[Samsung Epic 4G Touch] BluesRulez:
General Q&A

Ok here we go: Most common questions. I will be adding more from time to time.

Q. How do I root my phone?

A. The safest and easiest way to obtain root is to use one of the stock Odin one clicks. They are all found here. That thread has all versions listed. You want to use the one-click for the version you have. There are 2 versions. No data version will save all your user data. Use that only if you need to root your

current

version. Not recommended when downgrading versions.

Alternate Method:-

This is not recommended for first time users. Its a bit complicated but not hard.

-You need the EL26/29 kernel with CWM(linked below), CWM SuperSU zip, and stock kernel for the build you are on. By stock kernel, I mean for example if you are on unrooted ICS FL24 then you need the FL24 Stock kernel in a zip format. All these files need to be on your SD Card before you begin. All files can be found at rwilco12.com.

-Flash the EL26/29 kernel first using mobile odin kernel slot or desktop odin PDA slot.

-Boot into recovery.

-Flash zip from internal/external SD card.

-Find the SuperSU zip file and flash it.

-Now remember to not reboot. Flash the stock kernel zip.

-Now you can reboot.

Phone will boot up and you are still completely stock but rooted with NO CWM.

Q. Now I am rooted, how do I install clockwork mod (CWM) recovery to flash new ROMs etc? Oh did I mention flash ANY ROM? ICS or JB.

A. There are several ways to do this and need to be careful in choosing the right version. If you are not using a safe recovery then you may brick your phone. More on bricks later.. Before you install cwm you need to decide why you want cwm recovery. Are you just looking to install CWM recovery so you can flash a new ROM? If So.. Follow those steps to be as safe as you can get with flashing new roms.

-Make sure you have the ROM zip file already on your SD Card before starting this. Gapps too if it is a CM/AOKP/AOSP based rom.

-Download Mobile Odin Lite from here. You can also download from play store.

-Download GB - EL26 Stock repacked with CWM from here. You want the .tar.md5 file. OR use EG4T-EL29-directbootCWM-v3.tar.md5 md5 - 2b781e4515982a6b7d9586cbb3158647. Direct boot kernel will boot into recovery after flashing in mobile odin.

-Open Mobile Odin and select the kernel slot. Find the file on your sd card and select it.

-Flash firmware. It will take few seconds and phone will reboot.

-Next step is very important..

-Now one thing to keep in mind here is that you just flashed a Gingerbread based kernel. If you are on ICS or JB, your phone will no longer boot. So you want to hold down power + vol up until you see the CWM recovery.

-From here on follow the instructions of the rom you are trying to install.​

Only follow the above process ANY time you need to flash a new rom.

Any new rom you flash comes with its own recovery which are generally safe to flash different mods etc for that particular rom.

You can also use desktop odin to flash the kernel but it will trigger a yellow triangle and show a flash count which shows how many times you have flashed something custom.

Q. Now that I have my favorite ROM and its all setup... How do I make a nandroid backup?

A. Simple.. Just go to recovery that the rom came with by holding down vol + power up OR most roms have the reboot to recovery option in the power menu. Once in recovery go to backup and restore. Go to backup and let it run. It will take few minutes to complete. Also avoid changing names of these nandroid backups because that could cause MD5 mismatch and you won't be able to restore it.

A nandroid backup is a FULL backup of your phone. It comes very handy if you want to go back to your setup when trying new roms.

Now off to brick related questions.

General advise:- Please please please read the directions of the rom you are trying to flash and ask if you are not sure before you regret making a mistake.

Q. I flashed something (lets say you were on some ROM and decided to try a new kernel) and now all I have is a Samsung boot logo and my phone is stuck on it for few mins...

Am I bricked?? Did I brick it for good?

A. In most cases, No. If you see the Samsung boot logo then you are lucky and what you likely have is "Soft" brick. You can recover from this. You can do different things to fix this. If you are not sure and do not feel confident and just want to get your phone working to take a breather, follow this..

-Download EL29 rooted Odin one click to a pc. (you should always keep a copy on your pc)

-Put your phone into Odin download mode by holding power + vol down until you see a screen asking you to press vol up to continue.

-Open the one click .exe file.

-Plug your phone into your pc using an usb cable.

-Wait for drivers to install if you don't already have. Be patient.

-You should see COM:XX where XX is port number. Doesn't matter what number. Now be patient and wait a min or 2. (Sometimes I have seen the COM:XX disappear and then comeback due to some driver reloading..)

-Press start and wait for the flash to complete.

*DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES MOVE YOUR PHONE AROUND THAT THE CABLE COULD UNPLUG.

*MAKE SURE BATTERY HAS GOOD CHARGE.

*MAKE SURE PC DOESN'T RESTART.

*If the process is interrupted, you will brick your device for sure depending on where odin was in the flash process and it will be hard to fix it or impossible.​

-You should wait till phone reboots by itself. Device can be unplugged then.

Another thing you could do to recover from a soft brick is just go into recovery and restore your nandroid backup that you had created.

Q. Ok so now what is "hard" brick?

A. To explain it in simple words.. if you get a flashing blue led and nothing on the display, cannot go into odin mode or recovery then you have a hard brick. For more info refer to this thread and this thread