yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] xST4T1K:
Strange stuff man. i've put both mine and my friends e4gt on cm9 and aokp and odind back to el29 with absolutely no issues at all. I've flashed my current e4gt about 30 times and my previous e4gt about 60 times to, and from ics with no bricks guess its luck of the draw. Just be safe and follow instructions and your usually fine. today alone I tried out 2 ics roms and finally returned to blazer GB with no issues. Just remember to avoid untested kernels because often its the foundation that will destroy your phone.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] phpracing:
thanks for making a thread on this too.

and thanks to ALL the dev's at XDA, they make our lifes easier and make our lifes customizable.

I have flashed my phone a bunch of times also. with no major issues. there was one time i got stuck at the data.img, and soft bricked it. when i went from a ICS leaked rom to stock rooted. got stuck so i flashed a new ICS rom, and it worked. more of the time i found that when it got stuck at the data.img, was bcuz of the cable i was using. it was from the old intercept (crap). switched it out with a fresh verizon wireless usb and worked like a charm. My 2 cents..
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] xST4T1K:
thanks for the feedback I think others who have that issue with Odin should try a new cable, the shielding on these cable are junk
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] weboide:
But wouldn't checking the md5 after transfering the zip to your phone prevent this? or Are you talking when using odin?
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] xST4T1K:
No i'm talking about Odin man, if it were .zip it would most likely fail md5sum check, but maybe not, bad downloads happed often and somehow md5sum still passes, not sure if corrupt files alter md5 or not, but if they don't it's easy to see why bad flashes from bad downloads happen.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] someguyatx:
Thanks for this thread, lots of helpful info here. Even though i clashed my moment countless times I was worried about flashing ics. So many threads were confusing or missing info but this helped to tie the info together.

FC22 is awesome
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] xST4T1K:
No problem, glad to help out.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] mib598:
i soft bricked my e4gt twice before i could get dark ics to flash
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] garfnodie:
I installed darchstar cm9 alpha, but i didn't know after it was all done, i wouldn't have cwm. what cwm do i need to flash to be able to install future updates to cm9, and am i going to have to be flashing recovery everytime after i flash cm9?
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] :
It is said in directions that when on CM9 you gotta Odin back and start over and not to flash anything from that point. This is what I have read.....

I always Odin el29 rooted then install cwm via autoroot, then if you are going to flash an ics build, flash cm7 first, then whichever ics rom you want...

Sent from my E4GT
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] garfnodie:
I have since figured this all out, but not from the install directions.

Here is the text of the install directions.

CM9 Install Guide

Note: You are strongly advised to read the CM9 Status, guides on this site and these instructions carefully before proceeding. CM for Epic Touch is provided with no warranty. You are installing this software at your own risk. You may be violating your warranty.

Download CM9 and gapps-ics zips and put in /sdcard

CM9 alpha1 [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]
md5sum e34f2ff0ee9025c043bf9a97c40bf01b

gapps UPGRADE REQUIRED
gapps version 20120317 md5sum dc560aa235e8dd8cb00df0cefb5abd38 works best with beta1. Be sure to verify the md5sum to be sure you got the right one.

Before you Install CM9: Preparation

Install AppBak from Market, run it and save a list of all your apps.

Install SMS Backup and Restore from Market, run it and backup your SMS history.

Install Call Logs Backup and Restore from Market, run it and backup your call log history.

Boot into CWM5 recovery. Make a full Backup. You will need this backup later if you decide to go back to your previous ROM and data.

Wipe ALL Data and Cache

WARNING: Currently CM9 does not tolerate CM7 or other /data. Many apps will Force Close crash if you restore data from a previous ROM.

Install

Use CWM5.
md5sum 65e211d6875d8dd12ad795fe13aedd81

You must flash this with Odin. Pull the battery after it flashes and reboots, then boot into CWM for the CM9 flashing.

Warning: Only use this recovery to flash CM9. Otherwise, you risk bricking a phone

Wipe data and cache.

Flash update*.zip.

