Difference between stock kernel and sbf

[yankdez]

If I wanted to get my phone back to the state it was in when I first unboxed it, do I flash a stock kernel or sbf? What's the difference between these two?

 

[mjneid]

If I wanted to get my phone back to the state it was in when I first unboxed it, do I flash a stock kernel or sbf? What's the difference between these two?

What phone do you have?

 

[yankdez]

my friend wants to know for his epic 4g touch. but why does this matter? please explain

 

[zviki]

Sbf is just a form in which rom is packed.Like zip or rar or... You need original rom not kernel.Kernel is a part of rom. Rom can be in .sbf file or in a zip file.You can apply zip only trough Open Recovery. But,do you already flash any rom on phone? If not,then just do a hard reset (factory reset) in settings and your phone will be like new.Factory reset erase only phone (settings,apps,etc), not SD card.

Sent from my Milestone using Tapatalk

 

[yankdez]

I haven't even rooted the phone yet, but I just want to learn everything before taking the big step of rooting and romming. so what does this article mean by having the stock kernel as a safety net:
Stock Samsung Epic 4G Touch Kernel Is Now Available For Download - Android Life: An Android Community Blog