Ok, I have an extreme amount of questions so please don't judge. To start off, I have looked around Google for the answers to all of these questions, but I have only scratched the surface and I would rather get an answer from someone directly so they know about my phone specifically. So here are my questions, most if them have to do with rooting, recovery, bricking, things like that.
Phone info:
U.S. Cellular Galaxy S4 (SCH-R970)
Internal Storage: 2.27 GB
ExtSdCard: 11.84 GB
IS ROOTED
Stock ROM
4.4.2 KitKat
Questions:
1. How do I safely get TWRP Recovery on my phone?
2. How do I flash ROMS safely?
3. Do I need to worry that much about compatibility with my phone? (How compatible does it need to be?)
4. Do I run the risk of bricking my phone when installing a recovery?
5. I have ROM ToolBox Pro. Can I safely install recoveries from there? If so, show me how to install the recovery and flash a ROM safely.
6. Is it easy to flash ROMS?
7. Can I store recovery backups on my computer to use for later so it doesn't eat up my storage?
8. I have several Xposed Modules running, including XUI Mods. If I flash a different ROM, will I be able to return everything exactly the way it was or it will it mess things up? If I flash my stock ROM back will EVERYTHING return EXACTLY the way it was if I use a recovery backup?
9. What will happen if I use a ROM or version of recovery that is not compatible with my device?
10. Will flashing a ROM unroot my phone?
11. Do I need very much internal storage to flash a ROM or can I just use my SD?
I will post more questions when I remember them.
Edit:
12. How do I know if I have a recovery on my device? Is there a "default" recovery?
13. What if I boot my device into recovery mode without having a recovery software installed(CWM, TWRP)?
14. How can I install a recovery (CWM, TWRP) on my device with ROM ToolBox Pro? Does it matter if my device is compatible with the recovery, or is every device compatible with all recoveries?
15. What is the importance of the "legacy" folder in system storage, and does it matter if I change the location from "legacy" to a folder in "extSdCard"?
Whew. That's a laundry list. lol No worries though. Can never have too much info.
I'm happy to help. I know 95% of these things, but too lazy to write it all out now. lol Feel free to hit me up on Hangouts and I can give you a hand.
Related
Hello everyone,
I'm just about to go out of my mind, haha. I've successfully rooted my phone and I am interested in installing a new, custom ROM. However, I want to be 100% sure that I am not leading myself into the path of bricking. I have a couple questions that I think are basic enough, but haven't found an answer to anywhere online.
1.) Do I need a specific kernel and/or firmware in order to install a custom ROM?
2.) These are my specs for my phone
Android 2.3.3
Baseband: I9100DXKI1
Kernel: I9100DXKI2
Looking at my specs, will I be able to install this rom: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1198334 ?
Will any other ROM work for my phone? Now that it is rooted, am I freely able to install any ROM using clockworkmod or odin without having to change the kernels?
I'm very new to this and I'm hoping somoone can help me out with this.
Thanks a ton in advance!
Just rooting is not enough to install custom rom. You need to install clockworkmod recovery either through rom manager or flash a custom kernel which has CWM.
You can flash any kernel compatible with your device (for example, you cannot flash I9100G kernel/firmware on I9100 model).
You can get a lot of information here at xda. All the developers here are very friendly and co-operative.
You're good to go. Backup apps and some data using Titanium backup and/or My Backup Pro or something like those. Then boot into recovery, make a nandroid backup (can be found in the recovery menu), and flash the rom of your choice. You can flash any rom you like, just don't forget to wipe! This is also an option in recovery, wipe data/factory reset. You can also wipe dalvik-cache (found under 'advanced'). Have fun flashing!
Thanks for filling me in guys. I do have CWM installed on the phone, so I'll back up and try to flash. We'll see if I don't brick the phone somehow, haha.
roboedar said:
Thanks for filling me in guys. I do have CWM installed on the phone, so I'll back up and try to flash. We'll see if I don't brick the phone somehow, haha.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well obviously you wont, all you can do with flashing a wrong rom is getting boot loop, you can always restore your previous rom via nandroid backup. Happy flashing
I tried following this:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1580070
"INSTRUCTIONS" part:
* RECOVERY: FACTORY RESET IF YOU WERE USING ANOTHER ROM!
* RECOVERY: Install Rom: Download
* RECOVERY: Install Gapps, ALWAYS-EVEN FOR UPDATES: Download (find the latest one that carries the "jb" tag)
* RECOVERY: Wipe Cache Partition
* RECOVERY: Wipe Dalvik Cache
* Reboot and enjoy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
did all the above, never forgot any of the 3 wipes/resets that were necessary.
used this rom file:
http://goo.im/devs/paranoidandroid/roms/i9100g
(latest one)
for my Galaxy Samsung S II GT-i9100g.
