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Should I root my Samsung Galaxy S2 ?
darkjedimaster
29-08-2011
Hi all,

I have been a proud owner of a Galaxy S2 for a few days now & I have seen a few sites that talk about rooting it for custom firmware. I have looked on some sites for some more information, but the majority of them have been for international carriers.

Is there anyone here who has successfully rooted their Galaxy S2 & if so what method did they use & were there many advantages to using the custom firmware over the stock firmware ?.

Many Thanks

DJM
call100
29-08-2011
Personally I don't think it worth it, but, that's the point. It's a personal preference.......If you want to get more info ask here Galaxy S2 Forum There are some fairly knowledgeable people on there....
unklesam
29-08-2011
I've not rooted mine as I am unbranded, no real advantage. And Samsung know if you have rooted etc even if you restore to your original rom so you might have warranty issues.
Stiggles
29-08-2011
Originally Posted by unklesam:
“I've not rooted mine as I am unbranded, no real advantage. And Samsung know if you have rooted etc even if you restore to your original rom so you might have warranty issues.”

You can buy a jig to get round that.

I've rooted mine and running a custom 2.3.4 rom. Brings much better battery life and a few extra features.
darkjedimaster
29-08-2011
Originally Posted by Stiggles:
“You can buy a jig to get round that.

I've rooted mine and running a custom 2.3.4 rom. Brings much better battery life and a few extra features.”

Hi Stiggles,

Which method did you use for this ?. I have seen many different ones, but wasn't sure which was most reliable.

Many Thanks.
Stiggles
29-08-2011
Originally Posted by darkjedimaster:
“Hi Stiggles,

Which method did you use for this ?. I have seen many different ones, but wasn't sure which was most reliable.

Many Thanks.”

You need to download Samsung's Flashing program called Odin, (available on link I've given at bottom) put your phone in 'Download Mode' by turning the phone off then pressing volume down, home and power at the same time then flash the rooted Custom Kernel.

Its dead easy and takes seconds.

Full instructions here:-

http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=1103399

Post number 3 on that thread has the kernels. You need to on your phone go to Setting > About phone and look at your Kernel version. If its the same as mine it will end KE7 so you need to download the KE7 custom Kernel.

It looks long and intimidating but seriously its easy.
darkjedimaster
29-08-2011
Originally Posted by Stiggles:
“You need to download Samsung's Flashing program called Odin, (available on link I've given at bottom) put your phone in 'Download Mode' by turning the phone off then pressing volume down, home and power at the same time then flash the rooted Custom Kernel.

Its dead easy and takes seconds.

Full instructions here:-

http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=1103399

Post number 3 on that thread has the kernels. You need to on your phone go to Setting > About phone and look at your Kernel version. If its the same as mine it will end KE7 so you need to download the KE7 custom Kernel.

It looks long and intimidating but seriously its easy.”

Many thanks for the reply . I have gone into the settings & it has provided me with the following Kernel information.

2.6.35.7-I9100BUKG2-CL342890
root@DELL102 #2

So would I be right in thinking that I would need to get a KG2 kernel ?.
Stiggles
29-08-2011
Originally Posted by darkjedimaster:
“Many thanks for the reply . I have gone into the settings & it has provided me with the following Kernel information.

2.6.35.7-I9100BUKG2-CL342890
root@DELL102 #2

So would I be right in thinking that I would need to get a KG2 kernel ?.”

Hmm thats an odd kernel. Have you checked to see if there is an update for your phone? Again Settings > About phone and Software update.

What network is your on? Is it unlocked and unbranded?

Also whats your Gingerbread build number?
Stiggles
29-08-2011
You need this one:-

CF-Root-SGS2_ZS_OZS_KG2-v4.1-CWM4.zip

Also, be careful with Odin. Do not tick any boxes on the left hand side like re-partition or you will brick your phone.

Only Auto reboot and F.Reset Time should be ticked.
cribology
30-08-2011
I have looked into doing this and decided against it. IMO the risks far outweigh the benefits. I installed the GO Launcher with wp clock 1.5 widget and am very happy with it.
darkjedimaster
30-08-2011
Originally Posted by Stiggles:
“Hmm thats an odd kernel. Have you checked to see if there is an update for your phone? Again Settings > About phone and Software update.

What network is your on? Is it unlocked and unbranded?

Also whats your Gingerbread build number?”

The handset is on Vodafone & even though nothing Voda related comes up at boot up, it has got Vodafone short cuts in the applications. I got the handset direct from a Vodafone store, so assume that it would be locked to them.

The Gingerbread Build number is Gingerbread.BUKG2
Stiggles
30-08-2011
Originally Posted by darkjedimaster:
“The handset is on Vodafone & even though nothing Voda related comes up at boot up, it has got Vodafone short cuts in the applications. I got the handset direct from a Vodafone store, so assume that it would be locked to them.

The Gingerbread Build number is Gingerbread.BUKG2 ”

Ok, well the Kernel you need is in post 9. Make sure you have installed Kies on your PC as Odin will need the drivers. Remember the risk is still there but small since Odin is actually Samsungs own flashing tool.

Also once you do this when the phone boots up there will be a yellow triangle with a '!' just to remind you its been rooted lol Again there is a way to get rid of it.

I'll be honest though. If you want to root it only for the sake of it, there's no point. If you want to root it to install custom roms or to use apps that require root access then go for it.
finbaar
30-08-2011
Rooting and flashing custom ROMs are the reason I will only buy Andriod phones (at the moment). Why would you stay on stock? And what is the risk? There are very easy step by step guides to follow. When I get my S2 the first thing I will do is root it then decide which ROM to install. Also Adfree is only for rooted phones along with many other apps.
call100
30-08-2011
Originally Posted by finbaar:
“Rooting and flashing custom ROMs are the reason I will only buy Andriod phones (at the moment). Why would you stay on stock? And what is the risk? There are very easy step by step guides to follow. When I get my S2 the first thing I will do is root it then decide which ROM to install. Also Adfree is only for rooted phones along with many other apps.”

Perhaps because it wouldn't give me anything I need that I haven't already got...I fully understand the reasons why individuals do it. However, I still see it as a personal decision based on their own idea of need/preference.
If I found a reason to do it that I felt was persuasive, I'd do it. I haven't found that reason, yet. So I'm staying on stock for the foreseeable future.
cribology
30-08-2011
Originally Posted by finbaar:
“Rooting and flashing custom ROMs are the reason I will only buy Andriod phones (at the moment). Why would you stay on stock? And what is the risk? There are very easy step by step guides to follow. When I get my S2 the first thing I will do is root it then decide which ROM to install. Also Adfree is only for rooted phones along with many other apps.”

1) I like Touchwiz + Go Launcher user interface. All the mods I've seen in action (on youtube) look uglier than Touchwiz 4 to me.

2) I have 80 plus apps installed and my SGS2 is still very fast. I have no need to try to speed it up further.

3) I rarely use ad supported apps and I purchase pro version of the ones I regularly use (eg. Tweetcaster).

4) All my .apk files are zipped and backed up to dropbox so I dont need Titanium Backup pro (which is probably the best app for rooted phones) all other rooted phone apps I can happily live without.
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