yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] cmags:
Noob on Samsung, coming from LG and HTC rooting

Ok, I'm new to the world of Samsung Android phones, coming from LG and HTC phones. I've just upgraded from my HTC Evo Shift and my wife's LG Optimus S (both rooted, running CWM recoveries and custom ROMs) to a pair of E4GTs. I've been running CM7 and CM10 as my primary ROMs for some time on each of those phones and want to get cracking on this new shiny piece of hardware.

However, I'm having trouble wrapping my head around the relationship between ROMs, Kernels, and Recoveries on the E4GT. It seems that on this phone the Recovery is *part* of the Kernel? This wasn't the case on either of the phones I'm coming from. On those, the process was to root using an exploit, gain access to flash the recovery, then flash whatever ROM and Kernel you wanted. Kernels had to match the ROM you wanted (ROMs came with Kernels), but the recovery never needed to be touched again. I like the simplicity of CWM, and the capability to have nandroid backups of a variety of ROMs to flash back to (such as a rooted stock for PRL and Profile updates).

My goal is to have root access and test out CM10, King Kang, and Paranoid to see which I like best. I will likely be sticking with AOSP/AOKP ROMs barring a flash back to a stock rooted TW for the occasional PRL/Profile update.

This phone is currently at FI27 installed OTA. I understand that I can root it by pushing a rooted FI27 via ODIN. Then once rooted I can use Mobile ODIN to flash a Recovery.

What Recovery should I use that is *safe* for flashing the current CM10, King Kang, and Paranoid ROMs?

I want to root, install the recovery, and then nandroid the system as-is and have the ability to flash it back if necessary. Is this possible? With the current "safe Recoveries" is the emmc bug still an issue? Do we still need to use the EL29 ODIN flash to switch between ROMs? There are so many things it seems I need to "unlearn" about rooting and custom ROMs coming from LG and HTC... :confused:

Thanks!
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] rastapapa:
fk23. Which one?

Thanks. Started looking into fk23. If I am correct, it looks like there are three fk23 options out there:

1. [LINK][JB][ODIN][TAR]SPH-D710 FK23 (TAR Only)

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2021640&highlight=fk23

2. [LINK][ROM][ODIN][TAR]SPH-D710 FK23 (FK23 Modem/Kernel/ROM - Root/Stock)

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2021640&highlight=fk23

3. {ROM}{JB}(Team Rejectz} Presentz UniverseJB aka Jellyverse v0.2 {FK23} {11/30/12}

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2018592&highlight=fk23

Are there any others?

Of these, I am thinking of going for either 2, or 3. I have no interest in losing root. So in deciding between 2 and 3, 2, would probably be most stable, while 3 has unique features (Extended Toggles, lockscreen, pop up browser, s-voice, etc.). Any recommendations?

Also, after flashing this fk23 modem, is an update of profile and prl necessary? And if so, do we have to go temp el29 to do so?

I saw that there is a version of agats recovery for fk23, but it sounds like he is still working out some bugs. It seems that that may proove difficult to do if we dont have a stable recovery, no?

Thanks!
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] Mac of York:
I've used the first one and it's wonderful -- rooted myself using Mobile Odin's Everroot option. I didn't update my profile/prl, but you *should* be able to do it on FK23 since it's a Touchwiz ROM. I never update my PRL because I use 11119.

And the custom recovery is the only thing we have but it's not necessary. You can just mobile odin EL26 if you need to flash anything (DO NOT REBOOT) and then flash back the FK23 kernel when you're done... then reboot.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] BluesRulez:
The steps on flashing a new rom are in post 2.

Yes you can create a nandroid backup of your current setup and flash it back. Don't rename nandroids.

Safe recoveries are also in those steps. You only need to odin kernels with CWM when flashing roms if the rom didn't come with a safe kernel.

And yes recovery and kernel are tied together. On CM10 roms, you will be on CWM6.

Read the How not to brick thread which is stickied in general forums.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] cmags:
Thanks for the quick response. I have read the first few posts of this thread and the how not to brick multiple times but still am stuck on a couple things.

So I understand that I need to first root (with rwilco's one-click.exe) my FI27, then apparently I need to ODIN back to EL29 with CWM because it's GB and doesn't have the emmc bug.

