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A few questions regarding install custom ROMs

hi, i recently got an ATT note 2. The phone I got already got Clean ROM 3.5, so I presume it is rooted, with custom recovery (TWRP when I checked). I am thinking of flashing to a diff rom and just want to ask a few questions.
1-do I need to run triangle away every time I flash to a diff rom?
2-since the phone already has a custom rom, I should not have to root it, am I correct?
3-If I want to install custom, ROMs, can I just put the ROM in the external SD and flash it that way (of course with clear cash, davik, etc as states in the rom).
4-I am thinking of playing with the CleanROM 4.2.4 or the ACE version? any issue with either one compare to the 3.5 that I am using now? any recommendation?
5-anything I need ot watch out before I flash it? I have flashed a coupole of time with htc phone and this is my first samsung phone so I don't watn to brick it.
thanks a lot guys, XDA rocks.

PUTALE said:
hi, i recently got an ATT note 2. The phone I got already got Clean ROM 3.5, so I presume it is rooted, with custom recovery (TWRP when I checked). I am thinking of flashing to a diff rom and just want to ask a few questions.
1-do I need to run triangle away every time I flash to a diff rom?
2-since the phone already has a custom rom, I should not have to root it, am I correct?
3-If I want to install custom, ROMs, can I just put the ROM in the external SD and flash it that way (of course with clear cash, davik, etc as states in the rom).
4-I am thinking of playing with the CleanROM 4.2.4 or the ACE version? any issue with either one compare to the 3.5 that I am using now? any recommendation?
5-anything I need ot watch out before I flash it? I have flashed a coupole of time with htc phone and this is my first samsung phone so I don't watn to brick it.
thanks a lot guys, XDA rocks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. No you do not need to run triangle away usually only have to run it if you are going back to stock and may want to return the phone.
2.Nope it has a Rom you are rooted !
3.That is what I do when installing a new rom factory reset wipe davlik and cache and install you may have to fix permissions with some installs as well after installing.
4.From the bit I played with the new Clean rom it is very stable with minimum if any grief Jedi 9 is also a awesome ROM and my current fave.
5.Just read up lots before you do it follow every step they tell you to take your time it is easy just make sure ya know what you are doing before you start.
6.Enjoy they are a awesome phone !!

Thanks a lot for your prompt reply. It heped a lot. I will definitelycheck the roms. I am using 3.5 and it runs really good and hate to ruin it.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using xda app-developers app

PUTALE said:
Thanks a lot for your prompt reply. It heped a lot. I will definitelycheck the roms. I am using 3.5 and it runs really good and hate to ruin it.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
do a backup in twrp before flashing a new one, you can always come back

thanks for the info. That brings me to another question with TWRP, when I do TWRP backup, should I backup everything, modem, efs, etc. Also, if I use that backup and I do restore, does it restore everything, program, rom, setting, etc?
Also, if I want to flash the stock ROM, would that mess up my root, recovery etc? Do I need to do anything if I flash the stock ROM? From my past experience, sometimes, it is good to flash the stock rom once in awhile since that seem to do some sort of clean up and it also helped to keep the modem and such up to date.Probaby won't keep the stock for a long time but just thought I may flash it to play with it and keep the modem files up to date. Then flash custom rom. I also read that if I want to use triangle, I must be on stock rom or it will brick my phone, so I want to make sure before I start playing with diff roms.
thanks a lot guys

PUTALE said:
thanks for the info. That brings me to another question with TWRP, when I do TWRP backup, should I backup everything, modem, efs, etc. Also, if I use that backup and I do restore, does it restore everything, program, rom, setting, etc?
Also, if I want to flash the stock ROM, would that mess up my root, recovery etc? Do I need to do anything if I flash the stock ROM? From my past experience, sometimes, it is good to flash the stock rom once in awhile since that seem to do some sort of clean up and it also helped to keep the modem and such up to date.Probaby won't keep the stock for a long time but just thought I may flash it to play with it and keep the modem files up to date. Then flash custom rom. I also read that if I want to use triangle, I must be on stock rom or it will brick my phone, so I want to make sure before I start playing with diff roms.
thanks a lot guys
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is one of nice features of TWRP... ability to backup/restore individual partitions. Android stores various blocks in different partitions. To name a few, System, Data, Modem, Recovery, Boot, Cache, etc. If you just want to backup your modem for example, just check the "modem" box (and I recommend naming the folder to something significant so down the road you'll know which modem it is). When you restore, that folder will only have your modem.. so you can restore a different modem without having to change your rom, (etc). Kernels are stored in the "boot" partitions.. again, if you want to change kernels, backup the boot partition and name it properly if case you want to reflash that kernel. Generally, after my first flash of a new ROM, kernel, modem, I'll create a "boot" backup, "modem" backup, and ROM (system/data/boot) partition backups. If you look in the TWRP folders themselves, you can see the blocks which are backed up... or will be restored. Hope that helps.

PUTALE said:
thanks for the info. That brings me to another question with TWRP, when I do TWRP backup, should I backup everything, modem, efs, etc. Also, if I use that backup and I do restore, does it restore everything, program, rom, setting, etc?
Also, if I want to flash the stock ROM, would that mess up my root, recovery etc? Do I need to do anything if I flash the stock ROM? From my past experience, sometimes, it is good to flash the stock rom once in awhile since that seem to do some sort of clean up and it also helped to keep the modem and such up to date.Probaby won't keep the stock for a long time but just thought I may flash it to play with it and keep the modem files up to date. Then flash custom rom. I also read that if I want to use triangle, I must be on stock rom or it will brick my phone, so I want to make sure before I start playing with diff roms.
thanks a lot guys
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When I back up in TWRP, I usually just go with what is default checked off. You will not mess up your root unless you really really tried to. The last time I ever had to flash back to stock then to a custom was on my Xperia X10a... You should be fine flashing a new rom without having to go back to stock as long as you do a good wipe (Wipe System, Factory Rest, Davlik, and Cache is what I do only because it doesn't hurt... I've read you do not need to do all those steps but I do them nonetheless). Do not use Triangle Away unless you plan on returning your phone or send it in for warranty. Only then should you start asking questions about that tool.
The only issue that may cause SOME confusion (not too much but some) is flashing back and forth between a 4.1.2 and a 4.2.1 since the SD card adjusts to User settings (some folders open up for individual users on 4.2 but as far as my experience goes, I have not had any issues with it, I just needed to study my SD card after each flash).
So you should be fine... just do backups, rename them to make sure you know which rom belongs to which backup, delete the old ones from the RESTORE menu in TWRP in case you are backing up the same rom to save you some space (my backups take around 2 gigs sometimes EACH) and you should be good to go... Enjoy tweaking out on your roms!

