[Q] What the worst that can happen? - Sprint Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshoot

So here's a scrub question... I'm worried about possibly bricking my S4 and all that, as it's my only one. I want to see if Android Kitchen will work the jfltespr variant of the S4 after the update, so what I did was take a SlimBean ROM that I already know works on my phone as it, and I loaded it in the kitchen, then recompiled it again so I can flash it.
The only difference is now it's a "kitchen" ROM, so it has the potential to not work.
So with that said... if I attempt to flash a ROM with TWRP and something bad happens, what's the worst that could happen to my phone? I'll always be able to get back to recovery and flash again, right? Or can a custom ROM screw up have the potential to destroy my phone?

As long as you can get it to boot into download mode you can always fix any disaster. If you find a way to hard brick it through flashing you will be in new territory..

This phone is very hard to brick. You are always good if you can get into download mode or recovery. There are possibilities of losing a Meid # or something, but I don't see that happening, but I guess it could be possible depending on what you are doing.
Sent from my Sprint Galaxy S4 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

Related

Anyone brave enough to flash a different Galaxy S recovery?

The though did cross my mind using koush's rom manager to flash one of the three available recoveries for other galaxy s phones, but I was too afraid off bricking the new phone. Maybe someone, that has nothing to lose because they are exchanging their defective phone, could try it out and see what happens? My gut tells me that "epic fail" will happen so afterwards. It's still something that makes me go hmmmm.
I installed the rom manager doesnt seem useful without a custom recovery? lol I wont be trying it
I too am way to big of a wuss to try out one of the other roms. Guess we'll have to wait until Koush get's it up there. On his website he says if you want to help develop a different rom for a device not listed, email him. I don't know if I'm stupid or just dense, but I can't find his email anywhere on that site.
So I was bored, and feeling rather brave a while ago. Then I remembered this thread and thought, "Why not."
As you can see from the first pic, Rom manager is showing that I've already successfully flashed a recovery, that being because I tried all variations of the Galaxy S's recovery available on Rom Manager before I got to the last when I decided to take pictures of the process with my EVO. Anyway, here's what happens, step by step. The end result is the same for each recovery.
- http://yfrog.com/j5oigoj
- http://yfrog.com/5572913662j
- http://yfrog.com/j3ltzgj
-http://yfrog.com/nfqwmtj
- http://yfrog.com/83rzclj
- http://twitpic.com/2lu3xk
Signature verification fail.
No brick. No custom recovery. #sadpanda
So it only works if you flash back to the original ROM?
Have you tried flashing it with the Clockworkmod Recovery Noobnl posted? The Samsung Recovery should be able to flash anything not signed my Sprint and Samsung.

