Database Users

NEW OTA UPDATE- MF9.. Questions thread.

Who knew a MONDAY would be such an awesome day! New OTA Update MF9 as 1st reported HERE by @jonathanhtc . Any questions can go here guys....
I'll start off with a question I have: Does this mean that all of our mods will have to be re-done to be able to be flashed on the new update? ie: Hotspot mod, 4 in 1 reboot mod, etc. all have to be re-done to be able to work on the new software update?!

Question that's on everyones mind is:
Are the bootloaders locked? That "Secure boot status: Samsung" thing was not there before if I remember correctly.

xonone said:
Question that's on everyones mind is:
Are the bootloaders locked? That "Secure boot status: Samsung" thing was not there before if I remember correctly.
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That's why I'm definitely waiting till the devs take a look at it before I download it. It definitely wasn't there with MDC and MDL.
Sent from my SPH-L720 using xda app-developers app

Yes same here. BUT some new things that were reported are: Transparent notification bar with any wallpaper, new smart pause toggle, smoother UI (less lag), move apps to SD card, and KNOX is finally deployed along with Briefing and SPDclient.

First things first. Let's see what partitions got an update.
And someone should put a bug in Agat's ear to patch his kernel with the latest updates.

garwynn said:
First things first. Let's see what partitions got an update.
And someone should put a bug in Agat's ear to patch his kernel with the latest updates.
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I already posted in his thread about an hour ago that source is up
Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

I wonder if this is basically the same update that the international version got. Hopefully it is, and it fixes the "smearing issue" and also we get the HDR video recording!

I heard people were unable to unlock to use internationally. Some said sprint unlocked but software restrictions remained. Do you think this update might fix that? And im not talking for use withing the U.S. mainly outside (Europe)
Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk 2

Okay, new bootloader, modem, kernel.
2 secondary bootloaders updated as well as rpm and tz.
Interesting that everything backs up to mmcblk0p22 before writing the new one.
Don't recall seeing that in updates for other devices.
New Fingerprint is just swap out MDL with MF9.
As mentioned, Knox is there. Makes me wonder what else was locked down with it.
Updated OCR among many updated binaries.
A lot of the binaries - in particular, vendor blobs - have an update.
I'll need someone to dump the system partition once it's patched for the new vendor files.
Hopefully good news for AOSP builds.
I'm asking to see if the previous sources have any info - but they've already stated not to expect anything.
There are a few questions that need to be figured out:
1) What is in the new bootloader? Are we locked like most of the others?
2) Can we revert bootloaders after flashing - and if so, what does it take to do so?
3) Root on new build?
All of this is going to require a test device, which sadly at the moment I am now without.
All the problems with the N2 left me with a Spare N2 and now without an S4.

xonone said:
Question that's on everyones mind is:
Are the bootloaders locked? That "Secure boot status: Samsung" thing was not there before if I remember correctly.
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Click to collapse
bootloader isnt locked, mine is already back to rooted with twrp. that secured by samsung is the new knox stuff, so you can assign your own bootloader chain etc. i dont know all the details nor do i pretend to, but what i do know is its for companies to lock their phones down and not a concern to us

shabbypenguin said:
bootloader isnt locked, mine is already back to rooted with twrp. that secured by samsung is the new knox stuff, so you can assign your own bootloader chain etc. i dont know all the details nor do i pretend to, but what i do know is its for companies to lock their phones down and not a concern to us
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Could you post the steps you used to update & restore root please?

illdini said:
Could you post the steps you used to update & restore root please?
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you apply the ota, flash recovery via odin and then flash supersu. if youd rather skip a step im pretty sure you can use ota root keeper

shabbypenguin said:
you apply the ota, flash recovery via odin and then flash supersu. if youd rather skip a step im pretty sure you can use ota root keeper
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When applying the OTA, were you rooted and flashed with a Custom Recovery (i.e.-CWM or TWRP)? Or were you completely stock?

chenry944 said:
When applying the OTA, were you rooted and flashed with a Custom Recovery (i.e.-CWM or TWRP)? Or were you completely stock?
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Judging by his earlier post I'm guessing custom recovery is probably not the best way to flash.
I have the same question BTW I'm rooted, with TWRP recovery, but stock ROM. Have installed a few mods (hotspot, camera shutter sound disabled. Had XPosed framework installed with a couple of mods, but removed those later).
What would be the safe way for me to install the new update? I actually like some of the features that Samsung added, so not looking to switch away from stock ROM for now.
I'm hoping that knowledgeable developers will provide guidance in the next few days

jj14 said:
Judging by his earlier post I'm guessing custom recovery is probably not the best way to flash
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Yea I read that post I am just trying to get clarification for myself and everyone else in which way he did flash it.

shabbypenguin said:
bootloader isnt locked, mine is already back to rooted with twrp. that secured by samsung is the new knox stuff, so you can assign your own bootloader chain etc. i dont know all the details nor do i pretend to, but what i do know is its for companies to lock their phones down and not a concern to us
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Best news of this thread! Thanks for taking the chance!
Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

yea i was stock odex from crawj and i hit errors while flashing it twrp, i flashed stock kernel and stock recovery and tried and it still failed so i modded teh zip to forcibly install, i now have no mobile data and my modem isnt updated. so my suggestion, dont follow my lead
im currently flashing MDC stock tar to fully update all the way.

Got the Modem Updated to MF9 using Odin without going back to Stock, uploading the odin package now, and will be updating the thread here -> http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2338919

Does this include the security update Google announced would be coming to OEMs?

Now if i update to mf9, will it affect custom roms that are built around MDL, or AOSP?

[Q] New S4 with MF3 - Harmful to root?

I recently got a new S4 at the store, and of course, it came with MF3.
My question is, if I choose to root it, which I would really like to, would this potentially block my ability to utilize a future exploit in the bootloader or otherwise negatively impact the phone?
I know I can't un-root the phone for the time being, which is fine, but I would like to root it if there won't be any future issues.