DoctorQMM said:
This is one of nice features of TWRP... ability to backup/restore individual partitions. Android stores various blocks in different partitions. To name a few, System, Data, Modem, Recovery, Boot, Cache, etc. If you just want to backup your modem for example, just check the "modem" box (and I recommend naming the folder to something significant so down the road you'll know which modem it is). When you restore, that folder will only have your modem.. so you can restore a different modem without having to change your rom, (etc). Kernels are stored in the "boot" partitions.. again, if you want to change kernels, backup the boot partition and name it properly if case you want to reflash that kernel. Generally, after my first flash of a new ROM, kernel, modem, I'll create a "boot" backup, "modem" backup, and ROM (system/data/boot) partition backups. If you look in the TWRP folders themselves, you can see the blocks which are backed up... or will be restored. Hope that helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Much appreciated for your detail explanation on the TWRP. I did a quick backup and selected all of the option and now I see the files in my external SD:
modem.emmc.win
data.ext4.win
cache.ext4.win
recovery.emmc.win
boot.emmc.win
efs.ext4.win
data.ext4.win
system.ext4.win
Quick question. If I understand correctly, the modem and efs is not ROM backup, so if I just want to revert to the rom I am currently running with all apps and such, I only need to backup system, boot, data, am I correct?
Also, is there any way that I can retain my data, settings, and apps, without re-download and re-configurate everything after I flash to a new ROM? I am thinking that maybe data will do such thing but not too certain. In the past, whenever I flash to a new rom, I always download all apps again from market and setup everything again, a bit hassle but that's how I did
[email protected] said:
When I back up in TWRP, I usually just go with what is default checked off. You will not mess up your root unless you really really tried to. The last time I ever had to flash back to stock then to a custom was on my Xperia X10a... You should be fine flashing a new rom without having to go back to stock as long as you do a good wipe (Wipe System, Factory Rest, Davlik, and Cache is what I do only because it doesn't hurt... I've read you do not need to do all those steps but I do them nonetheless). Do not use Triangle Away unless you plan on returning your phone or send it in for warranty. Only then should you start asking questions about that tool.
The only issue that may cause SOME confusion (not too much but some) is flashing back and forth between a 4.1.2 and a 4.2.1 since the SD card adjusts to User settings (some folders open up for individual users on 4.2 but as far as my experience goes, I have not had any issues with it, I just needed to study my SD card after each flash).
So you should be fine... just do backups, rename them to make sure you know which rom belongs to which backup, delete the old ones from the RESTORE menu in TWRP in case you are backing up the same rom to save you some space (my backups take around 2 gigs sometimes EACH) and you should be good to go... Enjoy tweaking out on your roms!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks for the info/warning on the triangle. I read that it can brick the phone and also needs to be on the stock to use it. Also read that if there's too many counts, it may not work. I guess for now, I just won't touch it.
Since there's no 4.2 roms available (at least not what I have seen and want to play, CleanRom or Jedi as they are highly rated), I guess for now I do not have to worry much on the SD card issue. It will be safer I guess for now just stick with 4.1.2 until the kinks are worked out.
For the wipe system, factory, davlik, cache, do I do that before flashing it?watched a couple of video and instruction and they all have diff answers. Some people said do factory reset, flash, and then wipe davik and cache.
Again, really really appreciate all of the support guys.

PUTALE said:
Much appreciated for your detail explanation on the TWRP. I did a quick backup and selected all of the option and now I see the files in my external SD:
modem.emmc.win
data.ext4.win
cache.ext4.win
recovery.emmc.win
boot.emmc.win
efs.ext4.win
data.ext4.win
system.ext4.win
Quick question. If I understand correctly, the modem and efs is not ROM backup, so if I just want to revert to the rom I am currently running with all apps and such, I only need to backup system, boot, data, am I correct?
Also, is there any way that I can retain my data, settings, and apps, without re-download and re-configurate everything after I flash to a new ROM? I am thinking that maybe data will do such thing but not too certain. In the past, whenever I flash to a new rom, I always download all apps again from market and setup everything again, a bit hassle but that's how I did
thanks for the info/warning on the triangle. I read that it can brick the phone and also needs to be on the stock to use it. Also read that if there's too many counts, it may not work. I guess for now, I just won't touch it.
Since there's no 4.2 roms available (at least not what I have seen and want to play, CleanRom or Jedi as they are highly rated), I guess for now I do not have to worry much on the SD card issue. It will be safer I guess for now just stick with 4.1.2 until the kinks are worked out.
For the wipe system, factory, davlik, cache, do I do that before flashing it?watched a couple of video and instruction and they all have diff answers. Some people said do factory reset, flash, and then wipe davik and cache.
Again, really really appreciate all of the support guys.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Think of your Nandroid (TWRP) backup as a roll back to what you are comfortable with (check everything off so you do not lose a thing if you want) in case you find that the new thing you flashed isn't all that it was cracked up to be for you or something messes up. The Nandroid backup is EVERYONE's friend.
As for flashing a new ROM and having to start all over, I will use this as an example: I have two backups; one for Paranoid Android (4.2.1 AOSPA) and Clean 4.2.5 (4.1.2). When I originally flashed my stock to Clean, I must've gotten lucky by just wiping the system (ROM only and not a factory reset) and all my data transferred over just fine with no issues... but when flashing to PA, I had to do a full wipe then start from scratch (which was not bad if you sync your apps and contacts thru Google). Also, you might want to get another backup system such as Super Backup to back up your contacts and SMS messages (be careful with backing up call logs if you go to 4.2.1 ROMs because for some reason, things went wacky for me). Titanium is a good system to use for power users but sometimes, to keep it as simple as possible, count on Google at first for your app syncing (and if you get Amazon App Store, you will have to get that APK to download the apps from that store).
Anyway, from there (if you want to play with multiple ROMs) you now have a foundation. Dirty flashing (flashing a new version of a ROM you currently have without doing a full wipe... just in case you didn't know... for me, I just wipe System [no factory reset] then flash the upgrade) should be fine... again, I'm typing from experience because there are some people who do run into issues dirty flashing and is usually not supported by the devs unless you do a full wipe and flash. I have not had any issues whatsoever dirty flashing both PA and Clean versions.
As for methods of wiping, honestly they're all right... I just posted what I usually do when I want to do a full wipe. Only if you want to do a dirty flash, you won't have to wipe or do a partial wipe (I partial wipe e.g. Clean 4.0.5 to 4.2.5: Delete last Clean Rom backup through the Restore menu, Nandroid Back Up current working Clean Rom 4.0.5, Wipe System, Install the new 4.2.5, wipe Davlik and Cache (again, I do this just in case but some devs say it's unnecessary), then reboot and wait for the apps to reset... all was where it was when I left 4.0.5.

