Hi all,
I installed CM11 onto my S5830i (GB) and managed to get it all working. I had to install S5360_XXMK1 modem and a newer version of CWM to prevent the "Status 7" error. Anyway, it all worked and I had CM11 up and running. Unfortunately, I had to remove it, I couldn't click any links in the browser and the browser was slow as all buggery even on a fast wifi connection. So I fired up Odin and tried to put the stock firmware on (i don't have an original state backup, the phone came with a custom rom on it already). I got these files
CSC_S5830i_BTUMD1.tar.md5
MODEM_S5830i_XXMD1.tar.md5
PDA_S5830i_XXMD1.tar.md5
But something's messing up, after Odin does its thing and the phone restarts, I notice something on the screen during restart saying it failed to format the /data partition. When I let the phone boot up normally it just stays on the "Samsung" startup animation forever. If I go into samsung recovery and try to do a factory reset, this is what I see
Code:
-- Wiping data...
Formatting /data...
E:format_volume: rfs format failed on /dev/stl11
Formatting /cache...
Data wipe complete.
Obviously, something's wrong there, can anyone tell me how to fix it pleeeeese, I'd be eternally grateful.
Thanks
NS
EDIT: I think the CM install may have messed around with my partitioning. I do not have a pit file for the phone (GB Version) and am reluctant to be using the re-partition option in Odin. I can find pit files online, but they're either not the correct version or the poster doesn't even say what version it is. I am just so lost and confused with all this.
@NicSure, Flashing wrong base band into your Ace-i is ill advised mate, go to CM11 discussion topic and read my comments . ( You will damage your EFS partition,thus device may become hard bricked in many cases)
As for troubleshooting : Already explained all of the instructions in details in many places, So I will provide links/hints for now. If your problem persisted, let us know
Here we go mate:
1. Official source for your stock firmware CSC/MODEM/PDA >> this page (sammobile.com)
2. Study this topic to get the hang of Wipe flash-able packages,,, How to produce them, Boot looder and pit files required for the process , etc etc,, all well instructed here
3. Read few last pages of this topic; my comments; for more insight into your problem. Please be advised you have already converted your partitions into MTD ,therefore formatting /data ( concerting back into RFS partitions ) might be failure through CWM/e3 recovery >> Odin process is required for"stl11" .
Hope I did help you
ehsanotaku said:
@NicSure, Flashing wrong base band into your Ace-i is ill advised mate, go to CM11 discussion topic and read my comments . ( You will damage your EFS partition,thus device may become hard bricked in many cases)
As for troubleshooting : Already explained all of the instructions in details in many places, So I will provide links/hints for now. If your problem persisted, let us know
Here we go mate:
1. Official source for your stock firmware CSC/MODEM/PDA >> this page (sammobile.com)
2. Study this topic to get the hang of Wipe flash-able packages,,, How to produce them, Boot looder and pit files required for the process , etc etc,, all well instructed here
3. Read few last pages of this topic; my comments; for more insight into your problem. Please be advised you have already converted your partitions into MTD ,therefore formatting /data ( concerting back into RFS partitions ) might be failure through CWM/e3 recovery >> Odin process is required for"stl11" .
Hope I did help you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks but you were too technical. I have been to a lot of those pages you linked and it's not all obvious what's going on. You spoke about "base band", I have no idea what that is. I have no idea what RFS, MTD
are (file systems?), not do I know where to get a bootloader from. Sam mobile won't let me download anything without paying and/or signing up which I'm reluctant to do. I'll re-read the posts you linked to (I had already seen them) and see if something starts to make more sense.
For instance:
"Please be advised you have already converted your partitions into MTD ,therefore formatting /data ( concerting back into RFS partitions ) might be failure through CWM/e3 recovery >> Odin process is required for"stl11"
May as well have been in Klingon, I didn't understand a word of it.
EDIT:
I've reviewed those threads again. Seems I need to use split fus on the downloaded file from SamMobile (which I had to register to download, not happy about that) and use the "wipe" versions. I need a pit file, there's no info anywhere on how to get that. So I've just done a general google and hopefully I've downloaded one (more info on that is needed in the tuts). And the bootloader is attached to the unbrick thread, but, is that the ONLY bootloader? Do I need a specific one for my region? Do I need a specific pit file for my region? All this info is not supplied anywhere, Newcomers are not going to know this stuff and it needs to be made clear in the tutorials. Most of the tuts have broken links (split fus for instance), so I'm not sure if the stuff I googled is actually the same. Absolute nightmare.
NicSure said:
You spoke about "base band", I have no idea what that is.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please read the link was provided for your convenient. ( Absolutely suitable for beginners).
NicSure said:
I have no idea what RFS, MTD
are (file systems?)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
"Robust File System" is more or less equivalent to your FAT/FAT32 of your PC ( Samsung file system Format,, not going to add "Journalling system" to the mix, since you are not a sport ,,FYI : You are supposed to know common terms such as MTD , RFS when you are massing with CM11 mate >> Read the first page thoroughly, before start experimenting with Cyanogen stuff,,,
MTD (Memory Technology Device) supports YAFFS2 as a file system residing on it and is considered some type of of Partition Map.
NicSure said:
not do I know where to get a boot loader from. Sam mobile won't let me download anything without paying and/or signing up which I'm reluctant to do
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Again actually start reading this topic ( quite self explanatory).
NicSure said:
Seems I need to use split fus on the downloaded file from SamMobile (which I had to register to download, not happy about that) and use the "wipe" versions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This topic contains well made Wipe packages ( European version is compatible with your device, If you are reluctant to register though).
NicSure said:
I need a pit file, there's no info anywhere.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Again, Read the topic I mentioned above. You are on Cooperve device, so be aware of wrong file ( "cooperve_0623.pit" resided inside Odin3.v3.07.Cooperve folder) All of the related links already provided , Just take your time and read mate.
I'd already read the posts you linked to multiple times thank you. They may be "straight forward" to you, but I can assure you they are certainly not so for a newcomer. Too many things are vague, missing or not explained properly.
In any case, I managed to get the stock firmware back on after trawling the internet for a .pit file, downloading the firmware, splitting it, taking the wipe versions with the pit and the bootloader and using Odin to fully flash the phone back to stock firmware, Finally. The tuts here are indeed a lot of help, but so so so disjointed.
Also, why would changing the base band effect the file system? How could it cause physical damage to NAND memory. I'm confused. I assume you mean physical damage, because if not, why would it be ill-advised to change it if it could just be changed back with no ill-effects?
@NicSure, First of all Thanks button implanted here for a good reason and most likely you are the first person who was complaining about my assistance (How information is organized and distributed for new commers is not my responsibility nor distribution of step-by-step instructions ) . Second of all You were complaining about the technical terms and jargon, But know you are asking for technical reason in regard of the consequences of flashing Galaxy Y GT-S5360 inside your ACE-i device !
I did mention about EFS partition corruption, which renders your device mobile network communication useless and hard bricking of your device.which is a phone that shows no signs of power-on and will not access download mode with button combo. You did assume wrong mate.
Generally speaking, Carriers use different radio frequencies in our respective countries , Different Devices do contain different modem hardware inside, So you are not encouraged to do what you have done in the first place.