Flash gapps*.zip. You must gapps after every upgrade to CM9 since /system is formatted, wiping your previous add-ons.

Reboot phone

After you setup your Google account, reinstall the three apps from Market in order to restore most of your apps, call log and SMS history.

Warning: Do not restore backup data of system apps!

If you restore a bad backup with cached settings in telephony.db in data/data/com.*.*.telephony it can break MMS.

It seems that restoring backups can also break Calendar sync.

Upgrades
Upgrades from previous versions of CM9 are the same process as install, except you do not need to wipe anything. Contrary to popular belief, you do not need to even wipe cache and dalvik-cache when upgrading between CM9 versions. You only need to wipe if you are doing a major upgrade, switching to a different ROM entirely, or attempting to fix bugs caused by bad backups or corrupt app data.

Nowhere in these official direction does it state "Hey, once this is done, you'll no longer have a custom recovery and you'll have to Odin back to EL26 any time you want to update CM9 or downgrade/restore back to GB"
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] garwynn:
ICS builds, including CM9 are not definitively proven to be the culprit. Yet it does seem to be a

potential

contributing factor. More here:

Stuck at "Data.img" thru odin

This thread is out there to show that people had problems in a similar situation and provide a suggestion on how to avoid it, not to order people to do so. If it really grinds your ax then you may want to add a suggestion onto the CM9 release thread asking that this be noted - but that final decision rests with Darch and those working on that build, not us.

Hope that clears the air.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] sfhub:
Not sure why some folks take this so personally. People are being warned about a potential issue. It isn't a "guaranteed to happen" issue. If folks are in a position where they don't care or are set up to deal with it, then do whatever works for you. It is better to have the knowledge going in that something could (but not necessarily will) happen and choosing to move forward anyway, than to not have any information at all and be surprised when something happens.

Folks have been given fair warning and it is their choice what they want to do from there.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] xST4T1K:
Agreed, I've went to ICS (aokp, cm9, miui, etc included) about 60 times already with absolutely no issue. Everybody knows the risk of flashing, can't blame specific builds for your bricked phone. I agree that knowledge of flashing definitely comes in hand, and the people who initially flashed ICS before others were more at risk, because the ongoing issue was predetermined. Everyone is flashing at they're own discretion, but to people who flash after the known issue with ICS and kernel combos, they need to get more involved with the community and be safer about just flashing away.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] stonesaber:
After getting my replacement I couldn't stay away from trying some more ICS. This thread should be required reading for anyone new to flashing ICS on this phone. I don't see how we're still getting bricks now that more info is out about how to avoid it. I've flashed about every ICS rom out and have had no further problems, but I was freaking out a little when I ODIN'd back to a GB rom the first time. I watched the status bar like a hawk when it was flashing the data partition:)
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] fallphantom:
Bricked via Odin

I have been installing roms for ages on my EVO. Using Odin I got bricked 3 times now with only blue light of death. What happened is it would just hang and do nothing for many minutes to the point where i disconnected it. Im too afraid to use Odin right now. Still unsure what full-prof safest way to just get rooted ICS but I guess reading all this will help. :mad:

I think I had cwm touch at one point so that could have been the culprit. Also I went from ICS to stock without reading all this good info first.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] garwynn:
RE: Odin issues

When flashing by ODIN/ODIN OC it is important to make sure you're using a good USB cable. For example, I have an old MicroUSB cable from LG that I noticed doesn't behave with the E4GT - it will charge OK but I wouldn't trust it to transfer data. I rely on my provided cable by Samsung for that with the idea that if I bork a flash using that cable I'm at least covered by the Sammy warranty. (Thankfully haven't tested it yet.)

The other thing to keep in mind - at least from my own experiences - is that flashing by ODIN

may

appear to hang towards the end. It's OK, just give it time - even on a Core 4 Quad PC with 8 GB of RAM that last part takes several minutes. I personally would rather that it fail on its own than me unplug it, knowing that WILL have problems. That is my preference - others will have their own preferences.