PUTALE said:
Quick question. If I understand correctly, the modem and efs is not ROM backup, so if I just want to revert to the rom I am currently running with all apps and such, I only need to backup system, boot, data, am I correct?
Also, is there any way that I can retain my data, settings, and apps, without re-download and re-configurate everything after I flash to a new ROM? I am thinking that maybe data will do such thing but not too certain. In the past, whenever I flash to a new rom, I always download all apps again from market and setup everything again, a bit hassle but that's how I did
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes... if you're retaining your current modem and recovery... to restore a rom just as it was when you backed it up, restore boot (which has the kernel), system and data. One your second question, when restoring a different rom , it's best to always restore system/data/boot together. You can use TiBu to restore your user app DATA, and individual apps usually have their own backup files you can restore (like Nova/Apex launchers [which can restore your widgets], calendar, etc).

much appreciated guys. thanks so much. I think I got it. Will get ready to pick a good ROM and starts flashing.
one little thing, I saw this rom here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2124182
it says stock rooted, does that mean that it is essentailly identical to what is found on the stock rom except that it will not mess up with my recovery and rooting if I use it to flash as oppose to the guide I saw online to flash to completely stock using ODIN.
Also, I did the unlock with what I found on the thread, would that mess got messed up when I flash to different ROM?

PUTALE said:
much appreciated guys. thanks so much. I think I got it. Will get ready to pick a good ROM and starts flashing.
one little thing, I saw this rom here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2124182
it says stock rooted, does that mean that it is essentailly identical to what is found on the stock rom except that it will not mess up with my recovery and rooting if I use it to flash as oppose to the guide I saw online to flash to completely stock using ODIN.
Also, I did the unlock with what I found on the thread, would that mess got messed up when I flash to different ROM?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have never used that rom so I can't say for sure. Try it out and see what happens. If you don't like it, restore your backup.

PUTALE said:
much appreciated guys. thanks so much. I think I got it. Will get ready to pick a good ROM and starts flashing.
one little thing, I saw this rom here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2124182
it says stock rooted, does that mean that it is essentailly identical to what is found on the stock rom except that it will not mess up with my recovery and rooting if I use it to flash as oppose to the guide I saw online to flash to completely stock using ODIN.
Also, I did the unlock with what I found on the thread, would that mess got messed up when I flash to different ROM?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That rom is one of the most recent 7105 (note2 international) samsung firmware releases... supposedly better battery life than LL7 or LL4. It's the stock MA6 pre rooted (i.e., has SuperSU app and binaries included). No other features added like you would find with CleanROM 4.2.5 for example. It includes rom and kernel... so it will write to your system, data, and boot partitions. Whatever custom recovery you have now and flash this with will not be touched.

thanks again.

Rooted 4.1.2 what's the best way to update to 4.2

What's the best way to update since I can't update with the version that sprint pushed out since I'm rooted. Is it like a hacked version of the update that I can just update with? Yeah I'm a noob at this.
Thanks!

Not sure if your talking about 4.2 which is to my knowledge only with cm 10 or liquidsmooth or aokp most likely or 4.1.2 md4 either case download the appropriate file of your choice and flash from recovery do make sure backup amyways hope that answers your question
Sent from my SPH-L710 using XDA Premium HD app

six3onei said:
What's the best way to update since I can't update with the version that sprint pushed out since I'm rooted. Is it like a hacked version of the update that I can just update with? Yeah I'm a noob at this.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you mean update to 4.1.2. Check your version in settings about device. If it's 4.1.1 go here :
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=586
Sent from my SPH-L710

Cm10.1
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app

Deviant Xone (linked in my sig). Awesome 4.2.2 ROM.

If you're going to any AOSP rom, be sure to update your recovery to the latest!
Also - Create a 0 folder in the root of your internal storage and move all of your files into /sdcard/0 (and I mean everything, files, folders, etc.) When you boot into latest recovery, it'll treat the sdcard/0 as your sdcard root folder. Once you flash an AOSP based rom, it will always use sdcard/0 as the root so if you create the 0 folder prior to flashing, you'll have all of your internal memory accessible.

Overstew said:
If you're going to any AOSP rom, be sure to update your recovery to the latest!
Also - Create a 0 folder in the root of your internal storage and move all of your files into /sdcard/0 (and I mean everything, files, folders, etc.) When you boot into latest recovery, it'll treat the sdcard/0 as your sdcard root folder. Once you flash an AOSP based rom, it will always use sdcard/0 as the root so if you create the 0 folder prior to flashing, you'll have all of your internal memory accessible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Apparently you can avoid this by updating your recovery....the emulated 0 folder, I mean
Sent from my SPH-L710

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I'm running stock rom that I rooted... The phone version as of now is 4.1.2... as of 1 week I recieved an over the air update from sprint. I was thinking its 4.2 something maybe? maybe I wrong. I was wondering how could I get that update to install? Would i have to un-root then re-root?
Thanks!

six3onei said:
I'm running stock rom that I rooted... The phone version as of now is 4.1.2... as of 1 week I recieved an over the air update from sprint. I was thinking its 4.2 something maybe? maybe I wrong. I was wondering how could I get that update to install? Would i have to un-root then re-root?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey six3onei,
I'm assuming you just got the notification for the OTA (Over-The-Air) update. The newest version of the Stock Rom is MD4 which is still 4.1.2. Android version 4.2.x probably won't come out for your phone for a couple of months (that's my guess with no data to back it up other than my own intuition).
As far as upadating, you actually don't have to apply the OTA to get the latest and greatest for our phone. All you have to do is flash Freeza's Stock Rooted Rom (You'll want the DeOdex MD4 Rom). It'll give you the most up-to-date Stock Rom with Root. I've linked and quoted a previous post I made which will give you directions to flash it. Also, CNexus has done a great guide about OTAs over in the general sub-forum. I suggest giving that a look-through.
Also, just a note on the flashing sequence below: In step 4 below, if you're coming from a stock Rom and you're going to a stock Rom, all you have to do is wipe Cache and Dalvik Cache. If you're going to a different Rom, it's best to do a full wipe (in my opinion).
Ok, let's start at the very beginning (it's a very good place to start).
Before we get started, I'm going to make the following assumptions:
You successfully rooted your phone through Odin.
You currently have a custom recovery (either TWRP or CWM).
You have a Rom you'd like to flash on either your internal storage or your SDcard (I'd recommend the SDcard, but that's your prerogative).
If either of the first two is not true, I'd recommend going back to qbking77's thread and check out the videos on how to use Odin to gain root and a custom recovery.
If number 3 above is not true, download a ROM (nor someone new to flashing/custom Roms, I'd recommend Freeza's stock rooted Rom, as it's identical to stock TW, but just with Root). Once you download a Rom, check it's md5sum to verify that it's a good download. Copy the file to your SD card and get ready to flash (make sure you have decent battery life left, I try to keep at least 50% or more when flashing Roms, although it shouldn't take too long.
I'll give directions on how to flash a Rom below. The instructions will be for TWRP, but CWM has similar options/settings
Turn your phone completely off (hold down power for 3-5 seconds)
Boot your phone into recovery. Hold Up, Menu, and Power for a few seconds (until SAMSUNG appears on your screen and the phone vibrates)
Make a Nandroid backup. I can't emphasize this enough. In flashing, it's almost a certainty that one time, something will mess up. When that happens, you want to be able to restore a backup. In TWRP, just go into Backup Menu and choose where you want it (internal vs. External storage). It takes my phone a few (5-10) minutes to completely backup my data.
In TWRP, click the wipe button, then system. This will completely wipe the Rom from your phone. Doing this will allow you to get a "clean" install, without any settings or leftover files from your old Rom getting in the way. Instead, you could only wipe data (factory reset), which is good enough for most Roms. I'd still recommend a system wipe, though.
Also while in the Wipe menu, wipe Cache and Dalvik Cache.
Go back to the TWRP main menu.
Click Install, then find your Rom zip file (may have to switch from internal to external storage).
Let TWRP do it's thing.
If you're installing a TW-based Rom, chances are it had gapps already installed. If not, you should now flash the correct gapps package from goo.im. Make sure you're flashing the correct one, as if you don't, your google apps will force close upon use.
Reboot into system and give it time to boot (first boot sometimes takes a couple of minutes).
Set up your phone the way you like.
These should be the directions to follow whenever you flash a new Rom. Some Roms have the Aroma installer, so you'll have more options once you choose to flash the Rom zip, but those are typically easy to follow (and vary from Rom to Rom, so I won't be able to give you a good guide on that).
Hope this helps!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The rom you want to download off of Freeza's page is:
DeOdex:
Sprint Touchwiz Jelly Bean 4.1.2 L710VPBMD4 | Mirror
MD5: 77262D9D6CF1A6AF30A8981A95A75D57
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

