I would be very thankful to anybody who can help me recover my phone.
I have an S2.
I wanted to customize it so I embarked on my documentation on this forum.
I built quite an understanding about what the steps are.
For a lack of a centralized guide I resorted to using
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1311081
wary of the flash counter issue.
I was well aware that this thread is for the AT&T version.
I managed to root succesfully (ZergRush).
Unfortunately I had to take a long break in the process (2-3 months). When I came back I only selectively remembered all the caveats.
So the fact that the guide is not for the i9100 version escaped me.
Focused too much on the details of getting the process right that the big picture went past me - I was on the wrong forum!! (((
I installed MobileOdin, and obliviously got the latest Entropy kernel.
It installed OK.
However my home and back buttons stopped working.
Upon realization of my mistake (i777 kernel over i9100 hardware) I tried to recover by installing a CF-Root version (Unfortunately my original kernel version was lost, so I had to guess the version by reading posts with similar situations - Orange UK i9100)
I found a post suggesting to install
CF-Root-SGS2_XX_OXA_KG3-v4.1-CWM4.zip
Again I used MobileOdin but this time at reboot the phone hangs on the welcome logo screen.
If I boot into recovery I get the CWM menu alright.
However I get a list of errors at mounting recovery - see attached photo.
If I select anything from sdcard I just get the fedora hat logo and nothing shows up - have to go back by pushing power.
Any help is very apprecitated - how can I get a proper kernel in?
SDCards do not seem to be read either, just the hat logo and nothing happens.
How can I get a zip with the kernel onto the phone storage so to pick it up in CWM recovery and install it?
Thanks a lot for any input.
Can't you just flash a kernel (Siyah for example) through Odin (not Mobile Odin), or even flash a custom rom through it which replaces your kernel?
Sent from the Matrix
Donnie Sins said:
Can't you just flash a kernel (Siyah for example) through Odin (not Mobile Odin), or even flash a custom rom through it which replaces your kernel?
Sent from the Matrix
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the quick reply.
If I use Odin won't that increase the pesky flash counter?
I would much rather flash a stock kernel, would that keep the counter the way it is?
If so, could you please link me to a stock gingerbread stock kernel?
Many thanks
DorinAlex said:
Thanks for the quick reply.
If I use Odin won't that increase the pesky flash counter?
I would much rather flash a stock kernel, would that keep the counter the way it is?
If so, could you please link me to a stock gingerbread stock kernel?
Many thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's true, but why is that a problem for you? However, there are ways to 'reset' this counter (search for it here on xda if you really want this). If you have Siyah working, you can enter Recovery Mode again and you can start flashing.
Sent from the Matrix
DorinAlex said:
Thanks for the quick reply.
If I use Odin won't that increase the pesky flash counter?
I would much rather flash a stock kernel, would that keep the counter the way it is?
If so, could you please link me to a stock gingerbread stock kernel?
Many thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you should focus on your kernal problem first once you get the phone squared away then get the triangle away app to reset your counter
GT-I9100 powered by
NeatRom Lite 4.0
Philz kernal 3.81
Many40's battery tweaks
Flash a custom ROM via Odin, I suggest LiteingRom... Then go from there...
Sent from Valhalla :mwhahaha:
Can anybody confirm that if I flash a stock, non-custom, kernel :
1. The flash counter doesn't increase
2. The CWM recovery console doesn't get replaced
Thanks so much
1) Yes.
2) If you flash a stock kernel (or any kernel for that matter) you will have the recovery that comes with that kernel I.E standard Android recovery in the case of non-rooted stock (if you flash a CFRoot kernel, which is essentially a stock kernel with root, then you'll have CWM recovery). Recovery is baked into the kernel. You can flash temporary versions of CWM that will persist until the next reboot, but if you want CWM permanently, you need to run a kernel that has it.
MistahBungle said:
1) Yes.
2) If you flash a stock kernel (or any kernel for that matter) you will have the recovery that comes with that kernel I.E standard Android recovery in the case of non-rooted stock (if you flash a CFRoot kernel, which is essentially a stock kernel with root, then you'll have CWM recovery). Recovery is baked into the kernel. You can flash temporary versions of CWM that will persist until the next reboot, but if you want CWM permanently, you need to run a kernel that has it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the prompt authoritative answers.
Given the above, can I also please ask for your suggestion to solve my problem?
i.e.: phone kernel is messed up, cannot boot, recovery is unresponsive when accessing storage. would like to keep flash counter down.
hopefully download mode works to flash new kernels (haven't tried it yet have to decide on the kernel)
Should I go with:
a) flash stock kernel using PC Odin, re-root, apply proper CF-Root custom kernel (flash counter not increasing?)
or
b) flash proper CF-Root using PC Odin (hoping counter doesn't increase)
In any case, can you be so kind as to direct me to the proper version of stock and CF-Root? The one I guessed by myself got me in this mess in the first place
CF-Root-SGS2_XX_OXA_KG3-v4.1-CWM4.zip
Or is this one right, if I don't mess it up again with Entropy?
All the kernels should be Gingerbread - since I am OK with rooting it without making a mess of myself.
Ideally, on top of the kernel names, could you please give me a URL to the location of the kernel files as well, if there is a recommended one.
Cheers
Much appreciated
Scenario A.
Your phone isn't working (I presume it's still not ?), your first priority should be getting the phone working properly. Back to stock, then you can root/flash another rom/whatever.
P.S - Forget the flash counter. You seem obsessed with it. It's irrelevant unless you have to return the phone for a warranty claim. In that case, reset the counter with Triangle Away if you're running recent firmware or a jig if you're running GB (and 'old' bootloader) at the time. At the very least worry about getting the phone up and running normally before you start fretting about flash counters.
MistahBungle said:
Scenario A.
Your phone isn't working (I presume it's still not ?), your first priority should be getting the phone working properly. Back to stock, then you can root/flash another rom/whatever.
P.S - Forget the flash counter. You seem obsessed with it. It's irrelevant unless you have to return the phone for a warranty claim. In that case, reset the counter with Triangle Away if you're running recent firmware or a jig if you're running GB (and 'old' bootloader) at the time. At the very least worry about getting the phone up and running normally before you start fretting about flash counters.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are right I should worry about the phone. Probably in denial about it being bricked :s
So yes, get stock back in.
Considering I still have some data to back up from the phone before upgrading from GB to latest (phone was on GB before the messiness), I suppose it is better to get a GB kernel in, am I correct?
In this case, can I please kindly ask for the location of a stock kernel to download? Is it safe to get any version of GB in?
Thanks for helping me with this
If you're currently running GB firmware, the phone won't boot without a GB kernel.
