Okay, so my phone is currently running 4.4.2 Cyanogenmod right now, I had to find out the hard way that I cant jump back to 4.3 due to the bootloader but will it be possible to install the stock 4.4.2 safely once its released? Or is there a way to go back down to 4.3 that I'm missing..
Shiro_Yuki said:
Okay, so my phone is currently running 4.4.2 Cyanogenmod right now, I had to find out the hard way that I cant jump back to 4.3 due to the bootloader but will it be possible to install the stock 4.4.2 safely once its released? Or is there a way to go back down to 4.3 that I'm missing..
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Don't know how you got the impression you can't go back to 4.3 from Kit-Kat based CM. CM, like most stock ROMs, doesn't come with its own bootloaders but relies on manufacturer's bootloader to run. If you went to CM from stock 4.3, chances are your bootloader was unaffected and still remains at 4.3. You can check what bootloader your phone is on by going to settings and seeing what you have under baseband. If it's UCUEMJB then you have the 4.3 (MJB) bootloader and you should be able to use custom recovery to flash a stock 4.3 restore image.
If history is anything to go by, you would be unlikely to get the (newly released) 4.4.2 update OTA if you are not on a full stock (or stock-based) ROM. I would, however, not be in a rush for OTA as we can always trust the good guys in the development community to come up with a manual update process shortly. If you still want to revert to full stock 4.3, then you can follow the instructions in the thread below ...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2658486
Your right!
Used the process you gave me and it worked, I had been trying to use odin but I supose a simpler solution was better. Thanks again!
I just switched from stable CM10.1 to stock 4.4.2 this week. It sucks. Performance and battery dropped drastically. Will be going back to CFW asap.
Related
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!
Is it possible to come back from a 4.4 rom to say 4.2 or 4.3 stock ROM? Can I ODIN back?
Currently not able to get MMS/Group messaging to work on the current 4.4 rom. Tried updating modem, adjusting settings...still no luck and I need it for work. Appreciate any help
Which phone do you have?
audit13 said:
Which phone do you have?
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AT&T S3
You can go 4.4 -> 4.3. However, you cant get the unrooted stock rom of 4.3, since Samsung/AT&T didn't ever release to the public (It was all OTA).
If you went 4.2->4.3 OTA, then your bootloader was upgraded. As you've seen on these forums, downgrading from 4.3 to 4.2/4.1 is a big no-no unless you want a brick.
Example:
4.2 ---(OTA UPGRADE)--> 4.3.
Rooted+cyanogen 4.3
cyanogen 4.3-> cyanogen 4.4
cyanogen 4.4-> cyanogen 4.3
cyanogen 4.3
( ^ what I have done)
NOTE: After I got the OTA, I have never tried going back to stock. You can use rooted roms that are CLOSE to stock. But I wouldn't suggest going stock because of knox and blah blah blah.
Were you ever on stock AT&T 4.3? If you were, your bootlaoder was probably updated so you can't install an older bootloader. You can load a older AT&T ROM using mobile Odin which does not flash a bootloader or modem.
I never went to 4.3...straight from 4.2 to 4.4
audit13 said:
Were you ever on stock AT&T 4.3? If you were, your bootlaoder was probably updated so you can't install an older bootloader. You can load a older AT&T ROM using mobile Odin which does not flash a bootloader or modem.
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So I could go back to a 4.2 TW rom if I was never on 4.3 OTA? (or any 4.3 for that matter)
blackwrx02 said:
So I could go back to a 4.2 TW rom if I was never on 4.3 OTA? (or any 4.3 for that matter)
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Yes, you just need to find a stock AT&T ROM that is flashable in Odin.
I have a quick question. I am on a stock rooted 4.1.1 att sgs3. I was curious if i flashed this rom/kernal,[ROM/KERNEL][4.4.2] Quantum 3.54 & QuantumKernel 3/7, would i be able to go back to my stock rooted rom if I wanted to? Thanks in advance.
