Develop Bugs

[Q] No ROMs taking, keep getting no MD5 message, phone close to bricked.

I apologize in advance if any of this makes you roll your eyes at my stupidity.
Good Afternoon
I have an ATT samsung galaxy s3, Because of the glitches with 4.3 I was experiencing I decided to install custom software on my phone. So I looked up guides and got everything I needed. I did manage to get root access, and verified with super user. I also installed TWRP and CWM because each kept giving me errors when I tried to install CM 11 onto my phone. I tried CWM first, and when that didn't work I tried TWRP. It says there was no MD5 information found when I try to install any mod. how ever I have used the md5 file checker program and the MD5 matches up to what was listed in this one for example.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=2518998
Download:
CM 11.0 Unofficial Beta 7 for d2tmo and d2att
MD5: ef93957db1e6704f23f9015231a82826
So the MD5 matches, yet when I try to install it keeps giving me errors. I also tried other versions of CM that I found on here via links. Right now my phone has no OS as another guide I read some where also said to wipe system data (sorry if that was stupid, I was just following a guideline) And even more stupid, no I don't have a backup because in my naivety and stupidity I didn't think I'd need one as it seemed so simple from all the guides and videos I'd seen.
Yesterday a friend of mine knowledgeable with tech stuff took one of the original stock Image ROMs I'd downloaded and using linux and some program he managed to do some crazy stuff I can't even describe on here. All I saw was a lot of typing of command lines and it got my phone working again, how ever it wasn't exactly the stock image I guess because the phone would not make or receive calls/texts.
Since my phone was powering on again and the android OS was loading I figured I could connect it to my computer and use KIES to download the official latest update so my phone would be back on the legit software. But trying to do that...well broke my phone again. So I'm at a loss now of what to do. Right now I can still get to download mode on my phone, but when I try to get into recovery mode I get an error that "firmware upgrade encountered an issue. Please select recovery mode in KIES & try again." Which I've tried, and every time I try it gives me an error message.So I'm at a loss of what to do next.
So I'd like to get a working OS on my phone asap so I can get calls and texts.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. And being new I'm sorry if I broke any taboos or did not give some information that is typically given when describing a problem.

gvazquez82 said:
I apologize in advance if any of this makes you roll your eyes at my stupidity.
Good Afternoon
I have an ATT samsung galaxy s3, Because of the glitches with 4.3 I was experiencing I decided to install custom software on my phone. So I looked up guides and got everything I needed. I did manage to get root access, and verified with super user. I also installed TWRP and CWM because each kept giving me errors when I tried to install CM 11 onto my phone. I tried CWM first, and when that didn't work I tried TWRP. It says there was no MD5 information found when I try to install any mod. how ever I have used the md5 file checker program and the MD5 matches up to what was listed in this one for example.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=2518998
Download:
CM 11.0 Unofficial Beta 7 for d2tmo and d2att
MD5: ef93957db1e6704f23f9015231a82826
So the MD5 matches, yet when I try to install it keeps giving me errors. I also tried other versions of CM that I found on here via links. Right now my phone has no OS as another guide I read some where also said to wipe system data (sorry if that was stupid, I was just following a guideline) And even more stupid, no I don't have a backup because in my naivety and stupidity I didn't think I'd need one as it seemed so simple from all the guides and videos I'd seen.
Yesterday a friend of mine knowledgeable with tech stuff took one of the original stock Image ROMs I'd downloaded and using linux and some program he managed to do some crazy stuff I can't even describe on here. All I saw was a lot of typing of command lines and it got my phone working again, how ever it wasn't exactly the stock image I guess because the phone would not make or receive calls/texts.
Since my phone was powering on again and the android OS was loading I figured I could connect it to my computer and use KIES to download the official latest update so my phone would be back on the legit software. But trying to do that...well broke my phone again. So I'm at a loss now of what to do. Right now I can still get to download mode on my phone, but when I try to get into recovery mode I get an error that "firmware upgrade encountered an issue. Please select recovery mode in KIES & try again." Which I've tried, and every time I try it gives me an error message.So I'm at a loss of what to do next.
So I'd like to get a working OS on my phone asap so I can get calls and texts.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. And being new I'm sorry if I broke any taboos or did not give some information that is typically given when describing a problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
same error happened to me yesterday and spent the whole day figuring it out. get into download mode. boot up ODIN and reflash your preferred custom recovery. after that, i couldn't find anything else to restore my phone with so i installed 4.3 leaked from here. doesn't matter which one you select. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2498233. place it on your sd card and head into recovery mode, wipe data/factory reset and cache. head to install zip from sd card and select the 4.3 zip you downloaded. reboot system and it should work. the at&t boot screen takes a while so be patient

MrHaPpY66 said:
same error happened to me yesterday and spent the whole day figuring it out. get into download mode. boot up ODIN and reflash your preferred custom recovery. after that, i couldn't find anything else to restore my phone with so i installed 4.3 leaked from here. doesn't matter which one you select. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2498233. place it on your sd card and head into recovery mode, wipe data/factory reset and cache. head to install zip from sd card and select the 4.3 zip you downloaded. reboot system and it should work. the at&t boot screen takes a while so be patient
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First of all thank you for trying to help me, I hope you are having a good Thanks Giving.
I used the thread you linked to, and downloaded the version with out knox. I followed the instructions
transferred ROM and flashed kernel file to SD card
used odin to flash TWRP,
used twrp to flash rom and kernel file.
and it takes the file thankfully, there's only one issue. My phone can't make or receive calls/texts. Is yours able to?

