[Q] Update Unrooted phone - Galaxy Note 3 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I have a Note 3 SM-N900W8 which is running android 4.3 jelly bean. I rooted it about a year ago and unrooted it and returned it to factory kernel and rom etc about a month later. Since the device is showing up as modified, I am unable to update the software via Samsung's built-in feature. How would I go about updating my phone to the latest android version without having to root it or lose any of my data?

Give it to a friend to update it for you or read some basics about PC Odin and do it yourself. Download your rom from sammobile.com in firmware section. Search there for sm-n900w8 make an account to be able to download from there. And there you can see instructions for how to flash it. Google pc odin and run it. You don't need to root for update with odin. Ask if you wonder about something so you don't screw it up.

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HELP ON getting Galaxy note 3 n900 unroot for receiving stock updates

guys,i rooted my note 3 n900 by cf-auto root but now i want to unroot my note 3 ...so that i can receive all sorts of official software updates from samsung......PLEASE HELP ME PLEASE....i'm stucked.and tell me can i fully unroot my note 3 by getting back knox warranty...is it possible? is chainfire working on the fix to get back knox warranty? i use an international n900 variant.HELP
As far as I understood, once you have triggered knox 0x1 or the counter for flashing, the OTAs won't be available any more.
I have the same thing. Checking for OTA updates works though, if you use something like wanam which can be setup to fool the phone into thinking that it's ok. I was able to download an update with SuperUser turned off (and reboot afterwards), but couldn't install.
So actually, I just check every now and then on the forums if there's an update and then just wait for a regular download via PC and flash with ODIN. Works quite well, and by the time downloads become available via PC, you'll also already know if there are glitches with newer updates, too. Takes about a day or two compared to the OTA.
help
Mikegrmn said:
As far as I understood, once you have triggered knox 0x1 or the counter for flashing, the OTAs won't be available any more.
I have the same thing. Checking for OTA updates works though, if you use something like wanam which can be setup to fool the phone into thinking that it's ok. I was able to download an update with SuperUser turned off (and reboot afterwards), but couldn't install.
So actually, I just check every now and then on the forums if there's an update and then just wait for a regular download via PC and flash with ODIN. Works quite well, and by the time downloads become available via PC, you'll also already know if there are glitches with newer updates, too. Takes about a day or two compared to the OTA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where can I get updates via pc...link please
Tawhidz13 said:
Where can I get updates via pc...link please
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sammobile.com/firmwares usually has the latest firmwares. If you prefer pre-rooted firmwares just search for it right here in the forum. Before you download and install any firmware though, check that you download the right one. The latest EU fw is N9005XXUDMUJ7. But you also have to check your CSC. What happens when this is wrong, I don't know. But you may get boot loops. Just use the forums search and read through CSC, ODIN and the latest fw name. You'll find all that you need. And with the latest CF-Autoroot, rooting your phone is just a mouse click away.
Updates are available via KIES on your PC if you have rooted your phone (you will lose root and have to re-reoot though), just cannot get OTA. - I updated my rooted MJ6 to MJ7 via KIES with no issues. (KNOX 0x1) - KIES will say something like " software update might not work because of modified phone" but mine worked fine. - or alternatively try sammobile.com and manually flash the firmware yourself.
As for your KNOX, no way back currently from 0x1..
radicalisto said:
Updates are available via KIES on your PC if you have rooted your phone (you will lose root and have to re-reoot though), just cannot get OTA. - I updated my rooted MJ6 to MJ7 via KIES with no issues. (KNOX 0x1) - KIES will say something like " software update might not work because of modified phone" but mine worked fine. - or alternatively try sammobile.com and manually flash the firmware yourself.
As for your KNOX, no way back currently from 0x1..
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Click to collapse
I tried Kies initially, too. But Kies just told me that I would have an unsupported phone, so I went ODIN.
If I am rooted with vroot, knox not tripped will unrooting in any way trip it?

