Help with recovery - Galaxy S II Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hi,
Just got my phone back from servicing.
And now it has a stock recovery 3e and some Stock JB rom (not sure if its rooted or not).
Thing is, i've read like 7-8 different posts on flashing a new Rom, or Kernal or Recovery, but no complete guide to explaing the proccess, and now i'm scared to flash anything from fear of bricking my phone.
I want to flash an official Samy based JB rom (i found one) , but do i need to flash a custom recovery/kernal first (like PhilZ CWM?) or other way around ?
Any help is highly appreciated

The chances are that Samsung have returned your device to fully unrooted stock.
There are root checker apps on playstore that can confirm this.
If you are un rooted, the easiest way to get root back is to use PhilZ kernel......you simply flash it using the stock recovery. With regards to what you *want* to flash.......
You need to provide more details as to what the rom actually is, where it came from, what file format you downloaded the ROM as......that sort of thing....

Hey tnx for replying
Yes , you were right.
I flashed CWM via Odin (worked, but i got the yellow triangle now) sign.
After that i did this : http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s2/orig-development/repartition-memory-s2-t3018749 , worked
And then i installed an Samsung based JB 4.1.2 rom standard via recovery.
all works well now,i think, just booted up 2min ago.
Phone can see all my internal storage space and sd card,think all is well.
Did i do it right ?

It sounds like it, except that you probably didn't need to repartition the device......If you'd been flashing a lollipop rom, then the repartition would have been necessary, but not for JB......
Incidentally, what is the name of the rom you flashed? As Sammy stock roms can normally only be odin flashed.....

I realise that, but the extra space for apps sounded really nice.
I installed this one : http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s2/development-derivatives/rom-custom-stock-rom-5-0-edition-t2076568

Related

[Q] rooting my device

Hi guys, thanks to the great tuturuals i've succesfully rooted my device But i have a question. Im still new to the hole android and rooting, so please bear with me.
After i flashed my XWKE7 kernel with the CF-Root-SGS2_XW_XEU_KE7-v4.0-CWM4 kernel, i followed the tururial to get rid of the yellow triangle. I flashed origial kernel back on my device (I9100XWKE7_Nernel), however my device is still rooted... So why should i follow the rest of the tuturial to flash the cf_kernel with CWM?
Isnt it better/more stable to keep running it with the original kernel? The root is still active, so why should i flash the rooted one back with CWM?
bump
really nobody?
The (for me important) difference are these:
1. While the phone is not booted yet, you can still access superuser through adb. This is important if you screw something up and the device is in a boot loop.
2. You have ClockworkModRecovery, where you can take backups, install updates from sdcard etc.
I don't think the original kernel is more stable, because the custom kernel is based on the original.

