Well it's regarding rooting.
I heard it opens up a world of opportunity with your smartphone, and some apps I really want are only available vain rooted phones. I have the Samsung galaxy s3 international version. It was originally from Australia if that matters at all. It is on 4.0.4. Anyways, being a noob to android more or less, and being a bit apprehensive (because I have no warranty and I cannot obtain another phone easily) I was wondering basically how risky it is to brick your phone in a) the process of rooting your phone. Is it common? If it does get bricked is it reversable by a restore or simply gone? Also after rooting, is there any upkeep or management I need to do to make sure my rooted phone does not screw up? And lastly. What is the safest and easiest way to root the international quad core gs3 on ics. Thank you to everyone for your time
mysticgorilla said:
Well it's regarding rooting.
I heard it opens up a world of opportunity with your smartphone, and some apps I really want are only available vain rooted phones. I have the Samsung galaxy s3 international version. It was originally from Australia if that matters at all. It is on 4.0.4. Anyways, being a noob to android more or less, and being a bit apprehensive (because I have no warranty and I cannot obtain another phone easily) I was wondering basically how risky it is to brick your phone in a) the process of rooting your phone. Is it common? If it does get bricked is it reversable by a restore or simply gone? Also after rooting, is there any upkeep or management I need to do to make sure my rooted phone does not screw up? And lastly. What is the safest and easiest way to root the international quad core gs3 on ics. Thank you to everyone for your time
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, most you could pick up be reading a bit, everything is already explained around here but since i was in your shoes very recently:
- there's always a risk. You need to be aware of that. That said, most cases that actually go wrong it's usually user's fault who failed to follow instructions closely. So read them. And read some more. And then read again just to make sure. And then i'd read again.
I used this very recent method from chainfire (salute and donate to the man if you like and can, he deserves it) to root my 4.0.4 international GT-I9300 S3:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1957273
Triangled away next and everything worked like a charm. This preserves everything as stock as possible just adding root to your phone.
- from what i can tell, as long as you don't do anything that messes with the bootloader, you can always recover from a procedure gone wrong. Just disconnect, remove battery, insert and try again. Rebooting the computer or changing usb ports usually helps too (on odin).
- after rooting successfully, the very first thing you should do is backup your /efs folder. This is easy, just pick up root explorer or some other file manager that allows exploring you root (/), go up in your folders until you get to / look for the efs folder and just copy it (NOT MOVE) elsewhere (sd card, external sd, your computer preferably, whatever, just have that safe). This will come in handy in case you lose your imei at some point. Just restore this folder's contents and you're good to go. If that happens and you don't have a backup, it's a f'ing pain you can do well without.
- anything else root related is just common sense. Since you have the potential to screw up your entire phone with root permissions (this is why you don't have them in the first place), if an app pops up asking for root permissions, be sure what it is before allowing. If you're not sure, you can always deny first and allow later in the superuser app.
- you can also look into backing up with nandroid. You can think of this as an image of your entire phone. With this you can restore your phone to the same state it was when you did it. Useful when something went wrong and your phone doesn't boot anymore or you just wanted to try new roms with the option of coming back to what you had before. Not sure how you do it on the S3 still, but it usually requires a modified recovery like CWM. The method to root above doesn't install one though, it preserves what you had. Check this instead if you're interested:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1695238
Cheers dude, i'm sure everything will go well for you too.
Chance of a brick about .0001 % rising to 100% for those that are to lazy to read follow instructions .
BASICS
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1927113
jje
Thankyou very much to everyone who has read and replied to this. 3 more minor questions. Is there a way to first update my phone to jellybean 4.1 via Odin or something like that? Or is this possible after root, because I don't want to stay on ics. Also what exactly happens if I update while rooted. Does it wipe or unroot my phone or the like? Also should my phone be in use debugging, and lastly what does it mean to unlock my bootloaders? That was more than 3 questions sorry thanks again
mysticgorilla said:
Thankyou very much to everyone who has read and replied to this. 3 more minor questions. Is there a way to first update my phone to jellybean 4.1 via Odin or something like that? Or is this possible after root, because I don't want to stay on ics. Also what exactly happens if I update while rooted. Does it wipe or unroot my phone or the like? Also should my phone be in use debugging, and lastly what does it mean to unlock my bootloaders? That was more than 3 questions sorry thanks again
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) You don't need to root to update to JB.