Of course, no solution is 100% - everything, including OTA updating - has a risk. Threads like this are just out there to try and mitigate that risk where people who might be afraid to flash can be informed and make a better decision on their own. And so thanks for pointing out that ODIN has its own risks as well!
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] stonesaber:
I just be careful now not to restore a gb back up from an ICS rom and vise versa. I'm pretty sure that's what I did to brick mine to start with. I was on one of the first leaks that calk put up, then went from it, back to a GB back up. In fact, I don't even risk it and don't back up or restore any ICS build. If I want to try a different ics rom, I'll just start from scratch, that way I know I'm good to go.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] xST4T1K:
+1 Glad someone pays attention
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] someguyatx:
You guys are forgetting that some brick because their pc is messed up or they dont bother to check the md5 before flashing. You can do everything right but if your pc locks or the file is bad you are screwed.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] sfhub:
Btw if folks don't care about odin flash counts or yellow triangles, either because they have a jig, use triangle away, or just don't care, I created odin oneclicks that include cwm.

The el29 one includes rogue cwm el29 repack. The el26 one contains stock cwm el26 repack from chris41g

you can find them in the 2nd posts of the respective odin oneclick threads in my signature
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] xST4T1K:
Ya but the problem with relating a brick to your PC is a factor that comes into play regardless of what you Odin even for a different device. As far as the md5 sum, yes its true, however a corrupt file would not typacally alter the md5sum and you would still brick probably so that probably wouldn't help anyways, which is why I said I recommend Odin

Sent from my IPhone killing SPH-D710 using a bomb from Vietnam
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] garfnodie:
If an md5 sum can't tell if a file is corrupt, then what's the point of using it. I thought the point of md5 sums was to tell if a file had been altered/corrupted. I know it's not perfect and there is always a margin of error, but is the margin so large that some corruption wouldn't give a bad md5 sum?
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] sfhub:
I am not sure which md5 people are referring to, but odin oneclick and regular odin tar.md5 files will not flash even if 1 byte is changed, so for odin and odin oneclick, md5 is quite effective at detecting download or disk errors
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] xST4T1K:
An Odin md5sum must always be correct or it won't flash, however I have seen some .zips that would flash with corrupt files and fail on install, or flash with issues, which is why I always extract the package AND check md5 before flashing, a little tedious butt I've never had a failed flash since.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] garfnodie:
All I really know to do with an MD5 sum is use a checker, plug in the known md5sum code, give it a file and it'll scan that file and then tell you if the md5 it got for the file matched the code you gave it. Anytime I get something off XDA and they list and md5sum with it, I always check, no matter what type of file it is or what it does. I was just always under the impression it was there to help make sure you don't fubar something.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] xST4T1K:
It's always a good idea to check it, and make sure it's correct, with so many new devs coming up you can never say that they're isn't one out there aimed at harming devices. You and me are probably few that do check it. The md5sum is they're to prevent things like that from happening, and I'm not saying it will happen because the chances of it are extremely slim but just know that it can happen, that's why I trust odin much more then .zips, and that's why everyone should really thank sfhub for his packages because if it weren't for him they're would be a **** ton of bricks with no way of going back to GB, and it would be much harder to restore stock roms.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] garfnodie:
Now that I know how to use Oin, I have no problem using it, but how is Odin better then flashing zips? I'm curious cause I don't know a whole lot of how Odin works and how it's more secure than just checking the md5sum against a zip.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] xST4T1K:
Not entirely sure to be honest, I've never had an issue with.zip on the E4GT but on my old Vibrant (before I checked md5sums) I remember flashing CM once and it flashed fine, with a full wipe but on boot several thing FC then It continued to hot reboot. I pulled the zip and checked md5sum and it was the same, but when I tried to extract the .zip it failed from corrupt files, never seen it before. I looked at the file size and they were exactly the same so I was confused. I believe Odin is more secure just due to the fact that it's lower on this installation scale then recovery is so it has to be perfect but I'm not sure because I've always owned HTC's other then my old vibrant and exhibit which didn't have no dev work for it, and I'm not a dev so I hated the POS.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] Just_s:
Good post, good discussion. One quick correction for the OP.