[Q] Samsung Galaxy S4 user wanting some advice

Hello All,
New to owning an android device and so far I like it, well that is Is like android, but not the slow and sometimes laggy touchwizz
I think I want to root and flash a 4.2.2 Rom onto my phone.
I have a few questions for you guys though.
Is rooting and installing a flashed ROM easy?
Once I have gone to a flashed ROM I assume I can only update be flashing a new ROM?
Is there ever a way to put my Galaxy S4 to a state in which you'd never know it had been modyfied?
I notice there are ROMS to go back to touchwizz, do they have the automatic updates as originally intended by Samsung?
Thanks in advance
Ryandonovan22 said:
Hello All,
New to owning an android device and so far I like it, well that is Is like android, but not the slow and sometimes laggy touchwizz
I think I want to root and flash a 4.2.2 Rom onto my phone.
I have a few questions for you guys though.
Is rooting and installing a flashed ROM easy?
Once I have gone to a flashed ROM I assume I can only update be flashing a new ROM?
Is there ever a way to put my Galaxy S4 to a state in which you'd never know it had been modyfied?
I notice there are ROMS to go back to touchwizz, do they have the automatic updates as originally intended by Samsung?
Thanks in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here isn't the right place for questions. There is an exclusive section only for that. Over XDA is possible to find a lot of tutorials teaching how to root and install a custom ROM. Root is easy, it was released CF-Auto-Root, you just need install drivers, odin and flash on your phone. In order to install a rom you need to do a similar process to use custom recovery that will be able to install ROM's.
If you have i9505 you can use Triangle Away app that will erase any trace. But if you have i9500 (octa), that isn't possible (yet, as people say). But you always can return to stock rom, kernel, etc.
If i'm not saying a mistake, some rom's allow you to receive updates.
Yes it's fairly easy. There are tons of guides here and on YouTube. Takes like 2 minutes.
That's correct.
You can revert back to stock and get official updates yes. There's a tool/app called triangle away that you need to run, then boot recovery and do a wipe. After that go in to download mode and flash stock rom from Odin. Maybe this wasn't the most detailed response hehe. I always recommend to beginners to look up a guide on YouTube that shows this step by step. Then it's difficult to fail
If you run in to problems just come back here and ask. Also don't forget to do a backup of your stock rom from your recovery just in case.
Skickat från min GT-I9505 med Tapatalk 4 Beta
It is easy and difficult at the same time
First of all, it does not hurt to be computer-savy. Your phone is a little computer, nothing else.
If you know what a Bootloader is and a Kernel and a ROM and if you know what an administrator is and if you can install Windows on a PC, you shouldn't have much troubles. Even better is when you already have some Linux knowledge.
OTOH if you are the type of person who has difficulties using a computer at all, or if you think Windows 7 is too complicated to handle, you will face more difficulties (OTOH you will learn a lot!).
So the rule of thump is:
As long as you follow instructions, but do not know what the hell you are doing, follow all instructions very closely. As you progress, you will know what you do, and then it gets much easier.
Have fun!
Done it!
Was easier than I imagined.
I've installed custom ROM's reverted back to a backup and the likes, just taking it through the motions so I know how to do everything.
My next question is.... How to I remove CWM Recovery if I want the phone to go completely back to stock?
Ryandonovan22 said:
My next question is....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Moved to Q&A section.
Just flash stock rom via odin founded in sammobile. there is stock roms, just put the unique file in PDA and start. It contains recovery, kernel, region customization and modem. Do wipe data and cache before flash. If it stop in boot logo, enter stock recovery and do wipe cache, and a factory reset.
Enviado de meu GT-I9500 usando Tapatalk
I just want to add a small note here,as I just started rooting and flashing.PLEASE backup everything ,literally everything.Without backing up the state where your phone is not rooted and not flashed, there is no way you can go back to that state.
Also use nandroid backup and a backing up app which backs up your ESF files.

[Q] Questions about SafeStrap/Did I screw things up?

Hey, I recently rooted my 4.4.3 ATT Galaxy S4 using towelroot and got a little too excited/didn't do enough reading and tried to install CWM via rom manager like an idiot. Now whenever I boot my phone into recovery it says "No Command" and then "Error" when I reboot. Before I do anything further and potentially brick my phone, I want to ask a few questions.
1. Is it still possible for me to install SafeStrap, and is this a thing that I should even try to do at this point.
2. Did I screw up my phone's recovery/bootloader?
a. Is this repairable, and if not, is there anything I can do to avoid further damage?
3. Is there anything I can do to avoid further damage?
Thanks for your help!
The phone is completely repairable. The stock recovery on the phone is useless for us.
Safestrap is the only working recovery for our phone. It is different from other recoveries as it does not replace the stock one.
You can flash the full NB1 ROM in Odin if you really want to fix this. You really don't need to as the phone will work even without the stick recovery available.
Sent from my SGH-I337 running GPE using Tapatalk

