Develop Bugs

[Root] [CWM] Samsung Galaxy Discover (SGH-730G) Tracfone Variant ONLY

THIS THREAD IS ONLY FOR THE SGH-730G VARIANT OF THE SAMSUNG DISCOVER. USE OF ANY OF THESE GUIDES AND METHODS FOR ANY OTHER VARIANT OF THE PHONE IS AT THE RISK OF THE USER
This thread is a guide on how to root and install CWM recovery on the Samsung Galaxy Discover (SGH-730G) which is the Tracfone (Net10, Straight Talk) variant of the device. These instructions are for Windows users only. If someone knows how to do it through Linux distro or Mac, please let me know and we will add those instructions to this post.
IMPORTANT: THIS GUIDE ASSUMES THAT YOU HAVE A PRIOR KNOWLEDGE OF THE TOOLS AND TERMS USED. ROOTING YOUR DEVICE WILL VOID YOUR WARRANTY! STOP NOW IF THIS IS SOMETHING YOU ARE CONCERNED ABOUT! IF YOU PROCEED, FOLLOW ALL THE DIRECTIONS CAREFULLY. USE OF THIS GUIDE AND THESE TOOLS IS AT THE RISK OF THE USER! I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE OR NEGATIVE OUTCOMES INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO SOFT BRICK, HARD BRICK, EXPLODING BATTERIES, NUCLEAR WAR, GIANT SQUID PEOPLE, OR SPONTANEOUS JUSTIN BIEBER CONCERTS IN YOUR LIVING ROOM
***First let's get all the tools and files you will need to complete this process***
Samsung USB Drivers: Click HERE to download the USB drivers for the SGH-730G.
UnlockRoot Pro (Free Download) - Click HERE and scroll down to "UnlockRoot Pro" and click the "Free Download" button. *Note*: Your computer may tell you that this program is malicious. You may have to disable antivirus in order to download.
Odin3 v3.07 - Click HERE to download Odin. This program will be used to flash CWM recovery to your phone.
CWM Recovery (thanks to JohnnyGalto) - Click HERE to download CWM recovery for your phone.
***Now that you have all the tools downloaded let's get them installed and ready for use.***
1) Install the USB drivers (should be self-explanatory).
2) Click on UnlockRoot_downloader_by_UnlockRoot.exe to start the installation. You may have to grant it administrator privileges. I DO NOT RECOMMEND INSTALLING ANY OF THE SPECIAL OFFERS THAT FIRST COME UP WHEN YOU OPEN THE FILE. CLICK SKIP until the automatic download begins. This is the download for the program itself. Once that is finished, follow the instructions to install the program on your computer.
3) Extract Odin Files: I recommend creating a folder on the desktop named "Odin" simply for easy access. However, feel free to choose whatever directory you want. Simply extract all the files to a designated folder.
4) CWM Revovery Tar: Move this file into the same folder where you extracted Odin. This will make it easier to access in a little while.
***If you have followed all the instructions correctly, you are now ready to install CWM recovery and root your device! You will periodically see a yellow triangle on the Samsung boot logo screen throughout this process. But have no fear, we will take care of this later on.***
1) Put your phone into download mode by holding VOLUME DOWN + POWER. A warning screen about custom OS will appear. Press VOLUME UP to confirm this is what you want to do. You should then be showing a screen with the Android logo and the "Downloading... Do not turn off target!!" text.
2) Now connect your phone to the computer using the USB cable, and open Odin from the folder you extracted it to. If your phone is connected properly you should see something similar to "0:[COM10]" in the box under ID:COM in the upper left of the window.
**VERY IMPORTANT** MAKE SURE THE ONLY TWO BOXES CHECKED UNDER "OPTIONS" ARE AUTO REBOOT AND F. RESET TIME!! NO OTHER BOXES SHOULD BE CHECKED
3) Under "Files [Download]" click the PDA button. Navigate to where you placed the CWM tar file and click okay.It is important that you ONLY click "PDA" for this. If you have followed the directions carefully, Odin should check the MD5 sum of the file to verify validity. If the file comes back invalid or you get any errors, STOP, and report them in the thread.
4) Click "Start". DO NOT TURN OFF OR DISCONNECT YOUR PHONE DURING THIS PROCESS. If everything goes well, your phone will reboot automatically after install. To check if your install worked properly, follow the next instructions to boot into recovery and make a stock backup.
OPTIONAL BUT RECOMMENDED SAFETY STEP BEFORE PROCEEDING WITH ROOT (REQUIRES AN EXTERNAL MICRO SD CARD) - CWM recovery works without root permission. It is HIGHLY recommended that you make a complete backup of your stock image before proceeding. This will make it easier to recover from a soft brick, or to return your phone to stock in the future should you choose to do so. A)Power off your phone. To boot into recovery, hold VOLUME UP+POWER until the Samsung logo is displayed. After the logo displays, release the POWER button. Keep holding the VOLUME UP button until your phone boots into the CWM recovery screen. B) Using the volume keys to navigate the menu, scroll down to "backup and restore". Use the power button to select. C) Select backup using the power button. D) After your backup is complete, go back to the main menu and select "reboot system now".
5) Before using UnlockRoot Pro, go to your Settings menu and scroll down to "Developer Options". Be sure to select "USB debugging", "Allow mock locations", and just to avoid potential disaster, choose "Stay awake". After this is all done, you can go back and unselect these.
6) With USB debugging enabled on your phone, launch UnlockRoot (not the UnlockRoot PRO shortcut the program installs on the desktop). Click the big green "Root" button. **NOTE** During the process it will ask you if you want to install other apps. DO NOT INSTALL THEM. Once the program is finished, if all went well, you now have a rooted SGH-730G!
7) There are a number of apps available in the Play Store that check to see if you are rooted. Alternatively, this is how I check my devices. A) Download and install "Terminal Emulator" from the Play Store. This app is like using ADB on your phone. B) Once it is installed, open the app. Type in the command "su" (without the quotes) and hit enter. If rooting was successful, your phone should show a pop-up message asking you to grant it root privileges. Go ahead and say yes and rejoice in the fact you were successful. If you receive the error "permission denied", then the root was unsuccessful.
**Dealing with the pesky yellow triangle on the Samsung boot screen**
The yellow triangle on the Samsung boot screen is a visual warning that you are running custom software. To get rid of it, click the following thread link. "Triangle Away" is a paid app in the Play Store, but the awesome Chainfire has made it available in the forums. Read the thread carefully and follow all the instructions for using the app. Neither I, nor him, nor your pet are responsible for the misuse of the app. - http://forum.xda-developers.com/member.php?u=631273
THAT'S IT!!! If you followed all the directions carefully, you now have a rooted SGH-730G and the sky is the limit now. Currently there is no known custom roms for this device. However I am working on building a Stock+Root Deodexed version of the factory firmware, and will upload it when I can verify it is stable to be released. Following that, I will be developing a custom rom based on the stock firmware. But of course, if you have the experience and know-how, feel free to start developing your own roms for this phone. The more the merrier.
And as always, if you were successful using this guide, or it helped you in any way, please inflate my ego by clicking that thanks button.
I will try to answer as many questions as possible if you run into problems during the process, or if you have other questions about what you can do with this device now that it is rooted.
I CURRENTLY DO NOT KNOW OF A WAY TO MANUALLY UNLOCK THE PHONE. IT'S A LITTLE BIT BEYOND MY SKILLS. I HAVE HOWEVER SEEN PEOPLE IN OTHER FORUMS GETTING PEOPLE TO DO IT USING REMOTE ACCESS TO THEIR COMPUTERS WITH THE PHONE PLUGGED IN TO IT. I DON'T KNOW ALL THE DETAILS ABOUT HOW IT WORKS, BUT COMMON SENSE TELLS ME THIS ISN'T A VERY TRUSTWORTHY THING TO BE DOING. IT'S TOTALLY UP TO YOU IF YOU REALLY TRUST A COMPLETE STRANGER TO HAVE VIRTUAL ACCESS TO YOUR COMPUTER AND YOUR PHONE. BE I'D BE WEARY.
:good: Thanks (in no particular order) to andronald for the original thread about the 730M variant of this device, Without that thread, this thread would not be possible. FitAmp for his contributions to the project over there, JohnnyGalto for the CWM recovery image, cshmitt for his help in getting me started working on a custom rom for this device. :good:

