Samsung Galaxy Ace Technical Thread (Split from the "Hot Deals" thread by qca7e)

[bleuwave]

Can you post a guide on how to install the cyanogenmod you used?

click here for a complete CYANOGENMOD guide for the Samsung Galaxy Ace



.

[bleuwave]

i haven't encountered anything that's distinctly a black bar..just some black dots here and there..

my wordpad opens up microsoft word so i used notepad like in your screenshot

does it hurt to keep trying unlock codes until it's successful (as in finding 8 digits in the text)?

I wouldn't do that because you only have a limited number of tries...

I thought this step was simple enough...I found my unlock code in like 30 sec. akalic, can you upload and send me your bml5.img?? you can upload it to mediafire.com and pm me.

Also, anyone else reading this having this problem can also pm me with a link to their bml5.img

[akalic]

thank you so much bleuwave!


I'm a complete android/smart phone noob. This is great. Should i just straight up get the cyanogenmod? Aftermarket mod..not sure what the purpose is yet though...hmm..

[bleuwave]

thank you so much bleuwave!


I'm a complete android/smart phone noob. This is great. Should i just straight up get the cyanogenmod? Aftermarket mod..not sure what the purpose is yet though...hmm..

Haha. THis is exactly why I make these guides lol

I don't know man. As a somewhat advanced user, I was pretty pissed off with the default rom and I needed something a LOT more customizable so I can really tweak this phone's performance. I would suggest you try to use the default samsung supplied rom for a couple of days to get used to it and then see if some things irritate you and how cyanogenmod deals with them... The big part is already done, which was rooting and unlocking on your own

The guide is always here....

[Hiroshirou]

hey bleu have you decided to change the baseband yet?

[bleuwave]

hey bleu have you decided to change the baseband yet?

Hmm..haven't done any research on that... what does changing it do?

also, always open to ideas that save battery

[Hiroshirou]

Hmm..haven't done any research on that... what does changing it do?

also, always open to ideas that save battery

it seems to add better compatibility for the cyanogenmod roms and removes roaming icon if youre with other services other than koodoo so its truly unlocked. at least from what i gather. but the problem is that no one on xda have baseband ending with KTLI4.

everyone seems to use DXKPD at http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=1289830

[Avenger]

click here for a complete CYANOGENMOD guide for the Samsung Galaxy Ace

Thanks for the guides, was very easy and worked with my version no issue. The XDA tutorials were way too complicated, and listed incorrect versions.

[ridsama]

I am glad there's a deal like this... my Optimus One just died (from previous deal, all my fault though).

Question about the unlock, I DO NOT see three "00000000" like it shows in the guide. I see "12345678" then "00000000" then "12345678" then "00000000" multiple times in the bml5.img file (it doesn't show 12345678, just example). I put in my TELUS microSIM (yeah doesn't really fit but don't want to get new SIM). Boot up, I entered 12345678 in, says unlocked. It shows TELUS in the branding now. Weird thing now is that I entered *#7465625* it still shows Network Lock [On], and in the Access Point Name (in Mobile Networks), it is still pointed to Koodo SP. Any one else get this?

P.S. Can someone tell me the TELUS SP info? Thanks.

[{PolarBear}]

Hello,

I followed the instructions here (the simplied ones from bleuwave based on S. Chan's post - and they were mostly straightforward), and am now using my phone on Rogers Pay As You Go without issues.

Just wanted to leave a note about my experience cancelling my Koodo service after purchasing the phone yesterday. The representative was telling me I had to go to a Koodo Shop to return the phone (even though I didn't buy it from there), and could not pay off the tab. Then I was told if I still wanted to cancel by phone, I would need to wait 14 days. After I asked her where I could find this information in my contract, I was put on hold for 10 minutes, then transferred to the cancellation department. The representative there reminded me on 3 occasions that my warranty would be voided if I unlocked my phone, but I could keep the phone for 3 months and then get Koodo to unlock it for me. After insisting on cancelling, I was told I would be charged $150 to clear my tab and that was it. We'll see what happens when the e-bill comes.

