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[Q] [I9500] flashing custom firmware over official fw w/knox 0x0

hello folks,
i've searched the forum and couldn't find an explicit answer for my question.
i have i9500 and i'm upgrading it's firmware to the lastest available on weekly bases, i use odin and just flash the newer firmware over the existing one, without wipe and it all seems to work just fine as it is.
now, i know for a fact that my bootloader is KNOX enabled and my KNOX flag is 0x0 (active warranty)
my question is - can (not should - bat CAN) i flash custom roms? i mean, i don't care about warrany or KNOX flag 0x1, just want to know if i can grab PAC i.e and follow the regular installation instruction without hard-bricking my device?
i would very appreciate any certified answer.
regards

There are some ROMs that u can flash without void ur warranty and u will have android 4.3. Anyway If u dont care about warranty only u have to:
1. Download correct Rom for ur device (.tar file)
2. Open Odin and flash it
OR
1. Download correct Rom for u device (.zip file)
2. Open custom recovery, wipe all and install the ROM
3. Enjoy

re: KNOX
eviatar said:
hello folks,
i've searched the forum and couldn't find an explicit answer for my question.
i have i9500 and i'm upgrading it's firmware to the lastest available on weekly bases, i use odin and just flash the newer firmware over the existing one, without wipe and it all seems to work just fine as it is.
now, i know for a fact that my bootloader is KNOX enabled and my KNOX flag is 0x0 (active warranty)
my question is - can (not should - bat CAN) i flash custom roms? i mean, i don't care about warrany or KNOX flag 0x1, just want to know if i can grab PAC i.e and follow the regular installation instruction without hard-bricking my device?
i would very appreciate any certified answer.
regards
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, here are the prerequisites for not getting the KNOX POX:
#1: Don't allow the flashing of the OTA update
#2: Don't Odin flash the official stock TAR firmware. (SamMobile or elsewhere)
#3: Don't Odin flash the 4.3 NON-HLOS.BIN
#4: Don't Odin flash any bootloaders
If you have NOT done either one of those four things you will NOT catch the KNOX.
You can Odin flash the 4.3 MODEM but it is completely optional.
See which one has the best signal for you.
( or keep the exisiting MODEM which is already in your phones.)
The phone will work just find with either the 4.3 modem or your existing one.
You can flash any cwm/twrp flashable 4.3 or 4.2.2 zip file stock or custom roms.
If you follow these rules above you will not loose audio, signal or wifi and you will not catch KNOX POX.
Now that's not too difficult to understand right? LOL

eviatar said:
hello folks,
i've searched the forum and couldn't find an explicit answer for my question.
i have i9500 and i'm upgrading it's firmware to the lastest available on weekly bases, i use odin and just flash the newer firmware over the existing one, without wipe and it all seems to work just fine as it is.
now, i know for a fact that my bootloader is KNOX enabled and my KNOX flag is 0x0 (active warranty)
my question is - can (not should - bat CAN) i flash custom roms? i mean, i don't care about warrany or KNOX flag 0x1, just want to know if i can grab PAC i.e and follow the regular installation instruction without hard-bricking my device?
i would very appreciate any certified answer.
regards
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, you can, but only custom roms based on 4.3 bootloader.
Enviado desde mi GT-P7510 usando Tapatalk 2

restore to KNOX-disabled firmware

i have a galaxy s4 i9500 with android 4.2.2 and i read that if i update to 4.3 i will get a security feature called KNOX which tracks your custon kernel flashes and cannot be reset. and also you can't flash back to 4.2.2. is that true?
if it is so:
1.what will happen if you'll try to flash 4.2.2 with odin?
2.what other disadvantages KNOX have?
3.shoiuld i really care about KNOX if my phone's warranty is already void?
4.can KNOX harm my device by any way?
please answer the question by order!
i am thankful for any help i can get in this forum and appriciate everyone who answers my questions beacause i wanna know if i should update or not.
P.S.:if i have 4.2.2 can i install cyanogenmod 11 (unofficial) or i need to update to 4.3 to do that?

