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Root [VIDEO] How to root your 2.3.6 phone using Odin and CWM

Loota

Android Enthusiast
Feb 3, 2012
732
483
Rockland, NY
So there seems to be alot of confusion as to just how odin works. This is understandable since there are alot of different variables with our phone and thus a lot of links and text to read through and it may seem overwhelming to some. This is a video tutorial showing how to install cwm with odin. Once you have CWM you can flash files directly to your phone from it and will not need odin again unless you choose to go back to stock or use it to install some odin specific file.

Odin - a phone flashing program run from your computer to install stock and custom images. Your phone must be in download mode to use it (Turn phone off, press and hold vol-, power, and camera button, release power button when samsung logo appears). Often Odin is a tool that can save otherwise bricked phones since most bricked phones can still boot into download mode.

CWM - a phone flashing program run directly from your phone to install stock and custom images. CWM takes the place of the recovery program that came with your phone so your phone must be in recovery mode to use it (Turn phone off, press and hold vol- and power, release power button when samsung logo appears).

***NOTE*** Before following any of these steps be sure to have a recovery file ready to flash on your phone in your /clockworkmod/backup/ folder on your sdcard. Make the folders if they do not exist.

The recovery file found here is 2.3.6+root

odin cwm - YouTube

***NOTE*** 2.3.6 users, once your phone reboots from odin after the flash it is important that you unplug your phone and pull the battery before it boots. Otherwise the file samsung put on your phone in the update will just overwrite cwm with their stock recovery and you will have to start all over again. my phone rebooted at 8:32 in this video and you can see how odin changed its recovery text to say "reset". this is when you need to unplug and pull battery.

Once you pulled your plug and battery and phone is off, put battery back in and boot it into CWM (press and hold vol- and power, release power button when samsung logo appears). If you boot it normally you will have to start all over again because just like above, the file samsung put on your phone in the update will just overwrite cwm with their stock recovery. From here you should flash a recovery file. If you want 2.3.6 with just root I recommend the file katracho posted here. The instructions on this link do not apply but you must have a recovery file on your sd card to flash to before doing any of these steps or run the risk of having to reflash cwm all over again because you had to boot your phone up to add them to you microsd card.
 
No homo, but I love you. XD


Edit: ok tried this to no avail, I did catch some of the phone screen text when ibwas trying this, I got an odin.ack fail!!! Text, I think part of my problem is still the .ops file. Is there anyway you can email me the file if I pm you my email address? Thanks, you got me farther than I've gotten ever :)

Also you just used the tu_recovery file from bads3ctors odin flash post correct?
 
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Thanks for making the video. Just to emphasize something in Loota's post:

If you are flashing CWM onto a stock phone, it is very important to make sure that right after the first reboot after flashing CWM...you pull the usb cable and the battery. Stock 2.3.6 overwrites recovery on each boot so all your hard work flashing ODIN from this video tutorial will be wiped out if you don't do this. Then if you want to keep CWM, you must boot into recovery mode and flash this:

http://androidforums.com/transform-...root-unroot-stock-2-3-6-devs-power-users.html

After flashing that ^^^^ (tu_root.zip), CWM will be permanent. If you have 2.3.6 and don't flash that root zip, CWM will be overwritten by stock 2.3.6 and you will have to start over.
 
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Thank you so much for making this video! I was a bit nervous to use Odin but after watching this i successfully installed CWM on to my unrooted 2.3.4 phone with no issues! Now I have a backup of my phone all tweaked before root.

So now my question is what would be the best way to root my phone? Should I just use the "one click" or is their an easier way with CWM? I saw Bads3ctor's TU_root.zip but it says that's for 2.3.6, which im trying to avoid installing.
 
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while using odin to flash cwm i found it more easy to put ur tu into dl mode,as soon as it is connected into dl mode u connect usb cable,once that is done i pulled battery(it is still in dl mode as long as u dont disconnect usb cable it that is),then i flashed cwm as soon as odin said"reset" i pulled usb cable put battery back in and put my tu into recovery and cwm was their :) .This was the way i did it, but it worked so lol.
 
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So now my question is what would be the best way to root my phone? Should I just use the "one click" or is their an easier way with CWM?

I would use the one click. Anythng else is going to be more complicated for 2.3.4.

If you like the video I am sure some people are goin to expand on them ;).


Is the wifi broken with this version of 2.3.6?

I have two sprint phones with wifi confirmed working for 2.3.6. I thnk my big question for everyone with the problem is did they do the ota or did they flash a cwm backup from another user. I did the ota.
 