Soft Brick Recovery
SOFT BRICK RECOVERY FOR SGH-730G
Right now, I am working on a tar Odin flashable system image to make it easier to recover from a soft brick of the device. Once it is completed and tested, I will update this post to include a download of it.
***This post will help you recover from a soft brick or bootloop error on your SGH-730G after rooting. This quick guide assumes that you still have access to CWM recovery and/or are able to boot into download mode. (See OP for instructions on how to boot into recovery and download mode.)***
If you followed the instructions and recommendations in the previous post, then you should have made a backup of the stock image using CWM recovery. This is what you will use to help recover your phone so you can start the process again, or not, depending on how gutsy you feel.
IF YOU ARE STILL ABLE TO BOOT INTO CWM RECOVERY
1) Power off your device. You may have to pull the battery to do this if you are stuck with a bootloop or other booting issues.
2) Boot into CWM recovery (see OP for instructions)
3) Scroll down to "backup and restore"
4) Select restore
5) You should then see a restore point to select. The format is usually "YYYY-MM-DD.HOUR". The hour is usually in 24h format.
6) Select the file then select "Yes".
7) If everything works correctly, your stock backup should be restored and you should be able to boot your phone again.
**Note** If you lose root while restoring your stock backup, just use the guide in the OP to try again.
**If you cannot boot into CWM recovery after installation and making a backup.**
Try to reinstall the CWM recovery image using the instructions in the OP.
Again, as soon as it is ready, I will upload a tar that can be flashed through Odin to restore the factory image to your phone, and instructions on recovering and returning to stock will be posted here.
As always, if this helps you in any way, inflate my ego by clicking that thanks button.

Fun with the SGH-730G
So far there are a few fun things I have found work for this phone so far.
For those who may want overclock features, check out this thread. The reason I didn't include it in the OP is because I didn't have success in changing the max value for CPU speed. It stayed constant at 1000 and produced a little too much battery drain for my taste.
SetCPU - This app only works to change the minimum allowed CPU speed of the stock kernel. I run the "ondemand" settings with a minimum of 600MHz and max of 800Mhz. This has helped to reduce some lag from the stock speeds the kernel likes to run and doesn't produce a noticeable battery drain.
Seeder - The seeder lag reduction app makes a huge difference in smoothness of the device.
Xposed Framework: If you don't know what this is, search the XDA forums and you will be able to learn just about everything you want about it. So far I have tested features of the XBlast module and Xposed Additions. Center clock and clock color change, 4-way reboot menu with screenshot, Volume button tweaks, all from Xblast. Xposed Additions can be used to remap the buttons for different functions. I was able to remap the back key to kill the foreground app on long-press. Very useful to limit the amount of running apps in the background.
Notification Toggle - This nifty little app allows you to place toggles for wifi, mobile data, brightness, etc, in the notification dropdown screen. Saves a little time from having to navigate through the settings on the phone, and saves home screen space by not having to use the power widget.
Rom Toolbox - Some features may work, but it is better to have the rom deodexed to take full advantage. (A deodexed version of the stock rom will be available soon).
Auto Killer Memory Optimizer: This is a personal favorite of mine. I own the pro version which is well worth the money. It allows custom settings to optimize RAM usage and free up memory. Makes the phone so much smoother.
If you find any other fun mods that work with this phone, pleas share!

Thank you very much. Been waiting for this for a while. Again thanks.

