If you’ve recently updated your Galaxy S2 to the XXLPQ firmware, you’re probably itching to gain root access to your phone. XDA Developers forum member Chainfire has come to our rescue. He’s developed a rooted kernel that allows us to not only gain root access to our Galaxy S2 phones but also installs a few extra things. CF-Root takes the kernel from the original Samsung firmware and adds root, busybox v1.16.2androidminimal and integrated ClockworkMod Recovery (CWM4/5). You’ll also have SuperSU, which replaces the old Superuser app.

Don’t worry if you’re a rooting novice; the process is easy that even the most amateur of Android users will feel confident in rooting the Galaxy S2.

For those of you unfamiliar with rooting, it is the process by which you gain administrative access to your phone. It allows you freedom and control over your device and gives you the power to tweak your device to your liking. Unfortunately, it also voids your warranty and the only way to restore your warranty is through reverting to stock firmware. You can read more about rooting here.

Compatibility and Requirements

This method is only for Galaxy S2 phones, model number GT-I9100. You may check your phone’s model number through “Settings > About Phone”. If your phone is not compatible with the kernel, we highly discourage you from attempting to install it on your device as it may lead to bricking.

If you’re itching to root your Galaxy S2 on XXLPQ firmware, you’ll need the following:

• Make sure to fully charge your Galaxy S2′s battery. This will prevent the device from shutting off in the middle of the rooting process.
• Odin3 v1.83 installed on your computer.
• Chainfire’s CF-Root Kernel (CF-Root-SGS2_XX_XEO_LPQ-PROPER-v5.4-CWM5.zip, 6.2 MB).

Instructions

Here’s how to root your Samsung Galaxy S2 running on XXLPQ firmware:

1. Download Odin3 to your computer.
2. Download Chainfire’s CF-root kernel onto your computer.
3. Extract the contents of the CF-Root ZIP file using 7-Zip, WinRAR or any other file extraction program.
4. You should get a file named CF-Root-SGS2_XX_XEO_LPQ-PROPER-v5.4-CWM5.tar after extraction.
5. Switch off your Galaxy S2. Wait for the vibration to confirm that it has been completely switched off.
6. On your computer, double click on Odin3 to launch it.
7. Boot your Galaxy S2 into Download Mode. You can do this by pressing and holding down the Volume Down key, the Home button, and the Power button together. You should see a Warning! message on the screen. Press the Volume Up rocker to continue.
8. Connect your Galaxy S2 to your computer. You should get an “Added!” message in the lower left box in the Odin window.
9. In Odin3, click the PDA tab, navigate to where you extracted the contents of the CF-root kernel and choose the CF-Root-SGS2_XX_XEO_LPQ-PROPER-v5.4-CWM5.tar file.
10. In the Option section in Odin3, make sure the checkboxes for Auto Reboot and F. Reset time are checked.  All the other checkboxes should not be checked.
11. Click the Start button in Odin3.
12. Once flashing completes, you’ll see the upper left most box in the Odin3 window light up in green with a PASS! message.
13. If Odin3 gets stuck and doesn’t seem to be doing anything, or you receive a FAIL message with a red background, then do the following:
    1. Disconnect your Galaxy S2 from the computer.
    2. Close ODIN.
    3. Remove your Galaxy S2′s battery.
    4. Re-insert the battery.
    5. Boot the phone back into download mode.
    6. Resume the process from step 8.
14. Your phone will reboot automatically.
15. When the S2 logo appears on the phone screen, you may now disconnect your phone.

Your Samsung Galaxy S2 running XXLPQ firmware has now been rooted, with ClockworkMod Recovery and and busybox installed. Congratulations and enjoy!