This tutorial is for OS X and Linux users only! If you’re user of Windows, use this tutorial.

You need to download these files:

  1. JOdin3 r1035 for OS X/Linux/Windows: download
  2. Latest Heimdall driver for your OS: download (from official page)
  3. Latest version of ROM for Odin from our download page.
  4. Installed Java (on Mac you can simply install it from AppStore, if you’re Linux owner, Google how to install it on your distribution)

And then perform this steps:

  1. Install downloaded Heimdall drivers. After installation probably you will need to restart your computer.
  2. Unzip downloaded package with latest ROM (if it’s zipped). You should get file with *.tar.md5 extension
  3. Run JOdin3 using Java.
  4. In opened window, click on PDA button and select file with *.tar.md5 extension from previous step
  5. Make sure that only Auto Reboot is selected on the left side.
  6. Turn off your phone, and then use VOL- & HOME & POWER buttons combination.
  7. If you see Warning screen, use VOL+ button.
  8. You should see Android and some information.
  9. Connect phone to computer and make sure it is detected by JOdin (it will appear as COM device). If it doesn’t, try to use other USB port.
  10. Use Start button. JOdin will inform you that no PIT file was attached and ask if it should be downloaded itself. Agree for it. Wait until flash process will finish.
  11. Your phone will restart, but probably won’t boot. Pull down your battery and use VOL+ & HOME & POWER buttons combo to boot into recovery.
  12. Click on Wipe, then use slider on the bottom to let process begin.
  13. Click on Home icon, and then Reboot -> System.
  14. Wait for boot. Now you should have ROM installed and ready to use!

Author: NovaFusion

27 Responses
  • Mikhail says:

    Why is so complicated?

    On Linux all you need is Heimdall to install recovery. No need for drivers, java, jodin and so on.

  • Fillip says:

    Hello,

    The link of the download page for JOdin3 r1035 redirects to Odin_Golden where the zip only contains .exe’s. Is this correct? Maybe I don’t know how to execute them. I’m thankful for any help.

    See ya

  • Sami Olmari says:

    In linux, it is enough to have Heimdall (usually found as heimdall-flash in repositories) installed, then download TWRP recovery form here, unpack it, and then run this command with privileges, like “sudo” in Debian based distros (Ubuntu, Mint) etc…

    heimdall flash –Kernel2 recovery.img

    After that you have working TWRP, then you can use for examplt ADB sideload to load newest actual image for the device 🙂

  • Jo says:

    This isn’t working for me 🙁
    Step 1.1: This zip doesn’t contain any dmg/jar or mac-executable. What should I do with that .exe? So in the mean time, I used this: jenana.eu/JOdin3CASUAL-r1017-dist.jar
    Step 2.2: I should have a *.tar.md5- file… Where? I only have boot.img, system.img, recovery.img How do I use them, or where should I find tar.md5?
    Step 2.10: I guess it’s needless to say that there is nothing that looks like anything starts to get flashed. JOdin looks for a PIT-file, phone reboots, and we are back at the point where we started.

    I want to try this way of flashing because flashing with TWRP gives me an error after which phone becomes 100% unstable and needs factory reset.

    • Jo says:

      Apparently this was a Mac-issue. It looks like *.tar.md5 is kind of a compressed format, and my mac automatically uncompressed it to *.img-files. Uncompressing these files on my phone gave me something.tar.md5, which I could use with JOdin.

  • After install of this ROM my chargers aren’t working. When I connect them they don’t charge. I use 1A and 2A chargers and when I connect them, most cases Apollo is starting. Only way I can charge now is through USB cable connected to PC or… 1A powerbank. Rather irritating and I am not sure what is causing this behaviour. Sometimes also when I restart phone, it cannot start correctly. Show up indicator, which stop at some point and from that moment I need few restart to cyanogen proper start. Sometimes it is connected with battery remove.

  • James Cole says:

    Alright some tips.

    If you cannot get the PIT file to download, because the process seems to hang, try to create your own PIT file using Heimdall.

    Open a command prompt and enter the following:

    heimdall download-pit –output s3mini.pit

    Use this PIT file in Jodin3.

    Another tip is to start Jodin3 using the terminal, so you can see its debug output and you’ll know what’s going on:

    java -jar ./Downloads/JOdin3CASUAL-r1080-dist.jar

    Once I ran the process this way, I managed to get it working just fine.

  • Timo says:

    If you don’t see the .tar.md5 file after unpacking, try Keka to unpack: http://www.kekaosx.com/

    Worked for me!

  • Maximix says:

    I depend on the point 4
    What JODIN file should I open for ??? That’s more than 15 inside!?!?! ???

    I know also that over here an answer is not quite understand I he. However, one should not only show up as question at the instructions.
    This belongs to the top in such a way that everyone understands it!

    And no I can not find JOdin3casual file with me.