Why would you think there would be issues with a future bootloader exploit?
Root has nothing to do with the bootloaders. If there were ever to be issues, it would be addressed and fixed before it goes public.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using xda premium

just remember that if you root, and your device takes a poop, you wont have odin as option to fix it nor will you have a backup to restore it since you wont have a custom recovery. dont root if you dont think you'd know how to get it back up and going again. read up. cheers.

graydiggy said:
Why would you think there would be issues with a future bootloader exploit?
Root has nothing to do with the bootloaders. If there were ever to be issues, it would be addressed and fixed before it goes public.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using xda premium
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Yeah, as you can see I'm not very knowledgeable about the way the phones work and how these exploits deal with the phone software. But I appreciate the info that rooting won't mess with that kind of thing.
xBeerdroiDx said:
just remember that if you root, and your device takes a poop, you wont have odin as option to fix it nor will you have a backup to restore it since you wont have a custom recovery. dont root if you dont think you'd know how to get it back up and going again. read up. cheers.
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I guess I'm wondering what could cause my device to take a poop if I simply root it and install Titanium Backup and some other root apps. Yeah, I've been trying to read up ever since I became a member a couple days ago.
I appreciate the advice, guys. Thanks!

there's a hundred threads spread out over the last couple weeks of people asking what they can do to fix their devices. people that were on MF3, rooted, and suddenly there was a glitch somewhere. whether they deleted something they shouldnt have, installed something they shouldnt have, some random misc unforeseen error, etc.
if i were a user that had a very introductory-level of android knowledge, it would be a no brainer for me: having no root on my device vs having no way to backup/restore via a custom recovery and no odin. i choose stock/unrooted. just keep your eyes peeled. when there is finally an exploit, you'll see it here on xda.

[Q] Custom ROMs, Future?

Okay! So I present you all with a question. I've read multiple threads on safestrap ROMs and id you have the MDL loader on how you can in-fact load custom ROMs.
But here's my biggest question, (I'm not sure if this should go in a dev sub-forum or here, but this seemed to make the most sense) but here it is, Is there any reason or advantage to stay on the MF3 bootloader firmware (4.2.2) which is locked to safestrap.
As in is there any progress whatsoever on the ability to install custom ROMs on this version, or any estimations or just plain and simple to not be rude, but is there remotely any way to install custom non-TW, non 4.2.2 ROMs, via safestrap on the firmware?
Or would I be better off upgrading via OTA to 4.3.3 so that I can utilize my Galaxy Gear, with retaining my root from SuperSU Pro "Survival Mode"? To be totally honest from the looks of the forums and Q+A recently most ATT users have done this exact thing.
That being said is there any sort of progress or planned progress/development towards the ability to create custom ROMs for these new MK2 bootloaders? I'm sure any ROM developer that wishes to continue to create ROMs that can be used by more than a slim picking would be on this development already but that's my questions!

Xeon.Jamal said:
Okay! So I present you all with a question. I've read multiple threads on safestrap ROMs and id you have the MDL loader on how you can in-fact load custom ROMs.
But here's my biggest question, (I'm not sure if this should go in a dev sub-forum or here, but this seemed to make the most sense) but here it is, Is there any reason or advantage to stay on the MF3 bootloader firmware (4.2.2) which is locked to safestrap.
As in is there any progress whatsoever on the ability to install custom ROMs on this version, or any estimations or just plain and simple to not be rude, but is there remotely any way to install custom non-TW, non 4.2.2 ROMs, via safestrap on the firmware?
Or would I be better off upgrading via OTA to 4.3.3 so that I can utilize my Galaxy Gear, with retaining my root from SuperSU Pro "Survival Mode"? To be totally honest from the looks of the forums and Q+A recently most ATT users have done this exact thing.
That being said is there any sort of progress or planned progress/development towards the ability to create custom ROMs for these new MK2 bootloaders? I'm sure any ROM developer that wishes to continue to create ROMs that can be used by more than a slim picking would be on this development already but that's my questions!
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Hashcode the man behind safestrap Is working on bri ging safestrap to 4.3....other than that, other people may be working on it or they may not. 99% of rom devs dont have the skill to unlock a bootloader, not saying they are bad devs but it takes a completely differnt set of dev skills to unlock a bootloader...alot more coding
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

mg2195 said:
Hashcode the man behind safestrap Is working on bri ging safestrap to 4.3....other than that, other people may be working on it or they may not. 99% of rom devs dont have the skill to unlock a bootloader, not saying they are bad devs but it takes a completely differnt set of dev skills to unlock a bootloader...alot more coding
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk
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Awesome, but there would still be no way to truly get ROMs like Dandroid or anything that has kitkat or non TW right? I know what you are saying about the devs. Its a totally different skillset. I hadn't thought of that. D'Oh! Thanks for the reply! I might upgrade to 4.3.3 so I can utilize my hear now!

Rooted MI9 > Can I update w/o tripping knox?

Thank you for stopping to answer my question...
tl;dr version: See bold section below.
The "I have time" version:
First of all.. I'm an old hand at root/custom mods/recoveries... but, the KNOX stuff and latest enterprise concerns have put me a little behind. I was running TWRP and CM11 on my S3 when I updated to a Note 3.
I had read up on the root and safestrap techniques, and it was my understanding that any MJ* builds could achieve root... but would also trip the KNOX counter. So... when I got the Note3 last week, I made sure it came with MI9, the original firmware. I went home that night, and tried using Universal Root De La Vega (URDLV) to root it, since the standard RDLV method had been redacted from the Verizon Note 3 forum, and redirected to URDLV. Anyway... URDLV didn't work. It kept failing no matter what I tried. I read over 100 pages of the forum, and still couldn't achieve more than a few soft bricks. I also did not want to use the Kingo or vRoot methods because of reasonable doubt that there is malicious intent behind them.
So... I found a reference to the original RDLV technique from the original MI9 release, and tried it with success.
I'm now rooted, with not a hint of MJ7 or MJE on my phone... running a stock install of MI9 with safestrap 3.71. I believe SuperSU removed some knox stuff during install, and I used Titanium Backup to freeze the FWUpdate app to prevent OTA.
Now, finally for my questions:
Having a rooted MI9 stock install currently... Can I update my phone to a newer build, or to a custom ROM based on a newer build... without tripping the knox counter or using Kingo / vRoot?
If the only "updates" that came through the OTA were patching root/knox, then I don't care if I ever update... but, I understand that they also improved the modem/radio... and that matters to me, since I need the *best* reception on my phone, or I'll drop calls on the daily.
Any help and/or advice is greatly appreciated!
Thank you in advance for your time and attention.

