[Q] T-Mobile Note 3 Update/Rom problems - T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note 3

I just bought myself a galaxy note 3. The first thing I did was allow an update from Samsung which I learned was a huge mistake. Something about Samsung using a new bootloader that blocks custom recoveries and roms from being flashed. I have achieved root and unfortunately tripped Knox. If anyone knows how I can get back to 0x0 unmodified i would really appreciate it. I tried flashing clockwork mod recovery using Odin with no luck. Someone found a version of Team Win Recovery that works but won't mount USB storage to be able to install a custom rom like cm12. Since I'm now banned from official updates due to my device being modified I'd really like a way to flash my own roms. Any help would be appreciated!

To my knowledge there is not a way to get back to 0x0you can follow the first few parts of effortless, that will take you back to stock. Then immediately run kies, I actually made a huge mistake not too long ago and tried to update through a custom recovery by accidentally clicking on wipe internal storage add well as dalvik data and cache. ..I was able to get kies to work where Odin would not see the phone at all, I couldn't even get to download or recovery.
I'm now on DomPop, and my phone runs better, stays cooler, is less flaky, more stable, and has better battery life overall than it ever did stock. The stock t mobile rom, with software like the bloomberg, stock prices, Amazon mp3 etc... that should in no way affect your phone to operate at all, and can't be removed by the end user or phone owner, to my thinking is worse than any amount of piracy, it holds us hostage. As much as buying a car, only to find that your wife or girlfriend can't sit next to you because there is a Ronald Mcdonald statue welded to the passenger seat, and you don't like fast food at all. .. or put in the form of a question? Why would Samsung think a phone that may be given to a 12 year old would need to have stock ticker software installed?there are multiple markets to get it if needed or wanted, leave the fluff as things that can be easily removed. ..

Note3 has 2 separate flags: Knox flag is used with Knox secure environment and it can't be reset, yet anyway. That flag only affects Knox software.
Another flag tells if you're running official or custom firmware. This flag can be reset and this is the flag that will stop OTA updates. If you reload stock firmware, you should be able to get flag back to official. As a matter of fact I was rooted and still showing official, don't remember how, but after latest, nk3 update, I can't get it back to official anymore without loosing root. Triangle away could reset that flag as well, but not the latest one.
Also Wanam has something to fool system into official mode, but then I would think you need to disable updates, because OTA update on custom phone could at least make you loose root, or even brick the phone

Sent My Note 3 into Samsung Repair- with KNOX tripped
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2637718

