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Ok I have Samsung i9000m with JL2 on Bell Mobility.
I have bricked one phone from using Eugenes flash. The flash worked but it would not connect to the cell network. I have had it replaced. Now I'm being very cautious on flashing.
I keep reading that you have to back up the /efs directory. However I need root access to this folder, I have 3e recovery so the update.zip files need to be signed.
So how do I flash safely without wiping the /efs folder
OR how do I safely downgrade from 3e to 2e recovery to root the device.
I have a Xperia X10 and have had no issues with flashing, I have it fully moded out with no issues.
It seems that Samsung has decided to make the IMEI information easy to delete!
Some clear direction to get root on my phone would be greatly helpfull!
Shaun
radar1976 said:
Ok I have Samsung i9000m with JL2 on Bell Mobility.
I have bricked one phone from using Eugenes flash. The flash worked but it would not connect to the cell network. I have had it replaced. Now I'm being very cautious on flashing.
I keep reading that you have to back up the /efs directory. However I need root access to this folder, I have 3e recovery so the update.zip files need to be signed.
So how do I flash safely without wiping the /efs folder
OR how do I safely downgrade from 3e to 2e recovery to root the device.
I have a Xperia X10 and have had no issues with flashing, I have it fully moded out with no issues.
It seems that Samsung has decided to make the IMEI information easy to delete!
Some clear direction to get root on my phone would be greatly helpfull!
Shaun
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you have the 3br? If you do then the first thing id do is flash diferent kernel either cf root by chainfire or hardcores speedmod both will give you root plus 2e.
I am also on JL2 and I used the Speedmod kernel and it worked fine.
I used speedmod-kernel-k12h-256hz
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=822756
Ian
This post is just to give you a heads up that you can not downgrade from JL2. if you can please tell me how you got it to work.
I just got my phone back from bell, they could not repair it, so i got a brand new phone.
The new phone had JH2 on it.
I installed kies and it automatically update it to JL2.
Before upgrading I forgot to do two things,
1) install CWR, jl2 uses 3e and not 2e and CWR does not work with 3e.
2) unlock the phone, the unlock method needs jh2 or less, as i know it you can not get the unlock code from a 2.2 froyo like JL2.
So i load up odin, (all versions 1.3 1.0 1.7) and try going back to jh2.
it does flash, but after on restart we can not boot the phone, it keeps boot looping on SAMSUNG screen. I even tried all the pit files and checking partition.
only download mode works. so i flashed back JL2. else my phone does not boot.
guys can we NOT downgrade back from jl2 on bell phone?
I am just thinking how bad this will be for the new phones that already have JL2 installed outta the box, and you if you can not downgrade how will new users with this phone be able to unlock the phone and install rom manager or a.k.a. Clockwork Recovery
Use odin and flash a kernel that has 2e or find a full rom that has the .sbl and boot file in it and flash that.
Petsonally I flashed JL2 with kies then flashed hardcores kernel found in the android section of the forums then been flashing custom roms from cwm im on darky's 7.7 right now with the jl2 modem.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
Samdroid_G_S said:
Use odin and flash a kernel that has 2e or find a full rom that has the .sbl and boot file in it and flash that.
Petsonally I flashed JL2 with kies then flashed hardcores kernel found in the android section of the forums then been flashing custom roms from cwm im on darky's 7.7 right now with the jl2 modem.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here...did it less than an hour ago.
1st I flashed the speed mod kernel, then installed Darkys 7.7 from the internal SD...working now so it can be done as I was on JL2 before.
Yes you can still install custom roms but you can never go back to previous samsung official software. So no JH2.
Samdroid_G_S said:
Use odin and flash a kernel that has 2e or find a full rom that has the .sbl and boot file in it and flash that.
Petsonally I flashed JL2 with kies then flashed hardcores kernel found in the android section of the forums then been flashing custom roms from cwm im on darky's 7.7 right now with the jl2 modem.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I found jl2 rom with sbl.bin
but other versions of roms like jh2 and jg8 dont have the sbl.bin file in side, and if i just flash those roms anyways then after extract the sb.bin file from the jl2 rom and try flashing it alone it does not help.
so please tell me where can i get a bell rom for i9000m with sbl.bin file already there.
also you say to flash a boot file AND sbl.bin, what is a boot file? do you mean the sbl.bin is the boot file?
cyfawcett said:
Same here...did it less than an hour ago.