I had CWM and also had a rooted android 2.3.
first boot it showed me the normal samsung boot screen, for 45 minutes....
so I restarted and the phone gave me the same behaviour..
so I removed the battery to turn off the phone, and attempted to reinstall the whole thing, going through this process again from scratch
not forgetting any of the wipes etc...
now every time I boot it, it leads me to CWM instead of the normal boot screen and the expected paranoid rom eventually...
I followed this path because CM 10 failed me because upgrading from 2.3 to 4.x requires going through something that is called "stock" or as I think it actually is - google's /manufacturer's original firmware/rom production line thingy
and after that it needs me to re-enable root on that stock rom all over again. And only then I may attempt to install CM10...
so I picked paranoid instead, because in it's instructions is showed me no such constraint. heck it can't give me that constraint because there is no "stock" of android 3.x for smartphones
but then this issue happened... so I need your help.
I found similar search results but couldn't figure out their solutions or how whatever triggered that same problem (which isn't mentioned in those threads) is related to what I did to my phone... (so that I will not repeat the same mistake)
your help is much appreciated as I need it so so much!
Huh?
Just flash a stock ROM, get back on your feet and go CM or paranoid.
Sent from the little guy
gastonw said:
Huh?
Just flash a stock ROM, get back on your feet and go CM or paranoid.
Sent from the little guy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
by "flash"ing you mean the option "install from a zip file" in CWM in recovery mod?
if I have some rom, the only way for me to install another would always be by going through that middle step of also installing a 'stock' rom as well?
there is no way around it?
installing a 'stock' rom, wouldn't it make me loose my root I have on the phone and force me to root it all over again before I can continue install anything at all?
thats the reason I wanted to try out the paranoid way of doing this instead of the CM10, because I have no interest in rooting my already rooted phone and I hoped that paranoid does not need me to go to stock first....
Couple of things:
Stock: why, when in trouble, we suggest stock?
Stock is the original state of the phone.
Samsung write it for our device to work flawless, so, by flashing stock we can check if our device is fully functional.
Imagine you flash a custom ROM and you lose IMEI, you go "wtf?" right?
In order to check if your EFS folder is f&#cked up, you flash stock and check if your IMEI is still there.
We can always use stock to take a long breath "phew, we're fine" after a f*&k up.
You can flash stock via CWM (zip file), Odin (tar file, md5) and mobile Odin (tar, zip and md5).
CWM: custom recovery, you can get it by flashing a custom kernel or by flashing it via stock Recovery (generally comes with BusyBox and SuperUser app, which gives you Root).
Odin: Just download any version and follow directions.
Mobile Odin: Well, this is a hell of an app, you need Root to run it.
It does all that Odin does, plus it roots your ROM (only stock ROMs) while it's flashing it, all by itself. Costs 5 bucks, but it's damned worthwhile.
Wanna know the best scenario?
You get M.O Pro, you get a nandroid back up online app, you get CWM zip files (sitting on your SD).
With that line up, you can flash whatecer the hell you want and you will ALWAYS have root.
Sent from the little guy
some questions
ONE QUICK IMPORTANT QUESTION BEFORE THE REST:
If I use mobile odin, will I be able to use it to install stock rom and also root it at the same time?
SECOND IMPORTANT QUESTION:
you said I could flash whatever I want and still have root, but my problem was not 'not having root', it was not having the flash process complete successfully... how do I attack that?
THIRD IMPORTANT... info... :
My "BUILD" version is "GINGERBREAD.XXKL5", isn't that a 'stock' one?
If you don't have a lot of time,
then the rest of this post is not as important as the 2 questions above...
gastonw said:
Couple of things:
Stock: why, when in trouble, we suggest stock?
Stock is the original state of the phone.
Samsung write it for our device to work flawless, so, by flashing stock we can check if our device is fully functional.
Imagine you flash a custom ROM and you lose IMEI, you go "wtf?" right?
In order to check if your EFS folder is f&#cked up, you flash stock and check if your IMEI is still there.
We can always use stock to take a long breath "phew, we're fine" after a f*&k up.
You can flash stock via CWM (zip file), Odin (tar file, md5) and mobile Odin (tar, zip and md5).
CWM: custom recovery, you can get it by flashing a custom kernel or by flashing it via stock Recovery (generally comes with BusyBox and SuperUser app, which gives you Root).
Odin: Just download any version and follow directions.
Mobile Odin: Well, this is a hell of an app, you need Root to run it.
