[Q] Downgrading from Jelly Bean to ICS - Galaxy S II Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hello,
I'm planning to downgrade my S2 from Jelly Bean 4.1.2 to ICS 4.0.4 or 4.0.3 after suffering from restart issue. Before I downgrade I want to know about the eMMC/ Brick issue of Android 4.0.4. Please anybody can help me out what steps to follow to secure my phone rather turning it into brick?? or for even secure side I should get back to ginger bread??
Thanks

.............or 4.0.3.

Don't worry. You can downgrade safely but later if you want to flash another firmware and where factory reseting the phone is required, don't factory reset it when using the stock 4.0.4 kernel because you will hard brick the phone.Use a custom kernel instead like siyah.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app

Well as i have read you shouldn't dowgrade to 4.0.4. I read about it here
Although it says here that you SHOULDN'T flash 4.0.4 many members/senior/contributers have said that you can do it safely but that you shouldn't wipe recovery. although my paranoia gets the best of me so i flash 4.0.3
I was in the same situation, and i flashed 4.0.3. All works great but when i get enough comments that say i can flash 4.0.4 safely, ill do it.
If you flash 4.0.4 please do consider to tell me Unless you wnat 4.0.3 instead..all up to you.

I have never used Odin.
I have never flashed any Rom on my Galaxy S2 i9100 using anything else other than OTA or Samsung Kies.
Yesterday I got an OTA update for the Trinidad & Tobago JellyBean firmware.
So I flashed it by just hitting "Update Now" on the phone.
Everything went well. I got no issues at all with the Update. Everything works and works well.
However for general knowledge sakes, if I were to downgrade using Odin and the previous 4.0.3 firmware, would I need the PIT file as well? I only ask this despite reading everywhere that PIT and repartition should NOT be checked or used. However I heard Jelly Bean update does indeed repartition space on the Galaxy S2. Please enlighten me guys.

Thin_Bezel said:
Don't worry. You can downgrade safely but later if you want to flash another firmware and where factory reseting the phone is required, don't factory reset it when using the stock 4.0.4 kernel because you will hard brick the phone.Use a custom kernel instead like siyah.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Strange thing about that warning with factory reset and using stock ICS 4.0.4 with stock kernel, i did factory reset on my SGS2 with stock ICS, and stock kernel (i had some problems with freezing at enabled wireless, so wanted to try factory reset), but i used factory reset directly on phone, not with some tools like CWM recovery, busybox, etc. , and fortunately didn't brick my SGS2 ICS 4.0.4, but i'll not do that again, until i move to JB, i totally forgot about that thing...
So, was this danger, could i brick my SGS2 ICS 4.0.4 stock with this factory reset, and why it's not bricked, if there is warning for this? Or maybe factory reset and bricking is related with using some other tool for factory reset and wipe memory?

get got brick bug from play store.
Should show "sane chip".
Sent from the little guy

Yes gasto, i know it, i used that app, and my phone is with brick bug, but even that, i did factory reset directly from settings on phone, and didn't brick my phone with ICS 4.0.4 and stock kernel, phone was rooted with this method,
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1501719

You didn't wipe in recovery, wise.
Sent from the little guy

Right that , that's main point, to no wipe memory in recovery , tnx for confirming this issue!

Dont do wipe data/factory reset from recovery after you flash 4.0.4.
Do it from the phone settings.

Related

[Q] PIN without factory reset

Hi all, I bought an i9100 on ebay, but there is a pin on it, I know you can remove it by factory resetting, but I have no idea if it is using ICS and I don't want to brick it, is there any way to either find out what its running, or to remove the PIN in another way? I tried looking at it through kies to see if it was using GB or ICS but keis just asks for the PIN to be entered
Get the seller to tell you or youll send it back for a refund.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium
Why not flash speedmod kernel which doesn't have hard brick bug and then factory reset
~Sent from my Galaxy S2
factory resetting !
factory reset !! wil not brick your phone !!!if you have a original firmwere !
TRY ODIN ! Put a original s2 rom on it !
Don't be afraid !
OR
Use siyah kernel ! Very good !
If the ROM is 4.0.4, It might brick, but he can simply flash a new kernel and then wipe Or flash another ROM
Hi guys, thanks for your help, just to update what I did in the end, I flashed speedmod-kernel-s2-k2-21-Odin.tar using odin, which left me with a hung phone, then I flashed Siyah-s2-v4.1.5.tar, which made it work again, did a wipe/factory reset and it didn't brick my phone, then it asked me if i wanted to fix root which I said yes to and all is good, PIN lock gone and am using the phone, turned out it had 4.0.3 on it, anyway thanks again everybody
dt192 said:
Hi guys, thanks for your help, just to update what I did in the end, I flashed speedmod-kernel-s2-k2-21-Odin.tar using odin, which left me with a hung phone, then I flashed Siyah-s2-v4.1.5.tar, which made it work again, did a wipe/factory reset and it didn't brick my phone, then it asked me if i wanted to fix root which I said yes to and all is good, PIN lock gone and am using the phone, turned out it had 4.0.3 on it, anyway thanks again everybody
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're welcome
dt192 said:
Hi guys, thanks for your help, just to update what I did in the end, I flashed speedmod-kernel-s2-k2-21-Odin.tar using odin, which left me with a hung phone, then I flashed Siyah-s2-v4.1.5.tar, which made it work again, did a wipe/factory reset and it didn't brick my phone, then it asked me if i wanted to fix root which I said yes to and all is good, PIN lock gone and am using the phone, turned out it had 4.0.3 on it, anyway thanks again everybody
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
FYI,
SpeedMod K2 is for Gingerbread. (2.3.x)
SpeedMod K3 is for ICS. (4.0.x)
Which is why flashing K2-21 hung your phone.
Hi all, I've got a follow up question, after doing the above, my jig wasn't working on it so I had to install an older bootstrap, then I downloaded and installed the original vodaphone kernel that would have been on there before I changed it, but I still have root, my question is if I sell the phone will the next person be able to update it using Kies, Kies does show that an update is available and does start downloading it, but I cancelled it, is it safe or will it brick the phone? also I was thinking about debranding the phone, would that just involve flashing an official unbranded package such as I9100XWLP7_I9100XEULP5 or is there more to it than that? and if I did would Kies then work on that and update with the unbranded updates in future rather then vodaphone updates?

