I read some worrisome posts that once you upgrade the bootloader to 4.4.2 you cannot go back. I'm currently running fully functional 4.3 rom and have nandroid backup of it, where everything is working. I'd like to try to upgrade to KitKat rom, but if things don't go well for whatever reason - I'd like to have the security of knowing I can restore the nandroid of my working 4.3 rom. Based on what I read it may not be possible. My nandroid backup has all partitions in it, including boot and recovery (twrp 2.6.3.8). Can anyone confirm or deny if I'm on 4.4 rom with 4.4.2 bootloader, running twrp 2.7 - will I be able to restore my 4.3 nandroid, if needed?
Apo11on said:
I read some worrisome posts that once you upgrade the bootloader to 4.4.2 you cannot go back. I'm currently running fully functional 4.3 rom and have nandroid backup of it, where everything is working. I'd like to try to upgrade to KitKat rom, but if things don't go well for whatever reason - I'd like to have the security of knowing I can restore the nandroid of my working 4.3 rom. Based on what I read it may not be possible. My nandroid backup has all partitions in it, including boot and recovery (twrp 2.6.3.8). Can anyone confirm or deny if I'm on 4.4 rom with 4.4.2 bootloader, running twrp 2.7 - will I be able to restore my 4.3 nandroid, if needed?
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From everything that I have read the answer is no. It does not matter that you have a backup of the 4.3 bootloader. When you flash the 4.4 bootloader it trips a qfuse (I am not to familiar with qfuse, but that is what everyone is saying) and at that point you cannot revert to the old bootloader.
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Not sure if this is the right place to post this as it is my first on this forum, I have Samsung galaxy s3 I747 d2att. Current rom...ROM][4.1.2][Sept 29] Hyperdrive RLS16...bootloader.... I747UCDLK3. Before I flash any of the 4.4.2 roms I need to know if I can restore to my current rom. I have read some threads that are adamant that once you flash to 4.4 you CANNOTgo back to a previous backup of 4.1.2...others are just as adamant that you CAN restore from a cwm or other backup if you desire to go back. I understand if you have a mjb bootloader, or have 4.3 ota update you are locked into android 4.3 or 4.4. I have neither of those. I use CWM mostly but also have & use TWRP, & have current backups of both, Can I flash a cw11 nightly rom, Quantum v3 rc4, or [ROM][4.4.2][Unofficial] Liquid Smooth v3.0 [12/14/13] [D2att] (which has no bootloader), or other 4.4.2 roms & still be able to restore from backup? I believe a lot of the comments about not being able to go back had to do with using the newest bootloader or the knox problem, but I am not sure what to think, & am trying to avoid flashing to 4.4.2 & having to stay there. Thanks
cybrgeek 45 said:
Not sure if this is the right place to post this as it is my first on this forum, I have Samsung galaxy s3 I747 d2att. Current rom...ROM][4.1.2][Sept 29] Hyperdrive RLS16...bootloader.... I747UCDLK3. Before I flash any of the 4.4.2 roms I need to know if I can restore to my current rom. I have read some threads that are adamant that once you flash to 4.4 you CANNOTgo back to a previous backup of 4.1.2...others are just as adamant that you CAN restore from a cwm or other backup if you desire to go back. I understand if you have a mjb bootloader, or have 4.3 ota update you are locked into android 4.3 or 4.4. I have neither of those. I use CWM mostly but also have & use TWRP, & have current backups of both, Can I flash a cw11 nightly rom, Quantum v3 rc4, or [ROM][4.4.2][Unofficial] Liquid Smooth v3.0 [12/14/13] [D2att] (which has no bootloader), or other 4.4.2 roms & still be able to restore from backup? I believe a lot of the comments about not being able to go back had to do with using the newest bootloader or the knox problem, but I am not sure what to think, & am trying to avoid flashing to 4.4.2 & having to stay there. Thanks
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You can flash anything that has no bootloader attached to it. You can do 4.4.2 without updating the bootloader. My wife has gone from 4.1.2 Jedi ROM, to 4.4.2 Nightlies, and back to 4.3 Jedi ROM with no issues. She stayed on the 4.1.2 bootloader MF1 believe. My phone on the other hand did update to the 4.3 stock rom and bootloader (MK5). Even after this update I was still able to go to CM11, as Cyanogenmod does not contain a bootloader that will conflict. Afterwards you can even come back down to other ROMS as long as any of these roms do not contain bootloaders in them. Post # 3 may be able to help[ you with a few of your questions as to what you can and can not flash. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2558311. Don't worry there is always a way back from 4.4.2.
