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Hello All,
I am a beginner to all this stuff. I wanted to root my phone after seeing OnePlus One running on CyanogenMod. So, first I tried to directly install the Mod using the softwares downloaded from Cyanogen's website. But the software gave the error "Unsupported Firmware". Then I researched a bit on manually installing the mod. I followed the instructions.
- First I rooted my phone with Odin 3.09v
- Installed ROM Manger on my phone (Meanwhile the SuperSU app kept on crashing)
- Somehow I managed to install ClockworkMod (What I did was downloaded SuperSU apk, installed it again. It started working and then, not losing the chance I installed ClockworkMod).
- Then I tried to install CyanogenMod through ROM Manager
- My phone re-booted and then gave a error "Can't install package on incompatible data".
- I'm having the latest snapshot version on CyanogenMod.
- Then I left the things as it is. No rooting, unrooting, etc.
- So, now I tried to take backup of my current ROM, in case something happens at least I'll be having something with me to recover
- I used ROM Manager to take backup. But it gave the error "Can't create the image"
So, now I'm stuck between middle of nowhere. Please help me out to reach to some point.
svikramajit said:
Hello All,
I am a beginner to all this stuff. I wanted to root my phone after seeing OnePlus One running on CyanogenMod. So, first I tried to directly install the Mod using the softwares downloaded from Cyanogen's website. But the software gave the error "Unsupported Firmware". Then I researched a bit on manually installing the mod. I followed the instructions.
- First I rooted my phone with Odin 3.09v
- Installed ROM Manger on my phone (Meanwhile the SuperSU app kept on crashing)
- Somehow I managed to install ClockworkMod (What I did was downloaded SuperSU apk, installed it again. It started working and then, not losing the chance I installed ClockworkMod).
- Then I tried to install CyanogenMod through ROM Manager
- My phone re-booted and then gave a error "Can't install package on incompatible data".
- I'm having the latest snapshot version on CyanogenMod.
- Then I left the things as it is. No rooting, unrooting, etc.
- So, now I tried to take backup of my current ROM, in case something happens at least I'll be having something with me to recover
- I used ROM Manager to take backup. But it gave the error "Can't create the image"
So, now I'm stuck between middle of nowhere. Please help me out to reach to some point.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, first I think your SuperSu is not working properly. Open the Supersu app to see if it needs to update binaries. If it continues to crash, go into recovery manually (not using rom manager) and flash the latest SuperSu. Wipe Cache, go to advanced and Wipe Dalvik. Reboot. Your phone will say "android is upgrading" for a bit. Once it's booted up, go back into the supersu app and see if it needs to update binaries, if so- let it update, if not- move on. Here's a link to download SuperSu 2.02
Go back into recovery manually and select backup and restore-> backup to sdcard (or sdcard1, external sd, is my preference) This will start the backup process.
Once that is done, you need to find the CyanogenMod file specific to your phone, then you can enter recovery and flash it.
If you have trouble entering recovery, you can flash a new one via recovery or with odin.
Hello absinthesummer,
I followed every instruction you told. Now I'm done till creating backup. The problem now I'm facing is this 'Status 7' error. It says "Can't install package on incompatible data.....". Now what to do?
Status 7 is a very specific error. It means your recovery is out of date. Get the absolute newest you can find and try again. This is good news though, you've got progress!
---------- Post added at 11:48 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:46 AM ----------
Edit: flash the latest recovery you can find via Odin. You probably won't be able to do it in recovery while you're getting the status 7 error.
absinthesummer said:
Status 7 is a very specific error. It means your recovery is out of date. Get the absolute newest you can find and try again. This is good news though, you've got progress!
---------- Post added at 11:48 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:46 AM ----------
Edit: flash the latest recovery you can find via Odin. You probably won't be able to do it in recovery while you're getting the status 7 error.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, I've got the latest recovery. But I figured out the problem. It was with the package I downloaded. The CM 11 M9 version was giving errors. I researched and tried few fixes, but still it didn't work.
The fixes I tried :-
1. Deleting some coding lines from the updater-script file. But this fix gave the status 6 error.
2. Changing the updater-script file format to UNIX format. Then again it gave the status 7 error.
So, what I did, when I had no more brain to fix it, I downloaded the CM 11 M6 version and tried installing it. And VOILA! It worked. Then I updated it to M9 version through phone. Now it's working. Though it has some bugs. And some features are missing too that I wanted badly.
svikramajit said:
No, I've got the latest recovery. But I figured out the problem. It was with the package I downloaded. The CM 11 M9 version was giving errors. I researched and tried few fixes, but still it didn't work.
The fixes I tried :-
1. Deleting some coding lines from the updater-script file. But this fix gave the status 6 error.
2. Changing the updater-script file format to UNIX format. Then again it gave the status 7 error.
So, what I did, when I had no more brain to fix it, I downloaded the CM 11 M6 version and tried installing it. And VOILA! It worked. Then I updated it to M9 version through phone. Now it's working. Though it has some bugs. And some features are missing too that I wanted badly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awesome! I'm glad you got it working. You can also try comparing the two files to see what's different, or maybe swap the updater script. Maybe you'll be able to get the one you wanted working with a little modification
absinthesummer said:
Awesome! I'm glad you got it working. You can also try comparing the two files to see what's different, or maybe swap the updater script. Maybe you'll be able to get the one you wanted working with a little modification
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks to you. You too helped me in working it out!
But, I have some more questions
Question 1 : If I flash stock ROM on my rooted phone, will I receive the new updates? If yes, will I be able to install them via Kies on my phone without getting into any trouble?
Question 2 : If I install stock ROM of any other phone, say Galaxy S5, will it work on my phone properly without any problems? If yes, will I receive the updates for that too and able to install them via Kies? If no, is there any way to install it? Cause I have seen people using S5 ROM on Note 2.
First question the answer is yes. As long as you have the stock recovery and stock kernel (along with the stock rom) you will receive ota updates. You can use ota root keeper (an app) to keep root during an ota update. There are many people who choose to stay fully stock but root to get rid of bloatware & stuff. However, if you want to get ota, I recommend freezing the bloatware instead of uninstalling, because an ota usually replaces old bloatware with new bloatware and can sometimes abort the ota if those apps are missing... but keep on mind this is not always the case, only certain devices.
Second question, no you cannot. Roms from other devices have to be ported to be compatible. But if you look in the development forums, you can find many roms that are basically stock but have specific features from other roms, along with the system ui (ie S5, note 3, & so forth). These rom devs have ported either parts/features or full on roms to be compatible on our device. They are excellent! I recommend reading up them and if you see some you like, try them out!
absinthesummer said:
First question the answer is yes. As long as you have the stock recovery and stock kernel (along with the stock rom) you will receive ota updates. You can use ota root keeper (an app) to keep root during an ota update. There are many people who choose to stay fully stock but root to get rid of bloatware & stuff. However, if you want to get ota, I recommend freezing the bloatware instead of uninstalling, because an ota usually replaces old bloatware with new bloatware and can sometimes abort the ota if those apps are missing... but keep on mind this is not always the case, only certain devices.
