For reference: MW3 Brick possible fix - AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin

I know, I know, I know....
My circumstances were special. Had the Cyanogenmod ROM downloaded, phone was already rooted, and the I stepped away for a few weeks because of work.
I knew the process, had read copious amounts of info, never thought to do a second round of research.
Got screwed by what I now know was MF3 OTA update.
With that out of the way, here's the situation:
--------------------------------
My phone still boots into the original S4 start up menus, and then at the final step, crashes with "Unfortunately Settings has stopped." Rinse, repeat.
Won't boot into recovery, but by booting with Volume Down + Menu + Power, I could flask the Stock ROM with Odin.
http://www.naldotech.com/how-to-install-stock-official-samsung-galaxy-s4-firmwares-with-odin/
Just wanted to post this for reference for anyone searching, as it's a little muddled out there. Since it seems to be a growing issue.

I'm not sure what you mean by muddled, there is plenty of MF3 info available in the General section in several threads. People have gone out of there way to make sure it is out there. Though I do understand your situation and why you missed it.
My main question to you is...are you saying you were able to ODIN back to MDB, MDL, or MF3 while you were on MF3? Because, so far, that is not possible. There a couple of possible fixes that have helped a few people, but ODIN and Kies firmware flashing isn't available yet. So I'm just trying to get some clarification to what you are saying.

Related

[Q] MF3 Need to Factory Reset & Root!

This is my first post on here, but I've used these forums before to root my S3 and at one time my current S4. My problem is with MF3... I used
this post [http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2387577] to root my phone once, but since I couldn't install TWRP or CWM, I thought I could downgrade the software version with Odin. Well, I was wrong, and I unrooted my phone in the process... Upon trying the same technique I mentioned earlier, it now says "permission denied" upon entering the first prompt <<cd /mnt/extSdCard>>
AND, I can't use Odin to factory reset. Using posts such as this [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZTTTk7vbVM] doesn't seem to work either. When putting my phone into download mode, I pull up Odin, and select the file in the link (the software file .tar I think), it says it fails shortly after starting.
Really, I need help with two things:
1. Obtaining root access
2. Resetting phone to factory settings
I might not have to do a factory reset, but I've noticed my wifi will NOT enable since I unrooted and this is a big concern for me. I know that all my troubles are because the bootloader is locked (and I'm messing with stuff I don't fully understand...), which is why I'd like help obtaining root again in the final hope that Safestrap [http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2448925] is the answer I'm looking for so I can use my favorite ROM, LiquidSmooth!
PLEASE help me any way you can! I've tried to provide as much information as I can think of, but I'm new to this stuff, so bear with me. I have no real experience in rooting and whatnot, but so far, I've followed directions by users of this forum, so I have faith that there's a solution to this mayhem. Thanks for any help you can provide! =)
Your first mistake was not reading about what you can and can not do while on mf3. Your second was trying to put a recovery on. And your third was trying to use Odin to down grade your firmware.
I'm surprised your not having issues booting. The only way right now to get your phone back to normal is to see if best buy will flash the mf3 firmware for you
Edit, read this http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=45359306
jd1639 said:
Your first mistake was not reading about what you can and can not do while on mf3. Your second was trying to put a recovery on. And your third was trying to use Odin to down grade your firmware.
I'm surprised your not having issues booting. The only way right now to get your phone back to normal is to see if best buy will flash the mf3 firmware for you
Edit, read this http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=45359306
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess you're trying to be helpful, but your condescending tone isn't helping. I READ everything, I just don't UNDERSTAND everything... The second paragraph actually provided some help, so thanks for that. I was just hoping for something I could do myself to re obtain root so that I can try the Safestrap method I provided in my original post. I will post a reply to the root method post and see if anyone can help me there, since that's my main issue is not being able to get root access back. I don't have any problems booting though, only when I boot into recovery mode do I get a loop in which I just have to get to the Samsung warning screen and select "cancel (reboot phone)". Thanks for reading this and providing some direction.
