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[FIXED] Hyperdrive RLS17.1 for I337 (AT&T) showing I545 (Verizon)

Last night I’ve replaced my spare GS4 i337 AT&T (US) stock ROM with Hyperdrive RLS17.1 KitKat (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2520418).
Evidently the device was rooted and Safestrap installed. The Hyperdrive install went smooth and the phone booted properly, with poorer signal reception than usual, but with wi-fi. I also installed the AT&T Module (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2616221). I’ve used my SIM card and was able to make at least one phone calls without changing any settings.
However, when I look at the About Device, I see that “Model Number” is SCH-I545 (while it should have been I337), but the “Baseband Version” correctly reads I337UCUFNB1.
Now I’m planning to do the upgrade to my main (also S4) phone, but should I be concerned about the Model Number being wrong? Or is this a developer oversight? Did I missed a step (like replace Kernel)?
Did anyone else had this problem?
Thanks in advance

tsaxman said:
Last night I’ve replaced my spare GS4 i337 AT&T (US) stock ROM with Hyperdrive RLS17.1 KitKat (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2520418).
Evidently the device was rooted and Safestrap installed. The Hyperdrive install went smooth and the phone booted properly, with poorer signal reception than usual, but with wi-fi. I also installed the AT&T Module (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2616221). I’ve used my SIM card and was able to make at least one phone calls without changing any settings.
However, when I look at the About Device, I see that “Model Number” is SCH-I545 (while it should have been I337), but the “Baseband Version” correctly reads I337UCUFNB1.
Now I’m planning to do the upgrade to my main (also S4) phone, but should I be concerned about the Model Number being wrong? Or is this a developer oversight? Did I missed a step (like replace Kernel)?
Did anyone else had this problem?
Thanks in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That ROM usually has multiple device / carrier options in Aroma. You probably chose Verizon instead of AT&T, or as you suggested, the dev made an error on the build.prop.
Either way, nothing to worry about as long as the device is working properly.

upndwn4par said:
That ROM usually has multiple device / carrier options in Aroma. You probably chose Verizon instead of AT&T, or as you suggested, the dev made an error on the build.prop.
Either way, nothing to worry about as long as the device is working properly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks upndwn4par!!!
Yes, I made the correct AT&T carrier choice, in Aroma. I also made sure the Module file matched the NBI file.
Will keep on going and will report if anything is not working as expected.
Once again, thanks for the replay.
Cheers :good:

tsaxman said:
Thanks upndwn4par!!!
Yes, I made the correct AT&T carrier choice, in Aroma. I also made sure the Module file matched the NBI file.
Will keep on going and will report if anything is not working as expected.
Once again, thanks for the replay.
Cheers :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My experience is that without the proper I337 configuration, certain apps wouldn't install from Google Play. This included some expected issues, such as ATT apps (like ATT Messaging app) that would be expected to be specific to ATT supported phone models, but also lots of other apps just wouldn't show up in the store when I browsed on the phone that identified itself wrongly as a Verizon phone. Sort of random hit or miss.
You can restore the identification of the phone by flashing the ATT build.prop/APN file, but that somehow interferes with hyperdrive tweaks app.
The dev has said build 18 should work better for ATT phones... if so, it would be awesome. He put an incredible amount of effort into this ROM. I had to leave it due to the "+" addition messing up incoming/outgoing calls, plus the phone model ID issue. Prefixer app apparently can fix for some the + issue, but I never found enough details to properly edit the build.prop to identify the phone for google play. However, I was in a hurry and didn't have a lot of time to mess with it.
I look forward to investigating version 18 when it comes out.
Marc

upndwn4par said:
That ROM usually has multiple device / carrier options in Aroma. You probably chose Verizon instead of AT&T, or as you suggested, the dev made an error on the build.prop.
Either way, nothing to worry about as long as the device is working properly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Frankenscript said:
My experience is that without the proper I337 configuration, certain apps wouldn't install from Google Play. This included some expected issues, such as ATT apps (like ATT Messaging app) that would be expected to be specific to ATT supported phone models, but also lots of other apps just wouldn't show up in the store when I browsed on the phone that identified itself wrongly as a Verizon phone. Sort of random hit or miss.
You can restore the identification of the phone by flashing the ATT build.prop/APN file, but that somehow interferes with hyperdrive tweaks app.
The dev has said build 18 should work better for ATT phones... if so, it would be awesome. He put an incredible amount of effort into this ROM. I had to leave it due to the "+" addition messing up incoming/outgoing calls, plus the phone model ID issue. Prefixer app apparently can fix for some the + issue, but I never found enough details to properly edit the build.prop to identify the phone for google play. However, I was in a hurry and didn't have a lot of time to mess with it.
I look forward to investigating version 18 when it comes out.
Marc
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the information, Marc. But the link is dead!!!:crying:
After reading some more about this problem, I've decided to try a few more things. The first one was the most basic: Restart the phone! And guess what? It got stuck on the Samsung logo screen for a long time. After 30 minutes starring at the swirling logo I got dizzy and decided to restart it again. Same thing happen, over and over again
After some [yet] more reading, I've decided to reflash (see steps below) the Hyperdrive ROM again, but got stuck on the Samsung logo screen for over 30 min. Back to reading some more, and at this time I've reflash the GE (GoldenEye) ROM. Same result: got stuck on the Samsung logo screen!!
Any advices?
These are the steps I'm doing:
(Root steps were done only once, when the phone was stock)
1 - ROOT:
Note: Good video (just skip the step to set Permissive - see easier approach on #1.4) -http://youtu.be/2bDe_-mB7Rw
1.1 - Root with towel root (https://towelroot.com/)
1.2 - Install SuperSU (PlayStore) and let it disable Knox.
1.3 - Install BusyBox (PlayStore) and let it cook
1.4 - Install SELinux Mode Changer (PlayStore). Run and set it to Permissive.
1.5 - Install Safestrap (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=45693712)
2 - Replace/Install Hyperdrive ROM
2.1 - Flash Hyperdrive (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2520418)
2.2 - Flash SuperSU.zip file. (http://download.chainfire.eu/451/SuperSU/UPDATE-SuperSU-v2.01.zip)
2.3 - Flash NB1 modem zip file (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=46762296&postcount=1).
2.4 - Flash I337 Build.prop/APN (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=51112381&postcount=9)
3 - Replace/Install GoldenEye ROM
3.1 - Flash Goldeneye (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2313469)
3.2 - Flash SuperSU.zip file. (http://download.chainfire.eu/451/SuperSU/UPDATE-SuperSU-v2.01.zip)
3.3 - Flash NB1 modem zip file (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=46762296&postcount=1).
3.4 - Flash I337 Build.prop/APN (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=51112381&postcount=9)
I've also followed these steps http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2313469&highlight=stuck+on+boot&page=151), but still the same issue:
if ur device gets stuck after flash at att boot animations for a long time .. dont freak out .. do this
1. hold power till device is off or remove battery then put in back in after 30 secs
2. hold power and vol up til u see blue text top left of screen, now let go of buttons
3. choose wipe factory reset
4. wipe cache for the hell of it
5. choose reboot system
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Which link was dead?
I've seen in the past month several posts of problems of people with NB1, so I recommend starting over via ODIN to Stock NB1, flash to NC1, then re root / safestrap and try the rom again. Also, when you flash the ROMs in safestrap, were you wiping system/cache/dalvik etc.. first?
Marc

