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Flashing, firmware, baseband, help?

sid378

Member
I'm in denmark, with a fully store bought phone, which means unbranded ;)

I've not touched it since the day i got it, but recently updated via Kies to xwkf3 build number, and then i got hit by the dreadful Android OS drain bug, now i've really got a reason to root and flash a new firmware/kernel but looking through the supposed newbie guide on the xda forums, with the sea of kernels, i've only found a OXA polish kernel, will this work for mine ? and why is it polish, will it mean it's localized to poland or..?

I feel in dire need of help and someone to hold me hand explaining things simply, i switched from a Villainrom HTC Hero with the lucky 740 mhz clockspeed, and following that guide was nerve wrecking enough, though i found it more friendly in some ways, besides i'm afraid to turn my SGS2 into a paperweight, as i remember from the HTC Hero that if you flashed the wrong radio it would permanently brick it.

the parts that really confuse me is stock kernels vs the 'other' kernels based off a build number, and why they atleast appear to be localized.. help?
 
So if i flash a wrong modem, it won't destroy my device? the problem with the frankensteins is that it's only asian and english language, but the KG6 stock kernel looks somewhere what i'd wanna do, but will it also update the android OS to 2.3.4? as i'm looking to primarily get rid of the Android OS battery drain.

I suppose in short; i want 2.3.4 on it, but unsure if i use a wrong kernel, modem, or firmware if it'll end up destroying my device, i have no problems fiddling with various roms or such to get things working (thinking VillainRom)

And while i remember it, do i absolutely need a SD card in order for the recovery/download menu to find a zip file for the flashing process of either kernel or roms?

Sorry to come off as a completely idiot here, i thought i was tech savvy since i was 10, but with this specifically it feels like i missed a 'We're all new to this device so lets tread carefully' phase :P
 
Flashing a "wrong" modem will not destroy your device. What makes you say that the Frankenstein firmware is english and asian only? It should contain many languages, is it danish you are wanting? (maybe someone on stock KG6 could confirm?). In order to update to 2.3.4 KG6 you would need to flash the PDA, this will udate the kernal and firmware. Updating kernal does not update android version.
I am on villain rom and I can confirm that it has support for many languages.
No you do not need an sd card for recovery to be able to find zip files.
 
In the post you linked it says under the frankenstein section that it only has english and asian languages.. but maybe it was referring to the under directly beneath that, in which case i've just read myself blind in all of this mess :P

So kernel is kernel, and flashing pda includes both kernel and firmware, and the firmware part is responsible for the android version ? (just trying to wrap my head aroud which is what)

I was VERY fond of villainrom for my HTC Hero, i can only assume they've done a kickass job for it on SGS2. Not having the phone blow up because you accidently flash the wrong modem is a good thing (i think back to where CDMA users flashed a gsm 'radio' and that was the end) this phone is my baby, so naturally i'm really cautious ;)

So it's really as easy as it seem? following the.. 5-6 step guide that refers to odin and CF-root, it's just that? and you can use whatever god damn kernel or modem you want to, and at worst all you'll have is some issues to work around, or flash another modem ? 'coz then i'll just go to work on it and see what results i get, as i said earlier i've no problems tinkering with it for weeks if i have to ;)

Again thanks for your help ! i really appreciate it
 
The part where it says "Only has English and apparently Asian languages" is referring to ZSKF4 only.
Yes I like Villain rom, I've tried a few others and found it to be the best.
Its really hard to "brick" the SGS2 because you can always go back into download mode and flash again if something goes wrong.
 
Thanks for that :) it's just way over my head with all the various ways the kernels and firmwares are labeled.. and the CSC stuff is confusing, i've been looking trough that giant thread and i see alot of people asking questions about it.. i'm still none the wiser

But i saw a polish screenshot of an official 2.3.4 via kies that i'm considering, but if that's not the case _just_ following the villainrom guides that involve CF root and odin, then villainrom will be enough information i'll need right ?

I think i'm making things more complicated, especially because i'm in a way unsure of what i really wanna know, i suppose a really dumbed down elaborated explanation of things would send me greatly on my way, thanks again for your help here! it's invaluable!
 