But now I'm confused - you say ROMs come with a safe kernel/recovery, but if the ROM comes with the kernel, what do I flash it with? Is the EL29 CWM safe to flash one of these ROMs? Do I just end up with another recovery after the ROM is flashed?

Let's be more specific - I want to try out King Kang 3.3. It says to flash with a safe recovery, says not to flash with agats (even tho this is elsewhere listed as a safe recovery) and a couple others, but doesn't say what actually is safe.

So, assuming the EL29 CWM is safe, I root my FI27, then ODIN the EL29 CWM. Can I make a nandroid backup of FI27 at this point?

So then I flash King Kang from CWM. King Kang says it comes with TWRP recovery (changelog v 1.1 says switched from CWM6 to TWRP). So once I flash, will I now have TWRP recovery, and therefore my nandroid of FI27 won't work? Or do I then, if needed, ODIN back to EL29 CWM and then restore the nandroid?

Sorry if I seem dense, I'm sure I'm just over thinking this but I don't want to get stuck later on down the road. :silly:
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] BluesRulez:
A 1: EL29 CWM is safe to flash ANY rom. Yes after flashing a rom you end up with another recovery.

A 2: Yes you can make a nandroid back up at that point. Remember that phone will not boot anymore because FI27 is ICS and EL29 is GB. Either have a zip ready to flash a new rom or have a zip ready to flash the FI27 kernel if you plan to boot your phone after backing up.

The ONLY time you should really flash EL29/EL26 kernel is when flashing a new rom.

A 3: Yes if you need to restore your nandroid if you didn't like king kang, you will have to flash the EL29/EL26 kernel and restore nandroid.

-EL26 and EL29 linked in OP safe to flash ALL roms.

-Agat's, Kuban kernel and The Governors kernel NOT safe to flash JB kernel. They have the offending code removed but use at your own risk.

-TWRP only good for CM based roms.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] cmags:
Thanks so much. Now I think I'm starting to get the hang of it. I'll be flashing tonight after the little one goes to bed, and we'll see how it goes! Hopefully my questions here will be helpful to others coming from other systems too.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] bob conn:
wi fi tether not working with fk23

ive tried both restore and no data one click with fko09 and fk23, and i could not get the wifi tether to work which really sucks cuz this is the reason i root, also tried the treve hacked wifi tether, which also did not work,if any body has a workaround please let me know,otherwise ill stick with an older version
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] BluesRulez:
Read this ..

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2027788
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] rastapapa:
MMS not working

Hello,

I was having trouble with mms on King King 3.2 and 3.3. I just switched to AOKP 1.4, and Im seeing the same thing. Handscent sms does not work either. Both messaging and handscent place the photo in the conversation and say SENDING or continually have a working symbol. Also I never see a message not sent message.

Come to think of it, I think the gmail app was unable to attach a picture to the message either. My phone is updating all the gapps right now, so I cant check.

sms's and emails work fine. Could this be a modem problem? Ive seen a few people ask if mms is working on the king kang forum, but havent seen any answers.

Any workarounds or thoughts?
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] rastapapa:
To get MMS working I found this post: http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=30536253&postcount=2

After doing this fix it looks like MMS is now working.

Does this mean the Aokp and King King ave non working sprint APNs? does anyone know why this is the case?
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] irvinm66:
Rooted FI27 (4.0.4) and upcoming (4.1.2) OTA

So, I recently followed QBKing77's instructions on how to root so I could get tethering and ad blocking and that worked great. My thought was that it would be 6+ months before seeing 4.1 or 4.2. With the recent discussion that 4.1.2 looks to be baked and in final testing, I was wondering what I should do to prepare for the 4.1.2 update OTA. (Yup, I am an Android rooting noob coming from the WinMo 6.5 platform where you didn't have to worry about root\recovery when flashing customer ROMs) I already want 4.2 as that is what is already on my Nexus 7.

Anyway, my questions:

Should I expect to be able to receive the OTA and just lose root?

Would it be safer to simply unroot the phone now, wait for the OTA, and re-root when available?

If I wait for the OTA notification, could I simply delay the update, unroot, then OTA, then root?

