Database Users

[Q] How to reset flash counter on Samsung Galaxy I9500

Hey everyone.
I was just wondering if there's a current method to resetting the flash counter on the Samsung Galaxy I9500 (international version).
As you know Triangle Away doesn't support the International variant of the S4. For that, I was hoping to find an alternative method. (I'm Rooted)
Thanks.

Zecup said:
Hey everyone.
I was just wondering if there's a current method to resetting the flash counter on the Samsung Galaxy I9500 (international version).
As you know Triangle Away doesn't support the International variant of the S4. For that, I was hoping to find an alternative method. (I'm Rooted)
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No other method as of now we will have to wait till chainfire gets one working however the counter is hidden as per what I understand and after flashing stock rom the device status shows official

Zecup said:
Hey everyone.
I was just wondering if there's a current method to resetting the flash counter on the Samsung Galaxy I9500 (international version).
As you know Triangle Away doesn't support the International variant of the S4. For that, I was hoping to find an alternative method. (I'm Rooted)
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Enable usb debugging
connect to kies
upgrade firmware from tools menu
power off after successful upgrade
press volume up+home+power
wait until android icon is shown twice
restart
Now you are official

you can reflash your firmware by kies > tools > firmware upgrade and initialisation and you will get samsung official binary. tested

yup but that doesn't reset the flash counter so any service centre can still tell that you modified the firmware.
Sent from my GT-I9505

Chainfire Does not have the I-9500 Variant.. When He would have one he would work on Triangle Away Support for the Same.

[GUIDE] ROOT + OTA & KIES Updates + OFFICIAL Device Status (XXUBMF8) [GT-I9500/I9505] ?

aleida98 said:
you can reflash your firmware by kies > tools > firmware upgrade and initialisation and you will get samsung official binary. tested
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But My device was rooted, using Philz Recovery. Will it work when using Kies to flash firmware??

manu44 said:
Chainfire Does not have the I-9500 Variant.. When He would have one he would work on Triangle Away Support for the Same.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is it? Someone explained before that reseting the flash counter on the exynos chipset is a lot more difficult than it was for qualcomm variant ... almost impossible if i remember correctly ... can't find his post however ... but he explained why exactly is that so ... so even if they have it i don't know if they ll invest their time to try to do so ...

Guess we can only wait

Just bought my S4 (I9505)

Hi guys!
Yesterday I've received my new S4 and obviously I'm really happy!
I'm planning to root my S4 after some tests (just to be sure the device has not problems) and I'm thinking to flash the Google Edition ROM.
Now some questions:
- Is there some test,stuffs to check or common warrenty problem to check/wait before root my S4?
- Just rooting the device will invalidate the KNOX? Is there a way to restore the KNOX or may I root my device only when I'm sure I really want invalidate my warrenty?
- After rooting decision/time... I live in Italy but I've bought an EU S4: do you suggest me to change the CSC (I9505OXXBMG3) to ITV and flash Italy sotck/mod ROM or it doesn't matter and I can stay on the actual CSC?
- In your opinion, Is it really worth to flash the Google Edition 4.3 or may I wait for the official 4.3 from Samsung (I saw the leaked ROM so maybe it's time for official!)
Thanks guys!

If your device has the older bootloader you're fine for flashing as it doesn't have KNOX implemented. If it has the new bootloader with KNOX, flashing a custom rom will void your warranty forever. It flags it in download mode and you can't remove it even if you went back to fully stock, so you still wouldn't have any warranty

Someone posted this on one of the BLOG.
chiragnarasimha on 4 October 2013 at 14:52 said:
Incase the above method failed, then i am sad to tell you that there is a long process that is probably going take more than an hour to complete the downgrade process.
First of all, remember that when you upgraded to 4.3, you also upgraded stuff like BL(bootloader), AP(formerly known as pda which can be downloaded from this site), CP (modem of the phone) and finally CSC. So, the trick is to download the BL of 4.2.2, AP(PDA) of your region, CP of your region or your carrier, and the CSC of your region. Trust me, finding these stuff can be hard depending on the popularity of your region and the popularity of your carrier.
Hopefully, you were able to download all the above mentioned stuff. Now go ahead and flash these things with odin. Also note that wiping the device with the stock recovery ( vol up + home Key + Power button) might be necessary. While flashing with odin, DO NOT CHECK ANYTHING APART FROM AUTO REBOOT AND F. RESET TIME.
OR THE EASIEST IS PROBABLY TO WAIT FOR THE OFFICIAL RELEASE AND THEN FLASH IT WITH ODIN. YOU CAN DOWNLOAD THE OFFICIAL RELEASE WHEN IT IS AVAILABLE IN THIS WEBSITE ANYWAYS
will this work?? splitting the firmware? anyone?