I messed up and was playing with things That I had no business playing with and decided that I should do a restore of a backup (TWRP) I made as soon as I rooted the 4.3 OTA. well it has soft bricked my phone. it was a TWRP 4.3 Nandroid and has me messed up a little.
so far I tried My nandroid (no dice now a soft brick) cleared cache and dalvik, It was booting as far as the white at&t spinning thing,
Factory reset same on booting,
Tried a format of the internal sd this is where it gets sketchy it now goes as far as the second samsung screen(the one that says Samsung GALAXY S III)
4.3 OTA .zip (no dice TWRP wont flash it) same on the booting 2nd samsung boot screen
Tried the files in the link above and got a Hard brick
Used the debricking .IMG file and got TWRP and download mode back
Any suggestions?
Looks like I might need a JTAG/RIFF BOX for this one. If nothing else I spent many Hours of darkness discovering the darkness of android 4.3
If I get recovered from this and with a different rom like 4.1.2 I will be happy. the 4.3 OTA was very stable but I did miss wifi tether and the whole hardbrick thing was kind of a bummer. it would be real nice to have an ODIN file to fix this (AHEM samsung) or atleast perhaps stopped the progression of it to a hard brick.
New update
I got my phone booting up again however there is a catch. That unbrick.img file on my 16GB sd card is still required to boot the phone and I have no cell service what so ever. Tried to check apn settings because at home I sometimes get poor service and I run net10 so I was going to fix my apn and it says insert sim??? the sim is properly inserted???
Next Update
the bootloader I flashed apparently flashed to the external sd card? I flashed another one and it is booting from the internal sd. I had to flash a different modem the one in the bootloader/modem file I flashed from the link above didnt take? I got most everything sorted out, but im getting tired, it has been an all night adventure. its 08:23 est now
sorry for the delay in updating this I had to get some rest.

theramsey3 said:
I messed up and was playing with things That I had no business playing with and decided that I should do a restore of a backup (TWRP) I made as soon as I rooted the 4.3 OTA. well it has soft bricked my phone. it was a TWRP 4.3 Nandroid and has me messed up a little.
so far I tried My nandroid (no dice now a soft brick) cleared cache and dalvik, It was booting as far as the white at&t spinning thing,
Factory reset same on booting,
Tried a format of the internal sd this is where it gets sketchy it now goes as far as the second samsung screen(the one that says Samsung GALAXY S III)
4.3 OTA .zip (no dice TWRP wont flash it) same on the booting 2nd samsung boot screen
Tried the files in the link above and got a Hard brick
Used the debricking .IMG file and got TWRP and download mode back
Any suggestions?
Looks like I might need a JTAG/RIFF BOX for this one. If nothing else I spent many Hours of darkness discovering the darkness of android 4.3
If I get recovered from this and with a different rom like 4.1.2 I will be happy. the 4.3 OTA was very stable but I did miss wifi tether and the whole hardbrick thing was kind of a bummer. it would be real nice to have an ODIN file to fix this (AHEM samsung) or atleast perhaps stopped the progression of it to a hard brick.
New update
I got my phone booting up again however there is a catch. That unbrick.img file on my 16GB sd card is still required to boot the phone and I have no cell service what so ever. Tried to check apn settings because at home I sometimes get poor service and I run net10 so I was going to fix my apn and it says insert sim??? the sim is properly inserted???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Go into Settings, About Phone, Status and check to see if your IMEI and Serial Number are present. If you only lost your IMEI there's a guide on how to inject it back (I'm not sure where the guide is). However if you've lost your serial number and don't have a Nandroid that can restore it I don't know what to do.

spongdangly said:
Go into Settings, About Phone, Status and check to see if your IMEI and Serial Number are present. If you only lost your IMEI there's a guide on how to inject it back (I'm not sure where the guide is). However if you've lost your serial number and don't have a Nandroid that can restore it I don't know what to do.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i have my serial number showing but no IMEI number. So is that all that's needed for me to be able to call and text again?

gvazquez82 said:
i have my serial number showing but no IMEI number. So is that all that's needed for me to be able to call and text again?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I updated my post above and showed my soultion. I simply had to flash a new modem and almost everything was kosher. I also had to flasah a different kernel but that was for preference not because things werent working.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=47817339&postcount=23 Modem download
I used that modem, flash it and see if your problems go away. I use Net10 so after I flashed the Modem I had to create an APN aswell, but that is nothing new for me.

theramsey3 said:
I updated my post above and showed my soultion. I simply had to flash a new modem and almost everything was kosher. I also had to flasah a different kernel but that was for preference not because things werent working.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=47817339&postcount=23 Modem download
I used that modem, flash it and see if your problems go away. I use Net10 so after I flashed the Modem I had to create an APN aswell, but that is nothing new for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will give that a shot, but what's an APN, sorry. And how do I create one, and is it needed for me to do so?

