Good newbie guide to Android ROM installing?

ControlD

Diamond Member
Apr 25, 2005
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So, I have my wife's old Samsung Fascinate laying around doing nothing. I would like to turn it into an MP3 player, but there is so much useless Verizon crap on there. I would like to put a clean ROM image on the phone before I start trying to use it. I have been poking around the web, and honestly I think I am more confused now than before I started. It seems like there are about 20 steps involved in the process but every site I go to references different tools and different sequences of operation.

I found a guide on AndroidCentral, but it was written back in the beginning of 2011 so I am not sure if everything is still accurate. I know lots of people here like to flash custom ROMs on their Android phones so I was hoping someone could point me to a newbie's guide of some sort.
 

s44

Diamond Member
Oct 13, 2006
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There's an XDA ROM dedicated to running it as a no-cell-radio music device. I actually run it on my old Fascinate.

Unfortunately, XDA is down at the moment so...
 

ControlD

Diamond Member
Apr 25, 2005
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There's an XDA ROM dedicated to running it as a no-cell-radio music device. I actually run it on my old Fascinate.

Unfortunately, XDA is down at the moment so...

Awesome. I will look for that when the site is back up. Thanks.
 

s44

Diamond Member
Oct 13, 2006
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GeeWiz Media 4.4

Installation for this is really easy because there's a full Odin package. Download "GeeWiz Media 4.4 ROM/Kernel/Modem/Recovery/Data Wipe Full Update (ODIN)". Once you set up Odin as in this post (don't d/l any of the files except Odin3 v1.3 itself), just follow the instructions in that Odin post except with the .tar.md5 file you d/led from the GeeWiz post.

If you previously flashed CM or the like on it you might have to run a full stock Odin with PIT beforehand, but otherwise just do the above and let it boot before messing around with installing the 4.4.2 patch.
 

ControlD

Diamond Member
Apr 25, 2005
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Thanks s44, that's exactly what I was looking for.

This is my first attempt at ever doing really anything with an Android phone at all, so it should be fun.

So you are saying it is better to not install Clockwork Mod first?

***Edit: Nevermind. After reading a bit more it seems that the package you linked to takes care of those things I would have been using CM for in the first place. ***
 
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ControlD

Diamond Member
Apr 25, 2005
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Wow, that was easy!

Now I just have to learn my way around an Android device, but so far things look pretty good.