imlgl said:
If your device has the older bootloader you're fine for flashing as it doesn't have KNOX implemented. If it has the new bootloader with KNOX, flashing a custom rom will void your warranty forever. It flags it in download mode and you can't remove it even if you went back to fully stock, so you still wouldn't have any warranty
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for response!
I've just reboot in download mode and my S4 printout:
ODIN MODE
PRODUCT NAME: gt-I9505
CURRENT BINARY: Samsung Official
SYSTEM STATUS: Offical
CSB-CONFIG-LSB: 0x30
WRITE PROTECTED: Enabled
Have I the older bootloader? I can't see any knox strings...
If yes, that means that if I want to flash the 4.3 Google Edition ROM it's better to flash it now before Samsung send me the OTA update of the official 4.3 ROM or I didn't understand well?
In which ROMs Samsung has introduces the KNOX.... I'm little bit confused because someone of you has KNOX but my S4 says to me via OTA thet there is no new update...

Markino said:
Thanks for response!
I've just reboot in download mode and my S4 printout:
ODIN MODE
PRODUCT NAME: gt-I9505
CURRENT BINARY: Samsung Official
SYSTEM STATUS: Offical
CSB-CONFIG-LSB: 0x30
WRITE PROTECTED: Enabled
Have I the older bootloader? I can't see any knox strings...
If yes, that means that if I want to flash the 4.3 Google Edition ROM it's better to flash it now before Samsung send me the OTA update of the official 4.3 ROM or I didn't understand well?
In which ROMs Samsung has introduces the KNOX.... I'm little bit confused because someone of you has KNOX but my S4 says to me via OTA thet there is no new update...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup you have older bootloader, it's the same as mine except my says custom instead of official.

[Q] [noob] help i am clueless about s4 i9505

In odin mode i saw something like this.
ODIN MODE
Product Name: GT-i9505
Current binary: custom
system status : Custom
Knox kernel lock : 0x0
knox warrenty void : 0x1
CSB-CONFIG-LSB: 0x30
Write protection : Enable
eMMC Burst mode: Enabled
I have 4.3 firmware
Can i downgrade my firmware to 4.2.2 ??
or if i get official firmware of 4.4 then can i update it to 4.4 using ODIN??
i am really in delimma i don't know what will happen because of the new bootloader i can work or not.. Just need reply if i cannot downgrade or upgrade using ODIN then it's usless of keeping this phone i have to sell it that's why i need fast reply !!!

No. Can you upgrade to official 4.4 - probably, given if you have the Knox bootloader you can flash firmware the same or newer than what you have, but not firmware with the old bootloader.
nishangrg said:
I have 4.3 firmware
Can i downgrade my firmware to 4.2.2 ??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

MistahBungle said:
No. Can you upgrade to official 4.4 - probably, given if you have the Knox bootloader you can flash firmware the same or newer than what you have, but not firmware with the old bootloader.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thankyou but is there any possible solution to downgrade to 4.2.2??
i have heard if i downgrade my bootloader then i can install 4.2.2 is it true??

*cough*
I've already answered your question (and the answer is easily found in hundreds of different threads here/elsewhere anyway). And as I said to someone else on here a week or so ago, I find repeating myself tedious in the extreme.

Unable to Root Note 3 900W8

Hey guys
I have a Canadian Note 3 model 900W8
Yesterday I had to flash back to the stock firmware due to a bootloop issue I had...
Today I tried to re-root my Note 3...and when I press start in Odin, it fails.
I'm doing the exact same method I did the first time I rooted it, and it fails. In dowlnoad mode, the tiniest bit of progress is made and it just stops.
I believe it says recovery failed in download mode.
I've tried to do this on two different computers using various USB ports.
I have developer mode enabled, and usb debugger is also enabled.
Anyone have any ideas?
Thanks

Were you able to root using the same setup before?
Sent from my SM-N900W8 using xda app-developers app
---------- Post added at 04:35 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:34 PM ----------
What firmware are you on 4.3 or 4.4?
Sent from my SM-N900W8 using xda app-developers app

I'm currently on 4.3
and yes it worked the exact same way last time...I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong this time...
I'm not able to post the url to the site that I used last time to root my phone....maybe if I space it out lol
www . android . gs / root-install-twrp-recovery-canada-galaxy-note-3-n900w8/
but yeah it worked perfectly fine when I did it last month

