[S5830 + B/D/L/T ONLY] A Newbie Guide for your Galaxy Ace

Note: CyanogenMod 7 Official Support is HERE
Note 2: THIS THREAD IS FOR THE SAMSUNG GALAXY ACE S5830/S5830B/S5830D/S5830L/S5830T ONLY. IT DOES NOT APPLY TO THE S5830i/C/M

This serves as a warning and guide to all the new users in the Galaxy Ace XDA forums .

Samsung Kies is Samsung's version of iTunes . It allows you to sync all your stuff and back them up in case of phone problems .
But there's one thing Samsung forgot about: Memory optimisation . Kies requires at least 1.5GB of system memory . Even iTunes handles memory better than Kies.....
As a result , many users brick their Aces because they use Kies to update their phone and Kies suddenly stops responding because of RAM .
EDIT: I am not so sure now because some users have successfully updated their devices with Kies .

ROM Manager is a manager for Clockworkmod Recovery , which saves time because you don't have to reboot to recovery .
People, don't use ROM Manager for your own good......
You can also use CWM Manager , which is included in most custom ROMs .

Clockworkmod Recovery supports Galaxy Ace with many versions (with the official one being v4.0.0.9) .
The unofficial versions are v3.2.0.1 (if I'm not wrong) , v5.2.0.3 and v5.2.0.6 .

Edit: WITH CF-ROOT , BUSYBOX is BULLETPROOF

Another note about UNLOCKING YOUR PHONE by consegregate:

consegregate said:

Unlocking is an extremely risky process which touches your efs folder. Your IMEI can be wiped if you do a wrong step and that's the end of your road in the android conquest. Many of us have fallen to the enticing prospect of unlocking where the phone gets out of the box and poof goes back in again in no time.
SO, until we can backup the IMEI, try not to unlock using unorthodox methods. It may work for some, but for most of you you'll be left with ****ty phones because you can't read and follow instructions. So until then, please don't post "bricked mai phone help plz" because if it was because of unlocking, we may not be able to help you.
Lastly, USE THE SEARCH TOOL. AIN'T THERE FOR NOTHING! Cheers, all you sad faces.

Click to expand...

Click to collapse

A view about this tutorial by Ardentfaith:

Ardentfaith said:

Okay first off, the tutorial is wrong.
I have a USA Samsung Galaxy ACE

WHAT MOST PPL WANT TO DO:
1) root phone 2) have an escape plan when it fails.

Let's work on the escape plan.
Make sure you use Samsung KIES to update to the latest version of Android Gingerbread. Why? You could go to samfirmware to get a firmware and then download odin to flash it but why? You want to BAckup an ORIGINAL working rom.

Now you have Gingerbread. You want a backup. Search for chinoray and clockwordmodace.zip. This'll give you the backup program (a.k.a Clockworkmod Recovery) so you can do a recovery no matter what. (Press home and power to boot into recovery mode. there's an option to install from a zip. Install chinoray's file)

Now backup. Remember to put the backupfile that's made in 2 other places. Your sdcard isn't exactly a bank.

Now you want to root. Do the same recovery thing with a file from davebyone called Acegingerroot.zip. That roots it to an english brazil portuguese kp7 thingie. It's just fastest way to root. You'll have superuser app on now. congrats.

Now what to do with root? Your ace has very little memory. You need to extend the internal app storage to the sd card. The FIRST thing you need to do is go back to Clockworkmod recovery mode and partition your sdcard so that it has a ext4 extension. Then update from ketut.kumajaya's post with cf-rootdtapps2sd???.zip(forgot the full name). That defaults all downloaded apps to run from the sd card.

--Or you can ignore all this and do the chainfire post cf-root guide but ket's modifications are more hassle free.

so now you have a rooted Samsung ACE running Gingerbread running Touchwiz with apps running off the SD card.

There's not a good rom out for Samsung ACE anyways. You might as well stick to this for now.

Click to expand...