If you press *#1234# in your dialer it will give you your CSC version there. Then you could match it up to one in the XDA thread.

EDIT: I just checked mine and its OXAKG6 and it works fine for me :)
 
Awesome.. that was 'supposed' to be the polish version, so if i get that for example, the usually 300'ish mb size, then it's both firmware and kernel correct?

I'm still unclear about why you'd want to match CSC up, what difference would it make in the end ? unless it's something for branded phones which mine isn't, then i can't see any other real issue beyond maybe preconfigured APN's and languages, but if it supports atleast danish and english then i'm a happy chappy :P
 
I'm not clear on this myself. OXA is the language code (Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Switzerland, UK) and I presume "Poland" refers to where it was sourced. It appears to be a popular origin. ;)

Tbh I think intratech's KG6 "Frankenstein" will be okay, but maybe someone who is using it can confirm that Danish (Dansk) is a language option? I've got it with VR 2.4.2 which is KG6-based.
 
In a way i'm thinking that the phone has so much space that it's almost stupid to strip certain versions of languages, mine already contains pretty much every language i know of anyway, including polish, but i'd hammer my head to the keyboard if i installed a pure polish rom x)

I'm leaning towards Villain though, i'm right now looking at the Lite'ning rom, and it's first-post guide looks to be stupidly easy.. but either i'm blind, stupid or both but i can't find a similar guide to Villainrom 2.4.2, the only info about it i've found is on their own page, and it's as if they mean it to people who already know the how-to's and such.

I've seen you around before on the forums slug, and i'd almost hate to (but going to) ask, if you could 'do me' a guide like that ?

This is the phone info i have doing the *#1234#:

PDA: I9100XWKF3
PHONE: I9100XXKE7
CSC: I9100XXKF!

Build Info: Thu Jun 9 18:16:44 KST 2011

Not sure what else would be relevant info, and i'm sure it will all become clear once i pass over that dreadful boundary of the 'What if my phone bricks?' :P

Much obliged, to both of yous! i hate to ask for help 'coz i get the feeling i bug the shit out of people, and i've read up and down around the web but i still can't seem to wrap my head around which is what =/
 
There's a LOT of us newby's even afraid to ASK the questions... so PLEASE keep asking!:confused:
At SOME point, i want to root my phone, but I need to troll around for a while! Are there any even more basic starting points around?
 
I just have a feeling my questions are almost not worth answering, since you'd really have to try hard to mess up the SGS2 beyond repair :P but i'm paranoid since i came from the days where if you more or less nudged the USB cable while flashing the 'radio' for the Hero, it would get bricked..

In the case with this phone at worst it'll just not boot up and you'd have to reflash things, or it'll try to connect to carriers outside your country i believe.. that's what i'm trying to find out :P though i was always annoyed with how villainrom didn't bother to atleast copypaste a guide from the older releases if it was the exact same process, for new people, atleast there i knew the routine by heart :P
 
Some one once asked me for a guide to flashing villain rom, here it is:
Guide for flashing Villain rom 2.4 (This is the way that I did it. I take no responsibility for any damage done to your phone while following this guide - do so at your own risk)

First of all you need to make sure you have the samsung drivers installed on your pc. If you have kies installed then they should be on already. If you havent then download and install kies from here:
Mobile Phone's Software&Manual SAMSUNG

Step 1 Rooting.
Download the flashing software called odin from here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=611625&d=1306787405

Download the Rooted Kernal from here (KG6):
http://forum.xda-developers.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=673338&d=1312203859

Make sure Kies is shut down and is not running in system tray.
Unzip the rooted kernal. Unzip Odin and launch it.
Once odin has launched click the PDA button then find the rooted kernal you just unzipped (It should be a .tar file) select it and click open.
Now turn your phone off and wait till it has completely shut down.
Once it has shutdown you need to put it into download mode. You do this by holding the volume down key, the home key and power key all at the same time. Hold them till you get a warning screen then let go. When you get the warning screen press the volume up key. You should now be in download mode (It says odin mode at the top in red).
Now connect your phone to your pc with the usb cable. Some drivers may start to install, wait till the have installed correctly.
A Yellow box should have appeared on the left hand side under ID:COM in odin. Once the yellow box has appeared click start in odin.
The rooted kernal will begin to flash to the phone. This should take no more than a few minutes. Once it has completed a green box saying PASS should appear above the yellow box in odin and the phone will reboot. You should now be rooted and can uplug your phone.
To check you are rooted, you will find you have 2 new apps: CWM and superuser. Go into CWM and menu should pop up asking for root rights. Click allow and you can then come out of the app.

