Strange we have many FAQ's WIKI's, Great topics on <x> subject - but not one place for the suffering new user to go to. After even myself duplicating topics that have been posted multiple times it is my hope to create this topic to help guide the newly wayward Captivate user to the correct topic and keep the repeated topics down a bit.
I AM IN NO WAY RESPONSIBLE IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO YOUR DEVICE - YOU THE OWNER OF YOUR CAPTIVATE TAKE 100% RESPONSIBILITY.
This is going to be a long long post - so make sure you use your CTRL-F in your Browser
Special Credits go to the following for putting together the information. I'm just the one gathering it up. So if something you read here helps - make sure to DONATE to them. Also if I have forgot to list you and you wish to be credited? PM me and I'll be happy to add you.
Mikey1022
CLShortFuse
Design Gears
bobbylx
nbs11
BEFORE EVEN READING THIS POST IT WOULD BE WISE TO READ THE WIKI FIRST!
Also some tips before Posting your Question!
Use the SEARCH FEATURE on the Forum and keep your search simple. (ex. GPS, Bricked, Shutdown etc..) Odds are your issue has been posted and answered a few times.
Follow the Rules: Failure to do so could get you banned or worse ridiculed!
Be Courteous and Patient! - If your posted is filled with expletives and I hate this phone, and you come off as being overall rude? Don't expect an answer and expect your post to get removed and you possibly banned.
1) What USB Drivers should I get for my computer to recognize my Captivate? These are the drivers I have used on both a Windows XP 32-bit and Windows 7 64-bit machines - so I know they work.
For Windows 64bit Click here.
For Windows 32-bit Click here.
2) How do I Root my Captivate?
By far the easiest method that I've been able to use is CLShortFuse's One-Click Root and Allow Non-Market Apps. It is a VERY SIMPLE application to use.: Click HERE to go to the post to read about it and download the application.
There is a new tool out there that is a "do-it-all-in-one" called AIO - I would check out the post here and check out the youtube video. This tool appears to do it all.
And users have asked what do I lose if I root my phone. The short answer is nothing! You will not lose any settings, pictures, media, application data etc. But you do gain a lot! I would suggest reading about rooting your device here to learn more about the benefits to rooting your phone.
3) Oh crap I have "bricked" my device!
Um no you didn't. Unless you are unable to get the phone to power on, or it will not be recognized by your computer it is not bricked. "Most" (as in 99.99999%) of the time you can get the phone back into download mode and then ODIN 1-Click back to stock. I would highly recommend going to the links posted before reading the methods I have below them.
Go to DesignGears Odin3 One-Click back to Stock thread and do what it says there.
You should also go to bobbylx's READ ME BEFORE FLASHING!!!! Thread as well by clicking here.
If your phone is still able to get to CWM You can download the stock OTA JH7 from this thread here! I would still recommend the Odin 1-Click method as it will definitely wipe all the gremlins from your phone.
You can watch this tutorial on youtube here if you wish. Credit to BlinkPhaseVideos for the tutorial.
If for some strange reason you absolutely cannot get the phone into download mode you can try one of two things:
The first method - It will take a few tries to get the timing just right so be patient:
Unplug your Device
Pull out the SIM, External SD Card, and Battery
Plug in the mini-USB Cable back into your phone.
While holding down BOTH Up/Down Volume Buttons re-insert the battery.
If you get the "grey battery charging" screen. Then you will need to try and re-attempt it as it didn't work. You should get the download screen and be ready to go back to stock.
Build a Jig to force the phone to go into download mode by reading this thread here.
Mind you this is not for the feint at heart and AT&T warranty centers might be a better option then completely frying your phone.
4) My Phone is Randomly Rebooting or Shutting down after I do <insert whatever action it was doing when it did it here.>
I was informed of two separate posts here and here and now here.
If you have a build 1008 phone and the IMEI # matches what is in this thread here then you might get a replacement device.
Feel free to try what they are posting on there and who knows? You might get lucky. But the overall consensus from what I've read is that if your phone is shutting down and it's not related to some errant application, a custom ROM, or you dipped it in water then it is hardware related and you will want to do a warranty replacement. (No warranty - OUCH! That $4.99 a mo seems pretty trivial now eh?)
5) My GPS is not working because of <insert your random thought/idea here>?
There are two awesome posts on the developer forums on thought, ideas, potential fixes that will at least help if not completely fix your GPS. Keep in mind a lot of this is speculation, personal user experiences, and some folks just madly mashing buttons and getting lucky and having no clue as to how they fixed it.
If your not having GPS issues GREAT! You don't need this then!
My personal favorite thread as it has a lot of information about how GPS works is the [GPS/AGPS] REAL solution analysis thread (Jupiter Tweaks) thread. ***Note: This is most likely only for Froyo 2.2 ROM's.
