For the past week I've been trying to install the NE9 update. When trying it reboots the phone and starts installing. Half way through installation the android falls on its back and fails. Then when it boots back up again it tells me that the update wasn't applied due to failure.
Prior to the update before trying I've been rooted with towelroot if thats worth mentioning.
I also tired Verizon Software Upgrade Assistant on the PC and the software tells me its up to date, not acknowledging that there is a newer firmware available.
Is there another way to "update" without flashing. I'm not really up to reinstalling and reconfiguring everything. Although I have Titanium Backup Pro.
Also if no solutions how do I get rid of this screen which pops up everyday?
You already know the answer and are trying to avoid it. Odin is the most reliable way to apply an update. OTA updates fail for numerous reasons and we couldn't begin to guess why in your case because you provided almost zero information about your phone e.g.what was the exact, verbatim error or failure message you received, have you frozen any apps, syslog, current firmware version or anything else.
We don't have your phone in front of us, so when you don't describe those crucial details, the best we could possibly do is make stabs in the dark as to what is going on.
If you do a proper backup, restoring your programs afterward shouldn't be that hard. You could probably just restore your backed up /data partition over the updated system and have most of your apps and settings restored in one swoop. Alternately, you might be able to apply the new firmware image with mobile odin pro, while leaving your existing /data partition intact.
Or disable the OTA update manager to avoid the update. Verizon likes to rename or at least append vzw to system apps, so search the Verizon forum for the name of the Verizon OTA update manager app.
.
fffft said:
You already know the answer and are trying to avoid it. Odin is the most reliable way to apply an update. OTA updates fail for numerous reasons and we couldn't begin to guess why in your case because you provided almost zero information about your phone e.g.what was the exact, verbatim error or failure message you received, have you frozen any apps, syslog, current firmware version or anything else.
We don't have your phone in front of us, so when you don't describe those crucial details, the best we could possibly do is make stabs in the dark as to what is going on.
If you do a proper backup, restoring your programs afterward shouldn't be that hard. You could probably just restore your backed up /data partition over the updated system and have most of your apps and settings restored in one swoop. Alternately, you might be able to apply the new firmware image with mobile odin pro, while leaving your existing /data partition intact.
Or disable the OTA update manager to avoid the update. Verizon likes to rename or at least append vzw to system apps, so search the Verizon forum for the name of the Verizon OTA update manager app.
.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got through it. Thanks for replying. The Verizon Software Upgrade Assistant started working. I was getting ready to go into odin after I plugged in my USB cable then I noticed to the bottom right something said downloading update. The software did everything. After I swapped kernels rooted and swapped the kernal back with odin. Sorry my mind is a bit foggy I've recently came back to Android. Last time I was around was way back with the Motorola Cliq and the HTC Sensation. I really wasn't up for flashing because I had the phone for about 2 weeks and if I hit a snag then it will require a bunch of research /rant.
All is well solved.
Related
Hi guys,
Can someone tell me the best way to make an exact copy of a brand new phone so that I can always go back to the 'as new' config.
This would be a new phone straight from the box.
Thanks
frostyboy998
frostyboy998 said:
Hi guys,
Can someone tell me the best way to make an exact copy of a brand new phone so that I can always go back to the 'as new' config.
This would be a new phone straight from the box.
Thanks
frostyboy998
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Data factory reset?
Well the best way is to get a copy of the image that the factory uses.. Well, perhaps that is impractical.
The most faithful copy that we could probably do from home would be using dd from the command line to make a sector by sector image. But you need super user (root) to do that. Possibly you could do it from an ADB session without root (untested). Using the linux dd utility or an ADB session are cumbersome and rather technical for many end users though..
In practical terms, either as gee2012 suggested above. I'm not certain that would get you to an exactly out of the box experience.. but it would be close.. easy to do and repeatable. So a decent solution. And should the file system get really messed up, you could presumably reflash a full OEM image to get back to that point as well.
Or another approach that I would favour myself would be to do a full Nandroid instead to resolve small discrepancies that probably exist between out of the box and the state a factory reset would put the device in. The downside being that a full Nandroid is easiest to do with a custom recovery.. and that will trip the Knox counter which will have warranty implications for some. Whether it affects your warranty depends on country you reside in, how well national legislation there protects consumer rights, whether your carrier cares about Knox and whether you care about the warranty much to begin with.
I would take the out of box phone, flash a custom recovery, and then do a full Nandroid backup. Your nandroid then will be an exact representation of your out of the box configuration, save for the recovery per se. To restore precisely would be one or two steps. Restoring the Nandroid would revert everything except recovery to the out of the box condition. And should that point matter, then one could do the second step of restoring the stock recovery as well..
