mrqs

so i've had my galaxy for a couple of weeks now and been real happy with it
a few moments ago i finally decided to update the firmware, which, out of the box, was (and incidentally still is) g9

well, i installed nps with very low expectations, but it managed to not reach anywhere near those expectations
when i first started the app after installation, i got a couple of errors during initialization and after connecting my galaxy to the pc, it seemed to detect both the sd cards and the phone just fine. but when i try to open (explore) either sd, i get asked to "please insert a disk into the x: drive" and the phone is apparently an "unsupported device"
and not only is the nps unable to do jack shit, i can't even explore the sd cards via windows explorer

so what samsung has done is render the whole concept of usb connectivity utterly useless (well, apart from charging the bloody battery) - i'm totally unable to update the firmware and i have to do all my file transfers between the phone and my pc via wlan

(yes, i tried it with usb debugging both on and off)

i can't believe this futile piece of defective bloatware could ever have passed any kind of beta testing

Last edited by mrqs; 10-10-2009 at 05:44 AM.

z0mbi3

When you plug in your phone, to be able to browse the folders on the computer you need to pull down the notification bar on the phone and mount the drives from the option there. Don't worry, I think a few of us made that mistake at first, just bare in mind it's not really failing of NPS . Bare in mind for this to work without looking for drivers yourself, you'll need to turn debugging mode off, and tick mass storage only.

As for the unkown devices, you just need to point your computer to the PC Studio folder for the drivers.

Last edited by z0mbi3; 10-10-2009 at 07:08 AM.

mrqs

i see, thanks for the info - tho' i'd still say it's bad design of the nps to not inform the user with anything meaningful when they fail to explore an unmounted sd

it's not an unknown device (ie. windows recognizes it and it's listed as "samsung mobile modem" in device manager), it's the nps that says the phone is an "unsupported device" when i try to update the firmware, or just click the phone icon saying gt-i7500 in the right hand side

Cougar

See, that's what really irks me. If they'd to rewrite great chunks of software for the new handset then fair enough. But as far as I can glean it's simply a case of NPS not having the right ID string on its list of supported devices. It should be fixable in seconds by Samsung, and the fact that they're still "working on it" is patently pish.

And yeah, NPS really is bobbins(*), you'll get no arguments about that on the forum here.

(* - technical term, sorry)

mrqs

on the other hand, i'd rather get the "unsupported device" message than for the nps to try updating it, fail and brick my phone...

kam187

Yeah NPS sucks!. It has a tab on the update section which checks if you have the latest NPS which always says you do! In fact you don't. You need to manually download the latest version from here:

http://downloadcenter.samsung.com/downloadfile/ContentsFile.aspx?CDSite=SFC_UK&CttFileID=2426632& CDCttType=SW&ModelType=N&VPath=SW/200909/20090910163927359/New_PC_Studio_1.3.0.IH4.exe&DownloadRoot=http://downloadcenter.samsung.com/content/&ModelName=GT-I7500

After installing that version NPS will recognise the phone and update it. Syncing etc still wont work, but at least you can update it!

mrqs

ah, thanks - i was wondering about the nps version 'cause i could remember people here talking about updating it, but figured they just got an older version, being quicker on the market

i do wonder if samsung ever even considered letting their customers know about that update...

Last edited by mrqs; 10-13-2009 at 01:09 AM.

kam187

Aparently there's going to be an update this month which fixes NPS (including syncing). But we've heard that before :P

mrqs

nope, i still just get "unsupported device" with the new nps
i also now get an error message saying "the device cannot be searched because the driver has not been installed. to solve this problem, install either pc studio or the driver again."

mass storage only is off and i tried it with both usb debugging on and off

kam187

Ok this is getting confusing

Turn on USB debugging and then if you plug in your phone and open device manager what do you see?

If you only installed the NPS drivers (from program files\samsung\usb drivers) you should see:

Under Modems - Samsung Mobile Modem #x - where X will be some number like 1 or 2 or 3. It just uses a new number for each USB port on your computer.

Under Ports (COM & LPT) - SAMSUNG Mobile Modem Diagnostic Serial Port (WDM) (COMXX). Again the number XX isnt relavent, and is just the com port associated with the next free virtual IRQ windows has available.

