Samsung S2 - Help! - Galaxy S II Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

As you can obviously see I'm new here to xda-developers and still don't know my way around the forums and going easy on me will certainly help. Without further ado I would like to ask some questions about Samsung S2 Jelly bean (4.1.2).
I have Ice Cream Sandwhich (4.0.4) stock phone; never been rooted and I do not wish to start now. I want to upgrade to Jelly Bean (JB) but I've heard a lot of complaints of battery not lasting for more than 8 hours or more and phone freezing frequently. Is there anybody still experiencing this problem? (I know it's a bit late asking this question since JB was released months ago I just want to make sure).
I will be updating the phone firmware via Kies.
One more thing how do I make sure that my Samsung S2 is genuine? I'm not keen on putting my IMEI on the internet to check if it's genuine but if I have no choice then I will probably do it. I've also heard that the 8 digit on your IMEI will prove it? Like if you have 00 - Genuine factory.
Thanks in advance.

Read the jb threads, you heard wrong. You can get up to 5 hours screen time or even 2 days out of your battery on JB.
Everyone is gonna tell you to flash it via Odin but I guess you rather do it via kies, which is fine.
IMEI has got nothing to do with your device in terms of originality.
If kies says it's an I9100 chances are it's the real thing.
Sent from...this is not even my S2

gastonw said:
Read the jb threads, you heard wrong. You can get up to 5 hours screen time or even 2 days out of your battery on JB.
Everyone is gonna tell you to flash it via Odin but I guess you rather do it via kies, which is fine.
IMEI has got nothing to do with your device in terms of originality.
If kies says it's an I9100 chances are it's the real thing.
Sent from...this is not even my S2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Any chance that you could give me the link to JB threads? I'm new here and don't know where to go.
Why are they going to recommend Odin instead of Kies? Is there any difference? Performance, bugs, etc...?

You can find them in the general forum.
Flashing via odin is just fun as you can flash any ROM you want (either branded or unbranded).
Sent from...this is not even my S2

Related

[Q] Kies wont update Galaxy SII to ICS

Hi this is my first post so im hoping its in the correct place
SO basically I want to update my Galaxy S2 to Ice Cream Sandwich using Kies but when it searches for an update it says there is none available and that "This is the latest firmware" whereas with my dads Galaxy S2 it has updated to Ice Cream Sandwich as well as my sisters S2, I figured it may be because mine is rooted, so I took necessary steps to unroot it and flash back a secure kernel using Odin, But still no luck, I just wonder whether restoring my phone to factory would solve the case of Kies not picking up any update?
I'm inexperienced with the stuff
Any suggestions?
Thanks
First welcome to XDA
here at XDA we don't really rely on the updates coming from manufacturers. You can try to update your phone manually by using Odin which might not be a good option since it might change your bootloader and potentially brick your phone. There are more options available but I can't give you much details as I don't own a gsii. head over to their forums for more details and all questions related to gsii should be posted in their q&a sub forum
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Jord4n94 said:
Hi this is my first post so im hoping its in the correct place
SO basically I want to update my Galaxy S2 to Ice Cream Sandwich using Kies but when it searches for an update it says there is none available and that "This is the latest firmware" whereas with my dads Galaxy S2 it has updated to Ice Cream Sandwich as well as my sisters S2, I figured it may be because mine is rooted, so I took necessary steps to unroot it and flash back a secure kernel using Odin, But still no luck, I just wonder whether restoring my phone to factory would solve the case of Kies not picking up any update?
I'm inexperienced with the stuff
Any suggestions?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It will be because you've flashed a new kernel on there to root it (I assume that's how you rooted it, because of your current issue).
Have a look at the xda bookmarks in my sig and find the official firmware for your device and flash that. A factory reset will just erase all the data, but not reset your firmware. Be aware also that if it's a branded release that you're expecting then you'll need the branded firmware (also in the bookmarks).
You Should download rom and install via Odin
Just as everyone else says, it might be better to flash using Odin, or CWM. If your phone is like mine, it might be a while untill you get your update. I bought mine through my carrier, Telenor, and the only update I still have as an option is GB 2.3.4.
Good thing about flashing is you can always revert to the stock ROM you had using Nandroid backup, and even flash official stock ROM which you can find in I9100 forums here on XDA.
Just follow the search... .
.
Thread moved to Q&A due to it being a question. Would advise you to read forum rules and post in correct section.
Failure to comply with forum rules will result in an infraction and/or ban depending on severity of rule break.