If you are not flashing the correct versions for your phone , or if the flash gets interrupted there’s a good chance you will Hard Brick your device, thus we may need hardwired access to modify/erase and rewrite chip's code ( Service is required).
When a phone is in a hard-bricked state it’s most likely that the bootloaders, which is the phones initial code to launch the phones ROM, becomes corrupted.
The only way to revive the phone is to rewrite the bootloader code, because the phone does not power on ., So you see so many things could go wrong :silly:
ehsanotaku said:
@NicSure, First of all Thanks button implanted here for a good reason and most likely you are the first person who was complaining about my assistance (How information is organized and distributed for new commers is not my responsibility nor distribution of step-by-step instructions ) . Second of all You were complaining about the technical terms and jargon, But know you are asking for technical reason in regard of the consequences of flashing Galaxy Y GT-S5360 inside your ACE-i device !
I did mention about EFS partition corruption, which renders your device mobile network communication useless and hard bricking of your device.which is a phone that shows no signs of power-on and will not access download mode with button combo. You did assume wrong mate.
Generally speaking, Carriers use different radio frequencies in our respective countries , Different Devices do contain different modem hardware inside, So you are not encouraged to do what you have done in the first place.
If you are not flashing the correct versions for your phone , or if the flash gets interrupted there’s a good chance you will Hard Brick your device, thus we may need hardwired access to modify/erase and rewrite chip's code ( Service is required).
When a phone is in a hard-bricked state it’s most likely that the bootloaders, which is the phones initial code to launch the phones ROM, becomes corrupted.
The only way to revive the phone is to rewrite the bootloader code, because the phone does not power on ., So you see so many things could go wrong :silly:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Firstly, I'm not complaining, I'm criticizing, there's a difference. I was critical of your language and terminology as it didn't match the links you posted. Also the level of technical talk you used toward a clear newbie who would obviously never understand it without clarification. If that offends you then I'm sorry, I'm just speaking my mind. Help offered, no matter how kindly or freely is useless if it cannot be understood. I generally take a very irritated approach to people who post links (with the implication that the information is freely available if you'd bother to look) in response to perfectly polite questions, especially when I'd already read ALL the posts you linked to before and had trouble with them, that is why I posted, to get a little more basic understanding, not be presented with links to material I'd already read and needed help with. Also, after some researching, with regard to the base-band, I think you're wrong, there's no way flashing a different base-band separately could effect the bootloader, no way at all. I seriously doubt it could even cause corruption, that's liek saying installing the incorrect driver for a graphics card on a PC could corrupt the file system, just no. So far I've flashed many many different MODEM types onto my phone to try to test this, in some caes the phone boots, in some cases it doesn't etc.. Not once has the phone failed to go into Odin flash mode, and if it can get to that, it can be restored. So based on research and some experimental evidence conducted to test your assertion, I'd have to say that my initial findings are that your assertion is probably incorrect.
Also I learn very quickly. My knowledge of the subject had increased dramatically from my first post to my second. I learned c++ in a day for example, and was posting similar newbie questions on programming forums to which I was later replying with a level of knowledge that wasn't consistent with my initial post. It's just me, sorry about that. And thanks for trying to help, but I got it myself.
NicSure said:
... I can assure you they are certainly not so for a newcomer. Too many things are vague, missing or not explained properly. In any case, I managed to get the stock firmware back on after trawling the internet for a .pit file, downloading the firmware, splitting it, taking the wipe versions with the pit and the bootloader and using Odin to fully flash the phone back to stock firmware, Finally. The tuts here are indeed a lot of help, but so so so disjointed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dear NicSure, I am in the same situation as yours, I was planning to "simply" (or maybe wrongly?) use Odin 3.09 and flash the Splitted files from here (http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-ace/s5830i-develop/stock-rom-odin-flashable-firmware-t3002776).
But you mentioned that also the ".pit" file is needed. Could you guide me through the process you followed to have back a Stock from CM11 ROM?
Thank you in advance!
thePanz said:
I was planning to "simply" (or maybe wrongly?) use Odin 3.09 and flash the Splitted files from here (http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-ace/s5830i-develop/stock-rom-odin-flashable-firmware-t3002776).
But you mentioned that also the ".pit" file is needed. Could you guide me through the process you followed to have back a Stock from CM11 ROM?
Thank you in advance!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Per your request/confirmation @ development section/twr topic i would resume troubleshooting .
What is your device variation (5830i/C/M/V/5839i ) ? Do you have any Nandroid back up left inside your SD card from your original stock firmware partitions ? Can you see your IMEI number , when you are dialing "*#06#" ? Your original stock CSC/PDA/MODEM you are coming from ? Your Region / Country / carrier you are staying with at the moment and please give me the Totoro Modem part you did flash to get into the CM11 ? and for addressing part of your primary queries , Odin 3.07 works very well with variation I mentioned above ( you could use 3.09 with no harm though , but not recommended ) . Pit file also must be relevant, otherwise you will hard brick your device in many cases I observed .
Related
Being newly interested in rooting and tweaking my devices (started with my S3) there are a lot of terms that are mentioned in customizing threads that I do not understand, and a lot of those threads don't have detailed instructions for someone that's new to tweaking. Is there one post somewhere on xda that lists terms, methods, etc for newcomers like me?
I don't trust any forum other than xda because I simply think its the best forum for tweaking, etc so I don't really trust links outside xda. I also know that the way some things need to be done is device specific.
I'm confused about how to "flash" something in "recovery' (such as removing the wifi notification thread), flashing a custom recovery, using Goomanager to flash, etc. Don't get me wrong; I can follow detailed instructions as long as they are there......but if they aren't, that leaves me and a great deal of newcomers in the dark.
Some of these things are done via the phone and some have to be done via PC....and many times there aren't detailed instructions so I'm unsure what I an supposed to do and don't want to brick a $700 device.
So....is this information contained in all separate posts throughout the forum? Or is there one thread per device that details it? Being as some of these things are device specific, I'm hesitant to even look in other device forums.
Thanks for reading, and any assistance is appreciated.
wolfgrrl said:
Being newly interested in rooting and tweaking my devices (started with my S3) there are a lot of terms that are mentioned in customizing threads that I do not understand, and a lot of those threads don't have detailed instructions for someone that's new to tweaking. Is there one post somewhere on xda that lists terms, methods, etc for newcomers like me?
I don't trust any forum other than xda because I simply think its the best forum for tweaking, etc so I don't really trust links outside xda. I also know that the way some things need to be done is device specific.
I'm confused about how to "flash" something in "recovery' (such as removing the wifi notification thread), flashing a custom recovery, using Goomanager to flash, etc. Don't get me wrong; I can follow detailed instructions as long as they are there......but if they aren't, that leaves me and a great deal of newcomers in the dark.
Some of these things are done via the phone and some have to be done via PC....and many times there aren't detailed instructions so I'm unsure what I an supposed to do and don't want to brick a $700 device.
So....is this information contained in all separate posts throughout the forum? Or is there one thread per device that details it? Being as some of these things are device specific, I'm hesitant to even look in other device forums.
Thanks for reading, and any assistance is appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, this can be a complex arena to play in. For the S4, you'll want to download Odin v3.07 and a copy of the stock ROM just in case you break something.