jeremythetree said:
I guess you're trying to be helpful, but your condescending tone isn't helping. I READ everything, I just don't UNDERSTAND everything... The second paragraph actually provided some help, so thanks for that. I was just hoping for something I could do myself to re obtain root so that I can try the Safestrap method I provided in my original post. I will post a reply to the root method post and see if anyone can help me there, since that's my main issue is not being able to get root access back. I don't have any problems booting though, only when I boot into recovery mode do I get a loop in which I just have to get to the Samsung warning screen and select "cancel (reboot phone)". Thanks for reading this and providing some direction.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, your main issue is that you don't understand what you are reading and you shouldn't be doing anything to your phone until you do. Dozens of people just like you pass through this forum everyday with similar issues because they didn't read or take the time to understand what it was that they did read. Someone takes the time to tell them to read and learn and they don't listen or think they don't have to. Then, they screw their phones up and come back here crying for help. So it's not a condescending tone, it's people getting tired of the same crap. You admitted that you didn't understand everything you read so why would you do anything to your phone before you do understand it? Can you not see the problem?

[Q] AT&T SG4 SGH-I337 Slow

Hello. Sorry for the noobie question. I tried to search the forums, and I did find the noob beginner guide, but I still wasn't sure, so I prefer to ask before I screw up my phone lol.
I have the AT&T SG4 SGH-I337 Phone. It was fine before it was upgraded to 4.4.2 (I didn't want to upgrade, but it did it on its own one day). Once it went to 4.4.2, everything is just DOG SLOW. I mean everything. In Car Audio takes forever to connect, phone calls takes like 5 secs to answer, even after I press the answer button. To unlock the phone I have to press the code 2-3 times, as I can see the keys I press is lagging behind.
What I wanted to ask is this: How can I bring this phone back to the previous OS? Or How can I modify this phone to a stock OS, where all this bloatware crap is not installed?
All I care for is my Bluetooth, in car audio and calls and have a phone that's fast enough as it was originally.
can someone point me to the right thread where it gives me step by step instructions? Ive never modified a Samsung Phone before.
I found this thread, but wasn't sure if its the right one for my phone.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2261573
Thank you VERY MUCH. Thanks....
Don't use those links, some are redirecting me to questionable sites. Not sure if it does to you also.
I don't have time atm but someone will get you the correct info. :good:
It may have been a bad download that updated you--
Also, those files are too old for you if you look at thread date--
---------- Post added at 07:01 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:25 PM ----------
This would be a starting point
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2616221
Assume you are now on NC1
Believe you will need to Odin back to NB1 then update to NC1
If you want to root other steps involved--This thread covers it pretty well
Some one else more familiar can be exact, as I am on old bootloader and no handson exp--
Read the OP on the link very well and generally not a good idea to use links outside xda unless you are 120% sure of what you are doing--good luck--
Cornelp said:
Hello. Sorry for the noobie question. I tried to search the forums, and I did find the noob beginner guide, but I still wasn't sure, so I prefer to ask before I screw up my phone lol.
I have the AT&T SG4 SGH-I337 Phone. It was fine before it was upgraded to 4.4.2 (I didn't want to upgrade, but it did it on its own one day). Once it went to 4.4.2, everything is just DOG SLOW. I mean everything. In Car Audio takes forever to connect, phone calls takes like 5 secs to answer, even after I press the answer button. To unlock the phone I have to press the code 2-3 times, as I can see the keys I press is lagging behind.
What I wanted to ask is this: How can I bring this phone back to the previous OS? Or How can I modify this phone to a stock OS, where all this bloatware crap is not installed?
All I care for is my Bluetooth, in car audio and calls and have a phone that's fast enough as it was originally.
can someone point me to the right thread where it gives me step by step instructions? Ive never modified a Samsung Phone before.
