Help Can not update device, likely in wrong country

[ZPedro]

Hello everyone,
Short version: I am trying to upgrade my Samsung Galaxy S II (GT-I9100) to the the latest Android it can (it was never updated, runs 2.3.3), but Kies complains that "your device does not support software upgrading via kies"; I'm likely not in the right country and when I get to *#272*IMEI# there is no option I can choose from. Do I have options more practical than moving to the Netherlands, or getting Windows and do risky reflashing operations with Odin?

So the long version. Some time ago I got a Samsung Galaxy S II as a gift from my (former) job, a company based in the Netherlands, without it being tied to any contract. I used it on and off for some time, but for the last year the SIM was rather in my

 

[ironass]

Hello and welcome to Android Forums ZPedro!

There are a number of reasons why you cannot update via Kies or OTA, as described in post #1 of the Jelly Bean update - Dummies Guide.

You do not have to move countries to update as explained in the guide.

Grab a drink and start reading. It's all pretty straight forward and it is written written in step-by-step fashion for absolute beginners, so you should have no problems.

 

[ZPedro]

Well, Kies says "your device does not support software upgrading via kies" under the firmware heading (it's not a "Problem connecting to Kies" since the device is seen just fine, I even backed it up), even though I never installed any unsupported or different firmware on it, so as far as I can tell from the dummies guide my options are either a Samsung service point or Odin. Is that right?

EDIT: by the way, you don't think that my being in a country different from the CSC of the phone (I confirmed with *#1234#, it says CSC: I9100XENKE1) could be the cause of Kies refusing to update? It seems pretty well confirmed by a web search that such an inconsistence causes Kies to give this message)

 

[ironass]

Well, Kies says "your device does not support software upgrading via kies" under the firmware heading (it's not a "Problem connecting to Kies" since the device is seen just fine, I even backed it up), even though I never installed any unsupported or different firmware on it,

As per #1.5...

"It has also emerged during the ICS update that sometimes vendors have been flashing phones with a different firmware prior to sale in an attempt to sell to a wider market and therefore upgrades via Kies are not possible.
"

so as far as I can tell from the dummies guide my options are either a Samsung service point or Odin. Is that right?

Correct.

EDIT: by the way, you don't think that my being in a country different from the CSC of the phone (I confirmed with *#1234#, it says CSC: I9100XENKE1) could be the cause of Kies refusing to update? It seems pretty well confirmed by a web search that such an inconsistence causes Kies to give this message)

As per #1.1...

"It doesn't matter where you bought your phone or what sim card you are using or what location you are using it in. What does matter is the CSC code, (Consumer Software Customisation code)."

 

[ZPedro]

I will try to get it updated at a Samsung Service Point, thanks. By the way, I suppose I wil never know for sure whether it was the vendor reflashing the firmware that made it impossible to update it via Kies and caused me to waste untold amounts of time looking for the source of the problem, worry a lot about what I could have done wrong, and get conflicting information from the Internet about the problem, will I?