Last month we discussed how to install CyanogenMod on supported devices using the very easy-to-use CM installer. As promised, in this guide we will advise how to install CM on currently unsupported devices. There are a lot of guides available online for this procedure but they tend to be rather basic. Here we will try to provide a detailed approach to each step and simplify the process as much as possible. This is not an easy process and you really do need to follow the instructions exactly.
This guide is mostly for Samsung devices due to some of the software used. If you are using a different device then you will need to source the appropriate software but the instructions will be the same.
Warning
Installing a new OS system is dangerous. Firstly, installing CM will VOID your warranty. This is unavoidable. If you are under warranty than it is probably best to not install CM at this point and stick to the stock ROM. Secondly, installing a new OS system can cause significant and detrimental system errors. You can brick your phone by doing this procedure. If anything goes wrong when installing it can stop your device working completely. If this happens, most of the time it can be fixed but you need to be aware this can damage your device permanently and detrimentally. Use this guide as an informational-purpose tool. Use this information at your own RISK. Neither we not your manufacturer will accept responsibility for anything that happens to your device.
Additional Warning: The following procedure WILL wipe and factory reset your device. You WILL lose all data, media and files. So BACKUP, BACKUP, BACKUP
Step 1 – Files needed
Firstly you need to download four files. The first of these files is Odin. This is a tool which will allow you to flash (push) software onto your system and effectively activate the software. For supported devices the CM installer does this for you. However for the unsupported devices this has to be manually done by the user. So firstly download Odin. NOTE: This is mainly for Samsung devices. As already mentioned you will have to source an alternative to Odin (or version) for your specific device.
Once you have downloaded Odin the file will be in zip format. Unzip the file and place all three files in an ‘Odin’ named folder on your desktop. For now there is nothing else to install. Odin works directly from these three files without installing on your computer.
After you have downloaded Odin you now need to download a recovery file. The recovery we are suggesting for CM is ClockworkMod which is commonly used with CM and tends to work well. Download ClockworkMod by clicking here. There are alternatives such as TWRP but for CM we suggest ClockworkMod.
You will also need to download the appropriate CM software. Currently CM11 is the newest OS available although this won’t be available to all unsupported devices and you made need to download a slightly older version first such as 10.2. This will mainly apply to devices which have a letter at the end of their model number. For example GT-i9100“P”
To download the correct CM for your device click here and search for your specific device name and model number. Once you have located the correct device page download the newest CM zip file listed. This will be the file listed at the top.
N.B. When downloading the CM file there are a couple of points to note. CM defines their installs by three groups.
The first is listed as Stable. This literally means this is the most secure and tested version of the operating system. This is the best version of any CM install and will include the least amount of bugs and errors. Stable literally means tried and tested.
The second CM grouping is Snapshot. Similar to Stable the Snapshot installs are also relatively stable and have already gone through a good degree of testing and should include only a minor amount of bugs and issues. However this is not as reliable as the Stable version and should only be used when a Stable version is unavailable.
The last CM grouping is Nightlies. This grouping refers to the most experimental of the CM installs. Nightlies are very raw and early prototypes of the OS and are likely to include significant bugs and issues. These are called Nightlies as they usually are updated on a daily basis and as such are far more dangerous to use than either the Stable or Snapshot version.
Check which version of CM is available for your device and download accordingly.
Lastly for step 1 you will have to download the latest version of Gapps. Due to legal reasons many custom ROM’s are not allowed to include Google Apps (Play Store, Gmail etc) along with the install. Instead you will need to download Gapps separately. Again you will need to make sure you are downloading the correct Gapps file. If you are planning to install a KitKat version of CM than make sure you install a KitKat version of Gapps. If you are installing Jelly Bean than again make sure the Gapps you are downloading is compatible with Jelly Bean. You can follow the link for the Gapps download page and then just find the correct android version.
Step 2 – Load files
By now you should have four files downloaded
• Odin
• Recovery (ClockworkMod)
• CyanogenMod (CM)
• Gapps
Odin and Recovery will stay on your computer. For CM and Gapps you will now need to place these two downloads on your device directly. So using your USB cable connect your device to the computer and load the two files to your external SD card. It is VERY important you upload these to the EXTERNAL memory and not the internal memory. You need these to be easily available after the factory wipe so make sure they are on an external drive.
Step 3 – Odin
Now you should have four files, Odin, Recovery, CM and Gapps. The last two (CM & Gapps) should have been loaded on to your device and Odin should be on your computer. For step 3 you should now open the Odin folder (on your computer) and click the exe file. Once opened an Odin screen will be shown.
In the image above you will notice under Option both the Auto Reboot and F. Reset Time are both ticked while Re-Partition is not ticked. Make sure this is the case for you. Only two of the three should be ticked. On the right of the screen under Files (Download) you should now click on PDA. Once clicked a drop-down screen will appear and you will need to identify the recovery.tar file we previously downloaded. Once found, click on the file and you will see it appear in the PDA box. You should then see some data loading under Message.