[Q] Root, kernels, firmwares and roms

Getting a bit confused about all this, so am wondering if i've got it right. A rom is the whole thing, it includes a kernel and so forth? So a Kernel is a part of the rom right? And you can flash kernels individually without flashing a whole new rom? But what is a firmware then? Just another name of a rom?
Also on the Galaxy S2 can you flash custom roms, like Lite'ning, without getting root first? Or do you need to get root before flashing custom roms? If you can flash custom roms first without rooting, will the custom rom then give you root as long as it includes it?
And you also got recovery, which is a separate thing again? Galaxy S2 comes with a very basic one if i've understood correctly, but there is others out there that you can install, which also gives you the ability of flashing roms straight from the microsd/phone storage?
So have i gotten any of this? Hope am not to far off
Edit: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1246131 looks like most of my questions where answered there, though am still a bit unsure if it's possible to flash a custom rom before you root?
ROM's and FIRMWARE: The ROM or Read Only Memory is the internal flash memory where the core operating system resides. The Firmware is a device specific part of the ROM that controls various hardware components. So the firmware is contained in the ROM but in the context of Android the terms are often used interchangeably.
KERNELS: Different kernels offer different advantages, some are fast, some are light weight on the battery and some are a mix, so yes you can in most cases flash a different kernel with a ROM, and then your phone will be running the custom ROM you picked with the new kernel you flashed.
Rooting: You must have a rooted phone inorder to flash a custom rom, but rooting in my opinion seems really safe and it really easy to do on the SG2
There are things that allow you to flash from your SD card and you do that by entering clockworkmod revovery, apps like rom manager also allow you to flash from sd card, but you can always use odin, which is safe and fast
hope this helps
Thanks, and very nicely explained =) Another question then, what is the reason one need root before you can flash custom firmwares? As i heard Galaxy S2 doesn't really have any safety measures put in to stop things, like HTC do with their bootloader. Another thing is that i checked the thread for the Lite'ning rom, and saw the installation procedure, and it doesn't mention anything about having root before starting, so am getting a bit confused there.
You don't need to root before flashing a custom ROM as long as you can enter download mode (power up with volume down, home and power button pressed) and can flash the ROM via Odin.
If the ROM is flashable only via ClockWorkMod recovery (a zip that you copy on your phone) then you need to flash something that includes that recovery before flashing the rom (like CF-Root or any kernel that includes CWM).
Lite'ning ROM that you mentioned earlier is flashable via Odin so no problem.
Every ROM includes a Kernel, the only thing they sometimes don't include is the modem like in VillainROM, you have to flash it separately. And also, if a ROM is announced as rooted, when you flash it, you will have root regardless of the state before flashing
Thanks once again =)
Another question, if one want to get back to stock, flashing one of these "official firmwares": http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1075278 well revert everything right? Even if i got CWM recovery, after flashing on of those "official firmwares" will give me back the original recovery as well?
Edit: Also you mention "modem", if one ROM don't include one, do you have to flash it separately for the ROM to function at all? Or will it just use the modem that's already on the phone or something? Checked out the VillainROM thread and it doesn't say anything about a modem.
Nitrius said:
Another question, if one want to get back to stock, flashing one of these "official firmwares": http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1075278 well revert everything right? Even if i got CWM recovery, after flashing on of those "official firmwares" will give me back the original recovery as well?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes it will revert back everything
Nitrius said:
Edit: Also you mention "modem", if one ROM don't include one, do you have to flash it separately for the ROM to function at all? Or will it just use the modem that's already on the phone or something? Checked out the VillainROM thread and it doesn't say anything about a modem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you dont flash a modem it will just use the one you had before. They talk about it in the old thread and also in the new but not in the firsts posts, you'll have to do a search.
Plus Modem Kernels are interchangeable .
KH3 Firmware with KI4 modem and KH1 kernel .
Guide
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1125282
jje

[Q] Play branded firmware, failed backup, what next?

I bought sgs2 few weeks ago, had some fun with stock and samsung apps, then I decided that some changes would be nice
found this great forum, with all knowledge and I have to admit I'm overwhelmed and kinda lost.
rooted my phone with Doomlord method (zerg rush exploit), worked like a charm, installed Titanium Backup, that went smoothly too. From what I understand that didn't change flash counter so I can unroot and keep my warranty in case of hardware problems, am I right?
Then I installed ROM manager and here is where problems started, when I click Flash Recovery it's downloading some file, but when I boot to recovery mode, there is info about e: failed to verify whole-file signature and I can only reboot. If that failed, what did it exactly do with my stock firmware and flash counter? please forgive my noob questions, it's my first android device, I'm reading and learning, but it's a lot to process.
I have branded Play (polish provider) firmware (2.3.3, XWKE7) and I can't upgrade it, cuz I can't backup stock firmware with CWM, I'm afraid to flash without backup in case I need take my phone to samsung.
I would love to at least upgrade to 2.3.5 or try some nice custom roms you guy cook here so skillfully but need some advice any info will be greatly appreciated
Hey hey,
This happens to me too when I installed ROM Manager, and then Flashed a recovery. It does not boot into the orange ClockworkMod Recovery, instead it boots into the stock recovery saying an error.
Don't worry, it did not do anything bad to your phone, it just attempted to install the ClockworkMod recovery but just fails, no biggie All you have to do is flash a custom kernel through Odin, such as CF-Root or Ninphetamine, then you will have ClockworkMod Recovery installed by default. The flash recovery option is for other phones that do not have the secure kernel that Samsung installs into your phone by default.
I use CriskeloROM on my phone, in my opinion, this is my favorite ROM because of the constant updates and massive collection of add ons. It is currently running on 2.3.5 and has a base of XWKJ2. Check out the link in my signature for more details about the ROM.
thank you so much for your answer, good to know I didn't break anything (yet! )
as you advice I will take a look at Criskelo ROM