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Why the heck is this phone so much more complicated than my girls SIII. Any body in Pano want to barter a couple of domains @ 20GB each free, for as long as your site s stay active in trade for a quick "MOD" job

i know this probably sound rookie to ya'll, but I hold no one responsible for an act of technology, and the barter is still fullfilled http://ethoshost.com ( im working on this site tonight )2.3.6
 
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i want superuser to work again so now i have cwm on my phone but superuser still dosnt work since i updated my transform ultra to 2.3.6 the icon is still there but nothing works will i have to install a more up to date superuser using cwm it works even when i boot up my phone i just want superuser back
 
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I'm pretty confused too man and I'm kinda afraid to try any of the steps in fear of doing it wrong and screwing up my phone, I just want to do a simple root so that my Superuser is back and since I downloaded that update 2.3.6 for my Transform Ultra it seems to be that rooting my phone has gotten so difficult now, someone PLEASE HELP!
 
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I'm pretty confused too man and I'm kinda afraid to try any of the steps in fear of doing it wrong and screwing up my phone, I just want to do a simple root so that my Superuser is back and since I downloaded that update 2.3.6 for my Transform Ultra it seems to be that rooting my phone has gotten so difficult now, someone PLEASE HELP!


if u have the update u can flash this rom from this thread http://androidforums.com/transform-...st-ff27-update-rooted-final-ver-8-1-12-a.html its made from update will give you root...
 
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ok I'm sorry but I'm like really trying to understand this and I just don't lol is there perhaps an easier method as to how to root this specific 2.3.6 version? because unless I see someone make a video of like step by step instructions and an actual visual of them doing it step by step on their computer then I'm gonna be confused. a lot of you guys are like talking in code it seems and that's even more confusing. Is there another route I could perhaps take other than this cwm odin thing? Thanks guys!
 
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2.3.6 update ruined my root. i tried to load using odin and when in download mode on my phone and i plug it to my laptop, i get a message that says "odin_ack : FAIL!!!". When i start odin, it reads cannot open the usb serial port. I've tried using intercept and got an error message. I don't know what to do next. I keep seeing things mentioning flashing the superuser update but i don't know how to flash. could someone please help me get my root back.
 
Upvote 0
So there seems to be alot of confusion as to just how odin works. This is understandable since there are alot of different variables with our phone and thus a lot of links and text to read through and it may seem overwhelming to some. This is a video tutorial showing how to install cwm with odin. Once you have CWM you can flash files directly to your phone from it and will not need odin again unless you choose to go back to stock or use it to install some odin specific file.

Odin - a phone flashing program run from your computer to install stock and custom images. Your phone must be in download mode to use it (Turn phone off, press and hold vol-, power, and camera button, release power button when samsung logo appears). Often Odin is a tool that can save otherwise bricked phones since most bricked phones can still boot into download mode.

CWM - a phone flashing program run directly from your phone to install stock and custom images. CWM takes the place of the recovery program that came with your phone so your phone must be in recovery mode to use it (Turn phone off, press and hold vol- and power, release power button when samsung logo appears).

***NOTE*** Before following any of these steps be sure to have a recovery file ready to flash on your phone in your /clockworkmod/backup/ folder on your sdcard. Make the folders if they do not exist.

The recovery file found here is 2.3.6+root

odin cwm - YouTube

***NOTE*** 2.3.6 users, once your phone reboots from odin after the flash it is important that you unplug your phone and pull the battery before it boots. Otherwise the file samsung put on your phone in the update will just overwrite cwm with their stock recovery and you will have to start all over again. my phone rebooted at 8:32 in this video and you can see how odin changed its recovery text to say "reset". this is when you need to unplug and pull battery.

Once you pulled your plug and battery and phone is off, put battery back in and boot it into CWM (press and hold vol- and power, release power button when samsung logo appears). If you boot it normally you will have to start all over again because just like above, the file samsung put on your phone in the update will just overwrite cwm with their stock recovery. From here you should flash a recovery file. If you want 2.3.6 with just root I recommend the file katracho posted here. The instructions on this link do not apply but you must have a recovery file on your sd card to flash to before doing any of these steps or run the risk of having to reflash cwm all over again because you had to boot your phone up to add them to you microsd card.

All I want is simple root. I'm not into flashing ROMs and all that, just root access.

So I was able to successfully flash CWM Recovery to the phone. But when I go to flash the zip "Update 2.3.6", it says that it failed. Toggling signature doesn't help either.

I am doing this for my mom's phone and I believe that she updated it to the very latest updates whenever they become available so, perhaps, this is too new to root? But shouldn't this update zip work?
 
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