Another one that has a lot of information and might possibly work for your is:
GPS Flawless/I am requesting XDA Community and Developers to please read!!
6) So.. You think your ready to Install that Awesome <insert Name of ROM here> ROM that will CHANGE YOUR LIFE?
Uh-uh... not until you have read here first. This is that sticky topic that says "Read BEFORE flashing!!". This is probably THE MOST IMPORTANT reading you can do before you start flashing as it shows you how to backup and restore your device.
Then you need to read up on nbs11's guide on his [GUIDE] How to Install a Custom ROM by going here. This guide is VERY easy to read and can apply to most of the custom ROMs that utilize a *.zip to install. ***edit - now includes a video(s) on youtube on how to install that custom ROM.
And failing to follow the developer/cooker's instructions to the "T" could cause catastrophic issues with your phone and yes... possibly bricking your device. Make sure when you go to the ROM you wish to install that you read their install instructions as it could slightly differ from other ROMs out there.
7) So your Battery is Going Down to 0% faster than your USB can Charge Your Phone?
This - by far is probably the best thread I have read about the subject. Although some of it might be speculation - it does seem to be pretty solid work. I would suggest reading this post:How to isolate and fix battery drain (and maybe lag, too) and then see if your battery performance improves.
I hope this guide helps you out. I wish I had known this information before I started flashing ROMs.
Important Links with Additional Information about your Captivate
I have found all of these quite helpful. If you think your post should be added please PM me!
Wiki's and How-TO Basics!
The XDA Samsung Captivate Wiki
XDA and Android Terms and Acronyms Thanks to jmtheiss for creating this. Basic guide to XDA and your Captivate
AIO Captivate Toolbox: This is the all in one tool that allows you to do everything from install drivers, root your phone, and install custom ROM's. If your new this might be the tool for you to use.
Samsung HOW-TO Wiki (3rd Party Link)
The Main XDA Wiki: Lists all the phones that XDA has in their forums. Also has additional information there.
ADB for Dummies! - ADB is probably one of my best tools for tweaking my phone (and restoring stuff I break). If your going to be changing your phone around at all - READ THIS THREAD
Theming Your Phone
Captivate Theme Sticky: Go here to see all of the different themes/tweaks/mods for your Captivate phone.
MetaMorph Home Page on XDA - This is a 3rd party application that will modify the look of your phone without you having to modify any type of *.apk files yourself.
Circle Battery Mods - How to change your default Battery Icon on your status bar.
Transparent Widgets - Just what it says. But please be careful and understand what you are doing before attempting these mods.
Common Sense Before Posting Your Question - PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE READ
Before you post a question on XDA - Please make sure you have utilized the SEARCH Feature - as your issue has probably been answered at least once.
If your going to post a question, make sure it makes sense! i.e. a bad example is ZOMFGBBQSAUCE WTF DO I DO!!!1111!!!!111!!!!!! vs. Phone is Soft Bricked After Attempting to Odin 1 Click. Which one do you think people are going to know how to answer by looking at the topic? Just saying..
In the body of your text it will be very helpful if you do the following:
State clearly the issue - bricked my phone etc.
What ROM are you currently using?
What is the EXACT ERROR of the issue you are reporting?
Is your phone rooted?
Did you have USB Debugging turned on?
If you fail to put pertinent information such as the above - there is no way for anyone to answer your question.
And.. this shouldn't need to be said but I'm adding it anyways...
Be patient. Be polite. Just because you cannot understand something does not mean u can show your frustration at folks here.
Of course this does not encompass all questions - mainly this is useful for when something goes wrong with your phone.
Good resource to put everything together.
w00t Sitckied! Thanks!
JF6 to JF7 Kies Mini Update. Is it necessarily?
Question guys. After using Odin to obtain JF6, do I need to use Kies mini to get to JF7 to be able to use another ROM or I can just master clear everything and from JF6 install a new ROM? Asking because I bricked my phone trying to do OTA to JF7. Got a replacement phone. The boot loader is shot probably so its safe to say my Captivate is bricked. It won't power on at all. I think upgrading to JF7 is pointless but need your expert advice. Thanks.
I have never upgraded from jf6 to jf7 before I flashed another rom, never had any issues. Think it would be an unnecessary step if you are planning to flash over out anyway.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Mr.Pirate said:
Question guys. After using Odin to obtain JF6, do I need to use Kies mini to get to JF7 to be able to use another ROM or I can just master clear everything and from JF6 install a new ROM? Asking because I bricked my phone trying to do OTA to JF7. Got a replacement phone. The boot loader is shot probably so its safe to say my Captivate is bricked. It won't power on at all. I think upgrading to JF7 is pointless but need your expert advice. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After you use ODIN back to JF6 - you can then upgrade back up to any ROM the Dev Forums have available.