Related

Frustrating In-Call Audio/Modem Issue

To anyone more of an expert than myself on these matters (which I presume to be a large portion of users here), I'd greatly appreciate any help that can be provided. I'd also like for this thread to be a central collection of baseband/modem functions, behaviors, troubleshooting, etc...
I've had a T-Mobile S4 (SGH-M919) for a while now and have mostly used CyanogenMod derived ROM's and as of lately, more Google Play Edition/Nexus type ROM's (which generally appear to be written for the international i9505 and hence show the model number of my phone to be such; this may or may not be relevant). All of the sudden, the other day during a phone call I received, there was no audio on either end of the call. I couldn't hear the caller nor could the caller hear me. This also happens if I initiate the call. I know for a fact that the media speakers (speakers used during speakerphone) as well as the earpiece speaker are perfectly functional so it's not a case of hardware failure where it works on Bluetooth or speakerphone only. As soon as a call initiates, you hear no ringing or audio once the caller answers other than the tone when the call ends/disconnects. First thing I tried was switching from ART back to Dalvik just for the sake of troubleshooting. Second, I tried clearing the cache (and Dalvik, just for the hell of it). Still no success. So next I try a completely different ROM. I was presently on a GPE ROM with the Samsung kernel so I switched to plain CyanogenMod with a custom kernel. I even went back to a stock ROM! No success either way!!
It was at this point I decided that it had to be a hardware/firmware issue since the issue remained when changing ROM's so I naturally assumed baseband/modem. I don't understand why this issue just magically occurred one day when I hadn't changed anything, but I thought that if I reflashed a clean modem image or and updated one, then maybe it would fix it... I was on MDL so I reflashed the MDL modem. No success. Then (and here's where I f****d up), I tried flashing what I THOUGHT was a stock NB4 firmware file in ODIN. Turns out that despite being labeled as stock, it had a custom kernel built-in and tripped my KNOX counter (FFFFFUUUUUUCCCCCKKKK!!!) Well, since I really only intend to use AOSP/CM based ROM's, it's not such a huge deal for me but still, it sucks.
Here's where I had a break: Yesterday, I tried flashing the MDL modem again, then that didn't work so I tried flashing the MK2 modem. I booted up, made a call, and it worked! First time! Well, that was short lived success because I tried another call immediately after to verify and it started all over again. Now, even reflashing MK2 won't get it to work even once like it did this one time.
Does ANYone who understands baseband and modem firmware much better than I do have any insight or instruction on what I can do? Because of this one issue, I have an otherwise perfectly good S4 that I can't use just lying around. I've had a Nexus 5 for almost a year and love it but I just destroyed the screen after a drop the other day and wanted to switch to the S4 temporarily until the Nexus 6 comes out. ANY IDEAS????
Loss of call audio occurs when your rom and firmware versions dont match. Since you've tripped your knox counter, you have some more freedom now. I think you should (after someone confirms) use the samsung pc software to do a full restore of your phone. It will blow away everything you have and install the latest firmware and matching rom as if you were stock and accepted all otas. Then you can root, flash recovery, flash rom, restore backed up apps. You'll have the cleanest possible setup. Just wait for someone to confirm because i haven't been following closely in the past few months. Alternatively you can find the latest firmware and do it with odin but in your position theres no advantage to doing it piece-meal like that (unless i've missed something in the past few months) because you've already tripped knox
faiyo said:
Loss of call audio occurs when your rom and firmware versions dont match. Since you've tripped your knox counter, you have some more freedom now. I think you should (after someone confirms) use the samsung pc software to do a full restore of your phone. It will blow away everything you have and install the latest firmware and matching rom as if you were stock and accepted all otas. Then you can root, flash recovery, flash rom, restore backed up apps. You'll have the cleanest possible setup. Just wait for someone to confirm because i haven't been following closely in the past few months. Alternatively you can find the latest firmware and do it with odin but in your position theres no advantage to doing it piece-meal like that (unless i've missed something in the past few months) because you've already tripped knox
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Click to collapse
