Question about Stock Firmware Flash to restore GPS, then CM11 Flash - Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hi all,
Just a quick question that I hope should be an easy one.
I've been using CM11 on my Samsung GS4 for about 2 years. Love it. Updated to the most recent nightly etc. Pretty okay with flashing and things, but since I flashed CM11 originally I lost my GPS, which at the time was fine. Didn't really care.
Now Pokemon Go has come out I want to sort my GPS out. So I looked a few things up and people say that Stock Firmware Flash fixes it. I've backed up my apps with Titanium and made a backup on my SD card of the current CM11 version I'm running so everything is fine.
My question is; Will flashing the Stock Rom actually fix the GPS? Can I flash the Stock Rom via recovery, or do I need to use Odin and then reroot? Will it retain root? If I get a fix with the Stock Rom, should I just reboot into recovery and flash the nightly I'm on right now, or can I recover my backed up file from recovery?
I hope this all makes sense and this should be a pretty simple yes/no answer.
Thanks in advance

Related

[Q] what is currently the best way to root i9505?

Hi, i am in the uk and had my i9505 for around 2 weeks, just wondering the best way to now root and is there anyway which is the safest / recommended?
also, can rom's still be updated afterwards via ota or kies if i root, i know i would have to root again but would my phone still be supported by kies and look for new fw's after rooting?
thanks
james
Personally, I use the pre-rooted stock roms in the Android Development section:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2250824
Very easy to use, just download and flash via Odin3. There may be easier ways, but for me this is the easiest.
All you need to do then is flash custom recovery and you're done.
Edit: Not sure about Kies, but it's easy enough to flash back to a stock rom and then reset your phone to Official again.
Some custom roms offer OTA updates, but personally, I prefer just staying on a stock rooted and update via Odin as and when needed
Thanks for the reply, if I flash the pre rooted Rom will it wipe my phone or will settings and apps still be the same afterwards?
james_lpool said:
Thanks for the reply, if I flash the pre rooted Rom will it wipe my phone or will settings and apps still be the same afterwards?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you install pre rooted rom, all your apps, settings etc will remain. Odin3 doesn't touch the data partition, so you'll still have everything.
I usually clear cache/data after installing a new rom, so I start from fresh, but it's really upto you really
One thing to be aware of though is that flashing a pre-rooted rom will clear your custom recovery, so you'll have to reflash recovery after installing an updated pre-rooted rom

