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How to Unlock (and Root) the Bell Galaxy S2. Step by Step Guide

cheese_cake said:
what does solid use include?

i'm the kind of person who'd browse the web while listening to music *on headphones* & running an im app.... & i know that about 1% drain every 10mins while on direct charge ^ ^;;;;;;
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Music in car, check twitter about 30 times, surf for an hour or 2 , emails, Facebook, few photos and vids, play a game for about 15min, GPS navigation with sygic (GPS normally turned off) . And usually Google chat throughout the day off and on.
Screen at 30% brightness with all sync options on except for Facebook.
Without the above apps frozen my phone would only last about 6 hours.

I am also currently trying juice defender but I see no additional benefit so far.

Give it a shot! :)
 
0.0! that's almost absurd! ( in a good way).

anyhoo many thanks for your most gracious time. been about 12 hours since i did the oh so fulfilling procedure. will continue to monitor with titanium backup now in place; i'll report back on the effects of it.

about juice defender, i was looking for a second opinion as i was unable to determine if it helped. the only thing i was able to determined was that it took up about 1% of my ram.
 
BLUE1k: OMG THANK YOU FOR THIS AWESOME TUTORIAL. i followed your instructions exactly and it worked (the root part only though).

i do have a question: i can't seem to access the market to get the galaxy_s unlock app; gives me the following error: "a network error has occurred. retry, or cancel and return to the previous screen". i'm connected via wifi (at work) and can access the internet just fine.

any idea why this is happening?

thanks!
 
kiiat said:
BLUE1k: OMG THANK YOU FOR THIS AWESOME TUTORIAL. i followed your instructions exactly and it worked (the root part only though).

i do have a question: i can't seem to access the market to get the galaxy_s unlock app; gives me the following error: "a network error has occurred. retry, or cancel and return to the previous screen". i'm connected via wifi (at work) and can access the internet just fine.

any idea why this is happening?

thanks!
Click to expand...

Try this :

Go to settings>applications >manage apps

Click the all tab. Find market and force stop. Then clear cache/data.

If that doesn't work you can get it from my server:
http://mrwodtke.com/android/
 
Blue1k said:
Try this :

Go to settings>applications >manage apps

Click the all tab. Find market and force stop. Then clear cache/data.

If that doesn't work you can get it from my server:
Home
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almost there... but i think it might be my work's firewall not allowing me to access the market. i just d/l the file from your server (thanks again!). is there a specific folder i should place it in? i just stuck it in the Download" folder on my external SD.
 
with titanium backup implemented at about 75% battery life, i clocked in about 18 hours in total (including before implementation of titanium backup) with 10% of battery life remaining.

use included just over 3 hours of powerAMP (on headphones), 2 hours of dolphin browser, 3 short calls, 30min on msn mercury, & an hour playing with voice command. wifi turned off when not needed. not more than 40% of ram was used at any one time. brightness at 10%.

conclusion: titanium backup is epic d:
 
hmm i thought it worked but now it's asking me for a network lock control key after i popped in my telus sim and booted up the phone. should i run the unlock again?
 
oh and do i have to have my telus sim card in the phone while i run the backup?

update: i just ran it again and i realized i got this message: "error, test with active internet connection". my wifi is on.
 
kiiat said:
hmm i thought it worked but now it's asking me for a network lock control key after i popped in my telus sim and booted up the phone. should i run the unlock again?
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Ya leave in the sim. Make sure to follow and do the three steps listed in the app. Step 2 takes a while as the phone may not reboot right away. After it self reboots open the app and do step 3
 
I followed the steps you listed above. step 1 was fine, step 2 did take a few minutes but then that message "error, test with active internet connection" appeared. maybe my wifi at work is glitchy; i'll try again when i get home.

thanks so much for your help
 
AndroidNo0b said:
Blue,

I am interested in rooting and unlocking my phone, but, for some reason am hesitant. I am, as my username suggests, a complete newb when it comes to smartphones.

Basically I want to be able to update firmware when it is released instead of having to wait for it be released in my region or by my carrier (example, 2.3.4 is not out yet for Bell). I am also interested in being able to buy prepaid SIM cards when I travel to the States (couple times a year) rather than racking up roaming and other fees to use it outside my network.

Based on that, do you think rooting/unlocking makes sense for me? What are the odds that a complete idiot screws up his phone with this process beyond repair?
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That's EXACTLY what I want to do... how'd it go for you? What files did you use??
 
thanks so much for this wonderful tutorial! i popped in my telus sim and then re-ran the unlock app and it worked. :D
 
Broonsbane said:
Any news on the Bell kernel? I'm hesitant to root until I know I can bring my phone back to stock.
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I am adding the stock rom and modem to my server that I found searching through XDA. The flashable rom has the stock Bell KG2 firmware and Bell modem.

Just a point...some people root and then flash other roms and have found that newer modems can be problematic. I'll add it to my first post as a reference in case people need the stock KG2 modem.

However, at this moment the stock kernel is not able to be extracted. It must be compiled from source (I believe?). There are a few people working on it at XDA and should be out soon.

The stock rom package (from XDA) that I will share has the stock firmware, modem, and rooted CF kernel.
 
Blue1k said:
I am adding the stock rom and modem to my server that I found searching through XDA. The flashable rom has the stock Bell KG2 firmware and Bell modem.