Looks like you are trying to flash a custom ROM. Don't know much about these particular ROMs you mentioned but you need to your research thoroughly on custom ROMs before flashing. You may know most Custom ROMs don't come with their own bootloaders but still have to rely on a manufacturer's bootloader to run. You should, therefore, avoid any ROM that may update your bootloader because this is the only way that you would not be able to return to your previous stock version. If the ROM simply updates the system without mucking with your bootloader, there is no reason why you may not be able to return to stock.
I had an AT&T SG3 on stock 4.1.1 and I was able to flash KitKat (4.4) based CM11 and return to stock 4.1.1 without any hitches. Finally, whilst you are still on stock 4.1.1 I would suggest you take advantage of all the flexibilities offered by this Android version especially free unlocking before you begin tinkering with firmware.
So as long as I dont update my bootloader, I should be fine on going back to stock rooted 4.1.1? Thanks for the info!!
So how do i know what roms dont mess with the bootloader?
Most ROMS do not include an aboot file. I have flashed CM11, Validus, Slim, and Cyanfox and none of these altered the bootloader.
I suggest that you find a ROM you like, unzip the file, and look at the updater script to determine which bootloaders are required to install the ROM on your phone.
Ok guys, thanks for the tips. I just didn't want to get stuck on a firmware where i could not have root anymore or go back to a stock rooted rom.
I have read that after even just flashing 4.4.2 update, it will not be possible to revert (nandroid) to any 4.3 ROMs. If true - why if firmware the same ?
gaww said:
I have read that after even just flashing 4.4.2 update, it will not be possible to revert (nandroid) to any 4.3 ROMs. If true - why if firmware the same ?
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Yep DONT UPDATE IF YOU DONT WANT ANY CHANGES!
edit; I think there will be a patch soon enough though
zz1049 said:
Yep DONT UPDATE IF YOU DONT WANT ANY CHANGES!
edit; I think there will be a patch soon enough though
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I would not think of "updating" and get stuck with KNOXed bootloader. Absent that, i do not see why reverting would be a problem, but I have read otherwise.
That was my reason for asking.
gaww said:
I would not think of "updating" and get stuck with KNOXed bootloader. Absent that, i do not see why reverting would be a problem, but I have read otherwise.
That was my reason for asking.
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Reason being is that the boot loader does not permit loading the old version of android onto it. If you update and then tried to flash the old Raum 4.3 it will cause errors and will ask you to reinstall the firmware, which is basically just the recovery part. 4.3 will flash this part of the image but then the rest of it will have problems. A lot of custom ROMs have been out there that run on 4.3 kernels but are running 4.4 ROMs and these are really actually 4.3. In those cases you can easily revert to stock 4.3. However, if you have updated then through Samsung software it will update the boot loader and you will no longer be able to revert.
For AT&T it is available to river, or at least reflash 4.4. I'm sure this will be fixed in time however at this point there is a lock or warning that has not been cracked basically. (Knox counter etc,)
gaww said:
I have read that after even just flashing 4.4.2 update, it will not be possible to revert (nandroid) to any 4.3 ROMs. If true - why if firmware the same ?
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This is what I've read: if you update to official 4.4.2, you cannot flash back to official 4.3 in Odin. Likewise, if you updated to official 4.3, you cannot Odin back to official 4.2.2. If you try to, you'll soft brick. The Knox-secured bootloaders prevent Odin from successfully flashing a previous version.
Now, if you do this and therefore soft-brick, you need to pull the battery and re-enter Odin mode. Then you must Odin-flash a custom recovery (luckily there are some Odin-flashable recovery files out there). Then, after another battery pull, you need to manually boot into your custom recovery and flash a custom rom (or restore a Nandroid). This will save your soft brick.
What we don't know, because it hasn't been released yet, is if the official 4.4.2 tar file would successfully flash in Odin if you already have the 4.4.2 Knox bootloader.