BCSC said:
You can flash anything that has no bootloader attached to it. You can do 4.4.2 without updating the bootloader. My wife has gone from 4.1.2 Jedi ROM, to 4.4.2 Nightlies, and back to 4.3 Jedi ROM with no issues. She stayed on the 4.1.2 bootloader MF1 believe. My phone on the other hand did update to the 4.3 stock rom and bootloader (MK5). Even after this update I was still able to go to CM11, as Cyanogenmod does not contain a bootloader that will conflict. Afterwards you can even come back down to other ROMS as long as any of these roms do not contain bootloaders in them. Post # 3 may be able to help[ you with a few of your questions as to what you can and can not flash. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2558311. Don't worry there is always a way back from 4.4.2.
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Thanks for the quick response & the link. I have been searching & agonizing over this for 3-4 days. This is just the answer I needed!
Hi all, I seriously consider to flash a 4.3 ROM (most likely Hurricane) even though I'm still happy with my 4.1.2 - however finally curiousness wins...
I have a simple question, just want a "yes or no". If the answer is no I will not ask for any further advice - will find it by myself.
Q: In case I do not want to stay with 4.3 can I simply go back to my previous 4.1.2 by just recovering a backup (NAND)?
My question is primarily related to the Bootloader since I'm wondering if a recover would restore previous BL as well. I don't want to go for the wifi-fix, therefore I will flash MJ5 BL prior to flashing 4.3 ROM.
Many thanks in advance!
no
sweetsmoke69 said:
Hi all, I seriously consider to flash a 4.3 ROM (most likely Hurricane) even though I'm still happy with my 4.1.2 - however finally curiousness wins...
I have a simple question, just want a "yes or no". If the answer is no I will not ask for any further advice - will find it by myself.
Q: In case I do not want to stay with 4.3 can I simply go back to my previous 4.1.2 by just recovering a backup (NAND)?
My question is primarily related to the Bootloader since I'm wondering if a recover would restore previous BL as well. I don't want to go for the wifi-fix, therefore I will flash MJ5 BL prior to flashing 4.3 ROM.
Many thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did something similar before and it didn´t go well
I installed amnix rom because of the walkman player, but in the process that rom changed my modem so I was on G1 from thunderlite v7 and changed to L4.
there were some issues with the rom (mainly on walkman graphic glitches) and decided to go back to thunderlite v7 using a nandroid backup....
the thing is everything "seemed fine" but the modem was not restored ...
also my proximity sensor stopped working,
after a couple of days trying to fix it. I decided to install an old ROM from my carrier (telcel mexico) and lose the IMEI which I got back using an EFS back up I have (the first one I created)
then I updated again to 4.3 on hurricane everything seems to be working ok with the EFS folder and the sensor.,,
so I dont think your bootloader will get restored either.
be cautious.
I was asking myself the same question. I had a 4.1.2 backup of ARHD v19, and then i flashed the 4.3 ARHD v20.1, along with the MJ5 bootloader.
I was dissatisfied with the performance of 4.3, so i decided to revert through recovery. I made a 4.3 backup just in case i brick the phone.
Then i restored the 4.1.2 and everything went well, the 1st boot was about 10 seconds longer.
Now i am not sure did it restore the old bootloader or not, but the device is running pretty fast now on 4.1.2
So yes, it's possible
Mashed_Potatoes said:
I was asking myself the same question. I had a 4.1.2 backup of ARHD v19, and then i flashed the 4.3 ARHD v20.1, along with the MJ5 bootloader.
I was dissatisfied with the performance of 4.3, so i decided to revert through recovery. I made a 4.3 backup just in case i brick the phone.
Then i restored the 4.1.2 and everything went well, the 1st boot was about 10 seconds longer.
Now i am not sure did it restore the old bootloader or not, but the device is running pretty fast now on 4.1.2
So yes, it's possible
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A nand backup does not contain the bootloader.
But to be sure you can install "android system info" from play store.
