[Epic 4G Android Development] awalbert88:
You know, posts like this don't contribute anything but a negative tone. I don't expect folks to always want to help people out, but why bash someone? What does that accomplish? Nothing. If you want to point to the instructions at the beginning of the thread, that's fine, but perhaps the problem is that there are no instructions relating to Odin or the modem anywhere on the first page of this thread. There are three mentions of the word "modem" and one mention of the word "odin", but no explanation.

Has it occurred to anyone who is constantly throwing the "learn to search and/or read" line around that perhaps the problem is that reading through a 140+ page thread is asking a little much? That perhaps most of the posts in this thread relate to things before DK17 or v1.5 of the ROM? That everyone has to start learning somewhere, and that even for a very intelligent, technical person, the process of modding a phone to the extent many of us do here seems a bit complex the first time?

Yes, with searching and extensive reading you can gather all the necessary knowledge you need to go from bone stock to Quantum v1.5 ROM and the DK17 modem, but where does someone who is new to the process start out? In the interest of giving back a bit to the community, here is my contribution to helping out newer users, and hopefully reducing the number of questions popping up. For more advanced members, please feel free to point out anything that might be better explained or that I missed:

How to go from a stock Epic to Quantum 1.5:

Under no circumstances is anyone on this forum responsible for any damage that may occur to your device, your data, or anything else. Read through each and every step thoroughly before you even begin to download anything. If you are unclear at any point, read the linked threads and take notes! All data on your phone (not SD card) will be erased, including applications, contacts, and call/message logs. ALWAYS BACKUP YOUR DATA AND UNDERSTAND THAT YOU PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK!

You will need root/superuser access to get started, as well as a tool called ClockworkMod. The simplest method of getting these both is here: http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=770388 Questions regarding this step should be directed toward that thread. (Credit: noobnl/Firon)

Download Quantum v1.5 from the first page of this thread: http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=841948 Place the .zip file on your SD card.

Download Odin and the DK17 modem from here: http://k0nane.info/rom/odin-pit-modem.zip (Credit: k0nane/ACS) Then, follow these steps:

A) Run Odin.

B) Power your phone down (BE SURE IT IS CHARGED TO FULL)

C) Slide out the keyboard on your phone, hold the "1" key and press Power. Once the phone turns on, you can release the buttons. This will start it up in Download mode, which is essential for Odin to work.

D) Plug your phone into your computer using the USB cable. Odin should detect the phone; if it does not, confirm that the USB drivers are properly installed and reinstall them as necessary. If this still does not work, unplug the phone, reboot your computer, pull the battery from your phone, put it back in, and try step C again.

E) Click "Pit" and select the pit file.

F) Click "PDA" and select the modem.tar file.

G) Verify that only "Auto Reboot" is checked on the lefthand side.

H) Click "Start". If this does not complete: Don't panic. Unplug the phone, pull the battery, and reboot your computer. Start over with Step C again, and double-check that you've followed everything correctly. If after doing this it STILL fails, review this thread: http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=773032

I) Unplug the phone and pull the battery from your phone to exit Download mode. Then put the battery back in, but do not power on.

Press and hold the Volume Down and Camera buttons, then press Power. Once the phone turns on, you can release the buttons. This will start it up in Recovery mode.

Using the Volume Up/Down buttons to move and the Camera button to select, use the "wipe data/factory reset" option. Then, do it two more times. Then do the same for "wipe cache partition" (also three times!)

Go to "install zip from sdcard", then find the .zip file for the rom. Confirm that you wish to flash it, and let Clockworkmod do its thing. Then select the "reboot system now" option and let your phone boot up.

Wait five minutes. Your phone will take longer than usual to boot up this first time, which is normal. You will now need to setup your phone the way you like it again, or restore that data from backup (help with that is outside the scope of this thread/guide).

Install any of the addon zip files from the first page of this thread one by one using the same method used to flash this rom, minus the wiping.