Upgraded my Samsung Galaxy SII GT-i9100 to ICS - I9100XXLPB - it works well!

[Robert.Thompson]

Hello:

I installed I9100XXLPB from samfirmware and it seems to work perfectly. Samfirmware says that this version is suitable for everyday use; I think that they are right!

I had to add APN's as they were no longer there after the upgrade - found the settings on the web.

[john test]

That's exciting! Keep us posted on your progress and issues. :-)

[Robert.Thompson]

That's exciting! Keep us posted on your progress and issues. :-)

It has been about a week now and the only criticism I have is that the battery does not last quite as long as it did with I9100XXKI4 but it does last more than enough for daily use. I am not using any battery extender applications; maybe I should.

Aside from that, I9100XXLPB is a real delight. It seems to have more settings in under 'settings' and appears to operate more smoothly and more quickly.

Being the newbie that I am, I am probably not the best person to offer a critique of any firmware.

[Ricky_writer]

Robert now that you have used ICS on your Galaxy SII for a couple of months, what have you encountered that you like and don't like? And what are the procedures to follow for the least painful path to upgrade? :-) Thanks!

[Robert.Thompson]

Robert now that you have used ICS on your Galaxy SII for a couple of months, what have you encountered that you like and don't like? And what are the procedures to follow for the least painful path to upgrade? :-) Thanks!

Hi Ricky_writer:

I cannot honestly answer your first question because I change my firmware (flash my phone) every couple of weeks. I am presently using i9100XXLPJ, which ICS and it works just is fine.

I always follow the tutorial for the firmware that I am installing - if there isn't a tutorial, I don't install it.

Remember, I am an absolute newbie to this 'flashing' and 'rooting' stuff. I have never made a 'backup' of my phone because I never keep anything on it. I use google for my email and contacts so there is no need to back that stuff up. I mostly use free android apps so I just download them again from GooglePlay. If I take pictures with my phone, I transfer them to my PC immediately - the good ones, I put into Google Picasa which is sync'ed with my phone.

Frankly, I find all of this android/smartphone stuff very confusing and that is why I follow tutorials. I even find that confusing because sometimes a tutorial says to 'wipe data/factory reset' & 'wipe cache partition' while other tutorials never mention this step. There's the rub - tutorials tell you what to do but seldom do they explain 'why'.

So, the answer to your second question is: Find a tutorial (or two) for the firmware & phone model that you wish to mess with and read them thoroughly. Pick one and follow it to the letter. They all seem to have the following things in common:

1. Before you start, make sure your phone is charged.
2. Before you start, make certain that Kies is installed on your computer because this ensures that the proper drives are installed.
3. Before you start, most tutorials tell you to use the windows task manager (Alt+Ctrl+Delete) to 'end' both Kies processes that are usually running - I don't know why this is recommended but I do this anyway.
4. Before you start, make a backup - I don't bother.
5. Before you start, download & install Odin3 on your PC. Odin is the software that actually places your new firmware on your phone which, before doing so, is living only on your PC. (sometimes a copy of Odin is included in the firmware zip or rar archieve)
6. Before you start, enable USB Debugging on your phone.

If you need help in finding a appropriate tutorial for you phone model/firmware combination, let me know and I will google around to find a few to get you started.

As an example, here is a link to a tutorial to install a new firmware version: http://androidadvices.com/update-gal...-403-firmware/

Rob.