There is no doubt the Galaxy S2 i9100G users are super happy today. After all, they got their much coveted and very eagerly anticipated Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich Update, with the i9000GXXLPQ firmware which was made available for manual flashing.

And for that ICS happiness to stay you want root access too, not only to use backup apps to restore your apps and data, but also for a variety of other things. And same goes for Clockworkmod (CWM) recovery which is your one-man-show tool for taking full ROM backups, restoring them, and flashing new ROMs.

So, follow the guide below to root and install CWM recovery on the XXLPQ firmware on your Galaxy S2 i9100G. See you on the other side.

Compatibility

The guide below is compatible only and only with Galaxy S2, model number I9100G. It’s not compatible with the I9100 or any other device. Check your device’s model number in: Settings » About phone.

Warning!

The methods and procedures discussed here are considered risky and you should not attempt anything if you don’t know completely what it is. If any damage occurs to your device, we won’t be held liable.

How to Root XXLPQ Firmware on Galaxy S2 i9100G

  1. First, make sure to flash the Android 4.0 XXLPQ firmware your phone by following the guide → here.
  2. It’s important you’ve the proper drivers for the phone installed. If you have installed Samsung’s Kies software, you already have the drivers, so download them only if you haven’t installed Kies (Skip if you installed drivers while flashing the XXLPQ firmware in step 1).
    Download Drivers  |  Alternate Link for Drivers
  3. Download the LP7 kernel which is required for achieving root access.
    LP7 Kernel  |  Filename: GT-I9100G_LP7_ClockworkMod-Recovery_5.5.0.4.tar
  4. Download the root package.
    Download Link  |  Filename: Root.zip
  5. Copy the file Root.zip to the internal SD card on the phone.
  6. Download Odin 1.85 from → here.
    Filename: Odin 1.85.zip | Size: 199 KB
  7. Extract the contents of the Odin 1.85.zip file to a folder.
  8. Disconnect your phone if it’s connected to PC, then switch it off.
  9. Now, put the Galaxy S2 in Download Mode — press and hold these keys together: Volume Down + Home + Power. A Warning! screen will come up; press Volume Up key to continue to enter Download Mode.
  10. Open Odin — double-click the Odin3 v1.85.exe that you got after extracting the file Odin 1.85.zip.
  11. In ODIN, click on the PDA button, then select the GT-I9100G_LP7_ClockworkMod-Recovery_5.5.0.4.tar file obtained in step 3.
  12. Important! Do not make any other changes in Odin except selecting the required files as given in step 11. Leave all other options as they are.
  13. Connect your phone to PC now. You should get the message “Added!” under Odin’s message box in the bottom left.
    If you don’t get this message, then probably there is a problem with drivers. Make sure you’ve proper drivers installed (check step 2). Also, uninstall Kies from the Control Panel as well (this will leave the drivers on the computer but remove Kies which can interfere with the procedure).
  14. Now, hit the START button to start flashing the kernel. When the flashing is complete, your phone will automatically reboot — and when you see the Samsung logo, you can safely unplug the cable. Plus, you’ll get a PASS message (with green background) in the left-most box at the very top of Odin. What to do if Odin gets stuck?: If ODIN gets stuck and doesn’t seem to be doing anything, or you get a FAIL message (with red background) in ODIN, disconnect the phone from the PC, close ODIN, remove battery, re-insert it, turn phone on in Download mode again, and do the procedure again from Step 10.
  15. After the phone boots up after kernel is flashed, turn it off. Then, boot into ClockworkMod recovery. To do that, hold the Volume Up + Home + Power keys together, and let them go when the screen turns on. The phone will boot into CWM recovery after a few seconds.
    In recovery, use volume keys to navigate up and down and the power button to select items.
  16. Select install zip from sdcard, then select choose zip from sdcard. Then, scroll to the Root.zip file and select it. Confirm installation on the next step by selecting Yes.
  17. After the installation is complete, select go back and then select reboot system now to reboot the phone.

Congratulations, you’ve successfully rooted and installed ClockworkMod recovery on the Ice Cream Sandwich Android 4.0 firmware, XXLPQ, on your Galaxy S2 i9100G. Let us know it works for you, in the comments below.