gvazquez82 said:
i have my serial number showing but no IMEI number. So is that all that's needed for me to be able to call and text again?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It should be, I'm working right now so I don't have time to fine the guide on how to inject your IMEI. If I remember correctly it involves using QPST. If you have an old (or any) working Nandroid backup that should fix the problem.
FYI, make sure you don't use the guide for the international S3 as it has different hardware and folder structure/contents.
As for the APN, it should automatically fill itself in since it reads it off the SIM Card (I might be wrong).

theramsey3 said:
I updated my post above and showed my soultion. I simply had to flash a new modem and almost everything was kosher. I also had to flasah a different kernel but that was for preference not because things werent working.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=47817339&postcount=23 Modem download
I used that modem, flash it and see if your problems go away. I use Net10 so after I flashed the Modem I had to create an APN aswell, but that is nothing new for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried it and it work!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
67 texts just came in. Sir, I thank you oh so kindly. You have made this gloomy rainy day oh so joyous.

No problem. Glad I could help you.
The real credit should go to -Mr.X-, loserskater and anyone else(no disrespect there were alot of files) whose stuff I tried to flash lastnight thank you all in the dev community who contribute.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda app-developers app

So I guess the next question, do I try again to install kit kat on my phone.
I've already made bucks of my existing working phone haha....but I'd still like to have kitkat in place. I believe the issue of my phone not reading MD5 confirmations would still be in place, does anyone know how to remedy that situation?
At the same time I'm more than happy to leave my phone as is.

gvazquez82 said:
So I guess the next question, do I try again to install kit kat on my phone.
I've already made bucks of my existing working phone haha....but I'd still like to have kitkat in place. I believe the issue of my phone not reading MD5 confirmations would still be in place, does anyone know how to remedy that situation?
At the same time I'm more than happy to leave my phone as is.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pretty sure you can turn off MD5 checks in TWRP. Probably in CWM too. Sorry if this has been mentioned. Didn't have time to read the whole thread. Just skimmed through.
2nd, there is a major difference between an IMEI that reads 0 and an IMEI that shows unknown. If it shows an unknown simply reflash your ROM and modem and you will be good to go. Sometimes a reboot is all you need. If your IMEI is showing a 0 on the other hand its gone and will require that it be injected back in which is a messy situation that usually results in tour phone being stuck on EDGE.
3rd, as someone mentioned on the previous page, restoring a working nandroid will NOT reinject your IMEI if it shows up as 0. No amount of flashing anything will get it to come back. Not even stock. It needs to be reinjected manually.

flexfulton said:
Pretty sure you can turn off MD5 checks in TWRP. Probably in CWM too. Sorry if this has been mentioned. Didn't have time to read the whole thread. Just skimmed through.
2nd, there is a major difference between an IMEI that reads 0 and an IMEI that shows unknown. If it shows an unknown simply reflash your ROM and modem and you will be good to go. Sometimes a reboot is all you need. If your IMEI is showing a 0 on the other hand its gone and will require that it be injected back in which is a messy situation that usually results in tour phone being stuck on EDGE.
3rd, as someone mentioned on the previous page, restoring a working nandroid will NOT reinject your IMEI if it shows up as 0. No amount of flashing anything will get it to come back. Not even stock. It needs to be reinjected manually.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
do you know of a good stable kit kat like ROM I could use for the s3? And any speculation as to why the ROMs werent taking for me?

What the What?!

Moderators, please forgive me in not in the right place...
Came home from a glorious week of camping and decided to check out some 4.4.4 ROM's on my phone...
Already running older version of C-ROM, so backed up and flashed the KK 4.4.4 version. That's where it the wheels came off my bus..
Phone booted so damn slow, then there were hundred's of FC's, rendering the phone unuseable. Rebooted, cleared Dalvik and Cache but same difference. The phone died, the battery would NOT charge! No matter what! Try as I may...NO GO!!! For hours! Feared it was that issue wherein the S3 motherboard dies and the phone has to be replaced by Samsung. Kept trying...finally get the phone to boot into TWRP. Whew!!! Still the phone kept complaining that the battery was dead. WTF?!
Restored the back up I had made...accidentally grabbed another backup from december of last year (Cyanogenmod), so had to recover my C-ROM back instead...RESTORE FAILS! Tried a few times but still failed. Tried to re-flash the latest C-ROM, but STILL fails...everything I'm trying fails.
I read the output and see an error, "Unable to wipe /system" ...found a thread where a user, using TWRP, had the same error with their ROM they were trying to flash. Eventually, the fix was to delete the make_4fs (or whatever it's called) from /sbin directory. Did so and was able to flash my Cyanogen, but could not restore my C-ROM backup. That STILL fails, however, no error in the live output while it's restoring. Just ends up Failing at the end of the restore process. The live logs indicate that it's using the 2fs (or whatever it's called), which was successful in flashing my Cyanogen ROM...why will it not restore my C-ROM back? :crying:
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