Just a point...some people root and then flash other roms and have found that newer modems can be problematic. I'll add it to my first post as a reference in case people need the stock KG2 modem.

However, at this moment the stock kernel is not able to be extracted. It must be compiled from source (I believe?). There are a few people working on it at XDA and should be out soon.

The stock rom package (from XDA) that I will share has the stock firmware, modem, and rooted CF kernel.
Click to expand...

Your thread's sooo helpful! Thanks a lott! I've been scouring the interwebs since I got my phone last week, this is the first time i've come across the stock bell firmware. I'm using a virgin SGS2...it should be the same thing right? If so, I'd like to proceed with the root ASAP! :)
 
BiochemBoss said:
Your thread's sooo helpful! Thanks a lott! I've been scouring the interwebs since I got my phone last week, this is the first time i've come across the stock bell firmware. I'm using a virgin SGS2...it should be the same thing right? If so, I'd like to proceed with the root ASAP! :)
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Ya this method works for Virgin model as well. Confrimed from another member. :)
 
Hey Blue1K,

I got my Galaxy S2 a little while ago, and really want to root it. I'm with Virgin Mobile.

I have read your guide, and it seems simple enough, but that's not what I'm worried about.

I'm just worried about possibly having reduced 3G and HSPA+ connectivity, worse GPS connectivity, and/or maybe even reduced WiFi signal?

If I follow your guide, it will still have the same modem, correct? And the same UGKG2 modem means no reduced connectivity, right? I'm really worried about that.

Also, how long do you think it would take for the stock UGKG2 kernel to be released? It's been quite a while now...
 
amandureja said:
Hey Blue1K,

I got my Galaxy S2 a little while ago, and really want to root it. I'm with Virgin Mobile.

I have read your guide, and it seems simple enough, but that's not what I'm worried about.

I'm just worried about possibly having reduced 3G and HSPA+ connectivity, worse GPS connectivity, and/or maybe even reduced WiFi signal?

If I follow your guide, it will still have the same modem, correct? And the same UGKG2 modem means no reduced connectivity, right? I'm really worried about that.

Also, how long do you think it would take for the stock UGKG2 kernel to be released? It's been quite a while now...
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You won't have reduced connectivity. The rom stays the same as does the baseband. The only thing different is a rooted kernel along with a modified bin file to unlock your phone (if you use unlock app)

On that note, after rooting I did a nandroid backup and then decided to flash euro kh3 rom with new modem. I thought I would have to flash kg2 modem back but boy was I wrong!
GPS locks are instant now and have not experienced any signal loss or connectivity issues.
 
Wow, thanks for the fast response! :)

So, is KH3 a better kernel/modem to be on over KG2? How's your battery life? And which kernel did the ROM include (there are several kh3 kernels)? Which KH3 kernel should I go for?

Also, in the case that I run into any major issues, how would I receive warranty support without the stock kernel flashed?


Okay so let me get this straight:
- I do everything in your guide
- Flash Euro KH3 kernel (I want the best kernel but no different ROM)
- If I run into any problems, flash KG2 modem
?



EDIT: Is rooting even really that worth it if I don't need to unlock?
 
amandureja said:
Wow, thanks for the fast response! :)

So, is KH3 a better kernel/modem to be on over KG2? How's your battery life? And which kernel did the ROM include (there are several kh3 kernels)? Which KH3 kernel should I go for?

Also, in the case that I run into any major issues, how would I receive warranty support without the stock kernel flashed?


Okay so let me get this straight:
- I do everything in your guide
- Flash Euro KH3 kernel (I want the best kernel but no different ROM)
- If I run into any problems, flash KG2 modem
?



EDIT: Is rooting even really that worth it if I don't need to unlock?
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First off, NEVER flash a different kernel from rom.
So if you are using kg2 rom you should be using a kg2 kernel.

I meant I flashed the kh3 rom then re-rooted by flashing rooted kh3 kernel from same link on my original post.

The new kh3 rom has an improved battery saving feature. I now get about 16 hours or more of battery life with solid use (along with mods I did below)

Rooting allows you to modify the phone to your liking. One thing I noticed is that freezing certain processes after rooting improves battery life significantly.

For the Bell rom, the culprits are:

GPS Navigation from Bell
IMEI tracking
Social Hub
Wifi sharing
Wifi sharing manager

Freezing is done with an AP called titanium backup and freezes a process from restarting in the background. You can also uninstall Bell bloatware with Titanium.

Rooting also allows you install root only apps like Faster Fix which allows you to select GPS server for your area.

Finally, if you do decide to root make sure that you do a nandroid backup before trying other roms (very easy to do).
 
So Blue how is euro KH3 rom treating you? Still good? I ask because even after flashing the Bell modem in that xda thread posted, I still occasionally have to go in and out of airplane mode to reset my connection. So if it is doing well for you maybe I will make the switch as well. I wouldn't mind trying out 2.3.4 anyway, is it an official or test firmware? Your still using the kh3 modem right?

Thanks!

Edit:
Also one last question..
When you restore a nandroid backup, does EVERYTHING go back to the way it was? Like all the applications, contacts, settings, etc...? The backup saves onto the sdcard, correct?
 
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