Database Develop

[Q] How do I maximise my phones potential as a complete newb?

I just got a new I9000 Running 2.2 from Vodaphone in Australia.
Getting very bored of it in stock form and want an increase its speed/features as much as I can. Unfortunately I know absolutely nothing about anything custom. This is my first smart phone.
The amount of custom stuff released for this phone is mind numbing, and I know there is a lot of potential there to be unlocked.
So my question is in mid 2011, near the end of the phones prime life, what is the generally accepted best thing you can do with this phone? I'm sure after all this time many things have become redundant and been replaced by better things?
In a nutshell I want to get my phone to the highest speed and feature rich state I can. Speed is definitely the highest priority followed by features and ease of use.
This includes any kind of modding including overclocking.
What I know about this phone is from when it was released there used to be lagfix, voodoofix etc to change the file system and speed up the phone. But have those things been replace by custom roms now etc?
I can follow instructions easily, but as long as they encompass everything from Stock form to completion.
For example I really don't like guides or instructions that as a first step they say something like
"Before you do this made you have rooted your phone, go into flash recovery mode use the Jhp.ascii and use odin to enter download mode. male sure you have the dbdata.rfs, boot.bin in the directory before proceeding"
I want instructions that tell you how to root the phone properly, how/what flash recovery to use, how do I use get Odin etc what all these files are what they do how to get them etc.
Bassicaly talking someone who has never flown before into landing a plane.
I think for many of the people who write instructions things they see as completely obvious basic and what they consider common knowledge are completely unknown to new people. I find 97% of the instructions for any modding mention things where prior knowledge is assumed.
Lastly even if you know how to follow instructions, the amount of stuff available for this phones means I wouldn't know where to start. So I need to know what are the most favoured mods to do, in as complete packages as possible.For example I would rather flash with one mega rom that comes with everything than install every little tweak manually

Hi go checkout romkitchen.org
Also live support in irc, check my sig.
See you there ;-)

Thanks. I'll definitely be checking that chanel out if I can't manage here, but it will have to be sometime next week for irc.
At the moment Im busy doing things around the house and I may need to go in out at any time so I was hoping for a forum post so I can read it and check up on it when I can.
But like I said when I get a few hours of no interuptions I may sit down to do all the mods live
So is darkys rom any good?
From what I can tell its
Root phone.
Install Darkys ROM.
Done.
I just need to get someone to tell me if my phone is fully compatible, and how to back up my vodaphone stock firmware if its not available on the internet already.
Phone info.
Baseband version
I9000HVJP3
KERNEL VERSION
2.6.32.9
[email protected] #6
BUILD NUMBER
FROYO.HVJP4

My personal experience is that whenever you're using a custom rom, you're using a lot more potential of your phone, than by using a Stock-Rom, updated by Kies.
The Guides all seem a bit hardcore when you start first, but it really is worth it. I recommend you start with the EZbase Guide which offers a step by step guide with screenshots (which I was really happy for, having no clue where to start), located here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=991792
After reading AND understanding this guide, you are good to go to start flashing, BUT every flash has a potential risk of bricking your phone, making it a pretty expensive paperweight. If you come to bootloops or a lot of force closes on start: Don't be worried, you can fix this (or at least i could after running into them). The first time I flashed was due to lots of force closes after updating with Kies, which was my start for using custom roms.
The choice of custom rom is pretty much your own. There are several roms I liked and there is one, I pretty much stick with: Insanity (currently using 8.5, which has some battery drain issues for me, after loading the battery or putting the phone to flight mode ... I'm gonna report that to nitr8, once I got 10 Posts ).
However, you got to (or rather better) find your own favorite.

When I got the phone I was told it was locked.
Will this interfere with any modding?
I was told I can call vodaphone and they will unlock it for me, but it seems there is also a hack way to unlock it.
. Unlocking your phone.
--Why, when, where: If you bought your phone with a contract, chances are that it might be locked in that specific network. If you want to also use other SIM cards in it, that are from another provider, you will have to unlock the phone (!! WARNING !! in most cases this will lead to a void warranty, please consult your contract).
--Prerequisites: Root privileges, adb.
8.1. Get the /efs/nv_data.bin file from your device to your computer. You can do this either with adb or by copying the file to your SD card with "Root Explorer" and then copying it over to your machine from the SD (Be sure to keep a backup of this file and the /efs/.nv_data.bin.md5 file.)
8.2. Open up the file in a hex editor, go to the address 0x181468, where you will see something like this:
FF 01 00 00 00 00 46 46 46...
We are interested in that first '01', that means the phone is locked. Just change it to '00' and save the file. Copy it back to your SD card and then with "Root Explorer" back to it's original location (or 'push' it directly with adb). Then remove the .nv_data.bin.md5 file and restart the device (Again, be sure to make copies of these files before modifying or deleting them!). After this, you should be able to insert any SIM card into your device and it should work without the need for any further hacks.

miui for beauty and speed
welcome to the galaxy of galaxy S ROMs..
you have made a very wise decision to buy galaxy S.... even though a year old it blows every single core phone out of the water..
now back to your question:
1. ROM :
if you are looking for speed and beauty then you don't have any other place to go than MIUI..
other custom ROMs are good but they are just some cosmetic change of galaxy ROM. .but MIUI is totally different.. (awesome would be understatement)
Trust me I have battery problem in MIUI but still I can't go back to samsung ROM>
that is how good the ROM is... others are getting good battery life out of the latest MIUI ROM... with the latest kernel you can overclock your phone upto 1.5 ghz...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=992251
head over to this link and read carefully and decide whether you want to flash this ROM or not..
there are other good gingerbread ROMs as well though I have not tried most of them..
2. VOODOO sound!!!!!
this is the biggest thing that has happened to galaxy S... google it once and you will know its awesomeness.. It's basically well tuned sound driver made by supercurio... most of the people after using voodoo sound have considered galaxy S to be the most awesome sounding music player (not just phone) ever..
better than iphone and other DAP..
(most of the custom ROMs comes with kernel supporting VOODOO sound... you just need to download voodoo app from the market)
I think those are the two awesome things you can do with your galaxy S...
there are other things too that you can learn if you follow xda..
happy XDAing