kojam said:
Moderators, please forgive me in not in the right place...
Came home from a glorious week of camping and decided to check out some 4.4.4 ROM's on my phone...
Already running older version of C-ROM, so backed up and flashed the KK 4.4.4 version. That's where it the wheels came off my bus..
Phone booted so damn slow, then there were hundred's of FC's, rendering the phone unuseable. Rebooted, cleared Dalvik and Cache but same difference. The phone died, the battery would NOT charge! No matter what! Try as I may...NO GO!!! For hours! Feared it was that issue wherein the S3 motherboard dies and the phone has to be replaced by Samsung. Kept trying...finally get the phone to boot into TWRP. Whew!!! Still the phone kept complaining that the battery was dead. WTF?!
Restored the back up I had made...accidentally grabbed another backup from december of last year (Cyanogenmod), so had to recover my C-ROM back instead...RESTORE FAILS! Tried a few times but still failed. Tried to re-flash the latest C-ROM, but STILL fails...everything I'm trying fails.
I read the output and see an error, "Unable to wipe /system" ...found a thread where a user, using TWRP, had the same error with their ROM they were trying to flash. Eventually, the fix was to delete the make_4fs (or whatever it's called) from /sbin directory. Did so and was able to flash my Cyanogen, but could not restore my C-ROM backup. That STILL fails, however, no error in the live output while it's restoring. Just ends up Failing at the end of the restore process. The live logs indicate that it's using the 2fs (or whatever it's called), which was successful in flashing my Cyanogen ROM...why will it not restore my C-ROM back? :crying:
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you tried using ODIN to restore back to stock? If you can get the phone up and running, you may be able to restore from your old backups.

Bass_Man25 said:
Have you tried using ODIN to restore back to stock? If you can get the phone up and running, you may be able to restore from your old backups.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks bud.
Oh, I got the phone up and running on the Cyanogen dated dec/2013.
ODIN? Never thought of it. Been such a long time. I do need to get stock on here so I can all the latest official radios etc, then put custom ROMs.
Been such a loooooong time since used ODIN though. Shouldn't be hard to get back on the horse.
Thanks for the suggestion!!!

any idea why this happened? anyone?
as an fyi, I tried to put the lastest SlimROM on but same difference. (i'm really pressed for time always. so I decided this is the quickest thing to try). seems the only thing that will flash is my Cyanogen from December. Strange...
Will have to give ODIN a try if I can ever get the time some day..

Odin shouldn't be a much longer process. Start flash, walk away. When you return 10 minutes to a few hours later, it'll be sitting there waiting for you, all nice and stock!
Anyway, one thing I dont recall seeing you tried is a factory reset. Chances are, that's what caused all your FC. Roms will always take a while on first boot. But all those FC were likely due to incompatible data. Then you may have encountered more data corruption as the system worked overtime trying to resolve all those conflicts.
Its purely a theory, but there's a good chance you will never be able to find exactly what caused all of your issues. Dont lose sleep over it is my best advice! A couple of tips though....
Never wipe/format system! Had you been able to successfully do so, and then nothing would still flash, there would no longer be an o/s to boot into! All roms will format your system partition as the first step in the flash, so there's just no need to do this manually. Most flash failures occur before the flash actually starts, meaning if there's a problem, most times you'll still be able to reboot normally.
Update your firmware. If its been a while since taking an ota or updating via Odin, you're probably on an older firmware build which is known to cause problems with many more recent roms. Most simply will not flash if not updated.
Also, by flashing your up to date firmware in Odin, you will likely fix any corruption which may have occurred on some of those partitions. Good chance you'll be able to flash whatever you want after an Odin firmware update and factory reset.
Hope that helps! Good luck!

DocHoliday77 said:
Odin shouldn't be a much longer process. Start flash, walk away. When you return 10 minutes to a few hours later, it'll be sitting there waiting for you, all nice and stock!
Anyway, one thing I dont recall seeing you tried is a factory reset. Chances are, that's what caused all your FC. Roms will always take a while on first boot. But all those FC were likely due to incompatible data. Then you may have encountered more data corruption as the system worked overtime trying to resolve all those conflicts.
Its purely a theory, but there's a good chance you will never be able to find exactly what caused all of your issues. Dont lose sleep over it is my best advice! A couple of tips though....
Never wipe/format system! Had you been able to successfully do so, and then nothing would still flash, there would no longer be an o/s to boot into! All roms will format your system partition as the first step in the flash, so there's just no need to do this manually. Most flash failures occur before the flash actually starts, meaning if there's a problem, most times you'll still be able to reboot normally.
Update your firmware. If its been a while since taking an ota or updating via Odin, you're probably on an older firmware build which is known to cause problems with many more recent roms. Most simply will not flash if not updated.
Also, by flashing your up to date firmware in Odin, you will likely fix any corruption which may have occurred on some of those partitions. Good chance you'll be able to flash whatever you want after an Odin firmware update and factory reset.
Hope that helps! Good luck!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What's up, Doc? Sorry for that...
I downloaded Odin this morning. I should have gotten the link from XDA. The site i got it from looked official, however, tons of endless pop-ups after I installed it. Freak!!!
Then found the xda links. Not sure which version to get because i didn't see which one handles the S3. The latest version (3.09) should, no?
As well, where do i get the stock ROM from? Forgive me for all these questions. Been extremely busy with work these past few months. No time to play around with my phone everything. I'm forgetting more than I know.
A full wipe was done. In TWRP, system was check (it's always checked) automatically when wiping to flash a new ROM.
Thanks again!