Try Samfirmware or AndroidFirmwares.net. If you can't find the kernel you're after, download the entire rom & extract the zImage from the rom package. You can flash this in the PDA section of Odin. If you don't know what firmware you're running, you're going to have to flash an entire rom. In that case, it probably doesn't make much difference which rom you flash. If you flash an entire rom, you can probably kiss any data stored on the internal SD card goodbye tho.
DorinAlex said:
You are right I should worry about the phone. Probably in denial about it being bricked :s
So yes, get stock back in.
Considering I still have some data to back up from the phone before upgrading from GB to latest (phone was on GB before the messiness), I suppose it is better to get a GB kernel in, am I correct?
In this case, can I please kindly ask for the location of a stock kernel to download? Is it safe to get any version of GB in?
Thanks for helping me with this
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks to the nice people at http://androidromupdate.com/category/orange/ I was able to locate the exact version I was having since they are storing official versions for each operator.
So I am going to go ahead and try to reflash the correct kernel for my rom using Odin.
My first hurdle is that in Odin 3.07 when I select PDA the file selection box doesn't alow zImage to be shown in the window. I am able to select it by typing zImage.
Is this Ok to start flashing just having selected zImage as PDA?
Seems kinda hacky, especially since here is where you put the whole rom tar.md5.
Should I go ahead? What is the proper why to flash just the kernel with Odin?
Many thanks
The 'proper' way to flash a kernel in Odin is (if you have a package containing just the kernel) is to put it in the PDA section & flash.
Obviously you don't have that; you have an entire rom package & extracted the zImage, correct ? So obviously you'll be flashing that.
Pro tip: Don't use Odin 3.07, use 1.85 (If I see a post from you asking 'But whyyyy ???' I won't be responding. Just trust me).
So as I believe I've already said in a post the other day, you can flash the kernel on its own or the entire rom (which will obviously flash the kernel as well given the kernel is in the rom package). If you'd simply gone back & re-read what was said then, your phone would be fixed already. The instructions were pretty simple/clear.
So it's up to you what you flash. However, you've already been given every single bit of info (and some) you need to fix your phone. More posts when you could be fixing your phone is just delaying same.
I was just about to sincerely thank you for your help, but then again your attitude has surpassed any such attempt.
As a note of courtesy: if it's an ordeal to answer specific questions to well defined problems, don't. Nobody is forcing you to answer - I suppose there are members around here who are more helpful and polite in relating to people's problems. You know, people asking questions here are trying to discover knowledge you possess and have been given by others on your turn. You shouldn't be so anal giving back to the community.
As I was pointing out in my last thread - if you had bothered to comprehend it - what you were suggesting to do was not reflected in practice.
1. Odin doesn't accept zImage files for PDA - you have to hackingly add it in the file selector box.
2. There is no sign in its GUI that Odin accepts zImage file for PDA, as mainly the PDA box is used for full roms (.tar, .tar.md5)
I simply asked for confirmation that your suggested instructions - unnatural as they have turned out to be - are the right ones.
Usually when somebody suggests some actions that are not straightforward they try their best to express themselves eloquently. This wasn't the case, so I only wanted a confirmation.
But you've made it clear this time, think twice before asking for more info around here - incomplete/inaccurate information is something to deal with on your own.
Here is an update with the status of my problem.
I was able to guess out the missing information/step from the previous posts:
The file that goes into the PDA box in Odin has to be a tar file containing the various image files one needs to flash into the phone and not directly the zImage file.
Quick recap: I had a rooted phone with an original branded rom that I had successfully rooted. I flashed a custom kernel (Entropy) that was for the AT&T version of SGS2 and some buttons were not working. I then tried CF-root for Gingerbread (guessed version). After this the phone does not go past the original logo screen when booting. I used MobileOdin both times. Recovery is CWM 4 but I get cache errors, and no access to sdcard works. Download mode seems to be OK.
I have created a tar file with just the zImage file from the full branded rom that was on my phone. (I9100BVKJ4_I9100ORAKJ4_I9100BVKJ4_HOME.tar.md5)
Using Odin 1.85 I have used the newly created tar file to flash.
Everything in the window looks like Odin snapshots on guides all around the web. After clicking start in the first big box KERNEL is shown.
I get:
<ID:0/034> Added!!
<ID:0/034> Odin v.3 engine (ID:34)..
<ID:0/034> File analysis..
<ID:0/034> SetupConnection..
<ID:0/034> Initialzation..
<ID:0/034> Get PIT for mapping..
<ID:0/034> Firmware update start..
<ID:0/034> zImage
And then nothing happens.
I have tried on two laptops, rebooted, installed kies fresh on one of them with the same result.
I wouldn't flash the whole rom just yet, since I still hope to recover some data.
What could be wrong?
I have searched quite extensively for Odin info online but people didn't seem to come across something like this.
Thanks for any help
DorinAlex said:
Here is an update with the status of my problem.
I was able to guess out the missing information/step from the previous posts:
The file that goes into the PDA box in Odin has to be a tar file containing the various image files one needs to flash into the phone and not directly the zImage file.
Quick recap: I had a rooted phone with an original branded rom that I had successfully rooted. I flashed a custom kernel (Entropy) that was for the AT&T version of SGS2 and some buttons were not working. I then tried CF-root for Gingerbread (guessed version). After this the phone does not go past the original logo screen when booting. I used MobileOdin both times. Recovery is CWM 4 but I get cache errors, and no access to sdcard works. Download mode seems to be OK.
I have created a tar file with just the zImage file from the full branded rom that was on my phone. (I9100BVKJ4_I9100ORAKJ4_I9100BVKJ4_HOME.tar.md5)
Using Odin 1.85 I have used the newly created tar file to flash.
Everything in the window looks like Odin snapshots on guides all around the web. After clicking start in the first big box KERNEL is shown.
I get:
<ID:0/034> Added!!
<ID:0/034> Odin v.3 engine (ID:34)..
<ID:0/034> File analysis..
<ID:0/034> SetupConnection..
<ID:0/034> Initialzation..
<ID:0/034> Get PIT for mapping..
<ID:0/034> Firmware update start..
<ID:0/034> zImage
And then nothing happens.
I have tried on two laptops, rebooted, installed kies fresh on one of them with the same result.
I wouldn't flash the whole rom just yet, since I still hope to recover some data.
What could be wrong?
I have searched quite extensively for Odin info online but people didn't seem to come across something like this.
Thanks for any help
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Expect the SMS and call logs , all your data is safe IMHO. Contacts are backed up in your google account. and Internal SD is not formatted in a factory reset.