[Q] Wondering If I Should Root My SGS3

Hi,
Ive had my Galaxy S3 for about 4 months now, and being in Australia waiting for the Jelly Bean update is driving me crazy, So i wanted to know how hard it would be to root my S3, I would have done it as soon as i got the phone however, My first galaxy stopped working after putting a new rom on the phone and my galaxy s2's screen turned blue and then died, although this could have been because i dropped it the day before, not sure both of these have kind of put me off rooting, however ive had a xoom and optimus 3d that are still fine on custom roms.
Also, If i wanted to return to stock, and unroot the phone, would that restore my warranty?
I have the International Galaxy S3, I think With Optus in Australia,
I would have searched how to root by myself, but i really dont want to brick the phone.
So if someone could link me to a stable rom and some instructions on how to root it would be fantastic
Thanks for reading
4 months..... I couldn't even wait for a day after received my S3
Even with custom ICS ROM you ll see huge difference
Hehhe I don't really care about warranty anymore after I chose to root
As long I enjoy the phone... But there's a way to do that...
I can't help you to find the link for rooting and apply CWM since I haven't been to any threads
If I were you, go search root by CF....
Good luck
Rhys.. said:
Hi,
Ive had my Galaxy S3 for about 4 months now, and being in Australia waiting for the Jelly Bean update is driving me crazy, So i wanted to know how hard it would be to root my S3, I would have done it as soon as i got the phone however, My first galaxy stopped working after putting a new rom on the phone and my galaxy s2's screen turned blue and then died, although this could have been because i dropped it the day before, not sure both of these have kind of put me off rooting, however ive had a xoom and optimus 3d that are still fine on custom roms.
Also, If i wanted to return to stock, and unroot the phone, would that restore my warranty?
I have the International Galaxy S3, I think With Optus in Australia,
I would have searched how to root by myself, but i really dont want to brick the phone.
So if someone could link me to a stable rom and some instructions on how to root it would be fantastic
Thanks for reading
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
androb0t said:
4 months..... I couldn't even wait for a day after received my S3
Even with custom ICS ROM you ll see huge difference
Hehhe I don't really care about warranty anymore after I chose to root
As long I enjoy the phone... But there's a way to do that...
I can't help you to find the link for rooting and apply CWM since I haven't been to any threads
If I were you, go search root by CF....
Good luck
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, Thanks for the reply,
I am going to follow this guide, Its from another website so my apologies if i am not allowed to post links to external sites, Although i found the link on an XDA thread so i figured it would be okay
http://www.androidrootz.com/2012/09/how-to-root-any-samsung-galaxy-s3.html
And im just looking at ROM's now, Just out of curiosity which ROM are you using androbot?
Thanks
I would always root my phone Just because you can use AD Block
Haha yeah i will look forward to that , Just Root'd phone then Tested with Titanium backup and works fine Just wondering if any of you could recommend a good ROM, or the ROM your currently using that your really happy with? Thanks
I'm using crDroid 6.3 at the moment...
I like ROM doesn't get stripped but still performs fast and fluid too...
Each user has their own taste....
The ROM is around 9xx mb...
It's got AROMA installer too....
After you root and install CWM, crDroid ROM requires touch recovery to avoid any problem...so you need to flash touch recovery recommended ...
Rhys.. said:
Hi, Thanks for the reply,
I am going to follow this guide, Its from another website so my apologies if i am not allowed to post links to external sites, Although i found the link on an XDA thread so i figured it would be okay
http://www.androidrootz.com/2012/09/how-to-root-any-samsung-galaxy-s3.html
And im just looking at ROM's now, Just out of curiosity which ROM are you using androbot?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I gave stock a try for a while.... Lasted 3 days. Samsung managed to create something that can't run on a quad core phone.... That's almost something to be proud of, I shouldn't experience lag and homescreen redraws on a $500+ phone. Installing a custom rom is a must for me, I don't understand why OEM version of Android are so horrible but they are. Rooting only will give you a few benefits and extra things you can tweak as well as ad blocking and making the GPS faster. But if you really want a change, custom roms are the way to go.
Hey guys new to android based phones, ive had the s3 for a few months and have read the forum for a while, i want to flash a custom rom and read about imei backup which i just did but i want to know is it common for the imei to delete when flashing?
I lasted about 3 weeks on stock.. now dual booting CM10 & UltraROM. You won't regret it :good:
Should I root??
Sorry for posting here but it's the closest I have found to what my question is. I have an AT&T S3. I would like to root to get rid of my bloatware but I'm a chicken. I rooted my HTC Inspire over a year ago and I didn't really know how to remove to AT&T apps and the stock rom was not as snappy as it was prior to rooting. I planned on staying on ICS until an official JB OTA was available, as I've never flashed custom roms before. What I'm most concerned about I guess is whether rooting will mess up my 4gLTE and wifi. I rely heavily on wifi since sadly, AT&T is lame, expensive, and doesn't offer unlimited data. So I want to make sure I don't screw up wifi if I do this. Can anyone provide insight or point me to a good resource that can help?? Thanks a bunch in advance and sorry for the noob questions.
justxan said:
Sorry for posting here but it's the closest I have found to what my question is. I have an AT&T S3. I would like to root to get rid of my bloatware but I'm a chicken. I rooted my HTC Inspire over a year ago and I didn't really know how to remove to AT&T apps and the stock rom was not as snappy as it was prior to rooting. I planned on staying on ICS until an official JB OTA was available, as I've never flashed custom roms before. What I'm most concerned about I guess is whether rooting will mess up my 4gLTE and wifi. I rely heavily on wifi since sadly, AT&T is lame, expensive, and doesn't offer unlimited data. So I want to make sure I don't screw up wifi if I do this. Can anyone provide insight or point me to a good resource that can help?? Thanks a bunch in advance and sorry for the noob questions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Using Odin to flash CF-Root is super-easy, so don't be afraid. Rooting will not affect your phone's smoothness, but if you use it to remove apps with Titanium Backup without making sure they are not useless, you may end up having performance issues or worse. Of course, I'm not saying you shouldn't root, just that after rooting, take care with what you remove via TB.
CF-Root can be found in the Original Android Development forum, follow the instructions and you'll be ok.
All three mobile networks are releasing them this month, November! Telstra, Voda then Optus.
Hopefully it's XXDLJ4 or above or XXDLJ6 etc
Swyped on GT-I9300 - XXDLJ1 - Siyah kernel 1.7b1 - Thunderbolt tweaks - JKay theme -

