[Root] [CWM] Samsung Galaxy Discover (SGH-730G) Tracfone Variant ONLY

THIS THREAD IS ONLY FOR THE SGH-730G VARIANT OF THE SAMSUNG DISCOVER. USE OF ANY OF THESE GUIDES AND METHODS FOR ANY OTHER VARIANT OF THE PHONE IS AT THE RISK OF THE USER

This thread is a guide on how to root and install CWM recovery on the Samsung Galaxy Discover (SGH-730G) which is the Tracfone (Net10, Straight Talk) variant of the device. These instructions are for Windows users only. If someone knows how to do it through Linux distro or Mac, please let me know and we will add those instructions to this post.

IMPORTANT: THIS GUIDE ASSUMES THAT YOU HAVE A PRIOR KNOWLEDGE OF THE TOOLS AND TERMS USED. ROOTING YOUR DEVICE WILL VOID YOUR WARRANTY! STOP NOW IF THIS IS SOMETHING YOU ARE CONCERNED ABOUT! IF YOU PROCEED, FOLLOW ALL THE DIRECTIONS CAREFULLY. USE OF THIS GUIDE AND THESE TOOLS IS AT THE RISK OF THE USER! I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE OR NEGATIVE OUTCOMES INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO SOFT BRICK, HARD BRICK, EXPLODING BATTERIES, NUCLEAR WAR, GIANT SQUID PEOPLE, OR SPONTANEOUS JUSTIN BIEBER CONCERTS IN YOUR LIVING ROOM

***First let's get all the tools and files you will need to complete this process***

Samsung USB Drivers: Click HERE to download the USB drivers for the SGH-730G.

UnlockRoot Pro (Free Download) - Click HERE and scroll down to "UnlockRoot Pro" and click the "Free Download" button. *Note*: Your computer may tell you that this program is malicious. You may have to disable antivirus in order to download.

Odin3 v3.07 - Click HERE to download Odin. This program will be used to flash CWM recovery to your phone.

CWM Recovery (thanks to JohnnyGalto) - Click HERE to download CWM recovery for your phone.


***Now that you have all the tools downloaded let's get them installed and ready for use.***

1) Install the USB drivers (should be self-explanatory).

2) Click on UnlockRoot_downloader_by_UnlockRoot.exe to start the installation. You may have to grant it administrator privileges. I DO NOT RECOMMEND INSTALLING ANY OF THE SPECIAL OFFERS THAT FIRST COME UP WHEN YOU OPEN THE FILE. CLICK SKIP until the automatic download begins. This is the download for the program itself. Once that is finished, follow the instructions to install the program on your computer.

3) Extract Odin Files: I recommend creating a folder on the desktop named "Odin" simply for easy access. However, feel free to choose whatever directory you want. Simply extract all the files to a designated folder.

4) CWM Revovery Tar: Move this file into the same folder where you extracted Odin. This will make it easier to access in a little while.


***If you have followed all the instructions correctly, you are now ready to install CWM recovery and root your device! You will periodically see a yellow triangle on the Samsung boot logo screen throughout this process. But have no fear, we will take care of this later on.***

1) Put your phone into download mode by holding VOLUME DOWN + POWER. A warning screen about custom OS will appear. Press VOLUME UP to confirm this is what you want to do. You should then be showing a screen with the Android logo and the "Downloading... Do not turn off target!!" text.

2) Now connect your phone to the computer using the USB cable, and open Odin from the folder you extracted it to. If your phone is connected properly you should see something similar to "0:[COM10]" in the box under ID:COM in the upper left of the window.

**VERY IMPORTANT** MAKE SURE THE ONLY TWO BOXES CHECKED UNDER "OPTIONS" ARE AUTO REBOOT AND F. RESET TIME!! NO OTHER BOXES SHOULD BE CHECKED

3) Under "Files [Download]" click the PDA button. Navigate to where you placed the CWM tar file and click okay.It is important that you ONLY click "PDA" for this. If you have followed the directions carefully, Odin should check the MD5 sum of the file to verify validity. If the file comes back invalid or you get any errors, STOP, and report them in the thread.

4) Click "Start". DO NOT TURN OFF OR DISCONNECT YOUR PHONE DURING THIS PROCESS. If everything goes well, your phone will reboot automatically after install. To check if your install worked properly, follow the next instructions to boot into recovery and make a stock backup.

OPTIONAL BUT RECOMMENDED SAFETY STEP BEFORE PROCEEDING WITH ROOT (REQUIRES AN EXTERNAL MICRO SD CARD) - CWM recovery works without root permission. It is HIGHLY recommended that you make a complete backup of your stock image before proceeding. This will make it easier to recover from a soft brick, or to return your phone to stock in the future should you choose to do so. A)Power off your phone. To boot into recovery, hold VOLUME UP+POWER until the Samsung logo is displayed. After the logo displays, release the POWER button. Keep holding the VOLUME UP button until your phone boots into the CWM recovery screen. B) Using the volume keys to navigate the menu, scroll down to "backup and restore". Use the power button to select. C) Select backup using the power button. D) After your backup is complete, go back to the main menu and select "reboot system now".