KK update or JB Rom

Hey guys, been looking through the forum all morning at different ROM's. I considered the KK upgrade, however can't find a working link to a DL, my telco still have not released the KK update.
I have N9005 model, on 4.3 rooted using Chainfire, have CWM. I DL a 4.3 ROM, but can't figure out how to get it on my phone from PC (I sent the zip file over, but it does not show up on CWM), I found a few KK ROMS that interest me, but can't find a working link to a DL of 4.4.2 it for me to flash. I would post in the respective thread, but I cn't post in the developer forums yet.
As I understand to do most roms on here now, I need to flash 4.4.2, Root it, install new version of CWM, then install the rom.
However if I have used CWM to do a nandroid backup, is it possible to flash it back to that, or is any chance of 4.3 gone once I flash 4.4
I know this is very noob, but we all gotta learn some day.
Any help, even a link to 4.4.2 DL would be awesome.
Spudz30 said:
Hey guys, been looking through the forum all morning at different ROM's. I considered the KK upgrade, however can't find a working link to a DL, my telco still have not released the KK update.
I have N9005 model, on 4.3 rooted using Chainfire, have CWM. I DL a 4.3 ROM, but can't figure out how to get it on my phone from PC (I sent the zip file over, but it does not show up on CWM), I found a few KK ROMS that interest me, but can't find a working link to a DL of 4.4.2 it for me to flash. I would post in the respective thread, but I cn't post in the developer forums yet.
As I understand to do most roms on here now, I need to flash 4.4.2, Root it, install new version of CWM, then install the rom.
However if I have used CWM to do a nandroid backup, is it possible to flash it back to that, or is any chance of 4.3 gone once I flash 4.4
I know this is very noob, but we all gotta learn some day.
Any help, even a link to 4.4.2 DL would be awesome.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First thing, if you go to KK you can't come back. Nobody has yet found a way to reset Knox or to revert the bootloader from KK. Go to it and you're stuck with it. May not matter depending on how you use your phone but there's a thread on here where the poster actually got his phone replaced because KK update meant he could no longer use it as he wanted and as he had it set up under 4.3.
(see http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2709623 )
You've already tripped Knox using Chainfire's autoroot so you're free to do pretty much whatever you wish. I have stayed with 4.3, using Alliance ROM, Philz recovery and Lean kernel because the phone is awesome using them and KK seems to be generating lots of problems even now and doesn't appear to offer anything really worth having to make up for the troubles... IMO.
If you can't see the zip in CWM the most likely reason is you're looking at the wrong 'card' - in Philz recovery for example, the external SD card is SDCard1, not SDCard. At a guess you have copied the zip to the external card and CWM is looking on the internal memory.Not sure what the options are for plain CWM but look for another card option or move the zip from where you have it. Given the best flash is to wipe everything on the internal memory, the external card is the best location - it won't be wiped.
Another way to do it is to use Odin - extract the zip till you get the MD5 file and flash that via Odin to the phone - you need to put the phone in Download mode to do it. (hold Menu + Vol Down + Power to get to DL mode) There are threads on here with instructions on how to use Odin.
Journyman16 said:
First thing, if you go to KK you can't come back. Nobody has yet found a way to reset Knox or to revert the bootloader from KK. Go to it and you're stuck with it. May not matter depending on how you use your phone but there's a thread on here where the poster actually got his phone replaced because KK update meant he could no longer use it as he wanted and as he had it set up under 4.3.
(see http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2709623 )
You've already tripped Knox using Chainfire's autoroot so you're free to do pretty much whatever you wish. I have stayed with 4.3, using Alliance ROM, Philz recovery and Lean kernel because the phone is awesome using them and KK seems to be generating lots of problems even now and doesn't appear to offer anything really worth having to make up for the troubles... IMO.
If you can't see the zip in CWM the most likely reason is you're looking at the wrong 'card' - in Philz recovery for example, the external SD card is SDCard1, not SDCard. At a guess you have copied the zip to the external card and CWM is looking on the internal memory.Not sure what the options are for plain CWM but look for another card option or move the zip from where you have it. Given the best flash is to wipe everything on the internal memory, the external card is the best location - it won't be wiped.
Another way to do it is to use Odin - extract the zip till you get the MD5 file and flash that via Odin to the phone - you need to put the phone in Download mode to do it. (hold Menu + Vol Down + Power to get to DL mode) There are threads on here with instructions on how to use Odin.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will stick with JB for now as I like my setup anyway. I know how odin works and CWM was definitely looking at my External SD as my backup was on it. This is the ROM I was trying http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2541304 I DL, extracted to a folder on my PC, put onto my micro SD, but alas, nothing to choose from to flash.
Found the Alliance one for N9005, looks real nice, so will give it a shot.
Deleted
Urghhhh why is it after hours of trawling and googling I can't find my answer. I did the alliance ROM (and now know how my first rom stuffed up) how do I get rid of the icon in the top left which shows download rate? Can't find the option anywhere on phone
Edited: Found it myself.
Final bit of noob from me for now. I tried to restore my CWM backup after installing Alliance, alliance overwrote CWM with TWRP, I did a factory reset, but could not restore from backup. It noted my CWM backup, but I could not restore it. Anything I did wrong here?
Edited: Once again from learning I fixed my own issue. Reflashed CWM, restored from todays backup, phone has gone from factory reset to how it was earlier today. Love the nandroid backup.

[Q] Deleted Stock Recovery?