DrPhant0m said:
... So... when I got the Note3 last week, I made sure it came with MI9, the original firmware.
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How were you able to do that?
IMO radio/firmware releases almost never do anything perceptible to call quality or drops, and especially not signal strength - that's pretty much an impossibility. But, even if you don't share in that opinion, you should **wait until you actually have a problem** with calls before giving something up for nothing. (That is, don't assume that a radio firmware update will have any perceptible differences.)
It is my impression that anti-rollback provisions were introduced sometime after the MI9 release (I don't know if that was MJ7 or MJE), so I suppose there is a small possibility that you could cobble together an Odin flash bundle that contains only signed (factory versions of MJ7 or MJE) Android components :
recovery.img, boot.img, cache.img.ext4, system.img.ext4, sec_csc.zip
This would leave in place all the MI9 boot gearing (NON-HLOS.bin, modem.bin, sbl1.mbn, aboot.mbn, rpm.mbn, tz.mbn) so that a failure to boot or any other such troubles would not prevent you from flashing back to full-MI9 using the 100% stock MI9 Odin tarball.
This is speculative & I don't know if anybody has tried it; it is possible that the kernels won't boot with the older bootloader gearing. (My phone came with MJ7, so I certainly haven't tried it). But if it worked, it might be possible to enjoy newer (MJ7/MJE) software releases without losing rollback capability.
As for the RDLV stuff, maybe the right approach is to read your way through some of those older RDLV threads (October?) and contact via PM some of the members who successfully used the original RDLV kit - they probably still have the kit laying around. Just let them know what your situation is and that you aren't looking for spoon-feeding, just the original RDLV root kit.
I remember reading something about a vulnerability in the original MI9 bootloader (beyond the anti-rollback stuff) that makes it valuable to keep if possible, given the current state of affairs with MJ7/MJE, which is to say: no custom kernels and no custom recoveries. But I can't remember what the MI9 aboot vuln was right now; I only remember that it is kinda significant.
However, there are customized Touchwiz ROMs available for MJ7 or MJE that may be installed with Safestrap - they use the Stock kernel/boot image and leave the factory stock recovery alone.
Even the URDLV stuff is not supported on MJ7 or MJE and apparently can lead to hard-bricks with MJE; most folks that are rooting MJ7 or MJE have been using kingo or vroot. You went to the trouble of getting MI9 - maybe we should see what kind of mileage you can get out of it before you take the plunge into "forever locked down" land.
bftb0
Edit I forgot to answer the question you posed in your subject line - it is my impression that RDLV/URDLV methods:
- Knox-safe on MI9 only
- Trips Knox Warranty Flag to 0x1 on MJ7
- Doesn't work at all with MJE
There were also reports of strange brickings involving attempted Odin Stock MI9 rollbacks following the use of RDLV/URDLV, but my memory is fuzzy on this topic - you should probably do a lot more reading while you get acquainted with your device. Either that or do all your experimenting within 13 days of purchase