Try using cf auto root which you can find in the original android Dev section ( make sure you download the one for 4.3 ). If you're not successful in using Twrp, try Cwm as custom recovery ( although I'm using Twrp on 4.4 right now ).

alright so I tried again
in ODIN mode this is what I see
ODIN MODE
PRODUCT NAME: SM-N900W8
CURRENT BINARY: SAMSUNG OFFICIAL
SYSTEM STATUS: OFFICIAL
REACTIVATION LOCK: ON
KNOX KERNEL LOCK: 0X0
KNOX WARRANTY VOID: 0X1
QUALCOMM SECUREBOOT: ENABLE (CSB)
AP SWERV: S2, T2, R2, A2, P2
WRITE PROTECTION: ENABLE
and this appears after the flash fails
SECURE CHECK FAIL: recovery

HulkSmash316 said:
alright so I tried again
in ODIN mode this is what I see
ODIN MODE
PRODUCT NAME: SM-N900W8
CURRENT BINARY: SAMSUNG OFFICIAL
SYSTEM STATUS: OFFICIAL
REACTIVATION LOCK: ON
KNOX KERNEL LOCK: 0X0
KNOX WARRANTY VOID: 0X1
QUALCOMM SECUREBOOT: ENABLE (CSB)
AP SWERV: S2, T2, R2, A2, P2
WRITE PROTECTION: ENABLE
and this appears after the flash fails
SECURE CHECK FAIL: recovery
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ouch, you tripped your KNOX. Okay no worries. You're currently on 4.3 bootloader, and if you're trying to flash the 4.4.2 firmware - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2614772
I suggest you do that first.

Yeah I rooted my phone a month ago and tripped knox
I'm not upset about it or anything...
Thanks for the help, I'll give what you suggested a shot right now and will reply with the results

HulkSmash316 said:
Yeah I rooted my phone a month ago and tripped knox
I'm not upset about it or anything...
Thanks for the help, I'll give what you suggested a shot right now and will reply with the results
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You have to turn off reactivation lock then flash again. It can be found in the security settings.

hey_joe said:
You have to turn off reactivation lock then flash again. It can be found in the security settings.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have to turn off reactivation lock and flash again?
I already did step 1 of what nicholaschum suggested I do, and I have 4.4.2 installed now.
Before going through the setup process of setting up my phone, I went to root it immediately, but I got hte same failure I've been getting...
I assumed it's because I have to enable USB debugging...so I setup my phone...has me enter my login/password for my phone becuase of reactivation lock...confirm 4.4.2 is installed....enable dev mode.....check usb debugging....
So before I do anything further I just want to get confirmation....after checking reactivation lock in security settings (for some reason it wasn't checked just now when I looked even though I had to login with the info when I first booted the phone after flashing to 4.4.2)
do I flash 4.4.2 again and continue with what nicholaschum said to do?

HulkSmash316 said:
I have to turn off reactivation lock and flash again?
I already did step 1 of what nicholaschum suggested I do, and I have 4.4.2 installed now.
Before going through the setup process of setting up my phone, I went to root it immediately, but I got hte same failure I've been getting...
I assumed it's because I have to enable USB debugging...so I setup my phone...has me enter my login/password for my phone becuase of reactivation lock...confirm 4.4.2 is installed....enable dev mode.....check usb debugging....
So before I do anything further I just want to get confirmation....after checking reactivation lock in security settings (for some reason it wasn't checked just now when I looked even though I had to login with the info when I first booted the phone after flashing to 4.4.2)
do I flash 4.4.2 again and continue with what nicholaschum said to do?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can continue what you are doing just make sure it says off when you are in download mode.
---------- Post added at 07:52 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:50 PM ----------
I think as long as reactivation lock is on in download mode you won't get root or flash custom recovery.

Hey guys
I now have a rooted Note 3 running Kitkat 4.4.2
Huge thank you to you both of you who helped me this evening.
Now my biggest problem is trying to figure out what rom I want to install.
What would you guys recommend? The only ones I know are Jedi......xnote and wicked.
Basically don't want an bloatware that comes stock with Samsung devices lol

I personally use vision x n3 from the tmobile section as it comes stock and just add my own customization courtesy of xposed installer. Having said that, each of us has their own preferences so read the features that appeal to you and take that rim for a spin. Some roms though need a fix for bt, wifi and nfc along with a kernel that supports them in order to function especially those based on n9005.

hey_joe said:
I personally use vision x n3 from the tmobile section as it comes stock and just add my own customization courtesy of xposed installer. Having said that, each of us has their own preferences so read the features that appeal to you and take that rim for a spin. Some roms though need a fix for bt, wifi and nfc along with a kernel that supports them in order to function especially those based on n9005.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So the roms that are compatible for our N900W8 are for the n9005?