Frankenscript said:
Which link was dead?
I've seen in the past month several posts of problems of people with NB1, so I recommend starting over via ODIN to Stock NB1, flash to NC1, then re root / safestrap and try the rom again. Also, when you flash the ROMs in safestrap, were you wiping system/cache/dalvik etc.. first?
Marc
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mark,
The link you posted initially
You can restore the identification of the phone by flashing the ATT build.prop/APN file, but that somehow interferes with hyperdrive tweaks app.c
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yikes, I was fearing not go the ODIN route (or root? :silly. Does anyone know where I can get ODIN and the NB1 and NC1 stock? (I'm not being lazy and will search for it. I just want to make sure I'm getting the right files)
I still don't understand why did the phone booted, setup, and I was able to make a call and then simply failed to reboot? Do you believe that maybe the Build.prop/APN was broken? what happened if it was not installed?
Thanks.
T.

Mark,
I've realized the 'broken link' problem. I've copy/paste the text Build.prop/APN and noticed that it has a URL property "Link added by VigLink', which points to nowhere.

tsaxman said:
Mark,
I've realized the 'broken link' problem. I've copy/paste the text Build.prop/APN and noticed that it has a URL property "Link added by VigLink', which points to nowhere.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oops. Not sure where the viglink thing came from. Here's the download page for the build.prop file:
http://d-h.st/6tN
Links to ODIN stuff including NB1 ODIN-flashable file and NC1 update (flashed from stock recovery after NB1 return to stock is done) are found in the all things ATT thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2616221
See post 1, the Returning to Stock / ODIN section.
FWIW, I always use the stock NB1 (not the rootable NB1 variant) then flash the NC1 update. I had one bad experience with the rootable NB1 (couldn't get wifi to work after ROM flash), and never quite figured out why. Doing NB1-NC1 only takes a few extra minutes, so I stick with that.
Marc

Frankenscript said:
Oops. Not sure where the viglink thing came from. Here's the download page for the build.prop file:
http://d-h.st/6tN
Links to ODIN stuff including NB1 ODIN-flashable file and NC1 update (flashed from stock recovery after NB1 return to stock is done) are found in the all things ATT thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2616221
See post 1, the Returning to Stock / ODIN section.
FWIW, I always use the stock NB1 (not the rootable NB1 variant) then flash the NC1 update. I had one bad experience with the rootable NB1 (couldn't get wifi to work after ROM flash), and never quite figured out why. Doing NB1-NC1 only takes a few extra minutes, so I stick with that.
Marc
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks a million, man. Downloading and trying that now.
BTW, other than I should have done NB1 to NC1 prior to install the ROM and since you've already done all this (on GE 36, right?), are the steps I've outline correct?

By now with some luck you are on GoldenEye, but yeah, the steps you outlined are correct.
1. Get to NC1 stock.
2. Root / SuperSU / SeLinuxModeChanger (sometimes needed sometimes not) / SafeStrap
3. In safestrap: advance wipe everything but SD card then: Golden Eye / SuperSU / NC1 module / ATT APNw/Build.Prop
Should be golden. Let us know how it went!

Frankenscript said:
By now with some luck you are on GoldenEye, but yeah, the steps you outlined are correct.
1. Get to NC1 stock.
2. Root / SuperSU / SeLinuxModeChanger (sometimes needed sometimes not) / SafeStrap
3. In safestrap: advance wipe everything but SD card then: Golden Eye / SuperSU / NC1 module / ATT APNw/Build.Prop
Should be golden. Let us know how it went!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Marc,
I am up and running. Lot's of work, but everything seems to be working in order now. Loving the debloated GoldenEye.
Just one more thing: The Build Number now reads: Venomous-Droid v1
Is that right? Shouldn't it say something like GoldenEye?
Maybe I should stop looking at the Build Number from now on, but I can't resist :cyclops:
Again, thanks for the help man. Forever grateful :good:

tsaxman said:
Marc,
I am up and running. Lot's of work, but everything seems to be working in order now. Loving the debloated GoldenEye.
Just one more thing: The Build Number now reads: Venomous-Droid v1
Is that right? Shouldn't it say something like GoldenEye?
Maybe I should stop looking at the Build Number from now on, but I can't resist :cyclops:
Again, thanks for the help man. Forever grateful :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad it's working out. Hit thanks if I helped. (EDIT: Just noticed you did! :good: )My build also shows venomous. My guess has been that our GoldenEye dev used some pieces of Deadly Venom, and acknowledges it via this method, but I don't know for sure. The important thing is that as far as Google Play is concerned, our device is an I337.
I presume Wifi is working for you? I was chatting with another user similar to us earlier this week, and going through the steps he had trouble getting wifi working, even after flashing the modules and everything. Not sure what caused it but glad you seem to be up and running.
In other news, I've just bought a phone on Swappa, a T-Mobile version of the S4, sim unlocked (so should work fine with ATT), and the T-Mobile phones come with unlocked boot loader. So, as long as I don't care about knox, I can install full recoveries and play with different kernels and such. I'll get the phone in-hand next week. After checking it out, it's bye-bye locked boot loader.
HAve fun with Golden Eye. It's been rock steady for me.

Frankenscript said:
Glad it's working out. Hit thanks if I helped. (EDIT: Just noticed you did! :good: )My build also shows venomous. My guess has been that our GoldenEye dev used some pieces of Deadly Venom, and acknowledges it via this method, but I don't know for sure. The important thing is that as far as Google Play is concerned, our device is an I337.
I presume Wifi is working for you? I was chatting with another user similar to us earlier this week, and going through the steps he had trouble getting wifi working, even after flashing the modules and everything. Not sure what caused it but glad you seem to be up and running.
In other news, I've just bought a phone on Swappa, a T-Mobile version of the S4, sim unlocked (so should work fine with ATT), and the T-Mobile phones come with unlocked boot loader. So, as long as I don't care about knox, I can install full recoveries and play with different kernels and such. I'll get the phone in-hand next week. After checking it out, it's bye-bye locked boot loader.
HAve fun with Golden Eye. It's been rock steady for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, Wifi is working fine. I'll continue testing over this weekend and will report back Monday.
Seems like you're reading my mind. I'm just looking into the Unlock Sim threads and found this... http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=54772758&postcount=286, which points to the Saferoot thread/download http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2565758.
The important part (at least to me) was the comments..
2. Resetting the "Custom" and open padlock indication during boot can be worked around using the Xposed Framwork and Wanam Xposed. Get those two from the Play Store. In Wanam, tick "Security Hacks", "Fake System Status".
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know much about Wanam or Xposed, but do you think these can unlock the SIM on just trick the system at a higher lever (as indicated) for some other reasons?
Oh, the last link on the page points to file to NC1 users
Method 3 (For those on NC1 or higher) @NewToGalaxy
Link for the files needed:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/16fu4havwvbt59c/NC1unlock.zip
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

tsaxman said:
Yes, Wifi is working fine. I'll continue testing over this weekend and will report back Monday.
Seems like you're reading my mind. I'm just looking into the Unlock Sim threads and found this... http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=54772758&postcount=286, which points to the Saferoot thread/download http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2565758.
The important part (at least to me) was the comments..
I don't know much about Wanam or Xposed, but do you think these can unlock the SIM on just trick the system at a higher lever (as indicated) for some other reasons?
Oh, the last link on the page points to file to NC1 users
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bought a factory-unlocked one from Swappa. No need to fuss with SIM unlocking :laugh: :good:

[Q] ANNOYING S4!! Help needed

Ok guys, here's the deal. i bought a secondhand s4 which was advertised as a google edition. it has a couple of annoying issues, first i noticed it switching itself off and on. the worst problem with it is that when my battery goes reeeally dead it just bootloops when i have recharged. the only way i can get it back on is to start it in recovery mode (which is clockworkmod v6.0.4.4) then do a factory wipe. so yeah thats a major pain. the s4 itself is a red model and behind the battery it says its a gt-19505, however in the settings on the phone it says its a gt-19505g.
my goal is to install an official firmware if possible that i may be able to update easily, the worry that i have is that i dont know if it would then accept my network as although it appears to run google edition custom firmware it may not once i install something official on it. this may be a nooby statement i know but a noob i am lol.
if its at all possible could i keep the cwm recovery?
and if its any help when i load the other boot loader thingy (with the green android on it) in the top left it says gt-19505, im just sayin cus im sure its vital which ever this phone actually is.
here are as many details as i can give but please ask if im missing anything
ANDROID VERSION 4.4.2
KERNEL VERSION 3.4.0-faux123-KK44-GE-Custom
[email protected]omain #20
Sun Dec 1 02:30:28 CST 2013
BASEBAND VERSION 19505XXUFNA1
BUILD NUMBER KOT49H.S001.131204
also upon booting in the top left it says "kernel is not seandroid enforcing
set warranty bit:kernel"
THANKS FOR YOUR TIME And please tell me where to start as i tried updating it via kies to fix it but it just wont connect, i assume due to custom firmware.

The Google Play Edition S4 devices didn't come in any color but white. Therefore, this is an I9505 with a custom ROM on it. The download mode screen reading GT-I9505 confirmed it.
Since this is an I9505 and not an I9505G, the main question is whether this device will work with your SIM card. For that, simply insert your SIM card and boot the device. If you get signal, you're good. Otherwise you'll have to unlock the device, either by purchasing an unlock code from one of the sites that sells them, or by trying the unlock methods available on the forums.
This will also help answer the question of which stock ROM you can install on the device. If the S4 doesn't prompt you to unlock the device, then you can install one of the unbranded S4 ROMs available on sammobile.com. After that, you can put the recovery of your choice on the S4, though I recommend TWRP over the other options.

Thanks for your help. I'm a little confused though, at the moment with this custom google edition ROM it does take my sim, in fact I bet it takes any sim, I heard that was a feature of google play devices. What I meant was after I install the stock ROM will it then not take my sim. So if it has already been unlocked How would I know which ROM to install? As I now know its not a google edition, is it possible to install an official google edition ROM? Do i use this download mode, Odin, or cwm to install a firmware. I'm just not sure what my starting point is. I don't wanna follow someone's guide yet to installing something just in case I'm jumping the gun and need to uninstall this custom ROM somehow.
Sorry for asking questions that I'm sure seem dumb I'm really just trying to learn at the moment I'm green as they come with android. BTW thanks for your suggestions so far, you def seem like you know what you're talking about, cheers

Google Play devices are carrier unlocked, but this is not a Google Play Edition S4. Therefore the device was carrier unlocked at some point in its past. The unknown here is how the original owner unlocked the device. If he or she used the unlocking methods found on XDA there is a chance the lock will be lost when installing a stock ROM.
If the S4 is unlocked, you aren't restricted to a particular region and can install any I9505 ROM using Odin, though I recommend the carrier unbranded ROMs. You cannot install a stock Google Play Edition ROM on the device as the model number of a GPE device is not the same as the device you have. However, you're already rooted and have a custom recovery installed. In I9505 Development here on XDA there is a Google Play Edition ROM that can be installed on your device. Download it to your S4, wipe everything in recovery, then flash the ROM's flashable zip in recovery. I've used said ROM and it works quite well.

OK I have found the 5.0.1 ge ROM , but in there it says I must use latest recovery or whatever plus it recommended one different to mine, is it safe to install using my version of cwm or do I need to learn how to change it??

Deleted by user

TWRP is recommended as there are people who are still maintaining it, unlike Clockworkmod and Philz. While you probably can get the ROM installed using the version of Clockworkmod you have, learning how to change recoveries is useful.

OK thank you for all your help my friend, I will now find out how to do this, I'm sure there is a section on this somewhere, BTW I think you are right about my device being rooted, but I wanted to check and I followed a guide and used super su but apparently its not rooted so I guess something must've gone wrong. Bit scary if I try to change my recovery or my firmware and this causes a brick hmmmmm

It's virtually impossible to brick the S4, especially as the recovery is flashed through Odin.

Phew that's a relief. Thanks man.... Well I'm gonna just risk using cwm for now as I'm new to this........ Thanks a whole lot for your time I really mean that.

KlLLFRENZY said:
Phew that's a relief. Thanks man.... Well I'm gonna just risk using cwm for now as I'm new to this........ Thanks a whole lot for your time I really mean that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Use TWRP. CMW is outdated.

Lennyz1988 said:
Use TWRP. CMW is outdated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I want to, I really do but I'm struggling here. Before I wrote that last comment I tried to find a guide on this forum for swapping to twrp, but couldn't and didn't wanna bug this guy as he had helped enough. Anyway I went to the place he told me and have hit another wall anyway because I don't know how to use the firmware the relevant kernel or the git. My life is so busy and I'm getting about an hour on this subject a day and its gonna take forever lol
If you can help me on my way even a little its much appreciated, I would like to use twrp and the 5.0.1 ge plus the right kernel of course

KlLLFRENZY said:
I want to, I really do but I'm struggling here. Before I wrote that last comment I tried to find a guide on this forum for swapping to twrp, but couldn't and didn't wanna bug this guy as he had helped enough. Anyway I went to the place he told me and have hit another wall anyway because I don't know how to use the firmware the relevant kernel or the git. My life is so busy and I'm getting about an hour on this subject a day and its gonna take forever lol
If you can help me on my way even a little its much appreciated, I would like to use twrp and the 5.0.1 ge plus the right kernel of course
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
https://twrp.me/devices/samsunggalaxys4internationalqualcomm.html
Follow the Odin guide. It's excactly the same when you flashed CWM.