[Q] Installings new ROM

hi
About 8 months ago i got my Ace (first Android-phone) and since then have been waiting for cyanogenmod to be released for Ace. Now we have an Official RC3 and i wanted to try it. I rooted my phone some time ago and just installed CWM.
I know how to install a new mod/software but their are still some question left for me:
1.) If I install a complete new Software, why is a specific android version needed to install? (in case of CM7.2 its 2.3.X). What happens "behind the scenes" of an installation. It seems very different from installing a new OS on my desktop PC.
2.) This also results in the question, why do i have to roll back to a stock rom to flash a new rom? (most devs say "Stock rom X.X.X is needed")
3.) And this also results in the question, how do i install a new version of a mod?
For example: the nightlies for CM7.2 for ace. I read that i can just flash them over their predecessor, but a "clean" installation is recommended. Does that mean to flash a stock rom, and reflash a new nightly?
I hope that are not to much questions. They might be a bit redundant but i hope i could make my points
So far a good night (or whatever timezone your living in)
A Gingerbread 2.3.X baseband is required to flash any of the CM ROM and tweaks. You need to wipe data, cache and dalvik using CWM before installing a new ROM but you don't need to go to stock and reinstall everything. It is safe to flash another ROM after installing one...
Sent from my WAREZ impulses.
1.Behind the scenes---Format System to ext > Extract System Files > Install System > Flash kernel> Done!
2.Who said you need to roll back to stock every time you want to install a custom ROM?
3.For same type of ROM(same developer, same thread) just wipe cache and you're good to go or wipe data if bootloop occurs.
So my friend, just do the wipes correctly before installing new ROM and you have wrong info that you need to revert back to stock to install new ROM. ususally GB baseband is required. Nothing else
If the system partition is still formated, why is a (e.g.) 2.3 an installation requirement? OR it just this Baseband version on the phone that is important? AND is a mod also compatible with an already "moded" version from e.g. Vodafone? because this has another versionnumber (in my case S5830XWKP6).
It seems that i have a completely wrong imagination of the working principles of my phone. i always thought it might be like installing a new OS to my desktop.
I know that i have to wipe some things in order to install a rom (even though i also read a how-to post anywhere, that said it is unneccessary, but still doing it doesnt hurt.), nothing important on my phone what couldnt be backed up via USB (pictures, etc...)
@abhibnl: "GB baseband" => Great Britain?
because of bootloader/baseband. all custom rom is based on gingerbread, thus if u coming from froyo u need to flash with gingerbread stock rom first via odin to get the bootloader/baseband. but if u already on gingerbread theres no need to reflash stock rom. just wipe data, flash via clockworkmod recovery and u good to go.
btw gb=gingerbread
so if i install CM7 MIRACLE, do full wipe, i can install CM7.2 (official) just over it?
well...sounds a bit too easy if i see all those howtos how to unbrick your phone
CJCord said:
so if i install CM7 MIRACLE, do full wipe, i can install CM7.2 (official) just over it?
well...sounds a bit too easy if i see all those howtos how to unbrick your phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes. Just do a full wipe before installing CM7.2 official.
CJCord said:
so if i install CM7 MIRACLE, do full wipe, i can install CM7.2 (official) just over it?
well...sounds a bit too easy if i see all those howtos how to unbrick your phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is easy...just that some careless people scare you unnecessarily..
In order to go back to stock from CM9/7.2 or orther custom roms, why do you need to flash it with ODIN?
astral2k5 said:
In order to go back to stock from CM9/7.2 or orther custom roms, why do you need to flash it with ODIN?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You have any other way of doing it? Or read it somewhere else about it? C'mon share with us.
abhibnl said:
You have any other way of doing it? Or read it somewhere else about it? C'mon share with us.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was asking why is it necesary to flash with Odin from CM9, 7.2 to stock ROM; isn't there other way ?
would it be possible to get back to stock by using KIES?
i know many people hate it due to high memory requirements (dont care. 4GB installed awaiting use!), but all it does is flashing official roms, right?
curious because i never used it because i have Vodafone software and they...well: new releases + Vf = ´nuff said
Kies won't recognize your phone foro flashing if it's on custom roms (or even stock roms from other regions).
Odin does practically the same process of Kies at a considerably lower memory cost.
Another method of going back to stock is if you have a cwm backup of a stock rom, but before restoring the backup you have to convert your file System to rfs. almost All (if not all) custom roms use ext4 file System cuz its faster (native to Linux).
Sent from the other side... of the screen
dxppxd said:
Kies won't recognize your phone foro flashing if it's on custom roms (or even stock roms from other regions).
Odin does practically the same process of Kies at a considerably lower memory cost.
Another method of going back to stock is if you have a cwm backup of a stock rom, but before restoring the backup you have to convert your file System to rfs. almost All (if not all) custom roms use ext4 file System cuz its faster (native to Linux).
Sent from the other side... of the screen
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How can you convert the system file to rfs back ?
astral2k5 said:
How can you convert the system file to rfs back ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Many ways, search the Forum. I've used the ext4 App (included in many roms with cf-root applied)
Sent from the other side... of the screen
Remember it dudes, only way of getting back to stock is ODIN or restore a backup converting partition to rfs.