Second question, no you cannot. Roms from other devices have to be ported to be compatible. But if you look in the development forums, you can find many roms that are basically stock but have specific features from other roms, along with the system ui (ie S5, note 3, & so forth). These rom devs have ported either parts/features or full on roms to be compatible on our device. They are excellent! I recommend reading up them and if you see some you like, try them out!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
- Stock Recovery
- Stock Kernel
- OTA Root Keeper
- Bloatware
Well, to be honest, just right now I learned these new terms but know nothing about them. Can you please give me a brief description for these four terms so that when I do advanced search on them, I'd have a idea in my mind about what these are. It will make it easy for me to understand the advance things.
And I'm looking for S5 ROM for my phone. Let's see what I get.
One more question. I made a backup of my rooted stock ROM via latest ClockwordMod, manually. Now, if I reset the binary counter using Triangle Away and then wipe Cache and Dalvik and then flash my stock ROM which is located on my memory card and then after flashing I use SuperSU to unroot and then a factory reset (I don't know the method of factory reseting cause I'm confused. Whether to do it manually, like going into recovery mode or just from the phone settings. So please tell me this also.), will my phone be unrooted totally?
And sorry for bugging you so much. I hate to do that, but I don't want to take risk with my phone. So I am just collecting information. I hope so many queries are not a problem for you.
Ok...
You already know what a rom is. A kernel is a lower-level base. It controls the hardware. So when you do something on the interface, in the rom, it tells the hardware how to react. (Ie if you're playing music it tells which speakers to play and how loudly). The kernel controls almost everything you can't see, it relates to performance. Most stock kernels can be limiting as they underclock the cpu by a certain percentage. Because of this, people seek out custom kernels to max out their device's potential. Louder speakers, faster cpu, better graphics, etc. This is all stuff the kernel can optimize... but because you can change so many factors there is a risk of instability if you push your device too hard (max performance) or limit it too much (max battery saving).
Recovery is exactly what it sounds like. When you boot your device the very first screen that pops up is the bootloader. It's giving you time to boot in 3 different modes. The first mode, by doing nothing, is a normal boot into the rom/OS. The second mode, which you get to by one button combination, takes you to recovery. The stock recovery is very limited. It gives you the option to factory restore, wipe cache, update, or boot normally. Stock recovery only exists for emergencies, if your phone fails to boot normally. We have custom recoveries so we can do more stuff, flash custom roms and tinker with things. The third mode is download mode/Odin mode. This is the bootloader interface itself. It's the last resort for recovery if your recovery has been damaged or corrupted. It allows you to connect to Odin or kies and perform an emergency recovery of the device. If you damage your bootloader, your device is completely bricked.
So the order of operation is this:
Lowest level- bootloader
Second level- recovery
Third level- kernel
Fourth level- rom
Bloatware is all the pre-installed apps that your carrier adds to your phone. Most people don't use it, don't like it, and don't want it. That why we root. Without root we basically are just guest users of the device. With root we become the administrators of the device. Until you root, your carrier has admin rights over your phone (to use windows terms).
When you receive an ota update, your carrier can make it to where the update won't proceed if their pre-installed apps have been removed (although this isn't always the case). Additionally, the update package itself checks the integrity of the device. It checks recovery, kernel, and rom. If any have been altered, it will not proceed because it could cause conflict and potentially brick your device. That's why those things have to be stock.
Ota root keeper is simply an app that backs up your superuser rights before an update and restores them after its done.
You should be able to find plenty of roms with S5 features. I'm using one that makes my device fully like an S5 (my device even thinks it is an S5 and every app identifies it as such) I can think of at least 2 others as well. There's plenty to choose from, and if you see a rom you like but it's mudding a particular feature, you can probably find that feature as a stand-alone installation in the forum's themes & apps section. Just about every feature of S5, S4, and note 3 has been ported to this device, so look around!
Also, for future reference, if someone helps you on the forum, hit the thanks button instead of saying it. I don't mind either way, but some people get annoyed and will stop helping them if they don't hit that button lol. It's silly, but it's part of "forum decorum"
---------- Post added at 12:54 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:44 AM ----------
svikramajit said:
One more question. I made a backup of my rooted stock ROM via latest ClockwordMod, manually. Now, if I reset the binary counter using Triangle Away and then wipe Cache and Dalvik and then flash my stock ROM which is located on my memory card and then after flashing I use SuperSU to unroot and then a factory reset (I don't know the method of factory reseting cause I'm confused. Whether to do it manually, like going into recovery mode or just from the phone settings. So please tell me this also.), will my phone be unrooted totally?
And sorry for bugging you so much. I hate to do that, but I don't want to take risk with my phone. So I am just collecting information. I hope so many queries are not a problem for you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're fine, I don't mind answering your questions. Yes, you can unroot fully in the way you just mentioned but you don't even have to go through all the trouble of factory reset. Just unroot in the app. The app can be uninstalled afterwards via the play store.
You can factory reset either way, the same commands are given no matter which way you go about it. But it can be more efficient to do it from recovery because when you do it from the rom it has to create a wipe script for when it reboots, and it has to shut down the rom first. If you do it from recovery it doesn't have to anything, the rom isn't running and it can execute the wipe command immediately. (The wipe command is wipe /data /cache etc)
Thanks again for all that great info!
Questions : Is there no way to fix the Bootloader if it gets damaged by chance? And which S5 ROM are you using?
svikramajit said:
Thanks again for all that great info!
Questions : Is there no way to fix the Bootloader if it gets damaged by chance? And which S5 ROM are you using?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you damage the bootloader it's a hard brick and you would have to send it in for jtag services (this is a low level emmc chip flash service) The bootloader won't get damaged unless you do something to corrupt it. If you ever feel the need to flash a new bootloader, do it via Odin, never recovery! If you remember that you should be fine.
svikramajit said:
Thanks again for all that great info!
Questions : Is there no way to fix the Bootloader if it gets damaged by chance? And which S5 ROM are you using?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I meant to tell you I'm using DN3 rom. It has an aroma installer that lets you choose whether you want an S5 ui, a note 3 ui or a mixed ui. Choosing S5 ui & S5 build prop allows your device to work with S5 apps & it looks just like an S5. It's not the only rom out there, but it's beautiful, fast, and stable & the team works hard on it.
absinthesummer said:
I meant to tell you I'm using DN3 rom. It has an aroma installer that lets you choose whether you want an S5 ui, a note 3 ui or a mixed ui. Choosing S5 ui & S5 build prop allows your device to work with S5 apps & it looks just like an S5. It's not the only rom out there, but it's beautiful, fast, and stable & the team works hard on it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey absinthesummer!