@Lennyz1988: The S4 was bought secondhand and already had CWM on it from the original owner.
@killfrenzy: Follow the guide Lenny mentioned, but don't worry about the second paragraph. Our device isn't one of those that restores the original recovery on boot.

ok will do, i just tried the app install method but as i suspected, it said root is required for this app and promptly exited so i shall do the odin method, i heard that some people remove root or it could be that it was done wrong. also after reading a few posts here and there i found out that someone had similar issues with their phone random re-booting and they had custom ge with the wrong kernel so it seems once im done my issues should be history if i learn how to install fw + kernel, after this twrp thing i will be one step closer for sure. i also know ppl slate lollipop but once im all done with this im sure i will have picked up enough terminology to install cfw's to my hearts content. hooray for forums and people like you, sounds like im kissin ass but its just gratitude

so using the twrp install guide i gotta install using the odin method i have now got 3.07 odin but this is the next step.........
Odin Install Method (No Root Required):
You will need to download and install Odin on your PC. Once you have Odin installed, download the proper .tar file for your device from the download link above. Power off your device. Turn on your device using the proper key combo to get into download mode and attach the device to your computer via a USB cable. Use the PDA tab or button to browse to and select the tar file that you downloaded and flash the device.
lololol nothins ever simple i see the list of tar files in the link above but no mention at all as to which is the proper .tar for my device, i guess they assume the guide is for people who have done it before. more research tomorrow maybe i gotta be up early ugh

Lennyz1988 said:
https://twrp.me/devices/samsunggalaxys4internationalqualcomm.html
Follow the Odin guide. It's excactly the same when you flashed CWM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Think you misunderstood, I have flashed nothing yet I got it like this. I'm completely green

Don't suppose anybody knows which is the tar file for my device?? S4gt-19505

OK now I get it, the list of tars in that section are all the same just newer builds of the same version. Seems obvious if you have done this before, but I wasn't to know that and cannot assume things. I'm also gonna guess and say Lenny thinks my s4 needs this particular version for an international, am I right?? Anyway it would've made a lot of sense but how does he know. I have no idea what this phone was I have never owned it new.

Different devices have different codes. For example, jfltexx is the I9505. A T-Mobile S4 would be jfltetmo, and so on.The link Lenny provided is for the I9505. Download the 2.8.6.0 version as its the latest.
As to how you were supposed to know, having never owned one, you weren't. There are tutorials in the General forum though that can help.

SG-900V Hard-Bricked...

Hey all, not sure if this is where this thread belongs (new to the forums).
But I flashed a SafeStrap fix since I wouldn't get the splash screen during startup, which got me soft-bricked and left me stuck at the Galaxy S5 screen. I then attempted to stupidly flash a stock rom to the phone when I realized as soon as it started that it wasn't BOK3 but something different, might have been a newer build. I, again stupidly, disconnected my phone, rendering it completely useless.
I've pretty much tried a lot of methods including writing unbrick images from a previous xda forum to the sd card and attempting to boot the phone into download mode that way, but to no avail. The posters guaranteed it worked with the BOK3 build. My build date is somewhere around November and the posts I attempted were in December, January so I can only assume they were running the same builds.
I'm at a loss, I just replaced the LCD on the phone and I would really love to get it working again because until I do I'm stuck with an iPhone 4S... any help would be greatly, greatly appreciated. Thank you guys so much in advance.

pjesus.c said:
Hey all, not sure if this is where this thread belongs (new to the forums).
But I flashed a SafeStrap fix since I wouldn't get the splash screen during startup, which got me soft-bricked and left me stuck at the Galaxy S5 screen. I then attempted to stupidly flash a stock rom to the phone when I realized as soon as it started that it wasn't BOK3 but something different, might have been a newer build. I, again stupidly, disconnected my phone, rendering it completely useless.
I've pretty much tried a lot of methods including writing unbrick images from a previous xda forum to the sd card and attempting to boot the phone into download mode that way, but to no avail. The posters guaranteed it worked with the BOK3 build. My build date is somewhere around November and the posts I attempted were in December, January so I can only assume they were running the same builds.
I'm at a loss, I just replaced the LCD on the phone and I would really love to get it working again because until I do I'm stuck with an iPhone 4S... any help would be greatly, greatly appreciated. Thank you guys so much in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
EDIT: I removed the SD card and held the power and volume down buttons for 15 seconds and I'm back at the soft brick. I've got much more to work with now so any suggestions as to get rid of the soft brick would be nice! I'm currently downloading the BOK3 stock rom to flash via Odin but it's going to take 10 hours (no exaggeration).

pjesus.c said:
EDIT: I removed the SD card and held the power and volume down buttons for 15 seconds and I'm back at the soft brick. I've got much more to work with now so any suggestions as to get rid of the soft brick would be nice! I'm currently downloading the BOK3 stock rom to flash via Odin but it's going to take 10 hours (no exaggeration).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not much of any help at the moment as tof my device is still on the OC4 firmware/bootloader but if you go over to this thread it may be of use for you to get your phone back up and running.. Hope you find your answer there....
http://forum.xda-developers.com/verizon-galaxy-s5/general/root-method-og5-ok3-t3290370

al50 said:
I'm not much of any help at the moment as tof my device is still on the OC4 firmware/bootloader but if you go over to this thread it may be of use for you to get your phone back up and running.. Hope you find your answer there....
http://forum.xda-developers.com/verizon-galaxy-s5/general/root-method-og5-ok3-t3290370
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's actually the exact forum that I got the files from. I flashed the fix in Safestrap and my phone soft bricked, then attempted to flash the BPB1 .tar and my phone ended up hard-bricking. I'm just gonna flash the stock BOK3 in Odin and call it a day.
Somewhat related, after rerooting if necessary, I was looking into Cyanogenmod. Which would be better, 11, 12, or 13? I know 12 and 13 are nightlies but they seem to work on other SG-900v devices. Also, is AllianceRom any good?

pjesus.c said:
That's actually the exact forum that I got the files from. I flashed the fix in Safestrap and my phone soft bricked, then attempted to flash the BPB1 .tar and my phone ended up hard-bricking. I'm just gonna flash the stock BOK3 in Odin and call it a day.
Somewhat related, after rerooting if necessary, I was looking into Cyanogenmod. Which would be better, 11, 12, or 13? I know 12 and 13 are nightlies but they seem to work on other SG-900v devices. Also, is AllianceRom any good?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please READ the first section of the OP!!!! Don't take it the wrong way but it's stated clearly in the OP and in the following posts that we're unable to install CM ROM's!!! Only TW ROM's that posted in the Android Development section of this forum. It's best to go back to JrKrsue's Root OE1 and up thread and read up on the issues with installs and do a search of "SafeStrap fix". Also, go to the Android Development section and look in the Lollipop for SafeStrap thread for your issue(s). You should find your answer in both threads.
Question, you were originally on an OE1 or higher bootloader right? If so, have you tried to start from scratch to re-root your device? Because if you can get into download mode you're not 'Bricked'.

al50 said:
Please READ the first section of the OP!!!! Don't take it the wrong way but it's stated clearly in the OP and in the following posts that we're unable to install CM ROM's!!! Only TW ROM's that posted in the Android Development section of this forum. It's best to go back to JrKrsue's Root OE1 and up thread and read up on the issues with installs and do a search of "SafeStrap fix". Also, go to the Android Development section and look in the Lollipop for SafeStrap thread for your issue(s). You should find your answer in both threads.
Question, you were originally on an OE1 or higher bootloader right? If so, have you tried to start from scratch to re-root your device? Because if you can get into download mode you're not 'Bricked'.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Read, punctuation errors kind of threw me off. I'm going to go with the stock debloated rom that jrkruse uploaded. I've tried giving AllianceRom a go but SafeStrap froze. I tried to restore from a backup but it just gave me an error and my phone started from setup, though still rooted. Reinstalled SuperSu and BusyBox. Then attempted to make a backup and flash from FlashFire through the LP Control Panel and got a RunTime exception error.
Is this because I haven't flashed the OK3 stock kernel that he provided in his thread? Apologies if I come off as a bit thick, I'm still trying to learn about the process and still am trying to get the hang of it. Everyone's gotta start somewhere, right?