[Q] Having trouble with the I747M and ROMs.

Alright so I'm new at this and haven't managed to brick my phone yet so that's a good sign.
As far as I've learned the process is Root>Recovery>Rom Flash, at least generally.
I rooted it successfully, but when I try to install recovery with ROM Manager it lists only one S3 with a bracketed cell phone provider I don't think I have. So I ditched CWM and went to Goo Manager but when I try to install that, it just hangs on some download page telling me its about to start.
So I'm going to assume the recovery thing is pretty easy to sort out and move on to my next question.
My S3 is unlocked, but I am under Koodo, which is an extension of Telus. My phone model is a I747M, not an I747. As far as I can see they are identical in hardware and software, but I'm really wondering what ROMs I can install. I've researched but didn't find much, and I don't want to blindly flash a i747 rom onto a potentially different phone, and risk anything.
Oh and PS any ROM with the vanilla android (like on the google phones) will do.
Thanks.

Czaran said:
Alright so I'm new at this and haven't managed to brick my phone yet so that's a good sign.
As far as I've learned the process is Root>Recovery>Rom Flash, at least generally.
I rooted it successfully, but when I try to install recovery with ROM Manager it lists only one S3 with a bracketed cell phone provider I don't think I have. So I ditched CWM and went to Goo Manager but when I try to install that, it just hangs on some download page telling me its about to start.
So I'm going to assume the recovery thing is pretty easy to sort out and move on to my next question.
My S3 is unlocked, but I am under Koodo, which is an extension of Telus. My phone model is a I747M, not an I747. As far as I can see they are identical in hardware and software, but I'm really wondering what ROMs I can install. I've researched but didn't find much, and I don't want to blindly flash a i747 rom onto a potentially different phone, and risk anything.
Oh and PS any ROM with the vanilla android (like on the google phones) will do.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello Noob (I mean that kindly, I used to be one)
I'll help you with what ever you need. I'm Canadian and on Bell i747M. Feel free to ask me any questions and I'll reply as soon as I can. Hopefully I wont be too confusing. I'll just try to break down all your questions in a point form.
First, i747 and i747M are almost identical. With the latest 4.3 ROMS there are differences in the bootloader that will make data not work on your phone. For now, stay away from any stock 4.3 ROM. AOSP ROMs (CM10, Task650) are fine.
Recovery: Through Rom Manager you will want to download the recovery titled "Samsung Galaxy S3 (ATT) " The AT&T version of the S3 is commonly shown as D2ATT(i747). This recovery will work for you. I have had a problem with TWRP myself recently being stuck on the download page. There is another way to install TWRP, but it is a bit more difficult. Try CWM first and if you like I will give you instructions for TWRP.
ROMs: If you want the most common and most stable Vanilla ROMs for your phone you are gonna want Cyanogenmod or Task's ROM. They are very similar with a few different features. Beware, if you ask questions in Task's thread you will be told it is an ATT ROM only. It does work on the i747M though.
Latest Cyanogen: http://download.cyanogenmod.org/?device=d2att
Latest Task : http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1766684
You will of course lose Touchwiz on these ROMs.
Touchwiz Roms:
STAY AWAY FROM 4.3 ROMS!!!!!!
These ones will do as is. Watch that they are still 4.1.2
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1766684 This one has a white theme and is my favorite.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2176793 This one has tons of options.
As always be sure to read the OP in every thread. You will learn lots there. If you want any more info reply and I will try and help.

BCSC said:
Hello Noob (I mean that kindly, I used to be one)
I'll help you with what ever you need. I'm Canadian and on Bell i747M. Feel free to ask me any questions and I'll reply as soon as I can. Hopefully I wont be too confusing. I'll just try to break down all your questions in a point form.
First, i747 and i747M are almost identical. With the latest 4.3 ROMS there are differences in the bootloader that will make data not work on your phone. For now, stay away from any stock 4.3 ROM. AOSP ROMs (CM10, Task650) are fine.
Recovery: Through Rom Manager you will want to download the recovery titled "Samsung Galaxy S3 (ATT) " The AT&T version of the S3 is commonly shown as D2ATT(i747). This recovery will work for you. I have had a problem with TWRP myself recently being stuck on the download page. There is another way to install TWRP, but it is a bit more difficult. Try CWM first and if you like I will give you instructions for TWRP.
ROMs: If you want the most common and most stable Vanilla ROMs for your phone you are gonna want Cyanogenmod or Task's ROM. They are very similar with a few different features. Beware, if you ask questions in Task's thread you will be told it is an ATT ROM only. It does work on the i747M though.
Latest Cyanogen: http://download.cyanogenmod.org/?device=d2att
Latest Task : http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1766684
You will of course lose Touchwiz on these ROMs.
Touchwiz Roms:
STAY AWAY FROM 4.3 ROMS!!!!!!
These ones will do as is. Watch that they are still 4.1.2
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1766684 This one has a white theme and is my favorite.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2176793 This one has tons of options.
As always be sure to read the OP in every thread. You will learn lots there. If you want any more info reply and I will try and help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awesome, I appreciate the writeup. So I flashed recovery successfully (ROM Manager doesn't seem to have d2att anymore so I used ODIN).
I'll probably go for Cyanogen mod tommorow, I'll post again if I have any questions.
Thanks.