Click to collapse

Here's a little guide on how to flash a ROM via ODIN by me:

Requirements:

- A Windows computer
- A Galaxy Ace plugged into the computer via USB
- You must have ODIN installed , duh !
- (Windows Vista/7 compulsory) Running ODIN with Administrative rights:

- Ended KIES via Task manager:


Instructions:

1 - Download your favourite firmware here

2 - Extract the .rar out using WinRAR or 7zip (password is samfirmware.com)

3 - Check if it's a FULL package or ONE package:



FULL Package instructions:

1 - Open up ODIN (MAKE SURE ALL REQUIREMENTS ARE MET)

2 - Set your phone in Download Mode (Home + Power + Volume Down)

3 - Once you have correctly entered Download Mode and plugged in , this should appear in ODIN:


4 - Place the files in this order:

OPS - Select the file named Cooper_v1.0.ops (or anything like that)

BOOT - Select the file named "APBOOT_S5830xxxxx_CL514579_REV03_user_low_true.tar.md5"
where "xxxxx" = Your firmware version

Phone - Select the file named "CODE_S5830xxxxx_CL514579_REV03_user_low_true.tar.md5"
where xxxxx = firmware version

PDA - DO NOT PLACE ANYTHING

CSC - Select the file named "GT-S5830-MULTI-CSC-xxxxxx.tar.md5"
where "xxxxxx" = the CSC region

EFS - Select the file named "MODEM_S5830xxxxx_CL514579_REV03.tar.md5"
xxxxx = firmware version (Be VERY VERY careful with this EFS part)

After you're done , click on "Start" and let the magic reveal itself slowly......

ONE Package method:

1 - Open up ODIN

2 - Set your phone in Download Mode while plugged into USB

3 - Tick the option "One Package" in ODIN (Refer to previous ODIN picture)

4 - Select the only .tar.md5 file

Now press start and watch the magic.....

Here's a little Q&A:
Q-1: What is the Samsung Galaxy Ace? Is it edible?
A-1: Hello dear newbie , the Samsung Galaxy Ace is a mid-range phone that was released by Samsung in February 2011 .
Specifications:
-Supports Quad band GSM (850/900/1800/1900)
-Supports Duo band HSDPA (900/2100)
-Size is 112.4 x 59.9 x 11.5 mm
-Weighs 113g (light )
-Has a TrueFont Type capacitive touchscreen with 16,000,000 colours
-Screen resolution of 320x480 and a 3.5" display (160 dpi LCD density)
-Gorilla Glass display
-Multi-touch support
-Accelerometer sensor for auto-rotation
-Touch-sensitive Menu button and Back button (with physical Home button)
-TouchWiz v3.0 UI (Homescreen)
-Has a loudspeaker and has a 3.5mm audio jack with DNSe Sound Enhancement
-Has vibration(duh) ; supports MP3 and WAV ringtones .
-Has pratically unlimited entries for contacts and call records
-158MB internal storage with support for SDcard up to 32GB (2GB included)
-Supports GPRS , EDGE and HSDPA (7.2Mbps)
-WiFi 802.11b/g/n , Portable hotspot and DLNA certified
-Bluetooth v2.1 with A2DP (for bluetooth stereo headphones)
-No infrared port
-5MP Camera with autofocus , LED flash , geo-tagging , face and smile detection
-Records video at 15fps@QVGA (OMG ) with NO SECONDARY CAMERA
-Runs Android (Froyo , but upgradeable to Gingerbread)
-800Mhz Qualcomm MSM7227 ARM11 processor with an Adreno 200 GPU
-SMS (threaded view) and Email support
-Comes with a stock HTML Browser
-Supports Stereo FM Radio with RDS
-Supports Games (a.k.a APK files)
-Comes in Black and White (as in the selection of battery covers )
-A-GPS support with the normal GPS
-Supports Java with the MIDP emulator
- MP4/H.264/H.263 player
- MP3/WAV/eAAC+ player
- Organizer
- Document editor
- Image editor
- Google Search , Maps , Gmail , YouTube , Calendar , Google Talk , Picasa integration
- Voice memo/dial
- Predictive text input (Swype) (Other keyboards available on Market)
-1350mAh Lithium-Ion Standard Battery
-2G standby up to 640hours and 3G standby up to 420hours
-2G talktime up to 11hours and 3G talktime up to 6hours 30minutes
-Costs about 260 Euros

Thanks to http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_ace_s5830-3724.php

*Pants*

Q0: What is root? What advantages can it do to my phone?
A0: "Rooting" your phone is the process of allowing Superuser access to your phone (a.k.a su or sudo access) , thus opening up system files to the user .
This is usually needed/done by custom ROMs .