bftb0 said:
How were you able to do that?
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Thank you for your in-depth response!
I literally just called BestBuy, and asked if they had any Black Note 3s, and if they could check the sticker on the box and see if the "S/W Version" ended in MI9, or other. They had 3 MI9s. I was as surprised as you.... but I'm sure none of their iPhones have been on the shelf longer than a few days.
As for the rest of the information you gave me... I'll try to respond to each section in short order.
Updating radio/modem:
I've rarely seen a benefit from updating radios and basebands and the like as far as reception goes... but I saw in one post that MJE was preferable because they fixed a lot of stuff. I drop a lot of calls... so I didn't know if that was considered "having a problem" that might be fixed with an update.
anti-rollback:
Yes. I believe that Verizon/Samsung blacklist the previous bootloader upon OTA, resulting in a soft brick if you try to rollback. I don't know the details of how... but I do know why. This is one reason why I'm so cautious to OTA above MI9. I know I can't go back.
Custom Odin file:
I could follow directions to do it... but I'm not prepared to be the first. I don't have the understanding of the purpose of each file packed in the tarball necessary to make one on my own. In fact... a post in the URDLV thread gave instructions (user was GalaxHE or something) on unpacking a stock and a modified tar, swapping some files, and then baking a new tar (all using the cygwin script terminal)... and I couldn't finish the process because some of the files weren't in my Verizon tars... and I didn't know enough to be sure that it was OK to move on without it. I wasn't going to march on leaving out files... that seemed like a brick and knox trip waiting to happen. The user that posted the process said to try it without the files, but I wasn't willing to "try" anything, I wanted to be sure. My device was only like 12 hours old at the time.
Acquiring an original RDLV kit:
I'm not quite sure why you suggested this part. I've already used the original RDLV files to achieve root on my phone. Actually, there was a site that had pre-modded MI9 files to download and flash in Odin, rather than using the URDLV script to make them yourself. (I don't know why this isn't more popular, other than the dev getting more credit for it... which of course, (s)he deserves.) I'm rooted on MI9, with safestrap 3.71 installed. Is there still a reason for me to acquire the old RDLV files? What good would they serve me?
MI9-specific vulnerability:
This is the first time that I've heard advice to keep MI9 because as it has special benefits. (From a root/rom standpoint, at least) In fact, if you browse the installation steps for most of the Note 3 ROMs, you'll see most of the devs instruct you to update to MJE, and then re-root using Kingo or vRoot. I HAVE heard (and took advantage of) a vulnerability with the ability to turn on wifi tethering after seeing a "stop right there... you're not paying for this feature" message. Could this be the MI9-specific vulnerability you were thinking of? If there are others, I'd love to know them.
URDLV on MJ7 and MJE:
The URDLV page is in the Note 3 General (carrier-agnostic) area... so there are people from all over the world posting in it, including the OP. I didn't see anywhere in the URDLV forum that specifically said it didn't work with MJ7 or MJE, unless either of those is a 4.4.2 release... and I'm pretty sure they're not. I read nearly the entire thing while trying to root my MI9. (at least the most recent 75%) You can see several of my posts from last week there, including my final success story of using the old RDLV technique. I saw others that were getting the same failures that I was on MI9, and maybe a few on newer builds, though I was ignoring the newer MJ* stuff. I'm not sure if I saw any success stories on the newer builds.
Now... in the OP of the URDLV page there's information on how and if it will work... and my interpretation is this: URDLV WILL work on "MJ4 or higher" releases, but will result in a KNOX trip. It also says that it will NOT work on kitkat (4.4.2) releases. It says that first, in large red letters. Again... I don't think Verizon has released 4.4.2 yet... so I presumed that all verizon releases were rootable, though MJ7 and MJE would trip knox. ---This is actually what made me wait until I found an MI9 before buying one... but I didn't yet know the codes, and I didn't make the connection that I was redirected to URDLV, and what I was reading didn't necessarily help me with a Verizon phone. The OP is referring to all Note 3s... and not specifically about those from Verizon.
Before I bought my phone, I assumed that URDLV would work, based on the OP... I knew I'd need some tech savvy to do the scripting stuff... but I had confidence. It wasn't until URDLV kept failing that I looked through the rest of the thread in detail. It seemed to me that no one with a Verizon Note 3 could get root at all... and everyone that took the time to post an update resorted to Kingo or vRoot. Whether they were fully aware of the risks, or if they did it on blind faith, I can't be sure. That's a different story... see my "Kingo/vRoot" section below.
Conclusion?
So... it seems to me that I might as well stay on MI9. I'm fine on a stock rooted ROM for now, though it pains me because I was always crack-flashing different ROMs and nightlies on my S3. I'll have to swallow it for now, though. Like I said before... if the reason for the OTAs were to patch the rooting techniques... then Verizon can shove MJ7/MJE. I will be in a quandary, though, when the kitkat OTA comes out, which would give me a reason to update. I was on CM11 (4.4.2) on my S3, and it was nice that KitKat supported NFC payments natively, and Verizon couldn't do a damn thing to stop me from using Google Wallet's tap and pay.
Thanks again for your time and attention. I still welcome others to comment, though.
Kingo/vRoot (my aversions to them)
The jury is still out on whether it steals info from your phone for nefarious use... but I've avoided it because it sounded like they could take enough of the information from your phone to clone it (like they do on TV... lol) and use anonymously. On the bright side... If they're phishing thousands of phones, then who knows if your number will ever get picked. I hate to sound paranoid or anything... but there's a big possibility of profit from selling valid information for cloning phones... sold on in less-than-legal forums like silkroad. "I knew a guy" a long time ago that used to buy credit card numbers online, and use a magstrip writer to overwrite blank giftcards that you can pluck off the shelf in a grocery store. He bought a lot of stuff on other people's dime. This would not be too different... except for the fact that instead of your CC company calling you and saying you've been compromised and a new card is in the mail... your phone number could be used to detonate a bomb or something in a terrorist activity. That's not cool.

DrPhant0m said:
I literally just called BestBuy, and asked if they had any Black Note 3s, and if they could check the sticker on the box and see if the "S/W Version" ended in MI9, or other. They had 3 MI9s.
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Click to collapse
Post that store's zip code!!!
DrPhant0m said:
Custom Odin file:
I could follow directions to do it... but I'm not prepared to be the first. I don't have the understanding of the purpose of each file packed in the tarball necessary to make one on my own. In fact... a post in the URDLV thread gave instructions (user was GalaxHE or something) on unpacking a stock and a modified tar, swapping some files, and then baking a new tar (all using the cygwin script terminal)... and I couldn't finish the process because some of the files weren't in my Verizon tars... and I didn't know enough to be sure that it was OK to move on without it. I wasn't going to march on leaving out files... that seemed like a brick and knox trip waiting to happen. The user that posted the process said to try it without the files, but I wasn't willing to "try" anything, I wanted to be sure. My device was only like 12 hours old at the time.
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Could you post a link to that thread? The Odin tarballs are simply just plain old "tar" archives with a MD5 signature of the whole tarball appended on to the end. (tar will ignore that extra "junk", but Odin will read it only to make sure you didn't accidentally give Odin a truncated file.). What I was suggesting was unpacking a 100% stock Odin tarball, removing all the low level boot software, re-packing only the stock "OS" components (listed in my prior post) and then re-adding the MD5 sig to the new tar file.
This is very simplistic, and it is quite possible that someone has already tried it - and it is even possible that it could still trip Knox or even hard-brick the phone as there are all sorts of Trustzone "attribution" applets running on the phone (TIMA, RPM, apnhlos, etc) So, if you were not willing to do a "within-14-day warranty return" ... then it is off the table. (otoh, maybe that BestBuy still has some MI9 phones left ).
DrPhant0m said:
Acquiring an original RDLV kit:
I'm not quite sure why you suggested this part. I've already used the original RDLV files to achieve root on my phone.
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sorry - I must have missed the part about you already having root. my bad!.
DrPhant0m said:
MI9-specific vulnerability:
This is the first time that I've heard advice to keep MI9 because as it has special benefits. (From a root/rom standpoint, at least) In fact, if you browse the installation steps for most of the Note 3 ROMs, you'll see most of the devs instruct you to update to MJE, and then re-root using Kingo or vRoot. I HAVE heard (and took advantage of) a vulnerability with the ability to turn on wifi tethering after seeing a "stop right there... you're not paying for this feature" message. Could this be the MI9-specific vulnerability you were thinking of? If there are others, I'd love to know them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This was something specific in the bootloader (sbl1 or aboot, I can't remember). BTW, that tethering hack persists into MJ7 as well - you don't even need to be rooted to take advantage of it. It is a App-level defect, not something involving the bootloader(s) software.
DrPhant0m said:
URDLV on MJ7 and MJE:
The URDLV page is in the Note 3 General (carrier-agnostic) area... so there are people from all over the world posting in it, including the OP. I didn't see anywhere in the URDLV forum that specifically said it didn't work with MJ7 or MJE, unless either of those is a 4.4.2 release... and I'm pretty sure they're not.
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I think the OP of the URLDV thread lists specifically-supported variants of the Note 3, rather than saying "you can't use it on these models". The SM-N900V was not in that list the last time I looked.
bftb0

