Develop Bugs

[Q] Question about Flash Counter and Warranty

I recently attempted to root my SGS2 but I mistakenly installed firmware from the i9100 instead of the version I had, the SPH-D710, also known as the Epic Touch 4g. ( I was unaware there were three versions of the SGS2).
Odin failed, and all my subsequent efforts to flash proper firmware got as far as the LAST file (hidden.img) and then failed, too. I'm guessing it was a driver issue or a cable issue or something.
In desperation I started looking around the forums for any way to salvage this, and ended up going down a few fruitless tangents, but I did find out about the jig method of resetting the flash counter.
I booted into download mode and realized that the flash counter is actually zero - it says that I have an official binary loaded.
With that said, will Samsung / Sprint honor my warranty under these conditions? I have heard that people have gotten replacement phones even when they successfully flash custom firmware to their phones via the jig reset, so I'm feeling pretty confident they will.
Thanks for your help!

sirdangolot5 said:
( I was unaware there were three versions of the SGS2).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Worth noting its actually way beyond 3. i9100 international, then you have the Epic 4G Touch, AT&T has the Skyrocket and then they have another one that is just a GS2 but its not the international. Then you have T-Mobiles variant all of these so far are different phones. Canada has 3, Mexico has an LTE variant, The Caribbean and then I even heard Japan has one. Oh and dont let me forget about the 3 south korean ones. I thought it was just 4 at first.
Just do a warranty exchange at a sprint store say nothing and hope for the best.

So I'm in the clear? That's certainly a relief.
Sent from my SPH-M580 using XDA App

sirdangolot5 said:
So I'm in the clear? That's certainly a relief.
Sent from my SPH-M580 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wouldnt say that. Assuming nothing else appears out of place the warranty exchange may work just fine. Doesnt mean it will. Most of us running root phones with custom roms have a download screen that says exactly the same thing. When the phone turns on it says a whole different story. If the phone wont boot and nothing else is out of place you will probably get away with it. From the sound of it you have had a bit more luck than others though in trying to get the phone to normal.
Just remember in the future any phone sprint carries if its available on any other carrier its not the same phone. Sprint is the only CDMA carrier that uses WiMax and until the LTE switch they have no chance of carrying anywhere near compatible 4G hardware with Verizon. International phones are usually GSM/HSPA and the sort and the hardware is different.

It is a YMMV, but you have a good chance of being ok with normal techs. You could always run into the one stickler though and all bets are off.

RainMotorsports said:
If the phone wont boot and nothing else is out of place you will probably get away with it. From the sound of it you have had a bit more luck than others though in trying to get the phone to normal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, this is my exact situation. My hopes are renewed.

Non-Windmobile Note ll. Please.

Hi
I don't know if I am asking in the right place but if someone knows the answer I would really appreciate it.
I found a good deal on a Note ll that would save me a lot of money, only thing is I'm with Windmobile/Canada (which uses 1700/2100 frequency/bands and AWS network similar to T-Mobile in the USA as some of you know) but the phone isn't (works with Rogers, Bell, Fido...).
Now, I'm just dying to know, is there ANYTHING I can do to make the phone work with Wind? I've read and read and read I can't find a definitive answer. Some people selling Note ll phones on Craigslist claim their phones work with any carrier including Wind or Mobilicity. But some people say no way in hell that's possible.
So, please, can someone give me an answer to my question? Yes or no?
Thanks.

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Electroman365 said:
Hi
I don't know if I am asking in the right place but if someone knows the answer I would really appreciate it.
I found a good deal on a Note ll that would save me a lot of money, only thing is I'm with Windmobile/Canada (which uses 1700/2100 frequency/bands and AWS network similar to T-Mobile in the USA as some of you know) but the phone isn't (works with Rogers, Bell, Fido...).
Now, I'm just dying to know, is there ANYTHING I can do to make the phone work with Wind? I've read and read and read I can't find a definitive answer. Some people selling Note ll phones on Craigslist claim their phones work with any carrier including Wind or Mobilicity. But some people say no way in hell that's possible.
So, please, can someone give me an answer to my question? Yes or no?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, it is possible. There is an unlock method before upgrading to 4.1.2. When the Note II came out with 4.1.1, there is a method used (go to the general forums to find more about this) without rooting the device.
If I were you, though, I would not trust online purchases of the Note II. Some people claim it stolen after you buy it so they get compensation for it if they have insurance for their phone.
Sent from my SGH-T889V using xda app-developers app

Caveat emptor. There are stolen devices out there, and fraudulent sellers.
With this disclaimer out of the way, your sellers with I317Ms claiming they'll work on Wind and Mobilicity have simply applied the mod outlined in this thread which you could do yourself.
If I were to buy another Note 2 via classifieds now, I'd pick a locked I317M (I'd avoid a locked BMA3 running T889V due to its modem-related bootloop issues), flash its initial release modem with Odin, unlock, update, and apply the AWS mod. (Granted I'm using Virgin Mobile, but having AWS could come in handy stateside with a T-Mobile prepaid SIM.)