Nomad692000 said:
Thank you very much. Been waiting for this for a while. Again thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My pleasure. I felt it was necessary to separate this phone version from the other versions to avoid confusion. I'll be (hopefully) updating the soft brick recovery in just a moment. Currently testing a new method. Glad you liked the thread. Stick around, things may start to get interesting soon

So far I haven't had any luck creating an Odin package of the factory system image. I have written to Tracfone to see if they could provide me with the factory image but I'm not going to have high hopes it will happen.
Hopefully this week I will be able to provide a deodexed and debloated version of the stock rom that will run a little faster and take up a little less space on the device.
A custom kernel is in the works for those interested in overclocking, though I think anything past the stock max speed will cause a good amount of battery drain.
Sent from my SGH-S730G

So you building a custom rom for the tracfone version (730G)?

(Dominix) said:
So you building a custom rom for the tracfone version (730G)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Slowly but surely yes. Haven't gotten as much done this week as I had hoped but it is in the works.
Sent from my SGH-S730G

i need stock rom please
TheGeekyNimrod said:
Slowly but surely yes. Haven't gotten as much done this week as I had hoped but it is in the works.
Sent from my SGH-S730G
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i mistakingly picked up the wrong phone..the discover and the centura are very similar....i accidently installed custom rom for the centura onto the discover...it is the 730g. i did not make a back up...do you have the stock rom and can you post or email it to me?? [email protected]
:crying:

j.nunez123 said:
i mistakingly picked up the wrong phone..the discover and the centura are very similar....i accidently installed custom rom for the centura onto the discover...it is the 730g. i did not make a back up...do you have the stock rom and can you post or email it to me?? [email protected]
:crying:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Right now I do not have a copy of the stock rom. I'm still trying to create an Odin flashable of the basic system partition files, recovery, and boot. Wish I could help you. This is why it's always important to make a backup. You might can try one of the 730M Discover threads and see if someone can send you a back up of theirs, but keep in mind that is the Canadian version of the phone. I'm not quite sure what all of the differences in them are.

Based on what I have been able to find out, other than the tracfone custom boot screen and sound, the android on this phone is just stock android 4. No touchwiz (thank God and all that it holy) no bloatware extras, no nothing. So you could probably take the stock Android 4.0.4 I think it is and work from that.
Sent from my SGH-S730G using xda app-developers app

little trouble
Ive downloaded everyting just fine, but when I try and install the unlockroot it keeps telling me Better installer host has stopped working. Is that something on my end or something on theirs? because i cant seem to figure anything out about better installer and have never seen it before downloading this. You have any suggestions on what is causing this problem?

[sgh-s730g] Discover Straight talk PR Rooted
I will reccomend you to start over as it is in [Root] [CWM] Samgsung Galaxy Discover (SGH-730G) Tracfone Variant ONLYthread, which is in the first page. Do a factory reset if it can be done, and wipe all the catches. format your sd card and be patient, because i followed all the instructions and mine works fine. the only thing i haven't done is get rid of the yellow triangle but I'll doit later on because I'm Working to find the unlocking code for mine. Wish you luck and do be afraid. Just be Patient :good:

Cristiandando said:
I will reccomend you to start over as it is in [Root] [CWM] Samgsung Galaxy Discover (SGH-730G) Tracfone Variant ONLYthread, which is in the first page. Do a factory reset if it can be done, and wipe all the catches. format your sd card and be patient, because i followed all the instructions and mine works fine. the only thing i haven't done is get rid of the yellow triangle but I'll doit later on because I'm Working to find the unlocking code for mine. Wish you luck and do be afraid. Just be Patient :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am getting this error on my computer not on my cell phone, My cell is a discover from straight talk. when i downloaded unlockroot from their website onto my computer and go to run it it wont even install. just keeps saying better installer stopped working. Again this is on my computer not on my cell phone.

Uninstall then re-download UnlockRoot .. I had that problem first time I tried to run it. Also, there is the actual free program, amd another program file that pulls up an order and download program for the pro version. Maybe you clicked that one instead?
Sent from my SGH-S730G

I have a debloated, deodexed, zip aligned, rooted version of the stock rom completed. Working on the updater script which is being a pain in my ass. Soon as it is done and tested I'll post it.
I've been behind on it as my volunteer work and family obligations have been my primary focus. But it is something I still try to work on to give this phone a little boost.
Sent from my SGH-S730G

Here it's what you're looking for my Friend
pokesmot88 said:
I am getting this error on my computer not on my cell phone, My cell is a discover from straight talk. when i downloaded unlockroot from their website onto my computer and go to run it it wont even install. just keeps saying better installer stopped working. Again this is on my computer not on my cell phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Il' PM you the unlock root pro with the serial because I can't post it until I make 10 or more post. Download both items, install the software and then copy > paste the serial and start rooting your phone. Don't forguet to make a back up of your original not rooted rom and save it in your computer and sd card in case something goes wrong just restore it to it's original state.

TheGeekyNimrod said:
I have a debloated, deodexed, zip aligned, rooted version of the stock rom completed. Working on the updater script which is being a pain in my ass. Soon as it is done and tested I'll post it.
I've been behind on it as my volunteer work and family obligations have been my primary focus. But it is something I still try to work on to give this phone a little boost.
Sent from my SGH-S730G
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a SGH-S730M that I bought unlocked off of ebay, and wound up giving it to my wife. After looking at the specs for the SGH-S730G it sounds like they are identical other than one being sold by Telus and the other being sold by net10. Is the SGH-730G unlocked by default? I'm interested in getting one to try my hand at modifying. One of my few key complaints about the SGH-S730M was that even though it didn't have the touchwiz launcher it still had the samsung style lock screen instead of the stock ICS lock screen. Would xposed or any of the other stuff you mentioned allow me to change that back to stock?
Also the battery issue you mentioned also seems to affect the S730M as well, it is more than a little annoying.