Then check buildinfos and the post boot loader version.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda app-developers app
Why dont you go in download and see if the bootloader has the knox bit or not.
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mezo91 said:
Why dont you go in download and see if the bootloader has the knox bit or not.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk
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+1 would be interesting to know. If Knox is there it would mean that 4.1.2 runs on mj5 bootloader...
I know there are a few threads regarding this issue but I can't seem to find a definitive answer.
I am currently running stock 4.3 jellybean (rooted). My phone hasn't received the 4.4 KitKat update yet, so I wanted to install CM11 in order to get KitKat on my s3. However, I heard CM11 can be buggy on the s3, so in case things go south, I want to be able to revert back to the stock 4.3 rom. Some people have said that you can easily flash the stock ROM via ODIN. However, others said that downgrading from 4.4.2 to 4.3 will hard brick the device since installing CM11 updates the boot loader. So downgrading to 4.3 stock with a 4.4.2 boot loader will cause a hard brick according to other threads I've seen. My question is, how can I downgrade from CM11 to stock 4.3 safely without bricking? Thanks in advance.
If you are sure you are using a Canadian version of the i747m, you can flash back to stock in Odin using a stock 4.3 ROM for the phone's original carrier (Bell, Rogers, Telus).
audit13 said:
If you are sure you are using a Canadian version of the i747m, you can flash back to stock in Odin using a stock 4.3 ROM for the phone's original carrier (Bell, Rogers, Telus).
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Yes I got the phone from Rogers, it's most definitely i747M. But do I have to worry about any issues with the bootloader? I'm assuming installing CM11 will install the 4.4.2 bootloader, so if I choose to downgrade to the stock 4.3 rom, will it cause any issues seeing as I'm running a 4.3 rom with a 4.4.2 bootloader? I just want to make sure because I heard it can cause some serious problems if the bootloader is newer than the rom.
Mzrz said:
Yes I got the phone from Rogers, it's most definitely i747M. But do I have to worry about any issues with the bootloader? I'm assuming installing CM11 will install the 4.4.2 bootloader, so if I choose to downgrade to the stock 4.3 rom, will it cause any issues seeing as I'm running a 4.3 rom with a 4.4.2 bootloader? I just want to make sure because I heard it can cause some serious problems if the bootloader is newer than the rom.
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I have never come across a custom ROM that touches the bootloader. A compatible bootloader has to be loaded on the phone before you attempt to install the custom ROM. Supported bootloaders can be found in the ROM's updater script.
I assume your phone has no warranty since you rooted it on stock 4.3. Did you root it by installing a pre-rooted ROM?
You could copy a ROM to your external SD card, install Philz Touch via Odin, reboot directly to recovery, create a nandroid backup, wipe cache, Dalvik, data, and install your KK ROM.
audit13 said:
I have never come across a custom ROM that touches the bootloader. A compatible bootloader has to be loaded on the phone before you attempt to install the custom ROM. Supported bootloaders can be found in the ROM's updater script.
I assume your phone has no warranty since you rooted it on stock 4.3. Did you root it by installing a pre-rooted ROM?
You could copy a ROM to your external SD card, install Philz Touch via Odin, reboot directly to recovery, create a nandroid backup, wipe cache, Dalvik, data, and install your KK ROM.
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Click to collapse
Okay, I was just making sure because I know OTA updates can change the bootloader, so I just wanted to make sure the custom roms don't do that. As for the custom recovery, are you recommending Philz Touch over CWM and TWRP? Do you know which custom recovery is installed from the CM installer?
audit13 said:
I have never come across a custom ROM that touches the bootloader. A compatible bootloader has to be loaded on the phone before you attempt to install the custom ROM. Supported bootloaders can be found in the ROM's updater script.
I assume your phone has no warranty since you rooted it on stock 4.3. Did you root it by installing a pre-rooted ROM?
You could copy a ROM to your external SD card, install Philz Touch via Odin, reboot directly to recovery, create a nandroid backup, wipe cache, Dalvik, data, and install your KK ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh and one more question, my phone was originally carrier locked to Rogers and unrooted on 4.3 jelly bean. I brought it in to a cell store for them to carrier unlock it for me, but they used a rooting method to unlock it (because SuperSU was installed on it when I brought it back). They didn't unlock it with a code, so I'm guessing they used something like Samsung Tool or z3x shell. If I install CM11, will I lose the unlock, considering it's more of a "soft unlock", or is the unlock permanent regardless of how many roms I flash? Thanks for your help!
