Replicant

h1. ReplicantInstallation

h2. Installation overview

The installation of Replicant involves several steps:

# Obtain a supported device

# Backup the device

# Install the recovery image

# Wipe the storage volume partitions

# Install the operating system

# Factory reset the device

# Reboot the device

# Backup the modem data partition (EFS)

Each step must be performed in sequence.

h2. Obtain a supported device

Replicant can only be installed on one of the [[Index#Supported-devices|supported devices]]. Please make sure that you have the correct device model before proceeding.

*The model number on your device must exactly match the model number specified on the Replicant wiki page for that device.* For example, if you want to use the [[GalaxyS2I9100|Galaxy S 2]], you must obtain the GT-I9100 model (not SGH-I777, etc.).

h2. Backup the device

If your device storage contains any data that is important to you, back it up now. All existing data will be erased during the installation.

h2. Install the recovery image

To install the [[RecoveryImage|Replicant recovery image]], follow the instructions on the [[RecoveryInstallationWithHeimdall|Recovery installation with Heimdall]] wiki page.

After flashing the recovery image to your device, it should have rebooted into the recovery.

h2. Wipe the storage volume partitions

To ensure that the new partitions are formatted correctly, you must wipe the existing partitions.

h3. Wipe system partition

To wipe the system partition, from the recovery main menu:

# Select *Advanced*.

# Select *Wipe system partition*.

# It will ask you to confirm the wipe, so you will need to select *Yes* to confirm it.

# Press the back key to get back to the recovery main menu.

h3. Wipe cache and data partitions

To wipe the cache and data partitions, from the recovery main menu:

# Select *Factory reset*.

# Select *Wipe data (keep media)*.

# It will ask you to confirm the wipe, so you will need to select *Yes* to confirm it.

# Press the back key to get back to the recovery main menu.

h2. Install the operating system

Choose one of the following installation methods:

* [[InstallOrUpgradeReplicantWithoutAComputer|downloading the installation files directly to the device, without the need of a computer]]

* [[InstallOrUpgradeReplicantFromMicroSD|using a computer and a microSD]]

* [[InstallOrUpgradeReplicantFromInternalStorage|using a computer and the internal storage to store the installation files]]

h2. Factory reset the device

To perform a factory reset, from the recovery main menu:

# Select *Factory reset*.

# Select *Wipe data (keep media)*.

# It will ask you to confirm the wipe, so you will need to select *Yes* to confirm it.

# Press the back key to get back to the recovery main menu.

h2. Reboot the device

From the recovery main menu, select *Reboot system now*.

Congratulations, you have successfully installed Replicant!

h2. Backup the modem data partition (EFS)

Some of the devices supported by Replicant have a partition that contains the modem data (called EFS).

Now that Replicant is installed, it's a good idea to do a backup of it if your device has one.

This way it would be way easier to restore it if it becomes corrupted ("it can sometimes happen with Replicant":https://redmine.replicant.us/issues/1869).

For a list of devices that have a modem data partition, and for instructions on how to do a backup of it, see the [[BackupTheEFS|BackupTheEFS]] wiki page.