Unlike the more modern types of the Galaxy, once the older one begin to age, they struggle to get the more recent updates. Still, any upgrade is better than none if you want to try something new on your handset. If that sounds like something you’re interested in and you own a Galaxy I900o made by Samsung, then you can put the XXJW4 Gingerbread on it.

This one is a bit different compared to any of the more modern firmware; we use these days, but it will always go down as one of the classics. It was around the time that Android started to kick into gear, and a big part of the success that made that happen is attributed to this fantastic software.

As far as we are aware, this originally came out of the Google nexus device. Nexus has a history of being the first mobile phones to get the goodies due to its close relationship with Google and of course Android itself is owned by the big G company. Put those two things together, and it means a smart buy because you know you will always be getting a good deal with it constantly being the platform used to showcase the goods on.

The update happened over the air for selected countries. If you were in one of the selected countries, you can simply update from your settings. If you are not within any of those regions, however, you will need to follow this guide to receive the update.

 New Features Inside This Build

  • As soon as you turn on the Cell phone after installing it you will notice a different UI. It’s not a drastic difference that will scare you away because it’s always in the company’s best interests to have you somewhat familiar with what you are using so you continue to use it as much as possible. It is also a good business formula because by issuing things in small does it gives you just enough to keep you interested while giving them more things in the bank to make sure they can keep changing what they have and delivering you guys the goods.
  • The notification bar will differ with a nice green color feature on the labels like a battery and things like reception. You also have that being contrasted with a gray and black background for the most part. Now it isn’t the part that you can change as the wallpaper, but just when you are looking at the menu’s which have a habit of staying the same, it will be there.
  • It is a bit of extra work, but if you have not tried this classic ROM yet, then I highly recommend checking it out before it becomes ancient. It is the first Android ROM I encountered, and the only one I have spent substantial time with so far.

 Checklist

  • Turn off any antivirus software that you are running on a Windows computer and also the Galaxy I9000. Sometimes this security software can interfere with ODIN, and this causes problems. We need to avoid it by temporarily disabling any if there is some running. Just remember to turn it back on again when you finish or else you will start browsing the web unprotected, and that’s a bad thing!
  • Everybody needs to enable USB Debugging mode before continuing from the settings.
  • Make sure you have the Samsung USB Drivers that work for this handset and are the up to date version.
  • Some people are experiencing a shaky OS after the installation, and I’ll tell you why that is and how to fix it. All people do this before starting the guide not just afterwards when facing the issue. Doing this will prevent it from happening in the first place.
  • The first thing you need to do is press volume Up button and HOME and enter the Recovery mode.From inside stock recovery mode press ‘Wipe data/ factory reset’ followed by ‘Wipe cache partition.’
  • Then head to the advanced settings tab and disable the Voodoo Lag fix.
  • And lastly stay inside the advanced settings and clear the Dalvik Cache.
  • Don’t start the guide unless you have made a full backup of the personal data and settings. Common practise is backing up photos, videos, music and other data such as call logs and SMS text. The hardest part is backing up the market apps and if you struggle with this try using the helium application available from the Google Play Store.

Installing the XXJW4 Android 2.3.6 Gingerbread update

1. Download the I9000XWJWB_I9000XEEJW2_XEE.zip firmware. The tool you will use to load it is Odin 3.07.

2. Extract both files to your desktop. We recommend this way because it is just easier to find the data. To do this from a Windows PC, you will need to select save as and then choose the desktop as a place.

3. Using the guide supplied if you don’t already know how, put the phone into download mode.

4. Run the Odin we previously downloaded by double clicking on the mouse when it is positioned on top of the file and make sure it is being run with administrator rights. This part is a little more tricky because you will have to right-click once and then press the option that says it.

5. Connect the Galaxy I9000 to the computer with a USB cable. Where is that? It will be inside the case that it came with when you bought.

6. Using the firmware file we unzipped before, grab the code file. Put this one where it says PDA.

7. Leave the default settings as they are inside.

8. Done? Great! Now in the middle of ODIN is the option that says start on it. Press it now to begin flashing your Galaxy device. It may take a few good minutes to complete so go and grab a cuppa while you wait. When it finishes, the mobile will reboot. It is normal. Wait for it to reload again.

9. Now disconnect the Galaxy I9000 from the computer once it finishes. You can see a good time is when the boot animation has been and gone.

10. Remember to always right-click the USB symbol in the Windows taskbar and click on the green arrow that says ‘safely remove hardware’ when you hover the cursor over it. Now right-click > select the gray area >USB Mass Storage Device > stop button > select the flash drive in the ‘stop a hardware device’ section and click OK. It will now say ‘safe to remove hardware’ in a bubble that’s popped up on the taskbar.

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