as I'm aware there is no un-root method yet but there will be
Again I don't think there is un-brick method yet but there will be, but the chances of bricking are so low like I said before if you pay attention you should be fine
Hope this helps.
Rooted my phone few days after i got the phone on may 25th. Been installing and testing Omega Roms for more than 2 weeks. Tested few different kernels and now o/c'd the device to 1800mhz. So far so good.
Have done nand backup (almost everyday one or two backups)
Backup on PC using Kies
EFS backup using
few links to help you get started
For CWM/ROOT etc
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1695238
For omega roms
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1663656
For o/c kernel
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1691401
For must have toolkit for SIII
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1703488
You can go to android dev forum for SIII for more info.
Thx for the super fast and helpful replys!
What about warrenty and stuff like that?
I heard about something called TriangleAway, it removes the flash counter to 0. But if the phone is rooted, how can the triangleaway help?
If the phone needs to be repaired, what about that?
Thx again
When you un-root the device you can use triangle away to remove the flash counter so the phone will look like its never been touched it's pretty awesome
SkillfulMmd said:
When you un-root the device you can use triangle away to remove the flash counter so the phone will look like its never been touched it's pretty awesome
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Correction: You can't unroot the phone and use triangle away but once you use triangle away use MOBILE ODIN (this doesn't add to counter) to flash stock rom then the phone gets unrooted and everything gets back to factory default.
Hi,
I've had a look around and can't find a thread that answers my question completely. I just want to gain root access to phone, I have no intention of flashing a custom firmware. My phone is a Galaxy S2 I9100 running Vodafone Australia's stock 4.0.3 ICS.
As I am new to rooting, I have browsed through this page but still have questions:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1103399
I want to be able to easily restore my phone to its stock, unrooted state for warranty purposes. I'm not quite sure how to do this, Is there a way to backup my phones kernel as it is now, and be able to flash back to the stock kernel if something were to go wrong?
Also, My kernel version is 3.0.15-I9100TDULP9-CL422302 ..... The key letters being LP9? So then which one of these 2 would I flash?
CF-Root-SGS2_XW_KPN_LP9-v5.4-CWM5.zip OR
CF-Root-SGS2_DX_SIN_LP9-v5.4-CWM5.zip
Or would either work?
(Yes still going, sorry!) I also saw something called a Binary Flash Counter which counts the amount of times a phone has been modified? Would I be affected by this by just gaining root access? And if so how do I prevent that? (My ultimate aim is to root, but still keep warranty)
Thanks in advance for any help, its really appreciated.
mkirpy22 said:
Hi,
I've had a look around and can't find a thread that answers my question completely. I just want to gain root access to phone, I have no intention of flashing a custom firmware. My phone is a Galaxy S2 I9100 running Vodafone Australia's stock 4.0.3 ICS.
As I am new to rooting, I have browsed through this page but still have questions:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1103399
I want to be able to easily restore my phone to its stock, unrooted state for warranty purposes. I'm not quite sure how to do this, Is there a way to backup my phones kernel as it is now, and be able to flash back to the stock kernel if something were to go wrong?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To get back to stock look for your firmware in Intratech's thread. It also provides links for kernel only downloads.
Also, My kernel version is 3.0.15-I9100TDULP9-CL422302 ..... The key letters being LP9? So then which one of these 2 would I flash?
CF-Root-SGS2_XW_KPN_LP9-v5.4-CWM5.zip OR
CF-Root-SGS2_DX_SIN_LP9-v5.4-CWM5.zip
Or would either work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From the thread you were referencing:
The XX and OXA identifiers are not that important. Usually a "KG1" kernel is a "KG1" kernel, and that is that. Sometimes (pretty rare) it happens there will be multiple different kernels with the same name in different firmwares, that are actually different. If this happens, they are usually only very minor changes and you should expect them to still be fully compatible. I include the "XX" and "OXA" identifiers so the very advanced users can deduce from which full firmware I have taken the kernel file.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
(Yes still going, sorry!) I also saw something called a Binary Flash Counter which counts the amount of times a phone has been modified? Would I be affected by this by just gaining root access? And if so how do I prevent that? (My ultimate aim is to root, but still keep warranty)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes you will be affected (if rooting with CF-root method) and no, you can't prevent it. However you can reset things. The easiest way to do this is to use TriangleAway from the Play store.
Best thing to do if you want a backup that's as close to stock as possible is to root your phone & then do a Nandroid backup in CWM before doing anything else to the phone (flashing custom roms, other kernels, etc). That will give you a backup that is essentially stock other than the rooted kernel.