steps for installing MIUI ROM
to make things short,, just follow these 8 steps.. that's it
0: Be sure that you're based on a Froyo FW! CRUCIAL.
1: Load these files:
a) galaxy-efsbackup.zip / Mirror
b) cm7-galaxys-initial-kernel.tar / Mirror
c) MIUI MCGv1 / Mirror
d) speedmod-kernel-k13c-500hz.tar / Mirror
(thanks to creative59 for mirrors!)
2: Copy all files except:
speedmod-kernel-k13c-500hz.tar & cm7-galaxys-initial-kernel.tar
3: Flash speedmod-kernel-k13c-500hz.tar via Odin, wait for reboot and after that shutdown
4: Start via 3-button-combo in recovery mode and install galaxys-efsbackup.zip
5: Pull out battery and in again, start via 3-button-combo via download mode and flash cm7-galaxys-initial-kernel.tar via Odin BUT DON'T check repartition and auto reboot
6: Pull out the USB cable and start (in download mode) with 3-button-combo in recovery mode (waiting until samsung logo appears)
7: Choose "mounts & storage" and format system, data, cache
8: Flash MIUI MCGv1.

First and foremost check if bootloader locked...then check the recovery / download modes work and then proceed...
Sent from my GT-P1000 using XDA Premium App

Thanks for your post ujjwal321. For a first attempt, I am very happy with what you suggested. I think there is enough there for me to try it on my own and MIUI seems good.
A few things I'd like to point out though. The ONLY reason I actually decided I have enough information from your post to mod is because of the youtube video that goes through the install process. There is absolutely no way would ever know what to do without the video, and most roms do not come with it.
I am very unhappy at the level of ease and lack of instructions in the written instructions of roms...
For example If I did not watch the video, I would never know to put the phone in "USB Debug" mode.
Why are things like this not listed in step by step instructions?
Secondly, even the things that are listed like
": Load these files:
a) galaxy-efsbackup.zip / Mirror
b) cm7-galaxys-initial-kernel.tar / Mirror
c) MIUI MCGv3 / Mirror
d) speedmod-kernel-k13c-500hz.tar / Mirror"
are baffling.
To someone doing this for the first time the word "load" is as meaningless as kaka
Load to what!?
"Copy all files except:
speedmod-kernel-k13c-500hz.tar & cm7-galaxys-initial-kernel.tar
3: Flash speedmod-kernel-k13c-500hz.tar via Odin, wait for reboot and after that shutdown"
Copy to what? Flash to what, how? what is flash?
Luckily by looking at the video, I know exactly what to do. However its all because of monkey see monkey do, there is no level of good communication through a good set of instructions or guide, and thus there incomplete understanding on my end.
IMPORTANT
Before doing any of these things, does my phone need to be rooted? Currently it is locked and completely stock. Or Can I just follow the youtube video instructions from the get go? I also just read "When upgrading to 1.5.20 you need to wipe data, datadata, cache and system!". What? All I know is how to go to settings>SD card and storage and format the SD card, as well as Privacy>reset settings>Factory settings, Is this enough?
I ask because form what I have seen so far nothing is clear cut and your meant to already know 99 facts for every 1 mentioned.
Lastly, before I do any flashing, I really NEED to know either how to back up my current firmware, or if it is available online. It is Aussie vodaphone 2.2
What do I do in case I need to claim warranty? I need to put the stock one back on. I have 2 years of warranty after all, If I don't back it up I loose all that.
So, can anyone shed some light on this?
P.S blackheart, I can enter the download mode and the recovery mode by doing the 3 button combo, it goes into the respective screens and i can scroll up down using the volume button. I have not done anything more than that, I hope that means its not locked.

Hey!
About the loading of files. It just means u copy them to your phone.
There are 2 ways of flashing. With odin/heimdall, and through the phones recovery. To flash in the recovery the files need to be located in the phones memory.
Before flashing without having any clue i suggest reading a lot of faqs etc.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App

I realky recomend ezbase as your start point. Idiot proof instructions, it worked for me so they must be!
Sent from gt i9000 insanity 8.5/fugumod

