Hi everyone.
Recently I rooted my Galaxy S4 I9500 (running Android 4.4) in preparation to flash a ROM I found on another forum. Everything was succesful, as confirmed by means of Root Checker.
I then flashed the most recent version of TWRP using the most recent version of ODIN. This was also successful and I could boot into the recovery fine.
I made a backup and then proceeded to try and flash the ROM. I got the error "could not find MD5 file. could not mount '/system'". I tried another ROM - a popular one from this forum, and the same thing happened.
Then I decided maybe it was a fault with TWRP, so I installed Clockworkmod instead, also successfully. Booted into that and tried the same two ROMs again. This time, CWM said they "installed successfully", but when I tried to reboot after flashing each of them, after the "Samsung Galaxy S4 I9500" screen, my screen went black, and remained that way. I waited over half an hour to make sure, each time.
No ROMs seem to be flashing properly, regardless of which recovery program I use.
What could be the problem here?
Thanks in advance for any assistance provided.
Related
Hi there,
Long time lurker on the forums here, and have been browsing around the whole day to find a solution to my problems without luck .
Yeasterday I received my Galaxy Note 3 (N900T), but I had very poor reception, I thought this was because the N900T was appearantly a US model which I wasn't aware of, but since hardware was the same I decided a custom rom might fix things up.
I installed the latest CM 11 nightly and appropriate google apps but without any luck (reception still bad)
Then I decided to install the origional 4.4.2 firmware for T-mobile N900T, now the reception and everything works just fine, but I get a bunch of errors that google app x (youtube, playstore etc) have stopped working, so I get alot of these pop-ups and can't use the playstore.
I thought: Ok I just need to install the latest Gapps for the 4.4.2 version, there's where the problem comes in. When I booted into recovery it would boot into the standard android recovery and not CWM recovery. I couldn't do anything in the normal recovery mode to install gapps. So I managed to download the rom manager through my browser and just installed that without the playstore, after this i installed the recovery, found out my root was undone after the patch.
I then downloaded the chainfire thingy and flashed it with odin, which all worked fine and I managed to root my phone again. When opening SuperSU it says there was some 'KNOX thingies remaining which I said ok take away. After this I installed the CWM recovery, and said: Launch ClockworkMod recovery so I could install the new version of Gapps there. However: This is where it gets stuck in a loop trying to launch the bootloader, and I was unable to get into the bootloader. The only way to stop the bootloader loop was to take out the battery, boot into download mode and cancel the download mode after which my phone would continue to boot normally.
After this I tried to flash the 4.3 version of android with odin, and even reflashing the current 4.4.2 version, but I can't flash any roms with odin anymore as it gives me the Fail! Auth. error everytime in odin.
If anybody could help me that would be greatly appreciated!
Just to clarify:
I am still working on this, I downloaded Goomanager and installed TWRP recovery, but no luck, my phone will simply get stuck in a loop when i try to boot it into recovery. I can still startup my phone normally, but it's quite useless without gapps.
Thanks in advance for any assistance, I really feel lost on this one :/
Maybe its too late but I wonder if it would have helped if you install another kernel when you had CM11. Maybe that would have had solve the problems with the reception? I'm a total noob at this, so I don't know, its just something that I thought of.
grafgever said:
Just to clarify:
I am still working on this, I downloaded Goomanager and installed TWRP recovery, but no luck, my phone will simply get stuck in a loop when i try to boot it into recovery. I can still startup my phone normally, but it's quite useless without gapps.
Thanks in advance for any assistance, I really feel lost on this one :/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure but when i upgraded my N9006 to KitKat and tried to root it using cf-auto-root for my phone it went into a boot loop. I ended up using the one designed for N9005 as it specifically stated it was made for the 4.4 boot loader. I'm guessing the other ones are for 4.3?
locn said:
Not sure but when i upgraded my N9006 to KitKat and tried to root it using cf-auto-root for my phone it went into a boot loop. I ended up using the one designed for N9005 as it specifically stated it was made for the 4.4 boot loader. I'm guessing the other ones are for 4.3?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I managed to flash the philz recovery with odin, I got the phone working now, except when I make a call I'll loose all mobile network signal afterwards. Unsure how to solve this. Could I flash a European stock firmware to my n900t?