N00b w/ "new SGH-I337 that is running original kernel & 4.2.2 & needs to be updated

N00b w/ "new SGH-I337 that is running original kernel & 4.2.2 & needs to be updated
I am going to apologize from the start. I've read through a lot of threads here and have ended up more confused (and somewhat scared lol). I am a tad more skilled than average when it comes to PCs but I'm a complete mess when it comes to phones!
For various reasons, I like my old ATT Samsung S4 SGH-I337 but am hard on them and need to replace them about every 2 years (I usually wear out the power port among other things). I buy a replacement, copy over my apps, etc, maybe run a minor update and I'm good to go. This time, I bought a "new" open box S4 on Ebay for a great price but when I went to install all my apps, discovered that it was STILL (since it was "brand new") running Android 4.2.2 and the original kernel from the release in 2013! Ok, no big I thought, I will just run the ATT update and I will be good. Nope. Too far out of date and no one at ATT or Samsung is willing to help. I did learn that if I can get 4.4.4 on the phone, then I should be able to update it via ATT to 5.0.1 but I can't even find those files (or at the least any links to them that are still any good!)
Due to life issues, it is critical that I get this phone updated ASAP. Please, can someone spell out step by step in N00b-speak where I can get the needed files and how I update this phone to 5.0.1 or better? I'd really rather not root it if I can avoid it but will do what is needed. I'll buy you a beer (or reasonable beverage of your choice! )
Samsung Galaxy S4 (ATT) SGH_I337
Android 4.2.2
Baseband ver: I337UCUAMDL
Kernel ver: 3.4.0-453947
[email protected]#1
Sat April 27 17:06:05 KST 2013

SilkRoadDog said:
I am going to apologize from the start. I've read through a lot of threads here and have ended up more confused (and somewhat scared lol). I am a tad more skilled than average when it comes to PCs but I'm a complete mess when it comes to phones!
For various reasons, I like my old ATT Samsung S4 SGH-I337 but am hard on them and need to replace them about every 2 years (I usually wear out the power port among other things). I buy a replacement, copy over my apps, etc, maybe run a minor update and I'm good to go. This time, I bought a "new" open box S4 on Ebay for a great price but when I went to install all my apps, discovered that it was STILL (since it was "brand new") running Android 4.2.2 and the original kernel from the release in 2013! Ok, no big I thought, I will just run the ATT update and I will be good. Nope. Too far out of date and no one at ATT or Samsung is willing to help. I did learn that if I can get 4.4.4 on the phone, then I should be able to update it via ATT to 5.0.1 but I can't even find those files (or at the least any links to them that are still any good!)
Due to life issues, it is critical that I get this phone updated ASAP. Please, can someone spell out step by step in N00b-speak where I can get the needed files and how I update this phone to 5.0.1 or better? I'd really rather not root it if I can avoid it but will do what is needed. I'll buy you a beer (or reasonable beverage of your choice! )
Samsung Galaxy S4 (ATT) SGH_I337
Android 4.2.2
Baseband ver: I337UCUAMDL
Kernel ver: 3.4.0-453947
[email protected]#1
Sat April 27 17:06:05 KST 2013
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I too was lucky enough to snag a S4 off ebay with the original kernel still on it. So with that said....do NOT update your phone! You're on the very special Android 4.2.2 jelly bean MDL bootloader! If you update, you will lose the ability to boot AOSP ROMs and install a custom recovery like TWRP.
AOSP ROMs can take you past Android 5.0.x lollipop and give you Android 6.0.x marshmallow or 7.0.x nougat. You can also boot custom touchwiz ROMs that will take you to Android 5.0.x lollipop. Use the towel root app to root the phone and then freeze any OTA with the titanium backup app. You can also benefit from my guide here:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s4-att/general/how-to-one-guide-to-mdl-bootloader-t3584122

StoneyJSG said:
I too was lucky enough to snag a S4 off ebay with the original kernel still on it. So with that said....do NOT update your phone! You're on the very special Android 4.2.2 jelly bean MDL bootloader! If you update, you will lose the ability to boot AOSP ROMs and install a custom recovery like TWRP.
AOSP ROMs can take you past Android 5.0.x lollipop and give you Android 6.0.x marshmallow or 7.0.x nougat. You can also boot custom touchwiz ROMs that will take you to Android 5.0.x lollipop. Use the towel root app to root the phone and then freeze any OTA with the titanium backup app. You can also benefit from my guide here:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s4-att/general/how-to-one-guide-to-mdl-bootloader-t3584122
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for your reply. So I root it, then where do I go from there? How do I know what ROM is what and which one will give me at the least what I had on the old phone (less bloatware would be nice but right now I am so up a creek that I would be ok with stock)? Also, do you have good links to the tools you recommend? One issue I have been having searching here is that the 3-4-year-old posts here have sketchy or dead links.

SilkRoadDog said:
Thank you for your reply. So I root it, then where do I go from there? How do I know what ROM is what and which one will give me at the least what I had on the old phone (less bloatware would be nice but right now I am so up a creek that I would be ok with stock)? Also, do you have good links to the tools you recommend? One issue I have been having searching here is that the 3-4-year-old posts here have sketchy or dead links.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No problem, I always try to help when possible. After rooting you can follow my guide to get Loki doki installed. Then you can install a custom recovery like TWRP or clock work mod. My guide gets you clock work mod recovery installed but it's an old version. I use it though and it works fine for me. If you want TWRP recovery, you will have to search the web on how to install it with loki doki.
After a custom recovery is installed you can choose to boot touchwiz based ROMs or AOSP based ROMs like cyanogen mod. Custom touchwiz ROMs will look just like stock only modified (deodex, debloated, etc.) and AOSP ROMs will look like bone stock Android only with added features.
You can find AOSP ROMs in the original Android development forum here in the s4 forums. You can find touchwiz ROMs in Android development which is right under original Android development forum. Sorry, but I don't have any links to tools handy except for the link to my guide which I posted above in my last post. I use golden eye ROM on my s4 which is a stock based touchwiz ROM on Android 5.0 lollipop.
When booting ROMs, be sure that they do not have a bootloader update or else it'll override everything and will patch the loki doki exploit and lock down everything for good.