I tried to unroot my phone with the method I told you. But in the restore option, I am stuck at 'Checking MD5 Sums..'. What to do now?
MD5 checking takes forever! You have to wait it out. Most recoveries offer a way to turn it off. You shouldn't have to factory reset though, just click unroot in the super su app and then uninstall the app from the play store.
absinthesummer said:
MD5 checking takes forever! You have to wait it out. Most recoveries offer a way to turn it off. You shouldn't have to factory reset though, just click unroot in the super su app and then uninstall the app from the play store.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I waited and the system was restored. But I got an error on 'Restoring Data'. I rebooted the phone and now it's showing glowing Samsung logo from like 3-4 minutes.
I've seen that before. Can you get back into recovery? You may have to flash stock in Odin, flash recovery and then do the Restore again. Data got messed up.
absinthesummer said:
I've seen that before. Can you get back into recovery? You may have to flash stock in Odin, flash recovery and then do the Restore again. Data got messed up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll try removing the battery now. Let's see what happens.
Ok if you can get into recovery, do a fresh flash and then try to restore again. And see if it offers a way to turn off MD5 checking. That's why I use philz or twrp, they offer that and move much faster through MD5 check by default.
---------- Post added at 11:13 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:12 AM ----------
If you still fail on data, flash stock in Odin, flash custom recovery, then you should be able to enter recovery and have a successful restore.
T-mobile has introduced rollback protection for both kernel and bootloader. There is no going back or flashing a non signed kernel for now.
More info as this develops.
This is true, this OTA does NOT allow you to odin @eousphoros TWRP version. It also does not allow you to downgrade kernel or bootloader, this leaving you on stock until @Chainfire and @bigbiff can have a look at the OTA..This is a sad day for T Mobile users
Notice the splash screen as well, it says "RECOVERY IS NOT SEANDROID ENFORCING". Youl will get the same message when attempting to downgrade your kernel...
Bl rollback protection
so does the switch to unlock the bootloader in the developer options not have any bearing on the rollback protection?
This is great news, not more than 1 hour prior to the message getting posted i had finished loading 5.11, without greenify in rooted mode, it's already using more battery life than previously with root.. This totally stinks.
Dangit. If only I had waited 2 hours more.
bsimpson1 said:
so does the switch to unlock the bootloader in the developer options not have any bearing on the rollback protection?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It didn't for me. After switching that enable oem unlocking to on, I still had the above mentioned issues
Surge1223 said:
Bl rollback protection
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is it possible that this is fundamental to all 5.1.1 builds? The same thing happened to us on the Nexus 6. There were a few whom unknowingly downgradded their bootloaders, and ended up hard bricking their devices.
Even on reboot, in developer options, the toggle for "Allow OEM Unlock" would switch to the off position. This didn't mean that the bootloader was locked, but it did mean that you had to reset it. Most rom devs have since flipped the switch on startup.
My hope is that you will soon have working recovery and root on the latest firmware, irrespective of whether you can or cannot downgrade.
Curious, can we build a new ROM that includes the @eousphoros kernel, the OF6 system.img, and modem.bin? (without including the new OF6 kernel or the new sboot.img?)
Edit: Upon further thinking, there'd be no reason to use a different kernel, just NOT include the new bootloader, right?
Aou said:
Curious, can we build a new ROM that includes the @eousphoros kernel, the OF6 system.img, and modem.bin? (without including the new OF6 kernel or the new sboot.img?)
Edit: Upon further thinking, there'd be no reason to use a different kernel, just NOT include the new bootloader, right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here's what's interesting about that....the eousphoros leaked 5.1.1 kernel is NOT seandroid enforcing, and the new bootloader recognizes that and doesn't let you boot with it.
It also recognizes the 5.0.2 kernel is another android version and it will fail during an odin flash
bajasur said:
Here's what's interesting about that....the eousphoros leaked 5.1.1 kernel is NOT seandroid enforcing, and the new bootloader recognizes that and doesn't let you boot with it.
It also recognizes the 5.0.2 kernel is another android version and it will fail during an odin flash
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm talking about for those who haven't already taken the OTA or haven't Odin'ed the new one yet.
Aou said:
I'm talking about for those who haven't already taken the OTA or haven't Odin'ed the new one yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think if you can include the leaked 5.1.1 bootloader you might be golden
bajasur said:
I think if you can include the leaked 5.1.1 bootloader you might be golden
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, I'm just going to include system.img, boot.img, cache.img and modem.bin.
anyone know wtf cm.bin is? I can't seem to find out any info on what it is or if it should be included.
Edit: well, I upgraded from the unofficial 5.1.1 to OF6, only flashing the four partitions mentioned above. It booted fine, rebuilt the dalvik cache for all my apps, and was doing OK.... except that the fingerprint reader wasn't working and LTE was also not working. Strange. So, I rebooted.... and bootloop.
So, I boot into TWRP (because I still have that!), and wiped cache/dalvik. Stilla bootloop (immediate bootloop). Dang. Wiped cache/dalvik again. Still the same.
So, I flashed the unofficial 5.1.1 via TWRP. This time, it's stuck at the first "galaxy s6 edge" screen.
So, I've re-created my odin package again. This time without cache.img, but I included cm.bin. Let's see if I just shot myself in the foot?
Edit2: Well, it's booting again, for what it's worth... at least to the Android is Starting screen again... it'll be a few minutes...
Aou said:
Actually, I'm just going to include system.img, boot.img, cache.img and modem.bin.
anyone know wtf cm.bin is? I can't seem to find out any info on what it is or if it should be included.
Edit: well, I upgraded from the unofficial 5.1.1 to OF6, only flashing the four partitions mentioned above. It booted fine, rebuilt the dalvik cache for all my apps, and was doing OK.... except that the fingerprint reader wasn't working and LTE was also not working. Strange. So, I rebooted.... and bootloop.
So, I boot into TWRP (because I still have that!), and wiped cache/dalvik. Stilla bootloop (immediate bootloop). Dang. Wiped cache/dalvik again. Still the same.
So, I flashed the unofficial 5.1.1 via TWRP. This time, it's stuck at the first "galaxy s6 edge" screen.
So, I've re-created my odin package again. This time without cache.img, but I included cm.bin. Let's see if I just shot myself in the foot?
Edit2: Well, it's booting again, for what it's worth... at least to the Android is Upgrading screen again... it'll be a few minutes...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I could be wrong but I believe the bootloader may be in more than just sboot.bin, @Surge1223 would know better than I.
A quick update: It booted fine, but the fingerprint reader still borked. I was thinking that the LTE wasn't going to work again (stuck on Edge), but I think I just didn't give it enough time last go-around. The LTE cam up after turning mobile data off/on again.