> http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2289325
> http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2189539
ROM = read-only memory - this is the part of your phone's internal storage you're not really supposed to be able to play with (like /system, or the phone's radio for example)
The act of "flashing" is writing data to ROM
Recovery just means that you should always be able to boot your device into this mode to RECOVER from a software problem; IE: flashing a bad ROM (IE: one that doesn't work and you can't start your phone anymore).
I don't really know a whole lot more than that, I just poke around and pretend like I do =)
OverkillSD said:
Well, this can be a complex arena to play in. For the S4, you'll want to download Odin v3.07 and a copy of the stock ROM just in case you break something.
> http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2289325
> http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2189539
ROM = read-only memory - this is the part of your phone's internal storage you're not really supposed to be able to play with (like /system, or the phone's radio for example)
The act of "flashing" is writing data to ROM
Recovery just means that you should always be able to boot your device into this mode to RECOVER from a software problem; IE: flashing a bad ROM (IE: one that doesn't work and you can't start your phone anymore).
I don't really know a whole lot more than that, I just poke around and pretend like I do =)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks As I learn more, I think I'm going to make a post that contains everything I learn, so others have it all in one place.
Well, there's a LOT to learn...like I said; complex arena. So much so that there's no way to make a single post take you from newbie to knowledgeable newbie in one read.
Then there's Google;
"what is rom"
"what is flashing rom"
"what is recovery mode android"
Eliminates the need for said post
Plus, by the time you get it all written, it will have all changed ^_^
Hi all
Recently I upgraded from Samsungs stock 4.1.2 firmware to CyanogenMod 10.2 Stable (based on 4.3.1) using their installer program. Since upgrading the Wifi has been unusable and I have not managed to get the problem resolved through their forums so I have decided to go back to the stock rom.
Now that Samsung have re-released 4.3 for the S3 in the UK (after the one from last month which was pulled for problems) I would like to use this one as it fixes a bluetooth streaming issue I have endured for a long time. I can't find this new firmware for download anywhere so wondered if it is feasible to download say the stock rom 4.1.2 and then upgrade somehow? I have a red line on the bootup screen which shows it has been modified (which triangle away won't remove due to custom rom/bootloader or something like that) so I believe this means I will be blocked from then upgrading from 4.3 OTA but able to do so with Kies?
Being a novice at this I am obviously worried about breaking my phone and I am not sure if having i9300XXEMG4 as a baseband version is an issue among other things after reading the forums. As much as I have read about EFS and the downgrading modem problems, none of it is making sense to me at the moment, even after reading all the documents. Brain freeze maybe!
The cyanogenMod also changed recovery and unlocked the bootloader going by what I have read, is this an issue I need to worry about?
Any advice that can take away some worries and get me on the right path would be muchly appreciated!
You are posting in the wrong forum .
UNDERSTAND FIRST
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2362743
Network IMEI EFS
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2393289
Downgrade and network problems .
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2531221
JJEgan said:
You are posting in the wrong forum .
UNDERSTAND FIRST
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2362743
Network IMEI EFS
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2393289
Downgrade and network problems .
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2531221
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for your post. I did follow a link in the !!ALL QUESTIONS GO IN THE Q&A FORUM!! OR THEY MAY BE DELETED!! sticky thread which took me to the Q&A forum where I thought I was posting. It is possible a confusion happened during the sign up process.
After reading those threads, two of which I had already read before posting, I have more understanding than I did before. Somehow I missed about the S3 not having a locked bootlader to begin with. I have backup up the EFS using Ktool but also understand it would have been more useful to do before flashing CM 10.2 as I now only have a EFS v2 backup rather than a version 1. What I am unsure of is what is my best action to take at the moment, going by the information I have. I can it is best not to go downgrade to earlier firmwares unless I wanted an added headache of the modem workarounds but do not see the best way to get back to a stock 4.3 firmware still.
I am on Three mobile (H3G) in the UK but don't think my phone is actually locked to them and don't know if that means the BTU is the option I should be choosing. Even so, when I check the firmwares on http://www.sammobile.com/firmwares/2/ I can only see a firmware added last month which I have to assume is the bad 4.3 update that hit the UK and was pulled after the problems it caused. If it was my best option for flashing, even with the problems it caused, how would I then go about getting the extra update that Samsung pushed out to fix the problem?
I saw the Korean factory flash in one of the threads too, not sure if this is too extreme (and potentially more dangerous) than the other options which may be available to me.
Obviously I would like to do this right the first time, rather than stumble backwards fixing all the mistakes I make at the time. So sorry if I am asking what may be simple to some. My knowledge of phones sucks and I wish I hadn't been tempted by the easy looking Cyanogenmod installer now!
Noticed after a few cache and devlik cleans and reboots that the wifi started working on the CM 10.2 mod but only for the main browser and hit and miss with google play. Every over app didn't work on wifi though, but did on cell. I googled all over to see many with similar problems, which suggested manually setting the time and date and static ip settings, clean davlik and updating play apps after deleting their cache.
None of them worked. So to potentially getting away from flashing, does anyone know any other ideas to resolve this? Wifi connects, stock google browser works, Play works flakey. Other installed browsers wont load any pages or connect to the net, such as speed testing app. The only unusual app that also works in a twitter app. Installed an app to see if there was a hidden proxy setting, but it found nothing, Really strange. All the apps work on cell.
Follow the guide in general forum, stickies, to flash back to stock BTU. Network lock is irrelevant to rom.
Choose either 4.1.2 or 4.3 but your baseband must be EMG or later as you now have efs v2.
Don't flash things you don't fully understand, any non Samsung rom has drawbacks you'll have to live with.
In the stickies is a world of information supposed to help you.
boomboomer said:
Follow the guide in general forum, stickies, to flash back to stock BTU. Network lock is irrelevant to rom.
Choose either 4.1.2 or 4.3 but your baseband must be EMG or later as you now have efs v2.
Don't flash things you don't fully understand, any non Samsung rom has drawbacks you'll have to live with.
In the stickies is a world of information supposed to help you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Appreciate you giving me a direction to go. It seems the problem I had finding firmwares the last few days were due to Hotfile going offline and Sammobile rebuilding their index of firmwares. I found through the forums 4.3 BTU I9300XXUGMJ9_I9300OXAGMJ9_BTU.zip which contained a 1.5GB file called I9300XXUGMJ9_I9300OXAGMJ9_I9300XXUGMJ9_HOME.tar.md5 which I think is the correct one which I will try and flash later using the guides. It's not the new fixed 4.3, it's the older broken one but I guess in time I can apply the fix that Samsung are pushing out. This was part of my original question and now i have seen from other posts in the last few days that there is no full copy of the 4.3 anywhere.
The timing of me doing this appears to have been bad for a few of the above reasons, making working it out more difficult to work out for someone who has not done this before.
