A. if you already have the Android SDK installed with both the
adb and
fastboot utilities, go ahead and skip to step
B.
If you don't have both
adb and
fastboot installed anywhere, it might be easiest to download and extract the
sdk-tools.zip file referenced in the "
Mini-SDK" section of this thread
ADB Guide to a folder on your PC of your choosing (take note of this folder/directory's name).
B. turn off (power down) your device
C. connect the USB cable between the phone and your PC if you haven't already
D. on your PC, start-up a terminal session (Windows Command Prompt for Windows; Terminal for Mac or Linux) and navigate to the directory/folder where the
adb and
fastboot utilities are located:
+ for Windows, you need to start-up a Windows Command Prompt (DOS window) and type the following (for example, assuming that your
adb /
fastboot files are in the
c:\sdk-tools folder):
Code:
[B][COLOR="purple"]cd c:\sdk-tools[/COLOR][/B]
+ for Mac/Linux, start-up a Terminal session and type the following (for example, assuming that your
adb /
fastboot files are in the
sdk-tools folder):
Code:
[B][COLOR="Purple"]cd sdk-tools[/COLOR][/B]
E. next, boot your phone into
fastboot mode (press
and hold both the
volume-UP and
volume-DOWN buttons and then press the
power button)
F. if you are using Windows, install the appropriate Samsung USB drivers
http://androidforums.com/galaxy-nexus-all-things-root/470831-big-how-thread-under-construction-check-back-soon.html#post3711706
G. let's verify that
fastboot can "see" your device
note: for simplicity's sake, I'm using the generic "
fastboot" command name here; your
fastboot utility might actually be named:
+ for
Windows:
fastboot.exe or
fastboot-windows.exe
+ for
Linux:
fastboot or
fastboot-linux
+ for
Mac:
fastboot for
fastboot-mac
- from your PC, enter the following to verify that the
fastboot utility can see your phone:
For MS/Windows:
Code:
[B][COLOR="Purple"]fastboot devices[/COLOR][/B] [COLOR="blue"] (list connected devices)[/COLOR]
For Mac/Linux:
Code:
[B][COLOR="Purple"]./fastboot devices[/COLOR][/B] [COLOR="blue"] (list connected devices)[/COLOR]
- you should see something similar to this:
Code:
sdk-tools> [B][COLOR="purple"]fastboot devices[/COLOR][/B]
[COLOR="Blue"]<device serial #> fastboot[/COLOR]
J. next, you'll unlock the bootloader
*** Warning *** the next command (
fastboot oem unlock)
will completely wipe your device's internal "SD card"), so backup what you need / want to beforehand
Also, please note that after you issue the unlock command, you will be asked, on your phone, to acknowledge that you want the bootloader to be unlocked and that you understand that doing so will void your warranty. Use your volume rocker/keys to select the confirmation and press the power button to actually confirm.
For MS/Windows:
Code:
[B][COLOR="Purple"]fastboot oem unlock[/COLOR][/B] [COLOR="blue"](unlock the bootloader)[/COLOR]
For Mac/Linux:
Code:
[B][COLOR="Purple"]./fastboot oem unlock[/COLOR][/B] [COLOR="blue"](unlock the bootloader)[/COLOR]
J. That's it, your bootloader should now be unlocked and you are ready for your next step. You phone should still be in fastboot mode at this point.
If you simply wanted to unlock the bootloader and now want to reboot your phone, you can issue a "fastboot reboot" (for Windows) or "./fastboot reboot" (for Mac/Linux) to reboot the device normally
(note/warning: since unlocking the bootloader does a factory reset, your next reboot after unlocking will take about five minutes to complete--so be patient and wait for the boot animation to finish-up).
If you are not ready to reboot, but need to do other fastboot-related operations, then your phone is still in fastboot mode and ready for you.
In addition to my notes / instructions above, here are some other threads that might prove helpful to you:
).