Screen not working - Unroot for warranty

My Galaxy S4 just decided to show wavy lines on the screen instead of turning on - as far as I can tell the screen and digitiser are no longer working.
**I CANNOT SEE OR DO ANYTHING ON THE SCREEN**
I have a 4.2.2 i9505 UAMDE -Stock Rom- that is rooted.
I have never flashed any other firmware to it - just rooted it.
I have Kies access and backed up my phone. Kies prompted for a firmware upgrade when I plugged in the phone.
I want to return it to stock/unroot etc so Samsung will warranty the phone without fuss (it was not dropped, just stopped working).
Some questions:
Most important:
1. Is it possible to get the phone to a state that will be warranty-ready without having a screen?
2. Do I need to Triangle away if all I have done is rooted? If so, can I do this without a working screen?
3. What is the best way to return to stock? ODIN or should I just let Kies update to latest firmware? (If either will it be enough to satisfy the first question)
4. If Kies does the update will I need access to the screen to complete it?
Thanks in advance!
1. You can flash same firmware with ODin. It will delete root access, but app will stay, so you have to uninstall it through https://play.google.com/store
2. You don't need to, unless you've made a root through Oding flash?
3. Odin
4. No, but it will udpate it to 4.3 with KNOX?
mar10o said:
1. You can flash same firmware with ODin. It will delete root access, but app will stay, so you have to uninstall it through https://play.google.com/store
2. You don't need to, unless you've made a root through Oding flash?
3. Odin
4. No, but it will udpate it to 4.3 with KNOX?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the quick reply.
1. not sure which 'app will stay' you mean?
2. Actually I cannot remember how I rooted - I will have to look this up again. Something tells me cf-autoroot and maybe ODIN... All I can remember it that I still have stock ROM just with root.
4. Agree that this might not be the best idea as I am trying to stay away from KNOX but I wonder if Samsung will automatically update to the latest ROM as part of the fix?
Kies is currently sitting on backing up "preparing" for ages and ages... hope it works in the end.
Looking back I suspect I used CF-autoroot which probably mean my counter has gone up.
Any way of resetting this without a screen?
I've managed to get some screen control using adb, screencast and teamviewer.
Triangle away says:
Counter: 0
Binary: Official
System: Official
I suspect the Official comes from the fact I was running Wanam Xposed and spoofing official.
One last question -
Given all that information I should just be able to flash
4.2.2 UAMDE Stock rom from sammobile with odin
and everything will be warranty-ready?
(will this wipe all my data and programs as well? - something I WANT to happen)
It will not wipe it. On the older devices like S3, there was a special ROM for cleaning purposes with PIT file, that was repartitioning your memory. Maybe there is something like that for S4?

Root and firmware update problem

A while back I rooted my s4 9500 but i havent used the root stuff much and i forgot about it. Now i saw a few guys with s4 and 5.x so i wanted to update myself. I noticed i couldnt update so a quick google search showed my i could unroot in supersu. I did the unroot. Apps that dont work while rooted such as bank apps work now but the system still gives the same error. Kies wasnt able to update my phone somehow. I just wanna get 5.x without losing my data. I dont care if i end up rooted or not in 5.x
You'll need to download the full ROM and reflash with Odin to restore the 'Official' status needed to get Kies and OTA updates. Find out your CSC and download the latest ROM from somewhere like sammobile.com , data and apps will remain unaffected.

NOOB REQUEST - How to upgrade from 4.4.2 to Lollipop

Hey guys,
So I am a relative NOOB - I flashed my girlfriend last phone, ZTE Blade 2 and loaded a custom ROM made from a guy in Brazil that actually worked really well off the paltry 4GB storage it had. Eventually got it to read the 8GB SD card as internal memory - but this was 3 months ago and involved a lot of trial and error before figuring it out - thanks to XDA of course.
So I bought her a new S5 sealed form Korea - SM-G900A AT&T version.
Firmware version: 4.4.2.
I tried to run an OTA update to Lollipop and said it couldn't find anything
Then I realized it was rooted, and I thought maybe that is what is preventing the OTA update. So yesterday I unrooted the phone and loaded STOCK Samsung from:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2785363
Ran the OTA update request, still nothing.
Thinking as its an AT&T phone it may not run the OTA update on my countries networks - South Africa.
Thinking 2 stratergies going forward:
1 - Download the OTA Lollipop 5.1.1 version and forcing it to update without rooting the phone.
As described here:
http://www.droidviews.com/install-rooted-lollipop-on-att-galaxy-s5-sm-g900a/
Problem is I don't trust other sites and had good experiences with XDA so if someone could provide me a link to a XDA thread that hosts an OTA Lollipop update I would appreciate it.
Install Lollipop OTA on AT&T Galaxy S5
Make sure your AT&T Galaxy S5 is 100% stock Android 4.4.4 KitKat firmware.
Now download the Lollipop OTA package: OTA_S5_5.0.zip | Mirror
Copy the OTA zip file to the external SD card of your phone.
Enable USB Debugging on your phone as precaution.
Now turn off your device and reboot into the stock recovery. To do so, hold the Volume Up+Home+Power keys together while the device is switched off. As soon as you see the Samsung logo, release the Power key and keep the other two keys pressed until you see the recovery menu.
Using the volume keys, scroll to apply update from external storage option and select it by pressing the Power key.AT&T-Galaxy-S5-stock-recovery
Navigate to the OTA update Zip package and select it.
Confirm installation when prompted.
When the file is flashed, go back to the main menu and select “reboot system now” option.
2 - Rooting the phone and upgrading the ROM to Lollipop.
As described below - problem is I don't want to void the warranty (could be void considering was rooted when received) nor brick the phone.
I prefer lower risk option UNLESS someone has a secure method of doing it? Any advice appreciated
Install Pre-Rooted Lollipop on AT&T Galaxy S5
If you want to enjoy root privilege on your AT&T Galaxy S5 running Android 5.0 Lollipop firmware, the following instructions would help you do that.
Warning!
You can use this method regardless of what firmware or build version your phone has. However, you must be rooted to be able to use the FireFlash app! Flashing the pre-rooted firmware provided below will not trip the KNOX Warranty Void flag. The procedure given below is considered risky. Follow it on your responsibility!
Preparations
To gain root access on your AT&T Galaxy S5 running KitKat, you can try Towelroot.
Enable USB Debugging on your Galaxy S5. This step has nothing to do with the method given below but it could be a lifesaver if anything goes wrong.
Install Chainfire’s FireFlash app on your AT&T Galaxy S5. Since this new app is only available for beta-testers currently, go to the Google+ page and join the Android-FlashFire community. You must be signed into Google+ using the same Gmail ID that you use on the Google Play Store. Having joined the community, click the Play Store link to download FireFlash Beta app.
Download the stock rooted Lollipop firmware for the AT&T S5: G900A_OC4_Stock_Rooted_ROM_wOA1_BL.zip (Note: The ROM is currently not available.)
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Please advise on the best way going forward. I have about 3GB left on my data to play with so the next ROM I download I want to be my last.