Thanks kennyglass for moving my question to the right place. I wasn't sure where to ask because I'm not a frequent user of this site.
Thanks a million to Crinkypops and Darkshado for answering my question. I appreciate that. The good news is that now I know it is possible to make the phone work on an AWS network. The bad news is I have no clue how to do any of that stuff myself. I have zero experience or knowledge in this stuff, which means l'll probably have to get someone else with the necessary expertise to do this for me.....if l can find one.
Now a couple of things, if I get a new phone (factory unlocked) and it's already 4.1.2, would it be possible to change it to the older 4.1.1 ?
Is doing all the stuff you guys told me about involve rooting or whatever? I really don't want to mess up the phone with changing all kinds of things on it because I don't want to get stuck without a phone if something goes wrong and like I said I don't know anything about this stuff.
So, what if I buy a phone that was made to work with Wind or T-Mobile, would it be possible to modify it to make it work with other companies too? I really don't know why things have to be this complicated.

You have to start somewhere, it'll take a fair amount of reading, but it can be done.
Aside from their previous Nexus models, as of writing these lines, there's no such thing as a "factory unlocked" phone for Samsung Canada. All the SIM-unlocked devices you encounter were sold through carriers, and originally locked. Some sellers might also have grey market imports that were indeed never locked, but that's beyond the scope of this discussion, since we're interested in the North American variants of the Note 2.
You can downgrade the ROM back to 4.1.1 on all Canadian Note 2 variants, although I wouldn't try it on the T889V because it's been known to cause issues. Seems like there's a bug specific to this model.
You said you didn't want to be stuck without a phone if things went wrong, how about having a backup phone? The nice thing with two Android phones is that it's easy to keep their contacts and calendars synchronized.
The downgrade-to-unlock procedure can be done entirely using official (leaked) Samsung ROM images and tools, and does not require root. Done properly it will not trip the custom flash counter.
The AWS mod uses hidden factory built-in menus with leaked (QPST/QXDM) or reverse engineered tools (NV reader-writer / CDMA Workshop / EFS Pro). Again, it doesn't involve root and won't trip the flash counter. I317Ms that have had the AWS HSPA mod applied still work with their original carriers as before.

Thanks again, darkshadow.
Quick question. How do I know if the phone is I317M or BMA3 and running T889V ? Is l317M or BMA3 written on the back (once the cover is removed)?

Electroman365 said:
Thanks again, darkshadow.
Quick question. How do I know if the phone is I317M or BMA3 and running T889V ? Is l317M or BMA3 written on the back (once the cover is removed)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can check it at the bottom of the box with the IMEI. I would advise you to actually go on the phone, though, and go to settings>about phone and then you'll see the IMEI, baseband, and model number in there. Make sure that the IMEI matches with the box. Some people steal phones and then just buy boxes so beware.
Good luck on your purchase!
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda app-developers app

Crinkypops said:
You can check it at the bottom of the box with the IMEI. I would advise you to actually go on the phone, though, and go to settings>about phone and then you'll see the IMEI, baseband, and model number in there. Make sure that the IMEI matches with the box. Some people steal phones and then just buy boxes so beware.
Good luck on your purchase!
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, crinkypops. I appreciate it and thanks for the info. If I buy a used phone I'll ask for the receipt and the box too.

Electroman365 said:
Thanks, crinkypops. I appreciate it and thanks for the info. If I buy a used phone I'll ask for the receipt and the box too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just trying to help a fellow Canadian PM me how the purchase goes.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda app-developers app

Thanks again, crinkypops. I will. I first have to find out if the phone the guy can get me is an i317m and I'll go from there.

Well, looks like the only option I have is to buy a used Note II on CL. My "friend" who was going to hook me up with a new phone through a buddy of his is an unreliable scum bag of a "friend" and I'm not going to bother with him any more.
So now I'm looking on CL but I'm trying not to buy any phone unless the seller has the sales receipt to make sure I'm not buying something that's stolen.However, some sellers don't want to give the receipt -although willing to show it- because it has their personal information and my question is, would the receipt have the ID # (if that's what it's called) of the particular phone printed on it? If the phone is still under warranty, would it be possible to get it repaired (if there's a need) without a receipt?
Any other advice on how to avoid getting scammed buying a phone on CL?
Thanks.