StoneyJSG said:
No problem, I always try to help when possible. After rooting you can follow my guide to get Loki doki installed. Then you can install a custom recovery like TWRP or clock work mod. My guide gets you clock work mod recovery installed but it's an old version. I use it though and it works fine for me. If you want TWRP recovery, you will have to search the web on how to install it with loki doki.
After a custom recovery is installed you can choose to boot touchwiz based ROMs or AOSP based ROMs like cyanogen mod. Custom touchwiz ROMs will look just like stock only modified (deodex, debloated, etc.) and AOSP ROMs will look like bone stock Android only with added features.
You can find AOSP ROMs in the original Android development forum here in the s4 forums. You can find touchwiz ROMs in Android development which is right under original Android development forum. Sorry, but I don't have any links to tools handy except for the link to my guide which I posted above in my last post. I use golden eye ROM on my s4 which is a stock based touchwiz ROM on Android 5.0 lollipop.
When booting ROMs, be sure that they do not have a bootloader update or else it'll override everything and will patch the loki doki exploit and lock down everything for good.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you so much for the reply. While I am very grateful, with all due respect, I understood only about half of it. Here is the deal. I'm an older guy N00b with chronic pain issues under an extreme amount of stress, and my cognitive abilities are not what they should be. There was a step by step guide posted back in 2015 that is what I need but most of the links are bad or sketchy. Like I said above, I really need something along the lines of "go here and here to get this software and put it in "X" place. Then press these keys and do "Y", then press those keys and do "Z". I'm really sorry to be so difficult but I am trying my best to get it.

SilkRoadDog said:
Thank you so much for the reply. While I am very grateful, with all due respect, I understood only about half of it. Here is the deal. I'm an older guy N00b with chronic pain issues under an extreme amount of stress, and my cognitive abilities are not what they should be. There was a step by step guide posted back in 2015 that is what I need but most of the links are bad or sketchy. Like I said above, I really need something along the lines of "go here and here to get this software and put it in "X" place. Then press these keys and do "Y", then press those keys and do "Z". I'm really sorry to be so difficult but I am trying my best to get it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I gotcha, no problem. Okay so what's the status of your phone now? Rooted? Not rooted? To root, goto https://towelroot.com on your phone and click the big red thing in the middle of the page. Make sure you have a Wi-Fi or data connection to the internet, as this will root your phone. Then goto https://galaxys4root.com/galaxy-s4-...tt-or-verizon-galaxy-s4-sgh-i337sch-i545/amp/ to get loki doki installed and clockwork mod recovery. You can also install TWRP recovery instead of clockwork mod recovery, I THINK this is the link: https://galaxys4root.com/galaxy-s4-...rp-on-rooted-galaxy-s4-using-goo-manager/amp/
Galaxys4root.com is a reputable site ran by Mr. HIGH ON ANDROID himself, Xedomax aka Max Lee. The tools you need should be on his site for download and the links shouldn't be dead. He also has a YouTube channel with videos on how to do different things with your phone. My guide I wrote that I linked before, has step by step instructions on how to root and install a custom recovery and how to boot custom ROMs.

StoneyJSG said:
I gotcha, no problem. Okay so what's the status of your phone now? Rooted? Not rooted? To root, goto https://towelroot.com on your phone and click the big red thing in the middle of the page. Make sure you have a Wi-Fi or data connection to the internet, as this will root your phone. Then goto https://galaxys4root.com/galaxy-s4-...tt-or-verizon-galaxy-s4-sgh-i337sch-i545/amp/ to get loki doki installed and clockwork mod recovery. You can also install TWRP recovery instead of clockwork mod recovery, I THINK this is the link: https://galaxys4root.com/galaxy-s4-...rp-on-rooted-galaxy-s4-using-goo-manager/amp/
Galaxys4root.com is a reputable site ran by Mr. HIGH ON ANDROID himself, Xedomax aka Max Lee. The tools you need should be on his site for download and the links shouldn't be dead. He also has a YouTube channel with videos on how to do different things with your phone. My guide I wrote that I linked before, has step by step instructions on how to root and install a custom recovery and how to boot custom ROMs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, It's not rooted yet so I will start down the path laid out. What do you recommend as a source for Touchwiz (wth is that anyway? lol) ROMs? I don't know enough about Android 6.0.x marshmallow or 7.0.x nougat to make the call there but I do want to be able to access the Google apps and play store as before.

SilkRoadDog said:
Ok, It's not rooted yet so I will start down the path laid out. What do you recommend as a source for Touchwiz (wth is that anyway? lol) ROMs? I don't know enough about Android 6.0.x marshmallow or 7.0.x nougat to make the call there but I do want to be able to access the Google apps and play store as before.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your instructions say " Next, you're going to want to freeze the OTA update so the phone won't update off the MDL bootloader (after installing SuperSU of course). You can do this via the Titanium Backup app or the MyBackup Root app (now called just MyBackup I think).
Let's recap...you will need a copy of the towel root app, then SuperSU, then TB or MyBackup Root app. SuperSU will kill the evil KNOX for you." Do I do that before "loki doki installed and clockwork mod recovery."? If so, where is a good source for them? If not, when do I do I install them?
".

StoneyJSG said:
I gotcha, no problem. Okay so what's the status of your phone now? Rooted? Not rooted? To root, goto https://towelroot.com on your phone and click the big red thing in the middle of the page. Make sure you have a Wi-Fi or data connection to the internet, as this will root your phone. Then goto https://galaxys4root.com/galaxy-s4-...tt-or-verizon-galaxy-s4-sgh-i337sch-i545/amp/ to get loki doki installed and clockwork mod recovery. You can also install TWRP recovery instead of clockwork mod recovery, I THINK this is the link: https://galaxys4root.com/galaxy-s4-...rp-on-rooted-galaxy-s4-using-goo-manager/amp/
Galaxys4root.com is a reputable site ran by Mr. HIGH ON ANDROID himself, Xedomax aka Max Lee. The tools you need should be on his site for download and the links shouldn't be dead. He also has a YouTube channel with videos on how to do different things with your phone. My guide I wrote that I linked before, has step by step instructions on how to root and install a custom recovery and how to boot custom ROMs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, forget anything I typed here in the last hour lol. Somehow there were two locals and I was in the wrong one. So far so good. So back to the other question above. " " Next, you're going to want to freeze the OTA update so the phone won't update off the MDL bootloader (after installing SuperSU of course). You can do this via the Titanium Backup app or the MyBackup Root app (now called just MyBackup I think).
Let's recap...you will need a copy of the towel root app, then SuperSU, then TB or MyBackup Root app. SuperSU will kill the evil KNOX for you."" I still need to do that, right? if so, where do I find those apps?
Thank you so much.