The only caveat to this - is READ THEIR INSTRUCTIONS! Some are highly experimental and require you to install them different from the standard CWM install method. (i.e. Cyanogen and the Gingerbread port going around).
i wish this thread was around when i first started out a while back. good job on this one guys.
Can someone post something that shows how to install a theme? I have flashed a custom rom and see a theme I wanna install on it. (Already downloaded the .zip file for it, not sure what to do next)
Thanks.
nice stuff
I find that installing PDAnet as my drivers for my Captivate works well for rooting.
Nice thread. I wish I had seen this before I started flashing.
I think the OP needs to be updated with the line "Be patient. Be polite. Just because u cannot understand something does not mean u can show ur frustration at folks here."
A couple of questions. I've rooted my phone installed a custom rom (serendipity 5.5) and installed that steam. What does jpy and all those others mean? and where would I find out what mine is?
Deadclown said:
A couple of questions. I've rooted my phone installed a custom rom (serendipity 5.5) and installed that steam. What does jpy and all those others mean? and where would I find out what mine is?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think all of that is listed in the WIKI with definitions.
When you see JPY - it is the last 3 letters of the Baseband Version typically - but could be the Modem or Kernel being utilized in the ROM your running. You can see what baseband you are currently running by going under Settings -> About Phone and you will see under Baseband Settings something like: "I9000UGJK4"
But... you would be better off going to the Dev's forum and looking at their release notes. 99% of the time tell you what build the kernel is based off of and the modem they are using.
LOL and yes being patient and courteous is kind of a given. If you guys have any updates, ideas, etc.... to add to the post please let me know.
diablo009 said:
I think the OP needs to be updated with the line "Be patient. Be polite. Just because u cannot understand something does not mean u can show ur frustration at folks here."
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol Added it!
Thanks This is helpful
thanks for posting this.
How do you upgrade a ROM?
I just flashed Super Nova 2.0.2 last night. It was updated to 2.0.6 since I flashed. How do I update? Do I have flash back to factory?
Hi,
I'm new to Android since I first bought my GT-N7000 on eBay back in February. I waited until the official ICS upgrade (through Kies) to even start considering rooting my device and flashing Kernels. I haven't dared custom ROMs yet because I feel I don't have the necessary knowledge to proceed with confidence.
What I read in threads are a collection of particular cases with answers that are equally case specific, without ever referring to the underlying principles that govern the said operations. Worse, most members "think" that their process does this and that. In short, I'm left with an empirical approach to these crucial and potentially device crippling operations. I can't and won't take those kind of risks with my precious device until I can understand what would and wouldn't screw up/brick my device (what I'm really doing, not what I think is going on).
Everyone should be in a position to assess their machine's various parts and current state accurately and to know the basic dangers/pitfalls in order to elaborate any kind of OS and Hardware config alteration process.
By underlying principles, here's what I mean:
- what is a bootloader, how can it be determined, does it have any incidence on the Kernel and ROM being loaded on top, can it be changed, how?
- what is my modem and radio build, how can I determine, can it be changed, does a ROM or Kernel flash change that?
- What does LPY, LPT, ... refer to, and do they have any incidence on the flashing process?
- what exactly is the Dalvik cache, what does wiping it actually mean (and what about the hard brick bug), and what is Odexing?
- What should I use to flash, what are the differences/risks (Odin Pc, mobile Odin, CMW all versions), all considering my device's current state (bootloader, modem & radio, Kernel, rom, partial/full root)?
- What is a partial root, how can I determine, and what will happen if I flash Kernel or Rom in such a state?
- What will a factory reset actually do (restore phone as when I bought it with Gingerbread, or to the point after the Kies upgrade with ICS)?
Thanks and Cheers,
------------------------------------ Organized answers below --------------------
First of all, before you start anything, you need to understand that the XDA is not for the random general consumer. Instead, it is intended for people with genuine interest in the technological devices they own, and who strive to fiddle or hack their way into a working knowledge and skill-set for it. The URL says "xda-developers", so read this article from a retired moderator, and move on with your journey:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=2031989&postcount=45
1. ROM, internal SD and partitions
[ ref: http://www.samsung.com/global/business/semiconductor/product/flash-emmc/overview ]
[ ref:http://www.cpkb.org/wiki/Samsung_GT-N7000_GT-N7000L_Galaxy_Note_service_manual ]
[ ref:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flash_memory ]
[ ref:http://www.cpkb.org/wiki/Samsung_PIT ]
The ROM is the dead space, the hard drive of your phone (nothing executes in the ROM, it's just a data repository). In the GT-N7000, that hard drive is called the eMMC chip. This chip uses NAND flash for storage, which is a particular type of solid state memory (Nandroid backup wrings a bell?). Together, the components of this chip form what is called the ROM (read-only, non-volatile). It contains all the instructions and code necessary for your device to bring itself to life by reading the said instructions and loading the said code into RAM for execution.