I found this thread, but wasn't sure if its the right one for my phone.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2261573
Thank you VERY MUCH. Thanks....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would suggest getting the Google Play Edition rom as stock android is much better optimized. Tutorials are available on the all things NC1 post. This will require root and installing a custom rom. Your warranty (if still applicable) will be void if you choose to do this. Regardless, the software on the device is not well optimized and the touchwiz UI is unnecessary imo. The GPE rom also does not have the samsung or at&t bloatware.
cxzzcx said:
I would suggest getting the Google Play Edition rom as stock android is much better optimized. Tutorials are available on the all things NC1 post. This will require root and installing a custom rom. Your warranty (if still applicable) will be void if you choose to do this. Regardless, the software on the device is not well optimized and the touchwiz UI is unnecessary imo. The GPE rom also does not have the samsung or at&t bloatware.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The google play ROM I would not mind, but I cant seem to find a way to root my SG4 NC1 firmware.
Do you happen to have a link or directions, please?
Thanks...
Cornelp said:
The google play ROM I would not mind, but I cant seem to find a way to root my SG4 NC1 firmware.
Do you happen to have a link or directions, please?
Thanks...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you can root using geohot's towelroot.
Cornelp said:
The google play ROM I would not mind, but I cant seem to find a way to root my SG4 NC1 firmware.
Do you happen to have a link or directions, please?
Thanks...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Use the "All things ATT" link rugmankc gave you. In the first posts in that thread you will get links to the root method, safestrap, and a list of compatible ROMs. A few thoughtsL
1. Before making any changes to you phone, charge it to 100 %, unplug the charger, and let it sit idle for some number of hours. Then check to see what services are using most of the power. For a while my own 4.4.2 GS4 was slow, and it turned out to be google play framework services bogging things down, and this showed up as an excessive battery drain during idle. If you phone uses more than say 0.5% battery per hour when completely idle / screen off (but with cell and wifi on), something's up. Fix it and maybe your problems will resolve.
2. Next step: back up any data / photos etc. and do a factory data reset from the settings menu. After it has been reset, perhaps whatever problem is going on will be cleared up.
3. You don't need to root the phone to ODIN a stock firmware (NB1 then flash update to NC1). Links are on the ALL Things ATT thread. This should take it all the way back to proper NC1, bypassing any mess that might have happened if you got a corrupt flash during your OTA update.
If the phone still performs so poorly as you describe after a flash back to stock, there's a problem that's more than the OS/ROM. Sure, the stock build is a bit laggy and bloated, but it's not so bad as what you are seeing.
If you find a restored stock ROM to be better but still laggier than you like, I have had good results with the GoldenEye ROM, flashed according to the instructions in the ATT thread. To flash, you must first root and install safestrap (selinux mode changer set to permissive may be required). You then boot to the safestrap recovery, wipe everything but the SD card, then flash the rom, SuperSU, ATT Module, and ATT BuildProp/APN. That should get you up and running on a new ROM.
I'm a died in the wool geek but I read through this forum and others for two weeks before attempting... but I'm very happy with the phone as it works on GoldenEye. I'm on V36, but V38 is current.
Good luck
Frankenscript said:
Use the "All things ATT" link rugmankc gave you. In the first posts in that thread you will get links to the root method, safestrap, and a list of compatible ROMs. A few thoughtsL
1. Before making any changes to you phone, charge it to 100 %, unplug the charger, and let it sit idle for some number of hours. Then check to see what services are using most of the power. For a while my own 4.4.2 GS4 was slow, and it turned out to be google play framework services bogging things down, and this showed up as an excessive battery drain during idle. If you phone uses more than say 0.5% battery per hour when completely idle / screen off (but with cell and wifi on), something's up. Fix it and maybe your problems will resolve.
2. Next step: back up any data / photos etc. and do a factory data reset from the settings menu. After it has been reset, perhaps whatever problem is going on will be cleared up.
3. You don't need to root the phone to ODIN a stock firmware (NB1 then flash update to NC1). Links are on the ALL Things ATT thread. This should take it all the way back to proper NC1, bypassing any mess that might have happened if you got a corrupt flash during your OTA update.
If the phone still performs so poorly as you describe after a flash back to stock, there's a problem that's more than the OS/ROM. Sure, the stock build is a bit laggy and bloated, but it's not so bad as what you are seeing.
