Develop Bugs

[Q] Just got a used SGH-T999L. Many questions. How to proceed?

Hello guys
So a friend of mine gave my his phone.
This is the information I get from it:
Model Number: SGH-T999L
Android Version: 4.3
Baseband version: T999LUVUBMK4
Kernel version:
3.0.31-2106417
[email protected] #1
Build Number: JSS15J.T999LUVUBMK4
SE for Android status:
Enforcing
SEPF_SGH-T999L_4.3_0010
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've been reading tons of threads and I'm almost ready to root the device but I'd rather ask before doing anything.
1. Can I root this phone as it is? Can anyone point me to the correct thread for this particular setup?
2. I've been reading about KNOX and the "warranty bit" but I'm not in the US so if this "warranty" is just with T-Mobile, then I ready don't care if it's tripped or not. Unless tripping this bit means something else...like, will it prevent me from future rooting, flashing, etc?. Phone is unlocked by the way.
3. I'm pretty sure this 4.3 version was done OTA. I can see an icon that says KNOX (when I click it, it says something like: "click here to install").
4. I'm guessing that there is no way to go to a previous android version, correct?
5. Can I flash the device with a stock 4.3 without KNOX now that I already have 4.3 OTA with KNOX? (presumably since I do not know how to check for it)
6. So what are my options? For me stock rom + root is fine. So again, if someone can tell me the correct thread for my phone, I'd appreciate it.
7. If flashing to docholiday's rom is possible, then I presume I need TWRP or CWD. I'm familiar with TWRP since that is what I have on my Kindle. Do they basically do the same thing? Any advantage of one over the other? Which version? I see so many on Docholiday77's repo Is this the correct one for the T-Mobile T999L: TWRP_d2tmo_2.6.3.1.zip?
8. At this point, any custom recovery I use (TWRP or CWD) will trip the warranty bit. correct? What if I use GooManager?
Is this pretty much what I have to do?
http://www.androidayos.com/2013/12/17/root-tmo-galaxy-s3-t999l-uvubmk4-4-3-update-knox-free/
Sorry for so many questions, but as you can imagine... you can only brick your device once!
Many thanks!
PD: If you guys need for information, please tell me how to get it and I will post back.
EDIT: Ok, more info
ODIN MODE
Custom binary download: no
Current binary: samsung official
Qualcomm secureboot: enabled
Warranty bit: 0
Bootloader RP SWREV: 1

Cool. I soft bricked my phone when ODIN gave me some sort of error.
Trying to fix with Kies.
Back to square one.

Ok, nobody is helping so I guess I will tell you guys my findings.. maybe it helps someone else.
I tried using ODIN with Windows XP on a Vmware guest image on my MAC.
Something obviously went wrong with the usb communication between guest and host computers.
I tried flashing now with ODIN on a "real" Windows XP computer and it's working (half way through flash).

[Q] Need wifi help AT&T S3

Ok, so I've had wifi issues for awhile with this thing, but apparently the 4.3 update sent it over the edge. (I just updated it last week, since I was out of the country when the update issued).
The issue is, I cannot connect to any wifi, other than my home. Before the update, I could connect to non-home wifi only through various router setting changes, that required admin access to the router. After the update, no matter what I've tried with regards to routers, my home router is the only one I can connect to, and the signal strength is pretty bad on my phone, while it shows very strongly for any other device.
I've tried all the suggestions in just about every thread I could find. I've done several factory resets, I've tried the *#0011# thing. I've tried using static IP addresses. But the phone will do one of two things. After I click connect, after selecting a network, it will say Saved. Or it will try to connect and then go back to Saved, or eventually give the Authentication error.
I'm not 100% familiar with how android is setup, but is there a specific file that I could try to install that might affect this? (Like a driver)
Would replacing the antenna be helpful, or maybe the chip on the mb? Or are those options too extreme?
Any ideas are appreciated.

Nobody has any ideas for me?
Please, I'll try anything.

Still looking for help. Thanks!

Did you try re flashing the firmware? Might be a bug in the software. You'll lose all your data but its worth a shot. I've seen a similar issue like this before on the S III and that took care of the problem.

