How to Flash Samsung Firmware Using Odin
How to Install ROM (.tar.md5) using Odin
Before you Begin:
Take care of following:
Task 1: Install USB drivers for your device on your PC. You can download and install Samsung Kies which will automatically install device drivers.
Task 2: Be sure to backup your data including Contacts, SMS / MMS, APN & MMS Settings as well as photos and videos stored on your device’s internal or external storage.
Task 3: Make sure that your device is well charged. Ideally, the battery level should be around 60-80%. The more the better.
Task 4: USB Debugging should be enabled on your device.
Task 5: Make sure that Samsung Kies is not running.
Note: Installing official firmware / stock ROM does not involve much risks most of the time. However, try this at your own risk. We will not be responsible for any hard done to your device.
Step 1:
Download the official firmware zip package for your device. Then extract the downloaded zip file. After extracting, you will either get one .tar / .tar.md5 file or will get multiple files.
- If you get one file , it will have everything inside it: PDA + Phone + CSC.
- If you get multiple files , there will be separate files for PDA, Phone & CSC.
Step 2:
Download Odin3 v3.12.3.zip and extract the downloaded zip file. You will get following files:
- Odin3 v3.04.exe
- tmax.dll
- zlib.dll
- Odin3.ini
Step 3:
Right click on Odin3 v3.12.3.exe and run it as administrator to start Odin.
Step 4:
Boot your device in download mode. For most Samsung devices, you will need to do this:
- Switch your device off.
- Press & hold Power + Home + Volume down buttons till you see a triangle and Android robot.
- Now press the Volume up button to confirm entering the download mode.
Step 5:
Once it is in download mode, connect your device to the computer via USB cable.
When your device is connected, one of Odin ID:COM boxes will turn yellow and display the COM port number. See the screenshot below:
Odin3 ID:COM yellow
Important: If you do not see the port number in any of ID:COM boxes or if the box does not turn yellow, please do not proceed and check if the USB drivers are installed correctly and the device is connected via USB. If you do see the message, it means that your device was detected successfully by Odin and you can now flash any firmware files onto your device using Odin.
Step 6:
If the firmware zip package had just one file, click on PDA button, then browse and select the firmware file (.tar or .tar.md5).
OR
If the firmware package had multiple files:
- Click on PDA button, then browse and select the file that has CODE / PDA in its name.
- Click on Phone button and select the file that has MODEM in its name.
- Click on CSC button and select the file with CSC in its name.
Skip any files that you did not find in the package.
Step 7:
Make sure that you do not mess up with checkboxes:
- Auto Reboot and F. Reset Time checkboxes should be selected
- All other checkboxes should be unchecked.
Step 8:
After selecting the appropriate files, click on “Start” button in Odin.
This will kick off the process to flash the ROM. Please do not disconnect your device during the process.
Step 9:
Once flashing is complete, your device will reboot. You can now disconnect from the PC and start using it.
That’s it. You can use these steps to flash ROM on your Android device using Odin.
A Beginner’s Guide on Odin Buttons & Checkboxes:
Odin is a very useful tool that communicates with connected Android device (in download mode) and lets you install / flash ROM on your Android device. It’s an internal Samsung tool that is used for flashing firmware on devices. It’s available for Windows only. It’s very important to understand Odin and know about all the options that the program offers. Here is everything you need to know about the tool.
What is Odin?
Odin is a tool developed by Samsung to be used internally. It is used to flash firmware onto Android devices. You can flash .tar, .tar.md5 or .bin firmware files using Odin. There are different versions of Odin available. You can choose one depending on your device.
Odin3 v3.12.3.exe
Understanding Odin Options
First, lets see what does the checkbox options do:
Auto Reboot: This option, when checked, reboots the system automatically after flashing is done.
Re-Partition: So, what does re-partition do in Odin? It repartitions your device filesystem to the default (RFS).
F . Reset Time: It resets the flashing timer after the flash process is complete.
And here is what different buttons mean and what they are used for:
PIT: Partition Information Table. If you checked the “Re-Partition” checkbox, you should also specify a .pit file to repartition the file system.
Bootloader: This button is used to flash the device Bootloader.
PDA: It refers to the firmware build. You can use this button to select the ROM or Kernel that you want to flash on to your device.
Phone: It refers to baseband / modem version.
CSC: Consumer Software Customization. Click this button and select the CSC file. It contains region or carrier specific files and may also include APN / MMS settings for that carrier.
Please be aware that you need to be very careful while using Odin. Especially with “Re-Partition” option you need to select the right PIT file. If you do not have the right .pit file, do not check “Re-Partition” option as it may brick your phone.
You need to select the right file against each button. Click on the button, browse and select the appropriate file. These files are usually found inside a firmware zip package. If used carefully and in the right way, Odin is very handy tool.