I assume you meant:

because your notes and instructions are all about avoiding a brick. The chances of avoiding a brick are very good if people read and follow the guidelines noted and linked by you. Just semantics, but sometimes people are literal and might get confused.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] xST4T1K:
Lol ha good point sorry I was drunk when I wrote this so I had to re post everything again. You from alb man? Im from Santa fe.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] garfnodie:
The E4GT is only my second Android, got a couple of weeks ago, my first Android being a Nexus One. Flashing on it was so much easier and safer. Since Recovery and Kernel were separate, no worry of bricking doing a flash. Only worry of bricking was when flashing a new radio, which I only had to do a couple of times over the two years I owned it.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] xST4T1K:
True but the advantage of Samsung is Download mode, It allows us to do so much more things safely. I've had a few bad flashes resulting in a soft brick with this phone but Odin easily fixed it everytime with a Jig.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] garfnodie:
Just goes to illustrate, every device is different, and your millage may vary, etc.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] xST4T1K:
Very true man, Look at the HTC HD2 it's an amazing machine that can have windows mobile 6.5 windows phone 7, and android development.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] flexte:
I haven't had an issue yet and i flash ICS to ICS with and without wiping and nandroid back and forth between GB to ICS without wiping. I would love to play it safe but none of these methods seem that quick. I have watched a few videos on mobile odin but still have a question. basically can i flash the the el29 stock rom/recover/modem that is in this link http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1433101 and in the same session odin the el29 rogue modem found in the archive here http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1390393
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] xST4T1K:
Not familiar with how mobile odin works, but as far as I know, no you can't. Maybe if you modify an Odin OC package you might be able to. This is just a guess but I'm not completely sure. Not really sure how Mobile odin would work when flashing a full odin oc either since it's not modem compatible yet either.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] leaderbuilder:
You can use mobile odin with sfhub's one clicks! He has put an 'android' directions part in his post(s) basically extract the exe from the zip (either on you PC and copy to SD card or via something like ziparchiver) then use that. Done it once already to get back to GB after too many problems with an ICS build early on in the leaks. I do prefer the PC method but it was a life saver for me while out on the road and with a mostly useless phone. Odin'd back to stock EL29+CWM (he has a one-click for that too!) you may have to use 'triangle away' to restore odin count; for some reason I didn't have too. And then I used CWM to restore my latest complete nandroid image. But you will have what ever modem you last flashed - mobile odin doesn't do modems for some reason. No biggie for me as I'm usually on the latest or most functional for me in my area.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] xST4T1K:
Aww so that's how it works, I have mobile odin but never used it because I didn't wanna risk bricking from ICS. Sfhubs OC's don't trip the binary count or give the yellow triangle so that's why. I still think I'll stick to pc though, Just seems safer.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] DjKurt:
I gotta say I think I might have to pass on rooting this phone... I've had it since december, and coming from my EVO this is so much more complicated... ODIN or no odin... Ridiculous wiping... This thing seems so much easier to brick than the EVO...

Don't get me wrong, this is an awesome phone, and I've been trying to learn what I can, but the more I read the more my head hurts, lol...
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] Biker1:
I came from the Evo 4G a few months ago.

I was hesitant also, but said what the hell, it's only a phone. I rooted the Evo and I'll root this phone too.

I read and read and researched, and learned the 'language' of Samsung, and Rooted It. I got obsessive about it, and spent countless hours learning, and did it.

The bricking scenarios which some have encountered started to occur slightly more frequent when ICS came into the picture. This thread and others help us to avoid the issues associated with ICS and GB.

They're not meant to scare anyone away, but another learning tool, and to explain to read before doing.

Root away, you'll be fine.