Brian9391 said:
Did you try re flashing the firmware? Might be a bug in the software. You'll lose all your data but its worth a shot. I've seen a similar issue like this before on the S III and that took care of the problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do I use odin to reflash....it's basically like installing a rom, right?

NwFl Griz said:
Do I use odin to reflash....it's basically like installing a rom, right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, you will use Odin to complete this process.
Few things you should consider though, by doing this it will completely reset your phone to a point as if you just un-boxed it (or a factory reset). I am uncertain about the fact that it may hinder you the ability to receive further OTA updates. Like i said I don't know exactly on that one but that will most likely be stated in a thread that you receive the firmware from. Also, this may be a good opportunity for you to root your phone if it was not previously. Doing this could be as simple as downloading one file vs. another to use in Odin. The choice is yours as there are threads regarding both Stock Rooted and Stock non rooted firmwares. Another thing, consider which version you want. Im guessing 4.3? I was once told going down a version on android (i.e. 4.4 to 4.2) could brick a device... also unclear on that. try doing some research if you wish.

If you have the AT&T 4.3 bootloader on your phone, do not use Odin to try and flash any stock ROMs as this may brick your phone. The 4.3 bootloader cannot be downgraded and attempts to do so with probably brick your phone.
Boot into download mode and tell us what it says on the download screen.

audit13 said:
If you have the AT&T 4.3 bootloader on your phone, do not use Odin to try and flash any stock ROMs as this may brick your phone. The 4.3 bootloader cannot be downgraded and attempts to do so with probably brick your phone.
Boot into download mode and tell us what it says on the download screen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have rooted this device, so when i boot into download mode, I get the android guy with the words "downloading do not turn off target" underneath him. In the top right it says:
Odin mode
product name: SGH-i747
custom binary download: Yes (2 counts)
current binary: custom
system status: custom
qualcomm secureboot: enable
warranty bit: 1
bootloader rp swrev:2

audit13 said:
If you have the AT&T 4.3 bootloader on your phone, do not use Odin to try and flash any stock ROMs as this may brick your phone. The 4.3 bootloader cannot be downgraded and attempts to do so with probably brick your phone.
Boot into download mode and tell us what it says on the download screen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I replied above...still waiting to ensure I don't brick this thing.

Galaxy Note 8 , SGH-i467 (ATT)solution for 4.4.2 recovery?

Hello,
So I have the 4.4.2 Galaxy Note sgh-i467, it is stuck in the recovery mode,
I've been trying for some time already to contact Samsung to have some help with the device no luck, they ask me to go to USA or ship it to them for the fix. I have tried a few methods I found here on the forums but no luck with them also, maybe I missed something, basically my question is : was someone able to recover from 4.4.2 to a working tablet ?

tigan.ion said:
Hello,
So I have the 4.4.2 Galaxy Note sgh-i467, it is stuck in the recovery mode,..., basically my question is : was someone able to recover from 4.4.2 to a working tablet ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had the same problem and tried Kies and Odin as nothing else seemed apparent. Kies 2.6 would download the 4.4.2 update and show almost finished on the green bar indicator in download mode then Kies would freeze up on my Windows 7 computer and I'd have to end task on it and restart the tablet. There doesn't seem to be a KitKat ROM on sammobile or anywhere else I could find. I did find a thread in the development forum that I've since lost where a senior XDA developer had indicated he'd put in a request with Samsung's executive level of support to get a copy of the 4.4.2 ROM. I tried using Odin to flash the JellyBean image from sammobile, but that's what had caused my table to get stuck in recovery mode in the first place, so it didn't work. I've flashed plenty of ROMs on my GS4, so I'm no stranger to Odin but you seemingly can't go back to JB from KK thanks to the locked bootloader that comes along with it.
I was lucky in that I'm in the U.S. and could bring the Note 8 to my local Best Buy's Samsung Experience kiosk. After my fourth visit to the third Best Buy, I finally found a guy who reloaded the Note 8.0 with the 4.4.2 ROM. It's back up and running now with the stock 4.4.2 ROM.

Charcaroth I wish I could hit that thanks button a hundred times. The Samsung Experience Center @ Best Buy fixed my Note 8.0 that was hopeless just as you said.
Thanks for going above & beyond with your help via private message!