SilkRoadDog said:
Ok, It's not rooted yet so I will start down the path laid out. What do you recommend as a source for Touchwiz (wth is that anyway? lol) ROMs? I don't know enough about Android 6.0.x marshmallow or 7.0.x nougat to make the call there but I do want to be able to access the Google apps and play store as before.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Touchwiz is the "skin" user interface that Samsung puts on top of Android. It is the stock SAMSUNG rom. Just Google touchwiz then Google stock Android, you'll see a difference. I like touchwiz so I am running a custom ROM called "Golden eye". You can download it from the Android development forum here in the S4 section. Other people like stock Android. The magic of being on the MDL bootloader is that you can boot touchwiz and bone stock Android ROMs. Most custom ROMs both stock Android and touchwiz based will let you access Google apps and the play store.
---------- Post added at 10:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:21 PM ----------
SilkRoadDog said:
Ok, forget anything I typed here in the last hour lol. Somehow there were two locals and I was in the wrong one. So far so good. So back to the other question above. " " Next, you're going to want to freeze the OTA update so the phone won't update off the MDL bootloader (after installing SuperSU of course). You can do this via the Titanium Backup app or the MyBackup Root app (now called just MyBackup I think).
Let's recap...you will need a copy of the towel root app, then SuperSU, then TB or MyBackup Root app. SuperSU will kill the evil KNOX for you."" I still need to do that, right? if so, where do I find those apps?
Thank you so much.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can get all those app except towel root on the play store. Once installed you can use ES file explorer to back them up to apk files then use the my files app that's on ya phone to move them to your SD card for use with your new ROM or keep them where they are since my guide tells you how to keep your data in tact...well for touch wiz ROMs anyway.

StoneyJSG said:
Touchwiz is the "skin" user interface that Samsung puts on top of Android. It is the stock SAMSUNG rom. Just Google touchwiz then Google stock Android, you'll see a difference. I like touchwiz so I am running a custom ROM called "Golden eye". You can download it from the Android development forum here in the S4 section. Other people like stock Android. The magic of being on the MDL bootloader is that you can boot touchwiz and bone stock Android ROMs. Most custom ROMs both stock Android and touchwiz based will let you access Google apps and the play store.
---------- Post added at 10:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:21 PM ----------
You can get all those app except towel root on the play store. Once installed you can use ES file explorer to back them up to apk files then use the my files app that's on ya phone to move them to your SD card for use with your new ROM or keep them where they are since my guide tells you how to keep your data in tact...well for touch wiz ROMs anyway.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Since this is a "new" phone and I have nothing to back up yet, do I need to run a backup or can I follow your guide from that point, clean things up and install the ROM of choice?

SilkRoadDog said:
Since this is a "new" phone and I have nothing to back up yet, do I need to run a backup or can I follow your guide from that point, clean things up and install the ROM of choice?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's always good to make a backup in case anything goes wrong with your phone down the road you can get back to where you started without having to flash the MDL stock Rom in ODIN by connecting your phone to your computer. You should though keep a copy of ODIN and the MDL bootloader .tar ODIN file. However, it's entirely optional to make a back up so you could just follow the guide from that point and clean up for a ROM install if you don't want to make a backup.
You can also boot a ROM and then make a backup after you have everything set up. You can back up the stock Rom or any ROM you boot/install. That's the magic of having a custom recovery like TWRP or clock work mod.

StoneyJSG said:
It's always good to make a backup in case anything goes wrong with your phone down the road you can get back to where you started without having to flash the MDL stock Rom in ODIN by connecting your phone to your computer. You should though keep a copy of ODIN and the MDL bootloader .tar ODIN file. However, it's entirely optional to make a back up so you could just follow the guide from that point and clean up for a ROM install if you don't want to make a backup.
You can also boot a ROM and then make a backup after you have everything set up. You can back up the stock Rom or any ROM you boot/install. That's the magic of having a custom recovery like TWRP or clock work mod.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately, since I already started the install before seeing this, I have no idea what I backed up or where it is. :crying:
First off, I want to thank you so much for the help. I owe you and would like to buy you a beer or the like. I have my phone back now! There were issues with the Golden Eye install (it froze at the Samsung logo for over an hour) and I had to wipe everything and start over then I was able to get it up and running. Is this the right one? https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2313469
Quick question: Do you know if that ROM supports an external SD card larger than 32gig?
I am having some issues and so far am not thrilled with this ROM and am wondering if it's the right one or if I screwed up. It hasn't been worked on since 2015 and the dev is hasn't been responsive in years. On my phone, it's really buggy. It boots slow, apps hang when loading, a few don't work right, the screen can flash or freeze and TouchWiz keeps crashing like it was doing at the end on my old phone's life. Any ideas as to why?

SilkRoadDog said:
Unfortunately, since I already started the install before seeing this, I have no idea what I backed up or where it is. :crying:
First off, I want to thank you so much for the help. I owe you and would like to buy you a beer or the like. I have my phone back now! There were issues with the Golden Eye install (it froze at the Samsung logo for over an hour) and I had to wipe everything and start over then I was able to get it up and running. Is this the right one? https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2313469
Quick question: Do you know if that ROM supports an external SD card larger than 32gig?
I am having some issues and so far am not thrilled with this ROM and am wondering if it's the right one or if I screwed up. It hasn't been worked on since 2015 and the dev is hasn't been responsive in years. On my phone, it's really buggy. It boots slow, apps hang when loading, a few don't work right, the screen can flash or freeze and TouchWiz keeps crashing like it was doing at the end on my old phone's life. Any ideas as to why?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you made a nandroid backup with TWRP recovery or clockwork mod recovery, then the backup file will be on your phone SD card or internal memory. Use the my files app to find it. It should be under a folder called TWRP or clockwork mod.
Hey no problem man, I know how it is to goto a forum and have 87,000 people view your post yet nothing is said. Yes that link is the correct link to golden eye ROM. When booting a ROM for the first time it will get stuck at the Samsung logo for awhile, this is normal but it shouldn't be more than 20 minutes. I think the S4 can handle SD cards up to 128GB, it might only be 64GB though.
Very odd golden eye ROM is giving you issues, I have only had one problem with it and that was the text message app acting up every so often. When you booted golden eye did you use the Aroma installer so it just asks you questions and you pick what you want? If not wipe and start over using aroma, it's built into the ROM. Also be sure to tell Aroma you want to use the "imperium kernel". That's the kernel I am using. Golden eye ROM doesn't have a bootloader update in it, so you'll stay on MDL and not have to worry about your phone patching the loki exploit.
I think you can also use the hybrid max kernel, but I don't think it's in the Aroma installer so if you want it you will have to download it from the forums here and flash it separately.
Another thing you can try is just "nuking your phone" as explained in my guide that wipes everything and gives you a nice clean install. The only reason I included the "keep your data" method in my guide is because I just stumbled upon it by doing it on my phone.
If all else fails and as a last ditch effort, you could send the phone to me and I will see if I can get it up and running with golden eye ROM, then send it back. No guarantees though as I'm no developer or anything, just a guy that knows the basics of Android ROMs and root.

Final report. It turns out the problems I've been having were related to the SU Super App. There have been complaints about the recent version. I thought that it was a corrupt install of Golden Eye so got a clean DL from another mirror and was getting ready to start all over. This time I was going to follow the dev's install instructions step by step instead of yours and his. However, I couldn't install TWRP as he instructed. It hung at 100% and never completed. I thought that maybe Super SU was the issue there so I uninstalled it and all of my other problems went away! So happy. Thank you for everything. I do owe you a drink!