Everything you need is in my sig. Go to the firmware thread and the stock or root66 firmware listed there us what you flash in odin. Version 3.09 is fine btw.

DocHoliday77 said:
Everything you need is in my sig. Go to the firmware thread and the stock or root66 firmware listed there us what you flash in odin. Version 3.09 is fine btw.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks!

S.O.S!!!
kojam said:
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Downloaded the rooted firmware from your link and the ODIN (3.09)...
Flashed the firmware (making sure to get the correct one for WIND)...ODIN did it's thing...got a green pass...the phone rebooted...got the Samsung symbol, little swoosh animation, and the accompanying sound effect that goes with the swoosh-thing...THE PHONE NEVER BOOTED UP AN O/S!
Did it at about 11:30 last night, left it, got up this morn, and phone STILL in same status!
Found out that site where I downloaded the firmware had an issue last night. They posted this morn, apologizing to people about a D.O.D attack that may have caused dropped downloads. I downloaded the firmware again this morn, flashed with ODIN, got a pass....SAME THING!!! Phone
Had to quickly pack up my laptop to bring with me to the office. Will try the official, non-rooted firmware to see if I can get it to go.
Problems' that my team went from 12 to 2 people...my partner's off today...and I got a LOUD MOUTH across from me who WILL NOT leave me alone, no matter what I say or do. LOL.
Any suggestions?

In the words of George Costanza:
"I'm BACK, babyyyyyyy!!!!!"
The official firmware worked!
Phone's back online. Thanks for all your help. Will have to see about rooting later...as well, want to see how the battery operates on stock firmware. I've tried EVERYTHING under the sun to preserve batt life and NOTHING worked!!!
Tried EVERY KERNEL noted to be good on battery life, tried TONS of apps that were supposed to help, turned off as much as I could, etc....
batt still not good. I give up. Every diagnostic app says batt is very good. I dunno...

Earplugs! Lol! I definitely feel for you about your work status! Been there!
About the firmware though, if the download had been corrupted, it would've failed the initial check done by Odin. You are probably ok. Dont worry just yet!
If it is hanging up at the Samsung screen, you probably just need to factory reset. Almost always fixes this. (It happens due to incompatible data left from your previous rom)
This will wipe internal sdcard though, so if you haven't backed up yet, the next thing to fo is flash TWRP via Odin. You can then use its built in file manager to copy whst you need first. Or you can then flash an insecure kernel and use adb if you're familiar with that.

The Doc is in!
if the download had been corrupted, it would've failed the initial check done by Odin
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's EXACTLY my thought too. That was really perplexing...
I am up again...
Facotry Reset? How do I do that if stuck at the Samsung splash though?
Now that i know the official firmware works, maybe i'll, try again with the rooted firmware, try to factory reset when stuck, and continue to flash TWRP as you described above. Don't mind factory resetting. I've taken everything I need.
Oh!!!!
I noticed that all the apps I had before flashing the firmware are STILL on my phone. I would have thought that they would have been wiped out completely when lord ODIN was doing her thing.

....and battery life is STILL pretty bad...
Phone's been charging...became fully charged...unplugged it..it was down to 84% after only about 30/mins.
Will see how it goes after doing the factory wipe.
Again, how do i do a factory wipe if stuck at the Samsung swoosh after I re-flash the rooted firmware ?

Maybe your battery is dying. it happens. That would explain a big drop from the start.

To factory reset if you're stuck at boot up, turn the phone off, then boot up into recovery. Hold volume up, home and power. After it vibrates, release power only, continue holding the other two until you see recovery booting up.
If stock recovery is installed, choose factory reset.
In TWRP (probably similar in cwm) go to Wipe and choose factory reset there. In TWRP and CWM, factory resetting does not wipe your internal sdcard. Stock recovery will.
And as for Odin, it doesn't actually touch the user data partition, so all your apps and data are preserved. This is great when just upgrading from one build to the next, but is the reason a factory reset is required if coming from a non touchwiz rom.
---------- Post added at 03:59 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:53 PM ----------
How old is your battery? The S3 is at the age where people who bought it when it was first released will start to notice the battery is beginning to degrade.
You can also get an app called Better Battery Stats here on xda (paid version in the play store). Its the goto utility for investigating problems with battery drain. Run it for a day after a full charge and then check its logs for persistent wakelocks. The app thread should explain its use better than I can, but if you are having trouble you can always post your bbs log here for one of us to look over. (This isnt my strongest area, but there are a few others around that may also be able to help. )

Screen rotation stops working?