.
Download from Sammobile the ROM, so you can flash via ODIN.
Thanks for your comments.
Here is my reasoning.....
I currently use a Galaxy S3, pending getting the S5 very soon.
When I first got my S3 it seemed perfect. Everything worked well.
I have since done a number of Kies updates and also a couple of Sammobile updates via Odin.
Every time I updated, there seemed to be some things that didn't work as well.
So I decided to try and revert to the original firmware that came with my mobile, via Sammobile and Odin.
I have done this, but now, whenever I leave a wifi zone, my mobile internet seems to connect when it feels like it. Sometimes not at all.
I have to switch mobile internet off, restart the phone and then switch mobile internet back on, to get it to start up.
When I get my new S5, I would like to have an exact copy of the phone, so that I can always revert to my very own original setup if I choose to.
Apparently after updating beyond Android 4.3, there came a change in the format of the EFS folder, which prevented stepping back.
I don't want to be forced into that position again, so want a perfect copy!
From my reading, it appears I would have to root the phone, install Titanium backup, do a full nandroid backup, then unroot the phone and reset the counters to be back in warranty.
Am I right or would that not work?
frostyboy
edit: After updating firmware on a phone, does a factory reset change back to a previous firmware? I would think not. I think it would just reset all the added consumer stuff. (contacts, apps, emails and sms etc)
frostyboy998 said:
Thanks for your comments.
Here is my reasoning.....
I currently use a Galaxy S3, pending getting the S5 very soon.
When I first got my S3 it seemed perfect. Everything worked well.
I have since done a number of Kies updates and also a couple of Sammobile updates via Odin.
Every time I updated, there seemed to be some things that didn't work as well.
So I decided to try and revert to the original firmware that came with my mobile, via Sammobile and Odin.
I have done this, but now, whenever I leave a wifi zone, my mobile internet seems to connect when it feels like it. Sometimes not at all.
I have to switch mobile internet off, restart the phone and then switch mobile internet back on, to get it to start up.
When I get my new S5, I would like to have an exact copy of the phone, so that I can always revert to my very own original setup if I choose to.
Apparently after updating beyond Android 4.3, there came a change in the format of the EFS folder, which prevented stepping back.
I don't want to be forced into that position again, so want a perfect copy!
From my reading, it appears I would have to root the phone, install Titanium backup, do a full nandroid backup, then unroot the phone and reset the counters to be back in warranty.
Am I right or would that not work?
frostyboy
edit: After updating firmware on a phone, does a factory reset change back to a previous firmware? I would think not. I think it would just reset all the added consumer stuff. (contacts, apps, emails and sms etc)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Rooting with Towelroot doesn`t trip KNOX but flashing a custom recovery to make a nandroid backup will and is irreversible. Best is to backup the EFS folder after you are rooted with an app here http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s3/development/efs-samsung-tool-universal-support-t2602325 or with adb as documented here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2737448.
BTW Triangle Away doesn`t work on the S5 atm so resetting the status to official after you flashed custom software with Odin isn not possible
Trying to solve this for a friend.
We're on the pre-NE9 release and I used Towelroot to get the phone root. This was critical because we were migrating from an old S3 to the S5, so it was easier to use Titanium Backup to bring back the apps and savegame data.
Well it turns out my friend needs to run MDM Airwatch and Root cloak isn't working anymore. TBH there really isn't any reason to keep the phone rooted because it just makes OTA difficult too. So I think we're ready to go to an unrooted state.
So the first thing is we're struggling that even after doing a full unroot via SuperSU uninstalling Towelroot, it still doesn't pass MDM. So if anyone has a suggestion go ahead.
I'm not sure whats wrong but even then the OTA won't install either, so I'm suspecting the phone still finds something not in stock state.
So here's my question: Is it possible to install the OTA via Odin and ensure that the apps/data are not lost? I've heard that there's a lot of reasons OTAs can fail, so its more reliable to just use Odin to get the OTA applied. I figure that once we get the OTA updated, perhaps MDM will pass? If not we can always factory reset at that point.
bumpity
dmo580 said:
Trying to solve this for a friend.
We're on the pre-NE9 release and I used Towelroot to get the phone root. This was critical because we were migrating from an old S3 to the S5, so it was easier to use Titanium Backup to bring back the apps and savegame data.
Well it turns out my friend needs to run MDM Airwatch and Root cloak isn't working anymore. TBH there really isn't any reason to keep the phone rooted because it just makes OTA difficult too. So I think we're ready to go to an unrooted state.