I can see from your signature and also your post that you think questions such as mine are easily answered in the various threads and through search. Personally I did try all those options first but either my lack of understanding or the overwhelming amount of information meant I was unsure as to what I should actually be doing, let alone which guide to follow. Even googling for BTU or searching xda to try and find what it means was fruitless so trying to put the pieces together is not easy if you have no experience with phones. I have programmed a Pi to do many tasks, built mainframe>SAS gateways and various technical challenges but I still struggle with all the phone flashing info
Many thanks again. Even a few words have been helpful
If you flash the kernel from the Chinese ZCUBMK it will fix all the broken parts of the current uk rom, until the latest ota emerges on xda.
I don't mind helping people who have made a genuine attempt to help themselves, my signature is aimed at the those who flash anything they find then demand someone give them an instant fix.
Your only mistake seems to have been the depth of research before you started, which could have been fatal to your phone -many first time flashes end up with a new motherboard required.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk
If the ota doesn't work in the next few day's I will try that kernel, thanks for that info!
I managed to flash the older official 4.3 firmware just now, so progress has been made A quick check shows me that the power on/lock screen lag problem is present so I assume the other issues will be there too. The red line showing the flash counter has gone and I got no modified phone error when attempting an ota update, as well as device status saying official, so I assume I should be able to upgrade that way when they allow more upgrades on the rollout server.
In case anyone else needs to do the same, this is what I did:
1) Downloaded https://mega.co.nz/#!DVxVgZZb!LIxKGA2Q_KbBH9APo_slOCdZNGJgfn1O6fxOF4C OkHA which I found via a thread titled [Official Firmwares] I9300XXUGMJ9 (Android 4.3) - Ireland (VDI) [04-11-13]
2) Followed the flashing instructions on this page
3) After flashing I got stuck at the Samsung boot screen with the blue light on, even after reseting a few times. So I powered off, held down the home button, volume up and then the power button which took me to the recovery screen where I chose the factory default option. All worked fine after that.
Thanks once again for your help with this boomboomer. A bit of direction was enough to give me the confidence to try it. It's nice to be back to a familiar interface (although it has changed from the 4.1.2 I had before) but the initial setup reminded me of all the bloatware installed. It's a fair bit slower than CyanogenMod was but it all seems to work ok. Once I get the ota update i'll root and freeze some apps to sort that out. Now to install TSF shell
Hello everyone,
I did the same mistake again by updating my S2 from GingerBread to IceCreamSandwitch without calibrating the horizontal accelerometere, and now my phone sensor is a bit off "to the left"
(when i play games like " Trial ", the phone is supposed to be in the "normal" position so the rider should not move at all but in my case he is always going back {like am rotating the phone to the left} so i have to rotate the phone about 15 degrees to the right in order to be "normal" )
Unless you have a better solution for this problem cause seriously, why on earth there is only a gyroscope calibration for a device that have more than that sensor >_< !??!
anyway
i would really appreciate if your link me to all the necessary files to downgrade from ICS to GB,
IMPORTANT:
i don't want to root my phone cause i will update to official ICS again
SOLVED
i just need the PDA file which i found my model here : http://www.androidfirmwares.net/
thank you
Maybe post in the dedicated forum for that device lol
You mean you did the same thing on your S2 as you did on your S Advance 6 weeks ago ? If so, go get the rom files you need from Samfirmware, flash with Odin following instructions in thread stickied near top of Q&A titled 'Flash Stock firmware'.
If you're still talking about your S Advance then yeah, you're obviously in the wrong place.
MistahBungle said:
You mean you did the same thing on your S2 as you did on your S Advance 6 weeks ago ? If so, go get the rom files you need from Samfirmware, flash with Odin following instructions in thread stickied near top of Q&A titled 'Flash Stock firmware'.
If you're still talking about your S Advance then yeah, you're obviously in the wrong place.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes that's exactly what happened (am with S2 now) and i actually tried both Samsung-updates and samfirmwares but the search results contain Roms for 4.1.2, 4.0.3 and 4.0.4 i might be searching in the wrong place though so i would really appreciate it if you post a link for me
thank you very much
If you can't find GB firmware at those two places, you can try AndroidFirmwares.net, but they probably won't have what you want either. If they don't, you're probably SOOL; try Google searches or use something else (or do a bunch of XDA searches, you might get lucky & someone might have uploaded it somewhere & linked to it in a thread way back).
Edit - You need to use the pulldown boxes @ Samfirmware better, there's plenty of GB firmwares available. If there isn't one for your country/carrier, you're going to have to use something else.
MistahBungle said:
If you can't find GB firmware at those two places, you can try AndroidFirmwares.net, but they probably won't have what you want either. If they don't, you're probably SOOL; try Google searches or use something else (or do a bunch of XDA searches, you might get lucky & someone might have uploaded it somewhere & linked to it in a thread way back).
Edit - You need to use the pulldown boxes @ Samfirmware better, there's plenty of GB firmwares available. If there isn't one for your country/carrier, you're going to have to use something else.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanx man i'll keep looking, but just a question, is it really impossible to recalibrate the accelerometer on Android 4.1.2 ?
i am 100% sure that it's not a hardware problem so why there is no way to fix that
No idea, never had a problem with it myself. Hopper8 had issues with it maybe 12 mths ago & searched high/low for a solution went really 'in depth' with it. Maybe search for his threads on that issue/from about that time.
MistahBungle said:
No idea, never had a problem with it myself. Hopper8 had issues with it maybe 12 mths ago & searched high/low for a solution went really 'in depth' with it. Maybe search for his threads on that issue/from about that time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you, i checked that but it seems that he is facing problem with the gyroscope mine is an accelerometer problem (i make casual mobile games for a living and i made a little accelerometer test, it is simple 18 degree "wrong" to the left)
anyway,
i found this website : AndroidFirmwares.net - News and am downloading this firmware the bad news is that i have no idea where to find the .pit file, cause as i remember with my S-Advance (and my old S too) i need a pit file to use with Odin right ? and it's always a very small size,
any help with that please ?
Don't touch a PIT file unless:-
A) You have a specific reason to.
B) You know what you're doing.
I've seen literally hundreds (and no doubt there has been many more I haven't seen) of people flashing PIT files when they absolutely didn't need to brick their phones on here over the past 2 & a bit yrs (almost always a case like yours of simply needing to flash a one part stock firmware to fix, but people have to over-complicate things).
Neither A nor B applies to you, so don't do it. If you think what I've said is overkill, I'm merely trying to save you from having to throw your phone in the bin.
MistahBungle said:
Don't touch a PIT file unless:-
A) You have a specific reason to.
B) You know what you're doing.
I've seen literally hundreds (and no doubt there has been many more I haven't seen) of people flashing PIT files when they absolutely didn't need to brick their phones on here over the past 2 & a bit yrs (almost always a case like yours of simply needing to flash a one part stock firmware to fix, but people have to over-complicate things).
Neither A nor B applies to you, so don't do it. If you think what I've said is overkill, I'm merely trying to save you from having to throw your phone in the bin.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you,
so following what you said, i only need to select the downloaded firmware from the PDA button and press start ?
Remark :
i tried that and i got this error :
"Can't open the serial(COM) port."
Since kies is completely closed and am 100% that i have the USB direver installed (phone detected and i've done that before)
i am going to assume that my cable or my ports are the cause of the problem, if you have a better suggestion please illuminate me, otherwise i'll try with different cable/PC tonight and keep you updated, lastly i REALLY hope that an expert android developer or maybe someone that can spread this problem for more people cause it is VERY annoying to have to do this for such a minor problem just because the OS developers have forgot or didn't want to allow us to adjust all the phone sensors ...
