[Q] Newbie in need of directions....

Hi all, I bought this phone (Samsung Galaxy S2 T mobile SGH- T989) reburbished with 2.3.6 Gingerbread I would really like to update it....Tried the Kies program, no new firmware there, called T Mobile, they say to call Samsung, they say to call T mobile.....UGH!! ....tried to follow instructions on youtube, other sites, till I found this... mind you I am DEAF and couldn't follow the video tutorials. My last phone was a HTC Sensation with 4.0.3..got too slow and the screen cracked...so i bought this phone and was back to the old firmware ugh......Can't afford a new phone...So I have been reading thru this site and learning all about rooting, flashing, and whatnot..... last thing I tried was to update the CWM thru ROM manager and it won't update it....... Can anyone kindly point me to the direction where I can get an easy step by step instructions? What is the latest firmware I can install on my phone? Some of the links were either out of date or denied or whatever. So, Please help me out?

monkeybuttons said:

Kies is your best bet.

To get it to work, try this: *This process will wipe your internal sd card*

1. Turn off phone, pull battery and write down serial number.
2. Start Kies and go to tools, firmware update.
3. When prompted enter model number ("SGH-T989", case sensitive, no quotes).
4. When prompted enter serial number.
5. All Windows from this point on will tell you what to do. Just follow them and you'll be ok.
6. Make sure you use a reliable usb cable and don't move your phone once plugged in unless you absolutely have to.

Remember to back up your internal sd card before beginning or you will lose everything on it.

This has worked for me every time I've tried it because it enters an emergency recovery mode. It's slow, but it brings your phone up to the latest firmware available, and it's very thorough (also, slow).

If this doesn't work then Odin is your next bet but that's a very powerful tool that should give people pause before blindly using it.

Good luck.

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Thank you for responding....I followed your instructions in Kies and every time type in the model number, I keep getting a pop up "check your model number and enter it." I even tried with lower case letters....nothing.... So I guess I am gonna have to go with plan B.....Root it!!

what's the most stable firmware out there right now?? Thanks in Advance.

eLCruz said:

Try this out… but please read carefully if you've never used odin!

See URL up above ^^^^

Sent from Gallifrey using a Sonic Screwdriver via Tardis #5 :what:

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It worked!! Should be a sticky!!! Now, I am so curious how the new ROMs look like.....any advice or tips would be appreciated. Thanks again! :good: