Forget Kies to Upgrade

Hi guys

I will try to answer your questions, although all is explained nicely if you click on the link above.

First up you do not need to use Checkfus - this is however the best method of downloading the firmware and the quickest. It downloads Stock firmwares released by Samsung - in my case, I downloaded the Nordic one as this is the latest, released at the beginning of this month. Of course you can download directly from links provided at the above website but they will take an eternity to download, unless you pay for a premium download service - the file is over 337 MB in size. My previous firmware was a UK one - I9100XWKE7 (PDA) I9100CPWKD1 (CSC) - it was a CPW firmware (CarPhoneWarehouse) - it was the first ICS released one to enable me to upgrade from Gingerbread. I upgraded from GB to ICS 4.0.3 using Kies at that point in time.

So having downloaded the .zip file, extract the .tar.md5 file to somewhere on your PC. You may have to download the USB Drivers too because you will be placing your phone into "download mode" and at this stage, your PC needs to talk to it if you understand.

Next download Odin and open it on your PC.
Then power off your phone.
Press and hold down Volume Down + Home + Power buttons at the same time.
Press Volume Up button when warning prompt appears.
Download mode will then be loaded on your phone.
Connect USB cable to your phone and PC.
At PC bring up Odin.
Click on PDA.
Select the .tar.md5 file previously extracted.
Ensure all settings are as per the images in the above link - very clear
Click Start.
Wait until it finishes and PASS appears.
Remove USB cable from your phone only when you see green PASS in Odin.

When you restart your phone it may take a few minutes more than usual whilst it examines your apps and settings - you will see a progress bar and eventually you will be in your Home screen

That is pretty much all there is to it - make sure that your phone is fully charged before you start. The flashing process takes a few minutes together with a few moments longer for the initial reboot. All your apps and settings will be preserved as will your Homescreens etal.

As I have said Checkfus and the website in the links above only talk about Stock Firmwares and as such they are non-wipe. And you do NOT need to be rooted.

Finally, whether Kies will then subsequently infor you of future updates, that I am not sure about. Maybe somebody could answer that question please?

In my case I had a few minor problems, which led me to update. The phone is certainly faster and smoother now although I still get a heat issue when streaming videos - but this is only when I am charging at the same time. Have got used to playback without charging these days

Don't forget these firmwares may not be ones which will be released in your country - probably not. But this method gives you the ability to update to the latest firmwares without having to wait for Kies. If necessary, you could always revert back by selecting and downloading the latest firmware for your country, using Checkfus once more and going through the above procedure again - this will then allow Kies to notify you of future updates once more and allow you to play around with an updated firmware before you choose to revert back.

I hope this helps people.

I have been impressed with the ease of updating via this method, never really wishing to play around with custom firmwares etc.

roz

1981 said:

thanks Rozel,
-which 'link above' did u mention?
-did u mean not to use Checkfus? or was it a typo.
-which link did u download the Nordic firmware from. how much time is taken for the download process?
-was ur phone locked to the network? mine is O2 unlocked.
-did u have many problems after the initial ICS update? now with this firmware, are there any visible differences.
-after the flashing process, did u see the yellow triangle in the boot up screen?
-approx how much was taken for the entire flashing process?
thank and regards.

Click to expand...

1. The link in my first post above
2. It's up to you - check out the link and you will soon see that it is easier and more straight forward to use Checkfus - time - it will depend on your broadband speed - 337MB as I have said already
3. I used Checkfus to download the firmware - thought I made that clear
4. My phone had CPW firmware - unlocked
5. I did have a few force closes and the Android OS was not as smooth as with GB and some overheating issues - no visible issues afterwards - this is not custom firmware - it is stock no bloatware
6. No yellow triangle and no it doesn't affect your binary counter either
7. Not sure about your final question - may I suggest you click on the link in my first post - you will be taken to clear instructions

Post back once you have "upgraded"

roz

Baldilocks said:

The only thing that bothers me, though, is like LPF the Android OS usage is rather high.

Click to expand...

Can you explain what you experience in practice please?

roz

1981 said:

Odin v 1.85 is the latest rite.
thank you.

Click to expand...

I used Odin v 1.85 - there does seem a version 3.something out there too but I used 1.85, which is the version the poster in the link I quoted in my first post used Not sure what benefits version 3 brings.

Regarding the 2 file issue - I extracted both files to a new folder on my PC and then inserted the .tar file from there using Odin. Not sure what the other file does but I always think it's better to extract them all

It is a rather daunting experience if you have never flashed before - just make sure you follow the procedures precisely - print them out if necessary first. Make sure your phone is fully charged. You may find getting into download mode is a bit tricky at first. Make sure your phone is powered off before commencing and press and hold the 3 buttons (Volume Down + Home + Power buttons) one by one in order - release the 3 keys once you see something appear on your phone's screen. After it has reached the initial screen, you then need to press the volume up to get into download mode - only then do you connect your phone to the PC.

Finally the USB driver thing - I suggest you download them and try to install before you start - if you do not need them you will be informed that you already have them installed and the .exe file will abort. I have got the drift that if you have a working Lies installation on your PC, they will already be installed.

Good luck!

roz

1981 said:

@ Rozel,

the other links where you can these firmwares. are they much slower than Checkfus?
now i am tempted to get in the ROOTING zone too.

have you noticed an issue like, normally the battery counter resets back to zero after a restart or shut down, rite? (the one in the battery option inside settings which shows '..days..hours..mts..sec on battery')
mine is not resetting. it just stays the same even after shut down or restart. could it be a bug. this was present even before flashing.

Click to expand...

Well done!!! - do not get carried away with rooting - that is complex - I have been rooted on GB but other than for making backups etc I did not experience any other benefit. I am no longer rooted. Indeed here in the UK it knocked out my SkyGo which amazingly still works after upgrading to ICS and subsequently to this Nordic firmware At the moment I can not be more pleased with my SGS2.

The other links are extremely slow as I said in my first post (I assume you read that fully?).

No I haven't observed the battery issue - My battery read out says I have been up for 1 day 1 hour. I will just restart it...... no - it hasn't reset. Now trying a Power Off.......... no it hasn't reset. I didn't notice that but something reset it just over 24hours ago as it's only showing 1 day up and I installed the Nordic firmware a few days ago - hmmmmm - if you get to grips with this please let me know.

roz

Hi again

I seem to have sussed the battery stats - when I rebooted/powered off and back on, the stats didn't refresh as I had my phone plugged in to my PC "Charging". When I disconnected the cable the stats refreshed as from that moment on it was relying on the battery. Hope this helps you

Forget SkyGo if you are not in the UK - it's a TV streaming service if you are a Sky customer and it allows you to view Sky TV channels on your Android device.

I would forget rooting if I were you - I have already said that I am no longer rooted and currently do not see the need. If you are curious then revisit the link in my first post and somewhere on the xda site, it will point you towards a rooting guide. Read up fully, not only about the procedures but about what Kernal you will use etc etc.

Hope you are ok with your new Stock firmware - did you use the Nordic one?

roz

Just resurrecting this thread to see what is the best and latest Stock Firmware out there at the moment.

I see that certain carriers have released a 4.0.4 version of ICS and of course in my case now, I can no longer use Kies for updating, unless, I presume, I upgrade via Checkfus/Odin to a UK CPW firmware? (which my phone originally had)

Hi Baldilocks - thanks for that. Having searched a little bit, is this firmware not gor the new Galaxy S3 ? Mine is the Galaxy s2 but maybe this firmware is compatible?

Any info around about it?

roz

Hehe - we sometimes all get things wrong - So do you know the latest 4.0.4 stock firmware for the S2?