Czaran said:
Awesome, I appreciate the writeup. So I flashed recovery successfully (ROM Manager doesn't seem to have d2att anymore so I used ODIN).
I'll probably go for Cyanogen mod tommorow, I'll post again if I have any questions.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
CM is a good ROM. There should soon be Kitkat versions available. You will be seeing nightly updates when it does come around. Before you start flashing, you should learn what a 'Nandroid' is. You can take a Nandroid backup in CWM or TWRP. Always save these to an External SD card. If anything ever goes wrong with your ROM, you can just re flash the Nandroid backup and be back to where you were the day you did the backup. The farther you get into flashing the more likely you will need these. Before doing your first Flash, do an Nandroid and copy your photops and stuff off of the phone. When jumping between Stock and AOSP roms, you will need to do a full wipe and will lose what you have not backed up. Be sure to sync contacts to Google....this is the one that has screwed me the most.

BCSC said:
CM is a good ROM. There should soon be Kitkat versions available. You will be seeing nightly updates when it does come around. Before you start flashing, you should learn what a 'Nandroid' is. You can take a Nandroid backup in CWM or TWRP. Always save these to an External SD card. If anything ever goes wrong with your ROM, you can just re flash the Nandroid backup and be back to where you were the day you did the backup. The farther you get into flashing the more likely you will need these. Before doing your first Flash, do an Nandroid and copy your photops and stuff off of the phone. When jumping between Stock and AOSP roms, you will need to do a full wipe and will lose what you have not backed up. Be sure to sync contacts to Google....this is the one that has screwed me the most.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Alright, so I have CWM v5.5.0.4, which from what I understand is pretty outdated. It was probably just me following an outdated guide and forgot to look up an updated version. Will I need to update of will it cause any problems? I already backed up my phone on 5.5.0.4 with Nandroid.
Also I feel like I'm misunderstanding the procedure of flashing a new rom. So I downloaded a cm-10.1.3 zip which is is the latest stable build on android 4.2.2. This has an .img inside so this is the rom. I use CWM to flash this onto my phone correct? (Once I figure out if I need to update CWM)
Lastly whats the deal with Gapps? I downloaded the CM Gapps for 10.1 from their wiki. Is this the only way to get Gmail, Maps, and the Google Play Store onto the phone?
From what I understand I think I can just use odin to flash, correct? If so I'd probably prefer that because its the most familiar and noob friendly.

Czaran said:
Alright, so I have CWM v5.5.0.4, which from what I understand is pretty outdated. It was probably just me following an outdated guide and forgot to look up an updated version. Will I need to update of will it cause any problems? I already backed up my phone on 5.5.0.4 with Nandroid.
Also I feel like I'm misunderstanding the procedure of flashing a new rom. So I downloaded a cm-10.1.3 zip which is is the latest stable build on android 4.2.2. This has an .img inside so this is the rom. I use CWM to flash this onto my phone correct? (Once I figure out if I need to update CWM)
Lastly whats the deal with Gapps? I downloaded the CM Gapps for 10.1 from their wiki. Is this the only way to get Gmail, Maps, and the Google Play Store onto the phone?
From what I understand I think I can just use odin to flash, correct? If so I'd probably prefer that because its the most familiar and noob friendly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wouldn't use Odin. It really will only become necessary if you want to flash back to complete stock.
You do want the latest version of CWM installed or you will run into problems flashing. You can get this 2 ways.
1: through Rom Manager. You will find your specific CWM with these steps. a-Recovery Setup b-ClockworkMod Recovery c-Hit menu button to left of home and pick 'Show All Devices' d- Here scroll until you get 'Samsung Galaxy S3 (AT&T)' D2ATT. e- Click Flash ClockworkMod Recovery. Allow permissions for root. Ignore the touch option unless you want to pay for it. I can teach you the free way.
You will now have the latest CWM
You can download the latest CM-10.2, it is in release candidate stage and is extremely stable. They have been working on it for months. It will give you 4.3 (The good kind, not the one I warned against). After downloading a ROM, you leave it zipped exactly like it is. Do not extract it, just move it to your SD card. You will also want Gapps. Gapps is necessary because it is Google's own software that is legally not allowed to be built into ROMs. It must be installed separately. You can find those here. They help you know which to use with chart depending on which Cyanogen you use http://wiki.cyanogenmod.org/w/Gapps. Again just move the zip over to your internal.
With these 2 zips transferred to your phone you are ready to start. Before you do, make sure you have transferred all your pics and stuff off of the phone. Also be sure to save your contacts. You can now boot into recovery. You should notice recovery version 6.0.4.3. Volume button scrolls menu, Power button selects. You will want to do a Nandroid backup in case anything goes wrong. I know you did one with CWM 5.5 but should do another just to be sure it is with current CWM. You can delete the other one later.
Goto - backup and restore
Goto - backup to external or /storage/sdcard1 (i put both because im already on 4.4 and may have different menu than you.
Let this work and when done continue to flashing ROM
Go to 'choose zip from /sdcard'
Select CM-10-xxxxxxx.zip
After this completes you will do the same with Gapps.zip
After completion of both files you will need to factory reset your phone. Flashing AOSP over Stock will cause boot loops if you do not.
Go back to CWM main menu and select wipe data/factore reset
After completing this go to wipe cache partition and select this.
Finally you want to wipe Dalvik cache. you will find this in CWM under main menu /advanced/wipe dalvik cache.
Upon completion of this you should have CM10 4.3 running. Just exit CWM reboot phone and when booted follow setup instructions.
Let me know if you get stuck somewhere.

BCSC said:
Upon completion of this you should have CM10 4.3 running. Just exit CWM reboot phone and when booted follow setup instructions.
Let me know if you get stuck somewhere.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Alright cool. So through Mod Manager, there was not d2att, there was only S3(Metro PCS) which I thought was a bit odd. I found a way to flash an updated recovery via terminal emulator so that went well.
And your steps were very well written and concise. I'm now running CM without a problem.
Thanks for your help!

Czaran said:
Alright cool. So through Mod Manager, there was not d2att, there was only S3(Metro PCS) which I thought was a bit odd. I found a way to flash an updated recovery via terminal emulator so that went well.
And your steps were very well written and concise. I'm now running CM without a problem.
Thanks for your help!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cool terminal emulator was that other way to do it. Hope all is well for you with this. Welcome to flashing. As another tip, if you are going to flash a lot, there is an app called Titanium backup that is well worth the $5 it costs. It saves all your apps and data and after a clean wipe you can just reinstall all your apps in one step. For example after a wipe you will not lose your Angry Birds levels if you restore your titanium data. It's worth a look.