1st I flashed the speed mod kernel, then installed Darkys 7.7 from the internal SD...working now so it can be done as I was on JL2 before.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
where did you get the speed mod kernel.
please link me.
fnakfhe said:
I found jl2 rom with sbl.bin
but other versions of roms like jh2 and jg8 dont have the sbl.bin file in side, and if i just flash those roms anyways then after extract the sb.bin file from the jl2 rom and try flashing it alone it does not help.
so please tell me where can i get a bell rom for i9000m with sbl.bin file already there.
also you say to flash a boot file AND sbl.bin, what is a boot file? do you mean the sbl.bin is the boot file?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://www.multiupload.com/EZF1IEZ34H
That JH2 has SBL in it.
reflame said:
Yes you can still install custom roms but you can never go back to previous samsung official software. So no JH2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can but you just need a JH2 that has the .sbl file in it like the one Cloudstrainer provided.
b.s. dont post information if you are clueless. you can easily go back to jh2 or any rom just install a kernel that doesnt have the locked boot loader
like bln kernel , cwm kernel or speedmod kernel.
fnakfhe said:
where did you get the speed mod kernel.
please link me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here is a link with instructions on how to install Hardcore's Kernel once this kernel is flashed on your phone you can go from JL2 to a custom 2.2 rom of your choice. DO NOT FLASH THIS KERNEL IF YOU ARE USING UGJH2 this is a 2.2, 2.2.1 Kernel ONLY.
http://touristinparadise.blogspot.com/2010/11/samsung-galaxy-s-how-to-install.html
JK4 and JL2 both had the new SBL in there. I was able to flash via kies the JH2(or 8, can't remember) at one point when it was still available.
What does this mean for rooting and other things? Are we able to root the phone or are they going to be locking down the phone so we can't do anything anymore? If they will lock it down I can just drop it in the toilet and get my insurance to get me a Nexus S >.>
thanx for the rom. was looking for a native rom so i could actually change between gsm and wcdma, and your rom fits the bill. hope you continue to update the rom, like more tweaks n stuff on your spare time
fnakfhe said:
2) unlock the phone, the unlock method needs jh2 or less, as i know it you can not get the unlock code from a 2.2 froyo like JL2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe someone mentioned this already but you can unlock with JL2. I used SGS Unlock Pro from the Android Market.
Interestling enough, I CANNOT for the life of me recover after trying to downgrade to a different rom..
I got JL2 (locked) and I tried to unlock (no luck) so I tried a different rom (yes I know how to use ODIN) Ive tried 4 or 5 different ronms with different methods of flashing.
And no luck..
Tried the orig JL2 rom again, and Im stuck in a boot loop
not much fun!
Mine is dead ather this same process
Hi , I did the same as you. I got my SGS rev 10.10 back from getting flashed by bell. They flashed JL2 in it and I wanted to try Darky's rom. I tried to go to JH2 first and the phone started to loop. So I tried flash it again and I lost download mode. I had to make the 301K usb jig to get the download mode back. I tried to flash back JL2 but that just killed the phone out right ... Now I have no screen at all. No messages or any sign of life. I called Bell and they will ship me a new one by mail in 5 Busness days.
gemini8026 said:
Interestling enough, I CANNOT for the life of me recover after trying to downgrade to a different rom..
I got JL2 (locked) and I tried to unlock (no luck) so I tried a different rom (yes I know how to use ODIN) Ive tried 4 or 5 different ronms with different methods of flashing.
And no luck..
Tried the orig JL2 rom again, and Im stuck in a boot loop
not much fun!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just got my replacement from bell, came with jl2 on it. I tried flashing jh2 onto it for three purposes of unlocking without any success. I had to go back to jl2 to get it booting again. In the ends I used the nv_data.bin modifying method of unlocking and it started working on rogers so I put the rom kitchen docrom on it, jpy, hardcore kernel and have been enjoying ever since. Hopefully this method of unlocking proves to be permanent
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
For those of you trying to downgrade to JH2 are you downloading the version that is linked in this thread and are you making sure Update Bootloader is checked in odin when flashing?