Just download any ROM you want from http://samsung-updates.com/device/?id=GT-I9300 (I recommend the UK unbranded ROM, BTU) then use Odin3 to flash it to your devices. Search the forums for specific instructions on this procedure. I'll just tell that it takes no more than 2-3 minutes.
2) If you're going to root, I suggest you do it beforehand, by flashing a kernel like Siyah (in ICS), and then proceed to flashing the stock JB ROM, HOWEVER, instead of using Odin3, you will use MobileOdion (available from Play Store), because that way you'll have a fully rooted and stock device.
3) Using step 2 above, it will not wipe not unroot your phone. It is safe and retains all your settings. That is the beauty of MobileOdin. There is a free version.
If you root and THEN install via Odin (PC), then you'll lose root, but not your settings.
In either case, you only wipe the device IF YOU WANT TO.
So, the best option is to:
a) Install SiyahKernel using Odin3 (PC)
b) Download the JB BTU ROM from http://samsung-updates.com/device/?id=GT-I9300
c) Extract the .md5 from the ZIP file and move it to the device's ext. sd card
d) Install MobileOdin in the device
e) Use MobileOdin to flash the .md5 you moved to it in step (c)
f) install TriangleAway (download from XDA) and run it to reset binary counter (which got incremented in step [a] )
Results: rooted, JB, stock, all settins retained, no binary counter increment
Simonetti2011 I have been searching the internet here in New Zealand and that has been the best answer I have found so far!
I do have a slight question thought. I live in New Zealand and have the GT-I9300T model of the GS3 and I'm wanting to install the international unbranded rom for that I can get updates faster (here in NZ it takes months and months to get updates)
I downloaded the International UK unbranded firmware 4.0.4 and was going to flash that rom onto my phone then upgrade to jelly bean via kies but have since relised I should just download the jellybean UK firmware straight away. Do you by any chance havea link to the firmware that I would need, I noticed there were a few different versions.
Also about the CSC, would I need to do any changes?
Many many thanks in advance, Sorry for hijacking this thread, just figured I was on the same pages as the OP
prawln said:
Simonetti2011 I have been searching the internet here in New Zealand and that has been the best answer I have found so far!
I do have a slight question thought. I live in New Zealand and have the GT-I9300T model of the GS3 and I'm wanting to install the international unbranded rom for that I can get updates faster (here in NZ it takes months and months to get updates)
I downloaded the International UK unbranded firmware 4.0.4 and was going to flash that rom onto my phone then upgrade to jelly bean via kies but have since relised I should just download the jellybean UK firmware straight away. Do you by any chance havea link to the firmware that I would need, I noticed there were a few different versions.
Also about the CSC, would I need to do any changes?
Many many thanks in advance, Sorry for hijacking this thread, just figured I was on the same pages as the OP
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks!
The 9300T and the 9300 are NOT the same device, therefore they use different firmware (ROM). The ROMs for the 9300T are here: http://samsung-updates.com/device/?id=GT-I9300T
I don't think there is a 9300T ROM for the UK, since the model released there is the 9300 (non-T).
It seems that either Samsung-updates hasn't indexed any ROMs for your model or they haven't been released.
About CSC: just don't worry about it... download and flash any ROM you want for your specific model and don't worry. If you don't like it, just download and flash another one.
Thanks heaps for that!
I actually just tried the UK unbranded rom that was for the i9300 on my i9300T and suprisingly everything seems to work ok so far (phone calls, txting, 3g etc)
Thankyou to everyone!
Thank you for your responses to my post regarding rooting my s3. They were very helpful. i succesfully rooted via chainfire cf auto root for the I9300 model without problem. Just one last question, I have been searching around a bit and some people are saying that flashing the jellybean firmware via odin, is not a perfect copy.. i mean some say they have been experiencing very minor problems here and there. So, if i update to the uk firmware on jelly bean via odin or mobile odin, and i experience some problems, can i still get the official ota update or jellybean 4.1 via kies when it is released? Thanks again for your help. Im pretty new to this android stuff
Last week I was given a new, boxed SGS2 model GT-I9100G, running ICS 4.0.4, purchased in China. Much of it I can use, after setting it to UK English. However, all the important high use apps. refer to the Chinese national equivalents, and it appears to be linked to the Chinese app. store. So, no Google, no YouTube, no Twitter, no FaceBook and so and none of the obvious European email providers etc.