[GT-I9506] Need help resetting my device software status

So, a few months ago I decided to root my phone with towelroot to give a try on a few root applications, as i was curious, but after that, I decided to remove through supersu it as, even with supersu, was more of a vunerability since I wasn't really using it.
Fast foward a month, I attempted to update my software and was denied with the reason that my device was custom.
Some important info:
- I'm running Android Jelly Bean 4.3, that has never been updated.
- I've attempted a factory reset through the phones recovery mode and made no difference.
- My KNOX waranty value is 0x0, and I would like to keep it that way if possible.
- Phone is factory unlocked.
Also, I've though of using Odin to flash the firmware back, but then I read that there is a possible that KNOX warranty gets triggered, even with a samsung official rom, is this true or am I safe to use it?
My objective is to have my phone back to factory settings (this means wannan xposed is out of the question), in order to be able to update my phone and keep using it, and while there is a lot of similar threads around, most of them reffer to GT-I9505 and GT-I9500 and mine is GT-I9506, which leaves me in somewhat of a doubt wether I should follow those or not.
Thank you for your time.
Diaz_ said:
So, a few months ago I decided to root my phone with towelroot to give a try on a few root applications, as i was curious, but after that, I decided to remove through supersu it as, even with supersu, was more of a vunerability since I wasn't really using it.
Fast foward a month, I attempted to update my software and was denied with the reason that my device was custom.
Some important info:
- I'm running Android Jelly Bean 4.3, that has never been updated.
- I've attempted a factory reset through the phones recovery mode and made no difference.
- My KNOX waranty value is 0x0, and I would like to keep it that way if possible.
- Phone is factory unlocked.
Also, I've though of using Odin to flash the firmware back, but then I read that there is a possible that KNOX warranty gets triggered, even with a samsung official rom, is this true or am I safe to use it?
My objective is to have my phone back to factory settings (this means wannan xposed is out of the question), in order to be able to update my phone and keep using it, and while there is a lot of similar threads around, most of them reffer to GT-I9505 and GT-I9500 and mine is GT-I9506, which leaves me in somewhat of a doubt wether I should follow those or not.
Thank you for your time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Flashing a stock rom trough Odin will NOT trip Knox. So just go ahead and flash the firmware you want.
Lennyz1988 said:
Flashing a stock rom trough Odin will NOT trip Knox. So just go ahead and flash the firmware you want.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Alright, I assume the proccess is about the same as on the other versions.
Also, should I flash 4.4.2 instead of 5.0.1? The reason I ask is due to this thread.
Update: I flashed 4.4.2 with Odin3 3.10, and it went smooth and knox is still safe, however, for some reason, so thank you Lennyz1988 for the reassurance .
However, I'm not able to update to 5.0.1 Lolipop through OTA, as attempting to update states that im fully up to date.
My phone is running as NL (T-Mobile), factory unlocked and due to my quick research, seems that there is no official OTA update for it. Is it correct or am I looking in the wrong place to update my phone?

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