Root Samsung Galaxy S II On Android 2.3.3 [How To Tutorial]

Samsung’s Galaxy S II has barely been launched and thanks to developer Chainfire of XDA-Developer fame, it has been rooted already for full file system access.

As PocketNow reports, Superuser access is gained by using the Samsung flashing utility ‘Odin’ to flash the handset with a custom kernel. After a reboot Superuser access is available by using the ‘adb’ program which is part of the Android SDK.

One downside to this process is the fact that the Root access isn’t permanent, though further steps should put that little hiccup right.

Root access granted by this method is not permanent – it requires further steps such as the manual loading of su, busybox, and Superuser.apk to enable permanent superuser access. Notably, Chainfire was able to re-package this modified kernel by using methods effective on the Galaxy S series of devices, without an actual SGS II to develop/test with.

Samsung’s Galaxy S II is the eagerly awaited successor to the ever-popular Galaxy S (obviously enough) and is expected to be a popular handset amongst Android fans due to its impressive hardware specification and 4.3inch Super AMOLED Plus screen.

Want to Root the device? Follow the instructions below, as posted on XDA forum:

Following is a guide on how to perform the root. It is rather easy if you know the drill from other Galaxy devices, but if you are a complete beginner with Samsung phones or Android in general, please read very closely! Try to remember what you do, as likely in the future you’ll be using ODIN more often, to flash custom kernels, custom/leaked firmwares, etc.

Quick guide (for experienced users)
– Reboot into download mode
– Using the attached Odin version, flash the attached XWKDD kernel as PDA. Do not use the PIT, do not have any options checked except for "Auto reboot" and "F. Reset Time"
– Wait for the device to reboot
– Use the "adb root" command to restart ADB in root mode, followed by "adb shell" to get a rooted shell; then you can manually push Superuser.apk / su, busybox, OR use SuperOneClick to finish the job for you.

Long guide (for beginners)
– Download the attached ODIN file and extract the .zip file
– Download the attached XWKDD, but do NOT extract the .tar file
– Download and extract SuperOneClick
– If you do not have Samsung’s KIES 2.0 installed, download and install it. You need it to install the correct USB drivers, so the programs can communicate with the device. Reboot your computer after installation of KIES.
– Make sure your device is in USB debugging mode: Settings -> Applications -> Development -> USB debugging
– Reboot your device into download mode: Turn the device off, then power it on again by pressing and holding VolumeDown + Home + Power simultaneously. You will know when you are in download mode, it is really obvious
– Start ODIN
– Connect the device to your computer using USB
– Wait a few seconds, the ODIN screen should show you that a device is now connected
– Make sure that in ODIN NOTHING is checked, except the "Auto reboot" and "F. Reset Time" checkboxes. Press the "PDA" button, and select the "XWKDD_insecure.tar" file.
– Press "Start". ODIN you should now be flashing the kernel, and the device should reboot.
– Wait until the device is rebooted, and while still being connected over USB, start SuperOneClick, and press ROOT.
– Reboot the device
– Done !

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