[Q] Downgrading/Unlocking the new bootloader that comes with 4.3 - AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III

Hello everyone, I'm new to this site and i started rooting not to long ago so i guess I'm a little bit higher than noob level but here's the thing, I did not do my research prior to updating my S3 to 4.3 via OTA update. I was already rooted with 4.1.2 so when i updated I thought i would just remove the root which it did but super user was still on my phone. I was only given the option to "turn off" (new feature of 4.3) and me being OCD about my phone I didn't like that. So I tried to use odin to go back to stock 4.1.1 thinking I could Just upgrade back and I was denied. I did some research discovering that I cannot do that because I was already on 4.3. Later on I found out it was possible to re-root 4.3 which is in the general forums. So I did that and removed knox with the "DeSamsungnizer" and tried downgrading to a custom firmware Cyanogenmod 10.1 based on 4.2.2 to be exact but I was denied again on the Clockworkmod recovery screen (also tripping the warranty counter). So since that didnt work I thought why not upgrade to the the cyanogenmod 10.2 based on 4.3 and that DID work... so i tried to odin back to 4.1.1 on cyanogenmod since i've done it before but again I was denied.. doing more research I discovered that andriod 4.3 came with a new bootloader so today I tried going back to 4.1.2 on my phone via one of my previous backups on CWM and it worked, once again, I tried to odin back down to stock 4.1.1 thinking I restored the old bootloader which I was finally denied again. So now I'm here, sitting on the rooted 4.3 with a locked bootloader and tripped warranty counter. So now youve heard my story, you are probably wondering why I'm here telling you all this, here's my question.
Is there any way I can downgrade this locked bootloader or unlock the bootloader itself that comes with 4.3 so I can finally get rid of the root, restore my warranty and go back to the experience had when I first bought the phone? honestly, I'm ready to retire from rooting, ive seen all the bells and whistles, tried custom firmwares, used rooted apps and all that, but now, I just dont care for it anymore. If there is no way to fix this problem currently, which a lot of those might have ran into as well is there any news of developers working on a fix for this? If there is I would like this forum to be the central discussion thread for our 4.3 bootloader issues. Thanks for reading! I hope someone can help!

bcjay16 said:
Hello everyone, I'm new to this site and i started rooting not to long ago so i guess I'm a little bit higher than noob level but here's the thing, I did not do my research prior to updating my S3 to 4.3 via OTA update. I was already rooted with 4.1.2 so when i updated I thought i would just remove the root which it did but super user was still on my phone. I was only given the option to "turn off" (new feature of 4.3) and me being OCD about my phone I didn't like that. So I tried to use odin to go back to stock 4.1.1 thinking I could Just upgrade back and I was denied. I did some research discovering that I cannot do that because I was already on 4.3. Later on I found out it was possible to re-root 4.3 which is in the general forums. So I did that and removed knox with the "DeSamsungnizer" and tried downgrading to a custom firmware Cyanogenmod 10.1 based on 4.2.2 to be exact but I was denied again on the Clockworkmod recovery screen (also tripping the warranty counter). So since that didnt work I thought why not upgrade to the the cyanogenmod 10.2 based on 4.3 and that DID work... so i tried to odin back to 4.1.1 on cyanogenmod since i've done it before but again I was denied.. doing more research I discovered that andriod 4.3 came with a new bootloader so today I tried going back to 4.1.2 on my phone via one of my previous backups on CWM and it worked, once again, I tried to odin back down to stock 4.1.1 thinking I restored the old bootloader which I was finally denied again. So now I'm here, sitting on the rooted 4.3 with a locked bootloader and tripped warranty counter. So now youve heard my story, you are probably wondering why I'm here telling you all this, here's my question.
Is there any way I can downgrade this locked bootloader or unlock the bootloader itself that comes with 4.3 so I can finally get rid of the root, restore my warranty and go back to the experience had when I first bought the phone? honestly, I'm ready to retire from rooting, ive seen all the bells and whistles, tried custom firmwares, used rooted apps and all that, but now, I just dont care for it anymore. If there is no way to fix this problem currently, which a lot of those might have ran into as well is there any news of developers working on a fix for this? If there is I would like this forum to be the central discussion thread for our 4.3 bootloader issues. Thanks for reading! I hope someone can help!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Short answer NO. no you can not, you upgraded to the 4.3 bootloaders you're now stuck there, make the most out of it, I have hard bricked my phone 3 times in the last week trying to get back to an older version. Good luck.

Related

[Q] Is it safe to OTA update to 4.3 on my rooted phone?