doctor_evil said:
I have a SGH-S730M that I bought unlocked off of ebay, and wound up giving it to my wife. After looking at the specs for the SGH-S730G it sounds like they are identical other than one being sold by Telus and the other being sold by net10. Is the SGH-730G unlocked by default? I'm interested in getting one to try my hand at modifying. One of my few key complaints about the SGH-S730M was that even though it didn't have the touchwiz launcher it still had the samsung style lock screen instead of the stock ICS lock screen. Would xposed or any of the other stuff you mentioned allow me to change that back to stock?
Also the battery issue you mentioned also seems to affect the S730M as well, it is more than a little annoying.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They are pretty much the same device yes. The 730G I bought was through StraightTalk so it wasn't unlocked. I'm sure you could find one unlocked on Ebay or maybe Swappa or something similar. I do hate the Samsung stock lockscreen too. Stock, Xposed won't do the AOSP lockscreen style. Once I have the deodexed working and ready it should. There is another way to bring it up, but it's a little beyond my experience, but also requires a deodexed system.

TheGeekyNimrod said:
They are pretty much the same device yes. The 730G I bought was through StraightTalk so it wasn't unlocked. I'm sure you could find one unlocked on Ebay or maybe Swappa or something similar. I do hate the Samsung stock lockscreen too. Stock, Xposed won't do the AOSP lockscreen style. Once I have the deodexed working and ready it should. There is another way to bring it up, but it's a little beyond my experience, but also requires a deodexed system.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cool I will be watching this thread for updates. I just bought a used SGH-730G that I am willing to do test flashes on the rom if you need a tester. I got it for a super super cheap price so I won't get upset if it gets bricked.

[Q] I need a little guidance... (I'm desperate)

Hello everyone. I'm quite new to this whole fiddling with my S3 thing. I mean, I successfully flashed a previous version of Danvdh's Dandroid ROM a few months ago but was not pleased when it would not pick up ANY GPS satellites even after 20 minutes of waiting to get a fix. Of course I tried everything from tightening screws (none of my screws were loose) to that aGPS patch (for which it gave me the wrong location even after trying what the notes suggest).
Having said that, yesterday, I tried flashing other ROMs (like Beanstalk) in hopes of getting better GPS. Now Beanstalk worked fine and gave me GPS, but with that I then ran into problems mounting and formatting a new SD card. So then I flashed the newest version of Dandroid and successfully mounted the SD card, but it still gave me GPS problems, at which point I was kind of disheartened and decided to give saranhai's StockMOD ROM a try.
I ran into all kinds of problems.
1. I'm sure this isn't the dev's fault, but my CWM version 6.0.3.7 (is that old?) won't recognize any kind of change in my internal SD card since late yesterday. My desktop and ES file explorer both register the same files and folders, but CWM still sees old files like the zip files for Beanstalk and Dandroid which don't appear on my computer??? And it won't see any new files??? What did I do wrong? Therefore, I flashed things from my external SD card from there. (Was that wrong to do?) Also, every time I try to reboot through CWM, it says root access may have been lost and asks if I want to try and fix it. I say no because my SuperSU still works?
2. After FIRST flashing Dandroid 5.1 I noticed Wi-Fi wasn't working. A post from the Dandroid thread said to flash a kernel "or update to the newest bootloaders." I flashed the kernel he provided and found out too late that it was for T999L or something and my phone is T999. I'm kinda surprised my phone didn't brick then. Anyway, I got Wi-Fi, but whenever I tried to turn on mobile data, it said to insert a SIM card?? I'm sure it's because I flashed that wrong kernel. When I go into Settings > About Device it says the Baseband version is unknown and the Kernel version is as follows:
3.0.31-1804024
[email protected]
Sat Oct 5 00:13:48 KST 2013
and the build number: JSS15J.T999UVUEMJC
EDIT: I FOUND OUT MY PHONE WAS ACTUALLY T999L NOT T999. Currently trying to fix things. I'll get back to the thread.
3. So hoping saranhai's StockMOD ROM would give me the fresh start I so desperately needed, I followed his instructions step by step from flashing the right modem FIRST then flashing the ROM, but alas, the same "Insert SIM card...." error still plagued me. You would not believe how sad I got. (I'm still pretty sad.) At that point I tried REALLY hard to familiarize myself with what I was doing, reading the thread carefully, looking through that glossary thread to help me keep up with the techie terms, and searching for instructions on how to get it fixed, but I couldn't find anything and I was stuck.
4. This morning I flashed the Insecure kernel the StockMOD ROM thread provided and I still get the error.
5. I tried to restore from a backup I made last week on CWM, but it kept saying "checking MD5 files" and them giving me an error about not being able to restore.
As you all can see, I probably made a HUGE mess out of my phone and it might come as a huge surprise that I haven't bricked it completely. I'm extremely desperate at this point and I've admitted that I don't know what I'm doing. :crying:
It's come to the point where I just want a stable handset that will give me the services I want (GPS, mobile data, Wi-Fi, etc.) and I'm beginning to think this root lyfe isn't for me. I searched for guides on how to return to stock and unroot, but all the guides are different and I'm so confused and overwhelmed as to what I should do at this point. Please, please, please! A little guidance would be GREATLY appreciated!
Thanks for your time!