Which city are you from? I am in vancouver and might consider selling if the price is right. I have the box and receipt. Phone is rooted running x14 with wind. Its still locked though.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app

I don't know what the problem is. I tried to send private messages to vseslija and crinkypops but I don't think they went through.
vseslija, was your phone purchased from Wind?
---
I'm a bit confused. Some guy is telling me I need to get the T889 and not the i317m if I want to use my phone with Wind, but from the answers here and from what I see on CL that can't be correct. Am I right? He says the i317m will be slow and unstable. Speed of T889 vs i317m : 42 mbps vs 21 mbps. Any thoughts?
Thanks.

Yup mine was purchased directly from wind.
That guy is bsing you
Sent from SGH-T889v Canadian Wind Mobile

Hmm, the guy isn't completely wrong, but he's not completely right either...
The (Canadian) T889V and I317M as well as the (US) T889 and I317 are all capable of 42 Mbps DC-HSPA. The 21 Mbps numbers you might have seen are due to AT&T's HSPA network not supporting dual channel operation, unlike most (all?) Canadian HSPA networks.
The T889 and T889V work on AWS HSPA carriers like Wind, Mobilicity, Videotron or T-Mobile USA out of the box. (The T889V won't work on LTE if you decide to switch back to Robellusfivirkoo, but that's another story, and there's also a way to enable that.)
The I317 and I317M won't, but are very easy to modify in order to enable the AWS HSPA you'll need. There have been a handful of reports of flaky connections on the AWS mod thread, but the ratio is so low that I'm lead to wonder if: there's an undocumented hardware revision for which the mod won't work, their phones or cellular networks had other issues, or if those trying to apply it did something wrong along the way.
I haven't checked Kijiji or CL for phones in a while, but I do recall the T889V commanding a slight premium over the I317M at one point because they were rarer.

Thanks again guys for replying. Man this has given me a lot of headache. Get a Wind Note and get it over with or get an i317m and mod it (have someone do it for me) to get it to work with AWS? I guess listening to what you guys had to say, plus asking a local cell phone shop is making me feel confident that it IS possible to get an i317m work on the AWS without any problems. Now, I think I'm going to take my chances and look for one on CL. In the worst case scenario if for some reason it gives me a headache I'm assuming I can have the process reversed (restore it to its original system) and I'll just sell it and get me a Note that was made specifically for Wind.
To those who helped me and answered my questions, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

Just noticed the i317. So I guess there's an i317 and an i317m. Did some reading but the only difference I can see is that the "M" model is for the Canadian market. Am I right? Does an i317 work in Canada just fine?

The AT&T I317 should work just fine. But, (there's always one, isn't it?) its baseband has some "annoying" limitations (RAT lock is the term you'll want to search) that prevent you from toggling between network modes easily, i.e. you can't switch it between GSM only, WCDMA only, GSM/WCDMA/LTE like you can the Canadian model. Plus there are all the import related considerations you have to keep in mind (taxes and brokerage fees), plus buying something expensive sight-unseen.
The other differences are more benign and software-related. Nothing that can't be fixed with some ROM-flashing, like non-Robellusfivirkoo CSC settings.

Darkshado said:
The AT&T I317 should work just fine. But, (there's always one, isn't it?) its baseband has some "annoying" limitations (RAT lock is the term you'll want to search) that prevent you from toggling between network modes easily, i.e. you can't switch it between GSM only, WCDMA only, GSM/WCDMA/LTE like you can the Canadian model. Plus there are all the import related considerations you have to keep in mind (taxes and brokerage fees), plus buying something expensive sight-unseen.
The other differences are more benign and software-related. Nothing that can't be fixed with some ROM-flashing, like non-Robellusfivirkoo CSC settings.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply and the info. I just got an i317m. Finally.

[Q] Flash to t-mobile is it possible?

Hi guys,
this may not be the proper forum for this if it is not i apologize.
I have have the cricket galaxy S3 which I payed retail for a few months ago, I am moving to a area where they do not cover, I would like to bring my s3 over to tmobile but im running into a strange issue.
The phone is set to cdma mode in the the engineering menus i can switch it over to gsm and it has the frequencies that tmobile uses but i can not get it to see anyone else's sim card other then crickets, its not an unlock problem, it just says please insert sim with anyone else's, they do something weird they are cdma but have a sim card and the phone will not work without it. I tried installing a rom with the tmobile baseband as an experiment thinking well it may be that, but it didn't work.
I am having a hard time believing there is not a way to get this done so I am turning to the most informed android community I know of for advice, Dose anyone have any thoughts on how to accomplish this?
Please not I am not scared to brick this phone because if I cant get it switched over its a $500.00 paperweight to me anyway it has a cracked glass so I wouldn't be able to sell it anyway.

