Last Updated on July 20, 2022 by Mathew Diekhake

Thanks to the ever hard-working team at XDA Developers and in particular a member by the name of CF-Root, there is an incredibly simple method to do this. If you want to root the Galaxy S2 I9100 running Ice Cream Sandwich and install ClockworkMod Recovery as well as BusyBox, then follow the guide below. This is for the XXLPQ firmware.

Since Android finally released the official Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update for the Sammy S2 series, the earlier rooting methods that were once successful and no longer that way. You must find a new rooting method such as the one we have here below. In addition to finding a new guide, you’ll also find a bunch of new custom ROMS you should be able to install without any worries, as new third-party developers scramble to make new ROMs operating on the latest software builds. Of course, one of the largest reasons for installing a custom ROM is to get updates quicker than waiting around for the stock and official Android firmware to finally reach your device as an over-the-air update. That reason should still be working as we get closer to what probably will eventually be an Android 4.1 update if history tells us anything.

Samsung Galaxy S2

While rooting Android devices are always fun, it does come with some dangers. You might soft-brick the device. That means it gets stuck in a boot loop or it is running with bugs that are running your Android experience. A hard-brick is another option — and a far worse one at that. Should you suffer from a hard-bricked device, it likely means it’s time for a new one. hard bricks are extremely rare and most likely you will be stuck in a soft brick scenario. However, you should understand that the warranty is void when following the guide which means you cannot send it away to the OEW and get them to fix a soft brick situation for you. Instead you’ll need to pay somebody.

The guide installs a custom recovery image on your device which is then used to flash a custom ROM. You see, a stock recovery always comes with Android devices automatically. but it doesn’t come with the flashing zip file option. Of course, you must flash the custom ROM zip file before you can be running the ROM; thus you must install a custom recovery first. The two most people images to install these days include Team Win’s TWRP recovery and CWM recovery. We are rolling with the CWM recovery today.

Things you need:

  • You have a Samsung Galaxy S2 GT-I9100. The guide is ONLY for this particular device.
  • Your device has at least 60% battery life.
  • You back up your personal data.

Rooting the Samsung Galaxy S2 and installing the ClockworkMod custom recovery on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich

  1. First you will need to download the following files:
  1. Once downloaded you will need to extract it to somewhere which is easy to locate, such as your desktop. You should have a .tar.md5 file present.
  2. Launch Odin from your desktop by double clicking on the file.
  3. Switch off your device, then reboot it into Download Mode. To achieve this hold down the ‘Power’ + ‘Volume Down’ + ‘Home’ buttons together until you see the Warning message screen. At this stage you can release all buttons and just press ‘Volume Up’ to get into Download mode.
  4. Connect your Galaxy S2 I9100 to your device via USB. Once this is done, you should be able to see the ‘Added!’ message in the bottom left box within Odin’s main screen. Please note that if you can’t see this you may need to install the device drivers and try the process again.
  5. From the Odin screen, click on ‘PDA’ before finding and selecting the .tar.md5 file.
  6. Make sure that the only boxes which are checked in the Odin screen are the following:
  7. Auto Reboot.
  8. F .Reset time.
  9. NO OTHER BOXES SHOULD BE CHECKED.
  10. Now from Odin simply hit the ‘Start’ button to start flashing. You will be able to see if the process has been a success if you see ‘PASS!’ in the top left side box in Odin (it will be green). If this doesn’t appear you may need to close everything down and turn off your device before removing the Galaxy S2 I9100 battery for 5 seconds. Just reinsert and repeat steps 3 – 8.
  11. It is safe to disconnect your device once it has rebooted and your S2 logo appears.