If you find a restored stock ROM to be better but still laggier than you like, I have had good results with the GoldenEye ROM, flashed according to the instructions in the ATT thread. To flash, you must first root and install safestrap (selinux mode changer set to permissive may be required). You then boot to the safestrap recovery, wipe everything but the SD card, then flash the rom, SuperSU, ATT Module, and ATT BuildProp/APN. That should get you up and running on a new ROM.
I'm a died in the wool geek but I read through this forum and others for two weeks before attempting... but I'm very happy with the phone as it works on GoldenEye. I'm on V36, but V38 is current.
Good luck
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you very much for your help. Yeah everytime I redo my phone, from scratch, it works OK for about an hour. Then bam, it goes back to being a low pain in the rear. This is ONLY after the phone upgraded to 4.4.2. I didn't choose that upgrade, actually I didn't want to upgrade, but OTA upgrade took over and BAM, I got screwed.
OK I just installed the Safestrap and rooted the phone. Now I gotta figure out the rom part.
Im still going thru that link that rugmankc gave me above. Now im trying to figure out how to change the OS, since I just rooted the phone. I have to do this. Ive gotten really really tired of the phone being so slow, I basically give up on many tasks that I need to do, just cause its too slow.
Ill update once I get it figured out, hopefully I wont brick it, that's the only thing that im afraid of.
Don't remember, did you consider Odin back to stock and start over. If not, whatever was causing the slow downs may still be there. Could have been a bad update.
Read the SafeStrap thread by HashCode carefully. I read the OP 100% and last 30 pages or so of thread and don't even use it. It is complicated to me. IE which slot to flash to stock or rom. I think stock, Flash Modules. Install Selinux and set to permissive. And using correct SafeStrap. Gives me a headache and I am not even needing to use it--
Good Luck--as mentioned just backup whenever you can before moving to next major step. :good::good:
rugmankc said:
Don't remember, did you consider Odin back to stock and start over. If not, whatever was causing the slow downs may still be there. Could have been a bad update.
Read the SafeStrap thread by HashCode carefully. I read the OP 100% and last 30 pages or so of thread and don't even use it. It is complicated to me. IE which slot to flash to stock or rom. I think stock, Flash Modules. Install Selinux and set to permissive. And using correct SafeStrap. Gives me a headache and I am not even needing to use it--
Good Luck--as mentioned just backup whenever you can before moving to next major step. :good::good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you. Actually I backed up my phone already, as I reformatted it last night again. I don't know how to Odin back to stock. What is that? Is that a stock Android? Sorry I don't know.
Thanks...
It's in the same All Things ATT, MK2 thread under Returning to Stock Odin. An option if you still have issues. Takes you back to stock NB1, firmware and all. Kinda like your update, but think you may have got a bad update. Other options are to wipe internal in case bad stuff still there. Frankenscript was pretty thorough--:good:
SafeStrap is how you are going to flash a new OS/Rom. You can't flash custom kernels and aosp roms unless TW based like a couple GPE mentioned.
Read/Scan the two mentioned threads, as in OP and first and last couple dozen pages. Probably the last are more important. You will see folks asking the same questions you will eventually ask. I have read thousands of pages over the years and it has kept me out of trouble--most of the time--
rugmankc said:
It's in the same All Things ATT, MK2 thread under Returning to Stock Odin. An option if you still have issues. Takes you back to stock NB1, firmware and all. Kinda like your update, but think you may have got a bad update. Other options are to wipe internal in case bad stuff still there. Frankenscript was pretty thorough--:good:
SafeStrap is how you are going to flash a new OS/Rom. You can't flash custom kernels and aosp roms unless TW based like a couple GPE mentioned.
Read/Scan the two mentioned threads, as in OP and first and last couple dozen pages. Probably the last are more important. You will see folks asking the same questions you will eventually ask. I have read thousands of pages over the years and it has kept me out of trouble--most of the time--
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Man, that link really got me confused as heck lol. Ive been reading that link the entire weekend and still im a bit confused.