Any questions, just ask before doing as there are many knowledgeable members here more than willing to help ;)
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] H2Omaker:
Thanks for the tips. I just started to flash some of these roms and really enjoy them, but I rely on it so much that I don't want to muck it up so I can't use it anymore.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] robertm2011:
I have had my e4gt for 3 months (had an HTC Hero CDMA for a year, previously) and have rooted, flashed 2 GB custom roms and 3 ICS roms without a hitch. I have learned quite a bit, and the best advice I can give is to read the OPs very carefully; the grammar can sometimes be a bit sketchy, so once again, read carefully. sfhub and some of the more experienced developers will become invaluable sources of information. Many thanks to all those guys, and to all on this thread.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] DjKurt:
Yup... That damn "show us your screenshot's" thread got me and I said f*#k it... God bless qbking77 and youtube... Got me through the root damn near effortlessly... Still need to flash cwm but I'll do that tomorrow it's kinda late now... I do have one question though...

I kept my sd card from my EVO with all my backed up apps from titanium backup... I was thinking I could get all my old apps back once I rooted this thing... Obviously the first thing I did was download titanium backup, but when I opened it my old apps weren't there... Is there something I can do to get them back or was I wrong to think I could pull this off???
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] garfnodie:
You might want to check and make sure TB is looking at your external SD(the card you inserted) and not the internal SD(the 11gigs of internal storage). I don't have a lot of experience with TB, but I'd imagine there has to be somewhere you can specify where your backups are.

One difference you'll notice going from Gingerbread on the E4GT to ICS, is the mount location of your external sd is different. Instead of it being /mnt/sdcard/external_sd, it is now /mnt/emmc.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] DjKurt:
You sir are a genius... I realized that it was looking at the wrong sd card... Not sure how that was possible... Went into preferences, and now they're all there...
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] lviv73:
I bought brand new Optimus V from Target to use as a donor phone to flash my Epic to Virgin Mobile.

I could not brick it so i did this:

Took out the battery and put it in the microwave for 3-4 seconds until little smoke came out.I thought that it would not turn on at all but it did,lol.It turned on and only thing that showed on screen was "LG" logo(Same as Samsung Logo on our Epics).If i put the battery in,LG logo would light up but that was that and for LG logo to go away i had to take out the battery.

Took it back to Target and got my money back.

Same thing will most likely work for our Epics.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] xST4T1K:
Ha ha +1 surprised the LG even booted, I had one a while back and it just stopped booting for no reason didn't even attempt to brick it
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] xST4T1K:
Hope this post is clear cuz I was pretty damn drunk when I posted it.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] Biker1:
As was suggested to me when I flashed ICS from GB, sometimes it is better to install your previously installed apps one by one from the market so as to avoid any conflicts, as you'll likely see an issue if there is any, with a particular application, instead of trying to isolate the issue if all the apps + data are installed at once via TB or similar.

Btw, I use My Backup Pro which works flawlessly, to restore apps, etc.

I restored all apps + data once after an ICS flash from GB, and one app was causing a conflict. Great to restore call history, sms, mms, bookmarks, etc.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] MeWarning:
Ya, don't do any kind of a restore coming from a different system. Don't even restore only apps. You're going to almost certainly have problems from doing that.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] robertm2011:
Hardware or software problem?

Well, I spoke too soon...I was at my laptop, checking out the latest threads, when I hear an huge ruckus behind me...turns out the f**king cat had knocked my Sammy off of the nightstand and I see that his fur has caught fire and I notice a blackened spot where the phone was. He goes flying out the bedroom door with a contrail of smoke behind him, heads straight into the living room, hits the drapes (which also flame up, being made of rayon or some other plastic ****) rebounds, and lands on my girlfriend's head (she's lying on the couch, apparently asleep). I grab a waterglass, full of what I thought was water, and manage to dump it on the cat...well, it turns out the glass was filled with vodka and the cat goes up in a screaming ball of fire. My girlfriend's hair is now also aflame and she comes flying up off the couch screaming WTF!!!! I grab a towel, wrap it around her head, and wrestle her to the rug.....

do you think it was the rom that caused the battery to overheat, or could it have been a hardware problem?

BTW, I think it bricked my phone.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] Biker1:
@robertm2011

Is the Cat ok??
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] MeWarning:
Don't hold the towel around the girlfriend's head for too long!