If you want to guarantee warranty service, don't mess with your phone (yes, I'm serious). Once you start messing with it, you should lose any expectation of warranty service should the worst happen (rooting your phone/running non stock firmware voids your warranty). Having said that, many people who have rooted their phones and/or run non-stock firmware have been able to get warranty service by going back to stock & resetting the flash counter either with a jig or Triangle Away before sending it in for service. However, this is never a guaranteed, rolled gold 100% certainty.
FXRB is right, before you root your phone, either download your current firmware from Intratech's thread, or use the PC version of Checkfus to download it. This will save you problems if you need to go back to stock in say, 12 mths, and you forget which firmware was originally on the phone.
Unrooting Sprint Samsung s2 ics 4.0.4 fh13
I rooted my phone but would like to unroot it back to previous or stock. Please help with any information to unroot. Thanks.
hispeed10 said:
I rooted my phone but would like to unroot it back to previous or stock. Please help with any information to unroot. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Reset binary counter using Triangle away app.
2. Download Stock firmware for your country/region here: http://www.sammobile.com/firmware/
3. Flash the firmware via Odin.
Done
hispeed10 said:
I rooted my phone but would like to unroot it back to previous or stock. Please help with any information to unroot. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In addition to what Jokesy said, you say you have a Sprint Samsung s2 ics 4.0.4 fh13. The Sprint variant is the Epic 4G Touch, and has a different forum located at http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=1281.
This forum is for the I9100, which is a GSM phone, and doesn't even work on Sprint's CDMA network.
For your own sake and future sanity, please go to and stay in that forum, and avoid flashing anything from this forum for the I9100.
I rooted my phone pushing CWM.zip and SU-busybox in recovery mode.
First CWM.zip And then su-busybox in the Clockwork orange mod. Its rooted and no yellow triangle.
Hiya guys!
First post, so hello to everyone reading this
Ive got a Samsung Galaxy S3, and I did ask if it had been rooted or played with, and the guy said NO definitely NOT, but when the phones put into DOWNLOAD mode, it most definitely has had something done!
Count is on 1, ODIN is at the top, and CUSTOM is displayed in the last two fields I think, might not mean its rooted and I am new to these, but think it may have been
It was "OPENED TO UNLOCK ONLY" and was a T-Mobile UK Handset, I needed one that works with TESCO MOBILE and I did a swap with the guy next door to me for a broken iPhone 4s and to be honest I was sick of the Apple crap anyway!!!
So, my questions in no specific order are....
1) Is it rooted?
2) If I UNROOT it, will I lose the UNLOCKED to all networks that I need?
3) Is there a way to update the software on the phone if its rooted as I think I read somewhere that the firmware cannot be upgraded on a rooted phone?
4) How easy is it to install a new firmware?
For now, I think lol, thats it, so please any help appreciated!!
Cheers
Chris
[1]
The phone needs to be rooted in order to network-unlock.
So yes, at one point it was rooted.
However that does not mean it still is rooted, most probably the seller reverted it back to stock after rooting. Flashing stock does not increment the counter (since it's official) so it's quite possible.
[2]
No. Networl lock and other details are stored in the /efs/ folder which has nothing to do with the ROM and kernel.
[3]
You can upgrade a phone if it is rooted without further customizations. However you'll loose root during the process.
If [1] is true, you're on full stock anyway.
[4]
Depends. If you want to switch to another ROM, it's of course harder than upgrade within a given ROM (stock, Omega, CM9, ...)
But by all means hard does not mean impossible, it just takes some time and preparation.
Some afterthought: your seller should've just used the (free in XDA, paid in Play) TriangleAway app which resets the Download counter to 0.
I'd recommend resetting it if you're planning on staying on stock since it'll make warranty claims far easier or even possible. You'll need root tough to get it working.
Btw: network-unlocking a S3 means flashing CF-Root (rooted stock kernel), installing a free app, running that app, installing TriangleAway, running Triangleaway, flashing default ROM and factory-reset.
All-in-one that means less than half an hour, so I hope you haven't paid much extra for that feature.
Right so, this is my first post so I'm very new here.
I have a Samsung S2 (I9100) which I rooted using Framaroot. I then flashed CM 10.1.3 on my phone. I also flashed the DorimanX 9.41 kernel. I want to return my phone to stock everything. Basically, as it was when it came out of the box. I want to do this because I might return it to warranty soon. I know the steps to do. However, I need to understand a few things:
Is Triangle Away safe if I use it correctly?