Since these instructions and this code are responsible for various parts of the power on cycle and system functions, it makes it easier to manage if they sit on distinct parts of the hard drive. Think about this: how could you change the kernel if the data sat on the same physical ground as the recovery console data? ... Hence the partitions.
There is also the concept of internal sd (or /sdcard when you look at the mounted filesystem through a file explorer). This is a reserved space on the eMMC chip itself, a mount point for the system to access (look at the service manuals, you'll notice there is only one internal flash memory chip). That's why when you use a utility app to look at the size declared for that space, you notice that it isn't the full 16GB or 32GB, but a fraction of that. There are other pieces of data written to your eMMC chip that take up space as well (like the bootloader, the recovery, the OS or the kernel).
Hint:
You probably cannot and should not attempt to repartition your eMMC chip from the device itself (that would mean that the partitioning process would have to be executed from RAM, since ROM would be unworkable during the operation). You'll want to do that from a desktop or other flashing apparatus, and you'll need to know exactly what you're about to do.
Clarification (disambiguation):
ROM --> the read-only memory, the type of memory, the memory chip itself
ROM --> a collection of data that developers have concocted and that is written to the read-only memory, populating the various eMMC chip partitions. This data is what makes up the software stack on your device (quite probably recovery, kernel, OS and root for custom ROMs).
2.BOOTLOADER
[ ref: http://www.androidenea.com/2009/06/android-boot-process-from-power-on.html ]
[ ref:http://www.extremetech.com/computin...tloader-and-why-does-verizon-want-them-locked ]
The bootloader is the first gasp of air your phone takes when powered on (there are other steps prior, but intricately tied to the hardware and outside our scope). It is a program, separate from the kernel and from Android OS, that is responsible for setting up initial memories and RAM and finding+loading the kernel, or loading the recovery console. Think of it as GRUB on a desktop, or that thing in Windows that prompts you to boot in safe mode after a crash. As such, it can be conceived as the entry point to the loading of the software stack, and ultimately, the user space from which you, the user, and your apps operate from.
Since the bootloader is a software specific to the device itself, and that it is in charge of validating the prerequisites for loading the kernel into RAM, it has specific functions that scan the ROM partitions for validity. It also has provisions to refuse moving on to further steps if it thinks something is not kosher. This is where the notion of "locked" bootloader comes in. In order to load customized code in the software stack, the bootloader must allow the operation to take place, it must be programmed in that manner.
Some manufacturers program their bootloaders to load only stock firmware and halt if anything custom is written to the ROM. Furthermore, they may even encrypt this piece of software so that developers can never alter it: no root ever, no custom kernel, no modem flashing, no custom Roms, no custom recovery, no joy!
Luckily for us, Samsung is quite dev-friendly and ships the GT-N7000 with an unencrypted bootloader (cheers to them). Beware though, because carriers and manufacturers aren't the same people. Your carrier may one day decide that it wants the bootloader encrypted on all of its new devices, I can't foresee the future. Don't confuse unlocked and unencrypted: an unencrypted bootloader doesn't mean that it's unlocked, just that it can easily be unlocked.
[ need to confirm implications of locked bootloader, find a way to confirm state and list a few ways to unlock ]
Hint:
[not sure: Make sure your phone is unlocked before attempting any flashing]. Also make sure that the piece of data you are loading is correct for your device. Writing foreign data to your eMMC chip (ROM chip) could throw the bootloader into panic.
Notice:
There should be very few reasons for you to flash the bootloader (it would really be one of your last resorts). That would mean that something utterly wrong happened to your device. In any case, you truly want to flash the Samsung official bootloader, using the official Samsung flashing tool (Odin).
3.KERNEL
[ ref:http://forum.xda-developers.com/wiki/index.php?title=ROM-VS-Kernel#The_kernel ]
[ ref:http://www.vikitech.com/8239/beginners-guide-android-kernels ]
[ ref:http://www.linfo.org/kernel_space.html ]
Once all the preliminaries are set, the bootloader loads the kernel into ram and hands control over to it. It will be the captain from now on. So far, we have (almost) no way to access the hardware. That's the responsibility of the data that sits on the SYSTEM partition of the eMMC chip, the one that's just been loaded into RAM for execution.
As it loads, the kernel sets up all things concrete like interrupt controllers, schedulers, cpu frequency, memory management, safeties... everything so the hardware is functional and ready to use. As such, the kernel is now the gateway to the hardware layer: if you want something to blink or beep on your machine, you'll have to ask it to manage your request.
