Oct 23 2010

How to Flash Unofficial Firmware on a Samsung Galaxy S

At least in Australia, Samsung Galaxy S owners have been let down by ongoing delays with regard to the release of the Android 2.2 update (AKA Froyo). This has been of particular frustration for users with Android 3.0 (AKA Gingerbread) due to be released by Google before the end of the year.

However, there is hope if you want to get a taste of Froyo on the Samsung Galaxy S now.

  1. First of all, you should check if your device has download mode (a guide can be found here) and that you have a full battery to ensure a successful flash.
  2. If you are missing download mode you can either use a Kies hack outlined here or a more simpler method using an update.zip file mentioned here.
  3. If you don’t have Kies installed you’ll need to install the Samsung Galaxy S drivers:
    1. Windows 32-bit drivers here,
    2. Windows 64-bit drivers here,
  4. Download the Samsung Galaxy S Froyo firmware available here.
  5. Extract the contents to a folder on your hard drive.
  6. Open “Odin3 v1.3” in the folder.
  7. Put your phone into download mode and then connect your phone to your computer with the USB cable.
  8. Select the PDA, Phone and CSC TAR files in the corresponding fields on the right of the Odin window.
  9. Select the included PIT file in the PIT field in the Odin window.
  10. Tick the “Re-Partition” box.
  11. Flash away!

It’s important to note that this particular firmware comes pre-rooted and is devoid of all carrier customisations (including APN settings) so make sure you jot down your current settings otherwise Australian users can find the settings at Android Australia. If you really want to restore the carrier customisations you can follow this guide that will help you carry that out but you will need to have installed the Android SDK to make it work (and you should do this immediately after flashing the phone as it will wipe your content).

The flashing itself takes only a minute after which you should be up and running with Froyo! Don’t forget to apply the “One Click Lag Fix” available for free on the Android Market to prevent the lag associated with the RFS file system ruining your experience.

If something does go wrong, you can always start from the beginning so long as you have that all important download mode. You can also go back to your original firmware by locating it at SamFirmware.

Hopefully this has made this “mystic art” of flashing firmware more comprehensible for everyone.

Boydo

My name is Boyd and I’m a Service Management Specialist with a knack for operational data gathering, transformation, analysis and reporting.

In 2012, I obtained my Masters of Science in Information Technology through the University of New South Wales @ The Australia Defence Force Academy (UNSW@ADFA).

I was also part of an online community known as the Panasonic Insider Crew in the capacity of “Insider Guru” for Panasonic Australia where I interacted with other tech enthusiasts and find out more about Panasonic's latest gadgets.

I love technology, gadgets, and the Internet and maintain a keen interest in these areas locally, nationally, and globally. I hope by sharing my views on these topics that people will receive an honest point of view from someone with a genuine interest in these topics.

I have also written and edited articles for Neowin - you can check out my articles over @ https://www.neowin.net/news/poster/boyd_chan

I hope you enjoy reading my blog!

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