Am I just making this harder than it should be? :eek:

Sincerely,

Mike
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] blaarfengaar:
Wifi and play store problems

So I recently updated my phone to the latest nightly of CM 10.2 with Android 4.3.1, and everything is swell except now I can't connect to wifi and my play store won't load. It just keeps saying no connection even though I'm connected to 3G. Any ideas?
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] Gil81:
Are you on an ICS modem...that could cause the problem with youre 3g not working. As for the wifi issue... check in the rom thread.. could be an issue with the latest update.

Remember.... nightly builds are/or can be glitchy... you might want to roll back to the last build and a nandroid until the bugs get ironed out..

Good luck.. :good:
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] blaarfengaar:
My 3G is working, I can browse the web and use internet connection for everything except the play store apparently. I'm using a GB modem, EG30 by the way, never had problems with it until now.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] tdunham:
Try removing and adding your Google account. If that doesn't work, try an ics modem too instead of the GB one.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] blaarfengaar:
Should I back anything up beforehand that I'll lose?
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] Gil81:
TD is just saying to delete youre google account...after that i would clear the data and cache for the playstore. then go to recovery and wipe cache and dalvik cache.

dont delete youre playstore or you will be flashing a gapps package to get back going

good luck
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] blaarfengaar:
So I did what you said, but now I can't add my google account back. When I go to add an account and I click "Google" it just takes me back to the settings menu. When I try to open the play store it immediately closes.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] tdunham:
It sounds like you may have a bad flash, a bad build or both so you may have to try again.

It is hard to say as I am not very familiar with CM builds but the following applies to any custom ROM in general. Also, as someone already stated, it could be the build itself.

1. ALWAYS follow the flashing instructions explicitly stated for preparing the system and installing the ROM. Sometimes instructions are not as clearly written as they could be as Developers assume a certain level of competency with the verbage so it is important to thoroughly understand all of the concepts involved.

If you're not sure, ask. ;)

2. ALWAYS verify MD5 checksum of the rom download (including Gapps) to ensure a proper download.

3. Preparing the system is just important as what you use to flash the rom (the kernel used to flash the rom is VERY important too). It is probably a good idea to use the X2 format utility to properly wipe the system right before the flash: http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2077277

Cheers - TD :)
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] bilgerryan:
Lol, sorry I had to
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] jumico:
Does anyone know why apps and settings won't restore on factory reset?

I installed cm11, cm10.1, and stock ice cream sandwich. None of them restored my apps or more importantly my previous settings. Mainly I want my wifi passwords to be restored. This worked previously when I flashed from stock to 10.1 but hasn't anymore. Yes I do check the backup my phone with google option. For instance right now it is set for backup but if I do a factory reset it won't restore. Thank you.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] byrdcfmma:
Did you flash it with the latest version of CWM? OP says that you can have problems if you dont use the latest version.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] jumico:
I flashed it with the version that comes with cm10.1 and the version that comes with cm11.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] byrdcfmma:
You cant flash it with CM10.1 and if you tried to flash it with CM11 before flashing Hood Pope that could be your problem. The OP has specific instructions on how to flash, I would suggest that you follow what it says if you want it to work. Good Luck!
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] jumico:
I apologize. I mistakenly replied to you assuming you were answering my question but you weren't. So my bad.

I tried this on another phone too and it didn't work. Maybe there is an issue with my account.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] jumico:
Some new info on my issue. If I go to Backup and Reset in settings it says "No account is currently storing backed up data". I did a search and looks like there may be a solution here.

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2540560
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] fgootz:
can't get talk text or 3g but 4g works

Can anybody help me figure out what I need to do to get my phone to work? I purchased this on Ebay. The guy I bought it from had the same problem but I thought I could figure it out. Its an epic 4g touch on boost mobile (not flashed) I am able to activate it but it doesn't successfully do the ota. I can't update prl or profile. Ironically though, the 4g works great but that's it. I called Boost and did everything they asked me to with no luck. Very frustrating
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] tdunham:
Post a screenshot or two of your device info from settings like the one I attached so we can determine what you are running.