Hello, so even though I'm fairly new to the world of custom ROM's I feel as though this website has provided me with more than sufficient information for me to keep on flashing. I've flashed a few ROM's in the past but I'm currently stuck as for what I should do next. I currently have an S4 ATT MF3 which I would like to upgrade to MK2 so that I can put a 4.4.2. ROM via Safestrap using the Deadly Venom method.
Based on the guide (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2573080) I need to boot into the stock recovery and flash stock MF3 then MK2 which I can then root and safestrap. When I added my first ROM on this device I replaced the stock ROM (I have a hatred for TouchWiz) and replaced with a GPE ROM.
My phone can no longer boot into the stock Samsung recovery, it merely just bootloops instead, but I can still flash via Safestrap. So what should I do? Can I get the stock recovery back? Would I have any issues if I flash the MK2 update via Safestrap instead of the stock recovery? Will flashing the MF3 stock tar via Odin be all that I need to do? Any advice would be appreciated!
DarthVayda said:
Hello, so even though I'm fairly new to the world of custom ROM's I feel as though this website has provided me with more than sufficient information for me to keep on flashing. I've flashed a few ROM's in the past but I'm currently stuck as for what I should do next. I currently have an S4 ATT MF3 which I would like to upgrade to MK2 so that I can put a 4.4.2. ROM via Safestrap using the Deadly Venom method.
Based on the guide (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2573080) I need to boot into the stock recovery and flash stock MF3 then MK2 which I can then root and safestrap. When I added my first ROM on this device I replaced the stock ROM (I have a hatred for TouchWiz) and replaced with a GPE ROM.
My phone can no longer boot into the stock Samsung recovery, it merely just bootloops instead, but I can still flash via Safestrap. So what should I do? Can I get the stock recovery back? Would I have any issues if I flash the MK2 update via Safestrap instead of the stock recovery? Will flashing the MF3 stock tar via Odin be all that I need to do? Any advice would be appreciated!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you don't mind losing your user data (back up anything you want from internal storage) just flash the MK2 full ODIN. Otherwise, there is a thread somewhere with just the MF3 recovery image and if you have root you could use an app to manually flash that (don't remember the app).
DeadlySin9 said:
If you don't mind losing your user data (back up anything you want from internal storage) just flash the MK2 full ODIN. Otherwise, there is a thread somewhere with just the MF3 recovery image and if you have root you could use an app to manually flash that (don't remember the app).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The app is flashify
Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Free mobile app
Possible to restore stock recovery?
So after (stupidly) assuming that I knew what I was doing since I have been rooting/flashing/breaking/fixing my S3 for two years now that I would be able to easily install CM11 on my dad's S4 since he is always complaining about AT&T bloatware. He is running the absolute latest update from AT&T and never rooted or anything. I was able to successfully root it using the extSdCard method, but then made the mistake of trying to flash TWRP.
After a couple of failures, I went onto these forums to see that it is well documented that custom recoveries do not work with the latest firmware. Noted, and I will keep an eye out for updates to this issue.
My questions:
Since the goal was only to install Cyanogenmod 11, I would have just run the CM Windows Installer if I wasn't trying to create a full stock backup first (hence why I tried rooting and installing TWRP first). Since that is no longer an option, has anyone attempted to use the CM Windows Installer on the MF3 build? I assume that if a custom recovery cannot be installed that this method will not work, but was just wondering if anyone has had success.
The more important questions...
Since the stock recovery is now gone, will this create an issue if a new OTA update is released and he attempts to install? I am wondering if the OTA updates rely on the existing recovery to complete the update or if the OTA will rebuild it before installing the update?
Lastly, are there reliable methods for restoring the stock recovery?
Thanks everyone!
pravus87 said:
So after (stupidly) assuming that I knew what I was doing since I have been rooting/flashing/breaking/fixing my S3 for two years now that I would be able to easily install CM11 on my dad's S4 since he is always complaining about AT&T bloatware. He is running the absolute latest update from AT&T and never rooted or anything. I was able to successfully root it using the extSdCard method, but then made the mistake of trying to flash TWRP.
After a couple of failures, I went onto these forums to see that it is well documented that custom recoveries do not work with the latest firmware. Noted, and I will keep an eye out for updates to this issue.
My questions:
Since the goal was only to install Cyanogenmod 11, I would have just run the CM Windows Installer if I wasn't trying to create a full stock backup first (hence why I tried rooting and installing TWRP first). Since that is no longer an option, has anyone attempted to use the CM Windows Installer on the MF3 build? I assume that if a custom recovery cannot be installed that this method will not work, but was just wondering if anyone has had success.
The more important questions...
Since the stock recovery is now gone, will this create an issue if a new OTA update is released and he attempts to install? I am wondering if the OTA updates rely on the existing recovery to complete the update or if the OTA will rebuild it before installing the update?
