How To Install CyanogenMod Android for Samsung Galaxy S III (Sprint) ("d2spr")

This guide will walk you through the process of taking the Galaxy S III (Sprint) from stock to having a custom recovery image and the ability to flash the latest version of CyanogenMod.

Note: DISCLAIMER

Modifying or replacing your device's software may void your device's warranty, lead to data loss, hair loss, financial loss, privacy loss, security breaches, or other damage, and therefore must be done entirely at your own risk. No one affiliated with the CyanogenMod project is responsible for your actions. Good luck.

Important Notes

Going forward, CM10.1 is no longer compatible with ICS bootloaders on this device. Please update or else you will get assert failures in recovery.

Installing a custom recovery on Galaxy S III (Sprint)

Samsung devices come with a unique boot mode called Download Mode which is very similar to Fastboot Mode on some devices with unlocked bootloaders. Heimdall is a cross-platform, open source tool for interfacing with Download Mode on Samsung devices. The preferred method of installing a custom recovery is through this boot mode. Rooting the stock firmware is neither recommended nor necessary.

1. Download koush's ClockworkMod Recovery, and the Heimdall Suite:
   • koush's ClockworkMod Recovery: download

     md5: a26607d1b4ec21b608b6122ed51e1e7b

   • Windows:
     • Heimdall Suite 1.4RC1 Command-line Binary(has bug): download
     • Heimdall Suite 1.4RC2 Command-line Binary: download

       NOTE: The Heimdall Suite 1.4RC2 requires the Microsoft Visual C++ 2012 Redistributable Package to be installed on the computer, which can be downloaded here. You will need the 32/64 bit version as required by Heimdall, NOT as required by your OS. Heimdall currently seems to be 32 bit. You may well ACTUALLY need to reboot for the redistributable to install properly.

   • Linux 32bit:
     • Heimdall Suite 1.4RC1 Command-line Binary: download
   • Linux 64bit:
     • Heimdall Suite 1.4RC1 Command-line Binary: download
   • Mac OS X:
     • Heimdall Suite 1.4RC1 Command-line Binary: download
       • Place the libusb-1.0.0.dylib library from the zip inside /opt/local/lib on the machine.
   • Building From Source: The source code for the Heimdall Suite is available on Github. For more details about how to compile the Heimdall Suite, please refer to the README provided on Github or refer to the instructions to Install and compile Heimdall.
2. Power off the Galaxy S III (Sprint) and connect the USB adapter to the computer but not to the Galaxy S III (Sprint).
3. Now boot the Galaxy S III (Sprint) into download mode by holding down Home & Volume Down & Power. Accept the disclaimer. After this insert the USB cable into the device.

   Windows only:

   1. Run the included zadig.exe in the drivers folder of the Heimdall Suite.
   2. Choose Options » List All Devices from the menu.
   3. Select Samsung USB Composite Device or Gadget Serial or Device Name from the drop down menu.
   4. Click Replace Driver (having selecting "Installed Driver" from the drop down list built into the button).

      NOTE: A prompt may appear warning that the installer is unable to verify the publisher of the driver, ignore it and select "Install this driver anyway." Also you may receive two strange prompts, possibly from Windows, about security. Cancel then both and just carry on.

      NOTE: On Windows 8 you must disable driver signature enforcement in order to use zadig.

4. Place koush's ClockworkMod Recovery file into the Heimdall directory.
5. On the computer, open a terminal and run the following command from the Heimdall directory:

   heimdall flash --recovery recovery.img --no-reboot

   Tip: It may be necessary to run the command as root in Linux distributions, ie "sudo heimdall [...]". If a blue bar doesn't show up after the process has finished or this appears: "Failed to confirm end of file transfer sequence!", it may be a symptom.

   Tip: it may be necessary to capitalize the name of the partition on some devices... ie --KERNEL instead of --kernel

   Tip: protocol initialization can (does?) fail if the device is connected via a USB hub - connect directly to the PC

   Tip: If on Linux 64bit you get "unable to execute ./heimdall: No such file or directory" - try the 32bit version and make sure to run it with sudo.

6. A blue transfer bar will appear on the device showing the recovery being transferred.
7. You need now to manually reboot the phone into ClockworkMod Recovery mode by holding Vol Up & Home & Power.
8. The Galaxy S III (Sprint) now has ClockworkMod Recovery installed. Continue to the next section.

Helpful Tip

• The stock ROM may overwrite your custom recovery on boot. To prevent this, boot immediately into ClockworkMod Recovery after leaving Download Mode instead of letting the ROM boot up normally. If your recovery is overwritten, simply redo the steps you followed above and catch it before it boots next time.
  
• Some users have reported connection errors if the device is connected to a USB hub. If you experience such errors it is recommended that you try connecting your device to a USB port on the motherboard.

Installing CyanogenMod from recovery

Note:

Some devices do not have removable SD cards. Regardless, there should still be a partition on the device named "/sdcard" that can be used for flashing purposes, even though the contents of /sdcard may actually be in internal storage.

1. Download the prebuilt release of CyanogenMod you wish to install. (Or if you've built CM yourself, look in the $OUT directory for the .zip.)

   Optional: Download any supplemental 3rd-party applications packages for the device you wish to use.

2. You may well need now to hold of adb for your platform. Typically this involves downloading the entire Android SDK from Google, to run this one binary once; this is however a zip file, not an installer, so it's not so painful.
3. Place the CyanogenMod rom .zip file on the root of the SD card:
   • Transfer your file(s): adb push YOURROMZIP.zip /sdcard/
     • If you boot directly to recovery and have an internal sdcard, you may need to run adb shell mount /data or mount data through the recovery menu before transferring.
     • If you see "error: device not found" there is likely a driver issue on the PC.

   See adb documentation for additional help with this step.

   On some devices, the zip file can be copied to the device using standard USB storage or MTP support.

   Optional: Place any supplemental packages (eg Google Apps or kernel) .zip file(s) on the root of the SD card.

4. Boot to recovery mode on the device by holding Vol Up & Home & Power.
5. Once the device boots into the ClockworkMod Recovery, use the physical volume buttons to move up and down. On most devices, the power button is used to confirm your selection, although for some devices the power button is used as a "back" button to go up one level, in which case the home button is used to confirm the selection.

   Optional/Recommended: Select backup and restore to create a backup of the current installation on the device.

6. Select the option to wipe data/factory reset.
7. Select install zip from sdcard.
8. Select choose zip from sdcard.
9. Select the CyanogenMod file you placed on the sdcard. You will then need to then confirm that you do wish to flash this file.

   Optional: Install any additional packages you wish using the same method.

10. Once the installation has finished, return back to the main menu, and select the reboot system now option. The device should now boot into CyanogenMod.

Helpful Tip

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