My local service provider pointed me to a site, with the name androidauthority, as a way of (hopefully) installing a European version of ICS 4.0.4: However, as a new user I am prevented from giving a link to this location (!), so could I ask somebody here with the necessary knowledge to tell me if there is going to be a safe procedure for replacing the Chinese system in my phone with a European equivalent, with a reasonable chance of success?
The questions that come to mind are such things as:
1. This procedure does not appear to require me to have acquired root privileges. Can it work as 'non-root' user?
2. Is the handset as secure after the change as it was before?
3. How much of ICS is replaced by this procedure?
4. Does ICS imply a kernel too? Or is it just an operating system on top of the kernel. If the latter, won't the kernel need changing too, from a Chinese version to a European version?
5. If there is a black screen of death after this procedure, what should I do, in aditional to wailing, throwing myself on the ground or banging my head forcefully against a wall?
By the way, I have purposely held off putting any useful data on the handset before I have solved the language-version issue, so I don't have any back-up/recovery issues (do I?)
Having read a little on this forum, I notice that there does not seem to be a version of CF-root for my handset. 'About phone' gives me a kernel version of 3.0.8-1067026. This version name doesn't seem to match any of those in the list of downloads elsewhere on this forum - it contains no alpha characters for example. 'About phone' also tells me that I have something called 'Baseband Version' - identified as I9100GZCLPL. What is this?
greatbridge said:
Last week I was given a new, boxed SGS2 model GT-I9100G, running ICS 4.0.4, purchased in China. Much of it I can use, after setting it to UK English. However, all the important high use apps. refer to the Chinese national equivalents, and it appears to be linked to the Chinese app. store. So, no Google, no YouTube, no Twitter, no FaceBook and so and none of the obvious European email providers etc.
My local service provider pointed me to a site, with the name androidauthority, as a way of (hopefully) installing a European version of ICS 4.0.4: However, as a new user I am prevented from giving a link to this location (!), so could I ask somebody here with the necessary knowledge to tell me if there is going to be a safe procedure for replacing the Chinese system in my phone with a European equivalent, with a reasonable chance of success?
The questions that come to mind are such things as:
1. This procedure does not appear to require me to have acquired root privileges. Can it work as 'non-root' user?
2. Is the handset as secure after the change as it was before?
3. How much of ICS is replaced by this procedure?
4. Does ICS imply a kernel too? Or is it just an operating system on top of the kernel. If the latter, won't the kernel need changing too, from a Chinese version to a European version?
5. If there is a black screen of death after this procedure, what should I do, in aditional to wailing, throwing myself on the ground or banging my head forcefully against a wall?
By the way, I have purposely held off putting any useful data on the handset before I have solved the language-version issue, so I don't have any back-up/recovery issues (do I?)
Having read a little on this forum, I notice that there does not seem to be a version of CF-root for my handset. 'About phone' gives me a kernel version of 3.0.8-1067026. This version name doesn't seem to match any of those in the list of downloads elsewhere on this forum - it contains no alpha characters for example. 'About phone' also tells me that I have something called 'Baseband Version' - identified as I9100GZCLPL. What is this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay, here we go:
0) You really should check if your device is authentic. You are mentioning apps restrictions (In the about the phone section tag, does it says "Android Version 4.0.4"?) and apps country related (might be chinase carrier bloatware).
1) You can flash a new ROM (Euro Version for example) via Odin (no Root) or via CWM (Root required).
2) Flashing is all about changing operating systems, If you choose the right ROM for YOUR device, and you FOLLOW instructions given, it's safe.
3) ICS versions comes in 2 ways, Branded (Carrier Bloatware) & Unbranded (No carrier bloatware).
4) ICS package comes with ROM, Modem and Kernel. You can look it up each of them so you'll get familiar with these terms.
5) Don't think about that, should be fine.
6) No worrys about data, this is a system flash, not a SD Card flash.
7) You can follow many guides here on XDA to root your device.
8) Baseband is related to Modem. Network for your country / region.
And most importantly, make sure anything u flash is for the I9100G and not the I9100.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2
Hayth said:
And most importantly, make sure anything u flash is for the I9100G and not the I9100.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True + Read about Brick Bug (4.0.4) kernel.
gastonw said:
Okay, here we go:
0) You really should check if your device is authentic. You are mentioning apps restrictions (In the about the phone section tag, does it says "Android Version 4.0.4"?) and apps country related (might be chinase carrier bloatware).