Lastly, are there reliable methods for restoring the stock recovery?
Thanks everyone!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would flash in Odin the stock mf3 tar file, but out will wipe the device. All his apps and data. If you can find the mf3 recovery image file you could try to flash that in flashify, if you're rooted
Edit, found this. I didn't download the file but I'm guessing it's a .img file. You could flash that in flashify or use the dd command
Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Free mobile app
pravus87 said:
So after (stupidly) assuming that I knew what I was doing since I have been rooting/flashing/breaking/fixing my S3 for two years now that I would be able to easily install CM11 on my dad's S4 since he is always complaining about AT&T bloatware. He is running the absolute latest update from AT&T and never rooted or anything. I was able to successfully root it using the extSdCard method, but then made the mistake of trying to flash TWRP.
After a couple of failures, I went onto these forums to see that it is well documented that custom recoveries do not work with the latest firmware. Noted, and I will keep an eye out for updates to this issue.
My questions:
Since the goal was only to install Cyanogenmod 11, I would have just run the CM Windows Installer if I wasn't trying to create a full stock backup first (hence why I tried rooting and installing TWRP first). Since that is no longer an option, has anyone attempted to use the CM Windows Installer on the MF3 build? I assume that if a custom recovery cannot be installed that this method will not work, but was just wondering if anyone has had success.
The more important questions...
Since the stock recovery is now gone, will this create an issue if a new OTA update is released and he attempts to install? I am wondering if the OTA updates rely on the existing recovery to complete the update or if the OTA will rebuild it before installing the update?
Lastly, are there reliable methods for restoring the stock recovery?
Thanks everyone!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In addition to the above post from jd, the CM installer will not work on our device as our bootloader is locked. There is no way to run any AOSP based ROM once your phone is on MF3 firmware or higher.
DarthVayda said:
Hello, so even though I'm fairly new to the world of custom ROM's I feel as though this website has provided me with more than sufficient information for me to keep on flashing. I've flashed a few ROM's in the past but I'm currently stuck as for what I should do next. I currently have an S4 ATT MF3 which I would like to upgrade to MK2 so that I can put a 4.4.2. ROM via Safestrap using the Deadly Venom method.
Based on the guide (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2573080) I need to boot into the stock recovery and flash stock MF3 then MK2 which I can then root and safestrap. When I added my first ROM on this device I replaced the stock ROM (I have a hatred for TouchWiz) and replaced with a GPE ROM.
My phone can no longer boot into the stock Samsung recovery, it merely just bootloops instead, but I can still flash via Safestrap. So what should I do? Can I get the stock recovery back? Would I have any issues if I flash the MK2 update via Safestrap instead of the stock recovery? Will flashing the MF3 stock tar via Odin be all that I need to do? Any advice would be appreciated!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
pravus87 said:
So after (stupidly) assuming that I knew what I was doing since I have been rooting/flashing/breaking/fixing my S3 for two years now that I would be able to easily install CM11 on my dad's S4 since he is always complaining about AT&T bloatware. He is running the absolute latest update from AT&T and never rooted or anything. I was able to successfully root it using the extSdCard method, but then made the mistake of trying to flash TWRP.
After a couple of failures, I went onto these forums to see that it is well documented that custom recoveries do not work with the latest firmware. Noted, and I will keep an eye out for updates to this issue.
My questions:
Since the goal was only to install Cyanogenmod 11, I would have just run the CM Windows Installer if I wasn't trying to create a full stock backup first (hence why I tried rooting and installing TWRP first). Since that is no longer an option, has anyone attempted to use the CM Windows Installer on the MF3 build? I assume that if a custom recovery cannot be installed that this method will not work, but was just wondering if anyone has had success.
The more important questions...
Since the stock recovery is now gone, will this create an issue if a new OTA update is released and he attempts to install? I am wondering if the OTA updates rely on the existing recovery to complete the update or if the OTA will rebuild it before installing the update?
Lastly, are there reliable methods for restoring the stock recovery?
Thanks everyone!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here is the MF3 stock recovery, flash in PDA slot in Odin(AP in Odin v3.09+): https://mega.co.nz/#!klcz1B4J!BVAno0CcaJ7aXc9tHgUtpQ0vy_NF5ceh7RogLR6JBTU
muniz_ri said:
Here is the MF3 stock recovery, flash in PDA slot in Odin(AP in Odin v3.09+): https://mega.co.nz/#!klcz1B4J!BVAno0CcaJ7aXc9tHgUtpQ0vy_NF5ceh7RogLR6JBTU
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks to everyone for all the information, and thank you especially for sharing the link. I am staying with my parents short-term in a very rural area with awful internet and I was dreading downloading the 2+GB stock firmware file just to get recovery back. This is perfect. Thanks again!