[Q] So I Dove Into Rooting

so i recently dove into rooting my s4 after first spending a lot of time reading this great board, thought i had a handle on it, thought things were going very well, but i've hit a snag, which came while attempting my first restore - i'm hopeful someone will give me a little help,
a little background:
1. before rooting i backed up my phone with titanium, also backed it up by copying all of its contents to my pc.
2. i followed the excellent "[SGH-M919] CF-Auto-Root" instructions and it worked without a hitch, it was a quick and easy process, no surprises.
3. confirmed that i was rooted using "root checker", all systems were go.
4. once the root was done i made another backup using titanium and sms backup. i also made a full system backup using online nandroid pro and, to be extra safe, i also backed up efs using efs backup tool.
5. i then moved some folders and files to my external card and once again backed up my phone as before, including to my pc.
6. feeling confident that i could now restore my system to its rooted stock state if things went south, i decided to flash my first rom with cwm, i went with cm11 m7 4.4.3 - i saved the cm11 and gapps zips to my external card using rom tool box pro, rebooted into cwm recovery, selected the two files, and flashed. i also did a data and cache wipe before doing so.
6. needless to say i was thrilled when cm11 loaded perfectly, it worked great, and it was just what i was hoping for.
7. having been bitten by the apparent ease of flashing roms, i decided to restore my system to it's pre cm11 state, to it's rooted stock rom state, and try another rom, rather than just flash another rom from cm11 - i wanted to make sure that returning to my rooted stock rom state would be a simple matter.
and that's where i've run into problems.
1. as i mentioned i made two system backups of my stock rom before flashing cm11, one right after i rooted my phone, and one after moving some folders and files to the external card.
2. after doing a wipe, i chose to restore the second backup, the one i made after moving files and folders, and it didn't quite work out - everything appeared to restore perfectly, but my device was immediately inundated with pop up warnings about stopped apps, i also got a persistent warning that the system had stopped responding as well, prompting me to choose between "wait" or "stop it". not only was the restored backup mired in popup screens, but it was impossibly slow, impossibly "laggy".
3. so i decided to restore the other stock backup, the one i made before i moved folders and files, and the results were the same, pop screens for apps not working, system warnings, severe lags, etc., identical to the first backup.
then i panicked.
1. i decided to flash my phone with the "[SGH-M919] CF-Auto-Root" file again, again with odin, hoping that it would put me where i started - i didn't stop to think that my phone was already rooted, that the file was was for unrooted phones.
2. not only did the reflash not work (my phone just booted as normal, as if the flash didn't get a chance to finish), but cwm recovery in boot mode was gone, replaced by what appears to be the andorid stock recovery screen, a screen with an animated dying/collapsing robot, - the screen was titled: "android system recovery <3e> and asked for an "update" from the external storage or cache.
3. not knowing what "update" it was looking for, i selected a backed system files (the first rooted stock rom backup i made, the second rooted stock backup i made, and even the cm11 file) - none worked.
4. i then downloaded a clean stock rom from cwm's website, converted it from zip to tar, and tried to flash it using odin with my device in upload mode, it didn't work either.
so how badly did i mess up my phone? any help would be greatly appreciated.

aeneas1 said:
so i recently dove into rooting my s4 after first spending a lot of time reading this great board, thought i had a handle on it, thought things were going very well, but i've hit a snag, which came while attempting my first restore - i'm hopeful someone will give me a little help,
a little background:
1. before rooting i backed up my phone with titanium, also backed it up by copying all of its contents to my pc.
2. i followed the excellent "[SGH-M919] CF-Auto-Root" instructions and it worked without a hitch, it was a quick and easy process, no surprises.
3. confirmed that i was rooted using "root checker", all systems were go.
4. once the root was done i made another backup using titanium and sms backup. i also made a full system backup using online nandroid pro and, to be extra safe, i also backed up efs using efs backup tool.
5. i then moved some folders and files to my external card and once again backed up my phone as before, including to my pc.
6. feeling confident that i could now restore my system to its rooted stock state if things went south, i decided to flash my first rom with cwm, i went with cm11 m7 4.4.3 - i saved the cm11 and gapps zips to my external card using rom tool box pro, rebooted into cwm recovery, selected the two files, and flashed. i also did a data and cache wipe before doing so.
6. needless to say i was thrilled when cm11 loaded perfectly, it worked great, and it was just what i was hoping for.
7. having been bitten by the apparent ease of flashing roms, i decided to restore my system to it's pre cm11 state, to it's rooted stock rom state, and try another rom, rather than just flash another rom from cm11 - i wanted to make sure that returning to my rooted stock rom state would be a simple matter.
and that's where i've run into problems.
1. as i mentioned i made two system backups of my stock rom before flashing cm11, one right after i rooted my phone, and one after moving some folders and files to the external card.
2. after doing a wipe, i chose to restore the second backup, the one i made after moving files and folders, and it didn't quite work out - everything appeared to restore perfectly, but my device was immediately inundated with pop up warnings about stopped apps, i also got a persistent warning that the system had stopped responding as well, prompting me to choose between "wait" or "stop it". not only was the restored backup mired in popup screens, but it was impossibly slow, impossibly "laggy".
3. so i decided to restore the other stock backup, the one i made before i moved folders and files, and the results were the same, pop screens for apps not working, system warnings, severe lags, etc., identical to the first backup.
then i panicked.
1. i decided to flash my phone with the "[SGH-M919] CF-Auto-Root" file again, again with odin, hoping that it would put me where i started - i didn't stop to think that my phone was already rooted, that the file was was for unrooted phones.
2. not only did the reflash not work (my phone just booted as normal, as if the flash didn't get a chance to finish), but cwm recovery in boot mode was gone, replaced by what appears to be the andorid stock recovery screen, a screen with an animated dying/collapsing robot, - the screen was titled: "android system recovery <3e> and asked for an "update" from the external storage or cache.
3. not knowing what "update" it was looking for, i selected a backed system files (the first rooted stock rom backup i made, the second rooted stock backup i made, and even the cm11 file) - none worked.
4. i then downloaded a clean stock rom from cwm's website, converted it from zip to tar, and tried to flash it using odin with my device in upload mode, it didn't work either.
so how badly did i mess up my phone? any help would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If it boots at all you didn't kill it.
Not sure what rom you got from the CWM site. They do recoveries, not roms. The ROM manager app does allow you to download roms, but you can't just convert those from zip to tar. That doesn't make them flashable in Odin.
Here's what you do. Get the stock ROM from either here on XDA (use the search feature to find it) or from Sammobile.com.
Flash that in Odin.
Then you can start over.
---OR---
If you want to try to fix what you've got now, download CWM or TWRP RECOVERY (nor ROM) and flash that in Odin. Boot to recovery, wipe data and system, and flash any other rom you want. That will start you over with a fresh rom of your choice.