The phone was going very slow, not snappy at all. So I rebooted. And, this time, no bootloop! yay. The fingerprint reader is still not working, though. The speed picked up. I'm also noticing that the brightness sensor isn't working right, perhaps?
Now the next question: Can I still downgrade?
Edit: Well, so far, it's letting me Odin back to OCG stock. The "RP SWREV:" is 1 and "Kernel RP SWREV:" is also 1. Downloading...
(I've had issues using Odin-to-stock after running the unofficial 5.1.1 update, so I might not be able to boot after this...)
Edit2: Well, it worked. I'm back on OCG stock. I can't fully boot (I can only get as far as the TMobile screen), but that's a side-effect of trying to Odin back to OCG without wiping data/cache/dalvik. If I were to do that, I'd be back on OCG stock fully. For the meantime, though, I'm going to jump back on the unofficial 5.1.1 update.
Edit3: Well, for some reason I'm not able to seamlessly boot back into the unofficial 5.1.1. I was able to flash TWRP just fine and flash the 5.1.1, but I get stuck on the "galaxy s6 edge" screen on subsequent boots. Tried formatting System/cache/dalvik. Not willing to format Data yet, though.
Older kernels often don't boot on new bootloaders. This is fairly common on Samsung devices (and also very annoying). This would in fact often halt at the "kernel is not SEAndroid enforcing" line. Rolling back bootloaders to older versions also usually doesn't work.
A rebuild of TWRP or whatever custom kernel you're using may be all there is needed. I wouldn't be scared of bootloader locks just now. On the other hand, I wouldn't flash it yet either
Chainfire said:
Older kernels often don't boot on new bootloaders. This is fairly common on Samsung devices (and also very annoying). This would in fact often halt at the "kernel is not SEAndroid enforcing" line. Rolling back bootloaders to older versions also usually doesn't work.
A rebuild of TWRP or whatever custom kernel you're using may be all there is needed. I wouldn't be scared of bootloader locks just now. On the other hand, I wouldn't flash it yet either
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for dropping in and shedding some light on this Chainfire. We all greatly appreciate it.
Hopefully this is just a minor hiccup.
The kernel revision is in the decrypted boot.img signature, and the bootloader rollback protection is in eFuse bank. I've not yet researched any Exynos devices before, but in the past they've used the RPMB (a special, protected hardware partition on the eMMC) to store their 'fuse' bits. However, with recent hardware trends, I wouldn't be surprised if they implemented a true one-time-programmable fuse bank. This is the future of Samsung.
Alright, screw it. I'm just going to flash the full OF6. Chainfire has a very valid point. We faced this same kind of crap on the T-Mobile Galaxy S5. It wasn't really a problem with locked bootloaders, it was a problem of downgrading the kernel/recovery (or trying to downgrade the bootloader itself). He's absolutely right.
Yes, there's some chance that they've added some sort of hash-checking for flashing new binaries (essentially locking the bootloader), but I'm not terribly worried. I've been using the leaked 5.1.1 update for a while now without root, and I've been "mostly" okay with it. I'm really just waiting for Chainfire to graciously invest some of his time in finding a root for the Samsung version of Android 5.1.1. I can wait.
So, here goes taking the plunge, the full OF6 and all... 3...2...1...
Chainfire said:
Older kernels often don't boot on new bootloaders. This is fairly common on Samsung devices (and also very annoying). This would in fact often halt at the "kernel is not SEAndroid enforcing" line. Rolling back bootloaders to older versions also usually doesn't work.
A rebuild of TWRP or whatever custom kernel you're using may be all there is needed. I wouldn't be scared of bootloader locks just now. On the other hand, I wouldn't flash it yet either
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea I remember the downgrading bootloaders and modem issue on many other Samsung devices kit kat on up, ie s3, s5, note 3 excluding the engineered bootloader work around. But we were still ok moving forward, but I think I'll hold off on the update to see what happens now
This is NOT ROOTED. Its the original TAR file for people who need an Emergency Recovery for their phones, and don't want to wait hours for it to download from slow file hosts.
Edit: New link added 6/21/16
Download Link: Google Drive
Do NOT rename the tar file, it may cause Odin to fail the md5 check.
Code:
(N910PVPU3BOF5_N910PSPT3BOF5_N910PVPU3BOF5_HOME.tar.md5)
Instructions:
1. Download and Extract tar above and download Odin
2. Put phone into download mode (power off, then power button + Volume Down, then volume up when prompted)
3. Open Odin (right click > open as administrator)
4. Load stock tar into the PDA slot
5. Start flashing
6. Grab some popcorn because it will take a while
7. Profit
@random45, PSA: more direct link available here - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=61880147&postcount=14
itskapil said:
@random45, PSA: more direct link available here - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=61880147&postcount=14
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is not for the Note 4...
random45 said:
That is not for the Note 4...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
@random45 Corrected.. ! pls check now.
Here's the OF5 TAR: http://www.theandroidsoul.com/download/download-sprint-galaxy-note-4-update-n910pvpu3bof5/
I just used this and it worked flawlessly. Thank you.
Thanks alot
This link is dead, it's actually deemed "dangerous", which of course is crap... Does anyone have a link to this firmware?
grmcrkrs said:
This link is dead, it's actually deemed "dangerous", which of course is crap... Does anyone have a link to this firmware?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No but the next update up though
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=3250864
Sent from my Not4 Mod using Tapatalk
Does anybody still have this firmware version available? The latest marshmallow updates are destroying Galaxy phones left and right with no solution other than paying Samsung to fix the problem and waiting 2 weeks without your device.
random45 said:
This is NOT ROOTED. Its the original TAR file for people who need an Emergency Recovery for their phones, and don't want to wait hours for it to download from slow file hosts.
Download Link: MediaFire
Do NOT rename the tar file, it may cause Odin to fail the md5 check.
Code:
(N910PVPU3BOF5_N910PSPT3BOF5_N910PVPU3BOF5_HOME.tar.md5)
Instructions:
1. Download and Extract tar above and download Odin
2. Put phone into download mode (power off, then power button + Volume Down, then volume up when prompted)
3. Open Odin (right click > open as administrator)
4. Load stock tar into the PDA slot
5. Start flashing
6. Grab some popcorn because it will take a while
7. Profit
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
tommacco said:
Does anybody still have this firmware version available? The latest marshmallow updates are destroying Galaxy phones left and right with no solution other than paying Samsung to fix the problem and waiting 2 weeks without your device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its still in my mediafire folder. I'll upload it to another site since mediafire has flagged it
Edit: Here is the new link
Thank you so much. I will let you know if this actually fixes my woes.... this ROM may become a major fix for a lot of people while Samsung continues to argue with us that there isn't a problem worth filing a bug report for.
random45 said:
Its still in my mediafire folder. I'll upload it to another site since mediafire has flagged it
Edit: Here is the new link
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bah, giving me a software revision check error in odin. I guess this means I have to replace the bootloader? samsung is killing me here, they issued a faulty update and blocked off all means of recovery... won't buy one of these devices again.
tommacco said:
Bah, giving me a software revision check error in odin. I guess this means I have to replace the bootloader? samsung is killing me here, they issued a faulty update and blocked off all means of recovery... won't buy one of these devices again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't know what problem you're experiencing but most likely you can't go back to Android 5.0 through Odin.