Under Universal Serial Bus controllers - SAMSUNG USB Composite Device

And if you install the ADB driver you'll have a category called ADB interface and SAMSUNG GALAXY Composite ADB Interface

If all is installed properly NPS will display 2 storage devices and GT-i7500 on its main screen. If all that is correct then you should be able to update. You still wont be able to sync because NPS is still broken!

If you don't have the adb interface you'll have a yellow questionmark with unknown device. Download the two drivers I posted, and go to properties and update driver, and point them to those drivers.

If you don'y have SAMSUNG composite device, then windows hasnt enumerated it as a composite device. Do this:


- Unplug the phone, and open device manager and look at the 'Under Universal Serial Bus controllers' section.

- Plug in the phone and look for a new device that appeares there.
It will probably be listed as USB Mass Storage Device. If you have multipe USB Mass Storage Devices and you're not sure which one is your phone, check each one..

Right click -> properties and then details tab. Drop down to hardware Ids and look for Vid_04e8&Pid_6640. Once

- Once you have found the correct device go to the Driver tab and Browse my computer for a driver.

- Click 'let me pick from a list of device drivers'

- Uncheck 'show compatable hardware'

- Scroll all the way up to Standard USB Host Controller under manufacturer'

- On the right select USB Composite device and click ok

A bunch of driver requests will now pop up. Point to the two drivers i posted above and Program Files\Samsung\USB Drivers untill you find the correct driver.

All done

Last edited by kam187; 10-13-2009 at 05:02 PM.

mrqs

yes
yes
yes
don't have that - i was under the impression the adb driver had to do with rooting the phone (which i haven't done and don't inted to for the forseeable future)
that it has done all along
what two drivers? i don't see a post with any drivers?

kam187

Sorry got confused with another thread :P

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=GGAPPHIE

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=AE1SEO0G


But it sounds like all the drivers are correct. You don't need the adb one unless you want to open a shell to your phone. And the download one is only needed if you want to use odin.

So.. if you have the latest NPS 1.3.0 IH4 that i posted above, you should be able to click the update button, switch to the phone tab at the top, and click update.

The O2 II4 firmware has just been added to NPS today too.

mrqs

that's the version the thing recognizes itself to be, but when i try to update i just get "device not supported"
mine's not tied to any service provider (finland), bought the phone separately, if that matters...

[offtopic]i never really understood why the provider should have anything to do with updating a phone's firmware anyway[/offtopic]


*edit*
omfg, i was just about to try and uninstall-reinstall the nps when i saw this:
http://i37.tinypic.com/2rw9q2g.png
is that supposed to be normal?

what's most interesting is the "samsung symbian usb download driver"
it's sabotaged me, the heretic, because i've got the symbian sdk installed?

Last edited by mrqs; 10-14-2009 at 02:56 PM.

kam187

Lol, don't worry mine is pretty similar!

Can you type *#*#44336#*#* and check what the CSC version is? If its Null then NPS won't update your phone, and you'll have to use Odin.

mrqs

well crap, it is null

mogden

Mine says I7500VIAII5 and I can't upgrade (well downgrade!) either. Can anyone supply the image for ODIN ing?

Thanks

Rastaman-FB

which image are you wanting
i have odin and the original o2 uk g8 csc firmware hosted on my website

kam187

mrqs: if its null, then your phones isnt region customised That means you can use odin and flash up and down at your hearts content and not worry about stuff like waranty. You'll never need to make sure to reflash to the correct CSC before sending it back.

mogden: You're region is german, and II5 is the latest version right now. If you want to downgrade you need to use odin. Search on the forum, there are firmware files available for H2, H4, H7, H8 and II5.

mogden

The new O2 UK I4 one that Kam says is available please Mr Rastaman!

rrautane

Hi

I can't also update via NPS because of null CSC. I'm also from Finland. What CSC should we use on unlocked phone? Does it matter if we use O2 one?

mogden

Kam thanks for this - I know it's German: I Odined it on. Now I'd like to "go back" to the new O2 UK I4 (it being a UK phone) to play spot the difference and get it within warranty before I chuck it at a wall with frustration at its weird and wonderful battery life!

kam187

NPS will only update phones that have a CSC. If you're phone wasnt branded - has no CSC then NPS wont update it - nice huh!

