How to Flash a TAR or TAR.MD5 for the Sprint Galaxy S2 (SPH-D710)
(Updated 8/23/2012)

These instructions are specific to the Sprint Galaxy S2 (Epic 4G Touch or SPH-D710).   Although similar methods may work with other phones this method uses methods that ARE NOT compatible with any other phone but the Sprint Galaxy S2.   If you do not have the Sprint Galaxy S2 please DO NOT follow these instructions as they will most likely brick your phone!

These instructions will work for anything but modems. There is a known issue with CDMA devices that causes Mobile Odin to fail when flashing a modem. For flashing a modem I recommend using the One-Click or ZIP method.

Prerequisites
  • Your device must be rooted. If it is not rooted please see the How To Root tutorial here.
  • You'll need to have the TAR file saved to your phone.
  • You must have Mobile Odin installed on your device.
    Mobile Odin Pro can be purchased from the Market or there is a free XDA version for XDA members. I'd suggest the Market Pro version - it has additional features and all proceeds go to supporting Chainfire who is an awesome developer! If you prefer the free version you can find it here.
Instructions
  1. Open Mobile Odin.
  2. Select "Open File".
  3. Select either "Internal SD-card" or "External SD-card" (depending on where you saved the zImage update file you previously downloaded).
  4. Browse to the TAR update file.
  5. Select "Flash firmware".
  6. Select "Continue".
  7. If prompted select "Check" to verify the MD5 signature.
    Your phone will now reboot (if you phone does not reboot within 30 seconds you should inititiate the reboot yourself by pressing and holding the power button).  This reboot take slightly longer than usual.  Depending on the kernel you are using there may or may not be a boot animation, please be patient while your phone reboots.
    After your phone has fully booted you may see a message saying "Android is upgrading.  Optimizing application ## of ###" Where ## is the app number it is currently optimizing and ### is the total number of apps you have on your phone.
Congratulations! You have successfully flashed a TAR!

If you have additional questions or would like to discuss these methods further please visit the Rwilco12 Android Forums.