More info can be found here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rooting_(Android_OS)
"Rooting is a process that allows users of mobile phones and other devices running the Android operating system to attain privileged control (known as "root access") within Android's Linux subsystem with the goal of overcoming limitations that carriers and manufacturers put on some devices. It is analogous to jailbreaking on devices running the Apple iOS operating system."

Q1: What is a custom ROM? What to can it do to my phone?
A1: A custom ROM can be either:
- Modifications to the official company ROMs (a.k.a Stock ROMs) , which increases its speed and stability compared to original Stock ROMs .
These ROMs include:
-Blackhawk (by ketut.kumajaya)
-Fla.sh (by fla.sh) (No Support Available anymore , therefore no link)
-Sangingerace and Persian Gulf (by sasanekabaran)
-The BehradGH ROM series (by BehradGH):
-BehradGH ROM Series KPB
-BehradGH ROM Series KPN/KPH
-BehradGH ROM Series KP9
-NoName (by an0nym0us_)
-My-UI (by jusada)
-GingerReal (by redmaner and MuayThaiFighter08 (I think , sorry if I got it wrong !) )
-FirstUA (by Grif_07)
-Glsmt (by sametpoyraz)
-TheMyth (by devilsking) (Thread Closed)
-Blockbuster ROM Goes Ace
-Mush69ROM (Thread Closed)
-TurboBlue (by tazlooney89)

There are other ROMs that do not use Stock ROMs and are built from scratch by these AWESOME people:
-AOSP 2.3.7 (A work-in-progress by me , fla.sh , Jekle_Ace and consegregate)
-Grif_07's CM7.1 BETA-Kang 2.3.5
-BehradGH CyanoAce CM7.1 RC1 2.3.5
-Infinity ROM (Based on CM7.2 by nims11)
-Infinity ROM (Based on CM7.1 by nims11)
-Gingercruzt (Based on CM7.2 by nims11)
-Touchwiz4 Style CM7.2 ROM (by slaid480)
-HaniMod*LiteStar (By sasanekabaran)
-Icecream Sunday & Speed Blur (by jusada)
-Cre.ActiveX (CM7.1 by saigetshu)
That is all you actually need to know

Q2: What's Recovery Mode? What is Download Mode? What are the different "Modes" that my phone can go into?
A2: Recovery Mode is a place where you go to if your phone is ever "stuck" or in a "bootloop" if you installed a ROM wrongly .
The stock recovery mode can't do much and therefore if you want better advantages such as:
-Backing up your current ROM and data
-Fixing Force Close Permissions
-Wiping your Dalvik-Cache
-Wiping Battery Stats (if your battery meter is jumpy , like all custom Stock ROMs)
-Install unsigned .zip files
-Formatting various parts of your internal memory (/system , /data etc)
-Mount USB Storage in Recovery Mode

The only thing you can do is use CLOCKWORKMOD RECOVERY

For Download Mode , it is a Samsung-exclusive feature that allows you to "Download" custom stock ROM files into your phone .
It works like a normal install in ClockWorkMod Recovery (a.k.a CWM) , except that it automates everything (wiping data , wiping system stuff)

These are possible modes which you can use to enter different places (for advanced people only):
Home + Power = Recovery Mode (whether stock or CWM)
Home + Volume Down + Power = Download Mode (normal)
Home + Volume Up + Power = ARMv9 Dump Mode
Home + Volume Down + Volume Up + Power = Download Mode (EMERGENCY)

Q2.5: What is ClockworkMod Recovery? How do I use it?
A2.5: ClockworkMod Recovery is one of the best custom recoveries out there and was made by the AWESOME koush
Here's how you use it by devilcode:

devilcode said:

There you go.... not from v4.0.0.9 but its of a old version but will give you and idea or to anyone else .. will not post a link to some other site so just posting the explaination here
Options explained

1. reboot system now
This one is self-explanatory.
Reboots the phone.