1) You can flash a new ROM (Euro Version for example) via Odin (no Root) or via CWM (Root required).
2) Flashing is all about changing operating systems, If you choose the right ROM for YOUR device, and you FOLLOW instructions given, it's safe.
3) ICS versions comes in 2 ways, Branded (Carrier Bloatware) & Unbranded (No carrier bloatware).
4) ICS package comes with ROM, Modem and Kernel. You can look it up each of them so you'll get familiar with these terms.
5) Don't think about that, should be fine.
6) No worrys about data, this is a system flash, not a SD Card flash.
7) You can follow many guides here on XDA to root your device.
8) Baseband is related to Modem. Network for your country / region.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great, thanks for this detailed reply.
From what I write here you will conclude that I am totally uninformed and (naturally) would be a little impatient. I would ask your indulgence. The fact is that I am totally uninformed - about things mobile - but I have been messing around with technology since 1959, (yes, that's 1959), especially with Linux installs and updates since about 2003. Being exceptionally outdated, I am exceptionally diligent at following instructions, so I have read your guidance in detail. Ignorance-driven questions arise:
As far as I can reasonably tell the device is not a fake - packaging style and contents, reputation of supplier, functionality of the phone all appear to be authentic (but what do I know?), This begs the question: what is a water-tight test of authenticity? The (non Samsung) apps. on the device appear to be only the Chinese national equivalents of those US/European ones which I expected: Weibo, QQ, YouKou, Baidu, RenRen - with, perhaps the stuff from TenCent which is admittedly bloatware, It does indeed say (in 'About phone') Android 4.0.4.
From elsewhere (sorry, cannot identify from browser history where) I found a list of all the ROMs(?) currently 'current' for the GT-I9100G. which seemed to link my system to ChinaUnicom, However it doesn't seem to be locked to that service provider because I was able to make phone calls with SIMs from both O2 and Giff-Gaff (which is really O2) installed in the handset. There was no SIM in the handset when I received it.
a). How do I identify the 'correct' ROM - seeing as the one I have is 'incorrect' in the sense that it is not what I want and therefore isn't much of a guide to me in identifying the correct one! I assume here correctness is synonymous with handset model number being fully and unambiguously identified. Yes?
b). Where do I download an unbranded, unbloated, version of ICS 4.0.4? I have downloaded a 380MB file (following instructions on the Androidauthority website that I am not permitted to mention <sigh>) named I9100GXXLPY_I9100GDBTLP3_DBT.zip - does this look like an unbranded ROM of approximately the correct size and naming convention?
c). Is it necessary to root the device (I was planning to use Odin, which I have downloaded)? In my naive state I associate a system in which the user has root privileges as being about as secure as Windows 2000 - i.e. a welcome destination for every hacker and psycho in the world. Is this correct? If so, why would I ever want to run with a 'rooted' handset, give the remarkable growth in the number of malware and the number of ways of 'acquiring' them? Thus, I was hoping to be able to make this change without having to 'root' the device. (btw did anybody from Oz ever point out what the commonly understood meaning of that word is? It surprised me to see it in common use!)
I look forward to your continued advice. Thanks again.
Hayth said:
And most importantly, make sure anything u flash is for the I9100G and not the I9100.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I think I have realised that. The G version has quite different hardware (main processor and graphics processor) than the non-G version. I would expect a 'black screen of death' if using the wring ROM. But is there some naming convention in the ROM which will, without doubt, identify its intended hardware target?
greatbridge said:
Great, thanks for this detailed reply.
From what I write here you will conclude that I am totally uninformed and (naturally) would be a little impatient. I would ask your indulgence. The fact is that I am totally uninformed - about things mobile - but I have been messing around with technology since 1959, (yes, that's 1959), especially with Linux installs and updates since about 2003. Being exceptionally outdated, I am exceptionally diligent at following instructions, so I have read your guidance in detail. Ignorance-driven questions arise:
As far as I can reasonably tell the device is not a fake - packaging style and contents, reputation of supplier, functionality of the phone all appear to be authentic (but what do I know?), This begs the question: what is a water-tight test of authenticity? The (non Samsung) apps. on the device appear to be only the Chinese national equivalents of those US/European ones which I expected: Weibo, QQ, YouKou, Baidu, RenRen - with, perhaps the stuff from TenCent which is admittedly bloatware, It does indeed say (in 'About phone') Android 4.0.4.