Note that after this downgrade, i will have to upgrade again and restore all my previous data,setting, apps again... and that is a real painful waste of time >_< !!!
Hopper8's 'Odin troubleshooting' thread stickied in the General section has all the info/stuff you need to try in order to get a successful flash.
MistahBungle said:
Hopper8's 'Odin troubleshooting' thread stickied in the General section has all the info/stuff you need to try in order to get a successful flash.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you very much, changing the cable solved this, the phone is back to stock again :victory:
just in case someone face this,
i got a SplashScreen loop (my SplashScreen is changed from TIM {italian operator} to the default samsung wich is another victory for me :highfive: )
anyway,
that was simply solved by booting into recovery mode and wipe all data
Edit :
Samsung Kies doesn't detect new update anymore, i think that is because i only used PDA in Odine ?
i'll have to update with Odine again (it take less time than kies anyway)
Hi guys n girls,
I am sort of new to the Ace section here. I am doing a re-vamp of my mum's phone and said I would spruce it up a little. Shame there is no decent CM 9 versions that I can get working because of lack of RAM....the only one listed (no disrespect to the dev - thanks for making it available on such a low spec device!) but it doesn't work with my Optus GT S5830V (5830I) for some reason?
Anyway to my point, I have downloaded several versions of the stock firmware from Sammobile. The odd thing is that I cannot extract that firmware at all. Every archive program I have sees it as either being not an archive; corrupt or fails to extract it? So I am unable to make my own 4 part Odin recovery package. Making my own will save time; at the moment I have to flash the 4 part Odin (return to stock) package, then reboot into download mode again and then flash the stock firmware?
3 things I noted.
1). The device is not detected by the so called Odin specific for Ace and variants that uses an Ops type PIT file? The device is plugged in and all drivers upto date....it' just plain doesn't see it? It is however detected and flashable (albeit without an .ops file) using the 4 part package on Odin 3.07 made for my Galaxy S3?
2). I am unable to get any detection with EFS pro and it returns no PIT file?
3). All attempts to extract the stock Optus firmware package fail. I have removed the .MD5 file extension (only needed for preserving file naming conventions anyway - i.e. If you rename any .tar.md5 firmware package, in order to be able to flash it you need only to remove the .md5 from the end and leaving it as .tar and the firmware will flash without error. I digress.....What does someone suggest for me to being able to make my own firmware package based on stock?
First off, wrong section.
Jarmezrocks said:
Shame there is no decent CM 9 versions that I can get working because of lack of RAM....the only one listed (no disrespect to the dev - thanks for making it available on such a low spec device!) but it doesn't work with my Optus GT S5830V (5830I) for some reason?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) We don't have a stable CM9 because our devs don't have the source code for all the drivers, not lack of RAM.
2) Have you formatted your system's partitions to the EXT4 filesystem? CM requires an EXT4 filesystem to operate.
Jarmezrocks said:
Anyway to my point, I have downloaded several versions of the stock firmware from Sammobile. The odd thing is that I cannot extract that firmware at all. Every archive program I have sees it as either being not an archive; corrupt or fails to extract it? So I am unable to make my own 4 part Odin recovery package. Making my own will save time; at the moment I have to flash the 4 part Odin (return to stock) package, then reboot into download mode again and then flash the stock firmware?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Jarmezrocks said:
3). All attempts to extract the stock Optus firmware package fail. I have removed the .MD5 file extension (only needed for preserving file naming conventions anyway - i.e. If you rename any .tar.md5 firmware package, in order to be able to flash it you need only to remove the .md5 from the end and leaving it as .tar and the firmware will flash without error. I digress.....What does someone suggest for me to being able to make my own firmware package based on stock?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The tar.md5 file has to split into the PDA, CSC, Modem and PIT files using Odinatrix. Search for it.
Jarmezrocks said:
3 things I noted.
1). The device is not detected by the so called Odin specific for Ace and variants that uses an Ops type PIT file? The device is plugged in and all drivers upto date....it' just plain doesn't see it? It is however detected and flashable (albeit without an .ops file) using the 4 part package on Odin 3.07 made for my Galaxy S3?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Odin specific for Ace you stated above might be for GT-S5830. For the variants running the Broadcom BCM21553 the Odin version to use is v1.84. Odin v3.07 is more like a universal Odin that works on most devices.
Jarmezrocks said:
2). I am unable to get any detection with EFS pro and it returns no PIT file?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know about this.
NightRaven49 said:
First off, wrong section.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why? I was not actually asking for support as such, just sharing what I learnt/noticed.
NightRaven49 said:
1) We don't have a stable CM9 because our devs don't have the source code for all the drivers, not lack of RAM.
2) Have you formatted your system's partitions to the EXT4 filesystem? CM requires an EXT4 filesystem to operate.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes I am aware of that. I actually did attempt to flash the CM9 developer package several times all without result.
I tried many methods, firstly the conventional method and then several other unconventional methods. I first flashed CWM recovery 6.0.0.x (something around there) and that was ok but it could not detect the partitions....naturally I was on the standard firmware!
So I then flashed Thunder kernel which allowed recovery to see and mount all the partitions as well as prepare for a CM firmware flash. As I knew that CM required EXT4 I was prepared and flashed Rio's Ext4-RFS conversion script via Aroma in recovery. This worked very well. Only issue was that in doing so it corrupts the system partition and then I am unable to mount it anymore to flash CM.
Returning to stock or even attempting a nandroid restore from this point forward was fruitless as you can imagine. I tried several other combinations before retiring the idea. These included full system wipe after flashing CWM recovery (I figured maybe having data on the partitions its self could be interferring with the EXT conversion scripts? Everything seemed fine and ran correctly as expected only no system mounting.
I tried another method of flashing a ROM that included a kernel with it based on CM7 in the hopes that migrating to CM9 would be easier; this was not the case.
I picked a CM7 ROM that had a conversion script built in for BML to MTD. After returning to stock base via Odin I proceeded to flash recovery 6.0.0.x again, then I immediately flashed CM7 in the hope that I would kill two birds with 1 stone and have CM do its conversion on the fly as well as install (alleviating the need for mounting system after migrating to Ext4). This ROM installed without fault. All was well until I rebooted expecting to boot into CM7....this wasn't the case, I received bootloops like crazy. Naturally I booted into recovery (the ROM had downgraded me to version 5.x CWM recovery - that is fine anyway); I proceeded by clearing the caches and performing a factory reset (note This usually a good thing to do anyway regardless if you came from a clean reset factory firmware or not).
After doing this and rebooting the device reboots continuously as it did prior. I again decided to re-install the same zip as I am aware with changing to CM on many other devices it can sometimes require flashing 2-3 (and sometimes even 4) times for a firmware update to stick. Again still no response and forever bootloops. I decided at this point that if I was to waste the time and effort in Odin'ing back to stock AND THEN flashing my standard firmware that I should try another CM ROM.
I had CM9 available and even though half hour prior I was unable to mount the the system partition, I thought maybe that CM7 had been flashed first so if CM9 can see and mount partitions (like it should have originally) then I could flash CM9 in a hope that it might wipe out what ever was causing all the issues with bootloops.