---------- Post added at 12:30 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:18 PM ----------
also don't worry about yellow triangle and try a custom kernel. You will be able to remove it eithr by USB jig (on GB rom) or us triangle away http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1494114
DorinAlex said:
I was just about to sincerely thank you for your help, but then again your attitude has surpassed any such attempt.
As a note of courtesy: if it's an ordeal to answer specific questions to well defined problems, don't. Nobody is forcing you to answer - I suppose there are members around here who are more helpful and polite in relating to people's problems. You know, people asking questions here are trying to discover knowledge you possess and have been given by others on your turn. You shouldn't be so anal giving back to the community.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Jesus, get over yourself. Just thank the person that he or she had taken the time to post a reply and at least try to help you because I personally wouldn't and won't give you the time of day.
If you are too bone idle to look up the solution to your problem and check out other users past experience and knowledge then why should anyone else waste their time helping.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium
The last post is a monument of self-sufficience and lack of helpfulness.
mckeowngoo said:
Jesus, get over yourself. Just thank the person that he or she had taken the time to post a reply and at least try to help you because I personally wouldn't and won't give you the time of day.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Guess what, you just did. Just in your manner, of conceited aggressivity
If you are too bone idle to look up the solution to your problem and check out other users past experience and knowledge then why should anyone else waste their time helping.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This last one is awash with fallacy and misconceptions, that I just have to keep the flame going.
It shows a complete lack of understangind of how a forum works. It's not that the question asker expects the replier to do the work of searching.
A forum relies on the presence of experienced users (i.e. people who have previously gone through the pains of learning how a thing works) who are checking up what issues less experienced people are encountering.
If they are not so high on themselves the latter more experienced users, who are also keen to return to the community what they may have on their turn been taught previously by peers, when they see a problem they quickly know the answer to, will quickly reply and save valuable effort to the question asker.
It's not that every problem has a solution posted and you just have to "look it up" and you're saved.
Half true answers may delay more. Case in point.
The solution to just put zImage in PDA in Odin DOES NOT WORK.
You have to properly package a tar file, by following guides available on the forum. The wrong assumption that you can just put the zImage in the box has delayed me a lot.
It was false also that flashing the full rom will make me lose my data. I flashed the same version of my original rom and I got everything back.
So thanks to all who offered goodwill help.
Solution was:
Flashing same version of rom (official branded, easily traceable by operator and some basic memoryon officila firmware sites), full rom, that is.
Related
My apologies if this has been asked before, but I've spent hours searching and think I've done a better job of confusing myself, than answering my question.
I've rooted my wife's Samsung Fascinate, using Super One Click and removed all annoyances such as the Verizon bloat ware and got add blocker installed, etc. The point on doing so, was also to improve battery life, backup the ROM and some of the other associated advantages with rooting. One of my main goals was to also install a custom ROM on her phone, as the factory ROM is very flaky. It receives emails, then doesn't. It sends a text, then can't minutes later. It's been a great phone HW wise, but just junk as far as the OS.
Thus far, all attempts to backup the factory (modified) ROM has failed, which evidently is part of the limitation with the stock ROM. At this point, she's so frustrated (me too) with her phone, that it's time to get serious.
So, my confusion stems from varying reports regarding what the proper steps are to install a new ROM. On my Thunderbolt, I simply used CWM to install and backup/restore my ROMs as needed. This doesn't seem to be the case with the Fascinate and there's varying reports of whether this can even be done if Super One Click was used.
Has anyone had experience with flashing new ROMs after the phone was rooted and if so, by what method?
Her current ROM details are:
Firmware
2.2.2
Baseband
S:i500.04 V.ED05
Kernel
2.6.32.9
Build
SCH-I500.ED05
Thanks in advance.
stock roms,radios, and recoveries are flashed via odin. custom roms are flashed via the appropiate cwm for that specific rom.
example: lets say you want cm7
you would odin cwm4 recovery fixed for cm7(pda function only)
three finger boot into recovery
wipe data,cache,dalvik
install cm7 zip
profit
most stock roms and powewashed gingerbread rom are .tar files and need to be flashed in the pda funtion of odin.
then use odin again to flash the appropiate cwm, such as cwmall.tar, which can be found in the pwgb thread(op).
basically just remember zip files are flashed in recovery, .tar and md5 files are flashed in the pda function of odin and you will be set!
droidstyle said:
stock roms,radios, and recoveries are flashed via odin. custom roms are flashed via the appropiate cwm for that specific rom.
example: lets say you want cm7
you would odin cwm4 recovery fixed for cm7(pda function only)
three finger boot into recovery
wipe data,cache,dalvik
install cwm zip
profit
most stock roms and powewashed gingerbread rom are .tar files and need to be flashed in the pda funtion of odin.
then use odin again to flash the appropiate cwm, such as cwmall.tar, which can be found in the pwgb thread(op).
basically just remember zip files are flashed in recovery, .tar and md5 files are flashed in the pda function of odin and you will be set!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay, that makes a lot more sense now. Thanks for the quick reply.
correct me if i'm wrong but when flashing the cwm fixed for cm7, the 3 finger method does not work.
ibsk8 said:
correct me if i'm wrong but when flashing the cwm fixed for cm7, the 3 finger method does not work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it does until the rom is flashed, then you have to long press the power button and select reboot recovery...at that point your no long in cwm4 fixed for cm7. once the bml to mtd conversion takes place it's converted to cwm 5.x.x.
droidstyle said:
it does until the rom is flashed, then you have to long press the power button and select reboot recovery...at that point your no long in cwm4 fixed for cm7. once the bml to mtd conversion takes place it's converted to cwm 5.x.x.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I never could get to the ROM flashing part. Every time I tried I got the same set of errors as when trying to backup the original ROM. I did manage to get the CWM 4 fix applied through ODIN and it said successful, but nothing really changed and my attempts to flash the new ROM still failed.
I searched around this forum and others and found another file to flash and things went very badly. The flash was moving super slow and I left the phone, so I wouldn't be tempted to do anything stupid and after an hour, it was at the same point. When I rebooted the phone, I got a sad face icon only. No Samsung logo or anything.
Luckily, I was able to re flash the stock rom, but after messing with it for 4 hours and getting nowhere, I decided the stock ROM was good enough for now. I have no idea why this phone is so pesky and read how some folks had to ref lash the stock ROM, before being able to flash a new ROM. I made one final attempt to do so and got the same error as the first time, so that was enough for that day. I don't recall exactly what the error said at this point, but I had blue text, followed by orange, which I think said something to the fact that is was unable to verify the package, followed by red text showing the failures.
Sorry there's no more detail than that for now. I may try this again in the future, but as mentioned this is the wife's phone, so I can't take nearly the liberties with it as I could my own.