Did you try OG5 or higher stock tar? Actually, I'd recommend OK1 or latest. If older ROMs are your goal, backup, wipe everything but extSdCard and Odin OG5 and up to match bootloader of ROM, flash the ROM. Do not Odin any tar below OG5.
If the ROM is Android 5.0 or KitKat, I think you still need to flash an Odin tar that's Android 5.1 and you need to flash an Android 5.1 kernel, like Beastmode 2.2 Flash ROM and then kernel before booting.
Can't imagine latest ROMs are to blame for ruining your phone. Marshmallow is a bit if a prude until you get familiar with it and setup properly. But if that's not to your liking, give Moar 2.1b a try. Backup and wipe as above and Odin back to OK1 if you don't have a backup. Follow the OP install instructions.
Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk
samep said:
Don't know what problem you're experiencing but most likely you can't go back to Android 5.0 through Odin.
Did you try OG5 or higher stock tar? Actually, I'd recommend OK1 or latest. If older ROMs are your goal, backup, wipe everything but extSdCard and Odin OG5 and up to match bootloader of ROM, flash the ROM. Do not Odin any tar below OG5.
If the ROM is Android 5.0 or KitKat, I think you still need to flash an Odin tar that's Android 5.1 and you need to flash an Android 5.1 kernel, like Beastmode 2.2 Flash ROM and then kernel before booting.
Can't imagine latest ROMs are to blame for ruining your phone. Marshmallow is a bit if a prude until you get familiar with it and setup properly. But if that's not to your liking, give Moar 2.1b a try. Backup and wipe as above and Odin back to OK1 if you don't have a backup. Follow the OP install instructions.
Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The stock OTA update from Sprint (PE1) started all these shenanigans with the phone, and it's done the same for many people across a few different carriers from what I've seen on the internet.
tommacco said:
The stock OTA update from Sprint (PE1) started all these shenanigans with the phone, and it's done the same for many people across a few different carriers from what I've seen on the internet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I updated bootloader and baseband only to PE1 and flashed a custom ROM. Later flashed a custom PE2 ROM. The ROMs are Note 4our by @freeza beta 2 and beta 3.
I see nothing wrong with PE1 or PE2. Did you try a factory reset? It does seem data from Lollipop can interfere with custom ROMs on Marshmallow. Main issue I saw with that was ItsOn on the root folder: /carrier/ItsOn The apk in that folder can partially activate on a factory reset and continually reboot a phone trying to setup the ItsOn bootstrapper but cannot so the cycle continues until you fix it. Wiping internal memory and factory reset prior to custom ROM (especially after stock tar update) will help but the developers may have removed that possibility in recent ROMs.
OTA may be suspect too but may only apply if rooting it. ItsOn and Knox don't play nice with root.
I'm not aware of cross carrier issues though?
Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk
samep said:
I updated bootloader and baseband only to PE1 and flashed a custom ROM. Later flashed a custom PE2 ROM. The ROMs are Note 4our by @freeza beta 2 and beta 3.
I see nothing wrong with PE1 or PE2. Did you try a factory reset? It does seem data from Lollipop can interfere with custom ROMs on Marshmallow. Main issue I saw with that was ItsOn on the root folder: /carrier/ItsOn The apk in that folder can partially activate on a factory reset and continually reboot a phone trying to setup the ItsOn bootstrapper but cannot so the cycle continues until you fix it. Wiping internal memory and factory reset prior to custom ROM (especially after stock tar update) will help but the developers may have removed that possibility in recent ROMs.
OTA may be suspect too but may only apply if rooting it. ItsOn and Knox don't play nice with root.
I'm not aware of cross carrier issues though?
Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've done factory reset, wiped cache partition, reflashed PE1 and PE2 to no avail. This all started with OTA updates- I didn't touch the software or try flashing anything myself until these problems persisted and didn't go away with factory resets. I've seen others report these same issues in sprint/other forums, seems they ran into similar issues with recent OTA updates of the S5 as well. Sprint claims they're aware of this and are working with Samsung, Samsung support claims it's my problem and I have to pay to get them to reflash the latest update (which I've proven to myself is futile), in the meantime I'm left with a device that is essentially crippled by these frequent restarts and crashes. That's what I get for sticking with stock software ::sigh::. I may start exploring custom ROMs, which I tend to not trust due to the obvious security concerns, so I'm not left with a $700 brick as Sprint and Samsung worry exclusively about devices launched in the last 6 months.
tommacco said:
I've done factory reset, wiped cache partition, reflashed PE1 and PE2 to no avail. This all started with OTA updates- I didn't touch the software or try flashing anything myself until these problems persisted and didn't go away with factory resets. I've seen others report these same issues in sprint/other forums, seems they ran into similar issues with recent OTA updates of the S5 as well. Sprint claims they're aware of this and are working with Samsung, Samsung support claims it's my problem and I have to pay to get them to reflash the latest update (which I've proven to myself is futile), in the meantime I'm left with a device that is essentially crippled by these frequent restarts and crashes. That's what I get for sticking with stock software ::sigh::. I may start exploring custom ROMs, which I tend to not trust due to the obvious security concerns, so I'm not left with a $700 brick as Sprint and Samsung worry exclusively about devices launched in the last 6 months.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's things like Carrier IQ, ItsOn, Knox, infrequent kernel updates (well that may be corrected now with monthly security updates) and bloat that prohibits my trust of carrier and manufacturer to get things right where my battery doesn't drain, phone doesn't lag and get warm for no apparent reason. Just hate the feeling that someone else just used my phone when I wake it out of standby.
I may have to agree to those terms to run the software but it doesn't prohibit developers from using open source code and methods to make things work better. IMO, that improves personal security rather than put me at risk. It may only be network meta data that Sprint retrieves with ItsOn but that doesn't come without a loss of battery and resources (induced drain and lag).
I trust little but the ROMs I run are mostly stock. Just have the garbage removed or under control with some added custom features. But I still can't deal with Sprint Zone running on my phone but I may not be in the majority on that one. I freeze it.
You mentioned checking custom ROMs out, freeza has a PE1/PE2 ROM out that takes an additional step to prevent some of the things I've brought up with rooted phones. It may help with your frequent reboots. I'm running it with PE1 bootloader and baseband until those flashes are available for PE2 in the bootloader baseband thread.
Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk
samep said:
It's things like Carrier IQ, ItsOn, Knox, infrequent kernel updates (well that may be corrected now with monthly security updates) and bloat that prohibits my trust of carrier and manufacturer to get things right where my battery doesn't drain, phone doesn't lag and get warm for no apparent reason. Just hate the feeling that someone else just used my phone when I wake it out of standby.
I may have to agree to those terms to run the software but it doesn't prohibit developers from using open source code and methods to make things work better. IMO, that improves personal security rather than put me at risk. It may only be network meta data that Sprint retrieves with ItsOn but that doesn't come without a loss of battery and resources (induced drain and lag).
I trust little but the ROMs I run are mostly stock. Just have the garbage removed or under control with some added custom features. But I still can't deal with Sprint Zone running on my phone but I may not be in the majority on that one. I freeze it.
You mentioned checking custom ROMs out, freeza has a PE1/PE2 ROM out that takes an additional step to prevent some of the things I've brought up with rooted phones. It may help with your frequent reboots. I'm running it with PE1 bootloader and baseband until those flashes are available for PE2 in the bootloader baseband thread.
Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I don't really trust Sprint at all to be honest with you, or any US carrier for that matter... my options seem to be limited toward trying to deal with this nonsense, flashing custom ROMs for which I can't verify the security integrity (sure a lot of folks doing this stuff mean well, but it only takes one bad actor and all of the sudden what little privacy I have is gone), or switching to Apple who thoroughly QAs all of their releases, gives loaners out when problems arise, etc. None of those options are particularly appealing to me unfortunately.
---------- Post added at 05:30 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:51 PM ----------
samep said:
I updated bootloader and baseband only to PE1 and flashed a custom ROM. Later flashed a custom PE2 ROM. The ROMs are Note 4our by @freeza beta 2 and beta 3.
I see nothing wrong with PE1 or PE2. Did you try a factory reset? It does seem data from Lollipop can interfere with custom ROMs on Marshmallow. Main issue I saw with that was ItsOn on the root folder: /carrier/ItsOn The apk in that folder can partially activate on a factory reset and continually reboot a phone trying to setup the ItsOn bootstrapper but cannot so the cycle continues until you fix it. Wiping internal memory and factory reset prior to custom ROM (especially after stock tar update) will help but the developers may have removed that possibility in recent ROMs.
OTA may be suspect too but may only apply if rooting it. ItsOn and Knox don't play nice with root.
I'm not aware of cross carrier issues though?
Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It seems as though the PD1 firmware (had to remove the cache.img.ext4 and repackage it) has since fixed these problems. I will update this thread if I noticed the problems again, but if anyone else is coming across the problems I noticed I would highly suggest atttempting this line of remediation since Sprint and Samsung support will not help you.
tommacco said:
Yeah I don't really trust Sprint at all to be honest with you, or any US carrier for that matter... my options seem to be limited toward trying to deal with this nonsense, flashing custom ROMs for which I can't verify the security integrity (sure a lot of folks doing this stuff mean well, but it only takes one bad actor and all of the sudden what little privacy I have is gone), or switching to Apple who thoroughly QAs all of their releases, gives loaners out when problems arise, etc. None of those options are particularly appealing to me unfortunately.
---------- Post added at 05:30 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:51 PM ----------
It seems as though the PD1 firmware (had to remove the cache.img.ext4 and repackage it) has since fixed these problems. I will update this thread if I noticed the problems again, but if anyone else is coming across the problems I noticed I would highly suggest atttempting this line of remediation since Sprint and Samsung support will not help you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why did you repackage cache? It only contains csc related things and I assume won't flash with odin unless the entire tar is repacked with a different md5
I want to secure my phone from the recently discovered StageFright Android hack.
I want to remove the component/package that this bug is linked to.
I am running AT&T Rooted Stock (minus bloatware) 4.4.2 Baseband: I747UCUFNE4.
I want to remove the offending package with titanium backup until an Update can be issued.
Can someone let me know what package I need to remove?
You will be better off waiting for a xposed patch, stagefright (if you have been paying attention) is the media processor in android so if you take it out you loose most media playback
Sent from my Nexus 7 2013 using Tapatalk
crazymonkey05 said:
You will be better off waiting for a xposed patch, stagefright (if you have been paying attention) is the media processor in android so if you take it out you loose most media playback
Sent from my Nexus 7 2013 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AT&T is never going to release an patch for my Device.
mrnapolean1 said:
AT&T is never going to release an patch for my Device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No they're not, but CM apparently has stagefright patched.
Maybe it is time to give a custom ROM a shot. :good:
jason2678 said:
No they're not, but CM apparently has stagefright patched.
Maybe it is time to give a custom ROM a shot. :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have CM on my Captivate up until my screen took a ****.
Do you know any good tutorials for installing CM on the SIII?
mrnapolean1 said:
I have CM on my Captivate up until my screen took a ****.
Do you know any good tutorials for installing CM on the SIII?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are some guides linked to these forums, but the ones I know of are pretty old and out of date. Samsung pushed Knox with the newer firmware updates, and that really changed how we have to handle this phone. The information you're after has been written all over this forum by many members, myself included, but I can't seem to find a decent post to link to right now. The problem is there is a lot of information, it is all fragmented across thousands of posts, hard to search (hard to find what you're after anyway), and some of the old information can be a little dangerous with the newer bootloaders.
The key to not bricking this phone is to know what bootloader and modem you're on and never, ever try to downgrade it (if you're on a newer one). First thing to do is install the Samsung phone info app from the play store and check your bootloader and baseband. Alternately enter this in a terminal:
Code:
getprop ro.bootloader
getprop gsm.version.baseband
If your bootloader ends in MJB, NE4, or NJ1 don't ever try to downgrade it. The result is a hard brick that is very difficult to recovery from. That means never Odin back to stock if you're on MJB, NE4, or NJ1. The only stock Odin package AT&T allowed to be released is the "ancient", new bootloader bricking LK3 Android 4.1.1 firmware.
If your bootloader or modem end in NE4 or NJ1 you're good to go. You can flash any newer ROM you want. If you're on MJB you're probably ok too. If you're on anything else your mobile data probably won't work with CM 12.1. You'll have to look into updating.
Another good thing to know is that the i747/d2att bootloaders are not locked and have never been locked. Do not attempt to unlock them. Any GS3 bootloader unlock procedure you come across is probably for the Verizon variant, and if you try it on a d2att you'll likely have a hard brick.
Also be aware that the i9300 was marketed as Galaxy S3 as well, but it is a totally different device on the inside. Never flash an i9300 ROM on a d2att phone.
Once you've verified what bootloader/modem you're on, and that it is good to go with CM 12.1, these are the basic steps I'd take if starting with an unmodded phone:
1) Download a SuperSU TWRP flashable zip and store it somewhere on your phone.