First off don't get disheartened. You did demonstrate a genuine attempt to help yourself and try your best on your own. Yes mistakes happen. We all do that. For what its worth, no one is born knowledgeable in these areas. We all learn.
Ok so what do we do next ? Lets start with a clean slate and put that all behind you. Yes your current recovery CWM is indeed dated and that's the reason for some of the issues you have.
Follow these steps.
1. Take UVDMD5 version of Root66 from here. Use ODIN to flash it to your phone. If you need a guide on how to use ODIN, read this thread carefully.
2. Once that Stock firmware has been updated and your phone boots fine, check if you have GPS and all the other features working to your satisfaction. Given your problems with GPS, I strongly recommend taking a GPS fix at this time.
3. Once that's working fine, flash the latest CWM Touch Recovery (version 6.0.4.5 for D2TMO). You can use Rom Manager from Play store.
4. Take a Nandroid before proceeding. When you do, uncheck the generate MD5 and enable Compression.
5. Now its your choice. You could flash Saranhai's Stock Mod or Danvdh's Dandroid. Both are good Roms and its your call. Check the GPS working after you flash Rom of your choice.
If you do choose to go after Saranhai's Rom and get into the Wi-Fi Problems, post here before you try any solutions. With Danvdh's Rom, there are certain steps to enable Root. You can't just flash SuperSU and hope to gain Root.

Perseus71 said:
First off don't get disheartened. You did demonstrate a genuine attempt to help yourself and try your best on your own. Yes mistakes happen. We all do that. For what its worth, no one is born knowledgeable in these areas. We all learn.
Ok so what do we do next ? Lets start with a clean slate and put that all behind you. Yes your current recovery CWM is indeed dated and that's the reason for some of the issues you have.
Follow these steps.
1. Take UVDMD5 version of Root66 from here. Use ODIN to flash it to your phone. If you need a guide on how to use ODIN, read this thread carefully.
2. Once that Stock firmware has been updated and your phone boots fine, check if you have GPS and all the other features working to your satisfaction. Given your problems with GPS, I strongly recommend taking a GPS fix at this time.
3. Once that's working fine, flash the latest CWM Touch Recovery (version 6.0.4.5 for D2TMO). You can use Rom Manager from Play store.
4. Take a Nandroid before proceeding. When you do, uncheck the generate MD5 and enable Compression.
5. Now its your choice. You could flash Saranhai's Stock Mod or Danvdh's Dandroid. Both are good Roms and its your call. Check the GPS working after you flash Rom of your choice.
If you do choose to go after Saranhai's Rom and get into the Wi-Fi Problems, post here before you try any solutions. With Danvdh's Rom, there are certain steps to enable Root. You can't just flash SuperSU and hope to gain Root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks so much for your detailed reply!
After a little bit of browsing the forum, I found that my IMEI seems to be missing and simply flashing the correct modems/kernels/whatever you call them does not fix it. I will go through your instructions and then report the results.
I read on here that sometimes it just happens randomly after flashing 4.3 ROMs? Well I certainly hope I get back my IMEI and hope it's not blacklisted :/ Apparently I can't access signal or data without it.
Thank you again!
EDIT: Does an "Unknown" IMEI mean I've totally lost it?
EDIT 2: Okay now I know God hates me. I downloaded the Root66 file and Odin will NOT let me flash it onto my phone. Keeps giving me aboot (???) errors no matter what port I use! I know I took a risk tinkering with my phone but I don't think I deserve this!
Honestly now I don't want anything to do with rooting and custom ROMs anymore. I think I'm too stupid for this. I think I just want it back to the way it was when I bought it. Could you please help me to do that?
I'm done with this root stuff, I can't do it anymore.
Sorry, I honestly don't mean to come off as whiny or ungrateful, I've just spent two days trying to figure this stuff out and it's getting me VERY tired and VERY irritated.

Oops I think I forgot to mention that you will have to put the phone in Download mode before you plug it in for ODIN. In order to get into Download mode you turn off the phone and press Volume Down AND HOME AND POWER simultaneously. If you are doing it for the first time, it may seem hard. Be patient.
Yes I suspected you to be "Missing IMEI". That's why suggested going to Stock. Your Call & Data problems come from there.
My steps do take you back to Stock.

Towel Root(TR) and Rooting in not one click but 2 Clicks

First of all I want to thank all the developers on this and all forums, I hope that you prosper in your endeavers...
I have been at this since the sprint mogul came out. Playing around with PPC kitchen and technology keeps getting more 'interesting'...During the s3 root procedure I was fascinated with the Knox and how it was dealt with automatically with Supersu, and how cwm took control of keeping itself as the recovery as well as offering to keep root(such manners!)...
Check your Version # this how to is meant for 4.2.2 ONLY
I believe there was just an update(cause my phone downloaded it and wanted to install) I knew it was time to root again.
This summer I finally upgraded from my beloved Galaxy s1... After many a rom it was victim of a glass of water
spill...Bought a s3 sph-d710 for cheap and have been loving the phone but missing my wifi teather(and text to speech
prowess, why does the s3 stock suck worse than s1 cyanogen 10.2?) so I know I must root.
OOps my volume UP button is
broken! How to I get to downoad mode? to use ODIN! Gueess I gotta Root on the Phone...
ABD? Tried finding the tiny version of abd but after failed downloads and searching for links for the tiny version were
broken so...instead I Installed towel root and followed the guide here
http://gs3.wonderhowto.com/how-to/easiest-one-click-root-method-for-your-samsung-galaxy-s3-0155625/
It was so amazingly easy(you download towelR touch the red Icon or one of the donate links in TR), wait 20 second click make it rain, wait 20 seconds then check with saferoot...(after installing it @ goo.im)! After TR immediately without rebooting install #saferoot(do not attempt to get root with this just install), and install CWM recovery which I did thru rom manager(via google play, I attempted to install from their site but it was a zip and it did not jive with my unpackaging skillsEDIT Drr it was prolly for cwm?). Safe root does something for SuperSU so that it will not hang while removing knox( wait 5 min if it seems to hang then force quit and u prolly did not install saferoot yet so do that and try again)
(EDIT: be sure and install safe root (FROM GOO.IM)after you make it rain with TR and then you install supersu & rom manager.Also Install towelroot and Supersu from their perspective verified real web page not other sources/googleplay) I was freezing at chainfires supersu install after making it rain)but once saferoot is installed it will disable knox(noted above)
I then took out Knox with Supersu simply by opening the program(it will ask you if you want to kill Knox) also it will ask to
update everytime.
Then I Installed the 4g and hotspot fix via CWM recovery via Rom Manager reboot into recovery and I was fully functioning..done! ND8Oxed 4.4.2..
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2224083
I Used this post below as a general guide Hope this helps some, click thanks if I did..thanks all!
Happy Camper (rooted, tethered sprint galaxy s3)
Finally, I got my Sprint S3 tether working.
Many thanks to both bilgerryan and jdsingle76.
So just to help out other noob out there, what I did was:
1. root the S3. www idigitaltimes com/samsung-galaxy-s3-android-442-kitkat-update-how-root-sprint-sph-l710-variant-and-install-custom-roms
(Sorry I am not allowed to post links yet)
2. Install a custom recovery. I did not use Philz. I am sure it must be very good. However, I am not very good at using
Odin yet. I used CWM. Installed it directly from play store. There are lots of youtube videos on how to do it.
3. copy the Hotspot ROM zip file to the SD card in the phone. In my case, the ROM is the ND8 odexing version
4. Back up my stock rom (rooted) with the CWM recovery, in case something goes wrong. Lots of youtube videos too.
5. install rom from the zip file using CWM recovery. (again, lots of youtube videos available)
6. factory reset and wipe the cache
7. reboot and setup the phone from scratch.
There you go.