I also tried to flash an older stock firmware, but now my SGS gets stuck on the logo and the three buttton recovery mode or download mode doesn't work. Holding the power down and home button on causes it to switch betweeen the log and the battery
cloudrainstar said:
http://www.multiupload.com/EZF1IEZ34H
That JH2 has SBL in it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can anyone confirm that flashing this through Odin to downgrade from JL2 works?
What settings in Odin? Repartition? PIT?
Thanks!
knightdaemon said:
Can anyone confirm that flashing this through Odin to downgrade from JL2 works?
What settings in Odin? Repartition? PIT?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I confirm the JH2 linked in the thread works to downgrade from JL2. I used Odin 1.7 and put the file in the PDA and select "flash bootloader". Nothing else, no PIT no repartition, nothing. You don't need root or anything special, just 3-button mode.
Every other firmware I used put me in an infinite boot loop, this one worked fine to downgrade.
I also upgraded back up to JL2 through kies w/o a problem after the downgrade.
Here's what I did to get JVH (with 850mhz band) and CSC for Canada on my phone. It worked for me at least
Files:
SpeedmodK15E_withLoaders.tar.md5 (8.38 MB)
http://www.multiupload.com/SRVH1BTK8R
JVH_KC1_BMC.zip (169.32 MB)
http://www.multiupload.com/1FHETKJOWA
StockJVH_Kernal_noLoaders.tar.md5 (5.47 MB)
http://www.multiupload.com/PM3AXR7JFG
**************Disclaimer:***************
I'm not responsible if this bricks your phone, as "the boss" said if I break mine, she'll break me... or I get a $20 replacement phone
Backup your /efs folder, backup EVERYTHING, just in case... I'm paranoid so I did it all
ROM NOTES:
Got deodexed from here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=11256520&postcount=1
Modem:
KC1
Busybox:
1.18.4
Hosts file updated for ad blocking using:
http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/hosts.htm
Here's the steps I followed:
Save all files to folder/desktop
Connect phone via usb and copy JVH_KC1_BMC.zip to root of sdcard
Restart phone in download mode
Open Odin and click PDA
Select Speedmod tar file
Uncheck Auto-Reboot
Check F.Reset Time (I don't know what it does, but it's always checked)
Flash the tar.
Once complete and the box says "PASS" in green, unplug your phone and pull the battery (I was told it's safe, as it's in the MIUI instructions as well)
Put battery back in and start phone in recovery with VOL UP+HOME+POWER
In recovery choose to update from zip
Choose file from sdcard
Choose the JVH_KC1_BMC zip file and update
The phone will restart/install.
Once it's started up for the first time I recommend restarting in download mode and flashing the stock JVH kernal
You can also use any kernal you want.
Let me know if I can help at all. I was trying to make a completely odin flashable tar for this but failed miserably :9
I'll do my best to answer any questions however this is my first time making something to flash for you all
Note:
I'm not sure where to put this, sorry to mods/admins if it's in the wrong spot, please let me know
Hi,
I saw your thread, and I found it very interesting for people who own a Bell SGS 9000m Vibrant and wanna upgrate to Gingerbread.
So I decided to flash the Gingerbread JVH ROM just like you did, but I need to know a few things:
1. Will I be able to downgrade to my original stock froyo after this flash ?
2. Will I be able to update via Kies in case Bell release an official gingerbread update ?
3. Right now my phone is SIMUnlocked, will I lose my SIMunlockation after the flash ?
4. And is my actual configuration right to excecute this flash or should I flash something else before ?
My configuration is the following:
Baseband version
I9000UGJL2
Firmware
2.2
Kernel
2.6.32.9
[email protected] #3
Build number
FROYO.UGJL2
galaxy s vibrant bell
gt-i9000m
Thanks for your hard work, I hope to read back from you soon.
I have exact same configuration and exact same questions as poster above!!!
Still no answer... Guess we'll have to try if wanna know...
nguetto said:
Hi,
I saw your thread, and I found it very interesting for people who own a Bell SGS 9000m Vibrant and wanna upgrate to Gingerbread.