If anyone has any ideas on what I may be able to try next, that would be great. If not, I may keep digging on this forum (a very helpful place indeed) and see what the options may be.
Thanks everyone for your help.
refer to section 3 of my guide and follow those steps. for some reason certain fascinates have trouble flashing mtd roms when starting from ed05. I have to start with dl09 eclair then flash cm7. look in page 2 of this section for my guide. all files needed can be found there aswell. good luck!
Hi there
I thought I was an old hand at flashing, but it struck my while I was recovering my Galaxy wifi 5.0 from an unintended brick that I need to up my knowledge on Android flashing (odin)
I understand how to flash the ROM and kernel, my question is a little bit more basic
Here are the instructions to the ROM I am after
How to flash?
Full wipe
Flash using Odin (if you are not sure how to use Odin, do some research about this first)
Restart and you are good to go..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Q1 - How does one do a full wipe? I thought this meant doing a factory reset - obviously not?
Q2 - When I flash a new PDA file does it wipe and then flash, or does it merely leave what is there currently and then overwrite with the new added components?
Q3 - If I tick "flash bootloader" in Odin - Does this mean I need a file in the bootloader selection box, or does it know there might be bootloaders in the tar file?
Many thanks for your help
dingoo12
Many thanks for your help
Q1 - Boot into CWM and do wipe/factory reset. This formats data/dbdata/cache.
Q2 - Odin flashes come in a few varieties. It depends on what is contained in the odin flash. For example, my rom only contains a kernel and the factoryfs.rfs (/system) so flashing it only overwrites these partitions none of the others are touched. Soon my roms are only going to contain factoryfs.rfs because I'm dropping the kernel. I'm going to direct users to the appropriate kernel and also test to see if my rom works on the stock kernel.
Q3. I have never had a reason to use the bootloader field. With ROM's that contain a bootloader, I have always just used the PDA box. I would not check this field unless directions specifically say to do so...
Hope that answers your questions and that other people put there input on this as well.
Thanks for taking the time to answer me Meticulus - Appreciated! Ill have to have a peep at your rom!
Hello.
My SGS2 is softbricked. It hangs during boot, but I can boot into download mode and I can boot into recovery mode.
My phone has only been flashed with OTA method and firmware. Never rooted, never flashed manually.
It starts up showing the animation with some ray of lights surrounding "Samsung Galaxy S2 I9100" logo, then it goes into the centered "SAMSUNG" logo with the corona slightly flashing and here it just continues with this slightly corona-blinking (normally it would here do that a few seconds and then show the home screen). The phone gets quite hot (but not burning hot) after a few seconds and I can turn it of by holding the power button for about 5 seconds (no need to take out the battery).
The situation started by the phone shutting down due to low battery. Then I connected usb (which I though was connected in the other end, but it was not) for charging and I powered up the phone immediately. Not noticing that the usb cable had no power I actually booted the phone with very low battery and no power in the usb cable. Shortly after the home screen showed up with a battery low-message. The phone went off (the hard way I think).
After that I of course ensured to charge the phone for a while before I booted it again, but at that time when booting it hung (as described above)
I believe Iread somewhere, that most likely the system filesystem has been corrupted, so just overwriting it (that is flashing like an OS upgrade) I could restore the device just like the phone has just been upgraded. And during normal upgrade my phone is not wiped, so that is what I am expecting would be possible.
From
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1973233
and
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1188615
it sounds like I can flash withour loosing data as long as the new ROM is same (or newer) as the one already on the phone.
So I have downloaded I9100XWLSS_I9100OXXLS9_NEE.zip for my phone it contains a I9100XWLSS_I9100OXXLS9_I9100XXMS2_HOME.tar.md5 file which contains
boot.bin
cache.img
factoryfs.img
hidden.img
modem.bin
param.lfs
Sbl.bin
zImage
From http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1456532 I get the impression that if I flash a .tar.md5 file that contains hidden.img and/or cache.img it will wipe all my data.
So I was wondering if it was possible to just create a tar file without hidden.img and cache.img and flash that, so my data is not wiped.
Any input is appreciated.
jarl-dk said:
My SGS2 is softbricked. It hangs during boot, but I can boot into download mode and I can boot into recovery mode.
From
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1973233
and
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1188615
it sounds like I can flash withour loosing data as long as the new ROM is same (or newer) as the one already on the phone.
So I have downloaded I9100XWLSS_I9100OXXLS9_NEE.zip for my phone it contains a I9100XWLSS_I9100OXXLS9_I9100XXMS2_HOME.tar.md5 file which contains
boot.bin
cache.img
factoryfs.img
hidden.img
modem.bin
param.lfs
Sbl.bin
zImage
From http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1456532 I get the impression that if I flash a .tar.md5 file that contains hidden.img and/or cache.img it will wipe all my data.
So I was wondering if it was possible to just create a tar file without hidden.img and cache.img and flash that, so my data is not wiped.
Any input is appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good to see someone who has actually read something!! :good:
I suggest you avoid messing with the firmwares for now. Is your phone rooted? How did the bootloop start?
There is no way to avoid factory reset.The only way to solve bootloop is by wiping data.No other way.You can flash a new ROM/firmware,but you will still have to do a factory reset because of old bootloop and new ROM.Sorry.
GamingDj said:
There is no way to avoid factory reset.The only way to solve bootloop is by wiping data.No other way.You can flash a new ROM/firmware,but you will still have to do a factory reset because of old bootloop and new ROM.Sorry.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm afraid I must agree.
@OP: But what you can do is make a nandroid backup before wiping. :good:
immortalneo said:
I'm afraid I must agree.
@OP: But what you can do is make a nandroid backup before wiping. :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
good idea neo...and he can extract contacts or notes from nandroid...heard that people did this
immortalneo said:
I'm afraid I must agree.
@OP: But what you can do is make a nandroid backup before wiping. :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you give a short summary of how to do this (from the situation I am in),and some usefull links...
Jarl
much uirstaby
immortalneo said:
Good to see someone who has actually read something!! :good:
I suggest you avoid messing with the firmwares for now. Is your phone rooted? How did the bootloop start?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks.
I must emphasize it is not a boot loop. It starts up showing the animation with some ray of lights surrounding "Samsung Galaxy S2 I9100" logo, then it goes into the centered "SAMSUNG" logo with the shadow slightly flashing and here it just continues with this slightly shadow-blinking (normally it would here do that a few seconds and then show the home screen). The phone gets quite hot after a efw seconds and I can turn it of by holding the power button for about 5 seconds (no need to take out the battery).
