Showing posts with label Root. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Root. Show all posts

04 February, 2013

Rooting GT-I9103 on ICS Android 4.0.4

English: Android Market on Samsung Galaxy S.
English: Android Market on Samsung Galaxy S. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
04-Feb-2013

Sometime back in December 2012, after my Samsung Galaxy R phone lapsed on its 1-year warranty, my phone just hanged. If I recall correctly, my 3-year old girl was playing with it, and when I found it, it was already off – kids usually drain out the battery – so I didn’t think that there was a problem at all.

When I tried to turn it on, to check if the battery is dead, it turned on, but it stayed at the Samsung logo – it was stuck there, even after waiting for a considerable amount of time (5 minutes, I would say, is already a long time if we are talking of a normal phone, whatever brand that may be). I did what would be normally done: took out the battery, waited a couple of seconds (although recommended is 15 seconds), then put it back in and pressed the power button on, and voila! Still the same: stuck at the logo.

By then I knew that something else happened. Something has gone wrong.

“That was a rooted phone,” I thought to myself... now what?

I tried to go back to rooting the phone and searching for the same kernel that I used before, which are still in my laptop, did it many times, not once, but many times, and every time, it is a failure.

I then went to search in the web for possible solutions, or at the least, a newer version of the kernel, each time typing the phone model GT-I9103 as the selective search string.

I found several, tried again, failed, tried again, failed... many times... until one came out nice and completed the whole process of installing a kernel.

When the phone was finally working (again), I checked everything, still intact, but I noticed that something else is different – and that was when I found out that the kernel that revived my phone was ICS, Android 4.0. The original OS was Gingerbread, Android 2.3. I said, “What a jump!”

I was almost very happy, except that when I checked through my phone, I found that the root privilege was gone! “Should be easy,” I said, so I went right away to rooting my “upgraded” device. Easier said than done, and no matter what I did, I can’t root my upgraded phone. And after trying out so many times, I gave up. I settled with having just “an upgraded, albeit un-rooted,” phone.

Of course, a lot of those apps that I installed before which required root access don’t work anymore, so while the phone was working, it was not as before, it was not as when I had it rooted, and I have the complete control over it. Blast it!

With unsettled mind over my un-rooted phone, I have inside of me a resolve to look out for other means, other ways, other newer releases, someday, somehow, something that will give me back root access to my phone.

Yesterday, that day came!

In my random search, I chanced upon a page that tells about installing CWMR version xxx.xxx, followed by many other articles. I checked on that one, looked through the procedure, and I found that it is very identical to what I have been referencing before, but just that the version of code it is using is newer (supposedly newer). Basically, I found page for the exact search string I used: “root GT-I9103 ICS”.

Having found that, there is also the article on installing CWMR on GT-I9103.

These 2 I tried, and at first shot, I hit the mark. I rooted the phone running on Ice Cream Sandwich OS. But wait, there is more.

My initial version of ICS is 4.0.2. When I was done with the rooting, and also installing the new version of CMWR, I found that the ICS version is 4.0.4. Wow!

What more could I ask for? After rooting my Galaxy R phone, I also got an upgraded version of ICS.

I’m back!

And here are the pages that I referenced in my latest rooting adventure:
How To Root Galaxy R I9103 on Android 4.0.4 ICS
How To Install CWM Recovery v6.0.1.5 Touch on I9103 Galaxy R

As for this page, beware, not that it doesn’t work, but it is not in English! Bummer! Good thing I backed up my phone and it was a very simple recovery method of restoring the phone.
How To Install Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean on I9103 Galaxy R

Till then!
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I rooted my GT-P3100 – EASILY!

English: samsung-galaxy-tab
English: samsung-galaxy-tab (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
04-Feb-2013

A week ago, I went to the telecom service provider that services one of my mobile phones (I don’t use more than one; this line is used by one of my daughters). Since it is already one year, I am now eligible for a re-contract, which, primarily, is geared towards having a new phone, while all other things remain the same.

As I found out, the plan had a change, some that used to be free are now chargeable, some limits reduced, etc., etc. Anyway, bottom line is, we got a new phone. And it was a Samsung Tab 2 7.0, paying just a minimum sum, since my plan is a bare essential one, not having data at all. Just the basic set: phone line, talk time, SMS. No internet.

With everybody in the house having a mobile phone, except the 3-year old, our youngest thought to herself, and declared, that the new phone is hers. Who would argue with that?

The phone was broken in, and it was used, charged, installed with apps, recharged, played with, until I can’t hold on any longer, then on Saturday, I stole it away from my daughter while she was busy watching TV, and she didn’t notice that the Tab was gone, and that she had something else to busy herself with.

I took the Tab in the room, and went to search for rooting procedures. Found one that is for beginners, and I said, “What the heck. I ain’t a beginner!” and looked for something more complicated. I did find out, and when I checked through, it was way too complicated, so I went back to the beginner’s method.

I followed the procedure, downloaded the files, and without batting an eyelash, went straight away to rooting the device. I used Odin before, and I used Odin now. I am not new to the procedure, so I did as I can remember, and i believe I did everything correctly, but it hanged!

