Hey guys, here we are today to share the simple process of flashing firmwares, kernels and other images using Odin Flashing Tool. Samsung users with more than little Android experience would easily understand what is Odin. But for those who don’t know about Odin, this is the best place to know it from starch. To our surprise, most of the users who already used Odin in the past also making mistakes in the flashing process which results in a bricked device.
Odin is a Windows based one-click tool that is used by the Samsung internally to flash firmwares, kernels etc. However the tool is leaked over the Internet making it available to all the people. Odin is used to flash firmwares, kernels, roms and other files which are in the .tar and .tar.md5 format. The tool is a Standalone executable package which doesn’t need any special extensions, it’s quite simple in the design itself. As the name itself suggests, Odin is the God and helps recovering your device from hazards.
Most Android users, doesn’t stick to single Rom or firmware always. Most of the people frequently change the firmwares, try new custom roms or flash kernels to improve performance. If you’re a developer, then the number of flashes will be ridiculously more when cooking a new rom or kernel. Odin is a life saver when it comes to restore your bricked devices. Sometimes, the partition table of the device itself gets corrupted resulting in a semi-hard or hard-brick in the worst scenario. Odin has the ability to restore the partition table using .pit file which contains the partition information of the device.
So without any further ado, we will see how to flash firmwares using Odin.
Warning!
Odin is supposed to work only on Samsung device, don’t use this guide on any other devices. Be extra cautious when you choose the firmware builds as flashing wrong firmwares might result in a bricked device. Make sure whether you’re flashing a compatible firmware or not before starting the process.
Flashing firmwares may void your device warranty either temporarily or permanently. You alone are responsible for any consequences that might occur during the process. DroidViews or any of its community members shall not be held responsible for any damage to your device.
Getting Prepared
Charge Your Device
Well, flashing a stock firmware on Samsung Android devices is very easy but it might turn into a nightmarish experience if you are not careful enough with all prerequisites and installation steps. Suppose you are installing a firmware and the battery juice drains away during the procedure, your phone or tablet might be hard-bricked. So make sure that your device is fully, or at least 60% charged!
Enable USB Debugging
This is very important thing to be done before you try flashing a firmware orrecovery file. USB Debugging mode make Android devices receptive to download and send data over USB cable connection. If you do not know how to turn debugging mode ON, dp this:
- Go to Settings> About Device.
- Scroll down to find Build number and tap it 7 times.
- You will see a toast message that “Developer mode has been enabled” on your device.
- Now go back to Settings panel and you will find a new item calledDeveloper options there.
- Tap it and go to USB debugging option and check the box to enable it.
Install the Samsung USB Drivers
Most probably, you might already have Samsung USB drivers or Samsung Kiesinstalled on your computer. But if you have not yet installed any of them, it’s high time to do it now. In case you have installed Samsung Kies, make sure the program is closed while you use Odin or flash the firmware or it might interfere with the procedure.
Backup Your Apps and Data
Usually, flashing a firmware, rooting and installing a custom recovery leave your phone’s apps, data and settings untouched. However, in some cases it might get wiped. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you backup your apps, contacts, messages, photos, videos and any other important data stored on the internal storage of your phone or tablet. We have gathered togethersome useful backup apps that can help you backup your device data easily.
Download Odin Tool
Now download the recommended Odin tool for flashing firmware on your Samsung device. As you know that there are several Odin versions available but considering the rate of success, you shoul use Odin3 v3.09 (for JellyBean and KitKat) or Odin3 v3.10.6 (for Lollipop).
Reboot Your Galaxy Device into the Download Mode
On most Android devices we need to get into the Bootloader/Fastboot mode to flash factory images or firmwares. Samsung Galaxy devices feature aDownload Mode that prepares your device to receive data from your computer via a dedicated flashing tool called Odin. Here’s how you can boot your Samsung phone or tablet into the Download Mode. Turn off your device and then press and hold Volume UP + Home + Power buttons simultaneously for 2-3 seconds.
When you see the warning screen with a yellow triangle sign, press the VolumeUp key to enter Download/Odin mode:
After pressing the Volume Up key, you device will get into the Odin mode and it simply means that you can proceed with installing your firmware, CF-Auto-Root or CWM/TWRP recovery file. Here is how Download mode screen on Samsung devices looks like:
Please note that you can flash only with .tar or .tar.md5 extension using Odin.
How to Install Stock Firmware with Odin
- We assume that you have already downloaded the firmware for your Samsung device. If it is a zip file, extract it to get the firmware file with.tar.md5 extension. If you want to flash a custom recovery like CWM or TWRP, it might have either .tar or .tar.md5 extension.
- Download the latest Odin zip file (we use version 3.09) and extract the file on your PC. You will get the following files in the folder:
- Odin3 vx.xx.exe
- Odin3.ini
- Double-click the Odin3 vx.xx.exe file. This will open an Odin window.
- Now turn off your phone or tablet, and boot it into the Download Mode(see the method above).
- Connect your Samsung device to the computer using the USB cable provided by the OEM.
- As soon as you connect the device the ID:COM port on Odin will turn Blueor Yellow depending on the Odin version. You’ll also see “Added!!” message to indicate successful connection.
- In case your phone is not detected by Odin as shown above, try the following things:
- Reboot your phone and turn off USB Debugging and turn it on again.
- Uninstall and reinstall the Samsung USB Drivers or Kies.
- Reboot your PC and change the USB cable and ports in case the problem occurs even after installing the drivers.
- Try a different USB cable.
- Now click the AP button (in case if you are using Odin3 v3.09 or 3.10) or the PDA button (in case you are using an older version) on Odin.
- Navigate to the firmware or recovery file and select the file with.tar/.tar.md5 extension.
- In case you got a multi-file firmware with AP, BL, CP, CSC, and .PIT files, you must add the firmware components to corresponding slots in Odin like shown below.
- Navigate to the firmware or recovery file and select the file with.tar/.tar.md5 extension.
- In the Options section, make sure that only the Auto Reboot and F. Reset Time boxes are checked and everything else are unchecked. (Do not, in any case, check Re-Partition box unless you have a .PIT file to flash, or it will lead to major problems including a corrupt partition table, if you don’t know what you’re doing.)
- Before initiating firmware/recovery installation on Odin, compare all highlighted fields as shown in the above screenshot with your Odin screen.
- If everything looks okay, just click the Start button on Odin to start installation with might take a few seconds (for CF-Root or recovery file) to 2-4 minutes (for firmwares).
- A successful Odin flash is indicated by PASS! or RESET! message on Odin and then your device will restart immediately after the process is completed.
Note:
If you encounter a FAIL! message instead of PASS!, remove the battery from the device and re-insert it, restart Odin (preferably a different version) and repeat the process once again carefully. If you want to diagnose the issue, take a look at the Odin log in the Message box.
Fixing Bootloop After Installing the Firmware
In some cases, installing the stock firmware might result in a bootloop. It means that when the device reboots automatically, it’s unable to get past the Samsung logo animation. If your device is stuck on the bootanimation, or if you are facing overheating, battery drain, lag or slow performance or some other misbehavior, we recommend performing a data/factory reset via the stock recovery. Please head over to our detailed tutorial for the steps to perform:
That’s it. Flashing firmwares on Samsung devices using Odin is Simple, Right? Leave your experiences and issues with the tool in the comment section below.
No comments:
Post a Comment