[Q] GPS no longer works

Hi,
I have an unlocked UK S2 phone on the stock 4.0.4 kernel. It's an Orange branded phone if that has any relevance.
I have noticed that my GPS no longer will fix at all. Left it for a good 30 minutes but no luck,
Googling suggests a hard reset or clearing the dalvik cache.
I'm unable to clear the cache as the phone is not rooted.
I then stumbled upon various threads about a bug which can cause the phone to be bricked if certain operations
are performed (see http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1756242) on a 4.0.4 kernel and certain firmware versions for the flash memory - which mine appears to have!
I definitely don't want to brick my phone!
2 questions:
1. I'm not clear if I hard reset on stock 4.0.4 can brick it. I think so. But it's not clear (to me). Is that correct? And if so, is there a way to do a hard reset without the risk of bricking it? Any step-by-step instructions would be most helpful.
2. Any other suggestions that can get the GPS working again?
Any help appreciated.
Thanks
ist flash a safe kernal like siyah 4.1.5 or an earlier version of Dorimanx without mali drivers using odin as the brick bug has been diabled..
This will allow you to do resets and wipes without any problems.
A hard reset for sgs2 is simply removing the battery and reinstalling it.
Factory reset will wipe user data and return the phone back to stock 4.0.4 without any customizations.
Hi,
Thanks for the reply. My badly worded email - when I said hard reset I was really meaning factory reset to wipe it.
I got the impression from the thread I linked to that the very act of flashing a kernel/wiping caches etc could cause the brick bug.
Or is that not correct?
I have since rooted my phone. I'm wondering if it is safe to just remove everything in the dalvik-cache directory from an adb command line prompt? The phone will obviously be still running at this point. Or would it be safer to clockwork mod recovery on and do it from there?
Cosmic Blue said:
ist flash a safe kernal like siyah 4.1.5 or an earlier version of Dorimanx without mali drivers using odin as the brick bug has been diabled..
This will allow you to do resets and wipes without any problems.
A hard reset for sgs2 is simply removing the battery and reinstalling it.
Factory reset will wipe user data and return the phone back to stock 4.0.4 without any customizations.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
play store - fasterfix

[Q] changed font, now bricked

okay, i tried to do some reset things but they didn't work.
I've got an s2 skyrocket from AT&T.
I rooted it several months ago with odin using a recovery file that was linked online.
last night my friend changed the font, which I've done before, and now it wont boot past the AT&T logo.
i tried reloading the recovery thru odin, but it still is frozen.
so how would i go about unbricking my phone?
can you not just wipe and re flash a clean stock ROM, but make sure you only wipe if you have 4.0.3 or 4.0.4 with a safe custom kernal, if you use stock 4.0.4 you will be permanently bricked. i suggest flashing a clean 4.0.3 stock, from here you can use kies to updat 4.0.4 and root using the guide on xda.
You're in the wrong forum. This forum is for Gt-i9100 International version. You have Skyrocket which a different device and flashing anything from this forum onto you phone will break it. Go to to Skyrocket forum and ask there. Good luck.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=1399
Sent from my GT-I9100