Skipjacks said:
f it boots at all you didn't kill it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hallelujah!
Skipjacks said:
Not sure what rom you got from the CWM site. They do recoveries, not roms.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
my apologies, i meant that i downloaded recovery files from the cwm website, not a rom files - i got them from https://www.clockworkmod.com/rommanager - i downloaded both (touch & non-touch) s4 t-mobile versions (6.0.4.7). i'm assumed those were recovery files?
Skipjack" said:
The ROM manager app does allow you to download roms, but you can't just convert those from zip to tar. That doesn't make them flashable in Odin.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
again, my apologies - i meant that i downloaded *.img files, not zips, and converted them to tars for odin use. i used a batch file to convert them from img to tar, found at xda, here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2281287 - it seemed to do the job, odin ran and reported success. wrong files? wrong conversion?
Skipjack said:
Here's what you do. Get the stock ROM from either here on XDA (use the search feature to find it) or from Sammobile.com.
Flash that in Odin.
Then you can start over.
---OR---
If you want to try to fix what you've got now, download CWM or TWRP RECOVERY (nor ROM) and flash that in Odin. Boot to recovery, wipe data and system, and flash any other rom you want. That will start you over with a fresh rom of your choice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
given a choice, i'd like to do what's bolded in red - but that's what i thought i was doing by flashing the cwm file i downloaded from the cwm website - but after the flash attempt it wouldn't boot into cwm, it would just boot into (i'm assuming") the stock rom i restored, which was a mess. i also unchecked auto-boot to see if that helped - but when i manually booted it didn't boot into cwm, it booted into the stock recovery, with the animated android.
i'll try downloading cwm from the sources you provided, and see if that does the trick. btw, why do you think i was able to flash the cm11 rom with (seemingly) perfect success, but wasn't able to restore either one of the full system (android) backups i made after i rooted my phone?
anyway Skipjack, thanks a ton for your assistance and i'll report back after i give your sources a try. fwiw, it sure is a great charge when a newbie like me sees a custom rom load for the first time, displaying a new ui as it boots, fun stuff.

Just download the ready yo flash tar files. Cwm has them. Twrp has them.

success Skipjack thanks to your generous time and assistance!
i ended up downloading the latest odin zip i could find and philz_touch_6.08.9-jfltetmo.tar.md5... my first try didn't take, with auto-reboot checked, my phone simply rebooted into the same problematic rom i had restored. i then tried it with auto-boot unchecked and manually booted when odin reported pass/success, and it worked. what struck me as odd was how long it took to flash, to report pass/success, around 3-5 minutes if i had to guess, a big difference compared to when i first used odin to root my phone with the["SGH-M919] CF-Auto-Root *.tar.md5 file - i'm guessing that's why it didn't work with auto-boot checked, just took too long?
anyway once i booted into philz_touch recovery i executed the wipe data/factory reset > clean to install a new rom command and then flashed the cm11 m7 (snapshot) rom, which i had flashed once before, right before i attempted to restore the stock rom it had replaced. and as was the case the first time around, it installed without a hitch and is running smooth and fast.
however now when i boot the phone, as soon as the cyanogen logo appears, very tiny text appears in the upper left hand corner which reads (i had to use a magnifying glass!) - it doesn't seem to effect the performance of he device but i'd like to get to the bottom of it, i've already searched and it appears to be a rather common issue.
kernel is not seandroid enforcing
set warranty bit: kernel
btw, i forgot to mention, when i purchased my sgh-m99 it already had 4.3 installed - when i flashed my first rom (cm11 m7) it included kitkat 4.4.2... could this be what caused my problems? did trying to go back to (restore) a 4.3 rom after flashing a 4.4.2 rom screw things up? can this even be done successfully?
and finally, at the risk of bugging the heck out of you, what roms do you prefer for your s4, assuming you have an s4? do you like aosp roms or touchwiz? does one type have a better reputation of being more stable? the primary reason i wanted to rot my phone was to get rid of a bunch of t-mobile / samsung bloatware, which i thought i could do by installing a lean custom rom. any suggestions, which are your favorites? thanks again Skipkack.

ouhned after
re the two lines of text i now get in the upper left hand corner of the screen whenever i boot, the kernel message:
kernel is not seandroid enforcing
set warranty bit: kernel
well after a lot of searching and reading, including coming across dozens of "fixes" and "solutions" that didn't seem to work for many folks, these two responses seemed to make some sense, what do you think?
eclpsues said:
I'm not an expert in Android OS but I think this is not an error. It is more of a notification that the STOCK KERNEL has been change to a CUSTOM one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Joku1981 said:
You are right.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2594483

aeneas1 said:
re the two lines of text i now get in the upper left hand corner of the screen whenever i boot, the kernel message:
kernel is not seandroid enforcing
set warranty bit: kernel
well after a lot of searching and reading, including coming across dozens of "fixes" and "solutions" that didn't seem to work for many folks, these two responses seemed to make some sense, what do you think?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2594483
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The tiny text on the boot screen is basically telling you that Knox has been tripped. You are right. It does not affect the performance of the phone.

Skipjacks said:
The tiny text on the boot screen is basically telling you that Knox has been tripped. You are right. It does not affect the performance of the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks skipjack... btw i'm really liking the cm11 m7 rom but, via the learning curve process, i've discovered it does not support wifi calling, something that apparently all aosp rom lack, guess i'll have to go with a touchwiz rom even tho the selection seems to be few and far between. also, is it possible to revert back to 4.3 once 4.4.2 has been flashed? seems like there's a lot of mixed opinions on this, altho in terms of those opinions it's hard for me tell who the pros are that should believed, and who the other guys are that really don't know. thanks again.

aeneas1 said:
thanks skipjack... btw i'm really liking the cm11 m7 rom but, via the learning curve process, i've discovered it does not support wifi calling, something that apparently all aosp rom lack, guess i'll have to go with a touchwiz rom even tho the selection seems to be few and far between. also, is it possible to revert back to 4.3 once 4.4.2 has been flashed? seems like there's a lot of mixed opinions on this, altho in terms of those opinions it's hard for me tell who the pros are that should believed, and who the other guys are that really don't know. thanks again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Once you are rooted you can flash any custom ROM 4.3, 4.4, 4.2, etc. and then go back to stock 4.3. And only TW ROMs allow wifi calling
Sent from my SGH-M919 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

Kriptik210 said:
Once you are rooted you can flash any custom ROM 4.3, 4.4, 4.2, etc. and then go back to stock 4.3. And only TW ROMs allow wifi calling.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
very interesting... i guess i misunderstood the posts i read on the subject, maybe they were discussing whether or not you could revert to 4.3 from 4.4.2 on non-rooted phones, which i'm guessing isn't possible. anyway, as i mentioned previously, i fist rooted my 4.3 phone, did a full system backup (using online nandroid), flashed a 4.4.2 rom which worked perfectly, then tried to restore my 4.3 backup only to encounter a bunch of problems, thought going from 4.4.2 back to 4.3 may have caused the problems but i guess not?
so if i'm using a 4.4.2 custom rom and want to restore a 4.3 backup i should be able to boot into recovery and restore from there? or would i need to do a 4.3 flash first, before restoring a 4.3 backup?