The situation started by the phone shutting down due to low battery. Then I connected usb (which I though was connected in the other end, but it was not) for charging and I powered up the phone immediately. Not noticing that the usb cable had no power I actually booted the phone with very low battery and no power in the usb cable. Shortly after the home screen showed up with a battery low-message. The phone went off (the hard way I think).
After that I of course ensured to charge the phone for a while before I booted it again, but at that time when booting it hung (as described above)
I believe Iread somewhere, that most likely the system filesystem has been corrupted, so just overwriting it (that is flashing like an OS upgrade) I could restore the device just like the phone has just been upgraded. And during normal upgrade my phone is not wiped, so that is what I am expecting would be possible.
Jarl
What firmware were you on? As in 4.1.2, 4.0.3, 4.0.4?
Basically what you need to do is flash a custom kernel via Odin in download mode. Let's take Siyah kernel for example (v5 for ICS. Pick which one is correct for your version, you can download them from gokhanmoral.com). If you're on JB, I suggest philz or apolo kernel. More on that in a sec.
Flash that kernel in Odin. Then, you can back up in CWM recovery. If you're on ICS, then you can factory reset and hopefully boot up. Once you've got your backup & booting, then you can extract data from the backup using titanium backup or CWM recovery.
If you're on JB, then you need to backup the /preload folder. Apolo does it automatically, in philz you need to tick the option before backing up. Same deal once you've backed up, factory reset then boot.
I hope that makes sense to you, I gave you all the info in one big hit. As you've done a lot of reading and attempted to help yourself before posting, I imagine you can make sense of that
Any issues, post up here, but for now, give that a go!
Sent from a galaxy far, far away
Hi.
Thank you for your time.
Hopper8 said:
What firmware were you on? As in 4.1.2, 4.0.3, 4.0.4?
Basically what you need to do is flash a custom kernel via Odin in download mode. Let's take Siyah kernel for example (v5 for ICS. Pick which one is correct for your version, you can download them from gokhanmoral.com). If you're on JB, I suggest philz or apolo kernel. More on that in a sec.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK. I think I need help in two steps:
take a backup
make the phone usable again.
I am not sure exactly what firmware it had reached before the softbrick. It was definitely above 4.0, maybe even 4.1.x Does it matter a lot.
Lets focus on step 1 (taking a backup). I think that is what you are guiding me towards above, right?
So what shall I do when I am not 100% sure of the current firmware version on the phone?
Jarl
jarl-dk said:
Hi.
Thank you for your time.
OK. I think I need help in two steps:
take a backup
make the phone usable again.
I am not sure exactly what firmware it had reached before the softbrick. It was definitely above 4.0, maybe even 4.1.x Does it matter a lot.
Lets focus on step 1 (taking a backup). I think that is what you are guiding me towards above, right?
So what shall I do when I am not 100% sure of the current firmware version on the phone?
Jarl
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Correct, if you want to keep the data then you need to make a backup. Unfortunately, if you don't know which firmware you were on previously, it's not easy. What I would suggest you do is to go onto YouTube, and look at videos of i9100's (that is what you have right?). You want a video of one with 4.0.3, one of 4.0.4, and one of 4.1.2. They all do look different, although 4.0.4 and 4.0.3 are reasonably similar.
Basically, if you can tell if you were on 4.0.x or 4.1.2 then we can go somewhere Until then, I'm not comfortable to tell you to flash.
Edit: and don't stress. Making the phone useable again is not hard to keep your data as well as make it useable again will take some effort on your part though.
Hopper8 said:
Correct, if you want to keep the data then you need to make a backup. Unfortunately, if you don't know which firmware you were on previously, it's not easy. What I would suggest you do is to go onto YouTube, and look at videos of i9100's (that is what you have right?). You want a video of one with 4.0.3, one of 4.0.4, and one of 4.1.2. They all do look different, although 4.0.4 and 4.0.3 are reasonably similar.
Basically, if you can tell if you were on 4.0.x or 4.1.2 then we can go somewhere Until then, I'm not comfortable to tell you to flash.
Edit: and don't stress. Making the phone useable again is not hard to keep your data as well as make it useable again will take some effort on your part though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will take a look at YouTube... However I do understand booting an incorrect version of Android can be dangerous to my data. However if I make 100% sure that I never boot the flashed android and only boot up in recovery mode to make a nandroid backup. Then it probably doesn't matter which (most likely incorrect) version of android is installed because will not boot it, I will only boot in recovery mode. After having made a nandroid backup I will go to step 2 (make it usable again) and making sure I don't boot up the incorrect android version along the path.
Would that be possible?
Jarl
GamingDj said:
There is no way to avoid factory reset.The only way to solve bootloop is by wiping data.No other way.You can flash a new ROM/firmware,but you will still have to do a factory reset because of old bootloop and new ROM.Sorry.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just made an experiement with my Samsung Galaxy S 5.0 Tablet (YP-G70):
I flashed it with zImage and factoryfs.rfs (using Heimdall and making sure that repartition is not ticked)
In this situation there was no data loss (behaved like a standard OTA update), all contacts and apps still installed.
Why would this not be possible on GT-I9100 without wipe/factory reset. By just flashing the zImage and factoryfs.img from I9100XWLSS_OXXLS9_NEE_Nordic_Android_4.1.2.zip ? Notice I am not in a boot loop situation.
jarl-dk said:
I will take a look at YouTube... However I do understand booting an incorrect version of Android can be dangerous to my data. However if I make 100% sure that I never boot the flashed android and only boot up in recovery mode to make a nandroid backup. Then it probably doesn't matter which (most likely incorrect) version of android is installed because will not boot it, I will only boot in recovery mode. After having made a nandroid backup I will go to step 2 (make it usable again) and making sure I don't boot up the incorrect android version along the path.
Would that be possible?
Jarl
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are correct in saying that if you don't boot it, but only flash the kernel & immediately flash stock then you're OK. The thing I am unsure of, is making a nandroid whilst using an incompatible kernel.. I really don't know if it will work. My guess says it won't, but I don't know for sure. Can someone come in here? @MistahBungle @andrewwright @immortalneo @gastonw @keithross39
I still think you should try to figure out which version you were on before this, just so that you can have a safe bet of which kernel to flash.
---------- Post added at 09:59 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:55 PM ----------
jarl-dk said:
I just made an experiemtn with my Samsungs Galaxy S 5.0 Tablet (YP-G70):
I flashed it with zImage and factoryfs.rfs (using Heimdall and making sure that repartition is not ticked)
In this situation there was no data loss (behaved like a standard OTA update), all contacts and apps still installed.