I rooted the phone with towelroot. Ive installed SafeStrap, but it worked the first time I ran it. Now if I want to run it again it crashes my phone. Not sure what that is about.
Either way, now my understanding is that I should be able to download a rom for my phone and flash it. From that link that I was given, its very confusing.
Could someone PLEASE PLEASE help me here with this?
My phone is an AT&T US SG4. Here are the details:
SAMSUNG-SGH-I337
Android 4.4.2
BaseBand I337UCUFNC1
Kernel Ver 3.4.0-1125940
Build # KOT49H.I337UCUFNC1
Which ROM can I use for my phone? As long as its stock, I don't care which version, Google Play ROM or CY or Golden, whichever, as long as I get rid of this crappy Samsung and AT&T stuff off my phone.
Could someone please help me out here? I know that link says everything, but jeez, im trying to make sense of it, and so far, I got the phone rooted, but just cant figure out the ROM part.
Thanks...
I can't help with specifics as I don't need SS.
Make sure you have correct SS--3.72, afaik
Flash, I believe, to stock slot not rom slot but confirm that
Install Selinux app from Play and set Permissive--afaik
The above items are things people get into trouble with, so reconfirm them
Just keep reviewing the thread and the SafeStrap thread in Dev section by HashCode. Maybe go back more pages from end of threads as you have time. You can post in All things thread now for help and at 10 posts in Dev section. It will come together in time--:good:
Flash roms only for you build, think there is a list within that thread or another one in General or Q&A.
iB's Goldeneye 38 is good and you can use the Aroma to select SafeStrap and the Slimmed down version.
Read his SS flashing instructions first.
Make sure you use SafeStrap recovery to wipe ALL--System/Data/Caches before flashing--:good:
Cornelp: Having recently been through all this, I wrote up a short summary with some links for another user, and it might help you to look through it. It's an overview written from my end-user perspective, not a replacement for the detailed posts the devs have done.
However, based on your description, I would say the best thing to do is ODIN back to stock because I have a sneaking suspicious you got a bad OTA flash. It happens. Going back to stock will be the best way to eliminate that as a source of problems. Learn how in the All things ATT thread OP.
Best of luck to you!
Marc
Frankenscript said:
Cornelp: Having recently been through all this, I wrote up a short summary with some links for another user, and it might help you to look through it. It's an overview written from my end-user perspective, not a replacement for the detailed posts the devs have done.
However, based on your description, I would say the best thing to do is ODIN back to stock because I have a sneaking suspicious you got a bad OTA flash. It happens. Going back to stock will be the best way to eliminate that as a source of problems. Learn how in the All things ATT thread OP.
Best of luck to you!
Marc
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Frankenscript,
Thank you very much, I will read up on that link you gave me. How would I ODIN back to stock? Do you have specific details on that? I did read something about that on the All things ATT, but wasn't clear.
Thanks...
Cornelp said:
Frankenscript,
Thank you very much, I will read up on that link you gave me. How would I ODIN back to stock? Do you have specific details on that? I did read something about that on the All things ATT, but wasn't clear.
Thanks...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Complete instructions here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=51130818&postcount=5
Basically, download ODIN to your PC, run it, get phone into download mode, connect phone to PC via USB, in ODIN select the NB1 file, tell it to start. When done, reboot phone. Then flash the NC1 update from an SD card using stock recovery.
A good pictorial description of how to flash can be found in this S3 thread here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s3/help/guide-odin-flash-guide-t1671969
Though for a different phone (the S3, not our S4), the process is still the same.
Good luck. I'm headed off to a work trip and won't be on the forum much this week!
Frankenscript said:
Complete instructions here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=51130818&postcount=5
Basically, download ODIN to your PC, run it, get phone into download mode, connect phone to PC via USB, in ODIN select the NB1 file, tell it to start. When done, reboot phone. Then flash the NC1 update from an SD card using stock recovery.
A good pictorial description of how to flash can be found in this S3 thread here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s3/help/guide-odin-flash-guide-t1671969
Though for a different phone (the S3, not our S4), the process is still the same.