Thanks for the response! This was actually the approach I initially wanted to take when reflashing just the modem didn't work; that is, using Samsung Kies to do a complete Samsung official firmware download and restore. Unfortunately, every time ibtry and do the "emergency recovery" as they call it, once I type in my serial number and model like the app requires, it always tells me that the device is not supported! It's like the device's firmware has been programmed as another that isn't recognized by Samsung. At first I thought it was because I was on a custom ROM and it didn't recognize the software. I remember a while back I needed to do an official restore and I had to get the phone boot loader to read status "Samsung Official" and not just official. I actually put stock everything back on manually and got those status fields to read Samsung Official for the binary and kernel but it still won't restore with Samsung's software. It's my estimation that Samsung has now integrated the Knox counter into their software support. I'm assuming that with that sensor tripped, I can never be "official" and therefore supported again. That's why I've been doing everything Odin. With all of this in mind, do you have any other recommendation? I'll look a little further into the problems I've had with Kies and maybe why I can't restore in the meantime but otherwise, why do you think flashing MK2 modem worked for just ONE call and then stopped again? And why do you think that the issue just suddenly happened in the first place without a software change?
thair7391 said:
Thanks for the response! This was actually the approach I initially wanted to take when reflashing just the modem didn't work; that is, using Samsung Kies to do a complete Samsung official firmware download and restore. Unfortunately, every time ibtry and do the "emergency recovery" as they call it, once I type in my serial number and model like the app requires, it always tells me that the device is not supported! It's like the device's firmware has been programmed as another that isn't recognized by Samsung. At first I thought it was because I was on a custom ROM and it didn't recognize the software. I remember a while back I needed to do an official restore and I had to get the phone boot loader to read status "Samsung Official" and not just official. I actually put stock everything back on manually and got those status fields to read Samsung Official for the binary and kernel but it still won't restore with Samsung's software. It's my estimation that Samsung has now integrated the Knox counter into their software support. I'm assuming that with that sensor tripped, I can never be "official" and therefore supported again. That's why I've been doing everything Odin. With all of this in mind, do you have any other recommendation? I'll look a little further into the problems I've had with Kies and maybe why I can't restore in the meantime but otherwise, why do you think flashing MK2 modem worked for just ONE call and then stopped again? And why do you think that the issue just suddenly happened in the first place without a software change?
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Click to collapse
A few notes: i have a similar problem in the last few months. After about 12 hours of uptime i cannot hear the other caller. I thought it's because im using ****ty roms from these forums so i was about to go to the international forums and flash theirs. I only use touchwiz roms so far. And it manifests about a week after flashing the rom. And i have to reboot twice a day to keep it functioning So yeah.. i get it too even tho i had a matching baseband
I think the reason you tripped knox wasnt because of the kernel. It's because a stock firmware package will upgrade your bootloader, while you should have actually been pursuing a modem-only package to flash with odin (which preserves the MDL bootloader and prevents tripping knox).
Anyways, im not sure what you have done with the "Samsung offical" status or modifying the identifiers of the phone but i was pretty sure kies would restore it. If not, then you should be trying to flash stock firmware (full) for NH7 firmware which was released recently. Not just modem only, which is what some of the packages here contain (meant for people with MDL bootloaders who dont want to trip knox). Try to pursue the full firmware odin flash. Im pretty sure that would do it for you. It should be the full-on samsung stock.
About kies: i haven't used it but i've experienced weird things happen with adb and specific usb cables and usb ports on the computer, even with nexus devices. I hate to suggest this but try a different computer and different usb cable. Its an actual solution thats worked before. It messed me up before and a number of other people. Make sure its up to date too i kinda recall old versions had a compatibility issue
faiyo said:
A few notes: i have a similar problem in the last few months. After about 12 hours of uptime i cannot hear the other caller. I thought it's because im using ****ty roms from these forums so i was about to go to the international forums and flash theirs. I only use touchwiz roms so far. And it manifests about a week after flashing the rom. And i have to reboot twice a day to keep it functioning So yeah.. i get it too even tho i had a matching baseband
I think the reason you tripped knox wasnt because of the kernel. It's because a stock firmware package will upgrade your bootloader, while you should have actually been pursuing a modem-only package to flash with odin (which preserves the MDL bootloader and prevents tripping knox).
Anyways, im not sure what you have done with the "Samsung offical" status or modifying the identifiers of the phone but i was pretty sure kies would restore it. If not, then you should be trying to flash stock firmware (full) for NH7 firmware which was released recently. Not just modem only, which is what some of the packages here contain (meant for people with MDL bootloaders who dont want to trip knox). Try to pursue the full firmware odin flash. Im pretty sure that would do it for you. It should be the full-on samsung stock.
About kies: i haven't used it but i've experienced weird things happen with adb and specific usb cables and usb ports on the computer, even with nexus devices. I hate to suggest this but try a different computer and different usb cable. Its an actual solution thats worked before. It messed me up before and a number of other people. Make sure its up to date too i kinda recall old versions had a compatibility issue
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So quick update/reply, I just stumbled upon a stock, lightly modified MK2 ROM flashable through recovery that I had buried on my microSD and decided to give it a go (since the MK2 modem was the only one that every gave me any success even though it was just one time, and even though the ROM I was using was custom so couldn't have really matched ANY Samsung baseband). Even though I really already knew and understood everything you told me, you were brilliant to remind me about the need for the modem to match the OS when it initializes. After booting up the Stock MK2, calls are now working, and consistently!!! Now I'm making a backup (just in case, even though I really don't want to use stock) and then I'm going to go for a custom ROM again, probably CM based. Thanks again for your help!
I know exactly how I tripped the Knox counter. I downloaded a firmware file that was LABELED as a stock NB4 ROM and that wasn't correct. It was a stock NB4 ROM with a MODIFIED CUSTOM KERNEL! That would have been a useful detail beforehand...
I'm also familiar with using adb and it's selectivity with USB cables. They need to be "fastboot" cables which usually only is the case with manufacturer included cables. Using Kies to restore firmware to a phone though should have nothing to do with fastboot or adb. First off, you don't need the adb Runtime or SDK to use Kies nor does Samsung include it in the installation. Second, when you're using Download mode, that's Samsung's proprietary software using their own proprietary API's and commands to communicate and interface directly with their hardware so I think the issues I've had with Kies is something else. I appreciate the suggestion though.
As far as the matching modem and software goes, I'm a bit confused... Why is it that you can use custom ROM's non-related to Samsung after updating your baseband if the custom ROM isn't matching that firmware? Perfect example, just now... I tried the stock MK2 and it worked. Now I just finished loading clean CyanogenMOd, and it worked! BUT - only one and a half times... It went through once, I tried again, and then it stopped mid ringing of the call, now doesn't work. AHHHH!!! How am I supposed to do this? And why did I never have trouble in the past? Once I get a stock ROM and matching, working modem installed, what am I supposed to do from there if I want to switch to a CM based ROM?
thair7391 said:
So quick update/reply, I just stumbled upon a stock, lightly modified MK2 ROM flashable through recovery that I had buried on my microSD and decided to give it a go (since the MK2 modem was the only one that every gave me any success even though it was just one time, and even though the ROM I was using was custom so couldn't have really matched ANY Samsung baseband). Even though I really already knew and understood everything you told me, you were brilliant to remind me about the need for the modem to match the OS when it initializes. After booting up the Stock MK2, calls are now working, and consistently!!! Now I'm making a backup (just in case, even though I really don't want to use stock) and then I'm going to go for a custom ROM again, probably CM based. Thanks again for your help!