bftb0 said:
Post that store's zip code!!!
bftb0
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haha... if MI9s are as hard to come by as you say they are... it's in my best interest to keep them all for myself. :angel:
Just kidding... The BestBuy was in Tarentum, Pennsylvania. Western PA isn't full of Amish people like the rest of PA is, but I'd still think that there'd be enough tech-minded people to clear out the MI9 stock. I guess they're all hipsters. They were selling nothing by iPhones while I was there. I'm not complaining though.
Could you post a link to that thread?
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http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=49047469&postcount=1127 That's in the URDLV thread. I wrote GalaxHE a PM asking him about the process. If you're still interested, PM me and I can give you the scoop on what he said back. I was already rooted by the time he responded, though, so I didn't act on what he said.
This is very simplistic
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I'm confident I could create the tar.md5 file... it's just that my phone is at stake, and I don't know what the consequences are.
possible that it could still trip Knox or even hard-brick the phone
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...I rest my case. lol
So, if you were not willing to do a "within-14-day warranty return" ... then it is off the table.
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Click to collapse
The guy that sold me the MI9 knew why I wanted an MI9, and told me that they check the knox counter and the "official" status in download mode, so I better keep it "all zeros and official" if I had to take it back. I could try my luck at another BestBuy, but what I'm saying is that if I hardbrick the phone... I can't claim ignorance and return it within 14 days. They'll see the trip flags, unless I brick it SO bad that they can't even get into download mode...
This was something specific in the bootloader (sbl1 or aboot, I can't remember). BTW, that tethering hack persists into MJ7 as well - you don't even need to be rooted to take advantage of it. It is a App-level defect, not something involving the bootloader(s) software.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If it comes back to you, let me know. I'm curious now, and like I said... I'm seeing mostly posts saying to apply the OTA update and then re-root... rather than "keep MI9 because it's better for [reasons]."
I think the OP of the URLDV thread lists specifically-supported variants of the Note 3, rather than saying "you can't use it on these models". The SM-N900V was not in that list the last time I looked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check that again...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=46818366&postcount=1 (updated 1/13/14)
There is no list of model numbers that are or are not supported. Instead, it literally says:
What devices are supported?
Just about every Samsung device with KNOX! (Excluding Exynos based devices)
Samsung has caught on and has started patching bootloaders, you can still root, but you will trip KNOX.
If you are running MJ4, MJ7, MK1, MK2 or higher you can still root, but you will trip KNOX!​
Also, the very first text in the OP is in big, bright red letters, saying
4.4.2 has been patched, URDLV will NOT work!
(this was likely the most recent edit)
Sooooo, my evaluation based on the facts that
Verizon has not yet released a 4.4.2 patch...
The Verizon releases have been MI9, MJ7, and MJE... and
My Note 3 has a Qualcomm, not Exynos chip
... was that MI9 could be rooted with URDLV without tripping knox, and the other two (MJ7 and MJE) could ALSO be rooted via URDLV, but it would trip knox. Since there is no 4.4.2 OTA from verizon yet... URDLV should work for ALL Verizon phones.
This seemed like sound logic, before I actually TRIED it, and found it not to work on MI9, and presumably on the others.
So... that was a helluva post, there, wasn't it? I'm not even sure where I stand here. Are we clear on everything? That last part about URDLV specifically stating which (if any) Verizon models were supported was probably the biggest issue that I wanted to clear up... My interpretation of the OP could be way off... but it led me to believe that URDLV would work on my phone. It is "Universal" after all...

DrPhant0m said:
Check that again...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=46818366&postcount=1 (updated 1/13/14)
There is no list of model numbers that are or are not supported.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry - my bad again. I shouldn't try to recall all this gibberish from my head. I was mis-remembering Chainfire's "CF-Auto-Root" thread (e.g. post #3) or perhaps his site where some variants of SM-N900* are supported but not others.
Note that in designgear's URDLV thread he says (1st post)
designgears said:
If you are running MJ4, MJ7, MK1, MK2 or higher you can still root, but you will trip KNOX!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the "or higher" is a little vague here... e.g. MJE > MJ7. I couldn't find (with a quick search) a post here in the Verizon Note 3 forum where someone said "I tried {U}RLDV with MJ7 and it tripped my Knox"; otoh, I did find a few posts where folks claimed that was indeed the case (that it succeeds in rooting, but also trips the Knox warranty flag).
good luck with your phone.
p.s. FYI you can return items to BestBuy via mail. Or if you hard-brick it so that download mode no longer works, there's nothing to be inspected on the screen. just sayin
.