Get CM7 and you'll never look back

splendidtry said:
I just got a new I9000 Running 2.2 from Vodaphone in Australia.
Getting very bored of it in stock form and want an increase its speed/features as much as I can. Unfortunately I know absolutely nothing about anything custom. This is my first smart phone.
The amount of custom stuff released for this phone is mind numbing, and I know there is a lot of potential there to be unlocked.
So my question is in mid 2011, near the end of the phones prime life, what is the generally accepted best thing you can do with this phone? I'm sure after all this time many things have become redundant and been replaced by better things?
In a nutshell I want to get my phone to the highest speed and feature rich state I can. Speed is definitely the highest priority followed by features and ease of use.
This includes any kind of modding including overclocking.
What I know about this phone is from when it was released there used to be lagfix, voodoofix etc to change the file system and speed up the phone. But have those things been replace by custom roms now etc?
I can follow instructions easily, but as long as they encompass everything from Stock form to completion.
For example I really don't like guides or instructions that as a first step they say something like
"Before you do this made you have rooted your phone, go into flash recovery mode use the Jhp.ascii and use odin to enter download mode. male sure you have the dbdata.rfs, boot.bin in the directory before proceeding"
I want instructions that tell you how to root the phone properly, how/what flash recovery to use, how do I use get Odin etc what all these files are what they do how to get them etc.
Bassicaly talking someone who has never flown before into landing a plane.
I think for many of the people who write instructions things they see as completely obvious basic and what they consider common knowledge are completely unknown to new people. I find 97% of the instructions for any modding mention things where prior knowledge is assumed.
Lastly even if you know how to follow instructions, the amount of stuff available for this phones means I wouldn't know where to start. So I need to know what are the most favoured mods to do, in as complete packages as possible.For example I would rather flash with one mega rom that comes with everything than install every little tweak manually
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here are some instructions I gave to someone in a similar situations. Install videos are available on my site sgsromreviews.weebly.com. Hope you find this useful
1. Download Odin 1.3, Tweaky ROM, CF Root Kernal and JVH firmware 2. Use Odin to flash JVH.(you need to get the phone in to download mode using the vol down key + home key + power at the same time. (If this does not work I WOULD STOP NOW AND LOOK AT HACKING YOUR PHONE TO ENABLE THIS FUNCTION) 3. In select the JVH .tar file in the PDA section. DO NOT TICK RE-PARTITION and then click start 4. The initial boot will take longer than usual so be patient, if your phone begins to vibrate constantly and for no reason then take the battery out and enter download mode again for re-flashing (if this happens feel free to email me again for further advice) 5. Once you are running JVH copy Tweaky ROM over to your INTERNAL SD card 6. Enter the back in to download mode 7. Use Odin to flash the CF Root Kernal, select the .tar file in the PDA section again and again DO NOT TICK RE-PARTITION 8. Once this has booted turn the phone off and enter clockwork recovery using the vol up key + home key + power at the same time until the white Galaxy S I-9000 writing comes on the screen then let go 9. Navigate clockwork recovery using the vol keys and the power key to select. Go down to install .zip from SD card, then choose .zip from SD card and choose to install Tweaky 10. Use clockwork to wipe data then wipe dalvik cache (found in advanced section) 11. Reboot phone and enjoy Tweaky
I have provided the download links for you, if you need more help feel free to ask.
Thanks Chris
Odin 1.3 http://www.multiupload.com/4JLU4QHUV7 Tweaky http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php? t=1059561 CF Root http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php? t=788108 JVH http://www.samfirmware.com/ (free account needed to download)
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA Premium App

Im a relatively new flasher as well, so I know exactly what you're going through just now!
That said, I've done about 15 flashes now so I feel I have a good grasp of what's required. I would also like to suggest MIUI. I have tried a few of the roms out there, but MIUI simply takes my breath away it's that good.
To give you an idea of how good it is, I've flashed it onto 4 other peoples phones because they were blown away by it!
If you need any help with what to do, PM me. I'll put together a package of everything that you need and I'll happily sit and explain each and every step to you personally if need be (if you are a gamer and use Ventrillo I'll verbally speak you through the process as well).
As for returning to stock, you can restore your phone back to it's original state by downloading stock firmware and isntalling that on your phone. It's very simple. EXBase is probably the most straightforward one there is that I have come across.

alright installed MIUI.
Looks like it will take a while to get used to compared to the stock rom. I dont know if its any better yet. Just different. I am not seeing any more features, actually kind of less, but I am sure I am missing a lot.
It is faster though.
Anyway, how do I overclock now? There seems to be no options for that.
I also dont like how its all symbols and no writing.
Al in all seems like a decent stable rom.

I'm planning on updating my ROM soon and was wondering if there was anything special I need to do to my phone prior to flashing the new ROM?
I'm currently on JPP with the hardcore speedmod i1r2, so pretty old compared to what's out there now. I flashed the hardcore kernel previously via Odin.
If I follow the instructions on [email protected] http://insanity.rollus.net/EZbase/EZbase-2.00.pdf but replace the insanity ROM with any other ROM (e.g. JUWE ROM), will it work ok?
Thanks

MIUI is awesome i can second that !!
since i switched to MIUI on RC3 months ago, i havent looked back.
MIUI is packed full of features and gets updates weekly / sometimes daily lol
just get familiar with it and you will discover its true beauty

azzledazzle said:
MIUI is awesome i can second that !!
since i switched to MIUI on RC3 months ago, i havent looked back.
MIUI is packed full of features and gets updates weekly / sometimes daily lol
just get familiar with it and you will discover its true beauty
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
(Be aware I don't know much about MIUI or smart phone software in general.
and I just installed it about an hour ago)
What features is is packed full of? I want to know so I can try it out/make use of it.
The only new thing I see extra is that maxthon internet browser.
Everything else I notice that is different, its funnily enough things missing compared to stock.
For example where are is the ability to add all the shortcuts/apps etc on the main screen by just holding the screen down? A lot similar features like this seem either not there or or at least harder to find/make use of comapred to stock.
Some things are just definitely taking a step back, for example adding a Doom 1 style grey border on the camera.
And my fav live wallpaper, Aurora, doesn't work on MIUI. It just crashes and I have to force close?
Also TV out doesn't work, and choppy movie playback?
And my 3d performance seems to have gone down about 15% from stock Stock, frames hit about 570, MIUI, about 470.
I'll be using it for longer but I gotta figure out what all the hype is about.