Step 2 Getting rid of the Yellow Triangle (Optional).
Now your phone is rooted you will notice you get a yellow triangle when booting up. This is normal and harmless. If you want to get rid of the triangle here is what to do, if you are not bothered about it then skip to step 3.
You need to download a stock Kernal from here (KG6):
Multiupload.com - upload your files to multiple file hosting sites!

Now on your pc, extract the rooted kernal from step one (the .tar file) Once you have extracted that there should be a file called zImage. Place the zImage file on your phones internal sd card and verify that it is there.
Switch your phone off and put it into download mode. If you shut odin down, launch it again. If you left it open just click reset. Click the PDA button and choose the stock kernal you just downloaded (.tar file). Connect your phone to your pc and wait for the yellow box in odin to appear again. Once connected click start. The phone will flash the stock kernal. Once the green box appears and the phone reboots you can now disconnect it from the pc. When your phone has booted, go to the CWM app, go to flash kernal and select the zImage file then click ok. Once the kernal has flashed the phone will reboot and the triangle will be gone.

Step 3 making a backup.
Before you flash villain rom it is wise to make a backup of everything in case you need to do a wipe or if anything goes wrong. To backup your apps I use an app called titanium backup, its on the market for free but you can use whatever app you like.
If you decide to use titanium then go into the app click allow when asked for root access. Click the menu button and then batch. Click RUN Backup all user apps. This will take a few minutes depending on how many apps you have installed. Once completed you should receive a notification in the notification bar. Now you are ready to backup your system as it is (should anything go wrong or if you want to revert to the standard rom at any time). Go into the CWM app and click create new backup. Enter a name and click ok. Your phone should reboot into clockworkmod recovery and start backing up (lots of writing on the screen and a progress bar at the bottom). This may take a few minutes. Once it has done the phone will reboot. Check your backup by going into your file manager, find the clockworkmod folder, then backup folder and in there should be the folder you named when creating the backup. Inside that folder should be 5 files: cache.img, data.img, system.img, boot.img and nandroid.md5. If the folder or the files are not there, do the backup again (mine did not work the first time).
Now that the system and your apps are backed up you can backup anything else you wish to keep eg sms, email, contacts etc.

Step 4 flashing Villain rom.
You are now ready to flash villain rom. I have shown 2 methods to do this. Method 1 is the no wipe option if you really don't want the hassle of wiping and restoring. Method 2 is the wipe option and this is the one I recommend. If you have problems with method 1 then try method 2. Download Villain rom from here:
http://www.villainrom.co.uk/SGS2/VR2.4.php

Method 1 (No wipe)
Once you have downloaded Villain rom place the zip file on your phones internal sd card. Go into the CWM app and press the option "Flash Update zip" Then choose the villain zip file. The Phone will reboot and begin to flash. Once it has flashed the zip it will reboot (First boot may take some time so be patient). If after around 5 mins if your phone has still not booted eg it is stuck in bootloop then hold power off until the phone goes off and see Method 2. If the phone boots up fine but you get a lot of Force closes see Method 2. If the phone boots up fine and you have no problems or force closes then you are all done. Now see step 6 (Optional).

Method 2
Once you have downloaded Villain rom place the zip file on your phones internal sd card. Shut down your phone. Reboot it into clockworkmod recovery (Hold Volume UP key, Home key and power button until the phone enters recovery). In the recovery menu go down to -wipe data/factory reset by using the volume down key. Press the home key to select it. Go down to -Yes -- delete all user data and press home key. This will begin wiping your phone. Once the wipe is complete press back until you are in the main recovery menu again. Go down to - wipe cache partition and select it. Go to -Yes - wipe cache. When this is complete go back to the main menu and go to install zip from sdcard and select it. Go to -choose zip from sdcard, select it. Then find the villain rom zip file you placed on your phone and select it. Go to -yes - install villain.... This will begin installing the zip (may take a few minutes). Once it has done go back to the main menu and select -reboot system now. Your phone will reboot and the rom should be installed (may take a while to reboot the first time). If your phone does not boot for some reason eg its stuck in a loop, hold the power button until the phone goes off then repeat the process. Now see step 5.