A new strategy has been proposed for individuals in my position (and that is "on a rooted early firmware with knox untripped")... and targeted toward individuals that want to try to avoid the Kingo and vRoot methods due to a potential security risk of your device information.
The strategy goes loosely as follows:
Prerequisites: Rooted early firmware installed (MI9, for instance), superSU installed, (assumed) knox counter = 0x0
Upgrade to the paid version of SuperSU, which has an option for "OTA survival" intended to preserve root through an OTA. (turn on this option)
Remove any custom recovery, including safestrap
Apply the MJE update through the settings menu (which does not, in and of itself, trip the knox counter, but would normally remove root)
Hope that when your MJE-equipped Note 3 boots up again, SuperSU delivered on its promise, and preserved root through the OTA process without tripping the knox counter.
"Hope" in that last bullet is an operative word. Obviously, no guarantees are provided. You may end up unrooted, and thereby worse off than you started... with your only recourse being the use of some method of rooting, and sacrificing either your knox counter, the security of your device information, or possibly both... (!!!)
With little experience to really back up the following claim... I'd think that the ideal situation would be to start on a fresh install, with nothing other than the preinstalled software and SuperSU installed. To me, this would be the most likely to succeed, as there would be the least variables unaccounted for.
Any thoughts on this approach?

Update MI9?
@DrPhant0m - I am currently in the same position as you just described in your original post. I rooted early using RDLV and my build is MI9. I wasn't too concerned with making a lot of changes until I see that Kit Kat is now out and I'm considering the upgrade. Did you follow the strategy you outlined below or are you still on MI9 build?
DrPhant0m said:
A new strategy has been proposed for individuals in my position (and that is "on a rooted early firmware with knox untripped")... and targeted toward individuals that want to try to avoid the Kingo and vRoot methods due to a potential security risk of your device information.
The strategy goes loosely as follows:
Prerequisites: Rooted early firmware installed (MI9, for instance), superSU installed, (assumed) knox counter = 0x0
Upgrade to the paid version of SuperSU, which has an option for "OTA survival" intended to preserve root through an OTA. (turn on this option)
Remove any custom recovery, including safestrap
Apply the MJE update through the settings menu (which does not, in and of itself, trip the knox counter, but would normally remove root)
Hope that when your MJE-equipped Note 3 boots up again, SuperSU delivered on its promise, and preserved root through the OTA process without tripping the knox counter.
"Hope" in that last bullet is an operative word. Obviously, no guarantees are provided. You may end up unrooted, and thereby worse off than you started... with your only recourse being the use of some method of rooting, and sacrificing either your knox counter, the security of your device information, or possibly both... (!!!)
With little experience to really back up the following claim... I'd think that the ideal situation would be to start on a fresh install, with nothing other than the preinstalled software and SuperSU installed. To me, this would be the most likely to succeed, as there would be the least variables unaccounted for.
Any thoughts on this approach?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Sky Masters said:
@DrPhant0m - I am currently in the same position as you just described in your original post. I rooted early using RDLV and my build is MI9. I wasn't too concerned with making a lot of changes until I see that Kit Kat is now out and I'm considering the upgrade. Did you follow the strategy you outlined below or are you still on MI9 build?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you have MI9 bootloader? There's an engineering bootloader floating around if you are feeling adventerous.

ryanbg said:
Do you have MI9 bootloader? There's an engineering bootloader floating around if you are feeling adventerous.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No. I have the original tar files that was needed for the root and the unroot files. Do you know what this engineered bootloader does / contains? And what build are you on?

Sky Masters said:
@DrPhant0m - I am currently in the same position as you just described in your original post. I rooted early using RDLV and my build is MI9. I wasn't too concerned with making a lot of changes until I see that Kit Kat is now out and I'm considering the upgrade. Did you follow the strategy you outlined below or are you still on MI9 build?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sky,
First... DO NOT INSTALL THE OTA UPDATE TO NC4. More info later.
Now that I've gotten that out of the way... I'm currently up to NC2, Android 4.4.2. It's great, and I recommend you do the same as I did.
Find the NC2 leaked ROM from BeansTown here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2726558
Follow the directions EXACTLY... watch the video(s) of someone else doing it FIRST and make sure you have no questions. Use an MD5 checker to ensure that your files are PERFECT... and watch the video(s) AGAIN as you do it yourself. (This is what I did, and I had 0 problems)
You can stop here if you want. You'll have a rooted phone that is 99.999% stock KitKat, and you won't have to employ any particularly shady methods to get there.
But... since you'll have safestrap installed, you can opt install other custom 4.4.x Touchwiz-based ROMs like HyperDrive or BajaROM. I spent at least a month on the stock NC2 leak from BeansTown before I ventured out. I'm on BajaROM right now, and I like it. I had phone volume issues with HyperDrive.
Again... do not install the NC4 OTA update. Don't ever install ANY OTAs, in fact. NC2 is special, and it should probably be the last firmware you install on your phone, unless someone very important tells you otherwise. It is somewhat of a "test" release with a few features that Verizon would not normally want consumer phones to have. Most of these are only useful to devs, but they eventually trickle down to us in the form of modifications to kernels, bootloaders, etc. The most notable feature to most uses is that you can downgrade back to MJE if you want. No other Verizon Note 3 firmware will allow you to downgrade at all. Though, if it all worked for you, I don't know if you'd ever want to.
So... that's my recommendation. What concerns do you have? Feel free to ask any questions. I'll answer if you "thank" me on this post. lol

Sky Masters said:
No. I have the original tar files that was needed for the root and the unroot files. Do you know what this engineered bootloader does / contains? And what build are you on?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You don't need your original RDLV tar files. There's a brief period where you take a leap of faith by installing NC2, and you will abandon MI9 forever, since you can only roll back to MJE, and not all the way to MI9. So, you won't be able to use the RDLV files again. If you land on MJE with problems... you need to re-root, and you'll have to use Kingo or some other somewhat shady method. So, it's not without consequence. The risk is low, though, if you follow all the directions carefully and only make safe, calculated decisions. Now is a good time for me to mention that I assume no responsibility for any mishaps. What you do with your phone is your prerogative. If you don't want to take any risks, then disregard my posts. But, really... it'll be fine. :good:
The "Engineering" firmware referred to earlier is likely the NC2 leak that I mentioned, used as the base for Beans's stock rooted ROM from April.