2) Use Odin to flash the latest version of TWRP for d2att. Uncheck everything but f.reset time so the phone doesn't auto reboot. Upon success pull battery.
3) Replace battery. Boot straight into recovery by holding vol up + home + power until you see some tiny blue text in the upper left then releasing. If you mess up and accidentally boot into your stock ROM your custom recovery will likely get overwritten with stock and you'll have to repeat step 2 and try again.
4) Flash SuperSU in TWRP.
5) Reboot to stock ROM. Use play store to update your SuperSU binary. You'll probably have to reboot once or twice, but eventually you'll get working root and Knox disabled.
6) In stock ROM open a terminal and enter:
Code:
su
reboot nvbackup
Your phone will reboot. It will seem like a pretty normal reboot, but you'll see some quick flashes of blue text in the upper left if your looking for it. This fixes a Samsung derp and makes sure you have a working EFS backup. This was the only reason we rooted your stock ROM; sorry about all that work just to do this but if your phone ever panics from a bad flash and triggers its autorestore function you'll be happy you did it.
7) Download ROM for d2att and matching gapps. Store them on external SD if you have one. Otherwise verify you can copy files from PC to phone via USB when your phone is booted into TWRP. With TWRP up an running you should just have to plug it in and phone will be recognized by PC as a media device you can transfer files to.
8) Reboot to recovery. Make a backup in TWRP. Store copies on external SD and somewhere off phone for safekeeping. In fact, always keep a nandroid backup or two, a ROM you know works, and a gapps package on an external SD - just in case.
9) Do wipe -> advanced wipe. Tick dalvik, cache, system, and data.
10) Do wipe -> format data. This is why your new ROM and gapps need to be on external SD. Otherwise you'll have a blank phone and you'll have to copy something over via usb or push it via adb to have something to flash. You don't need to do this every time you flash a ROM, but you do need to do it when switching from touchwiz to AOSP and vice versa.
11) Flash ROM
12) Flash gapps
13) Reboot - be patient. 1st boot might take 10 - 15 minutes on a lollipop ROM with this phone.
14) Profit
This probably isn't detailed enough to use as a walkthrough. It will give you an idea what to search and do more research and reading on, and I think I flagged most of the hard bricking pitfalls owners of this phone run into.. Make sure you understand the whole procedure before proceeding. Wouldn't want you to brick your phone trying to deal with a potential vulnerability there's a remote chance you might be targeted with.
Good luck. I made it sound a little scary, but as long as it is handled properly this phone is a flashing beast. If I haven't flashed mine dozens of times, then its in the hundreds. Never had anything go so wrong to the point that I could boot up into recovery and restore or flash my way out of it.
I have NE4 bootloaders
mrnapolean1 said:
AT&T is never going to release an patch for my Device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I never said att, I meant Xposed framework. People release security patches on their all the time
Sent from my Nexus 7 2013 using Tapatalk
I'll try this again (this website crashed when first posting this)
Leased phone (January 2017) use for my business. Has had (3) OTA updates since April. Started having issues after 3rd update mid-June (freezes / reboots). Most times have to pull the battery to get it to boot. Have wiped & restore several times, from Settings and Recovery boot menu. Cleared App cache and partition cache. Had the local Sprint Store 'supposedly' flash the OS from a PC but nothing improved. Described these issues below but was only met with a blank stare and an offer to open my wallet to replace with a refurbished phone without knowing what is causing the issue.
On some occasions when the device is not responding it heats up. Messages of Apps that stop responding include System UI, Package Access Helper, Touchwiz and Gmail, among others.
When going to Boot recovery menu to try clearing the partition cache the Android Icon shows up with the message 'Installing system update', which it's clearly not doing. Sometimes that's followed by the icon laying down and the message 'No command'. Does this mean the update didn't properly install? Another message I've noticed once the menu comes up is 'dm-verity verification failed . . . '
Further trying to diagnose, Sprint Zone / Device Diagnostics / Flagged / System Updates - always states 'Update now', but Settings / System Update / Software update message reads 'The latest updates have already been installed (N910PVPS4DPE2 / N910PSPT4DPE2 / N910PVPS4DPE2).
Investigated alternatives with Samsung (they replied the same day, Sprint Community message July 20th still hasn't replied) I can take it to a service center to have the hardware checked for a fee but it is not nearby and I'd like to first understand what the issue is.
From what I've described does anyone know what could be causing these issues? I have read where some updates were causing problems but I've tried most of those remedies and nothing has helped yet. Perhaps the Sprint Store, in an effort to extract more money (this is how it seemed) did not or was not able to flash the OS?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
best thing to do is odin back to an older version and retake the update if you wanna go thru that again
but id recommend reverting back to OG5 and then flashing a rom you will have less reboots....as least on my end i did
JLFitzpatrick said:
...When going to Boot recovery menu to try clearing the partition cache the Android Icon shows up with the message 'Installing system update', which it's clearly not doing. Sometimes that's followed by the icon laying down and the message 'No command'. Does this mean the update didn't properly install? Another message I've noticed once the menu comes up is 'dm-verity verification failed . . . '...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The stock recovery you describe, it's normal for the Android guy to fall down and display the red x or whatever you saw when there's no update to apply but the dm-verity failure isn't normal. It could indicate bad repair or maybe it was rooted at some point? Wiping and Odin flash doesn't always rid the phone of that but Knox trip remains always until Samsung repairs a rooted phone. Dunno the cause of your dm-verity failure but maybe, if it was stock un-rooted all along, it may a read only partition failed or corrupted?
As suggested above, you may fix the dm-verity by taking a couple of OTA updates after Odin flashing an older one. Don't go back any older than OG5 though.
I think the problem may also stem from old data from Lollipop not getting wiped. I'd recommend disabling the reactivation lock on Settings/Security, remove your accounts from phone, a factory reset within Settings, boot to recovery and factory reset and wipe dalvik and cache in stock recovery and power off. Reboot to download mode and flash an older stock tar and let it OTA a couple of times.
That may solve some issues but it could be hardware failure or a corrupt partition. If the dm-verity goes away, see if your problems are resolved. If you didn't root and have a warranty, make whoever warrants it replace it; the failure is legit.
Sprint Zone and ItsOn is garbage IMO. Bloat that kills the experience that Samsung intended. Albeit, Samsung isn't so innocent with bloat ruining the experience either. Just my opinion on the bloat. By the time users add their own bloat, there's but enough RAM and with all the services running, battery takes a hit and phone lags. Run package disabler (search in Google Play) or root to manage it is what I'd suggest. FWIW, I have no random reboots or phone heating up while in standby running Marshmallow. My phone sleeps like a baby.
If no warranty applies and root is an option, you could try rooting with Chainfire Auto Root for Note 4 and then full un-root. The developer removes the dm-verity flag if it's there for modified read only partition reasons. But of coarse that also trips Knox warranty bit, so be aware. Dm-verity can prevent OTA's from updating but that's an alternative with root and Knox trip risks. No warranty should mean less risk unless the phone belongs to your employer.
Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk
Thank you for your replies.
I had pointed out the 'dm-verity verification failure' text to the goof-offs at the Sprint Store, you'd think I was speaking in a foreign tongue. Phone is leased on our personal family plan and used for my business. I've never rooted it myself, not sure what the Sprint people did at the store but that text was there before they supposedly flashed the OS.
I apologize but am in over my head with the suggested repairs. Although having upgraded PC's am familiar with the process; revert to previous clean OS and upgrade over that. I'll take your suggestions and just have to study a little more to understand the correct procedure.
Yesterday afternoon I tried the folks at Samsung again since their support team had replied the same day before (still waiting for a support response from Sprint since July 20th) and went to a live support chat. The woman was very helpful but unfortunately, I had to jump off for a meeting. Before I jumped off she had me put the phone into Safe Mode. I had tried to get there before but the instructions I was given were incorrect (not found in recovery boot). It has since been in that mode and has been much more stable, still freezes occasionally but doesn't reboot itself and runs zippy as hell except for momentary freezes. I have the Chat ID # and will try again today to see what they can do before trying other suggestions. I gave them the HEX DEC numbers and it sounded like they could access the phone with those, this morning their Chat was full so I'll have to try later.
samep, if you don't mind can you give me some clarification on your suggestion:
"I think the problem may also stem from old data from Lollipop not getting wiped. I'd recommend disabling the reactivation lock on Settings/Security, remove your accounts from phone, a factory reset within Settings, boot to recovery and factory reset and wipe dalvik and cache in stock recovery and power off. Reboot to download mode and flash an older stock tar and let it OTA a couple of times."
My interpretation:
Settings / Security / disable reactivation lock
Remove accounts (first back up phone log & sms to samsung account, back up wifi passwords to google account)
Settings / Backup and reset / Factory data reset
Boot to recovery menu / factory reset again (partition and dalvik cache evidently get cleared through reset)
Boot to recovery menu / 'flash an older tar' ? (Is this 'Apply update from ADB (Odin)' or SD card? This is where things get fuzzy. Can I load the stock tar (OS?) to a formatted sd card and apply the update from there or do I have to install Odin on a PC? Where is the best place to get a 'stock tar' (or Odin) from and which version(s) should I use for a Note 4, or is that explained on a particular website. There are many sources of information on Odin and firmware but I'm not sure which to trust if I need to do this would prefer to do this just once.)
Thank you again for your help, and I apologize for my ignorance on this subject.
But the best thing about ignorance is that it can be overcome with a little effort and knowledge.
To answer the question, boot into download mode from powered down state by holding volume down, menu and power. Yes, you use Odin installed on PC for that. But first you need the Samsung USB driver and Odin installed, plus the stock tar.
This thread will get you going with resources and brief instructions.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=63868221&postcount=1
I'd suggest PC1 stock tar, then let it OTA.
(Your interpretation was mostly right up to the question about how to flash the tar after the factory reset and power down.)
Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk
Thank you samep,
Understanding the tar file versions are listed alpha-numeric the oldest version is PD1 so I will start with that version.
Have downloaded Odin and all three tar files (in case of any issues with PD1). Samsung Chat referred me to bring the phone in, after reviewing information on using Odin will try your suggested method first and then check for dm-verity failure.
Another tar file resource found is updato-dot-com (as a newbie unable to post link):
JLFitzpatrick said:
Thank you samep,
Understanding the tar file versions are listed alpha-numeric the oldest version is PD1 so I will start with that version.
Have downloaded Odin and all three tar files (in case of any issues with PD1). Samsung Chat referred me to bring the phone in, after reviewing information on using Odin will try your suggested method first and then check for dm-verity failure.
Another tar file resource found is updato-dot-com (as a newbie unable to post link):
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're feeling overwhelmed, you could bring it in. There's a chance it is hardware and the steps may prove redundant.
Up to you. At least you have something to point to as an issue.
Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk
So I've gone through all the steps, phone is wiped, reinstalled Samsung USB Driver, have Odin open as Administrator and the phone in 'Android Recovery', Phone does not show up in Odin.
Have seen a couple versions of setting a connection (Odin open first, phone connected first); tried all of those and tried Odin open not as administrator. There is no connection. Tried other instructions to put into Developer Mode and enable USB bugging. Nothing, disabled USB bugging and booted back to recovery. Still nothing.
In Recovery mode it does not state 'Odin mode'. Tried the Recovery menu option 'Apply update from ADB' message reads 'Update from external storage diabled'. Tried 'Reboot to bootloader' (WTH), that does show Odin Mode at top of screen but phone still does not show up in Odin on PC. Then have to pull battery to reboot to Recovery mode. What steps am I missing here?
When phone is booted up normally it connects to PC without issue.
Finally got Odin to recognize the phone. Through a few searches I tried one remedy that suggested manually updating the samsung usb drivers in device manager which did the trick. Realized earlier that from recovery mode you do need to select boot to bootloader to get into Odin mode (listed on top).
Installed 6.0.1 - PD1 currently phone is installing OTA updates, hopefully this does the trick. Thanks again for your help.
On Tuesday the phone updated OTA from PD1 (April 27, 2016) installed via Odin to PE1 (June 1, 2016) then PE2 (June 29, 2016). Recovery Mode screen no longer shows dm-verity failure message so that's fixed. Phone is mostly stable, however still not as stable as it was on PE1 from what I recall by the release dates. Phone still freezes although it usually does not crash if I leave it alone but still does crash at least once a day. Safe Mode does not help, as the worst culprits are system Apps (Gmail, Drive are the worst).
It seldom overheats now but did yesterday. 3rd Party CPU cooler found Package Access Helper, Context Service and System UI as causing an issue. Cleared App Cache for all three but problems persist. Clearing App Cache in Settings / Storage takes at least three tries to clear all but 4.00 KB. I have been clearing Partition Cache every morning just to get through most of the day otherwise it will freeze when I first start to use it. Battery is also draining faster than before.
Any suggestions? OTA updates were at work on a stable WiFi signal. I'm thinking of Odin flashing back to PE1 (or PD1) and stopping further OTA updates. Anybody tried this? Will be traveling for a couple of weeks and need a stable phone, like I used to have. Thank you.
Samsung has been having memory management issues. IMO, this is the reason they keep increasing RAM in recent phones and getting help from Google. But 3 gigs of RAM should be sufficient.
A custom ROM may resolve that but you could try a package disabler from Google Play to freeze some unneeded bloat.
I couldn't say which stock version is best because I've ran all of them without random reboots and lag is minimum. The custom ROMs have been daily driver stable for me. I use them when traveling too.
Sending PM to OP as well with additional info.
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