Hi All,
I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this as I'm relatively new to posting on XDA. My girlfriend has a Galaxy S4 (I337) that I quickly and easily installed Cyanogenmod on. It's awesome and significantly better than TouchWiz. So, I bought an S4 off Ebay assuming it would be similar enough. It turns out this new S4 is an I9500 and before shipping it was updated to 4.3, which appears to lock the bootloader and prevent downgrading. I've tried Odin, Heimdall, ADB, Philz, Chainfire, Cofface, stock ROMs, etc with no luck. Today I did manage to root the phone and confirm root with TowelRoot. I'm wondering/hoping someone might have some resources to get CM on this thing. While I'd prefer not to brick it I am willing to take risks as I have a Razr (soft-bricked and unbricked) running CM and am relatively comfortable with computers/Linux.
I've been Googling and trying things for a month now and can't even find that much information on the locked bootloader. Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks.
--
SL
The I9500 doesn't have a locked bootloader. You just can't downgrade from 4.3 to 4.2.2 with official roms. Same applies when you are running 4.4, then you also can't downgrade officially.
Just flash a custom recovery true Odin and flash away.
Why would you even want to downgrade? Are you sure you are picking the right files? You cant flash the files for the I337 on the I9500. So just go to the section for the I9500 roms and flash away.
Hi Lennyz1988,
Thanks for the quick reply. I don't specifically want to downgrade but that's the last option I've tried. Ultimately the goal is to put Cyanogenmod on the phone. When I attempt to upload any file via Odin I get "secure magiccode check fail : boot" (or fail : recovery) depending on what I'm flashing. All the reading I've done says that when these phones are updated to 4.3 a fix has been applied that stops Odin from working. Thus, I my last resort is/was to try and downgrade. As I said, I've been Googling for the last month and while few people have posted about this I have not found any solutions.
Hoping someone might have a solution or anything new to try that I haven't tried already, thanks again,
--
SL
Download the latest TWRP recovery:
http://techerrata.com/browse/twrp2/i9500
Fire it up in Odin under PDA. You need the .tar (DON'T EXTRACT IT).
If it fails:
- Different usb port
- Different cable
- Different pc
- Reinstall drivers
- Make sure Kies is not running the background.
Or you can use heimdall to flash it. Use the command line though:
heimdall flash --recovery nameoftherecovery.img (you need the .img instead of the .tar)
No luck there, Odin still fails with the same message. I have tried Heimdall on 2 different computers (4 different usb cables) and always get the libusb 12 error.
Since I have root access I figured I might be able to wipe the recovery partition from a terminal emulator. I copied recovery.img from the I9500 CWM to the internal sd card. I then went to /dev/block/msm_sdcc.1/by-name to figure out what partition is recovery, turns out its 21. I then did “dd if=/sdcard/recovery.img of=/dev/block/mmcblk0p21”. I then booted into recovery and it just hung up. I had previously found a stock recovery partition so I flashed that via Odin (the only file I have found that works flashing via Odin). I could then boot back into the normal recovery. I then tried flashing both recovery and cache with the CF Auto files (cache is partition 18). Same result, it just hangs when trying to boot into recovery. At one point I did manage to flash a recovery that then came up with a warning about “software installed that is not supported by AT&T” and I couldn’t get past that so had to flash the stock recovery again.
On a side note, I accidentally wiped the EFS partition in this process (if found a tutorial that shows the S3 had recovery in partition 10, which is EFS on the S4). As a result 1.) the menu didn’t pop up when I hit the power button and 2.) wifi didn’t work. So, I made an .img of the EFS partition on my GT-I337 and moved it to the I9500 and that worked restoring both. In case anyone makes the same mistake.
I have now also used CWM ROM Manager and GooManger and tried installing recovery that way with no luck.
Just check if the internal memory partitioning is correct ( number, size and format) (use fdisk or parsed).
ODIN will install according to the PIT file and if drivers and cables are OK it is no other explanation than that.
PS: do not trust heimdall data because it just read the PIT file and do not give the true info from the memory part.!
Uhm on the TWRP website they say that the I9500 has it on partition 10.....
This would be the proper partition based on their website:
mmcblk0p10
Are you absolutely sure you have an i9500? Because my guess is that you don't.....
Boot into download mode. What does it say your model is?
Because on the AT&T it's partition 21.... So my guess is that you are messing up....
Thanks everyone for the input/feedback,
Something I think I had forgotten to mention previously, when the initial root/recovery attempts didn't work I downloaded an app to verify it is a genuine Samsung as I have heard of very good knock-offs. It is genuine according to the app.