2. apply update from sdcard

This can be used for installation of any official or unofficial update, ROM, kernel, theme etc. that is in a zip format installable from recovery, as long as the file is named update.zip and it has been placed on the root of your SD card (i.e. not in any sub-folder). Selecting this option (and most of the options featured below) will bring up a rather annoying confirmation prompt but this has saved us on multiple occasions from a lot of trouble we would have been into due to accidental key presses.

3. wipe data/factory reset

This option wipes all user data on the device as well as cache. Doing this will leave your phone in the state it was in when you bought it or when any custom ROM was first installed. It will also wipe any sd-ext partition that you might have set up.

4. wipe cache partition
Wipes the cache partition of the device to clear all the data accumulated there over use. This is often used before installing a new ROM, app, kernel or any similar mod via recovery.

5. install zip from sdcard
This option brings up the following sub-menu:

A. apply /sdcard/update.zip
This one is essentially the same as the ‘apply update from sdcard’ option of the main menu.

B. choose zip from sdcard
Lets you install any zip file (with any name) from any location on your SD card. The file can be for a ROM, a kernel, an application, a theme or any mod as long as it is in recovery-flashable zip format. This is the most widely used option for installing a ROM that you have downloaded and copied to your SD card. Entering this option will bring up a screen that will allow you to browse your SD card for the zip file and select it for installation

C. toggle signature verification
Turns the signature verification on and off. When signature verification is on, you will not be able to install any custom ROMs that haven’t been signed by the developers (most custom ROMs aren’t signed). Switching it off skips the signature verification check and proceeds with the installation.

D. toggle script asserts
Seldom-used option for a vast majority of users. It simply turns script asserts on or off. If you don’t know about these (i don’t), it’s best not to change this option. (For advanced users ONLY)

E. +++++Go Back+++++
Takes you back to the main recovery menu, obviously!


6. backup and restore
Undoubtedly one of the most important features provided by a custom recovery, the backup and restore feature – also known as Nandroid backup – allows you to take a backup of your phone’s entire internal memory including all partitions, and save it on the SD card.

A. Backup
Takes a Nandroid backup, as explained above.

B. Restore
Lets you restore a previously taken backup. Entering this option presents you with a list of existing backups from the SD card that you can choose from for restoration.

C. Advanced Restore
This option is similar to the Restore option but once a backup has been selected to be restored, this option allows you to choose what parts of it to restore. You can choose to restore the boot, system, data, cache and sd-ext partitions.

7. mounts and storage
Allows you to perform maintenance tasks on all the internal and external partitions of your android device.

A. mount/unmount /system, /data, /cache, /sdcard or /sd-ext
These options let you toggle between mounting or unmounting these respective partitions. Most Galaxy Ace users need to mount /system and /data for ROM installations

B. format boot, system, data, cache, sdcard or sd-ext
These let you directly format any of these partitions. Take extreme care with this option as formatting any of these partitions will result in losing all data on them, especially the boot and system partitions. Formatting the system partition will remove your ROM and leave your phone without an operating system while wiping the boot partition may brick your phone unless you restore or flash another one before rebooting your device.
What's lucky is that Galaxy Ace users don't have the option to format the boot partitions.

C. mount USB storage
Lets you enable USB mass storage mode for your SD card right from recovery so that you can connect it to your computer via USB and transfer any files to/from it without having to leave recovery.



8. advanced
This section contains a few options most users will not require, though these can come handy quite often, especially wiping Dalvik cache, which is required before most ROM installations. Here are the options from this section:

A. Reboot Recovery
Lets you directly and very conveniently reboot from recovery right back into recovery. This is a useful option for certain back-to-back installations that require the device to at least boot once between them OR installing another version of CWM (like v5.2.0.6).

B. Wipe Dalvik Cache
Allows you to wipe the cache for the Dalvik virtual machine (the custom-built Java virtual machine for Android).This is required before most ROM installations and at other occasions too, for fixing some problems.