It does all that Odin does, plus it roots your ROM (only stock ROMs) while it's flashing it, all by itself. Costs 5 bucks, but it's damned worthwhile.
Wanna know the best scenario?
You get M.O Pro, you get a nandroid back up online app, you get CWM zip files (sitting on your SD).
With that line up, you can flash whatecer the hell you want and you will ALWAYS have root.
Sent from the little guy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the saddest part is that I couldn't figure out most of what you just said
what is 'nandroid'? 'flashing'? do you mean like dd in linux? copying to the entire flash storage device?
'IMEI'? huh..? O_O
at the moment I was able to 'get back on my feet', I restored everything back to normal with manual copying of important parts of the CWM corrupted backup from this week, and old stuff for a CWM backup made few months ago.
now that I am at a 'normal' state.. I want to install paranoid or CM10 on my GT-I9100g.
which one of those 2 does not force me going through installing stock?
I have this fear of installing stock that it will take away my root and that I will have to use adb from command line to re-enable root afterwards, which I have bad experience with.
I need to know a few things before I attempt to install stock via CWM,
will installing stock disable my root? will installing stock disable my ability to load recovery boot menu CWM?
is 'root' an attribute or state that belongs to the running rom itself after boot has been completed and to that only?
or does it also belong to the state the device is at while in the recovery boot menu CWM ?
I tried messing around with ADB in the past to see if I could root devices via that way but it wasn't very successful so thats why I'm afraid of having to attempt it again.
bumpitybump
even though a year later, I would still love some replies
resurrecting my motivation to do this once again.
copy paste from my other post;
before flashing, you will need these;
-stock rom (get it from Sammobile, sign in and select your country and phone model)
-blazing kernel for recovery (search in XDA)
-custom rom (CM, PA, Supernexus...your choice)
-backup your data
-GApps (get the latest one)
-you must know what are you doing and dont flame/blame other member if something wrong
how to flash;
-make sure you are on latest stock rom (mine is JellyBean 4.1.2), if not like the OP, flash the latest stock rom using Odin;
*reboot your phone in Download Mode
*open Odin and in PDA option select your stock rom and then Start
*if done it will display Done and disconnect your phone, it will boot up
*if bootloop, reboot into Recovery Mode, and then wipe data and cache, and then reboot normally
-after updating your phone to latest stock rom, copy your custom rom, GApps, and Blazing kernel into external SD card, then reboot into Recovery Mode
-choose "apply update from external storage" and choose Blazing kernel, wait for it to finish update
-reboot normally, and then reboot back to Recovery Mode. this time you will notice that your recovery is different from the previous one
-select install zip > choose from external storage/sdcard 1 > and then choose your custom rom. then wait for it to finish update
-repeat the above step to install GApps, and after that reboot normally
-if bootloop, reboot back to Recovery Mode and then wipe data, cache and dalvik and then reboot
-done, now you are running on custom rom
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
and about the root, i believe that almost all custom rom rooted
Hi guys.
I am a newcomer,so go easy please.
I have spent the last few weeks researching all things root to do with my galaxy s2,I am pretty much ready to go but I am unsure about what is installed on my phone.
I got the phone second hand, it has superuser and this works for things like greenify etc, so I assume the phone is rooted, but when I boot into recovery there is no clockworkmod or anything like it.
So then I dug deeper and read warnings about trying to install clockworkmod with custom kernels etc.
How do I know what method was used for rooting, and what type of kernel I have?
Basically I want to nandroid backup before I start tinkering.
Model is GT-i9100 4.1.2 Kernel 3.0.31 - 889555.
Thanks for your time, I don't want to brick my phone on my first venture!
Steve.
Flash philz kernel tar with Odin or zip in stock recovery. That will root and give you cwm recovery :thumbup: but do read about it first. Don't just flash any old thing. Read read and read some more.
Thanks, I have read lots, not as easy as I was hoping. I might practice on my old htc desire first!
Easy way is to flash the zip as an update in stock recovery. Reboot system and you're done. Make sure you put the philz kernel zip on ext sd card not int sd.
Hi guys
Apologies if this has been posted in the wrong section.
I have recently inherited a Galaxy S2 (GT-I9100) running the CyanogenMod 12.1, Android Version 5.1.1
I have spent the last two day trying to and failing miserably to install Xposed Installer V3.0 Alpha 2, I have searched Google and read through numerous forums on how to resolve this, but the more I read the more confusing it becomes. I would really appreciate any help/assistance in helping me fix the problem, so that I can run the app without any issues. When I access the app's log it states:
data/data/de.robv,android,xposed.installer/log/error.logpen failed. ENOENT (No such file or directory)
Also, when I try to run Titanium Backup 6.1.0, I get an error stating:
Sorry, I could not acquire root privileges. This application will *not* work! Please very that your ROM is rooted, and try again.