Unable to update S3 past 4.1.1

Hi. A few months ago I received a phone for my daughter from my mom. I reset the phone back to factory settings and it's working fine. I had to reset it back to factory again after locking myself out recently but other than that there hasn't been any issues until now. I picked up an activity tracker for my daughter recently and it wasn't connecting to the phone like it should even though it was listed as a compatible device.
Turns out the phone is at Android 4.1.1 and when I try to update it OTA it says there are no updates to download. So I tried updating through Kies and it isn't connecting the phone. At this time I started to do some more research.
The knox counter is at 2 and the device status is modified, which I have never rooted the phone and my mother can't even set up her wifi printer and most certainly can't root a phone. I installed triangle away but the phone needs to be rooted in order to do it's magic.
Do I need to root the phone in order to get the knox counter back to 0? Will this put the phone back where I can get android updates for it? I don't know where to start.

Boot into download mode. Do you see anything about warranty bit? If you do, the updates are working because it sounds like the phone has a stock 4.1.1 rom on a 4.3 or newer bootloader.

sarie15 said:
Hi. A few months ago I received a phone for my daughter from my mom. I reset the phone back to factory settings and it's working fine. I had to reset it back to factory again after locking myself out recently but other than that there hasn't been any issues until now. I picked up an activity tracker for my daughter recently and it wasn't connecting to the phone like it should even though it was listed as a compatible device.
Turns out the phone is at Android 4.1.1 and when I try to update it OTA it says there are no updates to download. So I tried updating through Kies and it isn't connecting the phone. At this time I started to do some more research.
The knox counter is at 2 and the device status is modified, which I have never rooted the phone and my mother can't even set up her wifi printer and most certainly can't root a phone. I installed triangle away but the phone needs to be rooted in order to do it's magic.
Do I need to root the phone in order to get the knox counter back to 0? Will this put the phone back where I can get android updates for it? I don't know where to start.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you would to reset the knox counter to 0x0... yes, you have firstly to root your phone, then install triangle away.

delete

Knox cannot be reset to 0x0 once it has been changed to 0x1.
Since the word "modified" appears in download mode, this leads me to conclude that the phone may be rooted and cannot receive ota updates.
It is strange that the phone is running 4.1.1 with Knox as Knox was not introduced until 4.3.
Before flashing anything, you need to confirm the phone's current bootloader and modem.

audit13 said:
Knox cannot be reset to 0x0 once it has been changed to 0x1.
Since the word "modified" appears in download mode, this leads me to conclude that the phone may be rooted and cannot receive ota updates.
It is strange that the phone is running 4.1.1 with Knox as Knox was not introduced until 4.3.
Before flashing anything, you need to confirm the phone's current bootloader and modem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How do I confirm the bootloader and modem? I literally am learning all the language and how all of this works as I go. All I know is I have a phone that is running 4.1.1 and won't update and when I went to the download odis (I think that's what it is called) said it was tripped 2 times where I was supposed to read the knox number.
I ran to the mobile store it's connected to and they said the T Mobile Galaxy S3 phone that I-Wireless puts out was never given an update past 4.1.1 Not sure how true that is. If that's the case, I probably need to root the phone anyway to force an update (Is that what I would need to do to get it at least to 4.3?

there is an app in the playstore called samsung info. download it and it should tell you bootloader and modem.
pretty sure it is true that 4.1.1 was the last.
heres the link to the xda thread , which of course will lead you to the playstore ; but will tell more detail about the app :
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2609045
[tp_noparse]W2NlbnRlcl1baW1nXWH0dHBzOi8vZGwuZHJvcGJveHVzZXJjb25OZW50LmNvbS91LzlzNjl3OTl3L0ltYWdlcy9TaWduYXR1cmVzL3ZhcmlvdXMvcmRiLmdpZlsvaW1nXVsvY2VudGVyXQ==[/tp_noparse]

Bootlegger version: T999UVDLJA
Modem Board: MSM8260A
Some other info that might help
Root Existence: No
Latest Firmware: Not Found
Knox Warranty Void: Warranty bit not found

Try flashing the stock lja firmware from here: http://www.sammobile.com/firmwares/database/SGH-T999/

way way off topic. @audit13 , is your avatar your cat & is its name audit13.
[tp_noparse]W2NlbnRlcl1baW1nXWH0dHBzOi8vZGwuZHJvcGJveHVzZXJjb25OZW50LmNvbS91LzlzNjl3OTl3L0ltYWdlcy9TaWduYXR1cmVzL3ZhcmlvdXMvcmRiLmdpZlsvaW1nXVsvY2VudGVyXQ==[/tp_noparse]

Avatar is a cat named Arthur.