Good point/catch regarding the location of the recovery partition. Under About Phone it shows as an I9500 and always has. When in download mode it currently shows as I337 but I wasn't sure if that was simply a result of all my attempts so I figured best to go with the one I am certain has been the same since I bought the phone. I had been hesitant to try wiping the recovery with for the I337 as that is how I soft-bricked my RazrHD (ultimately un-bricked it).
Tonight I will try the I337 files and see if Odin is successful. Thanks again.
Damn! Turns out my phone is an I337. The hardward (under the battery) says I9500 and when I plug it into a computer it shows up as I9500. On the weekend I thought I read that there is now the ability to flash recovery and install CyanogenMod on I337 if its updated to 4.4.2. So, I donwloaded the firmware and flashed with Odin. It flashed successfully but now I realize I am mistaken and 1.) cannot flash recovery, and 2.) cannot downgrade. For the time being I have installed Nova Launcher and removed as much of TouchWiz as possible. It's not perfect but at least usable. I'd like to start researching what it would take to flash recovery on this phone but I suspect I'm too busy at this moment.
Thanks everyone for the help,
HI, I have tried to root my S5 900I but failed badly, have done other phones in the past but somehow stuffed this.
The phone is stuck on downloading screen and cannot do normal boot.
I Started with flashing "recovery.tar.md5" 1st which passed in Odin but phone stuck on downloading screen, then I went into recovery and tried reset and flash CF Auto Root but still not working.
Then flashed twrp.kit.tar and still no normal boot but I can get into recovery Team Win, have tried numerous wipes and installing more CF Auto Root's and also tried flashing Miui Rom.
I believe I have screwed up the stock rom and don't know what to do next.
appreciate any help
brendy79 said:
HI, I have tried to root my S5 900I but failed badly, have done other phones in the past but somehow stuffed this.
The phone is stuck on downloading screen and cannot do normal boot.
I Started with flashing "recovery.tar.md5" 1st which passed in Odin but phone stuck on downloading screen, then I went into recovery and tried reset and flash CF Auto Root but still not working.
Then flashed twrp.kit.tar and still no normal boot but I can get into recovery Team Win, have tried numerous wipes and installing more CF Auto Root's and also tried flashing Miui Rom.
I believe I have screwed up the stock rom and don't know what to do next.
appreciate any help
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same happened to my wife's Galaxy Grand Prime months ago; stuck at downloading mode after rooting and installing TWRP recovery. The problem was with the version of TWRP recovery I was installing. Looks like I was installing the wrong one (although the website I downloaded it from states that it's the correct one for the device model). I tried different versions from different websites and was about to wipe everything and flash the stock rom but finally I got the correct one and that fixed the problem. Hope that helps.
iSergiwa said:
Same happened to my wife's Galaxy Grand Prime months ago; stuck at downloading mode after rooting and installing TWRP recovery. The problem was with the version of TWRP recovery I was installing. Looks like I was installing the wrong one (although the website I downloaded it from states that it's the correct one for the device model). I tried different versions from different websites and was about to wipe everything and flash the stock rom but finally I got the correct one and that fixed the problem. Hope that helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, I'll keep trying different TWRP, have tries so many but have changed the outcome yet
Hello guys
My phone is Galaxy S7 Edge Duos- SM935FD. I seem to have bricked the device.
Below are the actions I have performed.
1. Flashed TWRP using ODIN as described on https://www.the***********.com/root-samsung-galaxy-s7-edge/
2. Booted successfully into the OS. Found superuser app installed.
3. When I went to back to Flash ROM i erased multiple things such as internal storage/dalvik/cache/system after which device got stuck in bootloop. Showing NO OS.
4. I tried flasing Custom ROM Zip files through OTG. The process failed showing package corrupt and still stuck in bootloop.
I can enter recovery/download mode however cant seem to get the device booted. How can I get the device to work either Custom or stock ROM.
I will be going through some threads in the meantime, your guidance is very much appreciated.
Flash stock rom with Odin: This shouldnt be posted on Development Forum but rayher questions and Answers.
Find what your Stock Firmware for your phone is using Sammobile and flash stock then re do rooting and TWRP Process
zzThrain is right -- I wouldn't risk flashing custom ROMs at this stage, especially because many contain new bootloaders or other stuff that might make this even worse for you. Just pick up the relevant Samsung stock ROM file (from, for example, SamMobile) and see if it boots normally again. Once it does, re-do the process *after checking all MD5s of the files you used* -- I, too, have had it happen before that a download went corrupted and I flashed it. If all is well, get into Download Mode and let Odin rip.
rixon.d9 said:
Hello guys
My phone is Galaxy S7 Edge Duos- SM935FD. I seem to have bricked the device.