aeneas1 said:
very interesting... i guess i misunderstood the posts i read on the subject, maybe they were discussing whether or not you could revert to 4.3 from 4.4.2 on non-rooted phones, which i'm guessing isn't possible. anyway, as i mentioned previously, i fist rooted my 4.3 phone, did a full system backup (using online nandroid), flashed a 4.4.2 rom which worked perfectly, then tried to restore my 4.3 backup only to encounter a bunch of problems, thought going from 4.4.2 back to 4.3 may have caused the problems but i guess not?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you wipe before you restored? And do not misunderstand this, you cannot downgrade firmwares once you go 4.3 and up, but you can downgrade the system, which is what you did with your backup

serio22 said:
Did you wipe before you restored? And do not misunderstand this, you cannot downgrade firmwares once you go 4.3 and up, but you can downgrade the system, which is what you did with your backup
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks very much for the clarification, i was under the impression that firmware and system were somewhat synonymous in this context, i.e. if you upgraded firmware you were in effect upgrading the system, but i see that's not the case, again thanks. and yes i did do a full wipe before trying to restore the backup, was i not supposed to?

aeneas1 said:
thanks very much for the clarification, i was under the impression that firmware and system were somewhat synonymous in this context, i.e. if you upgraded firmware you were in effect upgrading the system, but i see that's not the case, again thanks. and yes i did do a full wipe before trying to restore the backup, was i not supposed to?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Updating firmware does update the system. Based on your previous comment the only thing you did was update the system by flashing a ROM which only contains the system, data, and kernel, so you can still flash the 4.3 firmware. Firmware consists of bootloader, recovery, modem, and system, what you cannot downgrade is the bootloader, the flash will fail every time because it will try to downgrade it. And you should not experience any issues restoring your back up. What were this problems?

btw serio22, do you have a favorite tw rom?

Yea serio22, what is your favorite TW ROM?
Sent from my SGH-M919 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

serio22 said:
Based on your previous comment the only thing you did was update the system by flashing a ROM which only contains the system, data, and kernel, so you can still flash the 4.3 firmware.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
but the cm11 rom zip i flashed included 4.4.2, before flashing i was using 4.3 - so didn't i update (or change) both the system and firmware?
btw, fwiw, - now that i'm up and running thanks to skipjacks help, i decided to try restoring my 4.3 backup again. when i tried this in the past it would restore to the same state as it was before but it was virtually unusable because of severe lags and multiple app not working popups that made navigating almost impossible. well now when i try to restore it fails and i get the following message:
checking md summs...
md5 mismatch
serio22 said:
Based on your previous comment the only thing you did was update the system by flashing a ROM which only contains the system, data, and kernel, so you can still flash the 4.3 firmware.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
but the cm11 rom zip i flashed included 4.4.2, before flashing i was using 4.3 - so didn't i update (or change) both the system and firmware?
btw, fwiw, - now that i'm up and running thanks to skipjacks help, i decided to try restoring my 4.3 backup again. as i mentioned, when i tried this in the past it would restore to the same state as it was before but it was virtually unusable because of severe lags and multiple "app not working" popups that made navigating almost impossible. but now when i try to restore the 4.3 backup it fails and i get the following message:
checking md summs...
md5 mismatch
update:
well it looks like the *.md5 file was pointing to my internal drive rather than external which is where i had moved the 4.3 backup (and apparently the *.md5 file didn't update or account for the move), anyway i copied the backup to my internal drive and, viola, no more md5 mismatch errors. more importantly, it restored the 4.3 backup perfectly, in the exact same state as before, without all of lagging and pop up issues i was having before, so i'm one happy camper! not sure what i did the first time around, but all is good now, for he time being, sure wish i knew what i mucked up to cause the problems in the first place, i really have no idea, other than being a newbie at this. also, fwiw, the tiny text in the upper left hand corner that appears during boot (kernal message) no longer appears now that i have restored the 4.3 system backup... fwiw2, i'm liking the philz_touch_recovery but it sure has taken some getting used to, the commands are so close together and the thing is so sensitive, very easy to accidentally select the wrong option, and some of the wrong options aren't too friendly if it wasn't what you had intended to select.

aeneas1 said:
but the cm11 rom zip i flashed included 4.4.2, before flashing i was using 4.3 - so didn't i update (or change) both the system and firmware?
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Read my previous post more closely below. Good to see you up and running though! And no I don't have a favorite tw Rom
serio22 said:
Updating firmware does update the system. Based on your previous comment the only thing you did was update the system by flashing a ROM which only contains the system, data, and kernel, so you can still flash the 4.3 firmware. Firmware consists of bootloader, recovery, modem, and system, what you cannot downgrade is the bootloader, the flash will fail every time because it will try to downgrade it.
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[Q] Challenging Rom/Stock Rom Problem

I recently decided to try out CM11 on my SGN2-L900 (Sprint) and it wasnt everything I expected it to be. I couldn't install the gapps,zip file that i dl'd from downloadandroidrom.com, i tried a venum ice.zip file, and the sph-l900 stock recovery.zip file from downloadandroidrom.com and none of these files are taking effect. I seem to be stuck on the the CM11 with very basic options. I also backed up all of my data on Titanium Backp because I was rooted prior to the Rom change. I can still see I ahve my files when I hook my phone up to my laptop but have not been able to bring them back to my note.
please assist if familiar.
I'd like to get back to my previous phone state, forget about these roms altogether, and recover all of my files.

First, you may want to make sure you used the right rom version. I'm not sure what the SGN2-L900 is, but that's too different to be a typo for the SPH-L900, which is what this forum is on. I tried a quick search, and no phone variant came up. In addition, trying to flash a rom from a different phone variant can be very bad, and can brick a phone. Luckily, since you can still boot the phone and get into recovery, not all lost.
Plus, when you're downloading a custom rom, such as Cyogenmod, you should take note of the GAPPS file to be used. CM11 uses a different GAPPS files than previous versions such as CM10. Plus, usually you want to flash GAPPS after the CM rom. If you forget to flash it, you can do it later; it's just inconvenient
Titanium Backup is purely an app backup. It's not a ROM backup; this is what a nandriod is used for and one of the tools in the custom recovery. Plus, it is not recommend to use TB to restore apps when switching roms. It should be fine if just updating a rom, such a CM nightly.
If you're having no luck, I would suggest finding a stock tar file, and odin the firmware. This will remove root. But if you've had your phone over year, it'll already be out of warranty. Thus, when you go to re-root, it won't make a difference if you trip Knox warranty void. Just make sure you use the correct ROM for you phone. The odin the can be slightly challenging to find, but a doing a google search should be sufficient. I find version 1.85 or 3.07 work well.