vizionforever said:
First of all I want to thank all the developers on this and all forums, I hope that you prosper in your endeavers...
I have been at this since the sprint mogul came out. Playing around with PPC kitchen and technology keeps getting more 'interesting'...During the s3 root procedure I was fascinated with the Knox and how it was dealt with automatically with Supersu, and how cwm took control of keeping itself as the recovery as well as offering to keep root(such manners!)...
This summer I finally upgraded from my beloved Galaxy s1... After many a rom it was victim of a glass of water
spill...Bought a s3 sph-d710 for cheap and have been loving the phone but missing my wifi teather(and text to speech
prowess, why does the s3 stock suck worse than s1 cyanogen 10.2?) so I know I must root.
OOps my volume UP button is
broken! How to I get to downoad mode?
ABD? Tried finding the tiny version of abd but after failed downloads and searching for links for the tiny version were
broken so...instead I Installed towel root and followed the guide here
http://gs3.wonderhowto.com/how-to/easiest-one-click-root-method-for-your-samsung-galaxy-s3-0155625/
It was so amazingly easy(you touch the red Icon or one of the donate links in TR), wait 20 second click make it rain, wait 20 seconds then check with saferoot as root checker will tell you that you are not rooted?! After TR immediately without rebooting install #root checker, and supersu and CWM which I did thru rom manager.
Strangely #Root checker(upon my request) kept reporting that I did not have root. Curious if root checker was wrong I
nstalled safe root (noted above)and Obviously there is some whole new route to root cause It said I was indeed still rooted, weird!
I then tookout Knox with Supersu simply by opening the program(it will ask you if you want to kill Knox) also it will ask to
update everytime.
Finally I Installed, then opened Rom manager and Installed (VIA ROM MANAGER)!)CWM. Treves wifi tether did not work for me in 4.4.2 so I knew I must install fix via zip in CWM.
Then I Installed the 4g and hotspot fix and I was fully functioning..done! ND8Oxed 4.4.2..
I Used this post below as a general guide Hope this helps some, click thanks if I did..thanks all!
Happy Camper (rooted, tethered sprint galaxy s3)
Finally, I got my Sprint S3 tether working.
Many thanks to both bilgerryan and jdsingle76.
So just to help out other noob out there, what I did was:
1. root the S3. www idigitaltimes com/samsung-galaxy-s3-android-442-kitkat-update-how-root-sprint-sph-l710-variant-and-install-custom-roms
(Sorry I am not allowed to post links yet)
2. Install a custom recovery. I did not use Philz. I am sure it must be very good. However, I am not very good at using
Odin yet. I used CWM. Installed it directly from play store. There are lots of youtube videos on how to do it.
3. copy the Hotspot ROM zip file to the SD card in the phone. In my case, the ROM is the ND8 odexing version
4. Back up my stock rom (rooted) with the CWM recovery, in case something goes wrong. Lots of youtube videos too.
5. install rom from the zip file using CWM recovery. (again, lots of youtube videos available)
6. factory reset and wipe the cache
7. reboot and setup the phone from scratch.
There you go.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
TowelRoot seems to be broken when it comes to the latest S3 model called the Sph-L710T and i have a guide in this question thread with root info for the Sph-L710 http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2787771 if you want to take a look at it but thanks for the info

No longer able to boot my Note 2 into recovery mode

1. I started with fully working Samsung Galaxy Note 2 GT-N7100 (Rooted)
2. I'm a newbie to flashing ROM, and read numerous articles to build awareness (and have never used a forum before - so please be gentle!)
3. Installed ClockworkMod Recovery using "ROM Manager"
4. Flashed Slim6 (Slim-6.0.1.alpha.0.1-UNOFFICIAL-20160522-1030) ROM, then Gapps, then re-booted and all OK (Note2 seemed to work fine)
5. Kernel is now3.0.101-Haxynox
6. Spotted (and surprised) that Note 2 no longer rooted (and in particular, want to use Titanium Backup)
7. So, flashed CWM6-root-note2.tar using ODIN, resulting in "Pass"
8. Note2 still not Rooted, and suspect that I should have flashed SuperSu after Slim6 ROM and before Gapps
9. So, tried to reboot to ClockworkMod reccovery using "ROM Manager" but hangs. Tried using VOL+ and HOME and POWER (many times, and for different intervals) but see Samsung logo followed by some "stripes" on the screen (rather like the horizontal hold needs to be adjusted for those that are old enough to remember such things!), but it will not boot into recovery mode.
10. In addition, Odin no longer appears to see the Note2
11. Note2 will boot conventionally, but I'm extremely keen not to have to live without rooting and flashing capability
12. I've searched hard for hints for this particular issue, but would really appreciate some advice, at least so that I don't make my beautiful Note2 any worse (and hope I've not missed any posts that I should have spotted!).
13. Please let me know if I've missed any key information.
Thanks in advance.