So I decided to flash the Gingerbread JVH ROM just like you did, but I need to know a few things:
1. Will I be able to downgrade to my original stock froyo after this flash ?
2. Will I be able to update via Kies in case Bell release an official gingerbread update ?
3. Right now my phone is SIMUnlocked, will I lose my SIMunlockation after the flash ?
4. And is my actual configuration right to excecute this flash or should I flash something else before ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. yes, it's possible
2. yes, but you would either need to downgrade first or do a kies hack
3. no
4. you can do it straight
Thanks zorxd.
I am going to try. So there is no need for me to select any Pit file or did the guy forget to mention it ? Also can we tick the repartition option in Odin?
Sorry if I ask usekess question I am used to flash android but new to the SGS flashing...
when you repartition you need a PIT file.
My advice is to not repartition unless you need it.
Too late... I did it got stuck into bootloop. I had an error when I tried to install the zip from the recovery (I had recovery 3e) : E : Short write of /tmp/sideload/package.zip (No space left on device) . However, I flashed the back eclair JHL and went back to the stock eclair rom. I am going to restart from there following your intructions. I now have recovery 2e ( Somehow I can't get ClockWorkMod Recovery to load directly; it always send me to recovery 2e and there I apply update.zip to go to CWM recovery)
Thanks for your help, I'll let you know if I manage to get it done.
Still get the error E:Short write of/tmp/sideload/package.zip (No space left on device) when try to install JVH_KC1_BMC.zip from the recovery 3e ( this recovery comes right after I flash SpeedmodK15E_withLoaders.tar ...
Don't know what else to try... Help please..
I did it a slightly different way. From 2.2, I flashed a stock 3 part gingerbread rom (phone, PDA, CSC) with bootloader update using ODIN 1.82. I then flashed CF root gingerbread kernel for CWM3 and then flashed the KC1 modem from clockwork recovery for the 850 band.
Could you please show me the exact files you used so I can try to do the same ?
Aren't there at least a couple threads on how to install jvh/jvp on an i9000? Its the exact same process as those you just have to flash the kc1 modem via cwm after you are done. It sounds like you guys are experimenting too much.
Sent from my Darky's i9000m
nguetto said:
Could you please show me the exact files you used so I can try to do the same ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Our canadian phone is not really different from all the other ones, so you don't need a special "Bell Canada" installation.
If you want JVH, you can follow this thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=818556
You don't have to do everything like fugumod, etc. I would flash JVH via odin and then flash CF root kernel via odin so you get CWM3.
There's also leaked 2.3.4 JVP gingerbread out, if you feel inclined:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1102881
There's a way to enable 850 band on the different gingerbread modems, but i never bothered, I just flashed the KC1 modem for Bell which has the band (via CWM3). Search for I9000UGKC1
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=9874879&postcount=1
Okay I am really starting to freak out now...
I am stuck in bootloop, I can't get out og it. I tried flash Back the Stock Bell Firmware but it keeps boot looping. Download mode is okay. But it started doing this I had a message like sd could not be mounted in recovery 3e. Now I can't even access recovery after I flash Eclair but Download mode is still okay...
Aby ideas ?
Have you tried flashing back the stock JL2 firmware from bell? (found on samfirmware.com)
I've never encountered this error before, I wonder if it is a problem with the bootloaders, as the official froyo firmware from bell had a secondary bootloader and gingerbread has its own bootloaders as well.
nguetto said:
Okay I am really starting to freak out now...
I am stuck in bootloop, I can't get out og it. I tried flash Back the Stock Bell Firmware but it keeps boot looping. Download mode is okay. But it started doing this I had a message like sd could not be mounted in recovery 3e. Now I can't even access recovery after I flash Eclair but Download mode is still okay...
Aby ideas ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I imagine you'll need the stock bell firmware as said above and also the proper PIT file to go along with it.
Sent from my Darky's i9000m
Also if you repartitioned it when you tried to flash the whatever it was when you tried you will also have to repartition it when going back down to froyo.
2.2 and 2.3 use different bootloaders therefore if you try to mix and match rom's without the bootloaders and repartioning you will get a ****y phone.
Sent from my Darky's i9000m
Thanks for your help guys. I didn't solve it yet, but i will open a new thread to prevent this one from getting to messy.
Hi!