I think a stock rom + speedmod and lagfix is the most easy and the fist step to any new user of SGS?
as its really simple to apply

yihinlau said:
I think a stock rom + speedmod and lagfix is the most easy and the fist step to any new user of SGS?
as its really simple to apply
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So by flashing to MIUI from complete stock phone, did I achieve all of this plus more? OR did I miss something? E.g do I have lagfix as well? Or do I need to install this on top of MIUI?
I followed the install instructions step by step. 3.11 MIUI.
It seems like my Benchmark scores aren't flying like I expected them to, and the phone still lags/jerks on animations doesn't respond etc...
My Quadrant standard score went from 1000 on the stock phone to 1700 when I flashed to MIUI.
I also decided to install setcpu and overlocked to 1.2 ghz then 1.4 on both the on demand and performance setting
And still my score only goes up to about 1900 quadrant standard score on 1.4ghz :S
I find it strange that people are getting much higher much more easily.
For example how did this phone get 2500 just on 1.2ghz? Is it MIUI that sucks?
http://www.intomobile.com/2010/08/1...ck-hits-1-2ghz-delivers-off-chart-benchmarks/
I feel like I would have to go to 2.5Ghz to get that score.
Not to mention 3100? Wow?
http://www.addictivetips.com/mobile/overclock-samsung-galaxy-s-to-1-6-ghz-blows-off-competition/
What am I doing wrong here? What are they using?
like I said I also noticed 3d perf went down from stock 2.2
On the stock 2.2 the total frames was higher. For example in the test with the corridor and cube, my frames would reach about 570 at the end of the test on 2.2 stock ROM.
On MIUI ROM it only reaches about 476.

[Q] SpeedMod k13e-500hz issues

I was hesitant in posting this, however for whatever reason I am unable to find this information anywhere on these forums. It seems like the SpeedMod Kernel is draining my battery big time. Ex – I was at 75% when I went to bed, I just woke up (8hrs of sleep) and battery is at 16%.
These are the tweaks/features that I have turned on/off:
Tweak Options:
Enabled options
IOSCHED
KERNELVM
MISC
CIFS
BLN is disabled
Not sure if there is anything else I should be looking for, turning off/on. I was unable to find any tutorial for SpeedMod but from my understanding it’s supposed to slightly increase battery life.
Thanks in advance for the help!

1. Enable only the 'recommended' tweaks in CWM.
2. Uninstall and delete inactive apk folders to clean up the system.
3. Turn all GPS off
Lower brightness or use auto
Disable auto updating of apps
4. Once you CLEAN your phone up & start with a clean slate, you'll be able to diagnose what the problem is easier
5. The speedmod kernel which you are using is NOT the cause for the drastic battery drain you're experiencing.
Also, what ROM are you using?
MIUI

Thanks for the reply. I have already been doing most of that, screen brightness has always been set to low, GPS was always off, I also turned off Background Data so I think that would take care of auto updates?
Running the stock 2.2 ROM, I did however had to reflash this stock ROM last week due to instability and my aps crashing.
I followed your advise and disabled CIFS.
2. Uninstall and delete inactive apk folders to clean up the system.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you mean delete Aps that I'm not using? Or is APK something else?

If you flashed this kernel by itself after flashing a rom that did not included as part of the rom, you need to wipe cache partition and the dalvik cache from recovery then reboot your phone. The first boot may take a while but it's just rebuilding the cache. This some times clears up the problem you're describing.
Sent from my phone on vacation

alright, ive also heard alot of complaints from people I talk to on the phone - background static (white noise) + echo.. is it possible this is related to the kernel ?

That is a modem issue. Look for the modem thread stickied in development they will tell you to flash another modem but they got all the download links. The most popular one is the jk4.
Sent from my phone on vacation

Thanks! I just reset the cache and dalvik cache, seems to be draining at same rate.. i think.. anything else that could be draining my batt?

Im trying to flash the modem using odin but for whatever reason the pdf is not recognizing the file, is it because its .Zip? Then ill just change it to a .Rar.. Or is there another way i should be flashing the modem?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I896 using XDA App

flash the modem in recovery
Sent from my phone on vacation

What rom are you using?
Sent from my phone on vacation

not using any rom! running 2.2

Thanks for the help 1tontomato! I think the issue with my modem has been fixed, I phoned my self and there was no echo. Now on a side note, do you think the battery could have been getting drained quickly because of my old modem? For example if it has to struggle to get/keep network coverage?

If your running stock froyo 2.2 uckb1 when you switched to the speed mod kernel becomes incompatible with the stock modem this is the reason for the poor call quality. It sounds like you are new to flashing roms you should try and read up on what the differences are between the stock i897 US i896 Candian and the i9000 european phones. All the firmware for these phones can be made to work on the captivate if you just understand what is compatible, and learn all the acronyms for the firmware. Happy reading(;~}
Sent from my phone on vacation

just an update - did a recalibrate on my battery last night, went to sleep with 100% batt life, woke up with 89% remaining. Awesome! Reminds me of my crackberry days

Glad you got this ironed out.
Rule of thumb: i9000 kernels with i9000 modems, same with cappy kernels & cappy modems.
When I said delete inactive apk, I mean any apps you don't use, or need, get rid of. You can download super manager, enable root function in settings, browse to system folder, and delete apks you don't use, like email.apk, mptapplication.apk, stuff like that.(just an example)
MIUI

Assuming this app can delete apps i wouldn't otherwise be able to, such as kobo? Would i need to purchase the full version to have access to this feature? I can't find it on the free version.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I896 using XDA App

[Q] Stock Galaxy S; Drowning in Information

Hi everyone,
I have a Galaxy S that is rooted, but runs on stock Froyo.
In the last couple of weeks/months it has been slugging to a slow halt though... when I start it up, it can take tens of minutes to be ready to use. And when I use it, it sometimes shows black screens for minutes at a time.
Using this 'high-end' phone has become a very, very painful process for me.
So I started looking for answers. And I found them. A LOT of them.
So much, I am not sure where to start.
The last few days I have been casually reading and taking in data from this forum, but I have yet failed to form me a proper view of what to do... Kernels, ROMs, speed fixes, modems... help?
I am sorry if I am breaking any rules; I did search, and I did read. However, no thread I found has a proper and up-to-date guide regarding the best way to get my phone to be a powerhouse, not a snail.
(Could I keep my current apps installed?)
I would very much appreciate anyone who is willing to donate some time to get me going. I know some programming and am the families 'go-to-guy' when it comes to computers, so I should be ok once I get some pointers on what to look for.
Thank you for reading (and responding?),
MM

I dunno if this will help you anyway i'll post it http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=939752

