# Updating a rooted Samsung Galaxy S2 - best ROM?



## editor (Jun 3, 2013)

My S2 was rooted years ago and I suspect that the age of the ROM is causing problems, so I reckon it's time to start over. 

Can anyone suggest a stable, non-Beta up-to-date ROM I can install, complete with instructions for the terminally stupid?


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## editor (Jun 3, 2013)

Surely someone has some advice on this? I've looked around and there seems to be loads of different ROMs available and it's making my head hurt!


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## mauvais (Jun 3, 2013)

Any reason not to go for CyanogenMod?

It arguably has the most attention given to it, although it fades away as a given phone gets old.


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## editor (Jun 3, 2013)

I've looked on their site but all I can find is nightly builds and no stable mods.
http://www.cyanogenmod.org/devices/samsung-galaxy-s2


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## editor (Jun 3, 2013)

This one seems highly rated but I'm not entirely sure what this means:



> INSTALLATION:
> 
> The steps to install SentinelROM v4.60 are as follows:
> 
> ...


http://www.sentinelit.com.au/sentinelrom/sentinelrom-v4-60-for-samsung-galaxy-sii-released/


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## editor (Jun 3, 2013)

This site has instructions but says you need to install Google Apps as well - but the link doesn't work.
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/4...0-android422-jellybean-update-sentinelrom.htm


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## Elvis Parsley (Jun 3, 2013)

i'm in a similar boat, been on RR 2.7 for a while, feel like it's time for something a little fresher tho. been looking at the Vanilla Rootbox ROM, sounds good, but not sure it's any better than loads of others.

there's a top 5 list on droidviews you might find useful


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## editor (Jun 4, 2013)

This really is not simple. I've looked at loads of guides and they;re al really fucking spoddy. When you download the apps you're supposed to use (like CWM backup), they've all got horrible user interfaces that make no sense, What the fuck is a push backup?


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## editor (Jun 4, 2013)

Anyone tried this method?
http://www.androiduck.com/update-sa...to-android-4-2-2-jelly-bean-paranoid-android/


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## dweller (Jun 4, 2013)

editor said:


> This one seems highly rated but I'm not entirely sure what this means:
> 
> _INSTALLATION:_
> 
> ...


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## dweller (Jun 4, 2013)

also , I don't know for sure as I never used it but fairly sure there is a clockwork recovery mod app on playstore.
Using this you can backup and install new roms without booting into recovery,

I didn't ever use this as I liked to be fully in control, but it may be easier for the non-spoddy




this would be my first port of call for finding a decent rom
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1531244


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## skyscraper101 (Jun 4, 2013)

I remember the laborious process of rooting and installing a ROM onto the Orange San Francisco.

Never. Again.


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## UnderAnOpenSky (Jun 4, 2013)

Do you still have the boot loading software on from when you rooted it the first time? Should be easy if you do, load into that, select the romantic of your sd card and it does its thing.


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## editor (Jun 4, 2013)

Global Stoner said:


> Do you still have the boot loading software on from when you rooted it the first time? Should be easy if you do, load into that, select the romantic of your sd card and it does its thing.


 
I've no idea what the 'romantic of my SD card' means, but there is a bootloader menu when I go to reboot the phone. But if i select that it just stays as 'downloading.'


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## editor (Jun 4, 2013)

dweller said:


> this would be my first port of call for finding a decent rom
> http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1531244


Alas, it's all gibberish to me.


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## UnderAnOpenSky (Jun 4, 2013)

editor said:


> I've no idea what the 'romantic of my SD card' means, but there is a bootloader menu when I go to reboot the phone. But if i select that it just stays as 'downloading.'



Ah... That would be my auto correct. I meant rom 

When you turn it on was there button sequence you used last time? On my desire hd it was power and volume and held them until the boot menu appeared.


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## RubyToogood (Jun 4, 2013)

I feel your pain as I'm trying to go through the same process with my Huawei Ascend G300. It is really a bit beyond most averagely spoddy people, whatever anyone says.


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## editor (Jun 4, 2013)

My phone is so knackered I'm going to try it later tonight. I've got a horrible feeling that the internal memory is fucked so it's dooooomed anyway.


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## RubyToogood (Jun 4, 2013)

Likewise... just haven't been able to pick a ROM or understand how I'm supposed to apply it yet.


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## editor (Jun 5, 2013)

RubyToogood said:


> Likewise... just haven't been able to pick a ROM or understand how I'm supposed to apply it yet.


 
I predict I'll be posting up here in a few hours moaning that I've just borked my phone. I'm going to charge up my ancient G1 just in case.


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## editor (Jun 5, 2013)

I'm going in!


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## editor (Jun 5, 2013)

Fail. Got some weird 'assert failed: getprop("ro.product.device") ' error. Going to try a different ROM (if my phone reboots).


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## editor (Jun 5, 2013)

Now it won't let me copy over the ROM to  the SD card.


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## editor (Jun 5, 2013)

Baffling. I select 'install zip from SD card option' in recovery mode but then it goes to the internal SD card. The zip files are listed there but if I try and install them it says it can't find them.


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## editor (Jun 5, 2013)

So, trying to be clever, I thought 'what if I move the updates to the internal SD card'?
Now it thinks the external D card is the internal one. And it still won't update.