This attempt was made using the "/system/xbin/su" command.
I have gone into Developer Options and set Root Access to Apps and ADB.
As I new to Android my understanding (please correct me if I am wrong) that the CyanogenMod 12.1 was actually a ROM and therefore Titanium Backup should work. FYI SD Maid not working.
Any help on both of these issues would be most appreciate, please bear in mind I am a noob where Android and Galaxy S2 are concerned.
Thanks in advance.
The forum for the i9100 is located here, but because it's so close to the i777 we can probably help a bit.
Sounds to me like your phone isn't rooted, as none of the apps you mention will work without root privileges. Install the latest SuperSU; you should be getting access prompts if you're correctly rooted.
If you are not prompted for root access when opening apps such as Titanium Backup, you'll need to install Framaroot and use the Aragorn exploit in order to easily root your device. Let us know if either of these work for you.
Hi Steve
Thanks for the reply.
I should have mentioned that I already have Super SU installed and for certain apps it does ask me to grant access. If open Super SU it displays the following apps:
Titanium Backup
Root Explorer
pops1368 said:
Hi Steve
Thanks for the reply.
I should have mentioned that I already have Super SU installed and for certain apps it does ask me to grant access. If open Super SU it displays the following apps:
Titanium Backup
Root Explorer
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Strange. In that case have you tried doing a complete wipe in recovery, then reinstalling the ROM? In your case you would boot into recovery, wipe /system and dalvik cache, then install ROM and gapps. Just make absolutely certain you're running a custom recovery before doing this, such as CWM (ClockworkMOD) or TWRP (TeamWin), or you could damage your device if you're on stock recovery. And, of course, make sure you have the ROM/gapps already on your device before wiping everything!
Because you inherited the device the best method would normally be to flash back to stock and start all over - if for nothing else it's a good learning experience. Hope this helps.
Hi Steve
Thanks for the reply and your advice/information, very informativinformativ.
I was trying to avoid a complete wipe and reinstalling the ROM again, as Android is new to me and I don't want to mess up the installation and wreck the phone, even it was free. However, I think I have no choice and will have to bite the bullet and do it.
Thanks once again.
pops1368 said:
Hi Steve
Thanks for the reply and your advice/information, very informativinformativ.
I was trying to avoid a complete wipe and reinstalling the ROM again, as Android is new to me and I don't want to mess up the installation and wreck the phone, even it was free. However, I think I have no choice and will have to bite the bullet and do it.
Thanks once again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As long as you have a custom recovery there's very little that can go wrong with a full wipe. I would suggest booting into recovery first (power button + both volume keys, then release at the Samsung logo) and make sure you're running either CWM or TWRP. While in recovery do a backup first, as a "just in case". You can always restore your device fully from a backup.
The next thing to remember is to make sure your ROM/gapps are compatible with one another. For instance, if you're installing a CM12 (Android 5.0+) ROM make sure your gapps are also 5.0+.
Best of luck!
When I attempt to go into Recovery Mode it does so, but opens a CyanogenMod screeb, it dies not show any options to backup/restore, it foes however have the complete wipe option. When I run ROM Manager I have done the following Recovery Setup, which now shows Recovery Already Installed:
ClockworkMod Recovery
TWRP
But I don't understand what I'm doing wrong, for neither option to be available in Recovery Mode?
pops1368 said:
When I attempt to go into Recovery Mode it does so, but opens a CyanogenMod screeb, it dies not show any options to backup/restore, it foes however have the complete wipe option. When I run ROM Manager I have done the following Recovery Setup, which now shows Recovery Already Installed:
ClockworkMod Recovery
TWRP
But I don't understand what I'm doing wrong, for neither option to be available in Recovery Mode?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Best option for you is to go to the i9100 forum and download a kernel for your phone that is compatible with the OS version you want to install (CM12, which is 5.1. in your case). With your device (as well as our i777), the kernel and recovery are fused together, so you cannot use ROM Manager to install a recovery to a separate partition.
Once you have an i9100 5.1 kernel downloaded on your phone you can flash it through the current recovery you have, then immediately reboot back into recovery. You'll then have the correct recovery and can proceed as normal with the ROM installation.
CWM absolutely has a backup/restore option, but it's hidden in a sub menu. My personal recommendation is to use TWRP recovery, as it's still being developed and is more robust/user friendly.
So as a general rule stay away from ROM Manager for system specific changes.