[Q] Noob loses root on Safestraped 4.4.2 custom ROM. Now what?

Oh boy, I really screwed this one up...
I purchased a used Note 3 from eBay, hoping to be able to root it after it arrived. Much to my surprise, it arrived rooted with Safestrap, Hyperdrive ROM in Stock slot, and a different Hyperdrive ROM in Slot1. I was also impressed that KNOX had not been tripped. (It said Custom, but the KNOX flag showed 0x00)
Sweet looking phone in hand, I was thrilled! I wasn't going to have to cut my teeth on rooting the device myself prior to having an opportunity to explore a rooted Android and a custom ROM. The very first thing I did was to use Safestrap to backup both the Stock slot and Slot1. After the backups, I booted the stock slot first, to see how a factory Note 3 should look. Surprise again, the stock slot booted a Hyperdrive ROM. I was a bit nervous that I didn't have a truly stock ROM, but wasn't too worried about it because I had no plans to resell or seek repairs under warranty.
I then spent a couple of days tinkering with the device. Unfortunately, half asleep during the wee hours of the morning, I was tinkering around with SuperSU -- setting grant/deny/prompt flags for different apps. Somewhere in the midst of that, SuperSU informed me that I had lost root. I checked with RootChecker, and sure enough NO Root.
Things got worse from there, as I'm sure you can imagine. RootChecker had a button to relaunch SuperSU, so I tapped it. This time, SuperSU wanted to re-install itself. Being the ignorant noob that I am, I told SuperSU to proceed, and crossed my fingers. After a few seconds of thrashing around, SuperSU wanted to reboot, so I said okay...
Now the device attempts to go into recovery, reboots itself, attempts recovery, reboots, again, and again... boot loop... and no way to charge the battery... I believe I am around 55% to 60% charged at the moment.
So I read great things about Odin and downloaded a copy -- not yet sure exactly what I was going to do with it. I have been trying to wrap my head around this for a couple of days now, but I have several questions that I hope somebody can shed some light on.
Does the rooting take place in the boot image, or in the ROM image? I am assuming it has to be in the boot image, but then I've heard you can have rooted and unrooted ROMs in different slots.
If I use Odin to flash fresh firmware, will this firmware will have a functional recovery tool bundled with it?
Since the phone is no longer rooted, the recovery will not be able to re-flash a ROM onto the device?
If an Odin installed recovery can't re-flash a ROM due to being unrooted, am I faced with JTAG options only?
If I were to use Odin to flash this firmware: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2726558 , could I perhaps get SafeStrap back and be able to restore the backups I made? The links on that page appear to be to the same (or very similar) firmware that was running prior to this disaster. NC2, Safestrap, etc.
If I can't use Odin to flash the firmware linked in the previous paragraph, and get Safestrap to restore my backups, can I use the firmware, ROMs, and PIT file linked here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2576104 to restore the phone to factory conditions and re-root from there?
Finally, is there any way for me to avoid tripping KNOX at this point? I'm not really sure I care if it gets tripped, but if I can avoid it then I probably should. Am I likely to need KNOX container support on a private device in the near future? Is there any other reason to be spooked about losing KNOX? I really don't care much about the warranty.
Any help with this mess will be **greatly** appreciated!
lintex said:
If I were to use Odin to flash this firmware: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2726558 , could I perhaps get SafeStrap back and be able to restore the backups I made? The links on that page appear to be to the same (or very similar) firmware that was running prior to this disaster. NC2, Safestrap, etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, if anybody comes across this thread looking for answers -- I did successfully use Odin to get this firmware back onto the device. Upon booting, I had Safestrap, was able to boot Slot1, and had root. When I boot from the Stock slot, still no root.
I have not yet attempted to restore the Stock slot backup, because I first want to see if I can boot Slot1 (to get root), and then find/mount the Stock slot image and see if I can find a way to re-root it manually.
lintex said:
Ok, if anybody comes across this thread looking for answers -- I did successfully use Odin to get this firmware back onto the device. Upon booting, I had Safestrap, was able to boot Slot1, and had root. When I boot from the Stock slot, still no root.
I have not yet attempted to restore the Stock slot backup, because I first want to see if I can boot Slot1 (to get root), and then find/mount the Stock slot image and see if I can find a way to re-root it manually.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Using any other slot other then stock is going to be problematic. So use the stock slot. You are using the nc2 firmware if you have the reboot to recovery bootloop issue. You can flash the nc4 patched firmware in beans firmware thread if you want. Reboot to recovery is not the same as reboot to safestrap. Download a fresh rom. Wipe everything but external sd under the advanced wipe button in safestrap. Flash your new rom making sure stock slot is the active slot. Setup phone like normal. Make a backup with your now freshly setup rom. Rinse and repeat for new roms. Label your backups if you want to rom jump. Always use stock slot. Odin the nc2 kernel if you have a blackscreen on first boot of a new rom.