[Q] HELP!!!! Samsung S2 stuck at yellow triangle

Hello,
I tried to upgrade my S2 for Android 4.3 and i did the XWKDD Kernel. I flashed it sucessfully then i went to super click thingy and then rooted it. It was sucessful. After that, it shows the yellow triangle and tried restarting but the same thing. Eventhough after i flashed the kernel and it restarted then it goes to yellow triangle then i rooted it sucessfully. Same story all over again. Help as i need to use my phone!
btw its i9100. SSN- i9100GSMH
Boot into recovery, factory reset/wipe. No recovery ? Back to stock via Odin & start again (re-root your phone & restore backup, or re-flash custom rom/kernel & start again). How ? Get stock rom from Samfirmware, follow flashing instructions in thread stickied near the top of Q&A.
MistahBungle said:
Boot into recovery, factory reset/wipe. No recovery ? Back to stock via Odin & start again (re-root your phone & restore backup, or re-flash custom rom/kernel & start again). How ? Get stock rom from Samfirmware, follow flashing instructions in thread stickied near the top of Q&A.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
for the stock rom, i am confused as i cant remember which android version is it but it was 4.X.X for sure!
i tried to factory reset and wipe but nope. tried to start over again. same thing. how? how do i put android 4.3??
Forget Android 4.3. Your only focus right now should be getting the phone working normally again.
Go to Samfirmware, download a stock rom for your carrier/country (it doesn't matter which, just not 4.0.4), flash it with Odin. I'm not going to post this again :-/
MistahBungle said:
Forget Android 4.3. Your only focus right now should be getting the phone working normally again.
Go to Samfirmware, download a stock rom for your carrier/country (it doesn't matter which, just not 4.0.4), flash it with Odin. I'm not going to post this again :-/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i did download the stock rom and everything is working well thanks to you allthough my contacts are wiped out. i did back up on my computer except i lost the contacts....
so for now, how can i put 4.3 or some custom rom? i am bored staying stock for like 3 years and never rooted it. I mean i had this phone for too long.. and never had a chance to have a new one like S4 etc..
Glad you got it working.
Always, always, always follow the flashing instructions for the rom in question. They're always on the first page of the thread devoted to the rom in Android Development or Original Android Development & they're always very clear/simple.
So head on over to those sections & do some reading/research before you do anything else.
Edit - And the first thing you do after you root your phone (and before you install any custom rom) ? Backup. Everything. Contacts/calendar/etc synced to Google, backup call/SMS logs with TiBu, do a nandroid backup in CWRecovery, and backup your EFS with kTool/similar (keep one copy of this backup on your PC, and another on the external SD card in your phone if you have one). Backup, backup, backup, backup. At least once a week or before you make any major changes to your phone (like flashing a new version of a rom or kernel). That way you don't lose your contacts/other stuff if things go pear shaped.
thanks to u as i followed the instructions via researching haha
Now i have official CM10.2 which i have done with cmw yet i might try for a custom CM10.2 like something to do with hybrid or stuff like that...
But, when i restart or switch on. it still have the yellow triangle then for a few seconds later n it booted to CM which is fine.
Why is the yellow triangle there? have i not done it properly?
Thanks
If it were me, I wouldn't worry about the triangle. You only need to worry about it if you need to make a warranty claim. If you want to get rid of it, read the Triangle Away thread on here.

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