[Galaxy S I9000 Android Development] boyppc:
Thank to Kaik541 (for CM7)

Q: Which devices does CyanogenMod support from the SGS family of phones?

A: The supported devices are only the GSM variants, including the international I9000, I9000M, I9000T, Captivate (SGH-I897 and SGH-I896), and Vibrant (SGH-T959). If your model number is NOT one of the above phones, including I9000B, Fascinate 3G+ (SGH-T959D), and Vibrant 4G (SGH-T959V), then your device is not supported and these builds will not work on your phones. Please do not attempt to flash any builds as we cannot guarantee that it won't potentially turn your phone into a brick. Look on the wiki for a more complete list of supported and unsupported devices.

Q: How do I root my phone?

A: Please follow the instructions available on the wiki.

Q: How do I install/update CyanogenMod 7 on my Samsung Galaxy S?

A: As we have no stable builds, every nightly comes with the risk that it will not install, will not boot, or will not scratch your eyes out in your sleep. Until a stable build arises, the best chance of getting CyanogenMod is download the latest nightly from the buildfarm, place it on your internal SD card and install through ClockworkMod Recovery (you do not need to use ROM Manager and you will have ClockworkMod Recovery through the root process listed above).

Q: I'm about to update to the latest nightly, what can I expect?

A: Every nightly will likely come with several changes which can be tracked here. Before updating, it is considered a good idea to backup your last known, good configuration. The process for booting into recovery and creating a nandroid backup is covered on the wiki. You are then free to install the latest nightly.

Q: I have installed the latest nightly, but my phone never finishes booting, what do I do?

A: Nightlies come with the expressed possibility that they may not work. If you encounter this, please reboot into ClockworkMod Recovery and restore your last known, good nandroid backup.

Q: How do I restore a nandroid backup if the phone doesn't boot properly?

A: Boot into recovery mode and then follow the instructions from the wiki. Once it's complete, reboot your phone and you should be back to where you were before you attempt to install.

Q: After installing CyanogenMod, I don't have the Android Market or GMail applications, how do I get those on my phone?

A: CyanogenMod does not ship with Google's proprietary apps due to a licensing issue. The latest version of the Google Apps can be found here. Place the zip on your internal SD card and install with ClockworkMod Recovery.

Q: I don't like the default radio that ships with CyanogenMod, where can I find a replacement modem?

A: More modems can be found here. Place the corresponding zip on the SD card and install with ClockworkMod Recovery.

Q: What are some tips for preserving battery life on this ROM?

A: 3G seems to be one of the larger battery drainers, as well as GPS, bluetooth, and wifi. Disabling these will help your battery get through the day.

Q: I tried to disable 3G but the phone enters a loop of force closes that make the phone unusable, how do I fix or prevent this?

A: Because of a bug in the 2G/3G toggle code, this isn't possible without first disabling any active data connections and then enabling them after toggling 2G/3G. If the phone is already force closing, the quickest way to fix it is by performing a factory reset from recovery (you will lose all your apps and settings, unfortunately).

Q: When will third party features like "Voodoo Sound" and "Voodoo Color" be integrated into the kernel?

A: The Voodoo Control App is now compatible with the stock kernel and appears as sound driver version 9. Voodoo color will not be merged, but more pleasing color temperatures have been added to the stock kernel.

Q: I don't like the softkeys along the bottom lighting up whenever I have a notificiation (aka LED notifications), how do I disable them?

A: Open Settings, CyanogenMod settings, Interface, LED notifications, Miscellaneous, and then select the apps you want to disable LED notifications for and select "None" as the flash color option.

NOTE: This has been disabled on any nightlies after nightly 15, until a more favorable global solution can be found, as we do not have an RGB notification LED and just a simple on/off LED.

Q: I think I found a bug, how do I report it?

A: Short answer, you don't. Because we have no stable builds, we run what are called nightlies. Bug reporting for CyanogenMod does not allow the reporting of bugs on nightlies as they are considered unstable at best (and phone destroying at worst). Basically, you will "have to live with it" until we have a stable build.