SilkRoadDog said:
Final report. It turns out the problems I've been having were related to the SU Super App. There have been complaints about the recent version. I thought that it was a corrupt install of Golden Eye so got a clean DL from another mirror and was getting ready to start all over. This time I was going to follow the dev's install instructions step by step instead of yours and his. However, I couldn't install TWRP as he instructed. It hung at 100% and never completed. I thought that maybe Super SU was the issue there so I uninstalled it and all of my other problems went away! So happy. Thank you for everything. I do owe you a drink!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey glad it finally worked out for you. You will need superSU though, try a different version of it and that might fix the issue you're having with the latest version. That is unless you have the kingroot super user app, then you can use that but it's not as good as superSU. I had problems with it authorizing my root apps so I got rid of it and installed superSU. No problem glad to help and no thanks needed but if you really wanna buy me a beer go for it lol.

ATT I-337 running GoldenEye and having major issues.

My Prior thread: https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s4-att/help/n00b-sgh-i337-running-original-kernel-4-t3850783
I obtained a stock MDL i337 S4 running 4.2.2 and following the instructions in the prior thread I rooted with TowelRoot and updated to Lollipop 5.0.1/ GoldenEye and I've had nothing but problems ever since, so much so that the phone has almost gotten me lost in Oakland and has made me late for work twice!
The phone freezes, sometimes randomly reboots, shuts down applications without reason or warning (LIKE MY ALARM CLOCK!!!), apps can freeze while in use (like Google Maps at a critical time!), it eats power like me at a Chinese buffet and runs hot sometimes, apps are slow to load or won't load (sucks when a call comes in. By the time I am able to answer it, the caller has hung up!), app updates hang, and more. I suspect that part of the issue is that the instructions I got for rooting it and installing a custom ROM were a bit different than those of the GoldenEYe dev (who abandoned his project years ago and no longer answers questions) but I'm not sure.
The first time I did the upgrade, it froze at the Samsung screen for almost 30 min and I had to start over. Then when it was complete the phone was almost unusable. I read that there were issues with SuperSU so I started uninstalling some of the dev apps (I really don't know what the hell I'm doing but was desperate) and when I disabled SuperSU and did clean up to switch to another superuser app" then thought I uninstalled it and all the problems seemed to go away. A few days later while doing something else in the play store, I find that SuperSU is running even though it no longer shows in my apps! So thinking something nefarious was going on, I uninstalled it via the play store and my phone was back to being hosed again. Ok, yes I'm an idiot and deserved that.
I go back to the beginning and started all over AGAIN, reinstall/upgrade but with a different kernel (thinking maybe that?, I tried leaving my apps and settings but that didn't take. Any clue how many times I've now configured my email and office tools? lol) and ended up with what I have now, ie the issues above. I thought about trying to just somehow go back to stock 4.2.2 then just finding the stock ATT Lollipop firmware and saying to hell with root but those instructions are not clear and most post links to the firmware are now dead (I REALLY don't want to brick my phone. I have no money for another and I need my phone for my job). I'd really like to go above Lollipop if at all possible but would be happy just to have GoldenEye work!
Does anyone have any idea what the heck is going on with my phone and how I fix it? This is a serious problem for me.
SGi337
Android 5.0.1
Baseband I337UCUAMDL
Kernel Ver: 3.4.0-S4-AELKerel-v4.3-LP [email protected] #36 Wed Apr 8 19:56:06 EEST 2015
Build number LRX22C.I9505XXUHOD7
Rom Ver: GOLDENEYE 53 XXUHOD7
Dev iB4STid
SuperSU PseudoPro (had Pro, didn't reinstall it the last time) is installed but disabled
ES Task Manager and ES File Manager
Titanium Backup Pro

And so we meet again! Okay so forget golden eye. What you should do is get ODIN for your PC. Then get the MDL firmware and flash it with ODIN by connect your phone to your PC. You might also need Samsung Kies for your PC for this as it has the drivers for your phone.
Once you're back on Android jelly bean, use towel root to root, install Loki, install clockwork mod or TWRP recovery (for TWRP go here https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2262996 and for clockwork mod just use my guide again).
Then flash this:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s4-att/development/rom-100-stock-i337oc3-5-0-mdl-t3098197
This will give you the latest stock Rom for your phone. It's from AT&T but has been modified to work with the MDL bootloader so it doesn't patch the Loki exploit.
Also remember that you need superSU installed or else you won't have any root management for your root apps.

Hi! lol
Any idea why this is happening? I'd really like to go to something like Marshmallow or the like but if stock is it, that will have to do.
I tried finding the MDL firmware but so far all the links are old dead ones. Have you seen anything more current?
StoneyJSG said:
And so we meet again! Okay so forget golden eye. What you should do is get ODIN for your PC. Then get the MDL firmware and flash it with ODIN by connect your phone to your PC. You might also need Samsung Kies for your PC for this as it has the drivers for your phone.
Once you're back on Android jelly bean, use towel root to root, install Loki, install clockwork mod or TWRP recovery (for TWRP go here https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2262996 and for clockwork mod just use my guide again).
Then flash this:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s4-att/development/rom-100-stock-i337oc3-5-0-mdl-t3098197
This will give you the latest stock Rom for your phone. It's from AT&T but has been modified to work with the MDL bootloader so it doesn't patch the Loki exploit.
Also remember that you need superSU installed or else you won't have any root management for your root apps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

I have no idea why golden eye is giving you issues. It works fine for me and you followed my guide just like I did. Anyway, you can goto marshmallow but it'll be AOSP based rather than touchwiz based so the look and feel will be way different than that of golden eye or any other stock Samsung ROM.
You can also just try going into clockwork mod and do a wipe (I forgot the sequence, it's wipe system, data, cache I THINK but it's in my guide on the order of how to do it) for a clean install of a ROM from there. This will eliminate the need for ODIN. You should however, keep ODIN on standby in case anything goes south you can go back to how the phone was when you first got it. I have the ODIN MDL firmware on a USB drive, let me find it over the weekend and upload it to my Google drive and will link you to it.

SilkRoadDog said:
I tried finding the MDL firmware but so far all the links are old dead ones. Have you seen anything more current?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey dude, here's the link to the MDL firmware for ODIN off my Google drive: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZXv9FAcDbfkbFZzh078SSMZ85jbMVPSx/view?usp=drivesdk

StoneyJSG said:
Hey dude, here's the link to the MDL firmware for ODIN off my Google drive: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZXv9FAcDbfkbFZzh078SSMZ85jbMVPSx/view?usp=drivesdk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well after putting up with the phone issues for 2 months, I reset everything following your instructions to the best of my abilities (except couldn't get towelroot to load so went with another). Let's see how this works! lol

Your instructions say "SuperSU will kill the evil KNOX for you." What is that and how do I do this?

SilkRoadDog said:
Your instructions say "SuperSU will kill the evil KNOX for you." What is that and how do I do this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Once rooted, goto the Google play store and download the SuperSU app, open it and it will ask you some stuff then do the rest. Towel root needs internet access to work. I was starting to have issues with golden eye rom off and on until I flashed the OC3 modem, you may wanna try that after you get back to golden eye.
There's also another ROM on here called i337_OC3_stock_rooted_rom(MDL) , you may want to try it out as it's 100% stock and hasn't been modified like golden eye rom has. I am not sure it works with clock work mod recovery so you might need TWRP recovery for it.