From elsewhere (sorry, cannot identify from browser history where) I found a list of all the ROMs(?) currently 'current' for the GT-I9100G. which seemed to link my system to ChinaUnicom, However it doesn't seem to be locked to that service provider because I was able to make phone calls with SIMs from both O2 and Giff-Gaff (which is really O2) installed in the handset. There was no SIM in the handset when I received it.
a). How do I identify the 'correct' ROM - seeing as the one I have is 'incorrect' in the sense that it is not what I want and therefore isn't much of a guide to me in identifying the correct one! I assume here correctness is synonymous with handset model number being fully and unambiguously identified. Yes?
b). Where do I download an unbranded, unbloated, version of ICS 4.0.4? I have downloaded a 380MB file (following instructions on the Androidauthority website that I am not permitted to mention <sigh>) named I9100GXXLPY_I9100GDBTLP3_DBT.zip - does this look like an unbranded ROM of approximately the correct size and naming convention?
c). Is it necessary to root the device (I was planning to use Odin, which I have downloaded)? In my naive state I associate a system in which the user has root privileges as being about as secure as Windows 2000 - i.e. a welcome destination for every hacker and psycho in the world. Is this correct? If so, why would I ever want to run with a 'rooted' handset, give the remarkable growth in the number of malware and the number of ways of 'acquiring' them? Thus, I was hoping to be able to make this change without having to 'root' the device. (btw did anybody from Oz ever point out what the commonly understood meaning of that word is? It surprised me to see it in common use!)
I look forward to your continued advice. Thanks again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looks like you are already getting the hang of it.
First off, here's some reading material:
Index Guide.
Here you will learn about the infamus brick bug (Everyone on 4.0.4 should be aware of this).
Here you will see what NOT to do, because these guys already did and went bad. It's about how to get it back, so you'll get to know some interesting process.
About Root, you got this guy.
Worried about possible exploits, see what the Android Main Man did.
About some Root Humour, you got this.
If you are root sold, here's how you do it (I9100G Version).
Sammobile.com has got plenty of branded and unbranded ROMs for you to choose from (remember that crazy G at the end!).
About that fake remark, here's an example.
I guess I'm not forgetting anything....if I did, well, I'll notice it
gastonw said:
True + Read about Brick Bug (4.0.4) kernel.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried searching on this term in Google. It referred me to
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1897295
in which I learn that if I flash my handset with kernel 4.0.4, when that kernel is already installed (as it is on my handset), then I will be certain to have a bricked kernel. So, is this another way of saying that a solution to my original problem is not available?
Here's some additional info on your device:
Custom Roms & Kernels for I9100G.
Switch Between Chinease & International.
Here is something abour porting, whatever that is
gastonw said:
Looks like you are already getting the hang of it.
First off, here's some reading material:
Index Guide.
Here you will learn about the infamus brick bug (Everyone on 4.0.4 should be aware of this).
Here you will see what NOT to do, because these guys already did and went bad. It's about how to get it back, so you'll get to know some interesting process.
About Root, you got this guy.
Worried about possible exploits, see what the Android Main Man did.
About some Root Humour, you got this.
If you are root sold, here's how you do it (I9100G Version).
Sammobile.com has got plenty of branded and unbranded ROMs for you to choose from (remember that crazy G at the end!).
About that fake remark, here's an example.
I guess I'm not forgetting anything....if I did, well, I'll notice it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, I find myself overwhelmed by all this information.
You know, all I really want to do is change the operating system language version, so that it makes my handset look like one that was purchased in UK/Europe, and that avoid a costly embarrassment. (The person who gave me the phone is waiting for me to use it...)
To refer to a Linux desk-top analogy, I want to replace Ubuntu 12.04 , simplified Chinese version, with Ubuntu 12.04 UK English version. I don't want to change my Linux kernel version, there's no need to when I'm not changing the version of Ubuntu and anyway too new = too risky; too old = inadequate hardware support. I don't want to change my ROM: I've got no hardware errors or bugs in my ROM which are directly responsible for functional limitations which affect my use of the phone - the 3 'dead' motherboards in my cupboard here are proof that ROM flashing is not without its risks.
