[GT-P6210][CWMRecovery][ROOT] ClockworkMod Recovery and Root (07-Jan-2012)

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**** USE AT YOUR OWN RISK ****

The following is posted so that I may share what I've done. It was done by me and for me. If you use it for you, then you take responsibility for whatever happens. This could, potentially, cause problems. It certainly will void your warranty (though it's pretty easy to undo this with no obvious signs.)

Install ClockworkMod Recovery and roots your P6210 tablet.

DO NOT ATTEMPT TO RESTORE ANY CWM BACKUP MADE WITH ANY OTHER VERSION/REVISION. IT WILL BREAK THINGS. THIS VERSION IS NOT BACKWARDS COMPATIBLE. JUST START WITH FRESH BACKUPS AND BE HAPPY.

WHAT THIS DOES:

Installed from recovery, this .zip will first ensure that it's running on the Samsung GT-P6210. If you have a different model, don't waste your time downloading it. It won't work. I have a P6210 to test with. I don't have any other 7 plus tab, so I can't test any other 7 plus tab, and therefore won't even act like it might work. If you want to try it anyway, you should have the knowledge to repair whatever you break - in which case you'll also have the knowledge to unpack this zip file and do things the manual way.

(starting with 20111210, a backup of the recovery is no longer made. I feel this is no longer needed as there is a confirmed working ODIN package people can use to restore their tablets with.)

Next, a new version of the clockwork mod recovery is installed.

(starting with 20111210, old backups are no longer purged. If you are upgrading from my original CWM recovery (previous to Dec 9th), please manually delete old clockwork recovery backups, as they are NOT VALID and will destroy your normal boot operation if you attempt to restore with a proper/current version of this recovery.)

Finally, the tab will be rooted. This only involves copying a tiny file (called 'su') to the system. In order for most android apps to make use of that, however, another application must be first installed. (See "Finishing SuperUser installation" below.) I considered putting that "SuperUser" application as part of this package, but it's really very easy to get it from the market.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Put the installation zip file on your tablet's external SD card. If you don't have an external SD card, you won't be able to install this. MicroSD cards are cheap. If you have a tablet that costs 399 USD, you can afford to spend a few extra dollars/euros/pesos/whatever on a microSD card. Just get one. Not only is it required for installing this from the factory recovery, but it makes a great place to back things up to. A nice 16GB card is suggested. 32GB is better. You'll need AT LEAST 1GB for this recovery. If you have a previous version of CWM already in-place, you won't need the storage card.

You can download the .zip file directly to your tablet and then possibly use the built in "My files" applet to move it to extStorages/SdCard, or you could download it to your computer and use "adb" to push the file to /mnt/sdcard/extStorages/SdCard, or you should be able to get it there with "Kies." If you have the proper adapter, you could also attach the microSD card directly to your computer and just copy it there. It doesn't matter HOW you get it on the card, as long as it's on the card.

After the zip file is on your microSD card, and the microSD card is inside (and recognized by) your tablet, then you need to...

Boot into recovery mode.

If the recovery version banner is "CWM-based Recovery v5.x.x.x", then you already have a version of CWM installed and should skip ahead to the proper section. If the banner is "Android system recovery (3e)", then you have the factory recovery and should continue with...

Installing from factory (3e) recovery:

Use the volume up/down buttons to move the highlight up and down, and the power button to select the highlighted option.

1. Select "apply update from external storage"

2. Select the file you placed on your storage card (starts with "p6210_CWMR".)

3. Sit back and watch it run. Read the information that is being sent to the screen. If there's an error, it'll display some message. If it works, it'll display a message starting with the word "Done!"

4. Select "reboot system now."

You now have a CWM-based recovery installed, and your tablet is rooted.

Please skip ahead to "Finishing SuperUser installation"

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Installing from CWM-based Recovery

Use the volume up/down buttons to move the highlight up and down, and the power button to select the highlighted option.

1. Select "Install zip from sdcard"

2. Select "choose zip from internal sdcard" (which will actually point to the external card.) (If you are upgrading and chose not to put the .zip on the external microSD card, you might need to select "choose zip from sdcard" instead.)

3. Select the file you placed on your storage card (starts with "p6210_CWMR".)

4. Select "Yes - Install (whatever filename you selected)"

5. Sit back and watch it run. Read the information that is being sent to the screen. If there's an error, it'll display some message. If it works, it'll display a message starting with the word "Done!"

6. Select "+++++ Go Back +++++"

7. Select "reboot system now."

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Finishing SuperUser installation

Install the SuperUser application directly from the android market:
https://market.android.com/details?i...fou.android.su

....

Post-installation Notes and Issues

It's a known issue with the version of CWM used in this recovery that the "internal sdcard" actually references the built in storage on the tablet. So, if you want to back up to your microSD card, choose "backup to internal sdcard". I'm retaining this issue to stay "compatible" with other CWM recoveries of the same version number. (won't fix)

The .zip package displays an incorrect version identifier/date when version 20111209 is being installed. (It's shows a banner with the date of 06-Dec) (cosmetic)

This recovery is NOT compatible with firmware updates via Kies (and perhaps not via other samsung official methods.) In order to perform a firmware update, I suggest the following procedure: First, perform a CWM Recovery backup, then use the ODIN package found elsewhere to restore this tablet to a factory state. Let Kies upgrade the tablet to whatever version it wants (give it a few tries in case multiple upgrades are needed.) Then re-install this recovery, and perform an "advanced restore" (or "advanced restore from internal sdcard if you made the backup using the similar option.) From there, restore "data." That will leave the entire firmware update in place. (boot is the normal boot kernel; system is what people like to call a ROM here, but is the samsung pre-installed apps; and data contains the applications you install and all your data.) Then "go back", wipe the cache partition, advanced, and wipe the dalvik partition. HOWEVER, please note that I have no way to know if any given samsung firmware update is "compatible" with this restore unless I've tried it myself. It's compatible with everything released up to the date of this note (10-Dec-2011), but I can't predict the future.