You should just use Odin to update with no CSC. Odin has the advanatge that you can go to any firmware ever released for any region (as long as someone posts the file).

Put it this way, my phone is from germany O2, unlocked - VIA, but I live in the UK. I use Odin exclusivly and no CSC.

kam187

Mogden: Use Rastaman-FB's G8 firmware with O2 CSC. Then use NPS to update it, and it will take you to II4 O2.

Last edited by kam187; 10-14-2009 at 03:40 PM.

mrqs

but doesn't using odin require rooting; ie. voiding the warranty anyway?
(no, i haven't really looked in to any of that)

kam187

No it doesnt. You put your phone into download mode - the most basic low level mode there is, and Odin flashes the phone directly. Odin is made to work regardless of whats on the phone itself.

Oding flashing isnt detectable, so they'll never know.

There isnt any way for them to know if you flashed with odin, rooted or anything else as long as you flash back a genuine firmware for your region and also have the coresponding CSC.

mrqs

so do the firmware versions have other regional differences than the csc (and availability) ?

i mean, if i was to flash a g9 firmware from anyland without a csc, would it be as it was (is, for now) out of the box?

obviously they have to render warranty service for a null-csc phone if they sell them as such, so why would a corresponding csc be necessary (as long as the firmware version was one that came on the phone in that particular region)?

also - by what i gathered from this, officially samsung is saying fuck you to anyone with a null-csc phone as long as updates are concerned, right?

Last edited by mrqs; 10-14-2009 at 04:26 PM. Reason: typo

kam187

The firmware files are all identical between regions. As i'm sure you know the I5, H7 etc are just build date/build number. So a german and UK phone with G8 firmware from NPS will have identical base firmware.

The CSC file is just a bunch of scripts which run _after_ android boots the first time. They edit the build.prop file on the root of the phone to set its 'region' or CSC region. When you type that * # 44336 code it reads from there what the region is. NPS also reads that and sends it to the samsung server, which decides what firmware it will offer you. This makes sense, to keep people on O2 on a O2 CSC.

The CSC will usually change the background and maybe add a local keyboard - eg hebrew, and not do much else

Samsung don't actually know what you did with your phone previously, and can only see the last thing you installed. So if you were to use Odin and put I4 on it, with an O2 CSC they would assume you never touched it.

So, samsung have made this statement about unauthorised firmware updates, and personally I dont think they're spending time checking what you have on your phone.

I think they are just covering their backs in case a shit load of phones turn up because someone put up a silly guide online which bricked a bunch of phones.

I don't think unlocked, unbranded Samsung Galaxy phones exist. Depending on where you bought your phone from they'll have the local region information/CSC. So theoretically a phone with no CSC shouldnt ever exist. This is why NPS will never offer a firmware update to a phone with no CSC.

So if you're really worried about your waranty - or in fact if you're just sensible, before you send it back you should put it into the same firmware and state that you got it, or could have using only NPS - IF possible. Of course II5 with a O2 CSC will look suspicious since II5 wasnt released for O2!

I personally wouldnt worry about it that much. Just keep rastaman's G8 O2 firmware handy on your computer. And if you ever need to use the waranty, flash to it using Odin. Aside from that, normal use, just skip the CSC and use the latest stock firmware that's released. Usually (so far anyway) germany gets the update first, then italy, then UK.

mogden

Rasta I am being told the zip of the firmware is corrupt?

Last edited by mogden; 10-14-2009 at 04:49 PM.

mrqs

tbh, at this point i'm being more curious than sensible
well, they obviously do exist - i've got one
and i bought it from a well established finnish online computing store (verkkokauppa.com), tho' it was with a note of "no finnish os on this one" etc. and the ones with what i presume to be finnish csc info weren't quite available yet
didn't think too much in to it at the time i was ordering, since i would have changed the ui language to english anyway

kam187

Interesting, first phone i've seen with that. I thought you had no CSC because you used odin? How can you be sure it had no CSC when you got it?