So, conceptually, I want to try to do something straight forward. In the desktop scenario I would just download the correct level & version of Ubuntu from a Canonical server and install it. End of task. But in this mobile scenario I'm told about flashing ROMs, secure and insecure kernels, asked to choose whether or not to root the phone, asking to locate and choose 'firmware' (what ever that is, in this contex)t and also told that that the update is bound to fail, rendering my phone unusable.
That's all a very daunting story, which at the least requires me to embark on a serious and in-depth re-education program. That's a bit of challenge for somebody into their 7th decade, when all they want to do is use a phone.
Isn't there a simpler, more straightforward way of doing this?
Trust me, this isn't as hard as its sounds. And I'm also sure that in one week you will be sticking your teeth into the flashing & rooting world.
As you already are a Linux user, you'll find this OS very similar, because it's based on it.
Once you realize everything you can do with that little guy sittin right next to you, yoo'll be up for a thrill, regardless of your age or whatever.
You can start by Internationalization here.
gastonw said:
Trust me, this isn't as hard as its sounds. And I'm also sure that in one week you will be sticking your teeth into the flashing & rooting world.
As you already are a Linux user, you'll find this OS very similar, because it's based on it.
Once you realize everything you can do with that little guy sittin right next to you, yoo'll be up for a thrill, regardless of your age or whatever.
You can start by Internationalization here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, that is indeed where I want to start, so I really appreciate this link.
My first step in education is to be able to correctly interpret the English that is being used - I'm from a different age & universe, so some of the expressions in the linked article are confusing to me. The guide appears to be written from the assumption that the target audience is the uninformed user (like myself) but then invites the reader to 'use any stock ROM you choose' which implies a level of knowledge (about what a 'stock ROM' is, which ones are appropriate and where to find them) that is wholly inconsistent with the assumption. If I new all that stuff already, I wouldn't need the guide!. As it is the guide is great - but leaves me hanging in the air while I research the missing - and key - chapter.
Ah, well, never a dull moment; pity I have so few of them left (moments, that is)
gastonw said:
Trust me, this isn't as hard as its sounds. And I'm also sure that in one week you will be sticking your teeth into the flashing & rooting world.
As you already are a Linux user, you'll find this OS very similar, because it's based on it.
Once you realize everything you can do with that little guy sittin right next to you, yoo'll be up for a thrill, regardless of your age or whatever.
You can start by Internationalization here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Damn it, this is so frustrating: none of the links available directly or indirectly in the article you have directed me to identify a suitable ICS firmware for United Kingdom. However, the threads that are referenced obviously are started by people with inappropriate knowledge, but - frustratingly - lacking the necessary credibility I am not allowed to post to those threads to ask.
The primary article has the same issue:I would like to post a reply to this method of internationalization by asking for an interpretation of the expression '- Manual Load Driver for OMAP4430 From usb_drv_windows folder (included in download content )' - 'manual load'? Load what from where into what? What is this download content? I don't have any 'download content'
Next frustration is my attempts to get Samsung USB drivers. EVERY site I have tried says words to the effect that this file has been deleted because too many people have requested it - or it points me back to XDA in an area I am not allowed access to - or it points me to the singularly ineffective (in my experience) SAMWARE site, which does not list anything, irrespective of language, for the I9100G.
Yep - it's truly like the Linux world: frustrating in the extreme, full of dead ends and self-referential logic, notable for its disciple (in the sense of the total lack thereof), wondrously chaotic and - by simple observation - very effective. But not for me.
Lol, think of it as a marriage.
D.L. mode (you probably screwed up and you gotta turn the balance to your side)
Recovery Mode (now YOU did screw up)
Flash (show off)
wipe (start from scratch, now on your feet)
Stock (this is who I married, now I just gotta hang in here)
Custom (An affair)
Brick ("Honey, we need to talk")
gastonw said:
Trust me, this isn't as hard as its sounds. And I'm also sure that in one week you will be sticking your teeth into the flashing & rooting world.
As you already are a Linux user, you'll find this OS very similar, because it's based on it.
Once you realize everything you can do with that little guy sittin right next to you, yoo'll be up for a thrill, regardless of your age or whatever.
You can start by Internationalization here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, it's more than a week - and I still have not been able to locate the right firmware to download, or a process for using it that can be followed.
I did invoke Samsung UK Technical support. They directed me to a service agent - a 6 hour round trip plus waiting time. This 'service agent' announced that it would take 'more than 2 hours' to download the firmware, then advised me that the attempt to flash my phone failed at the point of loading the PIT. He refused to tell me what firmware load he had tried and refused to return the phone unless I paid a service charge. At this time Samsung haven't responded to my complaint about this con-trick.