[Q] Some doubts with my gs2

Hello.
My brother just bought his new razr hd and gave me his galaxy s2. At least its much better than blackberry.
Im having some problems with it and I have some doubts.
thanks for your time
-I didnt ask my brother because he is travelling for his work.
1- Once rooted, always rooted? I saw somewhere that if I reflash the baseband I could lose the root. Is that true?
My brother rooted it with 4.0.3 with a bug that you dont even needed to plug the phone to the pc to root it. It had a brazilian firmware, then he flashed a trinidad tobago firmware and did the root. I want to reflash the modem and try new modems. Thats why im concerned about. Can I do it without any concerns?
My root does not have the yellow triangle on boot.
2- Then he installed CM9. Can I factory wipe it via CWM? Im afraid of that superbrick bug, but it now has CM9 kernel. Im safe, right?
It has the crazy chip. Checked with an app.
3- Are you guys also having problem with the new ROM manager version? 5.9.3.0? None functions that need root permissions work. If I uninstall to previous version, it works.
4- Why ROM manager it asks me to install a "new" 6.0.1.0 version when I have a 6.0.1.2 CWMR?
5- I did a factory reset via menu. It is the same as doing factory wipe on CWMR?
6- When he flashed CM9, the wifi roaming bug was fixed. But after I factory reset, it seems to stopped working. When I move between access points, the signal increases then it disconnects and reconnects...
Thanks.
Questions belong in Q&A
facsi2 said:
Hello.
My brother just bought his new razr hd and gave me his galaxy s2. At least its much better than blackberry.
Im having some problems with it and I have some doubts.
thanks for your time
-I didnt ask my brother because he is travelling for his work.
1- Once rooted, always rooted? I saw somewhere that if I reflash the baseband I could lose the root. Is that true?
My brother rooted it with 4.0.3 with a bug that you dont even needed to plug the phone to the pc to root it. It had a brazilian firmware, then he flashed a trinidad tobago firmware and did the root. I want to reflash the modem and try new modems. Thats why im concerned about. Can I do it without any concerns?
My root does not have the yellow triangle on boot.
2- Then he installed CM9. Can I factory wipe it via CWM? Im afraid of that superbrick bug, but it now has CM9 kernel. Im safe, right?
It has the crazy chip. Checked with an app.
3- Are you guys also having problem with the new ROM manager version? 5.9.3.0? None functions that need root permissions work. If I uninstall to previous version, it works.
4- Why ROM manager it asks me to install a "new" 6.0.1.0 version when I have a 6.0.1.2 CWMR?
5- I did a factory reset via menu. It is the same as doing factory wipe on CWMR?
6- When he flashed CM9, the wifi roaming bug was fixed. But after I factory reset, it seems to stopped working. When I move between access points, the signal increases then it disconnects and reconnects...
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Before I answer anything, please check this out:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1763193
Now then,
1. Root remains until u manually unroot it (by removing su binary and Superuser app), unroot using SuperSU app, or flash a stock firmware. Flashing a baseband (or modem) doesn't unroot your phone. But flashing an entire firmware does. Still, you can always root if you get unrooted!
2. Brickbug only affects stock 4.0.4 firmwares with stock kernel. CM9 should be safe to do a full wipe, since you're on a custom kernel. :good:
3 & 4. I suggest you stay away from ROM Manager as many members have reported problems while using it. Since u already have CWM, you don't need ROM Manager.
5. Factory reset via Settings and via Recovery ought to be the same. I prefer to do via CWM though.
6. I don't know about this as I haven't tried CM9 for a long time! Maybe you should check out the CM9 discussion thread to see if someone else has ur issue, and look for a possible fix for it.

[Q] Can i get 4.04 back?

Hi all.
The usb connector broke on my galasy s2 and had to take it to service.
All i asked them not to change my 4.04 version. But they did it anyway! Jeesh!
They put the 4.12 on it, which doesnt suit me.
Is there a way to get 4.04 back?
Can i just flash my previous 4.04 back with odin?
Or use stock recovery or CWM recovery to install the whole package?
When i had 4.04 i did a full backup with CWM recovery, but the file size is so small so it cannot contain the whole OS.
I come from Nokia world where downgrading was not possible so thats why im asking before trying things on my own and breaking it.
Please help.
Thank you.
Yes you can use Odin to go back to 4.0.4......but I'd advise you go to 4.0.3 instead.......4.0.4 stock firmwares are affected by the emmc brickbug which has turned *some* S2s into irrecoverable paperweights.
Whether your phone is one of them or not.....I don't know (you can check this)
For the firmware, go to www.sammobile.com/firmwares to find the correct firmware for your phone/carrier, download, unzip to tar and flash via Odin......simples
sent from either my Alliance powered S2 or my ArcoCM powered W via XDA Developers App
Find which variant you have first. Go to about phone in settings and see if you have I9100G or I9100, if you have I9100G we have all stock firmwares on our development forum, i advise you to go there, i don't know if our variant has emmc brickbug but you can search it.
Thank you for the replies.
I once ran the emmc brick bug check and it said i dont have the bug
My phone is I9100.
Is there anything i need to know about odin, or just connect, click PDA, choose the Firmware and hit start?
I downloaded the correct stock FW from sammobile.
Thanks again.
Nuppi said:
Thank you for the replies.
I once ran the emmc brick bug check and it said i dont have the bug
My phone is I9100.
Is there anything i need to know about odin, or just connect, click PDA, choose the Firmware and hit start?
I downloaded the correct stock FW from sammobile.
Thanks again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, if you get bootloop wipe data from recovery.
Just to report back.
I flashed the old 4.04 stock firmware with odin.
Flashing went fine, but when rebooting the phone got stuck at the samsung logo and didnt go further.
Removed battery, put it back, booted stock recovery and wiped everything and phone worked.
So all went just great :=)
This was my first android flash and after this success i might wanna concider some custom ROM:s like cyanogen, but thats another story.
Thanks for the tips peeps.

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