When I flash the stock firmware, will I be able to receive OTA updates or will all of my updates need to be from Odin?
If I want to restore my warranty, does my phone need to have the carrier branded firmware? I am going to get carrier-branded firmware anyway but I am just wondering.
My baseband version is I9100XXLPH. My carrier is T-Mobile UK. When I go to SamMobile, I get this:
GT-I9100 United Kingdom (T-Mobile) 2013 June 4.1.2 I9100XWLSY I9100TMULS8
If my baseband version is I9100XXLPH, does this mean that this firmware is not correct for my phone?
Thanks for the help!
1) Well yes, like any flash there's that 0.0000001% something will go wrong. You can't remove that risk regardless of what anyone might tell you. If that frightens you, best not flash anything at all. Ever.
2) If you go back to stock, you should be able to get OTA updates OK, but sometimes it doesn't always work out this way. It's just as easy to flash your stock updates via Odin if you find OTA updates won't happen for whatever reason (flashing a 3 part firmware with CSC when you go back to stock seems to make it more likely OTA updates happen smoothly after).
3) If I was returning a phone for a warranty claim, yes, I'd put the latest stock firmware on for my carrier.
4) Forget basebands (which is your modem & not really relevant to anything) or anything else, choose the latest firmware they have for your carrier, flash that.
Thanks very much. However, when using Triangle Away, is there ANYTHING I can do to increase the chances of a successful reset? Also, will having used Framaroot change anything?
I've never had any problems using it (have used it a number of times/on different devices) & am not aware of anything you can do to try and 'maximise' your chances of it working (it should work for most people/most of the time), other than reading thread devoted to it on here thoroughly if you're genuinely nervous about it; other people's experiences in the thread might yield some useful info.
The root method shouldn't have a great deal of bearing on anything, but I'm not a developer so I'm not familiar with the 'inner workings' of how Framaroot injects Su & Busybox onto the phone/whether it does anything materially different compared to other root methods that might interfere with Triangle Away. I don't believe it does based on I can't remember anyone posting in the two yrs I've been coming here saying 'Triangle Away wouldn't work because I used X root method'.
Put it this way, if worse came to worse, if Triangle Away refused to work/reset the flash counter, you could always go back to Gingerbread stock, reset the flash counter with a jig, then flash the latest stock firmware & sent it in for warranty service.
Triangle Away is quick/simple/works most of the time, but that's not the only option you have if it won't work & you absolutely must reset the flash counter.
Thanks for all the advice. One more question though , is Triangle Away compatible with all ROMs and kernels? And (hopefully) final question, do I only wipe data on recovery or do I also wipe cache?
It's I9100 compatible, so yes, it is.
Sent from the little guy
Eyensteinium said:
And (hopefully) final question, do I only wipe data on recovery or do I also wipe cache?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could you answer this question?
It doesn't matter, whatever suits you.
Sent from the little guy
gastonw said:
It doesn't matter, whatever suits you.
Sent from the little guy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What does the cache do then?
Stores apps' info and other s#!t.
It's not mandatory to wipe per se, but it might help when going stock from custom and viceversa.
I told you, you're safe from the brick bug as long as you stay away from 4.0.4.
Sent from the little guy
OP - You're starting to overthink/ovecomplicate this. There's no need to. Reset the counter, flash stock, done.
Okay. It's just that the warnings on the Triangle Away app are a bit scary and both times I've flashed with Odin, I've been stuck in a bootloop. Anyway, hopefully, I'll have stock JB up and running before Monday.
Sent from my GT-I9100.
Trust me, you'll be fine (never trust someone who says 'trust me' )
When should I wipe data, before or after flash?
After.
Okay, thanks a lot. Just need to make a note of which apps I have installed so I can reinstall them afterwards. Also, is it possible to backup my messages and call logs?
Yes, titanium back up pro & similar.
Sent from the little guy
But Titanium Backup doesn't work without root. After going back to stock, I'm going to stay unrooted for a while. Also, I don't want to backup apps.
Notice that I included "similar" over there.
You really should hit the threads before you jump onto the flashing field.
Sent from the little guy
Thanks for the reply. Just two more questions:
If I do EVERYTHING correctly, is there any chance of a hard brick.
And, I tried following this guide (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1068193) but the commands it said to back up my efs folder didn't work. Could you recommend an efs backup tool?