Got any advice on where else I might go to get this fixed?
gastonw said:
Lol, think of it as a marriage.
D.L. mode (you probably screwed up and you gotta turn the balance to your side)
Recovery Mode (now YOU did screw up)
Flash (show off)
wipe (start from scratch, now on your feet)
Stock (this is who I married, now I just gotta hang in here)
Custom (An affair)
Brick ("Honey, we need to talk")
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Huh?
greatbridge said:
Huh?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
analogys
gastonw said:
analogys
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This dialogue has not made one word of sense to me; I'm clearly in the wrong time or place, or both.
Can somebody point me to the exit so I can come in again, and ask for some guidance on how to get my phone updated?
alt + f4?
Sent from the little guy
The g model doesnt have a Uk rom because the phone isnt meant for here.
You can see what custom firmware is available.
"noob ok...lazy noob not ok"
Hi all
Recently I upgraded from Samsungs stock 4.1.2 firmware to CyanogenMod 10.2 Stable (based on 4.3.1) using their installer program. Since upgrading the Wifi has been unusable and I have not managed to get the problem resolved through their forums so I have decided to go back to the stock rom.
Now that Samsung have re-released 4.3 for the S3 in the UK (after the one from last month which was pulled for problems) I would like to use this one as it fixes a bluetooth streaming issue I have endured for a long time. I can't find this new firmware for download anywhere so wondered if it is feasible to download say the stock rom 4.1.2 and then upgrade somehow? I have a red line on the bootup screen which shows it has been modified (which triangle away won't remove due to custom rom/bootloader or something like that) so I believe this means I will be blocked from then upgrading from 4.3 OTA but able to do so with Kies?
Being a novice at this I am obviously worried about breaking my phone and I am not sure if having i9300XXEMG4 as a baseband version is an issue among other things after reading the forums. As much as I have read about EFS and the downgrading modem problems, none of it is making sense to me at the moment, even after reading all the documents. Brain freeze maybe!
The cyanogenMod also changed recovery and unlocked the bootloader going by what I have read, is this an issue I need to worry about?
Any advice that can take away some worries and get me on the right path would be muchly appreciated!
You are posting in the wrong forum .
UNDERSTAND FIRST
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2362743
Network IMEI EFS
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2393289
Downgrade and network problems .
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2531221
JJEgan said:
You are posting in the wrong forum .
UNDERSTAND FIRST
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2362743
Network IMEI EFS
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2393289
Downgrade and network problems .
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2531221
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for your post. I did follow a link in the !!ALL QUESTIONS GO IN THE Q&A FORUM!! OR THEY MAY BE DELETED!! sticky thread which took me to the Q&A forum where I thought I was posting. It is possible a confusion happened during the sign up process.
After reading those threads, two of which I had already read before posting, I have more understanding than I did before. Somehow I missed about the S3 not having a locked bootlader to begin with. I have backup up the EFS using Ktool but also understand it would have been more useful to do before flashing CM 10.2 as I now only have a EFS v2 backup rather than a version 1. What I am unsure of is what is my best action to take at the moment, going by the information I have. I can it is best not to go downgrade to earlier firmwares unless I wanted an added headache of the modem workarounds but do not see the best way to get back to a stock 4.3 firmware still.
I am on Three mobile (H3G) in the UK but don't think my phone is actually locked to them and don't know if that means the BTU is the option I should be choosing. Even so, when I check the firmwares on http://www.sammobile.com/firmwares/2/ I can only see a firmware added last month which I have to assume is the bad 4.3 update that hit the UK and was pulled after the problems it caused. If it was my best option for flashing, even with the problems it caused, how would I then go about getting the extra update that Samsung pushed out to fix the problem?
I saw the Korean factory flash in one of the threads too, not sure if this is too extreme (and potentially more dangerous) than the other options which may be available to me.
Obviously I would like to do this right the first time, rather than stumble backwards fixing all the mistakes I make at the time. So sorry if I am asking what may be simple to some. My knowledge of phones sucks and I wish I hadn't been tempted by the easy looking Cyanogenmod installer now!
Noticed after a few cache and devlik cleans and reboots that the wifi started working on the CM 10.2 mod but only for the main browser and hit and miss with google play. Every over app didn't work on wifi though, but did on cell. I googled all over to see many with similar problems, which suggested manually setting the time and date and static ip settings, clean davlik and updating play apps after deleting their cache.