I've never flashed something. Sorry if I ask a hundred questions as I go through this.
So you want me to flash the 4.1.1 that's already on the phone? Is that correct? Can I ask why? (I'm just wanting to know the meaning behind the action so understand what your thought process is so I can understand for next time.)
Just follow the directions underneath?

Is this what we're doing?
[GUIDE] How-To Completely Unroot Your Galaxy SIII |Zero Flash Counter|"Normal" Status http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2136921

if i'm guessing right about what @audit13 & @ arthur (lol) are asking you to do is flash that firmware since the samsung info app said "firmware not found".
you might be confusing firmware version with android version. you say your on 4.1.1 which is the android version.
also if i'm not mistaken that firmware will match your bootloader which is a good thing.
[tp_noparse]W2NlbnRlcl1baW1nXWH0dHBzOi8vZGwuZHJvcGJveHVzZXJjb25OZW50LmNvbS91LzlzNjl3OTl3L0ltYWdlcy9TaWduYXR1cmVzL3ZhcmlvdXMvcmRiLmdpZlsvaW1nXVsvY2VudGVyXQ==[/tp_noparse]

Ah! That makes sense. In the process of it now. We'll see what happens and if I'm successful with it.

Success. It has auto updated to Android 4.3 after this. Thanks for your help.

good to hear.
that @ arthur (a.k.a. @audit13) knows his androids/tech/uhh...stuff.:good:
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s4 mini gt-i9195 troubles

Hi their.
was wondering if anybody could help me or know somebody who mite be able to help me in some way or another.
I tried rooting my phone which is a galaxy s4 mini using this site with these instructions http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=2364980. and it worked. but with problems connecting to my exsiting google account was saying couldn't establish a connection. so I repeated process this time I did step 10. bad choice as I didn't read it properly...... as for me I have the kitkat version and now at first it had a black screen....
my question really is could you or do you know anybody who has the original/stock s4mini firmware/software/rom. this is where im clueless. I have red people say im going to need to downgrade back to original to put it back on. ive looked everywhere online but to no avail.
ive been on to sammobile and downloaded every stock firmware their is for s4 mini gt-i9195. but none are working with my odid, they keep coming up failed.
phone tells me to connect to kies but when I type s/n it tells me my phone dosn not initialise. ?? ive got this on download screen...
odin mode
product name: gt-i9195
current binary: custom
system status: custom
knox kernel lock: 0x0
knox warranty void: 0x1
csb-config-lsb: 0x30
bootloader ap swrev: 2
write protection: enable
sw rev check fail: fused 2 > binary 1
many thanks

d'hurdinator said:
Hi their.
was wondering if anybody could help me or know somebody who mite be able to help me in some way or another.
I tried rooting my phone which is a galaxy s4 mini using this site with these instructions http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=2364980. and it worked. but with problems connecting to my exsiting google account was saying couldn't establish a connection. so I repeated process this time I did step 10. bad choice as I didn't read it properly...... as for me I have the kitkat version and now at first it had a black screen....
my question really is could you or do you know anybody who has the original/stock s4mini firmware/software/rom. this is where im clueless. I have red people say im going to need to downgrade back to original to put it back on. ive looked everywhere online but to no avail.
ive been on to sammobile and downloaded every stock firmware their is for s4 mini gt-i9195. but none are working with my odid, they keep coming up failed.
phone tells me to connect to kies but when I type s/n it tells me my phone dosn not initialise. ?? ive got this on download screen...
odin mode
product name: gt-i9195
current binary: custom
system status: custom
knox kernel lock: 0x0
knox warranty void: 0x1
csb-config-lsb: 0x30
bootloader ap swrev: 2
write protection: enable
sw rev check fail: fused 2 > binary 1
many thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Greetings,
Thank you for using XDA Assist. I have moved your question to your device's Q&A forum. You'll receive expert advice here. Good luck!