CM9 installed correctly, however again I could not boot the device at all! I had read a post from a forum member's guide saying that if I got some of these issues that I should flash back to base and try it again. I did this another 3-4,5 times at least, various combinations of wiping base firmware, not wiping base firmware, wiping CM7; not wiping CM7......Always the end result = bootloops.
As you can imagine it was rather annoying if I was returning to base firmware (if I wanted to be stock carrier branded again I needed to flash twice, once to return to stock and again to flash Optus firmware.
Overall I was unable to get any firmware booting besides that which was provided as an Odin package AKA stock firmware. If I flashed a custom recovery over stock firmware I was unable to boot again. Oddly enough I found a standalone version of CWM recovery version 5 that was not CM specific and I performed a backup as it was able to see the stock partitions without throwing errors.
I then opted to do a conversion to EXT4 again and hoped that I could just restore my nandroid backup of the stock partitions like recommended in may of the guides for Galaxy Ace.
Unfortunately again I was unable to boot and the partitions become unmountable leading to yet again flashing back to base unbranded, then flashing stock carrier branded firmware (this has the correct modem for the carrier and region).
At this point I retired the idea of custom firmware. I will later root the device and just leave it on 2.3.7 and do internal/external SDcard swap and flash a theme and maybe a few compatible APKs from newer stock firmwares (at least ICS) to achieve the functionality I was hoping to have by flashing and using ICS. I found the best and most simplest way of achieving this was through Moto-Chopper Root method and adb, most of the documented ways of achieving root on the Ace don't work for the S5830V for some reason. So I will stick with what works.
NightRaven49 said:
The tar.md5 file has to split into the PDA, CSC, Modem and PIT files using Odinatrix. Search for it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the tip. :good: I have downloaded this ready now, so I will investigate how this goes? It looks very similar to a application I already use TAR.MD5_PACKAGER however I see it has an option for extracting from .tar.md5 files that have malformed header information. So that sounds like it should do the trick!:fingers-crossed: Do you think that this is maybe intensional as a means of stopping people like us from building custom firmware packages?
I mean the .tar.md5 package flashes perfectly as it should do which is very surprising seeming .md5 signature is very easily broken when you rename the file and you have not even opened it. That was what lead me to flashing it in the first place, I mean I figured that if the .tar.md5 was so corrupt as I believed it was, then the worst that can happen will be Odin will spit an error message and not proceed i.e. it won't even attempt to flash the said firmware!
Myself if I download any firmware that doesn't flash and fails due to md5 error, I immediately open it up and inspect it and unless it was extremely difficult to obtain (I have waited close to 30 hours once for an old firmware package to download from the only source I could find - but regardless if it was damaged or not I only wanted the old bootloader so I could integrate it into a new firmware package so the passing md5 was relatively unimportant), I would just re-download it again.
The fact that ALL of these packages for S5830I are like this (regardless of what browser or means I downloaded the package) and the fact that they DO in fact flash like normal packages, and the phone returns to 100% factory condition; tells me that this does look like a means of discouraging custom firmware developers? hmmm
NightRaven49 said:
The Odin specific for Ace you stated above might be for GT-S5830. For the variants running the Broadcom BCM21553 the Odin version to use is v1.84. Odin v3.07 is more like a universal Odin that works on most devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The device is actually a S5830V...the V devices are relatively undocumented, but they are essentially just the same as the more common i/M variants. I did my homework first with this, and I can most certainly attest that it is NOT the S5830. I wouldn't attempt flashing S5830 firmware, also S5830i firmware boots and functions as normal and has signal albeit not so strong when the modem is not for our carrier and/or region, but function none the less.
NightRaven49 said:
I don't know about this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well give the fact that I had performed so many download of firmware that I initially believed to be corrupt I was unable to extract the PIT (or in the case of the generic Ace OPS file) from the firmwares.
Being the fact that there was little known about the S5830V I was unsure if to proceed of not? There are few reports on the device and most of them were of owners bricking their device, only 1 report I know of where a V owner claimed he flashed S5830i firmware without a hitch, again he was not from Australia where I am from, so I was flying blind and scared I was going to brick the device.
At the very least if I had a PIT file I could analyse it and could manually make image backup of the EFS/IMEI partition straight after rooting the phone. I have looked already at scripts that scan the whole emmc and I hit a snag when the kernel I am using is not insecure i.e. adb cannot run as root. I have root and confirmed with root checker app but terminal emulator and/or command line are unable to obtain root
Anyway to shed some light for you EFS Pro is a means of doing this that works on most Samsung devices....just not the Ace as far as I can tell.
Yes I am already aware that there is Galaxy Toolbox and I had actually gone ahead and done all that already,but an incident more recently where I had a device I was repairing with a wiped IMEI and it actually refused to boot. This becomes a hassle when restoring the IMEI cause in order to have Galaxy Toolbox you need to be booted and rooted. I wasted a whole day repairing the IMEI. So pretty much the message here is what good is Galaxy Toolbox to me restoring the IMEI if it can't boot? NONE!
I contacted the developer weeks ago and explained my situation and he is still yet to respond. I explained that I had a V variant of the Ace and wanted to ensure I had all bases covered. I requested information on how I could open the IMEI manually outside of the Galaxy Toolbox in the case that it would not boot (as this was how I restored the other device last week and it worked), unfortunately I am still yet to hear a response form him? Slack.
When I obtain this information I will share it here on XDA in the hopes that people in Australia with this variant will search and find some info on it. This is also why I am making this post here so detailed for folks like me who have been searching fruitlessly for answers.
My thoughts are that maybe there is something still not 100% the same between the i and the V because all custom firmwares I tried made for the S5830i never worked?
There is maybe an issue with how they are scripting their installs that is causing issues, but it is worrying enough that flashing so far has lead to partitions becoming corrupted very easily. I have had this before with my own phone more recently because a dev made a simple mistake in an updater script that called an explicit partition by mounting point ID and not by a more generic mounting point like "/system", "system" which lead to lost IMEI and bricked phone.
I am not blaming the dev though because it is easy to assume that a even though the mounting was non-specific for my device and the partition being called was not actually the EFS, it should not have corrupted my EFS....but that is not true, so a discovery was made and a lesson learned from all this. I managed to revive my device and it lived to fight another day, but simple mistakes made in ignorance or lack of information can still be costly mistakes. Need I say more.
I will report back when I have got a proper partition map for the S5830V and all will be happy days
I don't feel like quoting anymore, but I do spot some anomalies.
1) ...we don't have CWM 6.0.0.x. Are you sure you used the 5830i CWM, not the 5830?
2) I was referring to some other version of Odin when you said the Odin version specific to Ace. Which version were you using then?
3) I don't see how rio's multi-formatter can render the system partitions unmountable. In that case try lopicl.00's EXT4 formatter. Go search for it. After formatting flash Biel's Specific Basic kernel.
also you were asking a question, so naturally this should be in Q&A.
Hi Zatta and S3 users of the xda forums!