Hold Home/Pwr at about the same time to take a screenshot. Or just post the info.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] bilgerryan:
Most likely a One Click from here will probably fix your problem-http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1903252
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] tdunham:
Ryan is correct. Try using the one click for Boost GC01 build in the link provided. A couple of things to remember, it may wipe your internal storage so backup anything you want to save from internal SD.

1. Make sure pc drivers are already loaded and the phone is recognized.

2. Make sure you backed up internal storage.

3. Put the phone in download mode by holding Power/Vol down, run the one-click on pc THEN plug the phone in and make sure it is recognized before starting the flash.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] fgootz:
I will give that a shot when I get home later. Thank you!
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] bilgerryan:
And make sure you have the Samsung drivers installed on your PC or it probably won't recognize your phone
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] fgootz:
I put the 1 click gc01 for boost on the phone but it did not help. Still get 4g but nothing else. Wont complete the hands free activation, update profile or prl. It says it cant connect to the mobile network. Any other ideas?
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] tdunham:
Have you tried reflashing the modem?
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] fgootz:
Also, when i try to place a call, it dials but then nothing happens. I dont hear anything, not even a recording saying "your phone is not yet active" or "your call cannot be completed, It just hangs up after about 15 seconds

---------- Post added at 03:43 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:59 PM ----------

No I havent. I will give that a try. Any warnings???
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] tdunham:
Not really. You can download the GC01 one-click odin or flash the zip in recovery.

Also, try ##786# from the dialer. Select 'view' write down the esn near the bottom and make sure it matches the esn on the label under the battery. I want to make sure the esn matches the phone. Just making sure the phone hasn't been cloned to a different esn. Don't do the reset though, it will reset the phone to factory and you will lose some info that is necessary to activate it.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] fgootz:
Maybe thats my issue. There is no label so it must have been messed with. So what can i do now? The esn must be clean though because i am able to activate it (just cant get it to work ) but the 4g works? I have reset the phone several times already prior to this
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] tdunham:
Have you ever done the ##786# reset procedure with Boost when you called them? The factory reset isn't something they may normally suggest. It is like an nvram reset that resets all the phone activation info as well and doesn't get wiped when you wipe the phone by loading a new rom etc...

It resets the phone to a factory state which means you may have to call them to put all of your info in again but it is worth a try if they didn't do it. It all depends who you talk to there just like any tech support line for how much they can help. ;)

Also, if you can't get anywhere with them, ask if they can escalate the call to a higher support tier. Like I said, it's all who you talk to sometimes.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] fgootz:
I dont remember if I did the ##786# reset with them or not but I know I have done it several times by myself. Youre right, I should call back and have them try again but the one I did talk to said he exhausted all of his options.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] CamCroz99:
Does anyone know what the //android messages mean? I left my phone down for an hour to help a friend setup his website and I come back to about 10-15 messages that start with "//ANDROID:" and then a bunch of random text. Some of the messages have phone numbers others have just random letters and numbers.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] bilgerryan:
Are you using Sprint VVM?
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] CamCroz99:
I don't think so.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] bilgerryan:
VVM = Visual Voicemail.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] CamCroz99:
Yea. I know. How would I be able to tell? I am on KitKat.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] bilgerryan:
Then no, you're probably not using it, that's the only time I've seen those kind of messages. Except when I was on the EVO Shift when we first got CM10 it would send provisioning messages, probably just something that needs ironed out. It would be better to mention this in the ROM thread so dastin is aware of it.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] byrdcfmma:
I am getting these too. After I flashed CM11, I recieved an automated call from sprint asking if I was getting VM notifications. I didnt know what to do so I said no and I have been getting them ever since. CM11 doesn't have a VM in the rom, so i think it's Sprint making sure you know you have vm. I have not found a way to turn it off yet. If I do, I'll let you know
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] CamCroz99:
Is there an easy way to force private calls. Every time I call someone I want my number to be private. I think the code is *67 and then the phone number. Is there a way to force the *67 every time with out typing it in?
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] Stryke_the_Orc:
I don't see the option in the stock dialer, maybe a third party app would have it.