Now that the kernel is done with rigging up all the organs and limbs of the robot, it looks to initiate actions, or processes. It launches the init process, the first of all processes, and the parent of all processes (all future processes will be generated by this very process, system services and apps alike). The init process looks for its instructions (setting of environment, mounting of filesystem, setting of system permissions, etc.) in a file named "init.rc". Just as in Linux, when you launch a shell, the shell looks for its associated .rc file. You may want to read through the "init.rc", just for kicks. It's very informative as to what goes on during the power-on process after the kernel is ready to operate. From then on, the init process looks to start to Dalvik virtual machine by launching Zygote.
Note:
It is important to know that the hardware functions present in the recovery console are provided by the kernel. That's why it can be problematic to perform these operations from a "buggy" kernel. More on that in the Recovery section.
4.ZYGOTE AND DALVIK (and caching+Odexing) cached .dex and .odex rely on the kernel so swapping kernels without wiping dalvik cache can cause problems
- APP AND USERSPACE DATA: apps are system users, the user interacts with the system through apps. Internal SD and backing up/restoring/wiping.
5.RECOVERY
[ ref:http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1667886 ]
[ ref:http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=26285877&postcount=12 ]
akin to flashing tool (short description of software type and confer to next section for functional details)
- kernel does the eMMC format. Possible to fry some blocks of the memory chip with software itself (the cap erase flag seems to circumvent that unfortunate frying). Since kernel formats (wipes and resets) are done from recovery.
6.FLASHING TOOLS
- Identify your device (in the stock state) before you do any flashing
- always be able to go back to the state you were in before a flashing operation (be prepared with the proper data at hand, images to flash and/or self-made backups)
7.CUSTOM ROMS
- what is it?
- talk about LPY (Touchwiz), AOSP, AOKP ... how they could be compared to Gnome, KDE, or other OS GUI.
- talk about the potential for roms to modify various parts of the system (like the kernel or the structuring of the filesystem, or even the radio, who knows) = ask the right questions to the developers instead of crying to them after you've bricked.
Man..you just need to do a lot of reading and be selective in what you read based on what you want to achieve, whether you have the sufficient knowledge and the tool to achieve it..
Next, gain confidence in what you're about to do..read feedback, success stories and setbacks by others.. If the risk is relatively high, be prepared to roll back..
Finally, you've got to try it out yourself.. You know faith without works is dead..
I've done my fair share of reading, and I still do. Also, I'm not an agnostic when it comes to computers (I'm a developer myself, web/server/network/Flash and Flex, so I'm aware of a few things). I have given faith a go, but you read where I'm at presently (totally unsure and unwilling to do anything).
There's nothing worse than a false sense of security or assurance, you'll hit a wall anyhow (reality doesn't care my friend!). I don't mind handling a stickie and doing all the grunt work. What I'm looking for is to confirm certain basic pieces of knowledge without crapping out my machine (it's expensive, I can't afford a new one every other week), and to share that with other GT-N7000 owners, so we can go about trying stuff for ourselves without a false sense of "that's not a wall, it's mirage, don't worry".
Trying stuff is the basis of discovery, true. But when you try stuff and you can't even confirm what you're actually trying, you won't be able to learn, let alone deduce any kind of principle from it...
This being said, would I be allowed to start collecting these basic pieces of information, to organize them in a coherent manner and to post them somewhere in the GT-N7000 forum?
Oh, Oh, Oh, ah, ... you said "rollback". How? I've read that applying backups in certain states could actually screw things up, like a partial root for instance. Rollback procedure should be defined, and I'm willing to define it for the rest of us.
Very Good set of questions hopefully somebody answers them.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda app-developers app
Stock Recovery v/s Custom Recovery
I was keen on asking about the difference between Stock Recovery and Custom Recovery, for which I thought of creating a new thread until I came across your topic, Monkey_banana.
Thank you for initiating a relevant thread.
Personally, I have not rooted my Galaxy Note yet. I am unsure about many issues and thus I am taking my time, reading and posting queries (naive and stupid many a times) with the motive of acquiring a strong base of knowledge which I can put into practice and achieve confidence.
Can the Galaxy Note be rooted without a custom recovery or is it advisable to have a custom recovery installed on the device?
I sincerely apologise if you feel I have hijacked your thread.
Hey YLNdroid,
No hijacking felt! I started this thread because I needed to positively confirm basic concepts. The consolidated summary idea is a little ambitious, I admit, but if at least it gets a discussion going (about concepts, not about specifics of every device, kernel and ROM), then all the better.