Last Monday, almost a week ago now, I attempted to upgrade my I9300 from 4.1.2 to 4.3 stock and after 6 days of constant reading, experimentation, re-flashing and being told Samsung would not fix my device for me I finally regained the ability to make calls. This nightmare could've been avoided if the FAQ in this forum was a little more complete as xda was the first place I came to look for answers for Android tech issues and that is the case for many others but instead I got bogged down in 1000's of similar and mostly incorrect and/or incomplete threads. We can do better!
Here are my suggestions for improving the S3 FAQ in this forum:
'How should I flash my custom ROM?' should be changed to 'How should I flash my ROM?' so that it covers flashing both official and custom roms. It needs to make mention of Heimdall as an Odin alternative because not everybody runs Windows. AFAIK the drawback of using Heimdall instead of Odin is that it cannot flash a single .tar.md5 that contains multiple tar.md5s - instead they have to be extracted and installed using a pit file.
The EFS section needs a bit more detail. It should mention that TWRP and Philz can backup and restote EFS whilst CWM cannot and maybe it should also say something about the change in format after the MG4 modem.
Last but not least this really needs to address how to fix the incorrect IMEI / serial issues that lead to people getting 'Not registered on network' and 'Emergency Calls Only' type errors and not being able to use the phone features. I read 100's of threads on here that were all so certain this was strictly a EFS issue when in many cases it will be caused by users having flashed a incorrect CSC, as is what happened to me when I flashed BTU roms instead of H3G. Its's also worth mentioning that H3G roms are for Three (UK) users. Panicked me saw *3G not 'Three' - I dont think H3G is quite as obvious as say vod etc is so this must've snagged a few S3 Three/UK users.
If I9300 users can't find a ROM with the correct CSC, they can try rooting and then using 'csc changer' to change csc. Failing that, I'd recommend i9300 users flash A.S._ids recovery ROMs:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s3/general/odinfirmware-sgsiii-i9300-prerooted-t1825272/
Here's the thread leading up to my discovery on the importance of csc's in having a correct IMEI/serial and being able to connect to your phone providers network:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s3/help/i9300-network-0049-imei-0-serial-t2900470/page2
If we can get all that added to the FAQ I think we'll see a significant drop in the amont of repetetive threads about the same problems over and over on here!
Thanks Zatta and the xda admins!
The need for a patched modem and kernel in 4.3
The FAQ also needs to make mention of the fact that having the correct ROM and CSC is not enough to upgrade to 4.3 or later as it seems most (all?) I9300 users upgrading to 4.3 such as myself have had no luck with the Ariza patch and have had to resort to using zuluman's or another set of patched, 4.3 compat modem FW and a patched kernel. It should note the Boeffla kernal can be used with patched modems if users prefer that route.
Here's a bunch of patched 4.3 modems and kernels that could be linked to if we can't get them uploaded somewhere better:
https://drive.google.com/folderview...sharing&tid=0B6MIUd7HJudAbU5YaGkzOUowMG8#list
sammobile
A link to
http://www.sammobile.com/firmwares/
As a good (if not so fast) source of stock firmware wouldn't go amiss either.
Lets update the FAQ!
Does anyone agree this is important stuff every S3 ROM flasher should know?
I've PM'd Zatta but no response yet and the S3 FAQ itself is closed.
If he can't re-open it or edit it I'm happy to write a new FAQ for the i9300 based on his but updated with the above and a few more tidbits. I'll only do so IF the admins agree to sticky it provided I do a good job else it'll just get lost in endless posts. I'd be open for advice and suggestions for additions to the FAQ should I go ahead with this.
I've created a number of FAQs and manuals for various Linux-related projects in the past inc. most recently the KXStudio manual and the Tracktion Linux FAQ.
Imei / efs faq
The IMEI / EFS FAQ also needs updating to mention that there seems to be (at least) three ways you can get a generic IMEI/serial - the third being using an incorrect CSC to that which is required by your network provider.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s3/general/ref-imei-efs-stuff-i9300-including-t2393289
I'm have commented on that thread with my suggestions for updating the FAQ but I've not had any reply yet.
improving battery life
Another good addition to the FAQ would be something like this:
Q. What can I do to conserve/improve battery life?
Samsung Touchwiz Android 4.3 (and later?) enables Smart Screen by default. You can tell it's enabled if you see an eye icon in the top right corner of your phones home screen. Smart Screen attempts to sense when you are looking at the screen to turn it on and to rotate the screen when you change your viewing angle but it is also notorious for draining the battery.
To turn it off go to Settings -> My Device -> Smart Screen then disable 'Smart Stay' and 'Smart rotation'.
To conserve your battery it is also recommended to enable power saving mode and turn off the WiFi, Bluetooth and your mobile data connections whenever you are not using them.
pfmdan said:
Another good addition to the FAQ would be something like this:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, I've just noticed your pm in my inbox, sorry for the late "reply", although I do this in public now.
At the moment I'm abroad without the possibility to edit the thread. When I get home I will edit the faq according your proposals but that will have to wait until the first half of december. I will be at sea until that time.
Is great that finally someone responds to this thread actually, it had been unlocked without any useful comment for months. In fact, I've asked people to come up with ideas to improve it but it looked like no-one is interested.
Great to hear from you too Zatta!
There is no great rush to update the FAQ as I've already waited so many weeks to get any kind of useful response from anyone on here. Some even suggested I was nigh on trolling in my efforts to see the important S3 FAQs improved so I doubt I'll have any more luck than you in getting constructive feedback for making further improvements. I hope I'm proved wrong in that respect.
I'm an experienced Linux user (since '96) but I don't claim to be a Android expert. I'm certainly not a S3 expert either but we can definitely improve this FAQ which should in turn improve these forums by reducing repeat questions.
Updated S3 FAQ complete
Hi XDA S3 users!
I'm sorry its took so long to get this done but I've finally updated the S3 FAQ.
I've mailed this to zatta so he should get the official XDA S3 FAQ updated shortly but here it is in its entirety for those who cannot wait.
Hopefully this will drastically reduce a lot of the frequent S3-related questions on these forums!
[SIZE=+3]Frequently Asked Questions[/size]
[SIZE=+2]Samsung Galaxy S III - International GT-I9300[/size]
[SIZE=+1]This a short list of frequently asked questions with answers related to the Samsung Galaxy S III. It should serve as a starting point for gathering knowledge and finding solutions to many common problems. Please only post in this thread with feedback on how to improve this document and refrain from posting "Thank you" type responses. If you have additional questions or require more help, try to find an existing thread or create your own. Do not use this as a general help thread.[/size]
[SIZE=+1]Q1: How do I root my Samsung Galaxy S3 i9300?[/size]
There are several methods to achieve this:
CF-AutoRoot by Chainfire
CF-Root by Chainfire
A custom kernel like Siyah, Speedmod and others which can be flashed with Odin or Heimdall
Use the toolkit by mskip
[SIZE=+1]Q2: What can I do to conserve/improve battery life?[/size]
Official Samsung Touchwiz ROMs enable Smart Screen by default. You can tell it's enabled if you see an eye icon in the top right corner of your phones home screen. Smart Screen attempts to sense when you are looking at the screen to turn it on and to rotate the screen when you change your viewing angle but it is also notorious for draining the battery.