Knox doesn't track custom kernel flashes specifically, it detects if you flash anything non-samsung (whether it's cf-autoroot, custom recovery or whatnot). It just says knox 0x0 or 0x1, if it's 0x1 your warranty is void. There is another counter detecting number of flashes, but that can be reset with TriangleAway. Knox cannot be reset. EDiT: TriangleAway only works on i9505, sorry.
1. If you don't have a knox-enabled bootloader you can flash an older rom version. Boot into recovery mode, if you see a knox counter there you cannot flash older firmwares than the one you already have (on i9505 there was one knox-enabled fw before 4.3). If you don't see anything knox related you can flash what you want, but once you flash a knox enabled rom you cannot downgrade to older official samsung roms.
2. Besides not being able to reset the knox counter there isn't really anything special. Atleast none that I have noticed. SuperSU asks if you want do disable knox-features upon first run.
3. No, then it doesn't really matter. Unless you really want to flash an older firmware from samsung.
4. No, it's a samsung feature.
If I were you I'd flash official 4.3 builds anyway, as they're generally much faster and much more stable, atleast for me on i9505. And the improvements outweigh the downsides of knox. 4.3 feature list: http://www.sammobile.com/2013/10/18...al-android-4-3-update-for-galaxy-s4-gt-i9500/

[Q] Any reasons not to update to 4.4.2?

I have just bought a new S4. I have had one before and I like to root my phones. I was hoping that this one would come with 4.2.2 so I could keep it on the old bootloader for a while and be knox-free.
It came with 4.3 preinstalled, so I already have the new bootloader, but I am still on 0x0.
Are there any reasons not to update to 4.4.2 now? Is it possible to root and keep 0x0 on either 4.3 or 4.4.2, or do I have to trip knox to root now? I know that I can't install any custom roms yet without tripping the flag (I think).

jadajada said:
I have just bought a new S4. I have had one before and I like to root my phones. I was hoping that this one would come with 4.2.2 so I could keep it on the old bootloader for a while and be knox-free.
It came with 4.3 preinstalled, so I already have the new bootloader, but I am still on 0x0.
Are there any reasons not to update to 4.4.2 now? Is it possible to root and keep 0x0 on either 4.3 or 4.4.2, or do I have to trip knox to root now? I know that I can't install any custom roms yet without tripping the flag (I think).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
rooting on stock 4.4.2 kitkat rom will trip knox warranty void to 0x1 and there won't be any turning back.. however, on 4.3 jb stock rom there is the possibility to root the phone without tripping knox warranty void;
so If I was you, I WOULDN'T UPGRADE TO KITKAT! And believe me, I would have rooted it if I was still on jb! But for me there is no other way but tripping knox for root.. I only have to hope and wait to see if someone can figure how to root 4.4.2 kitkat galaxy s4 without tripping knox..
And the reasons to not update to 4.4.2 are unlimited! The very first reason is the fact that non-system apps can't write on the external_sdcard anymore.. this due to limitations on sdcard by Google; and the only way to fix this is to modify a system file, the "platform.xml" in the system/permissions folder.. and you know, to be able to modify that file you have to be rooted. But rooting your phone will trip the knox flag....................

Despite the KNOX, none, since you already on 4.3 so I guess you won't be able to keep KNOX free anyway if you decided to flash

Jonny993 said:
rooting on stock 4.4.2 kitkat rom will trip knox warranty void to 0x1 and there won't be any turning back.. however, on 4.3 jb stock rom there is the possibility to root the phone without tripping knox warranty void;
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How do I root 4.3 safely, while keeping knox at 0x0? I have tried SAFEROOT, but it didn't work:
[*] You phone is detected and ready for rooting.
[*] Sending files to your device...
[*] Starting rooting program.
ro.build.product=jflte
ro.build.id=JSS15J
setsockopt() failed: Bad address.
this device is not supported.
kallsyms_addresses search failed.
[*] Checking if rooting succeeded
[*] Unfortunately, rooting failed. Cleaning up.
--- All Finished ---

[Q] Rooting Note 3 from Telcel (Mexico)

Since I'm a new user, I can't post my question in the Universal Root de la Vega thread. I have the firmware shown on the images attached to this message... Can I root my note 3 without tripping knox using URDLV?

hyogman said:
Since I'm a new user, I can't post my question in the Universal Root de la Vega thread. I have the firmware shown on the images attached to this message... Can I root my note 3 without tripping knox using URDLV?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is another solution than root de la vega. Follow this guide and you won't trip knox even if you root or install custom recovery/rom. You can also go back to 4.3 from 4.4.2 if kitkat is not your type.