Flash the tar version of TWRP for your phone using Odin. You can root by flashing supersu from TWRP.
CWM is very outdated and cannot be used to flash current custom ROMSs.

Many thanks, I've moved over to TWRP and it seems much better.
I also tried to find a more "suitable" (reliable) ROM and chose Resolution Remix, especially as services kept stopping on Slim6.
So now I can get to recovery mode, but still I have issues. Mainly...
a) I've so far failed to flash a compatible Gapps file
b) I've flashed supersu and busybox (Root_SuperSU.0.98-Busybox.1.20.2-signed.zip) but root is still not available. Sometimes I see a "Grant" prompt but it hangs for ages when I grant. The SuperSU app can be seen, but is not responsive. Titanium Backup responds eventually to confirm that Root is not available.
c) Downloading from the Playstore is problematic (sometime very slow to download, usually extremely slow to install - go for a walk type of slow!)
d) Typically the pre-installed applications "stop" shortly/immediately after trying to start them (for example, "Browser", "Clock",...), but then appear after "OK"ing the Close infor box
e) Is my choice of ROM reasonable? And/or is there a ROM which has ROOT "baked in"? (Or, should I go back to JellyBean as being more suitable for a Note2?)
f) Is there some "fine tuning" to the flash process that I need to learn about?
Any hints/tips would be welcome, and many thanks for your initial suggestion to move to TWRP

Is the ROM pre-rooted? If yes, don't flash supersu.
You performed a full wipe, including data, before flashing the ROM?
Phone is running these latest bootloader and modem?
Various versions of gapps are here and flash there version that matches your ROM and processor: http://opengapps.org

Many thanks for your further questions/prompts...
a) Yes, I believe I had done a full wipe before flashing, but haven't touched bootloader and modem so they may well be "old"
b) More reading suggests that Cyanogenmod 13 is a very popular ROM, so flashed this with TWRP
c) Found that with this ROM there were no issues when flahsing openGapps
d) Eventually discovered/realised that CM13 is pre-rooted (but has to be enabled in Settings) and that flashing supersu was causing problems
So, with the benefit of hindsight, if I'd used TWRP/CM13/OpenGapps without flashing supersu, it would have been straightforward! I've certainly learned a lot and you supporting questions have led me to what seems to be a nice, stable implementation of Marshmallow - thanks again.
I'm still looking for a quick/easy way to take a screenshot (just used a palm-swipe before), and a free "real" FM radio, but pretty much everything else works.
Great!!!

Glad you got the phone working on CM. We're all here to help and learn from each other.
Last time I looked, which was a while ago, there was no custom AOSP or CM rom that supported radio functions. If you want the FM radio, look into custom ROMs based on a stock Samsung kernel.

Upgrading to latest Android OS

Hi, I'm completely inexperienced with rooting phones and upgrading firmware. But I think I've found the experts =)
I've got a Samsung S3 SGH-I747 which is running Android 4.4.2. I use it strictly with wifi and it has a AT&T SIM card that doesn't have a plan.
My goal is to upgrade the OS so that I can use the TD Bank ap. 2-3 months ago they stopped supporting Android 4.x. So I want to upgrade to Android 7 or 8. Which OS would you recommend? How can I do this?
I've got nothing on the device that I care about too much (just a couple aps that I'd need to reinstall). So wiping it would be fine.
I've also got a Windows PC and a SD memory card (from my camera) - which could be used.

Are you in Canada? If you are, isn't your phone an sgh-i747m?

audit13 said:
Are you in Canada? If you are, isn't your phone an sgh-i747m?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not in Canada. TD Bank is in the US.

Gotcha. TD Bank (Toronto-Dominion) is headquartered in Canada which is why I thought you were in Canada.
Before flashing anything, be aware of the fact that there is always a risk to flashing a phone with the possibility of a hard brick. Be prepared to deal with such a situation.
I have used the following instructions with great success; however, you may not be so lucky. Proceed at your own risk.
In order to run a custom ROM, you need to flash TWRP: https://twrp.me/samsung/samsunggalaxys3att.html. Download the tar version.
I recommend flashing TWRP using Odin 3.07: https://forum.xda-developers.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1168421
Open Odin, uncheck everything except f reset time, put the phone into download mode, flash TWRP in the PDA box. When you see the word reset in the status window, remove the USB cable from the phone, remove the battery, replace the battery, use the buttons to boot into recovery. Your phone should boot to the TWRP screen. Reboot the phone to ensure that the phone boots to the existing ROM. Reboot the phone and create a backup of the existing ROM and EFS folder to the SD card. Save both in a safe place.
Select the ROM you want to try and the appropriate version of GAPPs. Copy both to the micro SD card and place the card into the phone. Boot into TWRP, wipe data, system, cache, flash ROM, flash GAPPs, reboot.