What i meant to say is sure they're unbranded, and unlocked, but the CSC file will be that of the region where its being sold. Maybe the CSC is different on 'unbranded' phones, but i doubt it.

bitxboi

I'd say mine had no CSC either, but of couse I cannot test it anymore, since I used Odin to update it to II5 some time ago.
I bought it on a spanish site, but the phone was from germany. (IG9)

mrqs

well i've never used odin (still woudn't know how to actually), nor anything else that might be considered "involved" by anyone, so unless normal usage and installing apps from the market can null the csc, it was null out of the box

Rastaman-FB

it shouldnt be. ill check it now

no one has got me the latest csc to host yet so i cannot put that up yet but the g8 shouldnt be corrupt

EDIT:
just redownloaded odin and G8 from my host and both are working and not corrupt.
http://www.yardimage.co.uk/files/i7500/

Last edited by Rastaman-FB; 10-15-2009 at 05:13 AM.

Ferox

If it don't work first time have another go at downloading the zip! I still managed to get a corrupt zip file after this post but worked fine after i downloaded it for a second time!

Wam

I have just same version of Galaxy than mrqs. (bought from same netstore). Do anyone have new info about this "no supported" problem?

Even after upgrading NPS to 1.3.0IJ1 i have popup where it tells i7500 only support software update, but when i try update it i got "This device is not supported." "The device you have selected does not support software upgrade"

Last edited by Wam; 10-20-2009 at 05:40 AM.

kam187

Its because you have an 'unlocked and unbranded' phone, which doesnt have a CSC (operator region). NPS won't work with it. You're only option is to use Odin to update. You should update to II5

jalipur123

have the same issue. Live in Sweden, bought from a webshop aswell.

So this odin, whats the risks with using it? do u have to root your phone and stuff? dont wanna mess to much with it.
and kam187, a.k.a androidforum god , where do i see what kind of firmware i got? is in csc? pda? or Phone?

this is how it looks on my phone

Pda: I7500XXII8
Phone: same as above.
CSC:I7500XEEII4

Rastaman-FB

wow you have the latest firmware out it seems.
last one we know about is ii5 and you have ii8

jalipur123

oh... lol then its all good
is it pda or phone u should check?
or About phone- baseband version, aswell?

kam187

Wow you have even newer firmware! Don't touch it

RE Odin...

The NPS update uploads a ramdisk and that handles updating the various partitions in the phone. It accepts the images in one shot and then writes them into the phone.

The Odin tool uses the lowest level ROM recovery of the phone - download mode. This accepts each image in turn and flashes exactly the same partitions.

A phone updated with Odin would be and look no different to that updated with NPS.

The only except here is NPS ALWAYS flashes a CSC file (which are regional customisations). Odin allows you to flash without it if you like, but also lets you flash with it if you prefer.

The risk with odin is the same as the risk with NPS and is only there if the baseband is updated. Its a very very low risk in fact because the phone accepts the whole image and checks it before writing. The worst case scenario is your battery falls out half way through the write!

Wam

Where i can get those image-files that i can use.
If I understand right most of those image files are from some operator (ex. o2 ?). Can I use these files with no worries to get operator lock ?

Andronix

we need sephail or someone to check if I8 is up on Samsung site, or maybe a way to extract it from jalipur123's galaxy.

Rastaman-FB

that would be doing a nandroid backup however im not sure if hes confortable flashing his recovery by the post

sephail

Unfortunately, it's not up yet. (As a matter of fact, I can't find any firmware for XEE -- are there any known older versions?) We're probably going to run into the same situation as the I4 firmware: a pretty significant delay between when we first start seeing factory handsets shipped with the firmware and when it appears on NPS.

boomtopper

I have a feeling the next update will be a IJ# release seeing as we are in October. And hopefully if we are lucky donut along with it. But I guess it's not just up to Samsung but also the network Operators like O2 to allow the update.

Rastaman-FB

thats right on the latter

were not going to see donut or eclair till the new year

jalipur123

hehe i wont , me so happy....

*dances like Carlton Banks in Fresh Prince in Bel Air*

kam187

LOL is that tom jones in the background?!

Andronix

Jalipur, we're jelous as we all are using older firmware than yours :cries:

Rastaman-FB

well actually im very happy with my galaxher0 and would only upgrade now to a better version of it