To turn it off go to Settings -> My Device -> Smart Screen then disable 'Smart Stay' and 'Smart rotation'.
To conserve your battery under official firmwares it is also recommended to enable power saving mode and, for all firmwares, you should turn off the WiFi, Bluetooth and your mobile data connections whenever you are not using them to minimize battery drain.
[SIZE=+1]Q3: How do I flash (install) ROMs?[/size]
ROMs that come packaged as a .zip file are usually installed using a custom recovery tool such as TWRP or ClockworkMod. Unlike previous Samsung Galaxy S devices the recovery for the Samsung Galaxy S3 i9300 is NOT part of the kernel. Instead, the SGSIII has a separate recovery partition. Custom recovery partitions can be installed using Odin if you are running Windows or Heimdall, which is available for Linux/UNIX and Mac OSX as well as Windows.
Some ROMs come packaged as a .tar.md5 file. These can only be directly flashed using Odin. Heimdall users are required to extract the individual tar files from within the .tar.md5 file and then flash them to the correct partitions using an appropriate .pit (partition map) file. Heimdall can be used to generate .pit files by extracting the existing partition map from your phone. Note that .tar.md5 files are actually just regular tar files with an added .md5 extension.
[SIZE=+1]Q4: How can I return to the stock ROM?[/size]
There is sometimes the need to revert to the stock ROM, for example when you need to return your device if its still under warranty. doovd made this great guide to the process.
[SIZE=+1]Q5: What is Odin?[/size]
Odin is a leaked tool from Samsung. It is used to flash firmwares (aka ROMs) to phones. There are many how-to's covering the use of Odin, such as this. Others can be found on the XDA WIKI.
[SIZE=+1]Q6: How do I unlock my bootloader?[/size]
There is no need to unlock the bootloader as it is already unlocked! This is the case for most Samsung devices.
[SIZE=+1]Q7: I have heard about EFS. Why is this so important?[/size]
/EFS is a partition on your phone where your IMEI code is stored. Without it your phone is an expensive PDA as you will not be able to make calls. Make sure to have a backup of this partition on a separate device before you attempt to flash new ROMs. TWRP and Philz recovery let you backup the EFS partition.
The format of the EFS partition changed with the release of the MG4 modem firmware so this can cause issues if your modem version and EFS don't match. Here is an explanation of the Samsung firmware naming convention.
[SIZE=+1]Q8: After flashing a ROM I cannot make calls. I now get a 'Not registered on network' error on my lock screen and if I look under Settings -> About Phone -> Status my IMEI begins with 0049 and my serial number has changed to a string of zeros. How can I fix this?[/size]
There are many threads on this forum suggesting this problem is caused by an EFS/modem mismatch or a corrupt EFS partition. This is a potential cause but its more likely you have flashed a ROM with the incorrect CSC (Customer Sales Code) for your phone network. For example, you can experience this error if you've flashed a BTU ROM when your network requires a H3G (Three) CSC. It can also be caused by flashing a ROM using the PDA instead of the CSC option under Odin. You can check your current CSC by dialling *#1234# or connecting your phone to Kies.
If you flashed with Odin and you're sure you flashed a ROM with the correct CSC, the first thing to try is flashing the same ROM using Odin's CSC mode instead of PDA mode. If your phone is rooted you can try changing the CSC mode using a CSC changer app but be warned that doing so will perform a factory reset - wiping all your settings, apps, messages and locally stored contacts etc. If none of those methods restore your correct IMEI, serial and network connectivity then a number of S3 users have reported success by flashing A.S._id's rescue firmware.
[SIZE=+1]Q9: I'm sure I've correctly flashed an SGSIII ROM with the right CSC for my network but why can I still not make calls?[/size]
If your phone was running an Android version less than v4.3 before you flashed a new ROM then you may need to install a patched modem and, if you upgraded to a newer stock ROM, a patched kernel too such as the zuluman modem FW/kernel. You will usually not need to install a patched kernel if you install CyanogenMod or a CM-based ROM. A number of kernels and modem firmwares patched for Android 4.3+ are available here.
[SIZE=+1]Q10: What is the best ROM for the SGSIII?[/size]
Galaxy ROMs come in two flavours. CyanogenMod-based ROMs and TouchWiz-based ROMs. CyanogenMod is completely open source and forms the basis of several derivatives such as AOKP, ParanoidAndroid and many more. These ROMs lack a number of features exclusive to Samsung's TouchWiz like Svoice, Smart Stay, S-Beam and so on. On the other hand, they generally perform better thanks to consuming less resources.
There is no such thing as 'the best rom', it is a subjective matter. Please read this sticky thread in the General section.
[SIZE=+1]Q11: Where can I download the official firmware files from?[/size]
Official firmware files are available here.
[SIZE=+1]Q12: How do I enable Debug mode?[/size]
Since Android 4.2 debug (developer) mode has been hidden by default. Debug mode can be enabled by tapping 7 times on Build number under Settings -> About Phone.
[SIZE=+1]Q13: How do I enter Download Mode and Recovery mode?[/size]
Make sure your phone is unplugged and powered off, then:
Download Mode: Hold Volume down, home, and power until you see the green dude.
Recovery: Hold Volume up, home, and power for about 5 seconds then release all buttons. This might take a couple of tries.
[SIZE=+1]Q14: What is the 'Flash Counter'?[/size]
Your phone's flash counter is triggered and incremented after installing a custom firmware. This is Samsung's way of knowing that you have modded your device. Thanks to the awesome people at XDA, this counter can be reset. Refer to this thread.
[SIZE=+1]Q15: What is ADB and how do I use it?[/size]
[GUIDE] ADB Workshop and Guide for everyone
[SIZE=+1]Q16: I've been asked to provide a logcat. How do I do that?[/size]
How to read a logcat/ Troubleshoot your own issues!
[SIZE=+1]Q17: TitaniumBackup can't find my backups anymore![/size]
This usually occurs after upgrading to Android 4.2 when users forget to also update the recovery partition. Older recoveries can't handle the multiuser support on the sdcards so your data got repeatedly shifted to a folder named 0, resulting in /sdcard/0/0/0... etc. That is where your backups have gone! You simply have to update TitaniumBackup's settings to point to the correct location and your backups will re-appear.
[SIZE=+1]Q18: I have searched everywhere and still can't find an answer to my question![/size]
Have you really searched everywhere? Google? Have you tried asking in the XDA thread relating to your problem? Have you read the stickies and FAQs? If you have honestly spent more than 5-10 minutes searching for an answer, post a new thread in the Q&A section.
This FAQ is part of a Recognized Contributor Group Initiative.Please look for a similar FAQ thread when visiting another device forum.
A special thanks to everyone who contributed to the production of this FAQ
pfmdan said:
Hi XDA S3 users!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi! Thanks for your work, I've copy-pasted your complete proposal to the op of the FAQ thread, Thanks a lot for you hard work again!
You're welcome Zatta!
One more thing...
I should add something like this too:
Q. How do I flash TWRP under Linux /UNIX / OSX?
A. Boot your phone into Download Mode, connect it to your computer then run a command such as this:
Code:
sudo heimdall flash --RECOVERY openrecovery-twrp-2.8.5.0-i9300.img