I did read that; thanks for the suggestion though.
It doesn't really go into kernels/roms/modems etc. which my main confusion is about.
I just downloaded darky's ROM... Reading their site, but I am afraid of losing my apps, not going to 2.3, having it interfere with my lagfix etc. =/

If you are afraid of loosing apps you can use titanium backup. You can download it from the market. I can't tell you anymore because that thread explains very well what you have to do. But i can say that after some time it will be very easy and you will not be afraid to flash a kernel or a rom. I post this too but i think you have read this too http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=723596

I did read that... I missed the 2.2 / 2.3 part however.
I planned on using Darky's ROM but that link says its a Froyo ROM.
Which one is better, currently; Cyanogen (Gingerbread) or Darky's (Froyo)?
Edit: also, while that post lists a lot of options, it in no way goes into which is the best option for which people...
Increasing the confusion a little bit more, so to speak.

Try cyanogenmod and darkyy rom and decide which is the best. I can't recommend anything you have to decide. But i suggest to upgrade to gingerbread. Your phone will get smoother. (darky's 10.2 is based on jvq a 2.3.4 gingerbread firmware). Link: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1061946 http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=814091. Remember: with cyanogenmod you have to use different kernels

Mad Maniak said:
The last few days I have been casually reading and taking in data from this forum, but I have yet failed to form me a proper view of what to do... Kernels, ROMs, speed fixes, modems... help?
MM
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm a noob but I'll try to clear out few things for you.
From what I understand ROMs are like operating systems you use on PC.you currently have a froyo ROM running and flashing a gingerbread ROM will be like going from windows XP to windows 7.
when you download a ROM and unrar it you'll see 3 files.
PDA is the main one. PDA is Android and the apps that come with it. MODEM is the firmware of the wireless chipset of the device, it controls WiFi, Bluetooth and 3G/2G/GSM connections. The CSC holds connection data for the broadband networks as well as apps that are only available in certain languages/intended for a specific area or operator.
A kernel is like the heart of the operating system.It manages the system resources and acts as bridge between the software and hardware.
Now there are stock kernels and custom kernels. when you flash(install) a stock ROM all the necessary things are installed along with the stock kernel.
But if you wish you can flash custom kernels over stock kernels.
The speed/lag fix things you have read are basically conversion of file systems to enhance the I/O performance of your phone. You should know of the NTFS,FAT32 file systems in windows, similarly you android phone can have RFS,EXT4 file system. when you flash a stock rom RFS is default file system that gets installed.Many say that this RFS is to blame for the lag,slowness in our phone so what we do? we convert to EXT4. but to convert to EXT4 you need to be running a custom kernel.
So let me tell you this go on and flash a stock gingerbread rom, Im using the latest stock 2.3.4 XXJVR and you should try it. then you flash the voodoo kernel for XXJVR. it'll root your phone,convert the file system to EXT4.
reply if you have confusions.
cheers

Now you are on froyo. If you want to upgrade to gingerbread you should loose your application. Because if you backup your application using titanium backup or any other software from froyo. Its not advisable to restore in gingerbread. It will give always problem. So better way is download Drakys v10.2RE and do a fresh install.
http://samsung-sgs.blogspot.com/2011/08/how-to-flash-darkys-rom-v102-re.html

This happened to me once, when I was already on Froyo, lagfix activated, etc.
Took forever to boot, and was slow as hell.
Reason: faulty microsd card. The phone kept trying to read from it, and was unable to. I tried taking out the card and... voilá!
You could be still on Éclair and no lag fix activated, the phone would never behave like that. Try taking out the microsd card.
(Couldn't even read the card in the computer, so you see).

Hi guys, a small update:
I got Darky's 10.2, which is VERY smooth.
I reformatted my external microSD and put my stuff (music) back on it. Clean install on the internal SD.
It is a very enjoyable device once again. Two issues:
-It sometimes hangs on a black screen which I can't get out of with the home button. It seems only a battery in-and-out fixes this. (This issue worries me; is the internal SD corrupted?)
-The external microSD sometimes needs to be ejected and re-inserted to work.
Any solutions regarding that? Should I get a new microSD, or even contact Samsung to ask for a new phone (especially the first issue worries me... a lot).
Again, thanks a lot for the very extensive answers.
Especially marib; your post was very informative, and I'll be keeping a bookmark of it for future reference... thanks!

I think you could search for this issues in the darky's thread and if not found post the issue there to get a promt solution.
forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=814091

Yeah, figured as much.
Will be tackeling these issues in the weekend.
Just thought of posting them in this here thread too. Might have gotten lucky, and the thread was here anywho.
Again, thanks.

Stability problem

Hello, I'm using Semaphore + CM10 JB for few weeks (installed with your support).
However I have a problem. The stability. My phone likes to resets byself, even few times per day. It happens irregularly. What's interesting, sometimes phone resets to the CWM. Sometimes resets and backs to work, sometimes totally offs the phone (and i need to pull out the battery) or freeze on cyanogenmod start screen (but not on normal start, only when resets)
Sometimes it happens when i'm using the phone, sometimes not. He likes to do that when i'm sleeping (for example, goes to the CWM and discharge the battery by whole night on full bright).
And much smaller, but maybe important issue: when the phone starts, shows the message Warning! A problem was detected with your device. Your device IMEI number is invalid. And invalid IMEI number could cause network issues including the inability to call emergency numbers.
Firstly I installed CM10, i had the problems with the network, but after @xsenman's help (reinstall with older ROM before flashing CM10) everything works correctly and i can see IMEI too. I made an EFS backup in that old ROM, should i use that? This message doesn't intrude me, but i'm just thinking if this could be connected with reseting problems. My SGS works really nice, but that one issue is really annoying.