HulkSmash316 said:
So the roms that are compatible for our N900W8 are for the n9005?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think every rom made for a note 3 snapdragon ( N9005, N900T, N900A, etc..) will work on our N900W8 except as i mentioned, the wifi,bt and nfc which will need a fix. I found that only AT&T and Tmobile roms don't need a fix for wifi,bt and nfc, They work right off the bat. Problem is there's not many 4.4 based rom from them because of their locked bootloader. If you're still looking for a good rom to try, give Knoxraid 3.5 a spin.

HulkSmash316 said:
Hey guys
I now have a rooted Note 3 running Kitkat 4.4.2
Huge thank you to you both of you who helped me this evening.
Now my biggest problem is trying to figure out what rom I want to install.
What would you guys recommend? The only ones I know are Jedi......xnote and wicked.
Basically don't want an bloatware that comes stock with Samsung devices lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check out the Canadian Galaxy Note 3 Users thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2464292
I personally use X-Note 10. But you can use ANY N9005 ROM provided you DON'T INSTALL KERNEL AND BOOT WITH IT. Follow this guide here to run custom ROMs on 4.4.2. Skip to Part Three. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2614772

Problem with OTA update, my S4 cant find latest updates (GT-I9505)

I have problem with OTA updates, my S4 cant find update for Lollipop 5.0.1, i tryed with flashing stock rom in odin, but i received a message; Nand Write FAILED. My current version is 4.4.4. Please help me !!!

Did you try using the original Samsung USB cable? Did you try other USB cables and USB ports? What file is Odin failing to write to the phone?

Trajko03
I think aboot and NAND Write Failed

If I'm not mistaken, only the T-Mobile S4 got Android 4.4.4. Everyone else in the family from what I recall skipped that version and went straight to 5.0.1. Could you please verify your model number by entering download mode?
If the model number is an I9505, install Phone Info from the Play Store, run it, and provide us with your AP, PDA, and CSC.

Stopping at the aboot file leads me to believe that the rom doesn't match the phone or the bootloader in the phone is too new.

Strephon Alkhalikoi said:
If I'm not mistaken, only the T-Mobile S4 got Android 4.4.4. Everyone else in the family from what I recall skipped that version and went straight to 5.0.1. Could you please verify your model number by entering download mode?
If the model number is an I9505, install Phone Info from the Play Store, run it, and provide us with your AP, PDA, and CSC.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In download mode;
ODIN MODE
PRODUCT NAME; SGH-M919N
CURRENT BINARY; Samsung Official
SYSTEM STATUS; Custom
KNOX KERNEL LOCK; 0x0
CSB-CONFIG-LSB; 0x30
WRITE PROTECTION; Enable
eMMC BURTST MODE enabled

audit13 said:
Stopping at the aboot file leads me to believe that the rom doesn't match the phone or the bootloader in the phone is too new.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So, what to do?

Trajko03 said:
So, what to do?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Install a custom ROM. Your device is not an international (GT-I9505) model but a T-Mobile device. The SGH-M919 is the only Galaxy S4 model - other than models offered by Straight Talk - to not be upgraded to Android 5.0.1. Odin fails because the ROMs you're attempting to install are not for your device. There are no OTA updates because the update path stopped at the version of Android you currently have.

Stock sgh-m919n ROMs are here: http://www.sammobile.com/firmwares/database/SGH-M919N/
S4 T-Mobile XDA forum is here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s4-tmobile

Strephon Alkhalikoi said:
Install a custom ROM. Your device is not an international (GT-I9505) model but a T-Mobile device. The SGH-M919 is the only Galaxy S4 model - other than models offered by Straight Talk - to not be upgraded to Android 5.0.1. Odin fails because the ROMs you're attempting to install are not for your device. There are no OTA updates because the update path stopped at the version of Android you currently have.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
...i must root my phone and unlock my bootloader or my phone(T-Mobile) will get lollipop???

Your bootloader isn't locked. However, installing a custom recovery, which is needed to install a custom ROM, will trip Knox. After 3-1/2 years however, tripping Knox is no longer an issue as there is no warranty left on the device.
The custom ROM you install will likely be pre-rooted, so Android Pay and Pokémon Go are out; neither of which is a big deal.