C. Wipe Battery Stats
Wipes the saved battery usage statistics and effectively recalibrates the battery. Useful in various scenarios when Android isn’t showing correct battery levels.
*This style of wiping battery stats is no longer useful*


D. Report Error
In case of errors, this feature can be used to save a log of recent ClockworkMod recovery operations on the SD card that you can later report from Android using ROM Manager.

E. Key Test
Lets you press any of the hardware keys to see if they are properly functioning, and to see their key codes.

F. Partition SD Card
This option gives you a no-frills way to partition your SD card properly for use with ROMs that supports a2sd (a hack that moves entire applications to the SDcard). Once this option is selected, you will be given options to choose the sizes for the /sd-ext partition as well as an optional /swap partition on the SD card, and will then automatically format it for you, leaving the remaining space for normal SD card usage. This option will wipe all data from your SD card so use it with caution!


G. Fix Permissions
Fixes the file permissions for the internal memory partitions back to default. This is very useful as a fix for several errors and Force-Closes that start appearing after you or an application you installed and provided root access end up messing up the permissions of important files.


Hope it helps :d

Click to expand...

Click to collapse

It certainly helped my friend

Q3: Help me, my phone is in a bootloop and won't go into the Launcher!
A3: Firstly , define your bootloop:

If you are stuck at the "Galaxy Ace" logo , that means you did not make a factory reset and cache wipe from Recovery Mode . Do that , then reflash and try again .
If it still does not work , your kernel might have a problem because you did not install your kernel properly .
For that I recommend CF-ROOT for Gingerbread and Froyo

However , if your phone is stuck at the bootanimation:
Stuck for more than 10mins and is repeating the animation: You did not flash your ROM properly . Refer to above .
Stuck for less than 10mins and is NOT repeating: I suggest you have some patience

Q4: AHHHHHHHH! I flashed a theme but now my phone is going into force closes and bootloops!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A4: You probably flashed a theme that was meant for another firmware version (E.g. flashing a KPH theme into KPO) .
In that case , all you have to do is flash another theme which is for that particular firmware and you're saved
Everytime I flash a theme I will make a backup prior to installing . This ensures that I can restore back if I did something wrong

Q5: Is there any overclock for the Galaxy Ace?
A5: With CF-ROOT 3.7 b83 I can achieve 100% stability with 902Mhz but 10% decrease in battery life :/

Q6: What about Adobe Flash support?
A6: It is only PARTIALLY supported on CyanogenMod 7 , but may work on stock Samsung ROMs if on Cf-root .
It works on the stock browser and Dolphin Browser HD , but does not work on Opera .

Q7: What is Cyanogenmod? Why do so much people love it?
A7: Cyanogenmod is a ROM built from a modified generic AOSP build , which offers faster speed , better stability and even eliminates some problems induced by stock ROMs (i.e. In our case , the Sleep of Death a.k.a SoD) .
This ROM was made by none other than the legendary Cyanogen .
This makes the phone fast , stable and yet problem-free .
however , CM7 for the Ace is currently unofficial and in early release candidate and beta versions and is NOT recommended for newbies as they might encounter into problems they might not know how to solve .
Also , the things that were added by Samsung WILL NOT APPEAR in Cyamogenmod 7 .
If you rely on Samsung's additions too much , I suggest that you revert back to stock

Q8: Oh no! My phone is bricked! I accidentally flashed the wrong device in ROM Manager!
A8: Oh no . You might wanna try either:
Method 1:
-Remove the SIM card , SD card and battery from the phone
-Hold Volume Down + Home + Power
-(Optional) Bring it near a heat source .
-While still holding those buttons , place the battery into the phone
-It should go into Download Mode .
-Try to flash a full package file via ODIN and your phone should come back to life .
If that doesn't work , try Method 2:
-Bring the phone to a nearby service center for repair .

Q9: Hello, what's the difference between a full package ROM and a one package ROM?
A9: When you download a ROM from SamMobile , they have all the files in a .rar , the contents of the .rar determine its Package:
A Full Package ROM has quite a few files when the .rar is opened , one of them being a .tar.md5 if I remember correctly .
A One Package ROM only has one .tar file when the .rar archive is opened .

Q10 by scoffyburito:

scoffyburito said:

Err sorry if this sounds dumb but what version of CWM would i need if when im restoring my cm7 backup it says Md5 mismatch. I made the backup on CWM 5.0.2.6?