I have a T-Mobile Note 3, all stock, not rooted. I recently installed the lollipop update, and now my screen rotation stops working.
A reboot fixes it, but it will stop working again later in the day.
I have auto rotate on, smart rotate is not on, auto brightness is on (a search said this worked but it was for an older firmware).
Has anyone seen this or possibly know a good fix?

Wow, nobody else has seen this?

WatermelonSlim said:
I have a T-Mobile Note 3, all stock, not rooted. I recently installed the lollipop update, and now my screen rotation stops working.
A reboot fixes it, but it will stop working again later in the day.
I have auto rotate on, smart rotate is not on, auto brightness is on (a search said this worked but it was for an older firmware).
Has anyone seen this or possibly know a good fix?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hello
i had a few issues when i upgraded from 4.4.2 to 5.0 stock lollipop... first of all check if the baseband shows same as the build name.. it should both finish in OB6 ....also try booting the phone in safe mode to see if its and app/tweak error... u could also try a factory reset or a full factory reset from recovery screen with a full wipe and cache and dalvik cache erased but i dont know if its possible in stock android recovery since first thing i do when i unbox the phone is to root... always running rooted and with custom recoveries since i like to mod and tweak my phone i suggest you to try to root and release your phone full potential hope this works for you.
Sent from my SM-N900T using XDA Free mobile app

Reinstalling the lollipop firmware may correct it.
Odin, Kies or whatever method you used, try a reinstall.
Pp.

PanchoPlanet said:
Reinstalling the lollipop firmware may correct it.
Odin, Kies or whatever method you used, try a reinstall.
Pp.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just went to Settings, General, About Device, Check for Updates and installed it from there. When I go there now it says the device is up to date, so no way to do it the same way as the first time.

Tostido has a full firmware zip available, you can download extract and reflash using Odin 3.09.
Find it here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=59257327
This will reinstall the latest update and should correct rotation problem.
Pp.

Funny thing is my wife has the same issue on hers. I guess we'll both have to reflash.
Is there a way to flash that toastido version without losing everything? I have a bunch of apps installed, pictures, memos to myself, etc.

WatermelonSlim said:
Funny thing is my wife has the same issue on hers. I guess we'll both have to reflash.
Is there a way to flash that toastido version without losing everything? I have a bunch of apps installed, pictures, memos to myself, etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sure there is... i suggest you to root your device... its very easy and means no harm unless you start playing with system stuff but basically it just unleash your phone full power.... and once you rooted you just install titanium backup which is the best back up ever (in my opinion) and u do a full system data/user data back up which it will save ALL phone and apps settings and data and you just save the titanium back up folder to your pc and then put it back once you done flashing... also be careful once u flash and you are reverting the back up since the error might be a misconfiguration somewhere... but u can choose manually which stuff u wanna restore like accounts messages phone call history and more... also remember to root back again and installing a custom recovery like TWRP or CWM so i can flash stuff and back up and get a better recovery experience and also u could flash the SD card write fix since on newer versions phone wont let you write data directly to a SD card.... hope it helps at all and good luck
Sent from my SM-N900T using XDA Free mobile app

T-Mo Note 3 Stock Firmware Issue

I decided to un-root and push the Lollipop update today, but it took all day thanks to alot of issues. I figured I would start this thread to help others along with upgrading from KitKat.
So alot of the tutorials you will come across for un-rooting and flashing back to stock using ODIN, so your phone will update, then rooting Lollipop so you can push custom ROMS are INCORRECT. After updating to Lollipop, alot of tutorials said to re-flash the stock Lollipop firmware, then immediately flash CF-Auto-Root and then TWRP Recovery. This is WRONG, for two reasons. Firstly, the .tar file used for flashing Lollipop STOCK is the INCORRECT file. I visited FIVE tutorials and every time I would get Force Closes or get stuck in bootloop, this is because if you watch carefully your phone will name itself NOTE 4 instead of 3 by default after flashing firmware from the links. I didnt catch on to what was going on for over 5 hours as I tried again and again with different methods and then following instructions Step-by-Step all unsuccessfully until it hit me. ALL OF THE LINKS ARE POINTING TO THE WRONG FIRMWARE, instead of flashing Note 3 Firmware, you flash Note 4 Stock Lollipop Firmware, which as you can imagine, causes SERIOUS issues with your phones system.
To fix this problem, find the KitKat NF9 4.4.2 Firmware and flash that, then allow your device to update ITSELF to Lollipop VIA official T-Mobile OTA. This is what worked for me. After updating, then I simply use CF-Auto-Root and then TWRP flashes in NORMAL FASHION, allowing restarts IN BETWEEN FLASHES, clearing cache/dalvik after each install, and allowing 10 mins of settle time after every boot. Then I installed a Custom ROM and Mods, and now it all works perfectly.
Let me know if this helps or if you have experienced similar issues.