RomsWell said:
Using any other slot other then stock is going to be problematic.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In my case, Slot1 is simply a rooted ROM that I can use when the Stock slot gets messed up. I have no desire or intent to tinker with Slot1. I consider it as an emergency tool only. It does seem to have an issue though. It never seems to want to power all the way down for some reason.
RomsWell said:
So use the stock slot. You are using the nc2 firmware if you have the reboot to recovery bootloop issue. You can flash the nc4 patched firmware in beans firmware thread if you want. Reboot to recovery is not the same as reboot to safestrap.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am using the NC2 firmware, but I no longer have the bootloop problem. After using Odin to re-install the NC2 firmware from BeansTown, the device was once again able to boot to Safestrap. From there, I was able to select and boot either of the existing slots. Slot1 still boots to root, Stock slot is still unrooted. I should be able to use Safestrap to restore my Stock slot backup and regain root on Slot1, right?
The only reason I have not yet attempted to restore the Stock slot backup is because I hope to boot my rooted Slot1 ROM, mount the Stock ROM image, and fix the Stock ROM image. If not, then I will try to restore the Stock slot backup.
RomsWell said:
Download a fresh rom. Wipe everything but external sd under the advanced wipe button in safestrap. Flash your new rom making sure stock slot is the active slot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I definitely plan to flash a new ROM, soon. I want a fresh clean ROM for personal use, and I also need to find a ROM that supports HDMI -- because I want to get Debian to display on a larger screen. My ultimate goal is to create my own ROMs. I have a bit of experience with kernel tweaking/building, and created a bootable Linux-based DVD image by hand. I believe I will someday be able to tweak phone ROMs as well, but I'm still fuzzy about much of the Android system. Stuff like locks and KNOX seem like quite a mine field and make me very nervous. A blank DVD coaster is one thing, an expensive smartphone is scary.
lintex said:
In my case, Slot1 is simply a rooted ROM that I can use when the Stock slot gets messed up. I have no desire or intent to tinker with Slot1. I consider it as an emergency tool only. It does seem to have an issue though. It never seems to want to power all the way down for some reason.
I am using the NC2 firmware, but I no longer have the bootloop problem. After using Odin to re-install the NC2 firmware from BeansTown, the device was once again able to boot to Safestrap. From there, I was able to select and boot either of the existing slots. Slot1 still boots to root, Stock slot is still unrooted. I should be able to use Safestrap to restore my Stock slot backup and regain root on Slot1, right?
The only reason I have not yet attempted to restore the Stock slot backup is because I hope to boot my rooted Slot1 ROM, mount the Stock ROM image, and fix the Stock ROM image. If not, then I will try to restore the Stock slot backup.
I definitely plan to flash a new ROM, soon. I want a fresh clean ROM for personal use, and I also need to find a ROM that supports HDMI -- because I want to get Debian to display on a larger screen. My ultimate goal is to create my own ROMs. I have a bit of experience with kernel tweaking/building, and created a bootable Linux-based DVD image by hand. I believe I will someday be able to tweak phone ROMs as well, but I'm still fuzzy about much of the Android system. Stuff like locks and KNOX seem like quite a mine field and make me very nervous. A blank DVD coaster is one thing, an expensive smartphone is scary.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As long as you stick to the known exploits like safestrap and towelroot then theres no worrys about knoxs. And no real way to perma brick the device. Make sure you stick to offical firmware when using odin and abuse your device like you would any other.

[Q] Help - ATT S4 unbootable - I337UCUFNJ4

So, I'm a noob when it comes to flashing custom ROMs. I've had my S4 rooted for a while and have had no issues. Decided recently to try a custom ROM.
I tried installing UltimaROM (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2537495) and everything seemed to work fine during install, but once the final reboot happened I am stuck in a Download Mode loop. Reading more, I am now not so sure this ROM will work on my phone (duh.) I am assuming that I am going to have to use Odin to flash a stock ROM back to my phone.. is this true? And, if so, how can I tell which ROM to install? I looked at the SamMobile site and there are two f/w downloads that appear to apply to my phone, but they are labeled I337UCUAMDL and I337UCUAMDB. Neither one of these seem to match what I was at, so I'm not sure if I should use either.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
P.S. I did use Safestrap/TWRP to take a full backup of my phone before trying to install the ROM. Is there any way to flash just a new recovery and do a restore, instead of flashing a full stock ROM back?
You're right that the rom won't work with safestrap. You'll have to Odin the nb1 tar file. Look in the general forum for it
Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Free mobile app
Thanks. I'm trying that now.

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