[Q] Update/unroot galaxy s3?

I have a galaxy s3 from sprint which I rooted many months ago and is currently running android 4.04, It is constantly asking me to update however every time I do it always fails. I've looked around the forums and from what I learned I believe that the only way to update is to unroot and update or to install a rom with jelly bean. I experimented with a few roms including CM10, AOKP and liquid smooth but all of these had problems with sending text messages where long messages would not send or even short messages were split into multiple messages. So unless anyone knows a fix to this I prefer to stick to the stock rom for now at least.
That being said I would like to update my phone to jelly bean. Does anyone know a way for me to do this? If unrooting is the only way does anyone know how I can unroot my phone? All of the post I've ran into are either old(don't trust really old post as methods tend to change as time pases) or don't give enough information aside from "install original firmware". If anyone could help that would be greatly appreciated. I have a mac computer so any methods that could be used with a mac would make things easier. Otherwise I could always run windows with bootcamp so not a big problem.
If it helps I rooted my phone using Odin and currently have CWM, its a sprint galaxy s3 running 4.04
so what section do questions go to?
Please read this and see if you are in the right forum
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1756332
American or Canadian SGS3? Read this before posting!
Dead link

[Q] Galaxy S3, Android 4.04 ICS

I recently tried to downgrade my Galaxy S3 from Jelly Bean 4.1.2 to ICS 4.04 using Odin and a ROM file downloaded from Sammobile.
The installation was succesful and after doing a factory reset and clearing cache the phone booted up ok. It connected to my network provider for several seconds and then disconnected.
After several attempts at this process using different files, I noticed that the IMEI of my phone was no longer correct. At this point I thought I had bricked my phone by somehow corrupting the IMEI.
In an attempt to put it right, I reloaded Jelly Bean 4.1.2 and my phone now works fine again. Please can someone advise what I am doing wrong with this process and why the IMEI gets corrupted as this is obviously why the network rejects my phone when I install ICS.
If you would look here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s3/general/ref-galaxy-s3-modem-radio-collection-t1740061 you will found this link for ICS ROMs: https://www.wuala.com/UpInTheAir/SGS3/Modems/I9300/ICS/?key=n0KVwtIMZPE8 . From here, select CWM folder if you want to flash the modem via recovery, or the Odin one if you want to flash it with Odin. Choone one of the file, download it, and then flash it via the method you want.
QuickQuestion: Why would you wanna use ICS when it has been released 4.3 for our device, and 4.4 it is said to be released in the following weeks (Hope so! ). If you want, you can answer, if not, it'ss not a big problem
Thanks for the reply. Is this the reason my IMEI is corrupted when I flash a PDA from Sammobile? I am new to using Odin etc and followed the instructions on the website.
There are some features I liked in ICS that were removed in Jelly Bean, such as direct access to words in the custom dictionary and the 3 x 4 keypad that was removed in 4.3. I already downgraded from 4.3 to 4.1.2 but wanted to try ICS 4.04. So far I can install it but cannot get a network connection for more than a few seconds.
#EDIT: After further research this problem appears to be an issue with the phone's EFS data. I have now used EFS Professional to back up this important area. What I don't know is can I restore this backed up EFS data to correct the problem I'm having when I downgrade Jelly Bean 4.1.2 to ICS 4.04?
andyb1712 said:
Thanks for the reply. Is this the reason my IMEI is corrupted when I flash a PDA from Sammobile? I am new to using Odin etc and followed the instructions on the website.
There are some features I liked in ICS that were removed in Jelly Bean, such as direct access to words in the custom dictionary and the 3 x 4 keypad that was removed in 4.3. I already downgraded from 4.3 to 4.1.2 but wanted to try ICS 4.04. So far I can install it but cannot get a network connection for more than a few seconds.
#EDIT: After further research this problem appears to be an issue with the phone's EFS data. I have now used EFS Professional to back up this important area. What I don't know is can I restore this backed up EFS data to correct the problem I'm having when I downgrade Jelly Bean 4.1.2 to ICS 4.04?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you have a 16GB s3, u might want to keep JB, 16GB ICS S3 has the possibility for sudden death. But, i too am considering going back to ICS, Jellybean is a joke, it lags way more than ICS does. Trying to force the system to constantly render at 60FPS is hardware demanding and was probably a temporary approach. Its unfortunate that ICS ROMS are no longer available for download. Also, i doubt kitkat would be released for our phone.