[Q] ANNOYING S4!! Help needed

Ok guys, here's the deal. i bought a secondhand s4 which was advertised as a google edition. it has a couple of annoying issues, first i noticed it switching itself off and on. the worst problem with it is that when my battery goes reeeally dead it just bootloops when i have recharged. the only way i can get it back on is to start it in recovery mode (which is clockworkmod v6.0.4.4) then do a factory wipe. so yeah thats a major pain. the s4 itself is a red model and behind the battery it says its a gt-19505, however in the settings on the phone it says its a gt-19505g.
my goal is to install an official firmware if possible that i may be able to update easily, the worry that i have is that i dont know if it would then accept my network as although it appears to run google edition custom firmware it may not once i install something official on it. this may be a nooby statement i know but a noob i am lol.
if its at all possible could i keep the cwm recovery?
and if its any help when i load the other boot loader thingy (with the green android on it) in the top left it says gt-19505, im just sayin cus im sure its vital which ever this phone actually is.
here are as many details as i can give but please ask if im missing anything
ANDROID VERSION 4.4.2
KERNEL VERSION 3.4.0-faux123-KK44-GE-Custom
[email protected]omain #20
Sun Dec 1 02:30:28 CST 2013
BASEBAND VERSION 19505XXUFNA1
BUILD NUMBER KOT49H.S001.131204
also upon booting in the top left it says "kernel is not seandroid enforcing
set warranty bit:kernel"
THANKS FOR YOUR TIME And please tell me where to start as i tried updating it via kies to fix it but it just wont connect, i assume due to custom firmware.
The Google Play Edition S4 devices didn't come in any color but white. Therefore, this is an I9505 with a custom ROM on it. The download mode screen reading GT-I9505 confirmed it.
Since this is an I9505 and not an I9505G, the main question is whether this device will work with your SIM card. For that, simply insert your SIM card and boot the device. If you get signal, you're good. Otherwise you'll have to unlock the device, either by purchasing an unlock code from one of the sites that sells them, or by trying the unlock methods available on the forums.
This will also help answer the question of which stock ROM you can install on the device. If the S4 doesn't prompt you to unlock the device, then you can install one of the unbranded S4 ROMs available on sammobile.com. After that, you can put the recovery of your choice on the S4, though I recommend TWRP over the other options.
Thanks for your help. I'm a little confused though, at the moment with this custom google edition ROM it does take my sim, in fact I bet it takes any sim, I heard that was a feature of google play devices. What I meant was after I install the stock ROM will it then not take my sim. So if it has already been unlocked How would I know which ROM to install? As I now know its not a google edition, is it possible to install an official google edition ROM? Do i use this download mode, Odin, or cwm to install a firmware. I'm just not sure what my starting point is. I don't wanna follow someone's guide yet to installing something just in case I'm jumping the gun and need to uninstall this custom ROM somehow.
Sorry for asking questions that I'm sure seem dumb I'm really just trying to learn at the moment I'm green as they come with android. BTW thanks for your suggestions so far, you def seem like you know what you're talking about, cheers
Google Play devices are carrier unlocked, but this is not a Google Play Edition S4. Therefore the device was carrier unlocked at some point in its past. The unknown here is how the original owner unlocked the device. If he or she used the unlocking methods found on XDA there is a chance the lock will be lost when installing a stock ROM.
If the S4 is unlocked, you aren't restricted to a particular region and can install any I9505 ROM using Odin, though I recommend the carrier unbranded ROMs. You cannot install a stock Google Play Edition ROM on the device as the model number of a GPE device is not the same as the device you have. However, you're already rooted and have a custom recovery installed. In I9505 Development here on XDA there is a Google Play Edition ROM that can be installed on your device. Download it to your S4, wipe everything in recovery, then flash the ROM's flashable zip in recovery. I've used said ROM and it works quite well.
OK I have found the 5.0.1 ge ROM , but in there it says I must use latest recovery or whatever plus it recommended one different to mine, is it safe to install using my version of cwm or do I need to learn how to change it??
Deleted by user
TWRP is recommended as there are people who are still maintaining it, unlike Clockworkmod and Philz. While you probably can get the ROM installed using the version of Clockworkmod you have, learning how to change recoveries is useful.
OK thank you for all your help my friend, I will now find out how to do this, I'm sure there is a section on this somewhere, BTW I think you are right about my device being rooted, but I wanted to check and I followed a guide and used super su but apparently its not rooted so I guess something must've gone wrong. Bit scary if I try to change my recovery or my firmware and this causes a brick hmmmmm