From what I've read, recovery sits on a bootable partition ( androidcentral.com/what-recovery-android-z/ ):
- Stock recovery allows you to wipe/reset and to flash stock ROM. Very limited, and probably not to be used if you intend to or have previously flashed anything remotely custom (like rooted kernels or Ketan's busybox installer).
- Custom recovery is tweaked and enhanced version (like CWM) that allows backups and recovery, custum wiping, custom ROM flashing and so on. They are probably also different in the way that changes are applied in order to satisfy the hacking requirements of various custom pieces of data.
This is the best of my knowledge, can anyone confirm?
Monkey_banana said:
[*]- what is a bootloader, how can it be determined, does it have any incidence on the Kernel and ROM being loaded on top, can it be changed, how?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
boot loader is the first piece of code that runs after power on and loads the kernel. flashing kernel or custom ROM does not effect boot loader on note. check the following link for booting process
http://www.androidenea.com/2009/06/android-boot-process-from-power-on.html
Monkey_banana said:
[*]- what is my modem and radio build, how can I determine, can it be changed, does a ROM or Kernel flash change that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
go to settings->about phone-> Radio version. This will be your modem build. Modem is mainly responsible for making calls and data connections. Modem is usually independent of rom or android version you are using. unless you are experiencing poor signal it is not much you get by changing a modem. Some roms include a modem some don't. check out modems thread
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1645202
Monkey_banana said:
[*]- What does LPY, LPT, ... refer to, and do they have any incidence on the flashing process?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They refer to different releases of ics from samsung. any operation involving format operation with these build might result in bricking of you note. check this emmc bug thread for more info http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1644364
Monkey_banana said:
[*]- what exactly is the Dalvik cache, what does wiping it actually mean (and what about the hard brick bug), and what is Odexing?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dalvik cache is a cache folder for dalvik VM running on android. Odex is how things come stock. It takes up less room but making modifications or taking apks from other roms is hard.
Deodex basically takes the odex file and stuffs it into the apk as a classes.dex. First boot it dissembles the file into /dalvik-cache (i believe). Now there is basically 2 copies of the odex, one in the apk one in cache. This makes it "portable". This allows modders to work on the apks & easily change stuff. If you want themes or stuff like lockscreen fixes you MUST use Deodex.
got it from http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=710648
Monkey_banana said:
[*]- What should I use to flash, what are the differences/risks (Odin Pc, mobile Odin, CMW all versions), all considering my device's current state (bootloader, modem & radio, Kernel, rom, partial/full root)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
first do check if there is any damage to your sdcard since you are an effected kernel. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1709054
For you case i suggest you to flash GB ROM from this thread [LINK]http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1424997[LINK] and then root it and then flash abyss kernel 4.2 from mobile odin or pc odin. If you flash with mobile odin it won't cause flash counter to increase but pc odin increase the flash counter resulting in a yellow triangle.
once abysskernel 4.2 is flashed go to recovery mode (volumeup + home+powerbutton). from there you can wipe dalvik cache+ wipe cache + wipe data. once that is done you can flash any custom rom you like. go for roms with cm9 kernel as it is safe from emmc bug. i am stunner and it great.
wipe operations usually format the corresponding partitions.
Monkey_banana said:
[*]- What is a partial root, how can I determine, and what will happen if I flash Kernel or Rom in such a state?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
try to paste some test file in to /system partition and delete it. if you have a proper root that you should be able to successfully complete those operations.
Monkey_banana said:
[*]- What will a factory reset actually do (restore phone as when I bought it with Gingerbread, or to the point after the Kies upgrade with ICS)?
it is similar to wipe i guess.
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kopitalk said:
Man..you just need to do a lot of reading (...)
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I see this regularly but I've never seen any "real" documentation yet.
I've only seen some flashing docs from well intentioned people for whom English was a third language and who assumed every acronym was well known to their readers and which is written in a toned down l33t style (although with lots of colours). This doesn't really help.
All I've found from Google was dev documentation which didn't really address this specific topic. (since I have an itch to scratch in that area I'm slowly making my way through it, maybe I just didn't find the right bit yet)
I know that writing documentation is complex and yields many traps. I have written enough in my time (and was one of the few to actually enjoy it). However as an old time Unix user, I'm still trying to figure out Android and still haven't found anything that was worth the read. All I found were recipes that were really hard to understand.
Now I know that good documentation takes ages to write, so I'm certainly not downplaying what we have. At least we have it. But it *is* terrible.
Hey srik02003,
Thank you very much for the ton of info. Particularly the link about the bootloader... Precious information very well explained.
I'm reading everything and will later update the original post to organize what we've got so far.
Again, thank you!
Monkey_banana said:
Hey srik02003,
Thank you very much for the ton of info. Particularly the link about the bootloader... Precious information very well explained.
I'm reading everything and will later update the original post to organize what we've got so far.