Thanks for sharing the info and the directions. I am going to try it out tonite and I'll let you know how it goes. I was hoping that I wouldn't have to update to 4.4.2 but with all the comments I've been reading, it seemed like I was missing out!
DrPhant0m said:
You don't need your original RDLV tar files. There's a brief period where you take a leap of faith by installing NC2, and you will abandon MI9 forever, since you can only roll back to MJE, and not all the way to MI9. So, you won't be able to use the RDLV files again. If you land on MJE with problems... you need to re-root, and you'll have to use Kingo or some other somewhat shady method. So, it's not without consequence. The risk is low, though, if you follow all the directions carefully and only make safe, calculated decisions. Now is a good time for me to mention that I assume no responsibility for any mishaps. What you do with your phone is your prerogative. If you don't want to take any risks, then disregard my posts. But, really... it'll be fine. :good:
The "Engineering" firmware referred to earlier is likely the NC2 leak that I mentioned, used as the base for Beans's stock rooted ROM from April.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

@drphantom - Thanks again for leading me to those instructions my man!! Worked like a charm and I'm trying out the BajaROM.
DrPhant0m said:
Sky,
First... DO NOT INSTALL THE OTA UPDATE TO NC4. More info later.
Now that I've gotten that out of the way... I'm currently up to NC2, Android 4.4.2. It's great, and I recommend you do the same as I did.
Find the NC2 leaked ROM from BeansTown here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2726558
Follow the directions EXACTLY... watch the video(s) of someone else doing it FIRST and make sure you have no questions. Use an MD5 checker to ensure that your files are PERFECT... and watch the video(s) AGAIN as you do it yourself. (This is what I did, and I had 0 problems)
You can stop here if you want. You'll have a rooted phone that is 99.999% stock KitKat, and you won't have to employ any particularly shady methods to get there.
But... since you'll have safestrap installed, you can opt install other custom 4.4.x Touchwiz-based ROMs like HyperDrive or BajaROM. I spent at least a month on the stock NC2 leak from BeansTown before I ventured out. I'm on BajaROM right now, and I like it. I had phone volume issues with HyperDrive.
Again... do not install the NC4 OTA update. Don't ever install ANY OTAs, in fact. NC2 is special, and it should probably be the last firmware you install on your phone, unless someone very important tells you otherwise. It is somewhat of a "test" release with a few features that Verizon would not normally want consumer phones to have. Most of these are only useful to devs, but they eventually trickle down to us in the form of modifications to kernels, bootloaders, etc. The most notable feature to most uses is that you can downgrade back to MJE if you want. No other Verizon Note 3 firmware will allow you to downgrade at all. Though, if it all worked for you, I don't know if you'd ever want to.
So... that's my recommendation. What concerns do you have? Feel free to ask any questions. I'll answer if you "thank" me on this post. lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Sky Masters said:
@drphantom - Thanks again for leading me to those instructions my man!! Worked like a charm and I'm trying out the BajaROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad to help! I'm also honored to provide you with your first "Thanks" on xda!
NC2 is great. The only complaints I've heard is that some people have worse reception, but I can tell you with confidence that my reception is MUCH better, so it must be a regional thing. I used to drop my calls in 2-3 places every day on my commute... and I think I've only dropped like 5 calls TOTAL since I upgraded to NC2. If you have reception issues, you can always downgrade just the radio and keep KK and your ROM... but again, I never had to do that.
I'm hoping that 4.4.3 brings Google Wallet tap to pay functionality... and that there's an easy upgrade path while keeping root.
Good luck!

[Q] Please Help!

So I just rooted my Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note 3 with Kingo. All I have installed so far is SuperSu Pro and Titanium backup. Im on android 4.3 and I have the MJE version. (which seems to be the most uncommon because I cant find any help anywhere, so im posting this thread). All I want to know is how or if I even can get the CyanogenMod rom on my phone. This is my first android device ever and I've had it for 5 months and Im definitely never going back to Apple devices. Anyway, I just rooted, I dont care about tripping Knox because I dont have a warranty anyways. I just need someone to explain to me how to get all the things I need including CM. From what ive read I need CWM and GAPPS.

khampton_03 said:
So I just rooted my Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note 3 with Kingo. All I have installed so far is SuperSu Pro and Titanium backup. Im on android 4.3 and I have the MJE version. (which seems to be the most uncommon because I cant find any help anywhere, so im posting this thread). All I want to know is how or if I even can get the CyanogenMod rom on my phone. This is my first android device ever and I've had it for 5 months and Im definitely never going back to Apple devices. Anyway, I just rooted, I dont care about tripping Knox because I dont have a warranty anyways. I just need someone to explain to me how to get all the things I need including CM. From what ive read I need CWM and GAPPS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Slow down there. Lol. Do you have a developer edition Note 3 or just a regular retail Note 3 you purchased from Verizon?

Adam Browning said:
Slow down there. Lol. Do you have a developer edition Note 3 or just a regular retail Note 3 you purchased from Verizon?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol sorry Im very new to android. I got it from Verizon but i enabled Developer mode if thats what youre asking haha.

khampton_03 said:
Lol sorry Im very new to android. I got it from Verizon but i enabled Developer mode if thats what youre asking haha.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's all good lol. No, developer mode just gives you some extra features if you want to debug your device. A developer edition Note 3 is a phone that was available directly from Samsung in a small quantity. It had the bootloader unlocked, which is a must for a AOSP ROM such as Cyanogenmod. Cyanogenmod requires a custom kernal, which a retail Note 3 (that you purchase through Verizon or another retail store) can not flash due to the locked bootloader. I would suggest peeking over in the Android Development section to check out the ROMs you are able to flash. Just steer clear of the ones saying for the developer edition or DE (for short). If you're wanting a ROM that has an AOSP feel to it though, check out Eclipse.
Here is a link for the Eclipse thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2620723