Slithering from the nether regions of a twisted mind and tarnished soul
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] bilgerryan:
I know I have used a ROM on this device that let you set a prepend before the number but it's been awhile, almost positive it was AOSP of some variety.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] copota:
Could any of you seasoned phone experts look over my rom install method, and let me know if my method is safe, dangerous, or could be better. Any tips or suggestions are much appreciated.

I’ve settled on using CyanogenMods 10.2 Official Nightly Jelly Bean 4.3.1. I would prefer running KitKat 4.4.1 though I’m using FreedomPop as my provider, and their app crashes in KitKat, and is supposedly not supported in KitKat ATM.

MY Phone: Samsung Galaxy S II SPH-D710 (Sprint)

Steps 3, 7, & 8 can be skipped if you don't need to get rid of the

Triangle

that may appear on the boot screen when using Odin's One-Click recovery.

Starting from stock Samsung GB27 JellyBean 4.1.2 (no root, no recovery)

Copy MODEM, ROM, GAPPS, and SUPER SU onto my external SD card for flashing while in recovery.

Also copy Triangle Away APK onto SD Card. This is only needed if Odin increments the ROM install count, and you want to get rid of the Triangle icon that will appear at phone boot screen as a result. This must be used in Stock OS after recovery and root have been installed.

Put phone into download mode

Flash using one-click Agat_GB27_v1.3.0

Reboot, then power down, then boot into recovery

In recovery, wipe Cache Partition, and wipe Davlik Cache. Also flash latest SuperSU 1.86 (latest as of this post)

Reboot into Stock Andoroid OS, and use ES File Explorer to install Triangle Away app from my SD Card. Follow Triangle Away instructions to complete.

Boot into recovery and flash the following...

flash MODEM FL24.zip

WIPE DATA, CACHE PARTITION, AND DAVLIK CACHE

flash ROM cm-10.2-20131224-NIGHTLY-d710.zip (current nightly as of this post)

flash GAPPS pa_gapps-full-4.3-20131102-signed.zip

reboot, configure phone with account information and preferred settings

install SuperSU and BusyBox from the app store

That's my flash process. Good? Bad? Dangerous? Any suggestions?

Thanks to gamepro602, bilgerryan and tdunham for advice on performing a proper ROM install.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] gamepro602:
I would use a safe recovery just because, and why use Supersu when there is superuser implemented in CM?
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] bilgerryan:
No need to wipe caches twice either, if you are going to tho do it before the ROM flash
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] copota:
I thought Agat_GB27_v1.3.0.exe was a safe recovery. Can you recommend a safe recovery.

I'm new to the lingo. Is CM short for CyanogenMod? I flashed SuperSU to root the stock, unrooted Samsung firmware. Does flashing a recovery automatically root an unrooted system?

I'll revise my original post in case other look at for use as a guide.

Thanks all for your response.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] tdunham:
First of all, if you are flashing to a custom rom, always follow the instructions posted for flashing. However, I see you are not following one of the posted roms so see below...

Agat's kernel is fine for backing up and recovery but it has issues flashing a full rom from scratch dependably. What I mean is that it does not always work properly for all E4GT phones (I cannot use it for example, the phone won't boot but some people can). It is generally known to use the EL29 directboot kernel or Chris41G EL26 kernel to flash. Also, if you want to wipe, it is easier to just flash my X2 wipe that I created as it will also wipe out ALL of the partitions and the one's in the kernel will not.

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2077277

Flashing a recovery does not automatically give you root. It is easier to just flash the stock rooted rom to begin with then go from there without the extra steps to obtain root.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] copota:
OK, so I'm going to replace the part in my original post where I list Agat_GB27_v1.3.0.exe to use as a recovery, and I'm going to put EL26_Stock_CWM5.exe to use.

That's the route I would have taken, however, since I wanted to use Triangle Away, to get rid of the Triangle from using Odin, I found I needed to use the app from the stock OS, which is why I mentioned rooting the stock OS. Otherwise I would have skipped rooting the stock OS and just flashed a rooted ROM after flashing my recovery.

I know you can avoid the Odin ROM count increment by using mobil Odin, however, I orderd a USB jig, so I plan to go that route to get reset the counter in the future.

Thanks, I'll be sure to use that, and thanks for your advice.
[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] CamCroz99:
Ok I'll keep looking.