It's virtually impossible to brick the S4, especially as the recovery is flashed through Odin.
Phew that's a relief. Thanks man.... Well I'm gonna just risk using cwm for now as I'm new to this........ Thanks a whole lot for your time I really mean that.
KlLLFRENZY said:
Phew that's a relief. Thanks man.... Well I'm gonna just risk using cwm for now as I'm new to this........ Thanks a whole lot for your time I really mean that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Use TWRP. CMW is outdated.
Lennyz1988 said:
Use TWRP. CMW is outdated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I want to, I really do but I'm struggling here. Before I wrote that last comment I tried to find a guide on this forum for swapping to twrp, but couldn't and didn't wanna bug this guy as he had helped enough. Anyway I went to the place he told me and have hit another wall anyway because I don't know how to use the firmware the relevant kernel or the git. My life is so busy and I'm getting about an hour on this subject a day and its gonna take forever lol
If you can help me on my way even a little its much appreciated, I would like to use twrp and the 5.0.1 ge plus the right kernel of course
KlLLFRENZY said:
I want to, I really do but I'm struggling here. Before I wrote that last comment I tried to find a guide on this forum for swapping to twrp, but couldn't and didn't wanna bug this guy as he had helped enough. Anyway I went to the place he told me and have hit another wall anyway because I don't know how to use the firmware the relevant kernel or the git. My life is so busy and I'm getting about an hour on this subject a day and its gonna take forever lol
If you can help me on my way even a little its much appreciated, I would like to use twrp and the 5.0.1 ge plus the right kernel of course
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
https://twrp.me/devices/samsunggalaxys4internationalqualcomm.html
Follow the Odin guide. It's excactly the same when you flashed CWM.
@Lennyz1988: The S4 was bought secondhand and already had CWM on it from the original owner.
@killfrenzy: Follow the guide Lenny mentioned, but don't worry about the second paragraph. Our device isn't one of those that restores the original recovery on boot.
ok will do, i just tried the app install method but as i suspected, it said root is required for this app and promptly exited so i shall do the odin method, i heard that some people remove root or it could be that it was done wrong. also after reading a few posts here and there i found out that someone had similar issues with their phone random re-booting and they had custom ge with the wrong kernel so it seems once im done my issues should be history if i learn how to install fw + kernel, after this twrp thing i will be one step closer for sure. i also know ppl slate lollipop but once im all done with this im sure i will have picked up enough terminology to install cfw's to my hearts content. hooray for forums and people like you, sounds like im kissin ass but its just gratitude
so using the twrp install guide i gotta install using the odin method i have now got 3.07 odin but this is the next step.........
Odin Install Method (No Root Required):
You will need to download and install Odin on your PC. Once you have Odin installed, download the proper .tar file for your device from the download link above. Power off your device. Turn on your device using the proper key combo to get into download mode and attach the device to your computer via a USB cable. Use the PDA tab or button to browse to and select the tar file that you downloaded and flash the device.
lololol nothins ever simple i see the list of tar files in the link above but no mention at all as to which is the proper .tar for my device, i guess they assume the guide is for people who have done it before. more research tomorrow maybe i gotta be up early ugh
Lennyz1988 said:
https://twrp.me/devices/samsunggalaxys4internationalqualcomm.html
Follow the Odin guide. It's excactly the same when you flashed CWM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Think you misunderstood, I have flashed nothing yet I got it like this. I'm completely green
Don't suppose anybody knows which is the tar file for my device?? S4gt-19505
OK now I get it, the list of tars in that section are all the same just newer builds of the same version. Seems obvious if you have done this before, but I wasn't to know that and cannot assume things. I'm also gonna guess and say Lenny thinks my s4 needs this particular version for an international, am I right?? Anyway it would've made a lot of sense but how does he know. I have no idea what this phone was I have never owned it new.
Different devices have different codes. For example, jfltexx is the I9505. A T-Mobile S4 would be jfltetmo, and so on.The link Lenny provided is for the I9505. Download the 2.8.6.0 version as its the latest.
As to how you were supposed to know, having never owned one, you weren't. There are tutorials in the General forum though that can help.