This should conclude with “<OSM> Leave CS..”
At this point you should power down your device completely. Once the power is off wait ten seconds for all residual power to subside. Now boot your device into recovery mode. This will vary slightly by device but the most common method is to hold down the Volume down, Power and Home buttons all at the same time. If this does not work for you than quickly search Google for How to boot into recovery plus your device model for the correct buttons to press. If the boot is successful the device logo will appear. Continue to hold the buttons until the recovery image appears. You will then get a short warning explaining the dangers with custom ROM’s. Press the volume up button to continue.
This screen provides you with two options – the left image is the recovery mode. If you haven’t made a back-up than you should select this option, hit backup, power down again and reboot into recovery again. The second image is for downloading. This is the option we need so select the right image. Once selected the Android logo will appear with Downloading - Do not turn off target underneath. Your device is now ready to communicate with Odin. Using your USB cable connect the device to your computer while in the download mode. Immediately Odin should recognize your device and under ID: COM (on Odin) the first box should change color (usually blue, green or yellow). Once this changes color Odin has recognized your device and you are now ready to flash. Simply hit Start and the process will begin. Once the flashing has finished the colored box under ID: COM will state either OK, PASS or RESET. Do not unplug your device until one of these words appear. Once the process has finished the device will automatically reboot. You have now completed Step 4 and upgraded your recovery and ready to install CM directly. You can now unplug your device.
Step 4 – ClockworkMod
If you have reached Step 4 without issue than by now your device will be powered back up and it will look as though nothing has changed. This is good. All we have done so far is upgrade your recovery to ClockworkMod which is one of the main recoveries used to flash and install new ROM’s. In fact if you decide to try one of the many other ROM’s available than you should be able to now skip the previous steps and install the ROM from this point on. Odin will hardly ever need to be used again unless you encounter problems with your device.
OK, Step 4. You will now need to power down your device again and reboot identical to how we did in Step 3 but this time selecting the left (recovery) image. This is where the change in Step 3 occurred. If you backed up using the previously recovery you will now notice the recovery is completely different.
Using this recovery you will first need to clean the system ready for the new install. Not completing this step can cause major problems and brick your device so please do complete the following steps.
• Navigate down (using volume down button) to wipe data/factory reset and press the power button. Another screen will appear. Scroll down to yes and press the power button.
• Navigate down to wipe cache partition, press power button, scroll down to yes.
• Navigate down to advanced, scroll down to wipe dalvik cache, scroll down to yes. Once this is completed scroll down to Go back.
Now we have a clean system and ready for the new install.
Step 5 – Installation
By now, most of the hard work has been done and we are very nearly there. Only the installs left to do.
While still in recovery mode scroll down to install zip and press the power button. This will bring up a new screen. If you remember we saved the install on the external memory card and so we now need to scroll down to choose zip from /storage/sdcard1 and press the power button.
N.B. ‘sdcard1’ refers to the external storage while ‘sdcard0’ refers to your internal SD card.
The contents of your external SD card should be in view now and you simply need to scroll down to the named CM install file, press the power button, scroll down to yes and press the power button again. The install will now begin. This sometimes can take a long time so be patient and let it complete.
Once the install has finished you will see a short message on the screen install from sdcard complete. Now scroll down to ‘Go back’. Once on the previous screen again scroll down to install zip, down to /storage/sdcard1 and find the Gapps file you saved. Again press the power button, confirm by pressing yes and let the install run.
Once the Gapps has finished and again you received the ‘install from sdcard complete’ scroll down to ‘Go Back’, scroll down to ‘Go back’ again (and again if you need to depending on your device) and you should see at the very top of the screen Reboot device. Click the power button and a reboot will begin.
OK. As long as we have not encountered any problems so far than you should have successfully installed CM on your device. Once the phone reboots there are two crucial stages which need to pass for a successful install. The first is the device logo i.e. Samsung etc. If this appears than stage 1 is safe. If the logo does not show or the screen remains black something has gone wrong. Once the logo appears it should after a couple of seconds disappear again. If the logo appears but does not disappear than you are stuck in a boot loop and again something has gone wrong with the install.
Once the manufacturer logo disappears you should see the new CM boot animation (stage 2). If this appears than all is good so far and CM is loading. Now when booting for the first time this can sometimes take a very long time to load so don’t panic if your screen remains on the boot animation for a while. Eventually the boot animation will finish and you will see the new CM interface. If for any reason the device remains on the boot animation than again something has gone wrong with the install.
Once both animations have come and gone you will be greeted with the new ‘Welcome to CM’ screen and you have successfully installed CM. Enjoy.
If you have an issue at either stage 1 or 2 during boot up than you should immediately power down, reboot into recovery and install the backup you made – remember, I did tell you to backup. This is why. After reinstalling the backup your device will hopefully revert back to its previous state before we installed anything. You can then try again if you wish by repeating the steps or by trying other install versions.
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