Below are the actions I have performed.
1. Flashed TWRP using ODIN as described on https://www.the***********.com/root-samsung-galaxy-s7-edge/
2. Booted successfully into the OS. Found superuser app installed.
3. When I went to back to Flash ROM i erased multiple things such as internal storage/dalvik/cache/system after which device got stuck in bootloop. Showing NO OS.
4. I tried flasing Custom ROM Zip files through OTG. The process failed showing package corrupt and still stuck in bootloop.
I can enter recovery/download mode however cant seem to get the device booted. How can I get the device to work either Custom or stock ROM.
I will be going through some threads in the meantime, your guidance is very much appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Go to recovery mode & transfer rom to phone using pc. wipe cache, delvikcache, data only. No need to wipe internal sd. Install rom & reboot.
if you phone goes to recovery or download mode, no need to worry. If it doesn't go to neither recovery nor download mode, them your phone might have probably bricked.
It's my pleasure to help you if you still facing this problem
zzThrain said:
Flash stock rom with Odin: This shouldnt be posted on Development Forum but rayher questions and Answers.
Find what your Stock Firmware for your phone is using Sammobile and flash stock then re do rooting and TWRP Process
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi
I tried flashing stock rom from sammobile. I could find for SM-935FD hence downloaded SM-935F.
It got stuck at 90% showing System in ODIN.
From the ZIP file which is the file that needs to be flashed among below ? I tried AP.
AP_G935FXXU2DRB6_CL12365438_QB16944063_REV00_user_low_ship_meta.tar
BL_G935FXXU2DRB6_CL12365438_QB16944063_REV00_user_low_ship.tar
CP_G935FXXU2DRAG_CL648265_QB8691891_SIGNED.tar
CSC_OJV_G935FOJV2DRAG_CL12785220_QB16560277_REV00_user_low_ship.tar
HOME_CSC_OJV_G935FOJV2DRAG_CL12785220_QB16560277_REV00_user_low_ship.tar
Now when I try again it immediately shows FAIL. Am i Flashing the right stock rom ?
It Worked. Thanks to all who helped.
I wasn't running ODIN as Admin and also was using an slightly older version V3.10.7.
Hello!
I apologize if this isn't the right place to ask, but I haven't found a section for a Samsung Galaxy S5 Active!
I am a complete newbie and haven't flashed to my phone since I had a Samsung Galaxy S3 back in 2018. In this case, I'm trying to find a root and install twrp recovery, so I can install lineageOS on my phone. The stock rom is so laggy!
My phone's recovery won't let me just install lineageOS, so I have to install a custom recovery.
So far, all the one-click roots haven't worked. Towelroot, kingsroot, oneclickroot, all failed.
The official twrp recovery didn't work either and did not give me a compatible rom.
I tried to locate an unofficial twrp recovery compatible with my device, and I think I found one. The issue is that it odin does not flash a .img file.
I'm going to try this method of downgrading the stock rom.
EDIT: Doing this gives me a SW REV CHECK FAIL: [aboot] Fused 2 > Binary 1
Trying this now: https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/guide-g870a-downgrade-s5-active-mm6-0-lp5-0.3523683/
EDIT: unsuccessful. Soft brick of OS; need to flash again or try something else...I tried to leave the phone out all night, but it never got past boot screen.
EDIT2: tired again and somewhat successful. Samsung boot screen is different and so is the boot recovery! The darn phone still won't boot though!!
EDIT3: Had to reboot the phone 3 times and got the android is upgrading screen...YAY!! But, the system process.media fails randomly.
Any tips? If I could just get twrp on, that would fix everything! Thank you!!
Found a supposedly compatible twrp here: https://dl.twrp.me/klte/twrp-3.5.2_9-0-klte.img.tar.html
Issue is odin fails when flashing...I am getting the auth error!!
One of the few usable recoveries: https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/...estrap-recovery-v3-75-2014-06-26-b03.2794087/
Hi, I am also looking to put LineageOS on my device as well.
The most I have found so far is the S5 Active (SM-G870A) has an OEM locked bootloader, and without unlocking it a custom recovery is not available.
AT&T, nor Samsung have provided any way to unlock the bootloader as far as I know, and I'm not sure if any developers are still working to crack it.