Why would this not be possible on GT-I9100 without wipe/factory reset. By just flashing the zImage and factoryfs.img from I9100XWLSS_OXXLS9_NEE_Nordic_Android_4.1.2.zip ? Notice I am not in a boot loop situation.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good thinking. The thing is, on your tablet currently, it boots fine. It's not in the bootlooping scenario. Hence, doing an update which does not wipe will only update to a new version which won't be wiped, and hence will still be bootlooping. Of course you still could flash them (using Heimdall/ Odin, but I've never tried Heimdall personally) but I doubt that you'll boot up by that. It'll likely still get stuck at the boot logo.
Hopper8 said:
You are correct in saying that if you don't boot it, but only flash the kernel & immediately flash stock then you're OK. The thing I am unsure of, is making a nandroid whilst using an incompatible kernel.. I really don't know if it will work. My guess says it won't, but I don't know for sure. Can someone come in here? @MistahBungle @andrewwright @immortalneo @gastonw @keithross39
I still think you should try to figure out which version you were on before this, just so that you can have a safe bet of which kernel to flash.
---------- Post added at 09:59 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:55 PM ----------
Good thinking. The thing is, on your tablet currently, it boots fine. It's not in the bootlooping scenario. Hence, doing an update which does not wipe will only update to a new version which won't be wiped, and hence will still be bootlooping. Of course you still could flash them (using Heimdall/ Odin, but I've never tried Heimdall personally) but I doubt that you'll boot up by that. It'll likely still get stuck at the boot logo.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK, so what you are saying is that: I might just flash some of the files (all except cache.img and hidden.img) that will not wipe my phone, but as I understand you, it most likely wont solve my boot problem...
In that case can someone confirm that that flashing the files
boot.bin
factoryfs.img
modem.bin
param.lfs
Sbl.bin
zImage
without
cache.img
hidden.img
will not wipe my phone? Or are there more files that need to go down to the dangerous list?
Jarl
Hopper8 said:
The thing I am unsure of, is making a nandroid whilst using an incompatible kernel.. I really don't know if it will work. My guess says it won't, but I don't know for sure. Can someone come in here?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AFAIK, the nandroid backup will go just fine. If the kernel is incompatible, the nandroid would contain the incompatible kernel and would still bootloop after restoring. But since the OP isn't planning to restore the entire nandroid backup, I guess it doesn't matter.
I still suggest flashing the correct kernel to install CWM, just to be safe. Or if he is not on 4.0.4, he could use Philz temporary CWM (which can be flashed in stock recovery). :good:
immortalneo said:
AFAIK, the nandroid backup will go just fine. If the kernel is incompatible, the nandroid would contain the incompatible kernel and would still bootloop after restoring. But since the OP isn't planning to restore the entire nandroid backup, I guess it doesn't matter.
I still suggest flashing the correct kernel to install CWM, just to be safe. Or if he is not on 4.0.4, he could use Philz temporary CWM (which can be flashed in stock recovery). :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ahh, the thing being that OP doesn't know what version he was previously on before all this :/
Hopper8 said:
Ahh, the thing being that OP doesn't know what version he was previously on before all this :/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I noticed that..
@OP: tried checking out some screenshots and videos and remembering how your firmware looked like?
A friend of mine gave me his S2 which was bootlooping. I showed him screenshots of the notification tray (and toggle buttons), and he was able to identify it as being GB. The tricky part was finding which version it was. He was sure it was fully stock and bought from Saudi Arabia. So what I did was to look up sammobile.com to see which version of GB was available in Saudi Arabia. And I found out it was 2.3.5! Problem solved. :good:
Hopper8 said:
Correct, if you want to keep the data then you need to make a backup. Unfortunately, if you don't know which firmware you were on previously, it's not easy. What I would suggest you do is to go onto YouTube, and look at videos of i9100's (that is what you have right?). You want a video of one with 4.0.3, one of 4.0.4, and one of 4.1.2. They all do look different, although 4.0.4 and 4.0.3 are reasonably similar.
Basically, if you can tell if you were on 4.0.x or 4.1.2 then we can go somewhere Until then, I'm not comfortable to tell you to flash.
Edit: and don't stress. Making the phone useable again is not hard to keep your data as well as make it useable again will take some effort on your part though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK. I am now pretty confident that I had/has android 4.1.2, because I remember I had features like SmartStay (which is new in 4.1 AFAIK). I also remember that I had the "Mobile Data" toggle button along the other quick state buttons like "GPS", "Sound", "WIFI", "Screen rotate". The "Mobile Data" state button was also new, but I cannot verify that is was nwe in 4.1.2 (maybe it was already in 4.0.x). Do you know of any other features that are nwe in 4.1.2 that can help me verify that is was a 4.1.2?
So from here I am going to install CWM, and reading http://forum.xda-developers.com/wiki/ClockworkMod_Recovery
I have several options to create a CWM for my phone:
Building according to http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1866545 and http://wiki.cyanogenmod.org/w/Build_for_i9100 I run into a dead end "Extract proprietary blobs " (http://wiki.cyanogenmod.org/w/Build_for_i9100#Extract_proprietary_blobs). I cannot do this because it requires a working phone.
Method 1A is a dead end because it requires a working phone.
Method 1B I am not 100% sure of. Where should I get this update.zip from?
Method 2 is not applicable
And finally:
For Samsung Galaxy S phones: From stock it is easiest to get CWM by flashing a kernel with CWM built-in by using Odin3 1.7 flashing utility. Only some kernels come in a Odin compatible package (.tar file).
So I need to get a kernel with CWM since I could not build one and you are suggesting SiyahKernel S2-v5.0.1 (http://www.gokhanmoral.com/?p=1536), right?
So as I understand it, I flash this kernel and then when entering recovery menu, I will get advanced options like adb shell and nandroid backup.
Correct?
jarl-dk said:
OK. I am now pretty confident that I had/has android 4.1.2, because I remember I had features like SmartStay (which is new in 4.1 AFAIK). I also remember that I had the "Mobile Data" toggle button along the other quick state buttons like "GPS", "Sound", "WIFI", "Screen rotate". The "Mobile Data" state button was also new, but I cannot verify that is was nwe in 4.1.2 (maybe it was already in 4.0.x). Do you know of any other features that are nwe in 4.1.2 that can help me verify that is was a 4.1.2?
So from here I am going to install CWM, and reading http://forum.xda-developers.com/wiki/ClockworkMod_Recovery
I have several options to create a CWM for my phone:
Building according to http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1866545 and http://wiki.cyanogenmod.org/w/Build_for_i777 I run into a dead end "Extract proprietary blobs " (http://wiki.cyanogenmod.org/w/Build_for_i777#Extract_proprietary_blobs). I cannot do this because it requires a working phone.