Good luck. I'm headed off to a work trip and won't be on the forum much this week!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you all. I was able to revert back to the NB1 stock, but it failed the first time. I had to download and install the NB1 Rootable Odin. For some reason, the NB1 Odin didn't work, but the Rootable one worked.
So im glad I was able to go back. Now I just gotta test it and see if it does slow down as it did before. I will post update, in case anyone else has the same problem, maybe this would be a good solution.
Thanks again to all of you guys, really appreciate it. I really hope it worked.

Soft-Bricked Samsung S4 SGH-1337 (NC1)

​Hello all, obviously I have done something catastrophically wrong, (and may the almighty smite thyself down for such ignorance) but I am hopeful there is a kind soul that will bestow his knowledge upon thee. I am aware of the several ways to approach getting help on the internet and I am going to just come out and say; I am no programmer, I ****ed up the process somewhere, thank you if you can assist me in anyway. So here it is, I followed "The All Things Guide" http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=53758227, and was on the way to flash the "Foxhound" ROM found here, http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=53758227 (version incompatibility?). I was in recovery mode, flashed the ROM, Flashed the modules, and then the SuperSU, I then rebooted it, and- nothing, gave it ten minutes, still nothing. So (bad idea get ready) I removed the battery and booted to recovery mode, from there I noticed I could not restore the backup I had made, "E:Unable to mount '/system'", this is where I am at. I am following a few guides as of now in order to remedy this problem, if anyone has any advice, or guides (I know how you guys love those), I would be extremely appreciative, I understand this could take 5 minutes of your time, but due to my lack of knowledge in this area its going to take me hours, please save me that hell. Thank you!!
It's probably best to Odin the nb1 tar file at this point and start over.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=50667360
Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Free mobile app
Is safestrap still working? Did you validate the md5 hash was correct on foxhound? Odin is probably your safest or quickest to get up and running.
Alright, thank you gents, I will do that, and yes safestrap is still working.
EDIT: Is there any specifics for what i'm doing? Im seeing guides for going from mk2 to nb1, is that the same as going from nc1 to nb1?
Thank you fine gentlemen, this process fixed it, on to my next ill thought-out endeavor.

SG-900V Hard-Bricked...

Hey all, not sure if this is where this thread belongs (new to the forums).
But I flashed a SafeStrap fix since I wouldn't get the splash screen during startup, which got me soft-bricked and left me stuck at the Galaxy S5 screen. I then attempted to stupidly flash a stock rom to the phone when I realized as soon as it started that it wasn't BOK3 but something different, might have been a newer build. I, again stupidly, disconnected my phone, rendering it completely useless.
I've pretty much tried a lot of methods including writing unbrick images from a previous xda forum to the sd card and attempting to boot the phone into download mode that way, but to no avail. The posters guaranteed it worked with the BOK3 build. My build date is somewhere around November and the posts I attempted were in December, January so I can only assume they were running the same builds.
I'm at a loss, I just replaced the LCD on the phone and I would really love to get it working again because until I do I'm stuck with an iPhone 4S... any help would be greatly, greatly appreciated. Thank you guys so much in advance.
pjesus.c said:
Hey all, not sure if this is where this thread belongs (new to the forums).
But I flashed a SafeStrap fix since I wouldn't get the splash screen during startup, which got me soft-bricked and left me stuck at the Galaxy S5 screen. I then attempted to stupidly flash a stock rom to the phone when I realized as soon as it started that it wasn't BOK3 but something different, might have been a newer build. I, again stupidly, disconnected my phone, rendering it completely useless.
I've pretty much tried a lot of methods including writing unbrick images from a previous xda forum to the sd card and attempting to boot the phone into download mode that way, but to no avail. The posters guaranteed it worked with the BOK3 build. My build date is somewhere around November and the posts I attempted were in December, January so I can only assume they were running the same builds.