What model is it? I think cricket is closely related to sprint or verizon. And as far as I know no ones been able to use those models on the tmob or att networks with any success. Just because the option is in the engineering menus does not mean the phone is capable. It was just easier than creating separate apps for every model s3.
Now that T-Mobile has lte in some areas this may have changed a little, but in the past I know cdma phones were not compatible with T-Mobiles gsm network. So there may be a way IF lte is in your market, but I still wouldnt get my hopes up much.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium

DocHoliday77 said:
What model is it? I think cricket is closely related to sprint or verizon. And as far as I know no ones been able to use those models on the tmob or att networks with any success. Just because the option is in the engineering menus does not mean the phone is capable. It was just easier than creating separate apps for every model s3.
Now that T-Mobile has lte in some areas this may have changed a little, but in the past I know cdma phones were not compatible with T-Mobiles gsm network. So there may be a way IF lte is in your market, but I still wouldnt get my hopes up much.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it is identical to the verizon one, model is like 530 I think and the verizon is 535 (dont have in in front of me), but ive seen on youtube someone get the verizon s3 to work on gsm but hitting a couple settings, hence my frustration.

neocrypter said:
it is identical to the verizon one, model is like 530 I think and the verizon is 535 (dont have in in front of me), but ive seen on youtube someone get the verizon s3 to work on gsm but hitting a couple settings, hence my frustration.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It will not work I believe ..But here is some info Here
Maybe this here I think the closes ROM is MetroPCS

Qverse said:
It will not work I believe ..But here is some info Here
Maybe this here I think the closes ROM is MetroPCS
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
See I looked at that but I couldnt get it to work with my phone, the part that is hanging me up is it refuses to see the gsm sim card, though outwardly they look identical to the lte card that is in my phone im thinking it has to do with the encoding on them.

i have been trying to Odin flash the stock vzw firmware to it, since the hardware is identical, but i cant get past the qualcomm secure boot check

neocrypter said:
See I looked at that but I couldnt get it to work with my phone, the part that is hanging me up is it refuses to see the gsm sim card, though outwardly they look identical to the lte card that is in my phone im thinking it has to do with the encoding on them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So what happens went you put the sim in to your UNLOCKED phone?

neocrypter said:
i have been trying to Odin flash the stock vzw firmware to it, since the hardware is identical, but i cant get past the qualcomm secure boot check
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wouldn't try that again. Way too risky. Odin won't flash an official firmware to a different model device. But if you get it to it would be more likely to brick your phone than not. I know they're practically identical, but any difference in bootloaders could cause it.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
---------- Post added at 10:20 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:16 PM ----------
And I know you said you're not worried about bricking it, but even with cracked glass you can still sell it, probably for a good bit more than you think.
And you did imply you are unlocked. Are you though, for sure?
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium

DocHoliday77 said:
I wouldn't try that again. Way too risky. Odin won't flash an official firmware to a different model device. But if you get it to it would be more likely to brick your phone than not. I know they're practically identical, but any difference in bootloaders could cause it.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
---------- Post added at 10:20 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:16 PM ----------
And I know you said you're not worried about bricking it, but even with cracked glass you can still sell it, probably for a good bit more than you think.
And you did imply you are unlocked. Are you though, for sure?
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well here is the thing, about the unlocked bit I am not sure, but it dose not prompt me for an unlock code, it simply just dose not see any other sim thats put in it, it just says No Sim. I gave up on flashing it with odin, I remembered the rom I was running had options for all major us carriers in it and cricket so i played around with that re-flashing the rom to it try a few things and well that didn't work either.

Well if you don't get it unlocked its probably not going to work with any other carriers network.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2023709
That thread may help. It's for gsm phones so I don't know if it'll do you any good, but it's worth a shot!
The Rom itself will have little to do with getting it working on another network. The main items that you probably need to worry about are unlocking and that SIM card.
The sim is tmob right? Does it work fine in other T-Mobile phones?
If you really do think.it's the Rom you may be able to flash a stock based Rom from the T999. Get verification first though as it's probably not like att where we can just flash theirs and it just works! You'd most likely need it ported.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium

Brandy new

Just picked up one of these badboys this weekend at the target sale. It seemed like a decent deal considering tmo does not have the subsidized phones any more. As you can see my phone is the exhibit but is it possible to open it up and root the phone and flash it without a sim card? The micro SD cards I ordered from Tmo are still being shipped so a head start won't be that bad.. I read over the wiki stating the firmwares can only be t999L and nothing else and for the ROMs I may have to change or delete a few lines. Sorry for the wall of text just excited got a new toy and can't wait to play with it lol
TLDR; can I root and flash without a simcard
Sent from my SGH-T679 using xda app-developers app

pubed said:
Just picked up one of these badboys this weekend at the target sale. It seemed like a decent deal considering tmo does not have the subsidized phones any more. As you can see my phone is the exhibit but is it possible to open it up and root the phone and flash it without a sim card? The micro SD cards I ordered from Tmo are still being shipped so a head start won't be that bad.. I read over the wiki stating the firmwares can only be t999L and nothing else and for the ROMs I may have to change or delete a few lines. Sorry for the wall of text just excited got a new toy and can't wait to play with it lol
TLDR; can I root and flash without a simcard
Sent from my SGH-T679 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Alright well took a leap of faith and did it. It worked out fine. Followed DocHoliday's steps on installing Stock+Root through ODIN then installed twrp through ODIN as well. Right now i'm sitting at 4.1.2 Stock +Root UVAMB7. The only thing that I'm having a hard time grasping is the whole flashing of different roms(ive flashed roms on exhibit before but all had same i.e "t999")
Apparently the t999L can only be flashed with roms using UVAMB7 but I can't seem to find any.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

To answer the original question: Yes, you can flash without a SIM Inserted, it is actually safer to do it that way, but only just.
I also have the T999L and had the Galaxy Exhibit (formerly Exhibit II 4G), the thing to keep in mind is that though they are close they are not exact and keep to the ROMs/Modems/Firmware for your variant. Though with that being said, most of the T999 ROMs (NOT modems or firmware) will work without issue on the T999L and even the I747 (AT&T Variant). Most of the major differences, and bricking troubles, come from flashing the wrong Firmware or modems, either the wrong version or wrong device/variant. I am using d2tmo version of CM10.2.0 on my T999L, any of the d2tmo CM ROMs will work just fine.

my wind note 2 is on 4.3. is it possible to downgrade?

my wind note 2 is on 4.3. is it possible to downgrade? i want to unlock the phone, and ebay doesnt have many options for this variant. id rather do it myself for free anyways. what are my options?

The upgrade to 4.3 changed the game with warranties. If you don't care about the warranty then look in the general forum here. Some have gone back but it trips the new knox counter voiding your warranty.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using Tapatalk 2

sabresfan said:
The upgrade to 4.3 changed the game with warranties. If you don't care about the warranty then look in the general forum here. Some have gone back but it trips the new knox counter voiding your warranty.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bought it second hand with no receipt from someone who bought it from wind in canada, and I am planning on using it on o2 in the UK. I'm pretty sure my warranty is void/useless anyways. I believe I need to downgrade in order to unlock it to o2. Thanks for the advice, ill take a look.

try this?
nodyarg said:
I bought it second hand with no receipt from someone who bought it from wind in canada, and I am planning on using it on o2 in the UK. I'm pretty sure my warranty is void/useless anyways. I believe I need to downgrade in order to unlock it to o2. Thanks for the advice, ill take a look.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Instead of downgrading entire ROM, try downgrading radio instead
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2153613

JustLurkin said:
Instead of downgrading entire ROM, try downgrading radio instead
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2153613
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, I read the link. It says it works on 4.1.2 but no mention of 4.3. Worth a try though. I cant test it for a few more weeks since im back in toronto and the phone is with my girl in the UK.
Does anyone know if there is even sim unlocking services for this phone? Seems like ebay has nothing for t889

I just did downgrade the radio on 4.3 unlocked no problem.
nodyarg said:
Thanks, I read the link. It says it works on 4.1.2 but no mention of 4.3. Worth a try though. I cant test it for a few more weeks since im back in toronto and the phone is with my girl in the UK.
Does anyone know if there is even sim unlocking services for this phone? Seems like ebay has nothing for t889
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know if a service on eBay, but I can attest that I just flashed the modem this afternoon after unbricking my phone with Kies which installed the most recent stock official ROM 4.3 and it worked. I did back up before I did it although I had nothing on the phone. Hope that helps

JustLurkin said:
I don't know if a service on eBay, but I can attest that I just flashed the modem this afternoon after unbricking my phone with Kies which installed the most recent stock official ROM 4.3 and it worked. I did back up before I did it although I had nothing on the phone. Hope that helps
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
excellent this is great news. thanks!