I was earlier on EH18 rom & now I am currently on geewiz 2.8 kernal & system (which was flashed using CWM red recovery) with EH18 radio. I have tried to Odin stock EH03 rom (md5 is correct) on my phone but could not go beyond modem.bin. I tried the same with FC27 rom too. Every time i try to odin i am getting stuck at modem.bin.
Has my handset been locked by my service provider from whom i have bought the handset ie Reliance (india)?
If yes, how do i unlock it safely without disturbing any other settings so that i do not lose my connectivity with them?
If no, what else could be wrong?
Can i flash EH03 baseband (radio) via CWM??
I need to do this as I'm not able to upgrade my handset to AKOP ICS roms which need my phone to be atleast on EH03 before starting.
Thanks in advance
swapnilss said:
Hi!
I was earlier on EH18 rom & now I am currently on geewiz 2.8 kernal & system (which was flashed using CWM red recovery) with EH18 radio. I have tried to Odin stock EH03 rom (md5 is correct) on my phone but could not go beyond modem.bin. I tried the same with FC27 rom too. Every time i try to odin i am getting stuck at modem.bin.
Has my handset been locked by my service provider from whom i have bought the handset ie Reliance (india)?
If yes, how do i unlock it safely without disturbing any other settings so that i do not lose my connectivity with them?
If no, what else could be wrong?
Can i flash EH03 baseband (radio) via CWM??
I need to do this as I'm not able to upgrade my handset to AKOP ICS roms which need my phone to be atleast on EH03 before starting.
Thanks in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
try the geewiz odin file.. that should put you to eh03
I have already tried to Odin geewiz full rom but that too gets stuck at modem.bin
swapnilss said:
I have already tried to Odin geewiz full rom but that too gets stuck at modem.bin
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you tried odined the other full roms? Maybe that will help you pass the modem.bin step? http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1526488
i have tried flashing EH03 stock & geewiz full rom too but still no luck...
Heimdall uses itd own driver...maybe you would have more luck with that? Have you tried flashing just the radio with an older version of heimdall? Don't use the newest suite as the program has become more of a Odin replacement rather than a granular tool.
Actually, now that I think about it you could also try the 1 click eh03 package in the dev forum.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using xda premium
Hi!
Whenever i am trying to upgrade to geewiz rom I am getting this message
Restoring data...
Restoring datadata...
E:cant mount /dev/block/stl10
(file exists)
Error Mounting /datadata/!
Skipping format...
E:Cant mount /dev/block/stl10
(file exists)
Cant Mount datadata/!
Pls help
Sounds like your partitions are screwed up or you are using an incompatible/bad version of CWM.
How do i restore my partitions? I have used CWM, stock as well as geewiz recovery to wipe data but all of them display similar mesage saying cannot format dbdata
Have you tried to Odin stock eh03 with the pit file? That may help. And make sure you check reparation
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA
Hi All,
I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this as I'm relatively new to posting on XDA. My girlfriend has a Galaxy S4 (I337) that I quickly and easily installed Cyanogenmod on. It's awesome and significantly better than TouchWiz. So, I bought an S4 off Ebay assuming it would be similar enough. It turns out this new S4 is an I9500 and before shipping it was updated to 4.3, which appears to lock the bootloader and prevent downgrading. I've tried Odin, Heimdall, ADB, Philz, Chainfire, Cofface, stock ROMs, etc with no luck. Today I did manage to root the phone and confirm root with TowelRoot. I'm wondering/hoping someone might have some resources to get CM on this thing. While I'd prefer not to brick it I am willing to take risks as I have a Razr (soft-bricked and unbricked) running CM and am relatively comfortable with computers/Linux.
I've been Googling and trying things for a month now and can't even find that much information on the locked bootloader. Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks.
--
SL
The I9500 doesn't have a locked bootloader. You just can't downgrade from 4.3 to 4.2.2 with official roms. Same applies when you are running 4.4, then you also can't downgrade officially.
Just flash a custom recovery true Odin and flash away.
Why would you even want to downgrade? Are you sure you are picking the right files? You cant flash the files for the I337 on the I9500. So just go to the section for the I9500 roms and flash away.