Again, thank you!
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Wish you luck, seeing lots of threads with repetitive questions and problems, it seems a very good idea, especially to help absolute beginners
i am glad it helped you...if you could summarize, it will sure help a lot of android beginners
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda app-developers app
Summarizing and sorting at the moment. I'm going through everything in an organized fashion and modifying the original post as I go along.
Do check the original post from time to time and feel free to make comments, refute, or provide more information.
Monkey_banana said:
Summarizing and sorting at the moment. I'm going through everything in an organized fashion and modifying the original post as I go along.
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Only one thing you need to know (don't worry about bootloaders etc.) And this is coming from a guy who recently superbricked his phone. (more about that in a minute). Anyway, here it is.....
ONLY FLASH FROM or do WIPES/FORMATS/FACTORY RESETS ON a kernel that has eMMC_CAP_ERASE DISABLED!
There's the whole superbrick scenario summarized in a nutshell. If CAP_ERASE is disabled, you wont brick your phone.
So which kernels am I talking about? - the following:-
SAFE!
Stock or CF-Root GB
Abyssnote 1.4.2
DAFUQ
SpeedMod
Franco
Th*r
PC or Mobile Odin
UNSAFE!
Stock or CF-Root ICS
CWM ICS
Any custom kernel where it has not been verified that CAP_ERASE is disabled.
Why? - Crap firmware. The GT N7000 doesn't like to have its eMMC chip formatted (even if only a partition). It damages it and eventually turns it into a superbrick! This happens during flashing new ROMs, doing factory resets, formatting partitions and wiping data. HOWEVER! If MMC_CAP_ERASE is disabled in the kernel, then the format instruction reverts to a simple, (and harmless) delete (like on a PC) and no damage occurs:good:
How did I brick my phone? Easy, wiped on an unsafe kernel after having a few beers and not DOUBLE CHECKING which kernel I was on before I did so:crying: (New MoBo being replaced under warranty as we speak)
Hope this helps.
BTW. I have rooted, flashed, un-roooted, reflashed, re-rooted wiped, formatted etc. for about 6 weeks until I had a brain-fade and did it on the wrong kernel.
"If you drink and wipe, your a bloody idiot!"
shoey63 said:
Only one thing you need to know (don't worry about bootloaders etc.) And this is coming from a guy who recently superbricked his phone. (more about that in a minute). Anyway, here it is.....
ONLY FLASH FROM or do WIPES/FORMATS/FACTORY RESETS ON a kernel that has eMMC_CAP_ERASE DISABLED!
[...]
"If you drink and wipe, your a bloody idiot!"
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Firstly, thanks for participating in the discussion!
Secondly, although I understand your "forget about it, only consider the eMMC brick bug" recommendation, it presupposes some form of knowledge to forget about (which not every user has). You are able to formulate that your phone needs wiping because you figure that some operation, let's say a custom ROM flash, was not clean, or that it created some conflict between the various parts of your system. Right?
Lastly, a newbi or noob is not that far off from a baby in Android terms. I don't know if you've ever watched a baby, but they seem pretty drunk to me, wouldn't you agree?
All that being said, even seasoned developers/modders end up in dark places from time to time. The difference with noobs is that they have a pretty clear idea where that dark place is, how they got there, and how to get back into the light. Your recommendation is excellent at that point ("don't wipe unless you're sure your kernel is safe, or you'll go from a dark place straight to hell"), but not sufficient to fully grasp what is going on and to formulate a correct way out.
That's why I will pursue this basic knowledge round-up I have started. Again, thanks for the knowledge, I definately will integrate to the original post.
Cheers.
Before considering flashing any custom rom, rooting is required. Where can you learn how to root your phone? Well there is a thread here at xda, or there are other sites such as rootgalaxynote.com which explain how to root or unroot your phone. And the ideea of flashing custom roms and rooting and whatever is that each and everyone of us is required to do some research. It took me 2 days of researching and reading before i rooted and overclocked my note and another week before i flashed a custom rom. Bottom line, everyone who wants to flash anything: do some research and read the instructions provided by the devs. I never ever had a single problem because i read, read and read again the instructions.
LaCroyx said:
Before considering flashing any custom rom, rooting is required.
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Indeed, that's very well put: "can't root, can't mod". [ not sure: It is an actual test for the unlocked bootloader prerequisite ]. I'll integrate that! (That's what we need, verifiable knowledge).
LaCroyx said:
[...] And the idea of flashing custom roms and rooting and whatever is that each and everyone of us is required to do some research. It took me 2 days of researching and reading before i rooted and overclocked my note and another week before i flashed a custom rom. Bottom line, everyone who wants to flash anything: do some research and read the instructions provided by the devs. I never ever had a single problem because i read, read and read again the instructions.
