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Help Need to backup and flash original and flashback

S

s2android

Member
hi guys,

I've been having signal issues with my Samsung Galaxy S2 GT-i9100 (Orange) and when I contacted them, they asked what version of firmware I had. I'll be honest....I panicked and cut the phone off as I have a Custom Neatrom (Android 4.1.2) Firmware on it.

Now I want to speak to orange, but before I do that, I want to:-

1. Backup the full Neatrom + data - To be able to restore at a later date.
2. Know what the official latest orange stock firmware is.
3. How to flash the orange fw to the phone.
4. Afterwards, how do I restore/flash the Neatrom fw with all the data back to the phone?
 
s2android said:
hi guys,

I've been having signal issues with my Samsung Galaxy S2 GT-i9100 (Orange) and when I contacted them, they asked what version of firmware I had. I'll be honest....I panicked and cut the phone off as I have a Custom Neatrom (Android 4.1.2) Firmware on it.

Now I want to speak to orange, but before I do that, I want to:-

1. Backup the full Neatrom + data - To be able to restore at a later date.
Click to expand...

Make a nandroid and Titanium backups and save them on external SD card and computer. See...

AndroidNZ: [At Your Own Risk] How to backup your Rooted 'Droid - NANDROID & Titanium Backup

2. Know what the official latest orange stock firmware is.
Click to expand...

Latest official firmware for Orange UK is LSY...

Hotfile.com: One click file hosting: I9100XWLSY_I9100ORALS8_ORA.zip

3. How to flash the orange fw to the phone.
Click to expand...

See #1.7 of the http://androidforums.com/samsung-galaxy-s2-international/680070-jelly-bean-update-dummies-guide.html

4. Afterwards, how do I restore/flash the Neatrom fw with all the data back to the phone?
Click to expand...

You will need to re-root your phone as per the http://androidforums.com/galaxy-s2-...t/482994-rooting-galaxy-s2-dummies-guide.html

and then restore your nandroid backup from Recovery.

Grab a coffee and start reading. I'm off to the pub! :cheers:

PLAN B

Before doing any of the above and bearing in mind that EE have been consolidating the Orange and T-Mobile masts, you might like to try this first after first selecting the EE APN...

1. Settings > Wireless and network > More > Mobile networks > Network operators.

2. Let the screen populate with all the available carriers.

3. Select a carrier that is not your own. You will be told, after trying to connect, not allowed or No way Jose.

4. Repeat this with one or two other non carriers.

5. Finally, select your own carrier, Automatic, and reconnect your phone again.

This procedure should ensure that your phone locks on to the strongest signal for your carrier.
 
Thank you very much for the links and the detailed information. I have tried your method regarding signal, but unfortunately it hasn't made a difference.

Before I follow your full guide to backup etc, I wanted to let you know that I've made a mistake, (I apologise :o) in that I forgot to tell you my original fw for orange was not i9100, but a i9100P

Does that make a difference? If there is a P variant, then please could you give me the link for that instead?

Thanks
 
Thank you very much ironass. I'm still a little confused, because all i want to do is make a FULL BACKUP/IMAGE OF EVERYTHING - ROM, DATA, APPS, CONTACTS ETC and then be able to restore all it at a later date, so that it was as I had it before.

1. Does a CWM backup do that for me?

2. If Yes, do I still need Titanium backup for anything different?

3. If No, then do i need to use both or only one of them?

Thank You
 
s2android said:
Thank you very much ironass. I'm still a little confused, because all i want to do is make a FULL BACKUP/IMAGE OF EVERYTHING - ROM, DATA, APPS, CONTACTS ETC and then be able to restore all it at a later date, so that it was as I had it before.

1. Does a CWM backup do that for me?
Click to expand...

Yes. A nandroid backup is a mirror image/snapshot in time of your phone. OS, apps and settings.