Thank you so much for the information/advice, I really do appreciate all of it.
Hi guys. I've been using custom ROMs for a few years now and I always used TWRP.
But lately, my banking app and some other important apps simply won't work because of my custom recovery.
Having that said, can I keep my LineageOS AND flash via Odin JUST the stock recovery to "bypass" the security these apps need? I'm using Magisk and I'm hiding root access from these apps.
What would happen if I flash the stock?
Thanks in advance!
This sounds like a device specific issue, as I use TWRP and LOS on my V20 with no issues. I'd say the banking apps aren't working because you are rooted which means MagiskHide might not be working properly.
This can also happen if you fail the SafetyNet test in Magisk depending on certain apps.
I'm not aware of a way for you to use a custom ROM with a stock recovery. It may be possible but hasn't been as far as I've seen.
I recommend asking this question in the proper Q/A section for your device (which I assume is a Samsung since you mentioned ODIN) to see if other users of that device can help you. Then, report this thread to have it closed/deleted once you have done so.
Also: Backing up with Titanium Backup isn't enough, in almost any case. Do a FULL backup from TWRP of your device, store it somewhere else like an SD card or PC and then mess around.
Redline said:
This sounds like a device specific issue, as I use TWRP and LOS on my V20 with no issues. I'd say the banking apps aren't working because you are rooted which means MagiskHide might not be working properly.
This can also happen if you fail the SafetyNet test in Magisk depending on certain apps.
I'm not aware of a way for you to use a custom ROM with a stock recovery. It may be possible but hasn't been as far as I've seen.
I recommend asking this question in the proper Q/A section for your device (which I assume is a Samsung since you mentioned ODIN) to see if other users of that device can help you. Then, report this thread to have it closed/deleted once you have done so.
Also: Backing up with Titanium Backup isn't enough, in almost any case. Do a FULL backup from TWRP of your device, store it somewhere else like an SD card or PC and then mess around.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for that. I wiped the whole thing and installed a stock ROM. Will only root now and see where it goes.
Titanium backup crashes on this phone (yes, it's a Samsung J7 Prime) if I use Magisk anyway.
I trusted my Google syncing and I kinda got a lot of backups back from the cloud. Not perfect, but acceptable.
yea you can use it
Following is the procedure :
A Nandroid Backup
The quickest way to revert your phone back to its stock ROM is to restore your Nandroid backup. Assuming you have an up-to-date one available it shouldn’t result in much — or any — data loss.
A Nandroid backup creates a complete snapshot of your phone: the operating system, apps, data, and everything else. Restoring it, therefore, restores the ROM you were using at the time. If you have a backup you took when using the stock ROM, then you’re set.
How to Restore a Nandroid Backup
Boot your phone into your custom recovery. We recommend TWRP.
Select Restore. You’ll see a list of all the available backups.
Pick a backup made using the stock ROM.
Select the partitions you want to restore. Normally this means you should check all the boxes.
Finally, swipe the bar labelled Swipe to Restore. It takes a few minutes to complete, then you can reboot.
Flash a Stock ROM
If restoring a Nandroid backup isn’t a viable option, then the next best bet is to flash a stock ROM. This comes with the added inconvenience that you will probably need to perform a factory reset along the way
There are benefits, too. You might be able to find a version of the ROM that is pre-rooted. Flashing ROMs is also really easy to do.
How to Flash a Stock ROM
Find a stock ROM for your phone. Go to forum.xda-developers.com and locate the forum for your device. Stock ROMs are often found in stickied posts at the top of the development boards.
Download the ROM to your phone.
Backup all your data.
Boot into recovery.
Select Wipe to reset your phone. This is optional (if you don’t want to bother with backing up and restoring), but you may encounter bugs or even get stuck in a bootloop if you don’t do it. Swipe the bar to begin the wipe.
From the recovery home screen, select Install and navigate your way to the stock ROM you downloaded.
Swipe the bar to begin installation. You can reboot your phone when it’s finished.
Flash a Factory Image
The ultimate method for getting your phone back to stock is to flash a factory image. This reverts your phone almost to the state it was in when you first unboxed it. All you need to do afterwards is lock the bootloader, and your device will be completely factory fresh.
How to Flash a Factory Image
The procedure to flash a factory image can differ from one device to another. In the case of a Pixel, the steps are simple:
Download and setup the ADB and Fastboot tools.
Download the factory image from the Android website. Unzip the download on your desktop.
Connect your phone via USB and boot into Fastboot mode.
Launch the command line or terminal app.
At the command prompt run flash-all.bat on Windows, or flash-all.sh on Mac or Linux.
Wait for it to finish, then reboot.