Mzrz said:
Okay, I was just making sure because I know OTA updates can change the bootloader, so I just wanted to make sure the custom roms don't do that. As for the custom recovery, are you recommending Philz Touch over CWM and TWRP? Do you know which custom recovery is installed from the CM installer?
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Click to collapse
Philz is based on the latest release of CWM and I prefer CWM over TWRP because I had problems flashing ROMs. Once I switched to Philz/CWM, no more problems.
Mzrz said:
Oh and one more question, my phone was originally carrier locked to Rogers and unrooted on 4.3 jelly bean. I brought it in to a cell store for them to carrier unlock it for me, but they used a rooting method to unlock it (because SuperSU was installed on it when I brought it back). They didn't unlock it with a code, so I'm guessing they used something like Samsung Tool or z3x shell. If I install CM11, will I lose the unlock, considering it's more of a "soft unlock", or is the unlock permanent regardless of how many roms I flash? Thanks for your help!
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Click to collapse
The unlock should be permanent. I unlocked it using the free method when on 4.1.1 and no ROM has ever caused it to re-lock. Reflashing a completely stock ROM, including the bootloader, did not relock the phone.
Please remember that flashing and changing ROMs will always carry a risk of soft bricking or hard bricking your phone. Make sure you read all of the guides and be prepared for disaster.
Good read here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2201860
My searching seems to be giving me mixed answers about this. Is it possible to unlock my SIM while running Cyanogenmod? Currently on 4.4 and installed using the Cyanogenmod Installer months ago when I bought the phone. I'd prefer to not have to revert to stock. I'm traveling to Sweden in just over a week and I received a code from T-Mobile to unlock it. Has anyone had any luck in this situation?
You must be on stock
I figured. Is using Odin to flash back to NB4 the correct/best way to go? I really haven't followed any development/recovery methods for my phone since I installed with the CM installer almost a year ago.
EDIT: Can I make a nandroid backup with CWM of my current ROM (Cyanogenmod 4.4), use Odin to flash back to NB4 4.4.2, unlock my SIM, and then restore back to the Cyanogenmod backup?
Essem said:
EDIT: Can I make a nandroid backup with CWM of my current ROM (Cyanogenmod 4.4), use Odin to flash back to NB4 4.4.2, unlock my SIM, and then restore back to the Cyanogenmod backup?
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Click to collapse
Yes.. Or you can also flash a touchwiz ROM, unlock, and then restore your nandroid
Essem said:
I figured. Is using Odin to flash back to NB4 the correct/best way to go? I really haven't followed any development/recovery methods for my phone since I installed with the CM installer almost a year ago.
EDIT: Can I make a nandroid backup with CWM of my current ROM (Cyanogenmod 4.4), use Odin to flash back to NB4 4.4.2, unlock my SIM, and then restore back to the Cyanogenmod backup?
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Click to collapse
You mention that you haven't followed any development/recovery methods in almost a year after flashing the CM installer. If you've never updated either through Kies, Odin, or OTA... and have used nothing but custom ROMs, there is a chance you'd still be on the 4.2.2 (MDL) bootloader. It would be worth finding out before you go flashing 4.4.2 through Odin and giving yourself KNOX if you can avoid it.
I am running stock right now (JB 4.2.2) and I am planning to flash a Lollipop ROM (AICP 10). If I create a backup (for my stock ROM) at TWRP and did the needed measures to flash the Lollipop ROM and was successful however I want to return to stock ROM. Do I just have to factory reset and restore my stock ROM backup to have a stock ROM again? Sorry for this noob question.
Heeeeelp!
Any idea if that would work?
Just use odin to flash any stock rom
So backup-ing in TWRP before I flash Lollipop from my current rom [Stock JB 4.2.2] is useless?
You can also use your backup from TWRP.
But It will then show that it has been modified, could be a problem with the warranty.
If you want to go back completely for warranty then odin is the way to go
Thank you! I actually don't care about warranty since mine is overdue already. All I wanted to know was if I will be able to go back to JB 4.2.2 with that backup in case I have problems with Lollipop.