2. If Yes, do I still need Titanium backup for anything different?
Click to expand...

There is the distinct possibility that when you come to flash the stock Samsung, unrooted, P firmware over the rooted, non P firmware, that you may need to do a Factory Reset. The TB is so that you can restore your 3rd party apps and settings... not System apps from NEAT.

3. If No, then do i need to use both or only one of them?
Click to expand...

See above.
 
Thanks very much mate for helping me. I have managed to flash the orange stock fw successfully. Unfortunately orange have been useless and all this work was in vain. Sorry about that.

Since they were useless, I now was about to revert back to the neatrom backup I made last night, but I've now got a new problem...Each time I plugin the phone, windows says that the "usb is not recognised". I have updated kies drivers and tried restarting the phone, but I'm having no luck.

Any ideas what could be causing it?
 
Thank you very much for that mate. Your a star! It resolved that issue and i've managed to flash the nandroid.md5 back to the phone again.

Unfortunately, it's now stuck on the boot screen. I've wiped the factory. dalvik, cache but this has not resolved the issue.

What can you suggest?
 
s2android said:
Thank you very much for that mate. Your a star! It resolved that issue and i've managed to flash the nandroid.md5 back to the phone again.

Unfortunately, it's now stuck on the boot screen. I've wiped the factory. dalvik, cache but this has not resolved the issue.

What can you suggest?
Click to expand...

Factory Reset and download and flash the stock Samsung, JB, non P variant, equivalent firmware that matches your NEAT nandroid, first. Re-root. Then flash the NEAT ROM that your nandroid is for and then restore your nandroid.
 
ironass said:
Factory Reset and download and flash the stock Samsung, JB, non P variant, equivalent firmware that matches your NEAT nandroid, first. Re-root. Then flash the NEAT ROM that your nandroid is for and then restore your nandroid.
Click to expand...

Forgive me mate, but before I read your reply, I've managed to flash the original orange fw you posted before.

Now that works perfect, so is it my nandroid backup thats the problem?

How can i fix this issue?
 
s2android said:
Forgive me mate, but before I read your reply, I've managed to flash the original orange fw you posted before.

Now that works perfect, so is it my nandroid backup thats the problem?

How can i fix this issue?
Click to expand...

So you now have the stock Samsung JB firmware, non P variant on your phone...

ironass said:
Re-root. Then flash the NEAT ROM that your nandroid is for and then restore your nandroid.
Click to expand...
 
ironass said:
So you now have the stock Samsung JB firmware, non P variant on your phone...
Click to expand...

I thought the stock fw link you gave to me is a P variant?

Also once re-rooted, do i need to clear/wipe any data or factory reset? Please give me the precise list of options i need to do.

Thank You :)
 
s2android said:
Forgive me mate, but before I read your reply, I've managed to flash the original orange fw you posted before.
Click to expand...

s2android said:
I thought the stock fw link you gave to me is a P variant?
Click to expand...

To be precise... the original Orange firmware I gave you was for the non P variant in post #2.

Also once re-rooted, do i need to clear/wipe any data or factory reset? Please give me the precise list of options i need to do.
Click to expand...

Factory Reset was mentioned in post #10 prior to flashing stock firmware. Wiping cache and dalvik never hurts but should not be necessary after a Factory Reset.

1. Re-root your firmware

2. Flash the NEAT ROM that matches your nandroid backup.

3. Restore your nandroid backup

4. If you encounter any problems in booting then wipe dalvik and cache in Recovery.
 
Thank you for that ironass. I did exactly what you told me. Unfortunately, it still does the same...even after wiping out dalvik and cache.

This might not mean anything, but I must tell you a couple of odd things i've noticed:-

1. When i re-rooted it and went into CWM recovery, it obviously showed CWM recovery menu. But after restoring nandroid and once it got stuck at the boot logo, I rebooted back to recovery, only to be greeted by Philz Recovery Menu

2. Previously when I had nandroid issues and I reflashed the orange stock fw, after booting up, even though it was a clean installed, I noticed that all my files/data were on there...even the wifi details were already working as though it never wiped out any of my data.
 
s2android said:
Thank you for that ironass. I did exactly what you told me. Unfortunately, it still does the same...even after wiping out dalvik and cache.