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## editor (Jun 5, 2013)

I know I'm talking to myself here, but the third ROM seemed to finally install on the third time of asking... but now the phone is just stuck on the start up screen.  Worrafuckup!

I'm going to give it a few minutes and then try taking the battery out. And then maybe have a little cry.


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## editor (Jun 5, 2013)

Well, something has happened. The screen seems to have upped its resolution but I wasn't expecting it to remember all my settings. So far so good.... and I have Google Now!

*crosses fingers.


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## skyscraper101 (Jun 5, 2013)

You're braver than I am. Sounds like a mare.


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## RubyToogood (Jun 5, 2013)

There must be people one can pay to do this shit? I'd gladly cough up.


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## UnderAnOpenSky (Jun 5, 2013)

Maybe try on xda developers if nobody can help you here editor?


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## editor (Jun 5, 2013)

It worked and now I've got what feels like a brand new phone 

It was daunting but wasn't that hard - it just took a little bit of calm patience (something I'm usually not very good at!).


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## editor (Jun 5, 2013)

And now I'm going to turn into one of those annoying people that keeps nagging you to update your phone, telling you it's really quite easy.


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## editor (Jun 5, 2013)

The new Android OS is wonderful - I've been able to uninstall loads of third party apps now.


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## RubyToogood (Jun 5, 2013)

editor said:


> And now I'm going to turn into one of those annoying people that keeps nagging you to update your phone, telling you it's really quite easy.


Fantastic, I'll bring mine round and you can do it for me


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## dweller (Jun 5, 2013)

editor said:


> My phone is so knackered I'm going to try it later tonight. I've got a horrible feeling that the internal memory is fucked so it's dooooomed anyway.


 

If you really give up on it, I'm willing to adopt it 

edit: congrats, I guess you'll be holding on to it after all.


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## editor (Jun 6, 2013)

This was the ROM that worked for me:
http://www.slimroms.net/index.php/slim-bean-features


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## ovaltina (Dec 11, 2013)

Just updated my s2 to KitKat and its flying along... Haven't found any problems yet, even though this handset is supposed to be retired by now :]


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## editor (Dec 11, 2013)

My S2 completely bricked in the end and I haven't felt inclined to try and bring it back to life, but I'll make that a rainy day project.


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## ovaltina (Dec 12, 2013)

editor said:


> My S2 completely bricked in the end and I haven't felt inclined to try and bring it back to life, but I'll make that a rainy day project.


It would be good as a backup phone. I guess the small footprint means KitKat works well on older and cheaper hardware.


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## Elvis Parsley (Dec 15, 2013)

ovaltina said:


> It would be good as a backup phone. I guess the small footprint means KitKat works well on older and cheaper hardware.


any tips? i'm planning to update mrs elvis' S2 soon as it's been playing up recently, but i've completely forgotten what i did last time. it's currently running RR 2.7 ICS.

i read that the CM11 KitKat roms are still a little buggy, so i was thinking i might install CM10.2 and Jelly Bean instead. how's your's running ?


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## Elvis Parsley (Dec 15, 2013)

nevermind, took the plunge anyway and went with CM11 and the CyanFox ROM of KitKat and apart from briefly getting stuck in a boot loop, it all went ok 

only trouble is now mrs elvis' phone is more up to date than mine


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## ovaltina (Dec 17, 2013)

Elvis Parsley said:


> nevermind, took the plunge anyway and went with CM11 and the CyanFox ROM of KitKat and apart from briefly getting stuck in a boot loop, it all went ok
> 
> only trouble is now mrs elvis' phone is more up to date than mine


I went with cm11 too, its been a few days and so far no problems. There's videos on YouTube with links and instructions


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## Elvis Parsley (Dec 18, 2013)

ovaltina said:


> I went with cm11 too, its been a few days and so far no problems. There's videos on YouTube with links and instructions


yep, had a look at a few different ones, makes life a lot easier and me look a lot more tech savvy

it makes me wonder how many people get into trouble following poor youtube walkthroughs though. i watched one where the phone screen was blurry, or too far from the camera much of the time and the narrator scrolled through a crucial wipe and reboot stage far too quickly.   i know rooting isn't for the faint hearted, but they seem to expect too higher level of IT confidence sometimes.


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## ovaltina (Dec 18, 2013)

Elvis Parsley said:


> yep, had a look at a few different ones, makes life a lot easier and me look a lot more tech savvy
> 
> it makes me wonder how many people get into trouble following poor youtube walkthroughs though. i watched one where the phone screen was blurry, or too far from the camera much of the time and the narrator scrolled through a crucial wipe and reboot stage far too quickly.   i know rooting isn't for the faint hearted, but they seem to expect too higher level of IT confidence sometimes.



I think it gets easier the more times you do it though. The first time took most of a day and lots of reading up, but I did this last upgrade when I was bored at work. I still wouldn't risk it with a valuable phone though!


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## Elvis Parsley (Dec 18, 2013)

ovaltina said:


> I think it gets easier the more times you do it though. The first time took most of a day and lots of reading up, but I did this last upgrade when I was bored at work. I still wouldn't risk it with a valuable phone though!


i agree, i'd previously rooted the phone so half the work was done anyway, this update has certainly breathed new life into it though.

i've got a couple of HTC phones to do next, my One and an old Desire, but HTC lock the bootloaders on their phones so i've got to faff about with that first


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