100 views and really no one can help?
Come on, i feel so lonely

I'd recommend flashing a clean GB stock, restoring your IMEI, flashing CM9 twice and then flashing CM10 ROMs (if you want them lol). Always be sure that you wipe your phone after installs.
Sent from my Gameboy Color

thanks for your answer. However, maybe it's not a ROM problem? Maybe some application makes an issue. Is there any log where i can check that?

That IMEI stuff definitely isn't app-caused. I can only repeat my statement above. Don't worry about data, you can backup everything using Titanium Backup and SMS Backup+.
Btw: What ROM are you on?
Best regards
Sent from my Gameboy Color

True, IMEI not, but it's not a real issue for me. Actually, i'm absolutely satisfied of my i9000 (maybe flashlight absence, but it's hardware). Everything works fine, but reseting problem makes me nervous when I use the phone as car dvr or for endomondo ect.
I use Cyanogenmod 10, one of october's nightly versions.

So basically you don't want to change anything but you want us to help you? Sorry, that's not the way a community works.

You didn't understand me. My problem is phone reseting. I want to find the reason of the issue. Because without it, i can install new software and still have the same problem.

przemek211 said:
You didn't understand me. My problem is phone reseting. I want to find the reason of the issue. Because without it, i can install new software and still have the same problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Since when has this problem occurred? I doubt an app makes a phone reset itself.
Edit: I looked around your post history and you seem to have posted in the semaphore thread. Maybe something is wrong with the kernel?
Sent from my GT-I9000

Thanks for your answer. It's hard to say because I've flash a ROM and out of hand I installed the applications. It's the worst type of problems, because it doesn't happen instantly or regularly. Actually since i wrote the topic, i didn't see the problem, however i saw two-three times the attention about IMEI, so i think, the phone resets, but not seen.
/// amerkiller: you are using i9000 too, could you recommend me any other ROM? Probably I will need to install a ROM and wait, two-three days and check if the ROM makes any issues.
/// maybe, but how can i check it? It looks like work nice, my question in Semaphore's thread was about the features

I use Remics-JB, you can try it out if you want a Samsung touchwiz feel, and apps from the S3.
Slimbean if you want a minimalist ROM.
Hopefully, the problem will disappear.
Powodzenia
Edit: regarding the kernel, you can flash Devil and see if the problem persists.
Sent from my GT-I9000

So I will try Devil + Slimbean, thank you
amerkiller1995 said:
Powodzenia
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Poles everywhere?
pozdrawiam

BlueFlame4 said:
I'd recommend flashing a clean GB stock, restoring your IMEI, flashing CM9 twice and then flashing CM10 ROMs (if you want them lol). Always be sure that you wipe your phone after installs.
Sent from my Gameboy Color
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, so i want to reflash my i9000. So - i have JVU's gingerbread ROM, is that correct stock ROM? Should i make the WIPE here? I'm not sure about restoring IMEI. Should i do that in GB's temporary ROM or (as I think) later in JB's? Of course, earlier I need to backup the efs folder with IMEI so i think i should do that in GB's and restore it in CM10 (or in Slimbean which I want to test). And one more doubt. You said flashing CM9 twice. Why is that? And how can I do that if i'm installing the ROM in CWM?

przemek211 said:
Ok, so i want to reflash my i9000. So - i have JVU's gingerbread ROM, is that correct stock ROM? Should i make the WIPE here? I'm not sure about restoring IMEI. Should i do that in GB's temporary ROM or (as I think) later in JB's? Of course, earlier I need to backup the efs folder with IMEI so i think i should do that in GB's and restore it in CM10 (or in Slimbean which I want to test). And one more doubt. You said flashing CM9 twice. Why is that? And how can I do that if i'm installing the ROM in CWM?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can find tutorials about flashing to stock.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1102881
Flashing the stock ROM will recover your IMEI number if you currently don't have it and will wipe your personal files. Backup your IMEI while you're on GB and if you lose it, then restore it. Fyi I never lost my IMEI, it's not common. You should flash JB / cm10 twice, ICS/cm9 should be okay after one flash. Remember to wipe if the instructions say so.
When you'll attempt to flash cm10 in recovery, you'll get a warning about partition change. You'll have to chose to flash second time, this time it should work and the phone will reboot into a bootloop. Pull out the battery and enter recovery and flash cm10 again. This time it well install and reboot successfully.
Sent from my GT-I9000

It's everything working nicely? Asking out of curiosity.
Sent from my GT-I9000

Hi, thanks for your interest
Two days ago I made a re-flash Stock > CWM > CM9 (twice) > CM10
Attention about IMEI doesn't longer appear
I've installed apps. The phone has resets for a one time when I was using some app. It is not a big problem for me if SGS makes that from time to time (maybe some apps are not adapted to the JB very well). However today I used him to record my drive (dailyroads voyager) and when i tried to stop the recording, he doesn't backs to life (just I needed to pull the battery out) and video file was corrupted. But when I was getting back to home it worked correctly. I have no idea why that's happen.

przemek211 said:
Hi, thanks for your interest
Two days ago I made a re-flash Stock > CWM > CM9 (twice) > CM10
Attention about IMEI doesn't longer appear
I've installed apps. The phone has resets for a one time when I was using some app. It is not a big problem for me if SGS makes that from time to time (maybe some apps are not adapted to the JB very well). However today I used him to record my drive (dailyroads voyager) and when i tried to stop the recording, he doesn't backs to life (just I needed to pull the battery out) and video file was corrupted. But when I was getting back to home it worked correctly. I have no idea why that's happen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Restarts shouldn't happen that was some unusual circumstance. The video problem is weird, post here if it happens again, lets hope its just bad luck.