5) Before using UnlockRoot Pro, go to your Settings menu and scroll down to "Developer Options". Be sure to select "USB debugging", "Allow mock locations", and just to avoid potential disaster, choose "Stay awake". After this is all done, you can go back and unselect these.

6) With USB debugging enabled on your phone, launch UnlockRoot (not the UnlockRoot PRO shortcut the program installs on the desktop). Click the big green "Root" button. **NOTE** During the process it will ask you if you want to install other apps. DO NOT INSTALL THEM. Once the program is finished, if all went well, you now have a rooted SGH-730G!

7) There are a number of apps available in the Play Store that check to see if you are rooted. Alternatively, this is how I check my devices. A) Download and install "Terminal Emulator" from the Play Store. This app is like using ADB on your phone. B) Once it is installed, open the app. Type in the command "su" (without the quotes) and hit enter. If rooting was successful, your phone should show a pop-up message asking you to grant it root privileges. Go ahead and say yes and rejoice in the fact you were successful. If you receive the error "permission denied", then the root was unsuccessful.

**Dealing with the pesky yellow triangle on the Samsung boot screen**

The yellow triangle on the Samsung boot screen is a visual warning that you are running custom software. To get rid of it, click the following thread link. "Triangle Away" is a paid app in the Play Store, but the awesome Chainfire has made it available in the forums. Read the thread carefully and follow all the instructions for using the app. Neither I, nor him, nor your pet are responsible for the misuse of the app. - http://xdaforums.com/member.php?u=631273


THAT'S IT!!! If you followed all the directions carefully, you now have a rooted SGH-730G and the sky is the limit now. Currently there is no known custom roms for this device. However I am working on building a Stock+Root Deodexed version of the factory firmware, and will upload it when I can verify it is stable to be released. Following that, I will be developing a custom rom based on the stock firmware. But of course, if you have the experience and know-how, feel free to start developing your own roms for this phone. The more the merrier.

And as always, if you were successful using this guide, or it helped you in any way, please inflate my ego by clicking that thanks button.

I will try to answer as many questions as possible if you run into problems during the process, or if you have other questions about what you can do with this device now that it is rooted.

I CURRENTLY DO NOT KNOW OF A WAY TO MANUALLY UNLOCK THE PHONE. IT'S A LITTLE BIT BEYOND MY SKILLS. I HAVE HOWEVER SEEN PEOPLE IN OTHER FORUMS GETTING PEOPLE TO DO IT USING REMOTE ACCESS TO THEIR COMPUTERS WITH THE PHONE PLUGGED IN TO IT. I DON'T KNOW ALL THE DETAILS ABOUT HOW IT WORKS, BUT COMMON SENSE TELLS ME THIS ISN'T A VERY TRUSTWORTHY THING TO BE DOING. IT'S TOTALLY UP TO YOU IF YOU REALLY TRUST A COMPLETE STRANGER TO HAVE VIRTUAL ACCESS TO YOUR COMPUTER AND YOUR PHONE. BE I'D BE WEARY.

:good: Thanks (in no particular order) to andronald for the original thread about the 730M variant of this device, Without that thread, this thread would not be possible. FitAmp for his contributions to the project over there, JohnnyGalto for the CWM recovery image, cshmitt for his help in getting me started working on a custom rom for this device. :good:

Soft Brick Recovery

SOFT BRICK RECOVERY FOR SGH-730G

Right now, I am working on a tar Odin flashable system image to make it easier to recover from a soft brick of the device. Once it is completed and tested, I will update this post to include a download of it.

***This post will help you recover from a soft brick or bootloop error on your SGH-730G after rooting. This quick guide assumes that you still have access to CWM recovery and/or are able to boot into download mode. (See OP for instructions on how to boot into recovery and download mode.)***

If you followed the instructions and recommendations in the previous post, then you should have made a backup of the stock image using CWM recovery. This is what you will use to help recover your phone so you can start the process again, or not, depending on how gutsy you feel.

IF YOU ARE STILL ABLE TO BOOT INTO CWM RECOVERY

1) Power off your device. You may have to pull the battery to do this if you are stuck with a bootloop or other booting issues.

2) Boot into CWM recovery (see OP for instructions)

3) Scroll down to "backup and restore"

4) Select restore

5) You should then see a restore point to select. The format is usually "YYYY-MM-DD.HOUR". The hour is usually in 24h format.

6) Select the file then select "Yes".

7) If everything works correctly, your stock backup should be restored and you should be able to boot your phone again.

**Note** If you lose root while restoring your stock backup, just use the guide in the OP to try again.


**If you cannot boot into CWM recovery after installation and making a backup.**

Try to reinstall the CWM recovery image using the instructions in the OP.

Again, as soon as it is ready, I will upload a tar that can be flashed through Odin to restore the factory image to your phone, and instructions on recovering and returning to stock will be posted here.