I'm at a loss, I just replaced the LCD on the phone and I would really love to get it working again because until I do I'm stuck with an iPhone 4S... any help would be greatly, greatly appreciated. Thank you guys so much in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
EDIT: I removed the SD card and held the power and volume down buttons for 15 seconds and I'm back at the soft brick. I've got much more to work with now so any suggestions as to get rid of the soft brick would be nice! I'm currently downloading the BOK3 stock rom to flash via Odin but it's going to take 10 hours (no exaggeration).
pjesus.c said:
EDIT: I removed the SD card and held the power and volume down buttons for 15 seconds and I'm back at the soft brick. I've got much more to work with now so any suggestions as to get rid of the soft brick would be nice! I'm currently downloading the BOK3 stock rom to flash via Odin but it's going to take 10 hours (no exaggeration).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not much of any help at the moment as tof my device is still on the OC4 firmware/bootloader but if you go over to this thread it may be of use for you to get your phone back up and running.. Hope you find your answer there....
http://forum.xda-developers.com/verizon-galaxy-s5/general/root-method-og5-ok3-t3290370
al50 said:
I'm not much of any help at the moment as tof my device is still on the OC4 firmware/bootloader but if you go over to this thread it may be of use for you to get your phone back up and running.. Hope you find your answer there....
http://forum.xda-developers.com/verizon-galaxy-s5/general/root-method-og5-ok3-t3290370
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's actually the exact forum that I got the files from. I flashed the fix in Safestrap and my phone soft bricked, then attempted to flash the BPB1 .tar and my phone ended up hard-bricking. I'm just gonna flash the stock BOK3 in Odin and call it a day.
Somewhat related, after rerooting if necessary, I was looking into Cyanogenmod. Which would be better, 11, 12, or 13? I know 12 and 13 are nightlies but they seem to work on other SG-900v devices. Also, is AllianceRom any good?
pjesus.c said:
That's actually the exact forum that I got the files from. I flashed the fix in Safestrap and my phone soft bricked, then attempted to flash the BPB1 .tar and my phone ended up hard-bricking. I'm just gonna flash the stock BOK3 in Odin and call it a day.
Somewhat related, after rerooting if necessary, I was looking into Cyanogenmod. Which would be better, 11, 12, or 13? I know 12 and 13 are nightlies but they seem to work on other SG-900v devices. Also, is AllianceRom any good?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please READ the first section of the OP!!!! Don't take it the wrong way but it's stated clearly in the OP and in the following posts that we're unable to install CM ROM's!!! Only TW ROM's that posted in the Android Development section of this forum. It's best to go back to JrKrsue's Root OE1 and up thread and read up on the issues with installs and do a search of "SafeStrap fix". Also, go to the Android Development section and look in the Lollipop for SafeStrap thread for your issue(s). You should find your answer in both threads.
Question, you were originally on an OE1 or higher bootloader right? If so, have you tried to start from scratch to re-root your device? Because if you can get into download mode you're not 'Bricked'.
al50 said:
Please READ the first section of the OP!!!! Don't take it the wrong way but it's stated clearly in the OP and in the following posts that we're unable to install CM ROM's!!! Only TW ROM's that posted in the Android Development section of this forum. It's best to go back to JrKrsue's Root OE1 and up thread and read up on the issues with installs and do a search of "SafeStrap fix". Also, go to the Android Development section and look in the Lollipop for SafeStrap thread for your issue(s). You should find your answer in both threads.
Question, you were originally on an OE1 or higher bootloader right? If so, have you tried to start from scratch to re-root your device? Because if you can get into download mode you're not 'Bricked'.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Read, punctuation errors kind of threw me off. I'm going to go with the stock debloated rom that jrkruse uploaded. I've tried giving AllianceRom a go but SafeStrap froze. I tried to restore from a backup but it just gave me an error and my phone started from setup, though still rooted. Reinstalled SuperSu and BusyBox. Then attempted to make a backup and flash from FlashFire through the LP Control Panel and got a RunTime exception error.
Is this because I haven't flashed the OK3 stock kernel that he provided in his thread? Apologies if I come off as a bit thick, I'm still trying to learn about the process and still am trying to get the hang of it. Everyone's gotta start somewhere, right?

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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