I just wanted to thank everyone for the information in this thread regarding the Samsung Galaxy Ace. While there is some effort involved in getting this deal (both with following instructions and cancelling the phone with Koodo), I am quite happy with this phone, and the price is great.

[wycf]

click here for a complete CYANOGENMOD guide for the Samsung Galaxy Ace
.

Thank you bleuwave for the guide. May I ask few questions:
1. Is the Ice Cream ROM stable?
2. I read in this post someone talked about "baseband", should I need worry about it?
3. Can I restore factory ROM if I decide to?

[Azevedo]

Thank you bleuwave for the guide. May I ask few questions:
1. Is the Ice Cream ROM stable?
2. I read in this post someone talked about "baseband", should I need worry about it?
3. Can I restore factory ROM if I decide to?

I have a question please, will this work on an LG android phone????

Frank

[wycf]

I got this from http://www.unlockit.co.nz
I am going to try again.

============
- Press Main
- Select Settings
- Select Wireless and Networks
- Select Mobile Networks
- Select Access point Names
- Delete all APN's in this section.
- Press Menu
- Press New APN
- Enter the follow settings one for General Data . The other for MMS

Name: CA - Speakout Web
APN: goam.com
Proxy:
Port:
Username: wapuser1
Password: wap
Server:
MMSC:
MMS Proxy:
MMS Port:
MMS Protocol: WAP 2.0
MCC:
MNC:
Authentication Type: PAP
APN Type: default, supl

PXT Messaging MMS:
Name: CA - Speakout MMS
APN:
Proxy:
Port:
Username:
Password:
Server:
MMSC:
MMS Proxy:
MMS Port:
MMS Protocol: WAP 2.0
MCC:
MNC:
Authentication Type: PAP
APN Type: mms

[kevinlekiller]

it seems to add better compatibility for the cyanogenmod roms and removes roaming icon if youre with other services other than koodoo so its truly unlocked. at least from what i gather. but the problem is that no one on xda have baseband ending with KTLI4.

everyone seems to use DXKPD at http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=1289830

I don't currently have the phone so I can't test, would using the Galaxy II XXKI4 modem file work? http://forum.xda-developers.com/show...64&postcount=5 ( I assume it wouldn't work )

Can the modem.bin file be extracted from a stock ROM backup using a program like ROM Manager and then flash it back with Odin?

[S.Chan]

I wasn’t originally planning on updating my bml5 unlocking guide, but due to the recent increase of PMs, here is an updated guide that works for both the Samsung Galaxy Ace GT-S5830D and the Samsung Galaxy Gio GT-S5660M.

And for those having difficulty finding your unlock code in the bml5.img file, I wrote a simple java program that’ll automatically find the unlock code for you.


Updated Android Terminal Emulator bml5 Unlocking Guide

Disclaimer

• There is always a risk of bricking/damaging your phone when performing an unlock
• Perform the following bml5 method at your own risk

What You Need

1. Samsung Galaxy Gio GT-S5660M or Samsung Galaxy Ace GT-S5830D
2. microSD Card with SD Card Adapter
3. Windows PC with SD Card Reader
4. (Optional) Windows PC with Java (JRE) installed

Preparation

1. Fully charge your phone
2. Do not put in a SIM card in the phone
3. Turn off your phone

Rooting the Phone

1. For the Galaxy Gio, download this root_gb_gio.zip file from psyfactor's post: http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?jzvnlbhidsd5f6l
   Or, for the Galaxy Ace, download this root_gb_ace(2).zip file from bleuwave's post: http://www.mediafire.com/?i3302znn0xb5azv
2. Copy root_gb_gio.zip (for Galaxy Gio) or root_gb_ace(2).zip (for Galaxy Ace) to the root directory of your SD card on your computer
3. Insert the SD card into the phone
4. Turn on the phone in recovery mode by holding the HOME and POWER button
   
5. Using the VOLUME UP and VOLUME DOWN buttons highlight the Install Update option and confirm the selection with the HOME button.
   