I guess I'll order a micro SD card. My camera one is bigger.
Should I install Android 8? Can the phone handle it?
Thanks for the advice!
audit13 said:
Gotcha. TD Bank (Toronto-Dominion) is headquartered in Canada which is why I thought you were in Canada.
Before flashing anything, be aware of the fact that there is always a risk to flashing a phone with the possibility of a hard brick. Be prepared to deal with such a situation.
I have used the following instructions with great success; however, you may not be so lucky. Proceed at your own risk.
In order to run a custom ROM, you need to flash TWRP: https://twrp.me/samsung/samsunggalaxys3att.html. Download the tar version.
I recommend flashing TWRP using Odin 3.07: https://forum.xda-developers.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1168421
Open Odin, uncheck everything except f reset time, put the phone into download mode, flash TWRP in the PDA box. When you see the word reset in the status window, remove the USB cable from the phone, remove the battery, replace the battery, use the buttons to boot into recovery. Your phone should boot to the TWRP screen. Reboot the phone to ensure that the phone boots to the existing ROM. Reboot the phone and create a backup of the existing ROM and EFS folder to the SD card. Save both in a safe place.
Select the ROM you want to try and the appropriate version of GAPPs. Copy both to the micro SD card and place the card into the phone. Boot into TWRP, wipe data, system, cache, flash ROM, flash GAPPs, reboot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

You can try different ROMs until you find one that suits your needs.
Android 8 may not work that well on your phone without bugs as 8.0 is quite new in comparison to the s3.
You can still flash a custom ROM without an SD card if you have TWRP installed. You can boot into TWRP, wipe cache, data, system, connect the phone to a computer, copy over the ROM and Gapps, and flash.

Only flash a custom recovery if you don't care about the Knox counter that voids the warranty. If you like touchwiz, you're out of luck because there are no Android 7 or 8 touchwiz ROMs, only AOSP/CM based ROMs for the S3.

Thanks for the advice! I've made it all the way to installing a ROM. What ROM should I install? I tried installing a Lineage OS one (https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/development/rom-lineageos-14-1-t3680656) but got an error saying it was for the wrong device. My device is a d2att.
Do I need something like this?
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s3-att/development/lineage-14-1-d2att-rom-t3774764

So next I tried installing: OCT-N-WEEKLY-20170811-1820-d2att.zip which gave me an error because another package was already partially installed. I used the "wipe the cache" option. It prompted me to install root (second time). It rebooted and had a message about updating approximately 100 aps. Ask for wifi. Said "Just a Sec". Failed to find software on my PC to sync (good - as I don't want it to sync). Booted back into reset mode. Wiped it. Tried installing OCT-N d2att for a second time. And it finally worked!
Then I had to go back to reset mode to install Google Apps.
All in all this took about 3 hours of work and research.
Sidenote: For reset mode it was necessary to remove the battery for 30 seconds to get into reset mode (and then hold the volume up, middle key and power button until the second Samsung screen appears - I found instructions that said wait for the Samsung screen - but there are three Samsung screens!). I was unable to get into reset mode when I didn't remove the battery.

s3hacker said:
Thanks for the advice! I've made it all the way to installing a ROM. What ROM should I install? I tried installing a Lineage OS one (https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/development/rom-lineageos-14-1-t3680656) but got an error saying it was for the wrong device. My device is a d2att.
Do I need something like this?
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s3-att/development/lineage-14-1-d2att-rom-t3774764
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can install any ROM you want that's compatible with your phone on the NE4/NJ1/NJ2 bootloader. You just have to find one you like the best.

s3hacker said:
So next I tried installing: OCT-N-WEEKLY-20170811-1820-d2att.zip which gave me an error because another package was already partially installed. I used the "wipe the cache" option. It prompted me to install root (second time). It rebooted and had a message about updating approximately 100 aps. Ask for wifi. Said "Just a Sec". Failed to find software on my PC to sync (good - as I don't want it to sync). Booted back into reset mode. Wiped it. Tried installing OCT-N d2att for a second time. And it finally worked!
Then I had to go back to reset mode to install Google Apps.
All in all this took about 3 hours of work and research.
Sidenote: For reset mode it was necessary to remove the battery for 30 seconds to get into reset mode (and then hold the volume up, middle key and power button until the second Samsung screen appears - I found instructions that said wait for the Samsung screen - but there are three Samsung screens!). I was unable to get into reset mode when I didn't remove the battery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That ROM you installed, OCT-N-WEEKLY-20170811-1820-d2att.zip is a weekly. Meaning it's probably not suitable for daily use and may have non working functions and bugs. Good that you got custom ROMs booting though.

s3hacker said:
Hi, I'm completely inexperienced with rooting phones and upgrading firmware. But I think I've found the experts =)
I've got a Samsung S3 SGH-I747 which is running Android 4.4.2. I use it strictly with wifi and it has a AT&T SIM card that doesn't have a plan.
My goal is to upgrade the OS so that I can use the TD Bank ap. 2-3 months ago they stopped supporting Android 4.x. So I want to upgrade to Android 7 or 8. Which OS would you recommend? How can I do this?
I've got nothing on the device that I care about too much (just a couple aps that I'd need to reinstall). So wiping it would be fine.
I've also got a Windows PC and a SD memory card (from my camera) - which could be used.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure how many of us are out there, tinkering around with the 8+ year old Samsung Galaxy S3 i747 . While I am a newbie, I have enjoyed flashing Custom ROM's , from CyanogenMod, thru various versions of Lineage, and now CrDroid. The newest O/S that I flashed is CrDroid ( based on Android 8 ). Runs great. Stable. Long battery life.
I have always used ODIN to INSTALL a 'recovery' system such as TWRP ( which is a .Tar file )
After TWRP is installed ( using ODIN ) I unplug phone from my computer. Then boot into TWRP recovery ( holding down the three buttons ). I do a clean install (flash) of the newest O/S that I can find ( Android 4.4.2 is really old ). It is that .Zip file that I flash, then reboot the phone. Always works for me. Eventually I learned how to back up all my contacts, SMS, logs, photos, etc.
My banking app works just fine.
BTW I am totally free of Google; no Google Play Store, no Google Pay, no Google Framework, no Gapps, no Google spyware, no Google bloatware, no Google tracking etc. I download all my apps as APK's which are readily available on the Net ( Google them . . . just kidding! ).
My older Samsung S3 i747 was a 'd2att' originally locked to Rogers, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Then switched over to MTS (Manitoba Telephone System). Now running on Bell Canada. My replacement is also a Samsung S3 i747, originally running T-Mobile in Arizona, now running on Bell Canada.
These are damn fine phones.