I know exactly how I tripped the Knox counter. I downloaded a firmware file that was LABELED as a stock NB4 ROM and that wasn't correct. It was a stock NB4 ROM with a MODIFIED CUSTOM KERNEL! That would have been a useful detail beforehand...
I'm also familiar with using adb and it's selectivity with USB cables. They need to be "fastboot" cables which usually only is the case with manufacturer included cables. Using Kies to restore firmware to a phone though should have nothing to do with fastboot or adb. First off, you don't need the adb Runtime or SDK to use Kies nor does Samsung include it in the installation. Second, when you're using Download mode, that's Samsung's proprietary software using their own proprietary API's and commands to communicate and interface directly with their hardware so I think the issues I've had with Kies is something else. I appreciate the suggestion though.
As far as the matching modem and software goes, I'm a bit confused... Why is it that you can use custom ROM's non-related to Samsung after updating your baseband if the custom ROM isn't matching that firmware? Perfect example, just now... I tried the stock MK2 and it worked. Now I just finished loading clean CyanogenMOd, and it worked! BUT - only one and a half times... It went through once, I tried again, and then it stopped mid ringing of the call, now doesn't work. AHHHH!!! How am I supposed to do this? And why did I never have trouble in the past? Once I get a stock ROM and matching, working modem installed, what am I supposed to do from there if I want to switch to a CM based ROM?
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Click to collapse
I really have no idea about aosp roms for this device because i only used touchwiz to keep samsung features.. so i have no knowledge about firmware compatibility. I would think the creator of the rom should specify any firmware requirements.
On the thought of hardware failure, and i know you said the speakers work, but did you test the sim card slot? Perhaps it needs to be cleaned? Maybe the sim card is partially failing so try a different card? Maybe you cut it and it's loose (you wont believe the crooked sim cards i've seen). I think it's worth pursuing since you said it worked once and not again.. maybe you had just taken the cover off while flashing stuff and touched/pressed it but it's losing contact again after flexing during use. I dunno dude, the kind of call audio issues i've had were always resolved with a reboot & making sure the modem matches the touchwiz build.
Please make sure you are running a full stock firmware package & keep the touchwiz rom consistent with it. Some firmware packages are partial components
So now I've just updated to a FULL STOCK NH7 firmware package. My build number and baseband are matching. NO CALL AUDIO!!
For starters, up until a few days ago, I ran all types of ROM with an MK5 boot loader and 3 different modems and never had a call issue. After that said, I read a few months ago about a guy had your same issue. He ended up getting a new sim card and he got is audio back. He also had reception issues before getting the no audio issue.
thair7391 said:
So now I've just updated to a FULL STOCK NH7 firmware package. My build number and baseband are matching. NO CALL AUDIO!!
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Click to collapse
Try flashing the firmware again, some have to flash it twice for the bootloader to update, which may the trouble. If that doesn't work try a new sim like it was suggested before me
I know it's been a while but I basically gave up and just recently came back to it. I've since bought a Nexus 6 so it's not a priority issue anymore however I would still like to fix this otherwise perfectly fine Galaxy S4 that I have lying around! I seemed to believe that there was a special combination of custom ROM and specifically the MK2 modem that would sometimes cause the audio to intermittently work but it appears I was wrong. I flashed the full stock NH7 firmware/baseband etc back to my phone twice as suggested and NY audio worked! For a few calls that is... Then it stopped working again. Sometimes I could clear cache and reboot and it would work! Once or twice anyways before crapping out again... The bottom line is that there isn't a pattern aside from a cleared cache that makes the audio work again before it stops soon after which unfortunately leads me to believe it's a deep rooted hardware issue in the baseband itself. Anyone else have ideas?
Other than trying a new sim, I can't really think of anything else except to make sure the bootloader really did update. Download Samsung phone info from play store and check bootloader info to make sure it was updated to NH7
Unfortunately it is completely updated. I tried a new SIM and everything works still except audio in phone calls, including ringing. I guess it's hardware... Guess now I just have an internet browsing MP3 player with web browsing capabilities.