So I rooted my phone using the method outlined in this thread here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1771687
I used odin to flash the 4.1.2 T-Mobile image and I stopped at the part that said "If you just want a stock, rooted phone with no custom recovery, no plans to flash custom roms, etc. then you can stop HERE" because I only wanted root so I could fix the keyboard bug (keyboard would revert to stock one after resets).
So my question is, can I update to 4.3 via the OTA update that is in the About Device > Software Update section in the phone? Looking elsewhere the official instructions say that the phone should not be rooted before updating. If so, can I get rid of the root in order to update? (As far as I know, the keyboard bug doesn't exist in 4.3 anyway so I don't think I need the root anymore). If not, how can I update to 4.3?
Lastly, and somewhat unrelated, can I use the factory data reset in the Back up and reset section of the settings? Previously in my experience with roms, this would lead to a boot loop but I'm not sure if that is the case with this so-called rooted stock rom.
Thanks in advance.
You can use OTA RootKeeper to temporarily disable Root so that you will receive the update. Or you could also visit the Root66 thread you have linked. There you will see Rooted version of the 4.3 update.
Having said that, You will want to Research the consequences of the 4.3 Stock update. In particular you wish to research the consequences of CIQ, KNOX and the new EFuse Bootloader.
I am by no means an expert but I figure I just did this so it may help you out. I updated my phone to 4.3 accidentally on purpose and then I decided to root my phone like the next day. I used Mr Robinson's method and then used his third method to download the ROM manager and install CWM Recovery and then I put Cyanogen on it. I have not had any issues except the app Trailer Addict doesn't work with it but that is not a big issue. I have everything else that I wanted and more. I don't care about the flash counter since I am not under warranty. Oh and you can use Titanium Backup to back up your apps. I didn't do this the first time so I had to back up from Kies 3 by dragging files onto my SD card and not all worked. I hope I helped a little.

[Q] just received replacement S4.. questions regarding knox

Phone was lost, just got replacement this morning.
My last S4 had been rooted running custom firmware for months w/o issue.
Read through a bunch of threads, ranging from the opinion that the bootloader change + knox wont be a big issue to the sky is falling.
Is it recommended to root my phone at this time, I do have JUMP and would be replacing it once something better comes out? The phone is running 4.2.2, caught it trying to update to already.
Thanks.. I know this may seem redundant but haven't been active on these boards since I got my CFW going. Not seeking help in flashing or anything.. just advice
skrewler said:
Phone was lost, just got replacement this morning.
My last S4 had been rooted running custom firmware for months w/o issue.
Read through a bunch of threads, ranging from the opinion that the bootloader change + knox wont be a big issue to the sky is falling.
Is it recommended to root my phone at this time, I do have JUMP and would be replacing it once something better comes out? The phone is running 4.2.2, caught it trying to update to already.
Thanks.. I know this may seem redundant but haven't been active on these boards since I got my CFW going. Not seeking help in flashing or anything.. just advice
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Up to you. If the stock rom is bearable and you wanna run the 4.3 stock rom then by all means, go for it.
skrewler said:
Phone was lost, just got replacement this morning.
My last S4 had been rooted running custom firmware for months w/o issue.
Read through a bunch of threads, ranging from the opinion that the bootloader change + knox wont be a big issue to the sky is falling.
Is it recommended to root my phone at this time, I do have JUMP and would be replacing it once something better comes out? The phone is running 4.2.2, caught it trying to update to already.
Thanks.. I know this may seem redundant but haven't been active on these boards since I got my CFW going. Not seeking help in flashing or anything.. just advice
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Being that your'e using the T-Mobile M919, the whole KNOX bootloader situation doesn't pertain to you as long as you're sure you're on 4.2.2. Root it, flash it, theme it with Hello Kitty... whatever, it doesn't matter; you can still revert back to stock and reset any tripped counters. 4.3 is when the problems begin and the KNOX counter is implemented and can't be reset.
lordcheeto03 said:
Being that your'e using the T-Mobile M919, the whole KNOX bootloader situation doesn't pertain to you as long as you're sure you're on 4.2.2. Root it, flash it, theme it with Hello Kitty... whatever, it doesn't matter; you can still revert back to stock and reset any tripped counters. 4.3 is when the problems begin and the KNOX counter is implemented and can't be reset.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I second this.
SO LONG AS YOU ARE ON 4.2.2
- You can root flash do whatever, theme with hello kitty or barbie xD like lordcheeto said or keep it stock
- Install recovery and flash away.
- Will always be able to revert back to 100 percent stock
TAKE 4.3 UPDATE
- I think you are still able to root it without tripping knox counter. Can't remember the last status of that was. But as long as you root it without a custom recovery, i think you are ok. From what i can remember, the bootloader checks the recovery status and trips the knox counter based off the recovery that is on the device. If its different then stock, it trips. But double check with Google about this first.
- If you trip knox counter, you will NEVER (as of now and possibly forever) get it back to zero.
Rooting with safe root won't trip knox and also disables it. But recoveries, kernels, roms, etc will trip the flag
Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk
Root it with chain fire and never look back.
You're on 4.22, so you're golden. Just flash a rooted stock ROM that's on 4.3 and you'll avoid Knox.
I'm running 4.4.2 and never seen this Knox stuff.
Sent from my SGH-M919 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
elesbb said:
- I think you are still able to root it without tripping knox counter. Can't remember the last status of that was. But as long as you root it without a custom recovery, i think you are ok.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ShinySide said:
Rooting with safe root won't trip knox and also disables it. But recoveries, kernels, roms, etc will trip the flag
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Correct. I've rooted my my second GS4G on 4.3 MK2 and it did not trip the KNOX counter. If you're still on 4.2.2 MDL, then there is no need to update your bootloader. Simply flash ROMs through recovery and flash the 4.3 modem. You will have the goodness of 4.3 on KNOX-less 4.2.2 bootloader. :highfive:

RE: Downgrade Galaxy S3 I747 from 4.3(knox) to 4.1.2???

RE: Downgrade Galaxy S3 I747 from 4.3(knox) to 4.1.2???
Hi guys,
I've been searching online and no luck finding a good answers. I have a Galaxy S3 I747M(Canadian) that was handed to me.... Sad part is, most average users, whenever they see an update for the phone, they freaking update without research the pros or cons.
Anyhows, I was fiddling with my Galaxy Note 2 and came across on how disable KNOX to achieve Rooting and I thought***** Light Bulb*
Here's my idea, not sure if this will work but, I will root my Galaxy S3 and use the same idea by disabling KNOX using Dr Ketan multitool to rename Knox.*apk files then inject busy box and root. (By the way, I have rooted my S3 this way and it achieve rooting no problem).
Now the question is, since KNOX is disabled, would I be able to downgrade to 4.1.2? Just wondering if other people out there has ever done this route by disabling KNOX and then do downgrade....
What do you guys think?
amilayajr said:
Hi guys,
I've been searching online and no luck finding a good answers. I have a Galaxy S3 I747M(Canadian) that was handed to me.... Sad part is, most average users, whenever they see an update for the phone, they freaking update without research the pros or cons.
Anyhows, I was fiddling with my Galaxy Note 2 and came across on how disable KNOX to achieve Rooting and I thought***** Light Bulb*
Here's my idea, not sure if this will work but, I will root my Galaxy S3 and use the same idea by disabling KNOX using Dr Ketan multitool to rename Knox.*apk files then inject busy box and root. (By the way, I have rooted my S3 this way and it achieve rooting no problem).
Now the question is, since KNOX is disabled, would I be able to downgrade to 4.1.2? Just wondering if other people out there has ever done this route by disabling KNOX and then do downgrade....
What do you guys think?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dont do it. You will BRICK your phone. For the moment on android 4.3 Samsung galaxy i747M (same as mine on Rogers) therse no way to downgrade. Yon wont be able to downgrade anyway because you have the new bootloader and with the new one, you CANT downgrade, or if you try, you will Soft-Brick your phone.
(In the past, i got an HTC EVO 3D and Soft-Bricked my phone by flashing a wrong Kernel.... so i made some research on the web and i found the a JTAG may be able to unbrick my phone and flash back the good Kernel the good ROM and the good bootloader.... So I sent it to a store who was repairing smrtphones. Tey tell me that they knew what my problem is so they should be able ot fix it but... the next day when i came to get my HTC they told me that finnally EVEN with the JTAG they wasnt able to repair it...)
* All of that to tell you : dont trust JTAG sometimes it may not work...
amilayajr said:
Hi guys,
I've been searching online and no luck finding a good answers. I have a Galaxy S3 I747M(Canadian) that was handed to me.... Sad part is, most average users, whenever they see an update for the phone, they freaking update without research the pros or cons.
Anyhows, I was fiddling with my Galaxy Note 2 and came across on how disable KNOX to achieve Rooting and I thought***** Light Bulb*
Here's my idea, not sure if this will work but, I will root my Galaxy S3 and use the same idea by disabling KNOX using Dr Ketan multitool to rename Knox.*apk files then inject busy box and root. (By the way, I have rooted my S3 this way and it achieve rooting no problem).
Now the question is, since KNOX is disabled, would I be able to downgrade to 4.1.2? Just wondering if other people out there has ever done this route by disabling KNOX and then do downgrade....