Q: I see a lot of people running different themes, where can I get these?

A: CyanogenMod ships with the T-Mobile Theme Engine integrated, search the Android Market for "theme engine" or browse the forums for themes. Install the application and run the "Theme Chooser" application and select the theme you'd like. Reboot the phone to fully apply the theme.

Q: I miss the video player/music player/contacts/phone/launcher application from Samsung ROM's, how can I install these?

A: You cannot. Many (if not all) of those applications have specific hooks into Samsung's framework which do not exist on this ROM. There are plenty of market alternatives available.

Q: I want to go back to another ROM, but when I try to restore a nandroid backup of another ROM, it doesn't boot... what did I do wrong?

A: Because this ROM is set up to use the MTD partition layout instead of Samsung's BML partition layout, you must use ODIN or heimdall with a full firmware including a PIT file and repartition.

Q: Why can't I see the latest nightlies on ROM Manager? Will I always have to download manually to install updates?

A: Access to nightlies requires a ROM Manager premium license for the convenience (you should consider buying the license anyway, as Koush had a strong hand in helping us merge to mainline). These are the same files from the link earlier, ROM Manager is just a convenience. Once a stable release is available, you can download without a premium license from the "stable" section. Be sure to update ROM manager to say your recovery is Galaxy S (MTD) with ClockworkMod 3.x (it will give you a warning about it not being supported, ignore it and say ok) and then reboot your phone. Check under "Download ROMs" and the nightlies should appear.

Q: The phone turns on whenever I plug it in, is there any way to prevent this?

A: For now, unfortunately, no. Low power mode isn't supported in the kernel right now, and may be implemented in future builds.

Q: How do I get GTalk to work with the Front Facing Camera?

A: Video chat requires a specific version of GTalk which is only available in a Google Apps package with a date of 05032011 and later. This version of Google Apps is not shareable through the mirror system as it only works on neon boards (aka Galaxy S/Nexus S). A quick google search will yield the results you need.

Q: How do I enter download mode?

A: The use of the "adb reboot download" command isn't functional yet. The only method to enter download mode right now the standard "three finger salute" (or a USB jig).

Q: I inserted my external SD card and CyanogenMod tells me the card is damaged or corrupt and needs to be formatted, what should I do?

A: Some cards (especially 16 GB and larger) seem to be behaving oddly and are incompatible with the current builds. Please try another card and be careful formatting through android. Android/CM7 is hard-wired to think there is only ever one SD card and may actually format your internal SD card, this will hopefully be resolved sooner rather than later.

NOTE: This should be fixed by nightly 15 and later.

Q: I can't seem to find the files from the external SD card on /mnt/sdcard/external_sd, where are they located?

A: Because of how we have implemented it, the external SD card is located at /mnt/emmc now. This allows it to still be scanned by the Media Scanner.

Q: Where can I get the Nexus S drivers for use with adb? (Windows Only)

A: Download and install the Android SDK here then download "Google USB Driver package, revision 4"

Once downloaded, right click on "Computer", "Manage", "Device Manager", "Nexus S", "Update Driver Software", and point it to wherever you installed the SDK.

Q: Do I really need to be on Froyo to install this ROM?

Q: I'm already on Gingerbread from Samsung, why do I have to downgrade before installing?

A: Samsung included new bootloaders in the Gingerbread updates that are incompatible with CyanogenMod 7. They break a number of things including, but not limited to, graphical distortion at boot time and broken external SD card. To fix this would require reworking the entire kernel to be based off of Samsung's code drop instead of the far more open (and better written) Nexus S source code. If you don't like it, complain to Samsung for introducing new bootloaders.

Q: I have a Bell Vibrant (I9000M), where can I find modems that support my radio frequencies?

A: The Captivate and the Bell Vibrant use the same radio frequencies, as well as several other Galaxy S devices, and therefore any modem designed to work with the Captivate will work with the I9000M. All of the Captivate modems available here should work without any issues (with the exception of KB1, which should not be used except on a Captivate for a number of reasons--in short, it is broken and only there for people with a hardware defect that does not exist in the I9000M).