Lollipop Update issue

I have a Note 4 on Sprint, still running KitKat. Here's my problem:
I really don't want the Lollipop update. I don't want it because I love KitKat so much and I tried Lollipop out on my friend's phone and hated the look and feel of it. I don't want it to finish downloading because I hardly have any space on my phone as it is.
I don't want to
-root my phone
-factory reset my phone
-trip Knox
Right now, I'm pretty angry because I'd like to use WiFi, but can't because every time I turn it on the update starts to download. I tried going into settings and turning off auto update, but that didn't stop it. I also tried filling my device storage so that there were less than 800 megabytes left, but that had no effect on the update either, it just continues downloading. I realize that there are similar posts on this issue, but none of them really apply to me. Thank you in advance for any help.
Just update it then use a kk theam the update will help i dont think you can stop the ota update
chad.420.419 said:
Just update it then use a kk theam the update will help i dont think you can stop the ota update
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Click to collapse
Thank you for replying, but that really doesn't help me at all. As I said several times over in my original post, I don't want the update at all. I'm constantly hearing about people choosing to keep KitKat, so there must be some way. And even if I could apply a theme to my whole phone without being rooted, it wouldn't fix all the other problems that I have with lollipop.
But the 3 things to consider or note before you begin:
1) if you update beyond OB7, the bootloader gets upgraded to one with a reactivation lockable bootloader. That will prevent you from being able to Odin back to KitKat. You need to disable auto update and stop the update notices before they start; otherwise the nags persist and you may accidentally update.
2) the lollipop file system is different than KitKat do better off formatting your data and wiping cache and dalvik-cache and powering down and pulling battery prior to Odin OB7 stock tar. Let it boot and setup wizard prior to Odin of TWRP (uncheck auto reboot for recovery flash only), boot into TWRP recovery and flash the ROM.
3) dalvik gets built on initial boot of lollipop ROMs; the stock tar still not much quicker. You'll likely see the phone hang at the second boot splash screen with blue LED slowly blinking before you see the app optimization and app start pop-ups. You can expect that with lollipop. Give it 30 minutes to boot before you panic. To avoid CPU heating and slowing the process, remove your phone from its case and ventilate if it gets too warm. You need to start with battery charged to about 80% to full to be safe. It's best to not try and update apps or restore apps until you've flashed and booted the custom ROM. More apps means the process takes longer. You can format the data again prior to flashing the custom ROM to speed things along. If possible, backup your media, and downloads that you want to keep and wipe internal sdcard to get a cleaner start with lollipop. That's optional but don't lose your keepsakes. What you flash should be on extSdCard to avoid the wipe-loss if it.
BTW, the post you're referring to may have been an attempt to recover phone after attempting to downgrade to OB7 or KitKat. It's since been discovered that although Odin wouldn't downgrade, there's a possibility to flash older ROMs in recovery and immediately flash a 5.1.1 rooted kernel to get it to boot without looping. That doesn't have to apply to you; the general rule is to Odin flash the tar that matches the ROM you want to flash in recovery. But again, if you upgrade beyond OB7, you cannot go backwards with Odin. Only few exceptions apply; generally it is forward, not backwards. OB7 is the divide that separates the simple from more complex conditions. So these last 3 paragraphs shouldn't apply to you as long as you're wanting to stay with OB7 or KitKat.
Just for an idea of what to consider in other lollipop updates. The ram optimization got a bit crazy after OB7 and continued until it improved in OJ6. Personally, I think OJ6 and OK1 updates are the best lollipop updates yet. You'll certainly find more security updates in those updates. But lollipop 5.1.1 also introduced the need to root the kernel but Chainfire has recently brought us a patch to use stock kernel again; it's married from experimental to beta. I've mostly ran with stock kernel on my phone, especially before lollipop 5.1.1
Things were once simpler but got a tad more complex as time and updates followed OB7.
Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk
7H3N3RD said:
I have a Note 4 on Sprint, still running KitKat...
I don't want to
-root my phone
-factory reset my phone
-trip Knox
Right now, I'm pretty angry...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's a tough ask for a definitive answer, IMO. IDK if it can be done but I'll offer an idea for discussion. Consider pros and cons and alternatives and even constructive differing because l don't know if it's been tried and proven to stop the persistent update on stock KitKat. There are root alternatives but your request is taken into some consideration below.
Odin stock tar will not trip Knox or require root. There are 2 stock tars for KitKat (those end with NIE and NK2, last 3 letters only, NIE being the original, NK2 the last KitKat update).
My theory is that you could...
1) Odin the first tar, NIE stock tar is linked below, let it download the OTA for NK2 but postpone the update long enough to go into Settings/System update/Auto update and uncheck the option.
2) Turn phone off and boot into recovery. It should find the NK2 update and prompt to apply it. If not there's an option to apply from cache, I think.
3) Once booted, make sure the auto update is still unchecked.
https://www.androidfilehost.com/?fid=95784891001612590
The instructions for Odin stock tar are found here but early posts in that thread may be relative to Odin if stock KitKat tar. The stock tar above is actually linked in post #2
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=56853325&postcount=1
If auto update resets during the process, it most likely promptly starts the OTA download, negating the effort. No guarantees but reason the risks before you proceed. That's the whole theory, if someone knows the system update gets reset to auto or if that's not enough to prevent it, please advise. On a rooted Lollipop phone, uncheck auto update seemed to be enough to prevent the OK1 update from downloading and being persistent to update... I may have overlooked something in my simple theory. Did I?
Don't be angry with me if it doesn't work. Your data may not be lost but backup what you can on PC via USB, particularly photos, media and downloads on internal memory before you start. KIES may actually work to backup a lot on a stock un-rooted phone but be careful about what you restore; don't want to start the persistent update again if you succeed in preventing it.
Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk
You definitely can stop it from nagging you to update by turning off notifications (I think you turn it off for Google services framework, and if not that, it's Google play services). This worked for me when I stayed on kitkat.
But deleting the downloaded update file is an issue without root. It lies in /cache or /cache/FOTA directory I believe, which you can't access without root. You may be able to wipe cache with stock recovery, but I'm not sure if it has that option (I'm not on stock recovery so can't check) or if it even works for what you want. Perhaps you can try deleting the cache for Google services framework or Google play services, not sure if the works either. Just some thoughts which may help you

Soft bricked SPH-L710- Possible to recover data or repair without wiping?