So the first thing is we're struggling that even after doing a full unroot via SuperSU uninstalling Towelroot, it still doesn't pass MDM. So if anyone has a suggestion go ahead.
I'm not sure whats wrong but even then the OTA won't install either, so I'm suspecting the phone still finds something not in stock state.
So here's my question: Is it possible to install the OTA via Odin and ensure that the apps/data are not lost? I've heard that there's a lot of reasons OTAs can fail, so its more reliable to just use Odin to get the OTA applied. I figure that once we get the OTA updated, perhaps MDM will pass? If not we can always factory reset at that point.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can't flash the OTA via Odin but you can sideload it by placing it on your ext-sdcard then sideloading from stock recovery. And by MDM I am assuming it's the modem that is not passing verification. Here is the G900V_NE9_Stock_Modem.tar.md5. Flash in PDA slot in Odin(AP in Odin v3.09+) then attempt to take the OTA again.
dmo580 said:
Trying to solve this for a friend.
We're on the pre-NE9 release and I used Towelroot to get the phone root. This was critical because we were migrating from an old S3 to the S5, so it was easier to use Titanium Backup to bring back the apps and savegame data.
Well it turns out my friend needs to run MDM Airwatch and Root cloak isn't working anymore. TBH there really isn't any reason to keep the phone rooted because it just makes OTA difficult too. So I think we're ready to go to an unrooted state.
So the first thing is we're struggling that even after doing a full unroot via SuperSU uninstalling Towelroot, it still doesn't pass MDM. So if anyone has a suggestion go ahead.
I'm not sure whats wrong but even then the OTA won't install either, so I'm suspecting the phone still finds something not in stock state.
So here's my question: Is it possible to install the OTA via Odin and ensure that the apps/data are not lost? I've heard that there's a lot of reasons OTAs can fail, so its more reliable to just use Odin to get the OTA applied. I figure that once we get the OTA updated, perhaps MDM will pass? If not we can always factory reset at that point.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
go to google play
and download Helium - App Sync and Backup
options for rooted and non rooted try it i used it to backup a app data locally without gmail cloud on my rooted note3 and save the file did the same on my rooted s5 and had it Manuel restore that file just need to create the same file folder and drop the file in it if you do Manuel
so stupid i had passed a ton of level on chuchu rocket i didnt wanna redo
i also used this to do the sms altho helium may have done that for me too SMS Backup & Restore (Kitkat)
INFOLIFE LLC - February 25, 2014
Business
there is non kitkat and kitkat labeled one does it good just doesnt backup pics in the mms txts
Hey everyone!
I've got an interesting predicament here. A little back story: a while back I installed TowelRoot, and then Xposed Framework. Everything was kosher until I got an OTA update (I believe the NG3 update) and it killed the root. No problem, I'm fine without root. But now that Lollipop has come out, I want to update but can't. My buddy applied the same root, but did not do Xposed. The difference between our phones after that OTA update: mine says "Custom" with an unlocked padlock at the Samsung boot screen; his does not.
I read in another thread that someone took their phone to Best Buy and the guys at the Samsung booth were able to fix the problem because they can pull updates and apply them via USB. So we went there yesterday and they had no problem getting Lollipop on my buddy's S5 Active. Mine, however, would not take the update. The Samsung S.M.A.R.T. tool they use on the PC was saying that "my device is running an unauthorized operating system", even though I have never flashed a custom ROM.
When I go into download mode, the Knox flag does not appear to be tripped. I've also performed a clean factory reset with a data wipe and that still didn't allow me to update. Whenever I try to update, it downloads the entire 4.4.4 update (which needs to be done first, before the 5.0 update) and it starts to install, failing at 25%, without hesitation, every single time.
I've attached a couple of screenshots that I hope will help. Any ideas will be greatly appreciated.
MGArcher007 said:
Hey everyone!
I've got an interesting predicament here. A little back story: a while back I installed TowelRoot, and then Xposed Framework. Everything was kosher until I got an OTA update (I believe the NG3 update) and it killed the root. No problem, I'm fine without root. But now that Lollipop has come out, I want to update but can't. My buddy applied the same root, but did not do Xposed. The difference between our phones after that OTA update: mine says "Custom" with an unlocked padlock at the Samsung boot screen; his does not.
I read in another thread that someone took their phone to Best Buy and the guys at the Samsung booth were able to fix the problem because they can pull updates and apply them via USB. So we went there yesterday and they had no problem getting Lollipop on my buddy's S5 Active. Mine, however, would not take the update. The Samsung S.M.A.R.T. tool they use on the PC was saying that "my device is running an unauthorized operating system", even though I have never flashed a custom ROM.