Before I started with the rooting procedure, I plugged in Tab in, and it was recognized by my personal laptop. However, when I disconnected my Tab, and put it to download mode, plugged it back in, Odin, or rather my laptop, don’t see it anymore. I almost panicked!

At this point, I did about 2-3x cycle of unplugging and plugging back, but still my laptop couldn’t see the Tab. So no choice, I needed to open it so I can take out the battery and hopefully, start all over again.

Problem!

The Tab isn’t easy to open up. The back cover is quite seamlessly attached to the body, without any nick or opening that is designed for taking out the cover. So I searched the web, then I found one on YouTube, and it was easy, so easy. But when I tried it myself, I had to give up – it isn’t easy after all.

A Chinese would say “Luckily,” but I ain’t Chinese, but I’ll say it anyway, “Luckily...” my work laptop was at home, and it will always be home when I am home, for such is the purpose if being issued a laptop, to be able to support even at home, even from home. I would recall that the other phones were rooted using the work laptop, while some others were rooted using the home laptop.

I took the cables and plugged it in my work laptop, with Odin already open and waiting. Boom! It was recognized ASAP. So I just searched for the same rooting procedure, downloaded the files, and went right to root my Tab 2 phone, a Samsung GT-P3100 unit.

How do I describe what happened next? It was a breeze! And with the initial problem that I went through, it seems that the quick rooting of the Tab was unbelievable, so much so that I can’t believe it at first. I had to install all those apps that is applicable only to rooted devices, and without a single complaint from the apps, my doubt was gradually replaced by a confirmation – the Tab 2 phone has been rooted!

Below is the link on the Rooting Procedure for Beginners, well, there will be times that it pays to go down low, again. Like this time.

Root Galaxy Tab 2 7.0

Till then!
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16 January, 2012

Root-ing my Samsung Galary R

Español: Samsung Galaxy R (i9103)Image via WikipediaiPhone 4's Retina Display v.s. iPhone 3GImage by Yutaka Tsutano via FlickrEnglish: Android smartphone Samsung GT-i9000 G...Image via WikipediaAndroid_marketImage by benmarvin via FlickrEnglish: Android Market on Samsung Galaxy S.Image via WikipediaImage representing iPhone as depicted in Crunc...Image via CrunchBase16-Jan-2012

I did it last week.

I mean, I've not been doing anything with the iPhone 4 when my wife got hers, since I'm not really enamored with the iPhone, even when it was only 3, then 3S. And when my wife got hers, it was already 4, and I was simply ignoring that small device which has captivated millions (is my estimate correct?) all over the world. And it still does, but I will never be in the statistics.

You see, when I got my Samsung Galary R over a month ago, I felt it was a very good deal, unit price promo-ed at only $11 at the least plan that will have data access, not to mention that the SGR was already a dual-core device, albeit a toned-down version of the Samsung Galaxy S II.

Anyway, I was immediately introduced to the already huge world of android freebies, primarily through the Android Market, and then to the all-free spree being done in all of the major android sites - always. And this is something that I enjoyed on what the web has to offer - freebies!

Anyway, I also immediately found that many of the stronger apps out there (and yet still  free) are requiring the device to be 'rooted' - a limitless, all-access, superuser account category - that would be able to control the device from the very core.

Then I found that to root a device, it will void the warranty, and that the process of rooting, if done wrongly, may render the device unusable, 'bricked' so they say, ending up simply as a beautifully-formed glass and metal (and plastic) artwork.

Furthermore, it is a cat-and-mouse chase: while you may succeed rooting your device, phone manufacturers will eventually release a firmware update, which will unroot your device and clear any superuser accounts, and reinstate the device to its unrooted state. So hackers (developers to be precise) who are not content with that will again try to develop rooting methods and programs that will again be able to 'root' the device even with the latest firmware. Then manufacturers will release a firware update... it just never ends!

So I had my hesitation... take note, I had...

But the best of me yielded to the 'risk-taking', and on the 12th of January, I did my first rooting business - and I succeeded.

What made it all too easy is that I found several articles that offered help by laying down the process step-by-step, so I was fully familiar with that I should be doing, but finally, I found that I only have to click a button, and wait, and watch, and it's done. Is it too good to be true?

Well, it was. I used SuperOneClick. With all the hesitation in my mind, my finger steely clicked the mouse button, and I waited, and I watched, and it was a success! SU was created, and I had superuser access to the rooted device! That finally gave me the privilege to install those free apps that will help me take control of my small device from the very core.

So that's it. My small, yet very fruitful, new adventure: rooting my android device. And I showed my phone to my wife, and she wanted an exchange...

See, not everyone who gets the iPhone are really iPhone fanatics. My wife is one who would prefer the 'better' deal. She thinks the iPhone is outdated. I think all the more that it is outdated. It is like the IBM story, closed, proprietary, unaccommodating. Then PC came. Android has come, but devices will still be rooted. The limits and boundaries may be set and defined, but there are many who just can't be boxed and enclosed.

Android is freedom, and the exercise of freedom makes android users freer.

Till then!


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