Adam Browning said:
It's all good lol. No, developer mode just gives you some extra features if you want to debug your device. A developer edition Note 3 is a phone that was available directly from Samsung in a small quantity. It had the bootloader unlocked, which is a must for a AOSP ROM such as Cyanogenmod. Cyanogenmod requires a custom kernal, which a retail Note 3 (that you purchase through Verizon or another retail store) can not flash due to the locked bootloader. I would suggest peeking over in the Android Development section to check out the ROMs you are able to flash. Just steer clear of the ones saying for the developer edition or DE (for short). If you're wanting a ROM that has an AOSP feel to it though, check out Eclipse.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So could I somehow unlock the bootloader??

khampton_03 said:
So could I somehow unlock the bootloader??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Many people have looked into that, and no luck so far. It is still locked for devices such as ours. Kind of sucks, I know. Almost every Android phone I've owned, I have ran Cyanogenmod on it. With Verizon being difficult about locking the bootloaders, and Samsung introducing Knox, I don't think we will see a bootloader unlock anytime soon, if ever. With the new 4.4.2 leak that BeansTown106 has made available for us here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2726558
Kernal modules are enabled, so we may have a workaround in the near future for the locked bootloader. I would suggest not taking the OTA for 4.4.2, but instead flashing the leaked 4.4.2 that is available via that thread. Once you take the OTA, it isn't known if you'll ever be able to flash this leak, which may allow for a modified kernal and therefore AOSP ROMs. I may be mistaken in some of the details, and someone can correct me if I have said something wrong in this, but this thread will explain it a little better:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2727876

Adam Browning said:
Many people have looked into that, and no luck so far. It is still locked for devices such as ours. Kind of sucks, I know. Almost every Android phone I've owned, I have ran Cyanogenmod on it. With Verizon being difficult about locking the bootloaders, and Samsung introducing Knox, I don't think we will see a bootloader unlock anytime soon, if ever. With the new 4.4.2 leak that BeansTown106 has made available for us here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2726558
Kernal modules are enabled, so we may have a workaround in the near future for the locked bootloader. I would suggest not taking the OTA for 4.4.2, but instead flashing the leaked 4.4.2 that is available via that thread. Once you take the OTA, it isn't known if you'll ever be able to flash this leak, which may allow for a modified kernal and therefore AOSP ROMs. I may be mistaken in some of the details, and someone can correct me if I have said something wrong in this, but this thread will explain it a little better:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2727876
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So back to the beginning haha how do I flash a rom or what should I do since I just rooted and only have supersu haha

khampton_03 said:
So back to the beginning haha how do I flash a rom or what should I do since I just rooted and only have supersu haha
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It all depends on what you want to do. How knowledgeable are you with rooting, Odin, and flashing in general?

Adam Browning said:
It all depends on what you want to do. How knowledgeable are you with rooting, Odin, and flashing in general?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ive never flashed anything and I dont know how to use odin. Lol

khampton_03 said:
Ive never flashed anything and I dont know how to use odin. Lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol. Oh goody. Well you're in for a lot of reading then. If you're already rooted and have supersu installed, then at least you have that part out of the way. The way that we install custom ROMs onto our phones (since the bootloader is locked) is by using Safestrap, developed by Hashcode. You can find any and all information you will need on it here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2517610
Safestrap gives you the ability to have multiple custom ROMs on your phone, without having to flash directly over your stock ROM (if you don't want). It is an application that you download onto your phone, you then open it up and install custom recovery. Once that is completed, you will then see a Safestrap screen everytime you turn on or restart your phone. I would suggest reading through or at least skimming the thread via the link provided above.
Once you have created a ROM slot and have it selected as the active slot, you can then proceed to install a custom ROM into that slot. Once you have everything set up, you can then switch between the custom ROM in "Slot x" to the stock ROM slot, giving you a cushion in case you completely screw up.
You're going to have to decide whether or not you want to stay on the 4.3 base, or update to the 4.4.2 base leak. The only advantages of either one are strictly your personal preference. There are a few that prefer the 4.4.2 base over the 4.3 base due to one reason or another. If you want to update the the newest 4.4.2 base leak though, follow the instructions provided via this link:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2726558

Adam Browning said:
Lol. Oh goody. Well you're in for a lot of reading then. If you're already rooted and have supersu installed, then at least you have that part out of the way. The way that we install custom ROMs onto our phones (since the bootloader is locked) is by using Safestrap, developed by Hashcode. You can find any and all information you will need on it here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2517610
Safestrap gives you the ability to have multiple custom ROMs on your phone, without having to flash directly over your stock ROM (if you don't want). It is an application that you download onto your phone, you then open it up and install custom recovery. Once that is completed, you will then see a Safestrap screen everytime you turn on or restart your phone. I would suggest reading through or at least skimming the thread via the link provided above.
Once you have created a ROM slot and have it selected as the active slot, you can then proceed to install a custom ROM into that slot. Once you have everything set up, you can then switch between the custom ROM in "Slot x" to the stock ROM slot, giving you a cushion in case you completely screw up.
You're going to have to decide whether or not you want to stay on the 4.3 base, or update to the 4.4.2 base leak. The only advantages of either one are strictly your personal preference. There are a few that prefer the 4.4.2 base over the 4.3 base due to one reason or another. If you want to update the the newest 4.4.2 base leak though, follow the instructions provided via this link:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2726558
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So I am going to install Kitkat by watching the video on the thread. He said something about making sure the "MD5's match". What does that mean?

khampton_03 said:
So I am going to install Kitkat by watching the video on the thread. He said something about making sure the "MD5's match". What does that mean?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That, you don't really have to worry about honestly. I never check, though it may be good practice to. Just follow along with the video in the thread and you will be good to go. Just remember that after you install 4.4.2, you cannot flash 4.3 based ROMs. Also, there is a bug in Safestrap right now that renders the ROM slots somewhat useless, though you can attempt to use them at your own risk. If you want to flash one of the 4.4.2 based ROMs afterwards, it is suggested to back up the stock ROM, and flash the custom ROM in the stock ROM slot. All I can say is, goodluck. Lol. It is a fun process, though somewhat difficult at times. If you have anymore questions after the fact, just reply here. I'll help out as much as I can. It always puts a smile on my face to help convert an Apple fanboy/girl over to Android.