Method 1A is a dead end because it requires a working phone.
Method 1B I am not 100% sure of. Where should I get this update.zip from?
Method 2 is not applicable
And finally:
For Samsung Galaxy S phones: From stock it is easiest to get CWM by flashing a kernel with CWM built-in by using Odin3 1.7 flashing utility. Only some kernels come in a Odin compatible package (.tar file).
So I need to get a kernel with CWM since I could not build one and you are suggesting SiyahKernel S2-v5.0.1 (http://www.gokhanmoral.com/?p=1536), right?
So as I understand it, I flash this kernel and then when entering recovery menu, I will get advanced options like adb shell and nandroid backup.
Correct?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Aha! Now we're getting somewhere To clarify though, you do have an i9100?? Not an i777? You posted links for i777 that's all. If you have something other than i9100 don't flash Siyah.
If you're on 4.1.2 (yes smart stay is 4.1.2, so if you had that, we should be good) then nope, you want Siyah v6.0 beta4 or beta 5, not Siyah v5. Download them from the same place. To flash it in Odin, flash it in the PDA section of Odin, don't check repartition or unplug your phone till it passes (or fails), with no exceptions! If you need more info, google, or click my signature & look at that. Or, go to Q&A and look at the stickied guide there, plenty of options
Yep, once you flash the kernel and get CWM recovery, then you want to backup (nandroid). Then you can factory reset from CWM, and hopefully boot up! Once you're booting then you can set about restoring the data from your backup.
See how you go as always, read up (good job continuing to do that) and post up if you can't find a solution to something. As my signature says, 'reading is easy, fixing is not', so read up then flash away!
Hopper8 said:
Aha! Now we're getting somewhere To clarify though, you do have an i9100?? Not an i777? You posted links for i777 that's all. If you have something other than i9100 don't flash Siyah.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for enlightening me... Yes it is a GT-I9100. I must have picked the wrong variant in the device page. Links are fixed. Thanks.
I can download a zip version of the Siyah kernel, which brings me back to another question. Regarding Method 1B:
Method 1B: you can find and download the update.zip by yourself, place it on the phone in /sdcard/ and boot into recovery using the 3 button method, choose the option "re-install package" TWO TIMES to load into CWM. Once again the update.zip needs to remain on the phone. DO NOT DELETE!
It sounds to me like I can put the Siyah kernel (update.zip) on an external SD card and boot directly from the SD card (without flashing) and then make a nandroid backup which in that case also will also include my original kernel which is currently installed.
Do I understand that method correct?
Otherwise I understand it the way that I cannot expect to get a backup of my current kernel. However I will be able to restore it during "Make the phone useable again" step which include wipe and factory reset, and several system upgrades.
I'm in a bit of a tight situation over here. My mom's phone was having issues, so she wanted me to fix it before I left to visit my grandparents. I found a stock ROM for the phone (GT-i9100 International) and flashed it, but the phone always got stuck on the "Samsung Galaxy SII GT-I9100" boot screen (occasionally it would show the "O2" screen, as it was a ROM for Ireland). I tried a different ROM (can't remember what country it was), and I'm still stuck with the same problem. This time no O2 screen though. I've downloaded my ROMs through sammobile.com and I'm using ODIN v1.83.
The label under the battery reads:
Model: GT-I9100
SSN: -I9100GSMH
What ROM should I use and where can I get it? I found this thread with a link to the ROM for the international version, but Hotfile has been shut down, so I can't download it.
Sorry if I could've found the answer with a few more hours of searching, but I've got less than 24 hours to find a fix and I was hoping that someone else could help me. Thanks a lot!
EDIT: I'm in the U.S., if that matters.
Try AndroidFirmwares.net or Samsung-Updates.com. If it were me in that situation (I.E not my phone), I'd be putting whatever the latest firmware is for the carrier/country.
Any region?
MistahBungle said:
Try AndroidFirmwares.net or Samsung-Updates.com. If it were me in that situation (I.E not my phone), I'd be putting whatever the latest firmware is for the carrier/country.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Should any region work to get the phone up and running? I just need to get it back up so that I can root it and flash CM10. Thanks.
Yep absolutely. If your end result is to root the phone & put a custom rom on, use any stock rom you can get your hands on. Though I'd be avoiding 4.0.4, anything other than that should be fine.
MistahBungle said:
Yep absolutely. If your end result is to root the phone & put a custom rom on, use any stock rom you can get your hands on. Though I'd be avoiding 4.0.4, anything other than that should be fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is 4.1.2 OK, or should I go for 4.0.3 or below?
Doesn't matter, take your pick.
More info on problem
I tried installing two other ROMs (from androidfirmwares.net), one 4.1.2 and one 2.3.6. The 4.1.2 didn't get me anywhere, but after I flashed 2.3.6 the phone said the assert check failed. GT-i9100 is on the list of what it checked for. (I've never had any luck with the assert checks on any of my Samsung phones: GS Captivate, GSII Skyrocket, or AT&T GSIII. I've always had to remove the check in my update script.) I attached a picture.
EDIT: Since the attachment doesn't seem to be working, here's a Dropbox link.
Pic won't load for me, but it mentions 'recovery error', what exactly are you doing/what's the problem ?
MistahBungle said:
Pic won't load for me, but it mentions 'recovery error', what exactly are you doing/what's the problem ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My process:
Open ODIN v3.09
Plug in the phone, already in download mode.
Click the AP button and load my .tar.md5.
Click Start.
Wait for it to finish, leaving the phone untouched on the table.
I just tried another USB cable, but to no avail. I've also tried unplugging the phone right after it reboots and ODIN says "PASS!", but no luck there either. I just tried another ROM that just finished downloading and it's giving me a similar getprop() error. At the bottom of the output in red it says:
E:Error in /cache/recovery/sec_csc.zip
(Status 7)
Installation aborted.
I don't think there's any way for me to edit the update script, as the tar contains a bunch of filesystem images. Even if it was easy to edit it would ruin the checksum verification.
Check out the picture on Dropbox here.
What are you trying to do in Android recovery ? Given what your stated aim is - get a stock rom on the phone, re-root it, put custom rom on, you shouldn't be using Android (I.E stock) recovery at any stage.
The process should be:-
*Flash stock rom with Odin in download mode (I.E phone off - home/vol down/power, not home/vol up/power)
*Root phone with whatever method
*Flash custom rom with CWRecovery, which you'll get once you root the phone
So....You need to go step by step. Start with flashing the stock rom with Odin, and try to boot the phone normally/make sure that was successful before doing the next two steps. Look for Hopper8's 'Odin troubleshooting' guide if you're having trouble getting a successful Odin flash.
