There is a cool new app out now on the market which lets you flash Kernels from the phone itself. I think it's from the same guy that made the great BLN app.

It needs Root/SuperUser permissions.

Basically, you just copy the Kernel .tar file to your internal SD, then point this app at it and press go. I just used it to flash to DarkCore v2.6 and it was completely painless.

LINK HERE (https://market.android.com/details?id=neldar.sgs.kernel.flasher)

Clockworkmod app built into lightening rom and available as a seperate kernel from chainfire can do this rather neatly as well.

Just installed it, not that I am planning on changing kernel any time soon. Lol
Alison

I followed the instructions below to debrand my phone in the vain hope I could update the firmware to KE7 rather than waiting for Three to send it out. Sadly I`m not entirely sure if I`ve done it right or wasted my time. I`ve got rid of all remnants of Three on the phone but when i connect the phone to my pc via Kies I`m not sure if what I see listed next to the firmware version is correct. is there anyone here who might be able to give me some advice?

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1064894

Go into settings - about phone and it should tell you.

I followed the instructions below to debrand my phone in the vain hope I could update the firmware to KE7 rather than waiting for Three to send it out. Sadly I`m not entirely sure if I`ve done it right or wasted my time. I`ve got rid of all remnants of Three on the phone but when i connect the phone to my pc via Kies I`m not sure if what I see listed next to the firmware version is correct. is there anyone here who might be able to give me some advice?

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1064894


Dude, you do know those instructions are for the Galaxy S2 right ?

Old news dude xD

Dude, you do know those instructions are for the Galaxy S2 right ?

I do indeed buddy, just lucky thats the phone I`m talking about ;-)

Ah good :)

With the thread being labelled I9000, I feared the worst.

All is well.

Ah good :)

With the thread being labelled I9000, I feared the worst.

All is well.

It would be if I could get the debranded phone to update to KE7 over Kies. I fear I`ll now have to flash KE7 to the phone via Odin. Trouble is I need to find pleb-proof instructions including a link to the KE7 file I need for Odin.

Well KE7 is RIGHT HERE (http://hotfile.com/dl/119655703/916c666/I9100XWKE7_ITVKE5_XWKE1.rar.html) but there is a newer firmware out now (KF1) which is RIGHT HERE (http://hotfile.com/dl/120764162/0c064b1/I9100XWKF1.rar.html).

Odin is simpler than it looks, but you should join up and have a read of SAMFIRMWARE.COM (http://www.samfirmware.com). It's free to join, and a great source of SGS and SGS2 firmwares :)

Er, just so you know, I have no experience at all of the SGS2 so don't expect much advice from me, though there are plenty of people on here that know their way around the S2 :)

Well KE7 is RIGHT HERE (http://hotfile.com/dl/119655703/916c666/I9100XWKE7_ITVKE5_XWKE1.rar.html) but there is a newer firmware out now (KF1) which is RIGHT HERE (http://hotfile.com/dl/120764162/0c064b1/I9100XWKF1.rar.html).

Odin is simpler than it looks, but you should join up and have a read of SAMFIRMWARE.COM (http://www.samfirmware.com). It's free to join, and a great source of SGS and SGS2 firmwares :)

Er, just so you know, I have no experience at all of the SGS2 so don't expect much advice from me, though there are plenty of people on here that know their way around the S2 :)

Cheers, thats still a great help. You`re a good man. Does anyone know that if I downloaded KF1 that the process for flashing it via Odin is the same as the process I followed for debranding the phone? I hate keep asking so many questions so sorry if anyone`s getting fed up of them. I promise to stop asking once I get the info I need ;-)

It seems to be very similar to the I9000 when it comes to flashing firmware.

According to samfirmware.com, if the download extracts to a single file, DON'T select repartition.

If it extracts to 3 seperate files, DO select repartition.

You are supposed to use the EXT4 pit file in any case, which doesn't really make sense, but they know what they're talking about I guess.

I presume you know which file goes where in Odin if you have more than 1 file in the download ?

It seems to be very similar to the I9000 when it comes to flashing firmware.

According to samfirmware.com, if the download extracts to a single file, DON'T select repartition.

If it extracts to 3 seperate files, DO select repartition.

You are supposed to use the EXT4 pit file in any case, which doesn't really make sense, but they know what they're talking about I guess.

I presume you know which file goes where in Odin if you have more than 1 file in the download ?

I`d like to say i do but sadly you lost me at the bit about the partition! lol

I`m very new to this flashing lark. I`m also regretting being impatient about KE7. My own fault eh?

Update: Turns out the reason my pc wouldnt detect the new firmware update was because I`m on a work pc going through an internet proxy for internet access. Kies didnt like it. once I unplugged the lan and disabled the proxy so that I had a pure internet connection over wireless Kies detected the update instantly. So I`m now working on a SGS2 with KE7 . Woohoo! Thanks to everyone who has helped with this.