rooting note 3 from telcel
hey_joe said:
There is another solution than root de la vega. Follow this guide and you won't trip knox even if you root or install custom recovery/rom. You can also go back to 4.3 from 4.4.2 if kitkat is not your type.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But that guide requires to install a custom rom/recovery, and I want to stay with my current firmware/recovery, I just want to gain root access without tripping knox

hyogman said:
But that guide requires to install a custom rom/recovery, and I want to stay with my current firmware/recovery, I just want to gain root access without tripping knox
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
According to the urdlv post, you can since MJ4 and up are the firmware that has been patched by samsung.

rooting note 3 from telcel
hey_joe said:
According to the urdlv post, you can since MJ4 and up are the firmware that has been patched by samsung.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well... mi compilation number isN900W8UBUBMJ4 (as shown in the attached images a couple post ago). The firmware I used to patch with URDLV has the following details:
PDA: N900W8UBUBMJ4
CSC: N900W8TCEBMJ3
MODEM: N900W8UBUBMJ3
So, I asume that will trigger knox right? I ask a lot because here in Mexico, the note 3 has a price of $1,073 USD. As you can see, Telcel really overprice the phones, and I don't wanna lose warranty, but I wanna delete all the useless bloatware from Telcel.

hyogman said:
Well... mi compilation number isN900W8UBUBMJ4 (as shown in the attached images a couple post ago). The firmware I used to patch with URDLV has the following details:
PDA: N900W8UBUBMJ4
CSC: N900W8TCEBMJ3
MODEM: N900W8UBUBMJ3
So, I asume that will trigger knox right? I ask a lot because here in Mexico, the note 3 has a price of $1,073 USD. As you can see, Telcel really overprice the phones, and I don't wanna lose warranty, but I wanna delete all the useless bloatware from Telcel.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The attached images on the first post says MHG which is why I said you can safely use urdlv. If it's MJ4, then using urdlv will trip knox. There is an app called Kingo that can root it but based on what I've read so far, it's hit or miss. Some had success rooting MJ4 without tripping Knox and then again some actually softbricked their phones and trip Knox. The guide that I linked you to will not trip Knox even if you install custom recovery and root your phone. The only caveat is you will have to update to 4.4.2. But should you need the warranty, you can always flash back to 4.3. Having said that, it's all up to you.

rooting note 3 from telcel
Well... I think then I will give it the big step... I considered the Klingo way, but as you said, is a coin toss, so I will take my chances and go with URDLV :good:

[Q] Returning to stock but keep root and avoiding knox

Hi forums!,
I am currently running paranoid android on my i9500 but am wanting to return to stock,
i downloaded the latest .zip for my region form sammobile which is I9500XXUFNE7.
2 questions i have is,
How am i able to keep my root status after i return to stock.
and how do i avoid knox and anything limiting me from returning to a custom firmware or root,
Thanks guys cheers!

Garethkungfu said:
Hi forums!,
I am currently running paranoid android on my i9500 but am wanting to return to stock,
i downloaded the latest .zip for my region form sammobile which is I9500XXUFNE7.
2 questions i have is,
How am i able to keep my root status after i return to stock.
and how do i avoid knox and anything limiting me from returning to a custom firmware or root,
Thanks guys cheers!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi mate ,
My first question is what bootloader you have old one (4.2.2) or knox bootloader ( >4,3)?
If not sure check in download mode if there is any knox related text if so there is nothing you can do about the warranty bit
FNE7 is a 4.4.2 rom if you flash it for sure you will flash the knox bootloader , if you do and root you will set the warranty bit
You can flash that firmware, you can root BUT you will set knox to 1

Garethkungfu said:
Hi forums!,
I am currently running paranoid android on my i9500 but am wanting to return to stock,
i downloaded the latest .zip for my region form sammobile which is I9500XXUFNE7.
2 questions i have is,
How am i able to keep my root status after i return to stock.
and how do i avoid knox and anything limiting me from returning to a custom firmware or root,
Thanks guys cheers!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After you've put a cwm or philz or another bootloader on your phone, flash this:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=2365214&d=1383345163
This will remove knox.