  • Vince says:

    I had no problem using these roms before but there’s one trying to install CyanogenMod 12 on my device… Usually I boot my phone into ClockWorkMod Recovery and I just install the zip file from there. But a warning saying there is no file_contexts now appear with last version and then the update crashes without any change. Please if you have any idea about what’s wrong ?

  • Manfred says:

    I downloded the cm12.0_golden.nova.20150113.ODIN_TWRP.zip, extracted it and tried to open the ~tar.md5 with heimdall-frontend at Siduction-Linux and also with Odin at Windows.
    Both failed of missing firmware.xml.

  • Pablo says:

    I had a fail flashing mi cel (S3 mini) :(. My cel is in download mode but my SO don’t recognize it. Some help ?

  • nn says:

    Sorry for a stupid question: Do I have to go through all these steps with Odin etc to get a newer release of the CM12.0 for S3 Mini on my phone? (An if this is the case: Will all my settings be gone after the update?)

    • Dan says:

      A little help on this question is highly appreciated.

      Is there a way to install a newer build version of a ROM without fully clearing the phone, and leaving all settings alive?

      And if there is a way, how?

      Thanks for your help, I am a fan of NovaFusion ROM for S3 Mini. It makes the phone finally usuable again.

  • e2fletcher says:

    Hi, I have a mini S3 I8200N. This rom is compatible?

    • Bud says:

      I also have an 18200 (unlocked international version) and would also like to know if this root procedure is compatible.

      Also, I’m a bit confused about which version to download. That is, can I use the latest and greatest cm12.0 version to root my 4.2.2 android, or can I only use the cm10 version?

      Apologies for my ignorance, but blowing up my phone might get a bit messy and I’d rather sooner be safe than later sorry. 🙂

  • Martin says:

    Requirements are wrong for linux, it is much more simple:

    1. heimdall, download from http://glassechidna.com.au/heimdall/ and install package. For me it worked only on 32bit linux os. 64bit can’t detect device.

    2. NovaFusion’s TWRP Recovery, find it in download section and unzip and use extracted img file in point 5.

    3. Turn off your phone, and then use VOL- & HOME & POWER buttons combination.

    4. If you see Warning screen, use VOL+ button.

    5. heimdall flash –Kernel2 recovery.img –no-reboot

    6. restart or remove battery, hold VOL+ & HOME & POWER buttons combo to boot into recovery.

    7. Wipe all, reset, restart into recovery again.

    8. When in recovery connect to computer, copy CyanogenMod 12.0 zip and Gapps(http://wiki.cyanogenmod.org/w/Google_Apps) files with file manager or adb to /sdcard.

    9. install zips from sdcard.

    10. reboot and relax, it will take 10-15minutes to boot for first time.

    • Or you can download the pit file, then lookup for the files corresponding to the partitions. IE.

      KERNEL = boot.img
      KERNEL2 = recovery.img
      SYSTEM = system.img

      Which was my case, and installed them through terminal with:
      heimdall flash –Kernel boot.img –Kernel2 recovery.img –System system.img

      I got these files from extracting the .tar.md5 file using:
      tar -xf CM12.tar.md5

      To download the .pit file just type in terminal
      PITFILE=(model).pit
      heimdall download-pit –output $PITFILE

      To lookup through the .pit file I used Heimdall GUI.

      Actually, I just flashed mine and is updating so I’m busy. But if you need help just contact 😀

    • Entodo Ays says:

      Thanks for this. Does the phone need to be rooted before going through this procedure? Thanks.

      • Entodo Ays says:

        I’ll answer my own question: No, you do not have to root your phone to install TWRP recovery. You’ll have the option to root your stock rom from within TWRP if one wishes to do that.
        What I did was:
        1. Install heimdall on my Linux system.
        2. Install TWRP recovery with the method suggested by Martin.
        3. Did a backup of my stock rom to an external SD card.
        4. Wiped system, cache, data, dalvik partitions.
        5. Flashed CM12.1 and gapps
        6. Wipe dalvik cache and cache again.
        7. Reboot.

  • Veni Rigel says:

    do i need to Root my phone first to install custom ROM?

  • George says:

    How do you download JOdin3? Their site says download is not available:

    http://goo.im/devs/AdamOutler/JOdin3

    I am using Linux and I am willing to install OmniRom on Galaxy S3 mini. What should I do?

  • I downloaded the recovery file Jellybean 4.1.2 (CyanogenMod 10) 20130727 from NovaFusion for my Samsung Mini GT-I8190N and all I get in the folder is a file called boot.img so I can’t understand why you guys keep talking about system.img and recovery.img files. They are just not there! Maybe I am downloading the wrong file.

    I flashed the boot.img several times with the command heimdall flash –Kernel boot.img –no-reboot

    but the phone is not booting. I made sure to wipe all cache and data beforehand so I don’t know where the process went wrong.

    DO you have any advice?

  • When I download the Recovery zip file from the downloads section I only get a boot.img file. Where are the recovery.img and system.img files?

  • When I download the zip file from the downloads section I get a boot.img file only. Can you confirm how to retrieve the system.img and recovery.img files as well?

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