I was using Chrome when the phone froze. I restarted it, and now the phone just hangs at the Samsung logo.
I have a completely stock unrooted Sprint SPH-L710. I'm moderately sure the phone is on MD4 since I didn't want Knox. It would be nice if there were a way to double check, though, since I don't remember why it stopped pestering me to upgrade. The phone doesn't boot far enough to get into safe mode, but it will enter recovery and download mode. Clearing the cache in recovery had no effect.
My PC and Kies don't see it when I connect it.
My contacts and photos are mostly backed up, so I'm more worried about salvaging other things, like Chrome bookmarks. My bookmarks aren't synchronized with Google. Apparently root is required to access them, so I never got around to it. It would be nice to recover text messages and gamesaves too. I haven't tried a factory reset yet since that would wipe everything.
What should I do from here? Is it possible to install a custom recovery at this point and use that to backup files?
Or should I try to flash a stock rom from the SD card or Odin? Or will that wipe everything or cause other problems?
I don't have USB debugging activated, so is there anything useful I'd be be able to do with ADB?
Or should I just shrug and go for the factory reset?
Thanks guys.
It's been an educational experience.
Without root or USB debugging enabled, it's apparently impossible to install custom firmware from soft bricked status.
ADB was never even able to see my phone. Not even in recovery or download modes.
Odin is a surprisingly temperamental program. It would see my phone, but not successfully flash until I uninstalled Kies. Rwilco's ROM's and one click flashes were all entirely unsuccessful. It's difficult to find older GS3 ROM's since link rot has claimed nearly all of them. There's about a million skeychy Samsung firmware/update sites, and most of them are worthless.
Heimdall is a little disappointing. You can't just point it at a ROM. You have to track down a Heimdall specific package. I couldn't find a suitable one.
Eventually, I found a sketchy Samsung firmware site that had the MD4 ROM, and it actually flashed in Odin. Then Odin stopped seeing my phone entirely.
So, I ordered a Tmobile Note 4 to use on Ting. It's cheaper, and I like the removable battery and microSD. Just for kicks, I factory reset the S3. To my surprise, the factory reset worked. I guess I should have tried that before I ordered a new phone
In the meantime, I guess I will still try to recover files, demote the S3 to media player/backup phone status, and use the incoming Note 4 as my daily driver.
From here on, I guess it means rooting and monthly backups.
Thanks guys.
When you boot into download mode you'll see your Knox flag if the phone has been upgraded to a Knoxed up firmware. I'm too lazy to check but it looks something like Knox: 0x0 or 0x1.

My Tab 8 pro lte T325 keeps restarting

When I start an app - doesnt matter which, my tab restarts. Not all of the time, but many times. This started a month or so ago. Does anybody know a cure? Thanks
original or custom rom? Tried resetting to defaults?
Originaliteit or custom ROM? Its the original ROM andere have reset my T325 tot default. No succes
have you ever tried to root it or use another rom before (or was it used)? it could be a tripped knox issue, usually that causes the tablet to reboot when the knox check fails...
if not then perhaps somehow the system files got corrupted and you might just want to completely re-flash the whole stock firmware with odin or kies
Knox could be the problem. I have not rooted this tab. But i have knox disabled. Should i turn it on? Its for me such a useless app.
if you have never rooted then knox is unlikely the problem, you can try to re-enable the app though see if it helps..
-if you still get reboots I suggest doing a factory reset , then boot into download mode and re-flash the whole device using the latest firmware
In my testing there is only a few things that can make the tablet reboot and that is
1. a kernel panic similar to linux (maybe a bug in a filesystem driver ..etc)
2. knox
3. overheating when the cpu is at 100-105c it can make the tablet shut down or reboot
i have been thin king and i guess it has to do with the battery. Until the last update my T325 had loadin g troubles. I think that this also has to do with the same problem. Next week i will visit the samsung service store and see what they can do for me. If that doesnt work will i start thinking about rooting and perhaps another rom. Sometimes i wish i never bought this tab. My former (rooted) P1000 never gave troubles!
As good as the P1000 was, I don't miss mine over the Tab PRO, for starters LTE is sweet. Secondly the +1.5 (i.e. 2GBs), of RAM make for a much more pleasant experience. About the only thing the P1000 has or had going for it was some support. Likely do to the fact that it was Samy's first Phablet.

How to fix error with Secure Folder, Samsung Pass and Samsung Health?

I had once installed Custom Rom on my A505F device without concerning much for the side effects its gonna cause to my phone. I was just focused on whether i would get an update if in case i change my mind after flashing the stock firmware. I had not used these apps much after flashing the stock firmware. I just got to know yesterday that i can't access these apps anymore. Is there any way to fix this problem?
P.S. My phone status is still official
I don't think you can get those apps to work again. I think they check not only if your phone status is official or not but also if KNOX have been tripped.
But have you tried locking your bootloader back? [Caution: this will reset everything from your pone including your internal stroage]
and also toggle off the OEM unlock option in developer settings.
I have rooted and installed multiple custom ROMs but I haven't tried to get back to stock and i can not guarantee that it will fix those Samsung apps but if you really want it its worth the try. But I highly recommend you backup everything from your phone first.

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