Ok, I'll look on it.
I have one other question and maybe you will know.
Call recording. There are two options for use this feature. Simple MIC recording apps and 'two-way call recording' which is much better, however it needs kernel with handle of it. I didn't find anyone for SGS, so I want to use MIC recording. There are many apps in Google Play. However any of them makes 0kB files of record on JB's CM10. When I was using gingerbread it didn't worked too however files were good, but the second side of call didn't hear me.

przemek211 said:
Ok, I'll look on it.
I have one other question and maybe you will know.
Call recording. There are two options for use this feature. Simple MIC recording apps and 'two-way call recording' which is much better, however it needs kernel with handle of it. I didn't find anyone for SGS, so I want to use MIC recording. There are many apps in Google Play. However any of them makes 0kB files of record on JB's CM10. When I was using gingerbread it didn't worked too however files were good, but the second side of call didn't hear me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In regards to two way recording, i don't think it's solved...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=863074&page=38
I never needed that feature, so i won't be much help, try different apps and remember some apps are on XDA, not only the play store.
Sent from my GT-I9000

I saw that, but it is only for Froyo, when i installed it into gingerbread i needed to re-flash my SGS
I tried a lot of apps, however it looks like being locked (if worked they made 0kB files)

[Q] Cyanogenmod 10.1?

Hi guys, I have done research on this but seem to get very different responses, I wanted to flash my cappy to Cyanogenmon 10.1 nightly (jellybean 4.2.2) but now I'm not sure, I've flashed it for testing for an hour before going back to stock, the problems I had is that boot times seemed to be a LOT longer and after I restored my messages with Titanium Backup the messaging app force closed as soon as I open a conversation. I also met a guy when buying resistors (to make a jig lol) and he said that when he had cyanogenmod his battery went down twice as fast and his apps started force closing (but I don't know when that was and if the mod is more stable now).
So, I really need some advise and want to know the pros and cons of the mod, also would be nice to know how I can backup and restore my messages without FC's, also how can I get the samsung apps that came with the phone to cyanogen mod (and would restoring data from a nandroid backup restore all my apps?).
Thanks in advance,
Nik

You have many more options, not only CM10.1 (still in experimental stage) and stock. What firmware you'll chose is your personal preference. Take a look at Captivate Android Development section. Notice how many downloads most popular ROMs have. Do you think those thousands of people fight every day with stability issues and FC? Me personally, I'll never go back to stock. After trying many different ROMs I found what I'm looking for and my phone is now faster (including boot time), stable (I don't remember last FC) and can do way more compared to stock. My battery life with JB is actually better than stock GB. And yes, you can have Samsung apps. For me this bloatware was one of the first things to remove after rooting stock GB. My very first ROM to flash was CM10 stable. Never had any issues with it. Most of the problems are user created (corrupted flash files, incorrect flash sequence, missed reset/format steps, incorrect system data restore from previous Android versions, etc). And you don't need a jig to enter download mode. I never had one, had my phone soft bricked twice, flashed it countless times with Odin and through CWM... and it's still alive. Read carefully all the tutorials and troubleshooting guides.

Val D. said:
You have many more options, not only CM10.1 (still in experimental stage) and stock. What firmware you'll chose is your personal preference. Take a look at Captivate Android Development section. Notice how many downloads most popular ROMs have. Do you think those thousands of people fight every day with stability issues and FC? Me personally, I'll never go back to stock. After trying many different ROMs I found what I'm looking for and my phone is now faster (including boot time), stable (I don't remember last FC) and can do way more compared to stock. My battery life with JB is actually better than stock GB. And yes, you can have Samsung apps. For me this bloatware was one of the first things to remove after rooting stock GB. My very first ROM to flash was CM10 stable. Never had any issues with it. Most of the problems are user created (corrupted flash files, incorrect flash sequence, missed reset/format steps, incorrect system data restore from previous Android versions, etc). And you don't need a jig to enter download mode. I never had one, had my phone soft bricked twice, flashed it countless times with Odin and through CWM... and it's still alive. Read carefully all the tutorials and troubleshooting guides.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
WOW Thanks for such a detailed reply, the reason I needed a jig is that odin froze during flashing and I got bricked (the brick screen didn't work as download mode in this case). I'll have a look at other ROMs, may I ask what ROM you went with at the end?
Thanks,
Nik

10.1 is fine and stable. messaging is a system app, so don't try to restore it, but restoring only the data should work.
after flashing, you can expect the rom to have a long boot the first time, and to be pretty laggy for as long as 10 minutes. later boots will be quicker. I also use an app, system tuner, to prevent a number of apps from loading at startup.
I stayed with cm10.1, after trying a few other roms. for me cm10.1 is fav.

nosurlife said:
I'll have a look at other ROMs, may I ask what ROM you went with at the end?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, but it's gonna cost you $10 per every flash/testing I did for you. And the total is a lot of money... :laugh:
Read your PM -> Info what I use + links where to find it on XDA. But again, first read carefully all tutorials and flash instructions.

laughingT said:
10.1 is fine and stable. messaging is a system app, so don't try to restore it, but restoring only the data should work.
after flashing, you can expect the rom to have a long boot the first time, and to be pretty laggy for as long as 10 minutes. later boots will be quicker. I also use an app, system tuner, to prevent a number of apps from loading at startup.
I stayed with cm10.1, after trying a few other roms. for me cm10.1 is fav.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, I'll look into it.
Val D. said:
Yes, but it's gonna cost you $10 per every flash/testing I did for you. And the total is a lot of money... :laugh:
Read your PM -> Info what I use + links where to find it on XDA. But again, first read carefully all tutorials and flash instructions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wish I could spam the thanks button multiple times haha, I'll go check out the ROMs, so there's no way to keep my txts?
And is there any difference in RAM usage between stock and other ROMs?
Thanks,
Nik

nosurlife said:
Thanks, I'll look into it.
I wish I could spam the thanks button multiple times haha, I'll go check out the ROMs, so there's no way to keep my txts?
And is there any difference in RAM usage between stock and other ROMs?
Thanks,
Nik
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can backup your texts with a app like Titanium Backup.