What are the links to all these incorrect firmwares?
Posting the links would be more informative than suspicions.
Pp.

wallacengineering said:
I decided to un-root and push the Lollipop update today, but it took all day thanks to alot of issues. I figured I would start this thread to help others along with upgrading from KitKat.
So alot of the tutorials you will come across for un-rooting and flashing back to stock using ODIN, so your phone will update, then rooting Lollipop so you can push custom ROMS are INCORRECT. After updating to Lollipop, alot of tutorials said to re-flash the stock Lollipop firmware, then immediately flash CF-Auto-Root and then TWRP Recovery. This is WRONG, for two reasons. Firstly, the .tar file used for flashing Lollipop STOCK is the INCORRECT file. I visited FIVE tutorials and every time I would get Force Closes or get stuck in bootloop, this is because if you watch carefully your phone will name itself NOTE 4 instead of 3 by default after flashing firmware from the links. I didnt catch on to what was going on for over 5 hours as I tried again and again with different methods and then following instructions Step-by-Step all unsuccessfully until it hit me. ALL OF THE LINKS ARE POINTING TO THE WRONG FIRMWARE, instead of flashing Note 3 Firmware, you flash Note 4 Stock Lollipop Firmware, which as you can imagine, causes SERIOUS issues with your phones system.
To fix this problem, find the KitKat NF9 4.4.2 Firmware and flash that, then allow your device to update ITSELF to Lollipop VIA official T-Mobile OTA. This is what worked for me. After updating, then I simply use CF-Auto-Root and then TWRP flashes in NORMAL FASHION, allowing restarts IN BETWEEN FLASHES, clearing cache/dalvik after each install, and allowing 10 mins of settle time after every boot. Then I installed a Custom ROM and Mods, and now it all works perfectly.
Let me know if this helps or if you have experienced similar issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, could you post the links that you say have the issues?

AxAtAx said:
Yes, could you post the links that you say have the issues?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure thing guys, A good example would be this guide here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2672393
Really great guide, makes everything nice and easy, until you get past flashing the Lollipop Stock firmware VIA THIS LINK: http://www.sammobile.com/firmwares/database/SM-N900T/ in one of the very first seps.
If you download the N900TUVUFOB6 (Lollipop) Firmware and flash it, you will get alot of random force closes once the ROM boots and settles. If you pay attention after flashing, you will note the device name defaults to Note 4, and there's your clue.
I still cant believe Ive been working on this phone for the past 13 hours trying to get everything working properly. Happily I have found a ROM I like that is INSANELY FAST AND STABLE and I've installed all the Mods that I want. All I need to do at this point is re-download all my apps and set all the settings.

wallacengineering said:
Sure thing guys, A good example would be this guide here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2672393
Really great guide, makes everything nice and easy, until you get past flashing the Lollipop Stock firmware VIA THIS LINK: http://www.sammobile.com/firmwares/database/SM-N900T/ in one of the very first seps.
If you download the N900TUVUFOB6 (Lollipop) Firmware and flash it, you will get alot of random force closes once the ROM boots and settles. If you pay attention after flashing, you will note the device name defaults to Note 4, and there's your clue.
I still cant believe Ive been working on this phone for the past 13 hours trying to get everything working properly. Happily I have found a ROM I like that is INSANELY FAST AND STABLE and I've installed all the Mods that I want. All I need to do at this point is re-download all my apps and set all the settings.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just put that stock rom on my wifes phone a few days ago, and it defaulted to Note 3 on hers. well, never mind, as you have seem to have got it rolling now.:good::good:

I must be taken crazy pills.
Pp. :what:

Can i ever unbrick my note 3
Frustrated at the moment. I've been trying to unbrick my note 3 for 2 days without any luck. I switched it off after after a week of rooting it and bang it wouldn't go past the samsung logo, it restarts itself automatically without going past the samsung logo. I've downloaded countless version of kitkat stock firmware from different sources for my sm-N900T, flashed with odin more than 10 times, followed every instruction about unbricking.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

boofydon said:
Frustrated at the moment. I've been trying to unbrick my note 3 for 2 days without any luck. I switched it off after after a week of rooting it and bang it wouldn't go past the samsung logo, it restarts itself automatically without going past the samsung logo. I've downloaded countless version of kitkat stock firmware from different sources for my sm-N900T, flashed with odin more than 10 times, followed every instruction about unbricking.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you have stock recovery installed and can you get to it? You might want to try wiping cache and doing a factory reset. If that doesn't fix it then maybe try downloading a stock firmware from Sammobile and flashing it with Odin. You might have have an incompatible app that was installed with a previous rom and a wipe of the Data partition might be needed. You will lose all of your data and apps though.
Next step I'd do if none of that worked would be flashing twrp and wiping data, cache and dalvik and hope...
Good luck.

Ravoz88 said:
Do you have stock recovery installed and can you get to it? You might want to try wiping cache and doing a factory reset. If that doesn't fix it then maybe try downloading a stock firmware from Sammobile and flashing it with Odin. You might have have an incompatible app that was installed with a previous rom and a wipe of the Data partition might be needed. You will lose all of your data and apps though.
Next step I'd do if none of that worked would be flashing twrp and wiping data, cache and dalvik and hope...
Good luck.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for your time. I flashed it with a new stock from sammobile but it's still in a boot loop state even though odin always show pass. And when I flashed it with twrp my note 3 was unable to enter recovery mode.