Once you've done that, root the phone & make sure you have CWRecovery working, then flash the custom rom.
The phone boots to the recovery screen after it finishes flashing with ODIN. I put it into download mode, run ODIN, and then it that error screen comes up on the next reboot.
Try flashing the three part firmware linked to in Hopper's thread first (this will wipe the phone). I can't help but think we're missing some info re: what's been done to the phone previously here if the phone is booting into recovery mode after being Odin flashed. It shouldn't do that. After an Odin flash/pass the phone should boot normally, assuming it's not a case of the NAND being corrupted (it probably wouldn't boot into recovery if that was the case/you'd be left with constant bootloop)
I know you've mentioned what's on the sticker on the phone chassis under the battery but are you absolutely 100% sure it's an I9100 ?
MistahBungle said:
I know you've mentioned what's on the sticker on the phone chassis under the battery but are you absolutely 100% sure it's an I9100 ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
At the top of the download mode screen it says "PRODUCT NAME: GT-i9100". I don't know any other way to tell besides this and the sticker on the back. There are no carrier markings anywhere, and this phone was purchased because it had an FM radio, which only the international version had.
And assuming by "Hopper's thread" you mean this one, I can't because the files are no longer available.
In that case, you're stuck with the other suggestions to try in his thread & continuing to flash stock roms until you get a properly successful flash I.E phone boots/works normally. There might be something really obvious here being missed, but because we're not there with you/don't have the phone in front of us it might be difficult to work out.
It's working!
Yay, I got it to work! I flashed a custom kernel (jeboo), which allowed me to get into CWM. From there I sideloaded CM10 and now it's up and running! Only I still have a problem with internal storage... (That was the problem I was trying to fix originally.) Would the next thing to try to fix that be flashing a PIT file? If so, any tips for doing that?
I'm going to put off trying to fix that problem and do it when I get back. For now it works as a phone, and that's what's most important to her anyway. Thanks for your help MistahBungle.
Solved!
For anyone else who comes across this thread, I was able to solve my problem permanently by flashing a new PIT file. I found the correct PIT files for the GT-i9100 in this XDA thread. It seemed my partitions had become messed up long ago, as the phone had been showing a 2GB /data partition and only a 2GB internal SD card partition (which should've been closer to 12GB) for some time.
I choose a 4GB data partition (since I was running low on /data space last time). Oddly enough, booting the stock ROM after flashing the PIT only showed a 2GB data partition. Once I flashed CM10 it showed as 4GB though.
I got myself an AT&T branded S2 (i777). I used Samsung Kies to update to the latest firmware and something happened while doing so. I turn on the phone now and it says "Firmware upgrade encountered an issue. Please select recovery mode in Kies & try again."
Recovery in Kies doesn't work.
I can get into download mode. Although I can't seem to get Odin to be successfully done, always fails.
Is there any solutions to fix my problem?
I have searched and found fixes for the international version, but that does me no good as mine is the SGH-I777. I just want to be able to have a working phone again.
I'm pretty sure we can get your phone back to working.
A more detailed description of your inability to flash with Odin would be helpful.
What were you trying to flash?
Were you able to get Odin to recognize the phone?
What were the error messages in Odin?
After you answer, I'll give you some things to try.
That would be awesome.
- Tried using I777UCKH7-CL503881-Full it gets to sbl.bin and then fails.
- Tried using Odin v1.85 with a stock i777 tar file. Sticks at factoryfs.img and then fails.
- Odin does recognize the phone.
The majority of issues with failed flashes have to do with the connection between the computer and the phone. The standard advice is, use another cable, use another USB port on the computer, or even use another computer. However, lets skip that step for now, and assume that the connection is good.
It's possible that there is an issue with nand read/write memory corruption. Let's see what happens if we clear nand r/w memory. I assume that you know how to use Odin correctly, but if you want additional instructions, I can post some.
Instructions to clear nand read/write corruption. Instructions are specific; do them in order, and don't skip.
Odin3 v1.85 is recommended.
1) Download the Tar version of Siyah 2.6.14 Kernel. Flash it in PDA. Without ticking Re-Partitioning
2) Flash the Tar.md5 of the full stock Gingerbread distribution from the Download Repository, I777UCKH7 including the bootloaders and everything, in the PDA slot.
3) If that is successful you are done. If it is not, then:
4) Download the SBL Bootloader from the Download Repository. Flash it as PDA in ODIN, without ticking Re-Partitioning. (Please observe normal bootloader flashing caution.)
5) Flash the Kernel, as in step 1.
6) Flash the full stock Gingerbread distribution, as in step 2.
Link to the download repository is in my sig.
---------- Post added at 09:04 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:57 PM ----------
The latest stock for this phone is I777UCMD8, which you can also get in the Download Repository. I would suggest you flash that after you get the phone back to working. Or, if you want to customize, there are good versions of custom firmware available in the forums.
I try to check in to the forums every couple of days, at least. It was just serendipity that I came into the forum 10 minutes after you posted. I'll try to remember to keep an eye on this thread more often, but sometimes I get a littly busy, so if I'm mia, just be patient.
Re-tried Siyah with a different cable and used back usb ports instead. Was successful with Siyah.
I don't want to mess the phone up anymore than needed, which exact one should I flash?
fluttershys said:
Re-tried Siyah with a different cable and used back usb ports instead. Was successful with Siyah.
I don't want to mess the phone up anymore than needed, which exact one should I flash?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay. Maybe your issue was only a connection issue. But I would suggest that you complete the sequence above exactly as written. As it says, instructions are specific; do them in order, and don't skip.
If the issue is nand r/w corruption, this should fix it. If that was not the issue, this will not do any harm. The firmware used is the oldest original firmware for the I777, and is seriously out of date. But it is known to fix the specific issue of nand r/w corruption.
Once you have the phone working normally, ie. booting into system without issue, then you should probably flash the latest stock firmware as I suggested earlier, or the custom firmware of your choice.
Thank you for all the help. I was actually able to use Kies and re-do the firmware that way. I have done the framaroot root.
Is there a ROM and Kernel that you would suggest using for the I777?
You need to decide whether you want firmware that is Samsung touchwiz based, or AOSP based.
If you want touchwiz, you should look at cooked or SHOstock3. No one is doing active development right now, but these two are stable and each is good in its own way.
If you want AOSP, I can't recommend anything since I haven't flashed them, but would suggest you read the development forum and look at the threads for firmware that have been actively posted in the past few months.
The latest touchwiz is Jelly Bean, but with AOSP you can get Kit Kat, or even Lollipop.