Step 5 Finished (Only needed if you wiped).
You should now be running villain rom. Once you have booted your phone the first time and set up your gmail account you will be able to download titanium backup to restore your apps. Once in titanium click batch then click RUN Restore all apps with data. You will have to tick allow unknown sources in application settings before your apps will install. Then restore any other back ups you made egs sms, contacts etc.

Step 6 Flashing Modem (Optional)
This is optional but recommended. Download the KG6 Modem from here:
2shared - download MODEM_I9100XXKG6.rar
Extract the modem. Launch Odin, click PHONE and select the modem file you just extracted. Turn your phone off, put it into download mode and connect it to your pc. Wait for the phone to connect. Once connected click start. Odin will begin to flash the modem. Once it has finished the phone will reboot and you can disconnect. All done :)
 
hey steslatt, ur on KG6 too, right? looks like upgrading to the newer KG5 official firmware, from KG6, requires a wipe.. any way to avoid this? i have titanium backup but i'd like to avoid a wipe anyway. would flashing back to KG3 and then flashing KG5 on top be a non wipe? im as yet unable to post questions on the xda forum so im trying to get answers here! thanks
 
hey steslatt, ur on KG6 too, right? looks like upgrading to the newer KG5 official firmware, from KG6, requires a wipe.. any way to avoid this? i have titanium backup but i'd like to avoid a wipe anyway. would flashing back to KG3 and then flashing KG5 on top be a non wipe? im as yet unable to post questions on the xda forum so im trying to get answers here! thanks

Im on Villain 2.4 so yes based on KG6. Not sure about the wipe? Is that what people are saying?
 
yup im trying to follow intratech's thread.. looks like KG5 over KG6 causes bootloops n stuff, n require a wipe. anyway, i think i'll hang around for a KG5 CF kernal, but im just wondering how to set about it... i'd rather flash to KG3 and then back to KG5 rather than wipe to be honest
 
I know what you mean, its a pain having to wipe. All I can suggest is try it but have a backup ready. I read on villain thread that KG6,5 and 7 are more or less the same anyway.
 
yeah.. but KG6 annoyingly removed google video chat. i assume that KG5 being official, it includes it again.. maybe while hanging around for the new CF kernel i'l be able to find out the best way to upgrade without wiping. i'll update u guys if i find anything
 
i'd almost hate to (but going to) ask, if you could 'do me' a guide like that ?

I would try, but steslatt has already done a fine job. :)

There's a LOT of us newby's even afraid to ASK the questions... so PLEASE keep asking!:confused:

^^^this +1

Nobody is born with knowledge - we all had to learn. Never be afraid to ask a question, as you'll find AF one of the friendliest sites on teh interwebz. Unlike some other forums we take a very dim view of "noob-bashing".
 
Nobody is born with knowledge - we all had to learn. Never be afraid to ask a question, as you'll find AF one of the friendliest sites on teh interwebz. Unlike some other forums we take a very dim view of "noob-bashing".

I remember not so long ago when I was a noob, the classic answer to a noob question was the "let me google that for you" link or USE THE SEARCH FUNCTION! I hated it when people said that, biggest waste of thread space ever ha. I always did a search first, sometimes it was the fact that I was using the wrong term for what I wanted and other times I just didn't understand what I was reading and needed it explaining or confirming. Thats why I always try and help no matter how noobish the question maybe.
 
Awesome! thanks for that guide! :D

Seems simple enough, and yeah it really doesn't seem like you can brick the phone permanently.. only guy i've found so far that managed to do that, was because he flashed a SGS1 rom on the SGS2.

But just to get real clarification, if you flash a 'wrong' CSC or modem, all it takes is to reflash it, until you find the one that works - correct?

It'll feel good to get back into Villain again though :)
 
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