Hi Lennyz1988,
Thanks for the quick reply. I don't specifically want to downgrade but that's the last option I've tried. Ultimately the goal is to put Cyanogenmod on the phone. When I attempt to upload any file via Odin I get "secure magiccode check fail : boot" (or fail : recovery) depending on what I'm flashing. All the reading I've done says that when these phones are updated to 4.3 a fix has been applied that stops Odin from working. Thus, I my last resort is/was to try and downgrade. As I said, I've been Googling for the last month and while few people have posted about this I have not found any solutions.
Hoping someone might have a solution or anything new to try that I haven't tried already, thanks again,
--
SL
Download the latest TWRP recovery:
http://techerrata.com/browse/twrp2/i9500
Fire it up in Odin under PDA. You need the .tar (DON'T EXTRACT IT).
If it fails:
- Different usb port
- Different cable
- Different pc
- Reinstall drivers
- Make sure Kies is not running the background.
Or you can use heimdall to flash it. Use the command line though:
heimdall flash --recovery nameoftherecovery.img (you need the .img instead of the .tar)
No luck there, Odin still fails with the same message. I have tried Heimdall on 2 different computers (4 different usb cables) and always get the libusb 12 error.
Since I have root access I figured I might be able to wipe the recovery partition from a terminal emulator. I copied recovery.img from the I9500 CWM to the internal sd card. I then went to /dev/block/msm_sdcc.1/by-name to figure out what partition is recovery, turns out its 21. I then did “dd if=/sdcard/recovery.img of=/dev/block/mmcblk0p21”. I then booted into recovery and it just hung up. I had previously found a stock recovery partition so I flashed that via Odin (the only file I have found that works flashing via Odin). I could then boot back into the normal recovery. I then tried flashing both recovery and cache with the CF Auto files (cache is partition 18). Same result, it just hangs when trying to boot into recovery. At one point I did manage to flash a recovery that then came up with a warning about “software installed that is not supported by AT&T” and I couldn’t get past that so had to flash the stock recovery again.
On a side note, I accidentally wiped the EFS partition in this process (if found a tutorial that shows the S3 had recovery in partition 10, which is EFS on the S4). As a result 1.) the menu didn’t pop up when I hit the power button and 2.) wifi didn’t work. So, I made an .img of the EFS partition on my GT-I337 and moved it to the I9500 and that worked restoring both. In case anyone makes the same mistake.
I have now also used CWM ROM Manager and GooManger and tried installing recovery that way with no luck.
Just check if the internal memory partitioning is correct ( number, size and format) (use fdisk or parsed).
ODIN will install according to the PIT file and if drivers and cables are OK it is no other explanation than that.
PS: do not trust heimdall data because it just read the PIT file and do not give the true info from the memory part.!
Uhm on the TWRP website they say that the I9500 has it on partition 10.....
This would be the proper partition based on their website:
mmcblk0p10
Are you absolutely sure you have an i9500? Because my guess is that you don't.....
Boot into download mode. What does it say your model is?
Because on the AT&T it's partition 21.... So my guess is that you are messing up....
Thanks everyone for the input/feedback,
Something I think I had forgotten to mention previously, when the initial root/recovery attempts didn't work I downloaded an app to verify it is a genuine Samsung as I have heard of very good knock-offs. It is genuine according to the app.
Good point/catch regarding the location of the recovery partition. Under About Phone it shows as an I9500 and always has. When in download mode it currently shows as I337 but I wasn't sure if that was simply a result of all my attempts so I figured best to go with the one I am certain has been the same since I bought the phone. I had been hesitant to try wiping the recovery with for the I337 as that is how I soft-bricked my RazrHD (ultimately un-bricked it).
Tonight I will try the I337 files and see if Odin is successful. Thanks again.
Damn! Turns out my phone is an I337. The hardward (under the battery) says I9500 and when I plug it into a computer it shows up as I9500. On the weekend I thought I read that there is now the ability to flash recovery and install CyanogenMod on I337 if its updated to 4.4.2. So, I donwloaded the firmware and flashed with Odin. It flashed successfully but now I realize I am mistaken and 1.) cannot flash recovery, and 2.) cannot downgrade. For the time being I have installed Nova Launcher and removed as much of TouchWiz as possible. It's not perfect but at least usable. I'd like to start researching what it would take to flash recovery on this phone but I suspect I'm too busy at this moment.
Thanks everyone for the help,