What do you guys think?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the i747 canadian model too and althpugh you can't downgrade to stock 4.1.2, you can definetly flash a custom 4.1.2 rom which DOES NOT include a bootloader. Im currently running hyperdrive rls 16 which is 4.1.2 based and before that i was rooted on stock 4.3.
Sent from my SGH-I747 using Tapatalk
I have a question along the same lines, is it possible to restore a nandroid of 4.1.1 or 4.1.2 after updating the bootloader? Does restoring a nandroid affect the bootloader?
I actually haven't don't the official update yet, specifically because I don't like that it's one way. I flashed stock 4.3 without updating the bootloader and I like the improvements.
Sent from my SGH-I747M using xda app-developers app
gc84245 said:
I have a question along the same lines, is it possible to restore a nandroid of 4.1.1 or 4.1.2 after updating the bootloader? Does restoring a nandroid affect the bootloader?
I actually haven't don't the official update yet, specifically because I don't like that it's one way. I flashed stock 4.3 without updating the bootloader and I like the improvements.
Sent from my SGH-I747M using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No by restauring your phone whit nandroid if you are on 4.3 with the new bootloader you will brick your device...
Code:
[ro.bootloader]: [I747MVLUEMK5]
[ro.build.id]: [JZO54K]
[ro.build.hidden_ver]: [I747MVLDMF1]
I'm able to get 4.1.* running but none of the modems seem to work.
Am I screwed if I need to network/sim unlock this?
EDIT: Just found out about EFSv1 vs. EFSv2. Looks like I'm boned for a free unlock.
weedy2887 said:
Code:
[ro.bootloader]: [I747MVLUEMK5]
[ro.build.id]: [JZO54K]
[ro.build.hidden_ver]: [I747MVLDMF1]
I'm able to get 4.1.* running but none of the modems seem to work.
Am I screwed if I need to network/sim unlock this?
EDIT: Just found out about EFSv1 vs. EFSv2. Looks like I'm boned for a free unlock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You cannot use the free method to sim unlock the phone unless you are running a completely stock ROM, inclduing the bootloader. There were a couple of users that downgraded everything to 4.1.1 from 4.3 except the bootloader and the required unlock menu options were not available.
Because the 4.3 upgrade changes to format of the EFS partition.
Nope, its all because of the modem. You never had to flash a 4.1.1 rom, only the modem. The problem is that once you've updated to 4.3, older modems no longer function.
There is little more than factoryapp, s/n, and drm related data on the EFS partition of these devices. They are not like many others where a lot of NV data was stored there.
This is also why backing up the EFS, while not a bad idea, does not protect against many of the things people think it will, such as IMEI loss.
Hi, I need your help!
i have I747 AT&T with 4.1.1 PDA: I747UCDLK3
My main concern what will brick my device if i try downgrade from 4.3 coustm rom?!
Can anyone give my a full list of BT+MO+Ke ? what I found in XDA is short list.
4.3+ bootloader - YES! (I747UCUEMJB and Up will brick )
I being told that I747UCUEMJ2 is the higher i can get downgrade without porblems
I rellay don't know which Modems & Kernals are belong to 4.1.1 VS 4.3+
Modems - ? (will loss IMEI) can I use old modem like:I747UCDMG2/UCDLK3 on 4.3+ ?
Kernels - ?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s3-att/help/bootloaders-kernaels-modems-list-t2851857
-
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2321310&page=41#post54912358
Once on 4.3 or above you cannot flash older firmware. Only the modem belonging to each build will work.
You can flash older roms, but thats it.

[Q] Rooting and Unrooting without FLASHING ?