When I go into download mode, the Knox flag does not appear to be tripped. I've also performed a clean factory reset with a data wipe and that still didn't allow me to update. Whenever I try to update, it downloads the entire 4.4.4 update (which needs to be done first, before the 5.0 update) and it starts to install, failing at 25%, without hesitation, every single time.
I've attached a couple of screenshots that I hope will help. Any ideas will be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you resolved this issue, if so, would you mind sharing how you did it. I've been combing the net for a few days trying to discover what is going on and your issue appears to be exactly what I am experiencing. I've read about flashing back to my stock firmware using Odin but I cannot get into download mode, when I try and get there, the phone only says "recovery reboot" in blue small font on the top of the screen and reboots.
Thanks
Ladies and gents, I apologize for abandoning this thread. I forgot exactly how I got to get the phone to update, but if I recall correctly, it had to do with me putting the phone in download mode, downloading the original firmware and using ODIN to flash it. Afterward, the "unlocked" padlock symbol disappeared and the phone was able to get the OTA update from AT&T.
I have since moved from an LG G4 to a V20 and that is what I am currently playing with. I also have a Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge (which T-Mobile replaced my G4 with when the touch screen stopped responding). I was quite stoked to find out that there is a way to root it and (seemingly) unlock the bootloader, so I'll be toying with that this weekend to see what I can do. I'd love nothing more than to just wipe that Samsung-ified Android and install a vanilla Android or CM.
Good luck to anyone who is still trying to fix this issue. Again, my apologies. I'll dig through my archives and see if I can piece together what I did to get it going again. I still have the S5 Active. Best phone by far. It's a great backup phone for when the new stuff goes kaput.
Hi all,
A couple quick questions here. I've done some reading up, but most of the information is more in depth than I need at the moment so I'm looking for some quick answers.
My SO has a Verizon S5, that has a locked bootloader, is not rooted, and is still on 5.0.
She swapped carriers a while back, so is no longer on the Verizon network. The IMEI is clean, and her Verizon account is fully paid, and everything on the phone works fine, aside from it being stuck on 5.0.
It will not update via the automated system, because I assume it's trying to reach out to straight talk for the update and gets a response that it's on the newest version.
I downloaded the Verizon OTA update file (approximately 1 gb) for 6.0.1. It's named update.zip to allow for automated updating.
Here are my questions:
1. Would it be ok to just slap the update file on her phone and let it auto-update using the built in software?
2. Are there any major downsides to updating to marshmallow, considering it's an official release on the correct version of that phone?
3. Will root be needed prior (I'm assuming not) for using the OTA update file?
4. Will her information stay intact; email accounts, contacts, apps, samsung account, etc?
5. While root would be nice for locking down some of the bloatware after, it isn't a deal breaker, simplicity is the key here as she is not an advanced user, but would updating via the OTA file remove all possibilities of rooting the device after (it seems to be the impression I get, as her bootloader is locked)?
Thank you very much for your assistance!
Hi bladebarrier, I actually just did the same thing a few weeks ago with a used S5 from Verizon going to Straight Talk.
1. Would it be ok to just slap the update file on her phone and let it auto-update using the built in software?
I'm unsure if that would work, someone else may be able to answer as to that method, however I used the Odin tool v3.11.1, downloaded the PD1 image from here. There are some good video tutorials on YouTube and on writeups on this forum as well regarding how to flash the Marshmallow update using Odin.
2. Are there any major downsides to updating to marshmallow, considering it's an official release on the correct version of that phone?
No downsides that I've noticed and seems to have slightly better battery life.
3. Will root be needed prior (I'm assuming not) for using the OTA update file?
You do not need root to flash it if using the Odin tool.
4. Will her information stay intact; email accounts, contacts, apps, samsung account, etc?
Yes, but it's always a good idea to make a backup of everything.
5. While root would be nice for locking down some of the bloatware after, it isn't a deal breaker, simplicity is the key here as she is not an advanced user, but would updating via the OTA file remove all possibilities of rooting the device after (it seems to be the impression I get, as her bootloader is locked)?
The only thing that the locked boot loader affects for now is the ability to flash custom ROMs. I was able to downgrade to 5.0 Lollipop which you can still root, even after upgrading, however I decided to just go back to Marshmallow and wait for an exploit to be found, if one ever is.
jesimpki89 said:
Hi bladebarrier, I actually just did the same thing a few weeks ago with a used S5 from Verizon going to Straight Talk.
1. Would it be ok to just slap the update file on her phone and let it auto-update using the built in software?
I'm unsure if that would work, someone else may be able to answer as to that method, however I used the Odin tool v3.11.1, downloaded the PD1 image from here. There are some good video tutorials on YouTube and on writeups on this forum as well regarding how to flash the Marshmallow update using Odin.