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Although I strongly agree with the responsibility to read and inform oneself, there tends to be a crucial lack of referenced/verifiable information in the various posts across the forum. This leads to false knowledge and ultimately, a flurry of nonsensical questions that bog down threads and frustrate developers and readers alike.
Reading sets of instructions is cool and all, but it doesn't prevent you from formulating a question like "I've rooted my bootloader and wiped my phone. Can I Flash your kernel safely now?". That person read a series of recipes and applied them one after the other without a logical understanding (no better than a robot).
Monkey_banana said:
Firstly, thanks for participating in the discussion!
Secondly, although I understand your "forget about it, only consider the eMMC brick bug" recommendation, it presupposes some form of knowledge to forget about (which not every user has). You are able to formulate that your phone needs wiping because you figure that some operation, let's say a custom ROM flash, was not clean, or that it created some conflict between the various parts of your system. Right?
Lastly, a newbi or noob is not that far off from a baby in Android terms. I don't know if you've ever watched a baby, but they seem pretty drunk to me, wouldn't you agree?
All that being said, even seasoned developers/modders end up in dark places from time to time. The difference with noobs is that they have a pretty clear idea where that dark place is, how they got there, and how to get back into the light. Your recommendation is excellent at that point ("don't wipe unless you're sure your kernel is safe, or you'll go from a dark place straight to hell"), but not sufficient to fully grasp what is going on and to formulate a correct way out.
That's why I will pursue this basic knowledge round-up I have started. Again, thanks for the knowledge, I definately will integrate to the original post.
Cheers.
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Yeah you're quite right, I'm not a developers arsehole. But I do know what will brick a phone. (first hand experience!) Sorry if I appeared arrogant before, but I'm still mad about Samsung selling brickable SGN's. Just hoping that if a noob like me runs into this thread he will be pay a bit more attention to his kernel before he does anything drastic - flashing wise.
And yes there are plenty more questions to be answered, Like - Why are virgin stock ICS builds seemingly immune from eMMC bug (Or are they)? Samsung reckons they cant replicate the problem!! (WTF!)
And another one - Does rooting and/or CWM increase the likelihood of bricking? (On ICS) and if so, why?
BTW Latest CWM9 builds are safe (as long as you dont flash from a dodgy kernel)
Monkey_banana said:
Although I strongly agree with the responsibility to read and inform oneself, there tends to be a crucial lack of referenced/verifiable information in the various posts across the forum. This leads to false knowledge and ultimately, a flurry of nonsensical questions that bog down threads and frustrate developers and readers alike.
Reading sets of instructions is cool and all, but it doesn't prevent you from formulating a question like "I've rooted my bootloader and wiped my phone. Can I Flash your kernel safely now?". That person read a series of recipes and applied them one after the other without a logical understanding (no better than a robot).
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I have to say you are perfectly right. I've seen a lot of stupid questions. In your spirit of helping out i will search for a very well formulated post about acronims and abreviations used in the android world. I think it's the first thing anyone should learn.
shoey63 said:
But I do know what will brick a phone. (first hand experience!) Sorry if I appeared arrogant before, but I'm still mad about Samsung selling brickable SGN's.
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We shouldn't have to learn that way because it makes people mad and arrogant. We're a community, so we must be able to learn from one another and spread some joy... Emotions aside, we do have to thank Samsung for allowing us to customize/tamper with our phones in the first place. Opening their source means that we'll be testing scenarios they never thought of. Let's play nice and give them a break.
shoey63 said:
And yes there are plenty more questions to be answered, Like - Why are virgin stock ICS builds seemingly immune from eMMC bug (Or are they)? Samsung reckons they cant replicate the problem!! (WTF!)
And another one - Does rooting and/or CWM increase the likelihood of bricking? (On ICS) and if so, why?
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All part of the same concept: using stock/manufacturer-prescribed-and-tested methods of flashing vs. using custom flashing methods.
As far as Samsung not acknowledging the eMMC wipe brick bug, read this: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1698977
If you go the manufacturer's way, you're pretty much guaranteed that they ate their own dog food. If you decide to flash custom data, then you make yourself responsible for eating your on dog food, make sure you're recipe is kosher!
CWM is a custom recovery console, so yes, you're increasing your chances of bricking your device. Rooting is also a custom piece of data written to your device, so you've increased your risk (especially if you're using custom recovery).
I reckon that wiping data on the eMMC from stock recovery and custom recovery with a faulty eMMC chip can trigger the disastrous brick (the formatting process hangs, and lord knows what partition got affected).
I don't know if that stands with Samsung Odin (aka PC Odin) as it is probably not using the kernel to do the wipe (you can also repartition from there, so maybe the routines handle faulty chips better).