None of them worked. So to potentially getting away from flashing, does anyone know any other ideas to resolve this? Wifi connects, stock google browser works, Play works flakey. Other installed browsers wont load any pages or connect to the net, such as speed testing app. The only unusual app that also works in a twitter app. Installed an app to see if there was a hidden proxy setting, but it found nothing, Really strange. All the apps work on cell.
Follow the guide in general forum, stickies, to flash back to stock BTU. Network lock is irrelevant to rom.
Choose either 4.1.2 or 4.3 but your baseband must be EMG or later as you now have efs v2.
Don't flash things you don't fully understand, any non Samsung rom has drawbacks you'll have to live with.
In the stickies is a world of information supposed to help you.
boomboomer said:
Follow the guide in general forum, stickies, to flash back to stock BTU. Network lock is irrelevant to rom.
Choose either 4.1.2 or 4.3 but your baseband must be EMG or later as you now have efs v2.
Don't flash things you don't fully understand, any non Samsung rom has drawbacks you'll have to live with.
In the stickies is a world of information supposed to help you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Appreciate you giving me a direction to go. It seems the problem I had finding firmwares the last few days were due to Hotfile going offline and Sammobile rebuilding their index of firmwares. I found through the forums 4.3 BTU I9300XXUGMJ9_I9300OXAGMJ9_BTU.zip which contained a 1.5GB file called I9300XXUGMJ9_I9300OXAGMJ9_I9300XXUGMJ9_HOME.tar.md5 which I think is the correct one which I will try and flash later using the guides. It's not the new fixed 4.3, it's the older broken one but I guess in time I can apply the fix that Samsung are pushing out. This was part of my original question and now i have seen from other posts in the last few days that there is no full copy of the 4.3 anywhere.
The timing of me doing this appears to have been bad for a few of the above reasons, making working it out more difficult to work out for someone who has not done this before.
I can see from your signature and also your post that you think questions such as mine are easily answered in the various threads and through search. Personally I did try all those options first but either my lack of understanding or the overwhelming amount of information meant I was unsure as to what I should actually be doing, let alone which guide to follow. Even googling for BTU or searching xda to try and find what it means was fruitless so trying to put the pieces together is not easy if you have no experience with phones. I have programmed a Pi to do many tasks, built mainframe>SAS gateways and various technical challenges but I still struggle with all the phone flashing info
Many thanks again. Even a few words have been helpful
If you flash the kernel from the Chinese ZCUBMK it will fix all the broken parts of the current uk rom, until the latest ota emerges on xda.
I don't mind helping people who have made a genuine attempt to help themselves, my signature is aimed at the those who flash anything they find then demand someone give them an instant fix.
Your only mistake seems to have been the depth of research before you started, which could have been fatal to your phone -many first time flashes end up with a new motherboard required.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk
If the ota doesn't work in the next few day's I will try that kernel, thanks for that info!
I managed to flash the older official 4.3 firmware just now, so progress has been made A quick check shows me that the power on/lock screen lag problem is present so I assume the other issues will be there too. The red line showing the flash counter has gone and I got no modified phone error when attempting an ota update, as well as device status saying official, so I assume I should be able to upgrade that way when they allow more upgrades on the rollout server.
In case anyone else needs to do the same, this is what I did:
1) Downloaded https://mega.co.nz/#!DVxVgZZb!LIxKGA2Q_KbBH9APo_slOCdZNGJgfn1O6fxOF4C OkHA which I found via a thread titled [Official Firmwares] I9300XXUGMJ9 (Android 4.3) - Ireland (VDI) [04-11-13]
2) Followed the flashing instructions on this page
3) After flashing I got stuck at the Samsung boot screen with the blue light on, even after reseting a few times. So I powered off, held down the home button, volume up and then the power button which took me to the recovery screen where I chose the factory default option. All worked fine after that.
Thanks once again for your help with this boomboomer. A bit of direction was enough to give me the confidence to try it. It's nice to be back to a familiar interface (although it has changed from the 4.1.2 I had before) but the initial setup reminded me of all the bloatware installed. It's a fair bit slower than CyanogenMod was but it all seems to work ok. Once I get the ota update i'll root and freeze some apps to sort that out. Now to install TSF shell