BWolf56 said:
You can backup your texts with a app like Titanium Backup.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did that but now the messaging app has the conversations when I open it but when I try to open a conversation it FCs,
What can I do now?

nosurlife said:
I did that but now the messaging app has the conversations when I open it but when I try to open a conversation it FCs,
What can I do now?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok fixed it, did a reset and restored with SMS Backup & Restore now no FCs.
Thanks to everyone I am now happily running Slim Bean release 3 (4.2.2).

CyanogenMod 10.1 taking more RAM
BWolf56 said:
You can backup your texts with a app like Titanium Backup.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
I have flashed my cappy with CM 10.1 Nightly(JB 4.2.2), but now it seems this is using more RAM. already in captivate we have only 512 MB RAM and it uses about 322 MB of it. Is there any solution for this ?? or will flashing some other rom will help ?

mangaicaptivate said:
Hi,
I have flashed my cappy with CM 10.1 Nightly(JB 4.2.2), but now it seems this is using more RAM. already in captivate we have only 512 MB RAM and it uses about 322 MB of it. Is there any solution for this ?? or will flashing some other rom will help ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's normal.
As long as your phone runs fast and smooth, don't worry about your RAM. Also, if you have bunch of apps running in the background, stopping them will lower your RAM consumption.

BWolf56 said:
That's normal.
As long as your phone runs fast and smooth, don't worry about your RAM. Also, if you have bunch of apps running in the background, stopping them will lower your RAM consumption.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Aww I was going to say that haha, the main thing to watch is CPU as RAM is managed differently on android from a PC.
Another thing I noticed is that having a lot of widgets can cause a bit of lag too.

RE: RAM usage
mangaicaptivate said:
I have flashed my cappy with CM 10.1 Nightly(JB 4.2.2), but now it seems this is using more RAM. already in captivate we have only 512 MB RAM and it uses about 322 MB of it. Is there any solution for this ?? or will flashing some other rom will help ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As laughingT suggested, try an app like System Tuner to try to get startup apps under control. Greenify is another app to try before jumping ROMs. You can also go into Settings->Apps and Disable apps you do not use (personally I disable Gmail among others, seems to help battery life too). Additionally, alternate kernels may give you more usable RAM.
Edit: oops, missed the second page of posts... great responses to this question already

Just to confirm - uninstall/freeze apps you don't use (careful with system apps, some are required for the OS to run properly) but don't install any memory managers or task killers, especially auto task killers. They will only make things worse (slow). Android with full memory runs faster and smoother. Also, don't clear app cache for no reason.

After I bought the phone in 2010, it took me 6 months to build up the nerve to root. Then 2 weeks after that to start flashing.
I went back to stock GB rom at one point and gave up - from my experience,GB is the least stable of the Android versions, bloats the easiest and is overall a lousy system. It;s the armpit of Android, really.
At one point last summer I gave up on Captivate and started using an old iPhone gifted from a friend. At that point the Cappy has 3 hour batter life, nothing worked, and absolutely nothing worked stably - I thought Android was done for, but I was wrong. After about 3 months with the iPhone, I woke up the Cappy, took her back to stock (and I am talking Eclair here) and then forward to CM10. I never looked back. I am currently on yesterday's nightly CM10.1. CM10 Stable was buttery smooth and with no problems at all, but now I am hungry for the new features, so I update the CM10.1 builds about once a week.
This is not to say other builds are not as good. CM is the ROM that revived my Cappy. I am happy with it, it works and is consistently developed with high quality control. I have no reason to switch. But there are many other fantastic-looking roms out there. The Experia roms, the PAC man roms .. they seem to have unique feature sets and stable code.
What I am saying, is that DO NOT stick to stock. And although CM is a great choice, there are many, many options out there .
PS: I have soft-bricked my phone a lot of times. After the first couple times, you will a) learn the value of backing up your data before doing anything, and b) you will have all the files/programs on your computer to revive your phone with a few well-rehearsed steps. (having a backup phone also does not hurt - for a long time I carried the iPhone with me - worried the cappy would crap out on me. I finally stopped worrying)
Best of luck.

dozyaustin said:
After I bought the phone in 2010, it took me 6 months to build up the nerve to root. Then 2 weeks after that to start flashing.
I went back to stock GB rom at one point and gave up - from my experience,GB is the least stable of the Android versions, bloats the easiest and is overall a lousy system. It;s the armpit of Android, really.
At one point last summer I gave up on Captivate and started using an old iPhone gifted from a friend. At that point the Cappy has 3 hour batter life, nothing worked, and absolutely nothing worked stably - I thought Android was done for, but I was wrong. After about 3 months with the iPhone, I woke up the Cappy, took her back to stock (and I am talking Eclair here) and then forward to CM10. I never looked back. I am currently on yesterday's nightly CM10.1. CM10 Stable was buttery smooth and with no problems at all, but now I am hungry for the new features, so I update the CM10.1 builds about once a week.
This is not to say other builds are not as good. CM is the ROM that revived my Cappy. I am happy with it, it works and is consistently developed with high quality control. I have no reason to switch. But there are many other fantastic-looking roms out there. The Experia roms, the PAC man roms .. they seem to have unique feature sets and stable code.
What I am saying, is that DO NOT stick to stock. And although CM is a great choice, there are many, many options out there .
PS: I have soft-bricked my phone a lot of times. After the first couple times, you will a) learn the value of backing up your data before doing anything, and b) you will have all the files/programs on your computer to revive your phone with a few well-rehearsed steps. (having a backup phone also does not hurt - for a long time I carried the iPhone with me - worried the cappy would crap out on me. I finally stopped worrying)
Best of luck.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, I'm never going back to stock I'm running slim bean (based on CM) android 4.2.2 and really enjoying all the features, the phone is so much smoother and looks much more professional then GB (no offense google lol).
Thanks,
Nik