6. Using the VOLUME UP/DOWN and HOME buttons, select the root_gb_gio.zip (for Galaxy Gio) or root_gb_ace(2).zip (for Galaxy Ace) file and run the update
7. Using the VOLUME UP/DOWN and HOME buttons, select the reboot option
8. Verify that the SuperUser application icon appears on the last page (by default) of the menu screen

Obtaining the bml5.img File

1. On your phone, download and install Android Terminal Emulator from Android Market over Wi-Fi
   
2. Boot up the Android Terminal Emulator application
3. Using the on-screen keyboard, type

   su

   A prompt will appear; you must select ALLOW to give superuser access to the application
   
4. Type

   cat /dev/bml5>/sdcard/bml5.img

   N.B.: The l in bml5.img is the letter "L" and not the number "1"
   
5. Now turn off your phone

Obtaining the Unlock Code
Easy Method
N.B.: The Easy Method requires that you have Java (JRE) installed on your PC. If you do not have Java (JRE) installed, you can download and install it from Oracle Java’s website or use the Original Method below.

1. On your PC, copy the bml5.img file from your SD card to your computer
2. Download this bml5_analyzer.jar file: http://www.mediafire.com/?eveka9uyycmxxbq
3. Run bml5_analyzer.jar and select your bml5.img file
   
4. Copy down your eight digit numeric unlock code (blacked out in screenshot below) and close the program.
   

Original Method

1. On your PC, copy the bml5.img file from your SD card to your computer
2. Open the file using WordPad
   N.B.: As bml5.img is a 9 MB file, this may some time to open.
   
3. Under the EDIT menu, click FIND and search for a series of three sets of eight zeroes (i.e. search for "00000000")
   N.B.: In my file, the first set of eight zeroes appeared after clicking FIND NEXT 36 times
   
4. Your eight digit numeric unlock code (blacked out in screenshot below) will appear before the three sets of eight zeroes; copy this down
   

Unlocking the Phone
Standard Method

1. Put in a non-native SIM card into the phone (i.e. for the Gio a non-Bell/Virgin/Solo SIM Card and for the Ace a non-Telus/Koodo SIM Card).
2. Turn on the phone.
3. You will see a prompt asking for the network code.
4. Using the on-screen number-pad, enter your eight digit unlock code.
5. If successful a prompt will say "Network unlock successful". If not, then it will say "Network unlock unsuccessful"
6. To double-check, bring up the lock status screen by dialing this number:

   *#7465625#

   N.B.: All the locks on the screen should have "[OFF]" displayed
   
7. You have now successfully unlocked your phone! You can also uninstall the Android Terminal Emulator application if you like.

Alternate Method
N.B.: The commands in #2 below were found from a Google Search and have not been tested by me.

1. Turn on your phone without a SIM card.
2. Using the phone’s dialer, dial one of the following (replace CODE with your eight digit numeric unlock code):

    #7465625*638*CODE#

   OR

   *#7465625*638*CODE#

   OR

   #0111*CODE#

3. If successful a prompt will say "Network unlock successful". If not, then it will say "Network unlock unsuccessful"
4. To double-check, bring up the lock status screen by dialing this number:

   *#7465625#

   N.B.: All the locks on the screen should have "[OFF]" displayed
   
5. You have now successfully unlocked your phone! You can also uninstall the Android Terminal Emulator application if you like.

Additional Information

• The original XDA Developers bml5 unlocking thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/show...&postcount=334
• The original XDA Developers stl5 unlocking thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/show...13&postcount=1
• My modified bml5 unlocking guide for the Galaxy Ace GT-S5830D: http://forums.redflagdeals.com/samsu.../#post13666640
• My original bml5 unlocking guide for the Galaxy Gio GT-S5660M: http://forums.redflagdeals.com/samsu.../#post13510864
• My older stl5 unlocking guide for the Galaxy Gio GT-S5660M: http://forums.redflagdeals.com/elect.../#post13339850