As always, if this helps you in any way, inflate my ego by clicking that thanks button.

Fun with the SGH-730G

So far there are a few fun things I have found work for this phone so far.

For those who may want overclock features, check out this thread. The reason I didn't include it in the OP is because I didn't have success in changing the max value for CPU speed. It stayed constant at 1000 and produced a little too much battery drain for my taste.

SetCPU - This app only works to change the minimum allowed CPU speed of the stock kernel. I run the "ondemand" settings with a minimum of 600MHz and max of 800Mhz. This has helped to reduce some lag from the stock speeds the kernel likes to run and doesn't produce a noticeable battery drain.

Seeder - The seeder lag reduction app makes a huge difference in smoothness of the device.

Xposed Framework: If you don't know what this is, search the XDA forums and you will be able to learn just about everything you want about it. So far I have tested features of the XBlast module and Xposed Additions. Center clock and clock color change, 4-way reboot menu with screenshot, Volume button tweaks, all from Xblast. Xposed Additions can be used to remap the buttons for different functions. I was able to remap the back key to kill the foreground app on long-press. Very useful to limit the amount of running apps in the background.

Notification Toggle - This nifty little app allows you to place toggles for wifi, mobile data, brightness, etc, in the notification dropdown screen. Saves a little time from having to navigate through the settings on the phone, and saves home screen space by not having to use the power widget.

Rom Toolbox - Some features may work, but it is better to have the rom deodexed to take full advantage. (A deodexed version of the stock rom will be available soon).

Auto Killer Memory Optimizer: This is a personal favorite of mine. I own the pro version which is well worth the money. It allows custom settings to optimize RAM usage and free up memory. Makes the phone so much smoother.

If you find any other fun mods that work with this phone, pleas share!

Nomad692000 said:

Thank you very much. Been waiting for this for a while. Again thanks.

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Click to collapse

My pleasure. I felt it was necessary to separate this phone version from the other versions to avoid confusion. I'll be (hopefully) updating the soft brick recovery in just a moment. Currently testing a new method. Glad you liked the thread. Stick around, things may start to get interesting soon

So far I haven't had any luck creating an Odin package of the factory system image. I have written to Tracfone to see if they could provide me with the factory image but I'm not going to have high hopes it will happen.

Hopefully this week I will be able to provide a deodexed and debloated version of the stock rom that will run a little faster and take up a little less space on the device.

A custom kernel is in the works for those interested in overclocking, though I think anything past the stock max speed will cause a good amount of battery drain.

Sent from my SGH-S730G

(Dominix) said:

So you building a custom rom for the tracfone version (730G)?

Click to expand...

Click to collapse

Slowly but surely yes. Haven't gotten as much done this week as I had hoped but it is in the works.

Sent from my SGH-S730G

j.nunez123 said:

i mistakingly picked up the wrong phone..the discover and the centura are very similar....i accidently installed custom rom for the centura onto the discover...it is the 730g. i did not make a back up...do you have the stock rom and can you post or email it to me?? thanks....johnnydavidnunez@gmail.com

:crying:

Click to expand...

Click to collapse

Right now I do not have a copy of the stock rom. I'm still trying to create an Odin flashable of the basic system partition files, recovery, and boot. Wish I could help you. This is why it's always important to make a backup. You might can try one of the 730M Discover threads and see if someone can send you a back up of theirs, but keep in mind that is the Canadian version of the phone. I'm not quite sure what all of the differences in them are.

Uninstall then re-download UnlockRoot .. I had that problem first time I tried to run it. Also, there is the actual free program, amd another program file that pulls up an order and download program for the pro version. Maybe you clicked that one instead?

Sent from my SGH-S730G

I have a debloated, deodexed, zip aligned, rooted version of the stock rom completed. Working on the updater script which is being a pain in my ass. Soon as it is done and tested I'll post it.

I've been behind on it as my volunteer work and family obligations have been my primary focus. But it is something I still try to work on to give this phone a little boost.

Sent from my SGH-S730G

doctor_evil said:

I have a SGH-S730M that I bought unlocked off of ebay, and wound up giving it to my wife. After looking at the specs for the SGH-S730G it sounds like they are identical other than one being sold by Telus and the other being sold by net10. Is the SGH-730G unlocked by default? I'm interested in getting one to try my hand at modifying. One of my few key complaints about the SGH-S730M was that even though it didn't have the touchwiz launcher it still had the samsung style lock screen instead of the stock ICS lock screen. Would xposed or any of the other stuff you mentioned allow me to change that back to stock?

Also the battery issue you mentioned also seems to affect the S730M as well, it is more than a little annoying.

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Click to collapse

They are pretty much the same device yes. The 730G I bought was through StraightTalk so it wasn't unlocked. I'm sure you could find one unlocked on Ebay or maybe Swappa or something similar. I do hate the Samsung stock lockscreen too. Stock, Xposed won't do the AOSP lockscreen style. Once I have the deodexed working and ready it should. There is another way to bring it up, but it's a little beyond my experience, but also requires a deodexed system.