Please help me understand - No boot loop, but can't factory reset. Software not autho

Hello,
I am not a phone expert by any means. I am probably in the 'knows just enough to be dangerous category,' but I am quite willing to learn. Here is my situation as I understand it. Please advise whether my premise is flawed.
Phone: rooted Verizon Note 3 KitKat NC4 off contract / pre-paid , no warranty
Ultimate Goal: to wipe my phone and have a clean slate. Bonus if I could be able to backup images of my phone for the future. Heheeeee.
Sitrep: phone is in need of a wipe/do-over to resolve some minor annoyances, but factory reset doesn't work. It says "System software not authorized by Verizon detected...please shove it," or something. That is curious, because, since I am trying to get rid of allllllllll the software, it should just let me do it if it doesn't like some of the software. I probably don't understand this fully. (Or else they just want me to go to Verizon so they can sell me a new/worse/more despotic phone.)
I only get that message if i try to reset it, not every time i turn it on, so it doesnt bother me, but i do want to reset it, because it is full of cobwebs and battery issues. From reading this forum, I think the reason it won't reset is that about a year ago, I installed clockwork and did *something* to the recovery, but it freaked out, because my boot loader wasn't (and still isn't) unlocked, so I uninstalled clockwork. I don't remember why I installed it. It was too long ago. I think i thought i could back up my rom or something. Anyway, it has worked fine ever since, I just can't wipe it and it tells me about unauthorized software. I found instructions on here about 'flashing back to stock kitkat with Odin,' which I gather will fix my recovery, and as long as I don't do that clockwork recovery thing again, I can reset it whenever I want to, on KitKat. (I am not interested in "upgrading.") I was all set to do that, when, last night, to my joy, I saw the Verizon note 3 boot loader unlock has arrived. That (I think) means that I can (eventually) unlock the boot loader and go back to jelly bean. Yay! Or cyanogen!! Yayay!
Question: shall I first reflash KitKat in Odin, so that the recovery is operational, THEN unlock it? Or can I unlock it first, even if the recovery is messed up, skip fixing KitKat, and go back to jelly bean (or maybe cyanogen)? I am afraid that there is a right order and a wrong order, and I'm sure to pick the wrong one.
Maybe these 2 things have nothing to do with each other. I have no idea. I just feel like I might be at a crossroad.
Thank you very much for helping a lady in somewhat unfamiliar territory.
Auralay
Auralay said:
Hello,
I am not a phone expert by any means. I am probably in the 'knows just enough to be dangerous category,' but I am quite willing to learn. Here is my situation as I understand it. Please advise whether my premise is flawed.
Phone: rooted Verizon Note 3 KitKat NC4 off contract / pre-paid , no warranty
Ultimate Goal: to wipe my phone and have a clean slate. Bonus if I could be able to backup images of my phone for the future. Heheeeee.
Sitrep: phone is in need of a wipe/do-over to resolve some minor annoyances, but factory reset doesn't work. It says "System software not authorized by Verizon detected...please shove it," or something. That is curious, because, since I am trying to get rid of allllllllll the software, it should just let me do it if it doesn't like some of the software. I probably don't understand this fully. (Or else they just want me to go to Verizon so they can sell me a new/worse/more despotic phone.)
I only get that message if i try to reset it, not every time i turn it on, so it doesnt bother me, but i do want to reset it, because it is full of cobwebs and battery issues. From reading this forum, I think the reason it won't reset is that about a year ago, I installed clockwork and did *something* to the recovery, but it freaked out, because my boot loader wasn't (and still isn't) unlocked, so I uninstalled clockwork. I don't remember why I installed it. It was too long ago. I think i thought i could back up my rom or something. Anyway, it has worked fine ever since, I just can't wipe it and it tells me about unauthorized software. I found instructions on here about 'flashing back to stock kitkat with Odin,' which I gather will fix my recovery, and as long as I don't do that clockwork recovery thing again, I can reset it whenever I want to, on KitKat. (I am not interested in "upgrading.") I was all set to do that, when, last night, to my joy, I saw the Verizon note 3 boot loader unlock has arrived. That (I think) means that I can (eventually) unlock the boot loader and go back to jelly bean. Yay! Or cyanogen!! Yayay!
Question: shall I first reflash KitKat in Odin, so that the recovery is operational, THEN unlock it? Or can I unlock it first, even if the recovery is messed up, skip fixing KitKat, and go back to jelly bean (or maybe cyanogen)? I am afraid that there is a right order and a wrong order, and I'm sure to pick the wrong one.
Maybe these 2 things have nothing to do with each other. I have no idea. I just feel like I might be at a crossroad.
Thank you very much for helping a lady in somewhat unfamiliar territory.
Auralay
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is because you are rooted... A factory reset just wipes user data and applications... It does not totally reload Android.
You can reflash the phone via Odin and a firmware download of the proper version (or higher) for the Verizon Note 3. Firmware is available on www.sammobile.com you have to be a member in order to download but membership is free.
If you want to stick with KitKat... You can unlock the bootloader now and then can load either CWM or TWRP and from them can flash any ROM available here.
Even unlocked i don't think you can move back to Jelly bean
Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk
donc113 said:
It is because you are rooted... A factory reset just wipes user data and applications... It does not totally reload Android.
You can reflash the phone via Odin and a firmware download of the proper version (or higher) for the Verizon Note 3. Firmware is available on ] you have to be a member in order to download but membership is free.
If you want to stick with KitKat... You can unlock the bootloader now and then can load either CWM or TWRP and from them can flash any ROM available here.
Even unlocked i don't think you can move back to Jelly bean
Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you so much for taking the time to consider my question. As sad as I am to think about not ever going back to Jelly Bean, which I assume is a tyrannical Verizon/Samsung thing, I am very glad for your input. I could have sworn I have reset this phone since rooting it, but I could just as easily be mistaken. I think I will do Odin first, and see everything is A-OK before leaping out into the unknown of unlocking. Hopefully after I do Odin, I can do resets the old easy way, but it's ok if i can't. Anyway, thanks a bunch for helping me get smarter every day. <3
Auralay
Auralay
Have you already flashed with Odin?
Hold your horses if not, I have an idea which is worth trying.
(It involves unlocking and reinstalling stock without losing root in the process.)

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