2. Are there any major downsides to updating to marshmallow, considering it's an official release on the correct version of that phone?
No downsides that I've noticed and seems to have slightly better battery life.
3. Will root be needed prior (I'm assuming not) for using the OTA update file?
You do not need root to flash it if using the Odin tool.
4. Will her information stay intact; email accounts, contacts, apps, samsung account, etc?
Yes, but it's always a good idea to make a backup of everything.
5. While root would be nice for locking down some of the bloatware after, it isn't a deal breaker, simplicity is the key here as she is not an advanced user, but would updating via the OTA file remove all possibilities of rooting the device after (it seems to be the impression I get, as her bootloader is locked)?
The only thing that the locked boot loader affects for now is the ability to flash custom ROMs. I was able to downgrade to 5.0 Lollipop which you can still root, even after upgrading, however I decided to just go back to Marshmallow and wait for an exploit to be found, if one ever is.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you very much for your thorough response. It sounds like it will be a nice smooth flash, and I will use the full Odin version instead of the OTA file, to ensure it goes through comfortably.
Odin looked like it wanted to wipe the apps, so I ended up using the stock recovery/installer that's built in, and placing the OTA update file on the external SD card.
That worked like a charm. It took a bit, as expected, but all of the apps and info were ok after.
The only thing I can't sort out is why I can't find an option for the "Themes" setting in touch wiz. Any suggestions? I realize I could have her go to a third party launcher, like nova, but I have all of the theme options on my note 3, that's ported to MM note 5, and the theme option is still right there in the settings list, per normal. Maybe I'm just not seeing it, but I couldn't find an option on her S5 during 5.0, or now on 6.0.1. Is that something they never updated for the older phones?
So I've been rooting me phone for a while and have managed to never f*** up, till now, and I sincerely hope you guys can help me.
After rooting my S7 a while back, I just recently noticed SuperUser telling me that I didn't have root anymore, so I decided to follow these instructions to re-root my phone:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/ve...-to-notes-root-install-xposed-unroot-t3411039
I successfully followed all the steps to get root, but when I opened Flashfire it told me I could install a new update while maintaining root, so since my android is at 6.0.1, I did that and it bricked my phone.
On boot it says "Startup Failed - Use the Verizon Software Repair Assistant . . . " and on top it also says "Custom binary blocked by SECURE BOOT." I have tried going into recovery mode and deleting the system cache, but that doesn't do it. So is there any way to get the phone to properly boot while not deleting my data? I was rooting my phone precisely so I could use Titanium Backup again, so I don't have any backups stored anywhere. I have heard that flashing a recovery image with Odin can work, but would that delete my files? Someone please lend me your expertise.
My phone is a Verizon S7.
Fixed
I am surprised that no one responded to me, but what's important is that, miraculously, I managed to un-brick the phone myself without losing any data! What I did was, as my last hope (since Odin wasn't able to flash the stock image, a la the traditional soft-brick fix), decide to follow the on-screen instructions my phone was giving me and to download and run something called the "Verizon Software Repair Assistant," which can be found in the top google results after searching for the quoted name (xda doesn't let me post the link).
After putting my phone into download mode, I plugged it in, ran the software and let it work overnight. Checking on it in the morning, I found my phone, not only completely functional and working, but updated to Android 7.0 (it was 6.0.1 previously before the failed Flashfire OTA update) and still holding all of my data intact.
So, the interesting thing that I learned is that flashing to stock via Odin to fix a soft-bricked phone should not be the default resolution for potentially most people, as the carrier's default (in my case, Verizon's) repair utility managed to completely fix my phone without any side effects or data loss.
Is there anyone who could chime in on why the Repair Utility did not wipe my phone's memory, even though it warned it would?
**Note**
Verizon links to the Windows version of the repair assistant on their site, but to get the Mac version (which I used), the only way you can get it is by changing the end of the url they mention within the thread from "Win" to "Mac."
Pleased you managed to fix it, and thanks for posting the method for others
As for replies, if you stick around XDA you'll see replies can take days sometimes, patience is the key here
*Detection* said:
Pleased you managed to fix it, and thanks for posting the method for others
As for replies, if you stick around XDA you'll see replies can take days sometimes, patience is the key here
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess I am not acquainted with this forum enough then, thanks!
Most likely the cause of the fault would be updating via FlashFire and keeping root. When the update was flashed, it most likely flashed the stock kernel and patched it for root, which is not a compatible root for our devices. Flashing the root kernel with Odin probably would have made the phone boot normally.