This might not mean anything, but I must tell you a couple of odd things i've noticed:-

1. When i re-rooted it and went into CWM recovery, it obviously showed CWM recovery menu. But after restoring nandroid and once it got stuck at the boot logo, I rebooted back to recovery, only to be greeted by Philz Recovery Menu
Click to expand...

The Siyah rooting kernel has the standard CWM recovery and NEAT ROM has the PhilZ Recovery.

2. Previously when I had nandroid issues and I reflashed the orange stock fw, after booting up, even though it was a clean installed, I noticed that all my files/data were on there...even the wifi details were already working as though it never wiped out any of my data.
Click to expand...

A, "clean install", is a Factory reset and a format of the internal memory which should leave no vestige of previous data. The only thing that I can surmise is that the nandroid took and when you flashed the stock firmware it was still there. Try flashing NEAT ROM and see if your data remains. If so, problem solved.
 
ironass said:
A, "clean install", is a Factory reset and a format of the internal memory which should leave no vestige of previous data. The only thing that I can surmise is that the nandroid took and when you flashed the stock firmware it was still there. Try flashing NEAT ROM and see if your data remains. If so, problem solved.
Click to expand...

Although all data seems to have physically been wiped out with Orange Rom, I don't think the Factory Reset method is ACTUALLY clearing it mate. The reason I know is because when I opened the internal memory folder on my pc, there are still remnants of data on it from my neatrom backup:-

screenshot.jpg
 
s2android said:
Although all data seems to have physically been wiped out with Orange Rom, I don't think the Factory Reset method is ACTUALLY clearing it mate. The reason I know is because when I opened the internal memory folder on my pc, there are still remnants of data on it from my neatrom backup:-
Click to expand...

A Factory Reset only wipes the phone's memory and restores the OS back to factory but does not touch the built-in Internal, as shown, or external SD storages.
 
So how do i do a total wipe of absolutely everything on the internal memory, so that I can install a new rom?

PS: I've installed the orange stock rom and then used an app called "System App Remover" to uninstall most of the bloatware.
 
s2android said:
So how do i do a total wipe of absolutely everything on the internal memory, so that I can install a new rom?
Click to expand...

Settings > Storage > Erase USB storage

Just make sure that you have not stored your nandroid backup there instead of the external sd card.

PS: I've installed the orange stock rom and then used an app called "System App Remover" to uninstall most of the bloatware.
Click to expand...

:confused: I do not remember asking you to do that! I would never recommend uninstalling apps in case you make a mistake and remove a system one and brick your phone. Besides, it is pointless since the stock firmware will be overwritten by NEAT ROM prior to flashing your nandroid.
 
ironass said:
Settings > Storage > Erase USB storage

Just make sure that you have not stored your nandroid backup there instead of the external sd card.



:confused: I do not remember asking you to do that! I would never recommend uninstalling apps in case you make a mistake and remove a system one and brick your phone. Besides, it is pointless since the stock firmware will be overwritten by NEAT ROM prior to flashing your nandroid.
Click to expand...

Mate your an absolute star!!! THANK YOU! :)

I couldn't get the nandroid recovery method working for neatrom, so I did the following:-

1. Flashed stock fw and re-rooted
2. Downloaded a fresh copy of Neatrom and flashed it via CWM - This time it booted fine.
3. Since the nandroid recovery didn't work, I had a titanium backup of ALL APPS + DATA + SMS. I simply restored these and thats it! All working absolutely perfect!

I do have a different problem related to reception, but thats nothing to do with roms...i think there's something wrong with the antenna :(

I can't thank you enough though as you must have gone mad trying to help me :p.
 
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