Help removing "dm-verity?"

Hey guys,
I've had this phone for a while; bootloader unlock/rooted a few months ago without any issues. I'm looking to sell the phone, and wanted to restore everything back to stock:
So I ODIN'd to stock CPF3. I noticed that the phone was suspiciously laggy, and found out that it's caused by spyware left behind by KingRoot, and is fixable by clearing the EFS folder from root.
So I went back to BPA1, unlcocked BL/rooted, and deleted everything from the efs folder. After reboot, phone was running good as new without any hitches.
The issue arised when I tried to ODIN flash the CPF3 full firmware provided by hsbadr. ODIN would go fine, but when the phone would reboot into the recovery, I'd get a dead Android bot saying "DRK is not installed. Please install DRK" or something along those lines. I ignored it, and the phone booted with no issues.
When I tried to factory reset from within the OS, however, I'd face the DRK and dm-verity verification failure when the phone would boot into the recovery, and it would'nt continue with the factory reset.
Now alarmed, I backed down to BPA1, and when the phone would boot back into recovery after a successful ODIN flash, the process would restart the phone when the progress bar would hit ~1/3 of completion (this happens in the recovery).
Rebooting into the recovery would show an orange "dm-verity failed," and when I try to OTA to CPD1 via external sd, It gives the "cannot update from external sd" error.
Googling the DRK keyword showed that it is KNOX being tripped that caused the issue. So far, neither Google nor the xda-forums have showed how to fix the issue on the 910-V.
I really want to restore the phone to as close-to-factory as possible, and removing this DRK issue would be a great help. Any help is greatly appreciated.
Edit #1: I have tried both this guide and this one to absolutely no avail. What am I missing? DM-Verity refuses to go away
EDIT #2: My brother also has a 910-v, and he hasn't cleared his EFS folder (stupid me for not making a back-up, eh?). Is it safe to clear mine again, and copy-paste his EFS folder into my phone? What are some adjustments I should make to avoid a corrupted IMEI? Any help is appreciated.
EDIT#3: I've tried this method, and it removes DM-verity on the first boot. It returns after factory reset. Currently trying a few different combos of flashing kernels/recoveries etc. to see if I can get it to stick. Permanently. Is it still OK to get by bro's EFS folder?

dm-verity and lagginess
HELP!!!!!!
It is annoying to see the dm-verity failed. The phone works fine but its just at the recovery boot. I am not sure what to do. I have a Galaxy S7 on Verizon. I rooted my phone using ODIN. I unrooted it already and it did not work. I did the Verizon recovery and it did not work either. However, I am not able to access to the recovery menu in my phone. I am rooted and the phone is working fine. It is just slow and it has some glitches on some apps like Snapchat... The video is so laggy it is not even funny. I am not sure if that has anything to do with the dm-verity but I need this 3 issues fixed ASAP. I will forever be grateful. I used my friends S7 that is not rooted and it was SO FAST! I am not sure if the root has anything to do with the lagginess but I doubt it because I have read here in XDA that root actually makes your phone faster.
1) Remove and fix the dm-verity
2) Fix laggy snapchat
3) Laggy phone overall.
My phone is Galaxy S7 on Verizon. SM-G930V

notsonerd said:
HELP!!!!!!
It is annoying to see the dm-verity failed. The phone works fine but its just at the recovery boot. I am not sure what to do. I have a Galaxy S7 on Verizon. I rooted my phone using ODIN. I unrooted it already and it did not work. I did the Verizon recovery and it did not work either. However, I am not able to access to the recovery menu in my phone. I am rooted and the phone is working fine. It is just slow and it has some glitches on some apps like Snapchat... The video is so laggy it is not even funny. I am not sure if that has anything to do with the dm-verity but I need this 3 issues fixed ASAP. I will forever be grateful. I used my friends S7 that is not rooted and it was SO FAST! I am not sure if the root has anything to do with the lagginess but I doubt it because I have read here in XDA that root actually makes your phone faster.
1) Remove and fix the dm-verity
2) Fix laggy snapchat
3) Laggy phone overall.
My phone is Galaxy S7 on Verizon. SM-G930V
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You might want to go to the verizon S7 forums for that. These are the 910-V forums. Sorry for not being able to help.
Look for how to ODIN flash full stock recovery/firmware in the S7 forums. That is all I can say.

SirLaughsalot said:
You might want to go to the verizon S7 forums for that. These are the 910-V forums. Sorry for not being able to help.
Look for how to ODIN flash full stock recovery/firmware in the S7 forums. That is all I can say.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a vzw note 4 and I'm getting the dm verity verification failed when I try to a factory reset...been at this for a week so I'm pleading for help.
I posted on dr.cools attempt to fix this before I saw this post. sorry for double posting.
edit--I'm attempting the OP's number 3. will report back. Downloading BOG5 because that's what my version shows on the phonw
Question--Right now I'm stuck at BOG5. Do I need to do anything special to get to PA1 so I can start the root/unlock process again?
edit--just flashed firmware and modem and was able to do a factory reset...now back to rooting and bootloader unlock, hopefully.