Donation?

I don't take donations. If you have spare money (I don't), please donate it to the Salvation Army, Red Cross, or just find a homeless person on the street and give them something. My favorite charity is the Shriner's Hospital for Children. (yes, I am.) If you'd like to thank me, there's a button at the bottom of this post dedicated to that. If you don't want to thank me, that's okay too.

Changes for 20120107:

• Brought the recovery kernel up to date with the normal boot kernel. The only impact should be that if you keep crashing any time you boot normally (and before you are able to perform any action), you can now boot into recovery to _hopefully_ be able to retrieve the /proc/last_kmsg as a diagnostic tool.
• Reduced the size of the .zip quite a bit.

Changes for 20111210:
* A backup of the existing recovery image is no longer being made. I feel this is no longer needed, as an ODIN package is now confirmed to be working that people can use to restore their tablets to a factory state.
* Old clockworkmod recovery backups are no longer being deleted when installing this. If you are installing this or newer from my CWM recovery previous to Dec 9th, 2011, please manually delete all those old backups. If you attempt to restore them, please be prepared to download ODIN and a factory ODIN image, as you'll need it in order to get your tablet working again. You've been warned...
* The issue that was causing backups to the tablet's built-in storage to fail has been corrected.

Changes for 20111209:
* Issues with getting into recovery are resolved.
* a backup of the recovery is only made if there is no sign of a previous version of this same recovery in place

Credits
Most obviously, Koush for his wonderful clockworkmod recovery. It's the basis of this entire project. Entropy512 for pointing me in the proper direction on a couple of things, pershoot mods to CWM for the Galaxy Tab 10.1 that I ported over to this one (due to the different partition structure of honeycomb devices.)

Links are below...


Take care
Gary

thanks gary, how might we be able to tell if this will be kosher with 3g version? do we need to --dump all pit via heimdall to ensure all partitions match up,etc? Thank you for your speedy work.

Originally Posted by chrisrotolo

thanks gary, how might we be able to tell if this will be kosher with 3g version? do we need to --dump all pit via heimdall to ensure all partitions match up,etc? Thank you for your speedy work.

It's not kosher at all. I didn't wash my hands before compiling it, and had bacon bits on my salad for lunch. Sorry.

Thanks Gary. I have been watching your progress for about a week and you are like a put-bull. Amazing. u da man!!!

Pit bulls would be shamed as wussies. Many great devs possibly have a touch of Asperger's syndrome (with MUCH better socialization skills!) which, with tasks like this, is a benefit! At the very least just plain tenacious! lol

Thanks Gary. I've learned a lot just following along reading the discourse between you and others like Entropy. Appreciate it.

Originally Posted by garyd9

It's not kosher at all. I didn't wash my hands before compiling it, and had bacon bits on my salad for lunch. Sorry.

ahhh , close enough. anyways what could we do to find out without actually flashing this to possible incorrect partition??

Originally Posted by chrisrotolo

ahhh , close enough. anyways what could we do to find out without actually flashing this to possible incorrect partition??

Which "3g" model do you have? The tmobile one or the international one?

I'm trying to narrow down which is the GT-P6200 and which is the SGH-T869!

I'm working with someone via PM and email to get the information needed for the SGH-T869, and I think it'll be pretty easy to get a recovery together for it, but other people will have to test and validate. I think this is the tmobile version...

international p6200

Soft Brick(kinda Sorta - well not really). Using defult 3e recovery. Tab would boot up, but would not go into recovery at all. Nada Nada. Thought it might have been some leftovers from other stuff I have been trying, so I odin3'd the factory image, did a wipe all and tried it again. Same difference. The only thing I could really think of was maybe I had a corrupted download.

funny thing is that it would boot up into the OS. Just not into recovery. will keep trying as I really want a way to make nandroid backups.

Originally Posted by otamctech

Tab would boot up, but would not go into recovery at all.

No need to ODIN... that's why the package creates that backup recovery image. However, you said it's booting normally, correct? If so, it's not broken or bricked (and I experience the exact same thing.)

For some odd reason (that I haven't been able to figure out), after I flash a non-stock recovery, its very difficult to get the tab into recovery mode. Some times I get it instantly, and some times I have to try several times in a row. Are you using adb? If so, it might be easier. Power off the tab, plug it into your computer, and eventually the tab goes into a "low power mode" where you see the battery gauge but nothing else. From there (again, assuming you have adb installed/working), you can just run "adb reboot recovery" That usually gets me into recovery. 90% of the time.

If not, just try again. If you see the samsung animation starting, press/hold the power button to turn it off again, then press/hold volume up again... etc. It's a PITA, and a major annoyance of mine.

Two things about it make it REALLY annoying for me. First, I'm using samsung's own kernel for this... but I'm just repacking the initramfs portion of it. Second, if you put the factory recovery back, it's easy to get into recovery again.