My S3 is 16Gb and was originally shipped with Jelly Bean. I watched a Youtube video comparing ICS and Jelly Bean and ICS was faster responding in virtually every test, despite the guy doing it being pro Jelly Bean.
I don't know much about the 'sudden death' problem with ICS on 16Gb models but from what little I've read, I thought this was more of a hardware issue due to defective memory chips and/or main boards?
My S3 updated to Jelly Bean 4.3 last December and I wasn't happy because they had removed the 3x4 Samsung keypad that I like to use. I tried a number of different keypads from Play Store but in the end decided to downgrade to 4.1.2, which went without a hitch.
My attempts to do the same with ICS 4.04 did not go so well and I'm still not sure why the IMEI was corrupted or even more surprising, that it was corrected when I re flashed 4.1.2
andyb1712 said:
My S3 is 16Gb and was originally shipped with Jelly Bean. I watched a Youtube video comparing ICS and Jelly Bean and ICS was faster responding in virtually every test, despite the guy doing it being pro Jelly Bean.
I don't know much about the 'sudden death' problem with ICS on 16Gb models but from what little I've read, I thought this was more of a hardware issue due to defective memory chips and/or main boards?
My S3 updated to Jelly Bean 4.3 last December and I wasn't happy because they had removed the 3x4 Samsung keypad that I like to use. I tried a number of different keypads from Play Store but in the end decided to downgrade to 4.1.2, which went without a hitch.
My attempts to do the same with ICS 4.04 did not go so well and I'm still not sure why the IMEI was corrupted or even more surprising, that it was corrected when I re flashed 4.1.2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure exactly how the sudden death works, i just know it affects 16GB s3 variants. I know the video you are referring to, i watched the exact same one. I think most people got caught up in the hype of JB and forgot how good ICS was.
Havoc-X said:
Not sure exactly how the sudden death works, i just know it affects 16GB s3 variants. I know the video you are referring to, i watched the exact same one. I think most people got caught up in the hype of JB and forgot how good ICS was.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Youtube video made me laugh as it was supposed to encourage you to want the Jelly Bean upgrade, when all it did was make me want to run ICS even more! I tried a friend's Galaxy S2 with ICS the other day and it was smoother and faster responding than my S3.
I hope to have another go at getting it working but also I am concerned I probably came close to bricking my handset last time because I do not know enough about the process. This wouldn't be good as I still have another year on my network contract to go.
Do post here if you succeed in downgrading to 4.0.4 as I am also looking for it but it's not working
And best of luck
Unless you have a backup of your efs folder, from before firmware EMG4 then you cannot downgrade.
EFS format was changed at EMG4 to v2, earlier roms are incompatible with v2 and later roms incompatible with v1 so IMEI will be corrupt.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk
Thanks for the info.
My S3 was shipped with EMG4, so unfortunately I don't have any efs data that I can use with earlier ICS firmwares. I was trying in vain to load BLG8 but it just resulted in a corrupted IMEI and no network.
Unless there is some way of converting saved v2 efs data to the earlier format, then I will have to stick with the Android version I have.
Why are you not trying 4.3 or custom rom mate? My god if your phone is giving u problem u should try to tame it. Very smooth, the nb6 firmware. Or at least let yourself try a custom rom for instance temasek.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
I have tried the Official Samsung 4.3 release but didn't like that they removed the 3x4 Samsung Keypad, which I prefer to use. I've tried custom firmwares on my old phone (Galaxy Ace) but never had much success with installing them or getting things to work properly after.
My S3 is still under contract for another year and my skills in this area of modifying are beginner level at best, so I plan to do a lot more reading on here and a lot less messing around with the phone firmware until I know more about it.
andyb1712 said:
I have tried the Official Samsung 4.3 release but didn't like that they removed the 3x4 Samsung Keypad, which I prefer to use. I've tried custom firmwares on my old phone (Galaxy Ace) but never had much success with installing them or getting things to work properly after.
My S3 is still under contract for another year and my skills in this area of modifying are beginner level at best, so I plan to do a lot more reading on here and a lot less messing around with the phone firmware until I know more about it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your phone lag is because of Samsung bloatwares, get rid of it and you would be fine. Temporarily suggestions would be hang on 4.12 and try greenify. U don't need root but root would give you he best out of it. Look up cf autoroot and begin your journey.
:thumbup:
Sent from my GT-I9300 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