Hello,
I own a N5110 (Wifi) version of the Galaxy NOTE 8.0
The warranty is void since the first day... So I don't have a problem with rooting
I saw this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpMY1xqXBhU
But I've read the comments, ppl have problems!!
And I'm not sure if it works with N5110 or for N5100 variant only!
Another Q:
Will the UNROOTING Process be easy, or it'll require flashing?
Won't I receive updates from SAMSUNG while being rooted (Without custom ROM) ??
AhmadLight said:
Hello,
I own a N5110 (Wifi) version of the Galaxy NOTE 8.0
The warranty is void since the first day... So I don't have a problem with rooting
I saw this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpMY1xqXBhU
But I've read the comments, ppl have problems!!
And I'm not sure if it works with N5110 or for N5100 variant only!
Another Q:
Will the UNROOTING Process be easy, or it'll require flashing?
Won't I receive updates from SAMSUNG while being rooted (Without custom ROM) ??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For the first question, I am not sure never rooted with that.
For the second question you do need to flash the stock. Usually people just do that to hide that it has been rooted. If it is for that purpose that you are asking, and you have flashed roms, I recommend using Triangle Away, because that erases the counter of how many ROMs you have installed.
If you are at the stock you will receive updates, and if you do the update you will lose root. I have done that in the past with my Droid Bionic. I do not recommend it though because it lagged the hell out of my phone
raul4916 said:
For the first question, I am not sure never rooted with that.
For the second question you do need to flash the stock. Usually people just do that to hide that it has been rooted. If it is for that purpose that you are asking, and you have flashed roms, I recommend using Triangle Away, because that erases the counter of how many ROMs you have installed.
If you are at the stock you will receive updates, and if you do the update you will lose root. I have done that in the past with my Droid Bionic. I do not recommend it though because it lagged the hell out of my phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, what's the point in installing the STOCK ROM if I wanted to UNROOT in my case?? (I mean I've no warranty anyway)
Can I just unroot without flashing?
And Yes I know about Triangle Away, I've read about it recently.
For the first question>> what do you recommend for rooting NOTE 8.0 N5110 ?
Thanks
AhmadLight said:
Well, what's the point in installing the STOCK ROM if I wanted to UNROOT in my case?? (I mean I've no warranty anyway)
Can I just unroot without flashing?
And Yes I know about Triangle Away, I've read about it recently.
For the first question>> what do you recommend for rooting NOTE 8.0 N5110 ?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As far as I know(being doing this for 3 years) There is no way to unroot without flashing the Stock Rom. The only way to flash the stock is using odin.
Honestly I do not know the best easy way to do it. All depends on the version you are at. I was on the updated version(not sure the build number). That framework apk didn't work with the version I had. The way I rooted was by first unlocking, then installed the TWRP through odin, then flashed a zip that rooted my phone. I do not recall any of the links. For the files, I lost them all because I just got a new computer and I was dumb enough to not do the back up on the other computer. Also I dont remember if there was steps in between, so I dont recommend following what I mentioned .
the way that I did is very similar to this one:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2251033
raul4916 said:
As far as I know(being doing this for 3 years) There is no way to unroot without flashing the Stock Rom. The only way to flash the stock is using odin.
Honestly I do not know the best easy way to do it. All depends on the version you are at. I was on the updated version(not sure the build number). That framework apk didn't work with the version I had. The way I rooted was by first unlocking, then installed the TWRP through odin, then flashed a zip that rooted my phone. I do not recall any of the links. For the files, I lost them all because I just got a new computer and I was dumb enough to not do the back up on the other computer. Also I dont remember if there was steps in between, so I dont recommend following what I mentioned .
the way that I did is very similar to this one:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2251033
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your big help :good:
You can just install a nandroid stock rom for your device which is non rooted...

Is a downgrade from fully stock MM possible?

My mom accidentally upgraded her Note to Marshmallow. She hates stock because of how slow it runs. I've had @hsbadr's CM on my Note for a while now and I really like it. She's willing to try it out, but now that she's upgraded to MM, there's no root.
Is it possible to flash the full Stock 5.1.1 tar, or do I have to wait for KingRoot? I remember someone saying, in one of the threads I'm subscribed to, that it could be downgraded, but I want to make sure, since this time it isn't my phone. I would try it myself and maybe soft brick my phone, but mine is already happily running CM.
The phone should be on the CPF3 firmware right now.
Sorry to bump this, but it would be really great to have a definitive answer. Everything's backed up, but I still don't want to hard brick the phone.
OK, so I went ahead and tried flashing the StockRestore BPA1 firmware. That led to this error: [tz] fused 2 > Binary 1. Apparently I can't downgrade the bootloader, and that's why I got that error. I'm now trying to flash the N910VVRU2BPA1_N910VVRU2BPA1_VZW firmware.
That one worked. I was able to boot into 5.1.1, but since it still had the 6.0.1 bootloader (I think this is the reason), KingRoot wouldn't work. Using the Kingo Root desktop app (it's been updated; looks a lot nicer) allowed me to root and unlock.

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