I figure instead of pulling my hair out for three days wading through various methods and likely brick, I'd swallow my pride and ask.
Here's where I'm at: I rooted and flashed Carbon rom way back when, everything was working alright, but with time, things are slowly starting to come apart. Yesterday, it's come to the point it can't be ignored. My nightly is ridiculously out of date, but I just haven't wanted to mess with it anymore. I'm about ready to get a new phone and I want everything back to fresh stock to give to a family member. I don't know where to start and what instructions are applicable or out of date. Model: I747, Android version: 4.4.2
I think I'm done experimenting with the rooting business, it's been a ride. If I could get some clear instructions on getting this phone back to stock, I'd be eternally grateful.
Help me xda community, you're my only hope.
What bootloader is on your phone? This is important to know before trying to get back to a stock ATT ROM.
audit13 said:
What bootloader is on your phone? This is important to know before trying to get back to a stock ATT ROM.
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Hey there, thanks for replying! Bootloader says I747UCUEMJB.
Since you are on an mjb bootloader, that means you had the ATT stock 4.3 ROM on the phone.
Unfortunately, ATT never realased a stock 4.3 ROM or 4.4.2 ROM. These were only available via OTA.
There was a thread where a stock mjb ROM was compiled for flashing in Odin, but for some members, the flash resulted in a bricked phone.
I had a feeling that might be the case. What are my options here?
I would install a custom recovery and flash a custom rom. There are custom ROMs based on stock Samsung ROMs.
audit13 said:
I would install a custom recovery and flash a custom rom. There are custom ROMs based on stock Samsung ROMs.
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This is the way to go. Since you most likely already have a custom recovery (assumed since you are running Carbon but verify first though), then it is just a matter of getting a new ROM. There are several custom TW ROMs based on 4.3 MJB. If you really want KK, you can flash the NE4 bootloader and modem along with a custom NE4 TW KK ROM. Please keep in mind that with both MJB and NE4 (KK) if you try to revert bootloaders, you will brick.
I am personally running S3RX 4.3 and have few to no issues other than what most people experience on stock anyway. Just have not had the time to move forward to KK as of yet.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747
Okay, so the bootloader is 4.3, but the Android version in settings says 4.4.2, how does that fit together? Just trying to understand what all this works.
Recovery is currently ClockworkMod. Since I'm planning on giving it to family, I'd like something that is as stable as possible, nothing fancy needed. What ROM would fulfill those needs?
aablee said:
Okay, so the bootloader is 4.3, but the Android version in settings says 4.4.2, how does that fit together? Just trying to understand what all this works.
Recovery is currently ClockworkMod. Since I'm planning on giving it to family, I'd like something that is as stable as possible, nothing fancy needed. What ROM would fulfill those needs?
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Sounds like you are running a custom KK ROM in order to be using the 4.3 bootloader. A stock KK ATT ROM will not run on a 4.3 bootloader.
Before flashing to a custom KK ROM, make sure you are running the latest CWM. Carbon is a good ROM and should have reached a milestone build.
aablee said:
Okay, so the bootloader is 4.3, but the Android version in settings says 4.4.2, how does that fit together? Just trying to understand what all this works.
Recovery is currently ClockworkMod. Since I'm planning on giving it to family, I'd like something that is as stable as possible, nothing fancy needed. What ROM would fulfill those needs?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
audit13 said:
Sounds like you are running a custom KK ROM in order to be using the 4.3 bootloader. A stock KK ATT ROM will not run on a 4.3 bootloader.
Before flashing to a custom KK ROM, make sure you are running the latest CWM. Carbon is a good ROM and should have reached a milestone build.
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You are running the official 4.3 bootloader but an AOSP custom ROM. In the case of AOSP ROMs you can typically do this. As mention by audit13, if it was a custom ROM based off TW AT&T stock, you would only be able to run a modified TW 4.3 ROM.