Revert back to S3 ICS

I was on Jelly Bean 4.3 but the battery was bad so I downloaded a stock rom of ICS 4.0.4 & cannot get any reception. My IEMI & IEMISV is messed up & is showing 0049 at the start of the IEMI. But if I go back to Jelly Bean I'm able to get reception & the IEMI & SV is fixed but I don't want to do that. I tried restoring the EFS but it didn't do anything. As a lot of features are absent in Jelly Bean & the battery life is horrible. Can anyone help me? Here's the Rom's details
Greece 2012 August 4.0.4
CSC: I9300EURBLH1
PDA: I9300XXBLH1
No, you can't. 4.0 has SDS anyway.
What do you mean I can't? I'm on the firmware right now but just not getting any reception. Why would the rom be up on Sammobile if I wasn't able to go back to 4.0.4?
SmithO77 said:
What do you mean I can't? I'm on the firmware right now but just not getting any reception. Why would the rom be up on Sammobile if I wasn't able to go back to 4.0.4?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
because it got uploaded when it came arround. with 4.3 Samsung changed the efs partition to efsv2, while older roms / modems uses efsv1 format, thats why there is no signal, some patched modems/kernel may be able to fix.
boomboomer said:
No, you can't. 4.0 has SDS anyway.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Partitialy Wrong SDS is caused by the nand´s firmware,while has been "fixed"(i remember they do some sanity checks now instead of fully fixing by upgrading the firmware, as they did on s2) on UK 4.1.2 bootloader or on every 4.3 bootloader, if the phone came with updated firmware, it will run the ics normally(my phone ran ics for about an year with no problems, but it was the 2nd one, my day one crashed twice or more in a day)
Bootloader on the s3 is a separate kernel from firmware, if either is missing the sds fix then sds can occur. If you run any 4.0 firmware then you risk sds, it doesn't matter what the bootloader is.
Hey, thanks for the help. I honestly can't believe Samsung would do this. I'm actually getting good standby time, it's the screen time that's not good. I'm getting about 2 hours & a 1/2 (sometimes 3). Before I was getting worse but since I've disabled google now & location reporting that's where it's at. I don't remember this kind of bad battery life on ICS. I'll be buying another GT-I9300, selling this one, and making sure I don't upgrade. Won't be buying another Samsung device again. Just look at these wakelocks from Jelly Bean. It doesn't matter if I find the culprit that's doing alot of wakelocks as another just takes it's place, it's like an app has to be draining down the battery. Just Crazy!
Try the 4.2.2 leak with patched modem: https://www.dropbox.com/s/geispctijpxqjms/Patched_Modem_I9300XXEMG4.zip?dl=1 I'm getting good performance and battery with this setup
Sent while my supervisor wasn't looking

Categories

Resources