Compilation: Root and remove bing

[Mydnightsorrow]

All credit goes the original authors of each thread compiled within for their work. Special Thanks to Dirrk for the root
and lag fix. Ange for the enhanced search apk and namebrandon for the write up on removing Bing and replacing with google and enriqueb99 for the data/app file that also needed to be renamed to make it all work.

How to Root and De-bing your Samsung Fascinate. Go from stock to a phone you love in 15 minutes or less.

First I take no credit in any of this I am just compiling instructions to one post for all the noobs that have been asking for it. Also it is highly recommended that you read all the content prior to starting so that you can ask for help if you have any questions.

You will need: a Windows PC, Samsung fascinate and usb cable, Busybox installer app, Root explorer or Super Manager apps

1.) First follow the instructions of this post to root your phone:
http://forum.androidcentral.com/fascinate-roms-hacks/33899-how-root.html

You will need to download the Samsung drivers and then use Dirrk’s painless, nearly one -click root method to root your phone. Total time? Approx. 3 minutes.

After achieving Root search the market for busybox installer and add that to your phone for part 2. This step is optional and not necessary to remove bing from your phone and return you to the google experience we all love. It is a lag fix.

2.) Follow the instructions here for a painless 1-click Lag Fix. After root:
http://forum.androidcentral.com/fascinate-roms-hacks/34047-lag-fix.html

Ok now we have spent about 6 minutes of your life to make your phone perfect. Now for what you really want…

3.) Remove Bing and replace with Google!
http://forum.androidcentral.com/fas...11-got-google-widget-works-now-bing-dead.html
Download the enhanced google search provider apk found on the above post.

You will need root explorer (paid app) or Super Manager (free app) to rename a few files.
First use your root explorer or super manager app to find this folder:
system/app
Then rename this apk I500_BingSearchAndroid_07152010.apk by adding the .old to the end so it looks like this I500_BingSearchAndroid_07152010.apk.old
Then search for this folder and file if you have opened Bing at any point
/data/app/com.microsoft.mobileexperiences.bing.apk and rename to com.microsoft.mobileexperiences.bing.apk.old

Restart your phone. Enjoy!

Couple of things: This will break your car dock mode for searching and for viewing maps. You can still use VZ Navigator if you really want to (car dock mode only, google maps do work just not in car dock mode yet)

If you use Super Manager you will need to go to the settings menu for the app and click the box to enable root function

 

[Dirrk]

After achieving Root search the market for busybox installer and add that to your phone for part 2. This step is optional and not necessary to remove bing from your phone and return you to the google experience we all love. It is a lag fix.

You actually do not need busybox installer. Busybox is already installed on the phone...

 

[Mydnightsorrow]

Opps. Guess I never noticed as I always have had the installer on my dinc

 

[pheatton]

Does this take care of the search softkey still opening BING?

 

[Dirrk]

Does this take care of the search softkey still opening BING?

Removing bing apk will fix that

 

[pheatton]

Nice! Thanks!

 

[Sir_N]

Thanks~it was very helpful~~^^

 

[Mydnightsorrow]

Removing bing apk will fix that

You dont have to remove bing just add .old to the file name incase you need it later until we have recovery, just like in the instructions. Yes it gives you google from the soft key.

 

[pheatton]

If you dont rename this file,/data/app/com.microsoft.mobileexperiences.bing.apk and rename to .old, what effect does this have? I just did this fix except for that one file. The softkey works now

 

[Martian]

If you dont rename this file,/data/app/com.microsoft.mobileexperiences.bing.apk and rename to .old, what effect does this have? I just did this fix except for that one file. The softkey works now

If you never opened Bing then that step is not required however it at some time you launched the Bing app then you must rename it in order for the search key to function correctly.

 

[pheatton]

Ahh ok I never used the Bing app.

 

[sevenflatfive]

Thanks for the compilation (and especially thanks to the original authors!).

I will be receiving my fascinate this Tuesday via FedEx and will have this thing rooted and ready to rock before you can say "Microsoft Bing Sucks."

 

[Skyeclad]

I renamed the two files bit when I press the search button at the home page the default browser search opens and it rerouts to vzw bing. The soft search button works fine when I'm in dolphin only. Is this expected?

I should say that long press brings up google voice search. How can I get the short press to default to the dolphin browser?

 

[jdmonki]

If i where to root my phone, will the default gallery application be deleted as well? or will the Samsung Drivers include that? i know there is a 3Dgallery apk you can download but it seems like it still doesn't work quit as well as if it was included from the start.

 

[namebrandon]

If i where to root my phone, will the default gallery application be deleted as well? or will the Samsung Drivers include that? i know there is a 3Dgallery apk you can download but it seems like it still doesn't work quit as well as if it was included from the start.

Rooting does absolutely nothing to your installed applications. Gallery will sill be there, as will everything else.

 

[jackfrostxx]

I deleted "I500_BingSearchAndroid_07152010.apk" from the system/app folder and it is still on the phone. I installed it again from the sd card, after it installed i deleted I500_BingSearchAndroid_07152010.apk from the sd card. bing is still on my home screen fully functional, but not in the system/apps folder I ideas where it ran off to?

 

[robocknjo1]

I ran the phone with the lagfix for a few days and but now that i uninstalled it, I can see that it doesn't do enough to make it worth it. The only difference I noticed was while I was renaming apps. With the lagfix it was instantaneous and without it it takes about a half a second.
Another thing to note - If you make a recovery using CWM and the lag fix is installed, your back up will about 1.5gb instead of the normal .5 (seems obvious but it is just another reason why not to install the lagfix)

 

[namebrandon]

I ran the phone with the lagfix for a few days and but now that i uninstalled it, I can see that it doesn't do enough to make it worth it. The only difference I noticed was while I was renaming apps. With the lagfix it was instantaneous and without it it takes about a half a second.
Another thing to note - If you make a recovery using CWM and the lag fix is installed, your back up will about 1.5gb instead of the normal .5 (seems obvious but it is just another reason why not to install the lagfix)

That's a great point. Just another reason to not use that lag-fix.

 

[Black.Barry]

Muchos thank yous!!!! I can't believe it was that "easy"!

 

[hoodie#AC]

help! i cant find
/data/app/com.microsoft.mobileexperiences.bing.apk

i can't even find the data folder.. the only data fold i can find was in my SD card folder but there was no app folder...

searched for the file, but couldn't find anything

also when you rename the bing file with .apk.old is it supposed to go away? the .old file doesn't get written on there..