Sent from my GT-S5830 using XDA App

Click to expand...

Click to collapse

A10: Taken from http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=714114

ihtfp69 said:

I figured I would post this fix here in case anyone else ran into this problem. This is assuming you did not change the folder names and let Clockworkmod create them. I haven't had it happen until today, but it's not a nice message to see when you are trying to do a restore.

Code:

Checking MD5 sums...
MD5 mismatch!

To fix this problem use the code below. Substitute the final folder name for the backup you need to fix.

Code:

adb shell
# cd /sdcard/clockworkmod/backup/[I]backupname[/I]
# rm nandroid.md5
# md5sum *img > nandroid.md5

When that finishes, re-run the restore and everything should be fine.

NOTE: As rpearl stated, there could be something really wrong with your nandroid, so use this tutorial as a learning experience and not a fix-all. In my case, everything was fine after restoring. However, that may not always be the case. Do this with caution.

Click to expand...

Click to collapse

Q11 by psychoo118:

psychoo118 said:

Hey guys! I'd like to ask that is there any way to get my warranty back if I flashed CyanogenMod 7.1 Cooper Kang? :/ Fortunately, I don't need my warranty now, only asking if i will in the future Thanks

Sent from my GT-S5830 using XDA App

Click to expand...

Click to collapse

A11: Just flash back to DXKC1 (Froyo 2.2.1) or the Gingerbread version for your region , you're bound to fool Samsung

Q12: I have been hearing everyone talk about this file named build.prop. What is that?

A12: Okay, build.prop is the build properties of your current ROM.
I will give more explanation of the different entries as time goes on (LOL).

ro.ril.disable.power.collapse - (0/1) Variable Values.
0: Allows the network power collapse, thus wasting battery
1: Disables the network power collapse, thus saving battery.
ro.ril.hsxpa - (0/1/2/3)Variable values.
0: Disables HSUPA completely.
1: Disables stock HSUPA speeds (speeds capped)
2: Enables stock HSUPA speeds (speeds capped)
3: Enables uncapped HSUPA speeds

Q13: What is CF-ROOT? Is it edible?
A13: LOL no it isn't! CF-ROOT is short for Chainfire-Root (a.k.a Rooting + some tweaks). It has root and installs 3 apps: CWM Manager, Superuser and Tweaks.
CWM Manager is a substitute for ROM Manager and allows:
- Rebooting to recovery
- Backing up using app
- Restore using app
- Deleting backups
- Flashing .zip files
- Flashing zImage kernels (a.k.a CF-ROOT fixes)

The current version is b84, which is only for XWKT5/7 firmwares.
You can use b83, which is the universal CF-ROOT.

Q14: I keep running out of internal memory. Why does this happen? How do I solve it then?
A14: It is because the Galaxy Ace's internal memory is only less than 200MB, therefore too many apps will cause the phone to run out of memory. There are 3 known solutions to that:
1: DarkTremor's Apps2SD (DTA2SD)
- Most commonly used way of moving apps to internal memory
- Has an app for it at the Android Market (A2SDGUI)
- Uses a flashable zip (find it in XDA)
- Easiest to use among the 3
2: link2SD
- Makes use of symbolic links to move apps to the SD-ext partition
- I don't know much about this one
3: S2E (simple2ext)
- An app that's available in the Android Market
- Only for CM7 ROMs and the only one working for Ice Cream Sandwich (by maclaw)
- Hardest to use among the 3

That is all.

Q?: This thread seems inactive! When will you update it?
A?: I will update my thread whenever I want to , once I find new information .

Thank you for reading this thread so that one less Galaxy Ace gets bricked

Nice info

Could you add this:
Do not install busybox on custom ROMs because busybox already exist on most custom ROMs, and also stock firmware with CF-Root. If you're already do so, it mean that you're ready to reflash your phone ...or try to remove all files named "busybox" with root explorer then flash CF-Root b79 (then flash b80 for KPN users)

Useful thread = Stuck. Nice info sheet.

For me, this should be a sticky post on development.. Maybe you need to request this as sticky post from any MOD and update all about Ace there..