Flash a Custom Recovery Image on the Samsung Galaxy Tab (All Versions)

Video URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=_Yg-duhVnkY

I. Before You Begin

1. You must have done our How To Root the Samsung Galaxy Tab procedure first then come back to this one.

II. Setup ADB

1. Go to our How To Setup ADB procedure and do that until you can see the serial number when typing adb devices into the command prompt then return here to continue.

III. Flash the Custom Recovery

1. Download and extract the flash_image file and the appropriate kernel file to the AndroidSDK\tools folder (the folder from doing the how to setup ADB procedure above). All the files should be inside the same folder as adb.exe.

Flash_Image

Verizon Kernel File
Sprint Kernel File (this file says VZW but it is for Sprint, don’t worry)
T-Mobile Kernel File
International GSM Kernel File

2. On the device, go to Settings > Applications > Development > and Enable USB Debugging.

3. Plug in the device via USB cable.

4. On your device download and install ROM Manager from the Market.

5. Open it and click flash recovery and choose your device. After it is done, do NOT boot into recovery, instead continue with this procedure.

6. Open a command prompt by clicking on the Start menu and typing cmd and hitting enter in the search box.

7. Now do the rest of the procedure only within the section for your device:

A. Sprint Galaxy Tab -

1. In the command prompt type the following with hitting enter at the end of each line:

cd c:\AndroidSDK\tools
adb push flash_image /data/local/bin/flash_image
adb push zImage /sdcard/
adb shell
su
chmod 755 /data/local/bin/flash_image
/data/local/bin/flash_image boot /sdcard/zImage
sync
exit
exit
adb reboot recovery

2. Your tab should reboot into recovery, and automatically begin backing up for fs conversion but it will fail at data and cache. This is fine.

3. In recovery do Wipe Data/Factory reset, then do Wipe Cache

4. Select reboot system. It will hang on the Samsung logo, when it does, just hold both volume keys down and the power key untill it powers off.

5. With the device off, hold down volume up and power until you see the Samsung logo, when you do let go.

6. Once it boots back into recovery it will restart the backing up procedure but this time it will finish.

7. Select reboot system now.

8. Now open ROM Manager again and click Flash Recovery again, choose your Tab version and wait for it to finish.

B. Verizon Galaxy Tab -

1. In the command prompt type the following with hitting enter at the end of each line:

cd c:\AndroidSDK\tools
adb push flash_image /data/local/bin/flash_image
adb push verizon_zImage /sdcard/
adb shell
su
chmod 755 /data/local/bin/flash_image
/data/local/bin/flash_image boot /sdcard/verizon_zImage
sync
exit
exit
adb reboot recovery

2. Once it boots into recovery it will restart the backing up procedure but this time it will finish.

3. Select reboot system now.

4. Now open ROM Manager again and click Flash Recovery again, choose your Tab version and wait for it to finish.

C. T-Mobile Galaxy Tab -

1. In the command prompt type the following with hitting enter at the end of each line:

cd c:\AndroidSDK\tools
adb push flash_image /data/local/bin/flash_image
adb push tmobile_zImage /sdcard/
adb shell
su
chmod 755 /data/local/bin/flash_image
/data/local/bin/flash_image boot /sdcard/tmobile_zImage
sync
exit
exit
adb reboot recovery

2. Once it boots into recovery it will restart the backing up procedure but this time it will finish.

3. Select reboot system now.

4. Now open ROM Manager again and click Flash Recovery again, choose your Tab version and wait for it to finish.

D. International GSM Galaxy Tab -

1. In the command prompt type the following with hitting enter at the end of each line:

cd c:\AndroidSDK\tools
adb push flash_image /data/local/bin/flash_image
adb push international_zImage /sdcard/
adb shell
su
chmod 755 /data/local/bin/flash_image
/data/local/bin/flash_image boot /sdcard/international_zImage
sync
exit
exit
adb reboot recovery

2. Once it boots into recovery it will restart the backing up procedure but this time it will finish.

3. Select reboot system now.

4. Now open ROM Manager again and click Flash Recovery again, choose your Tab version and wait for it to finish.

IV. Boot into Recovery

1. To boot into recovery in the future, simply go into ROM Manager and select Reboot Recovery.

V. (Optional) Load a Custom ROM

1. Head over to our How To Load a Custom ROM on the Samsung Galaxy Tab procedure to flash a custom ROM on your device.

Thanks to Koush over on XDA for his recovery image and kernels! If you appreciate his work, please let him know or donate to him!