Database Users

I337UCUGOC3 bootloader locked, want to update to I337UCUGOK2 to unlock bootloader

I hit on UPDATE on the phone for an OTA update but it only says UNABLE TO CONNECT AT&T SERVER. When I bought it, it had 5.0.1 (I337UCUGOC3) out of the box. Searching on internet says that is bootloader locked (so I cant do anything).
- Can I Update to I337UCUGOK2 and bootloader will be unlocked (I mean, will I be able to do it)?
- Does anyone know where can I grab I337UCUGOK2 for offline install and is it ODIN safe to update it (remember I have I337UCUGOC3 bootloader locked)?
please help

Once the bootloader is locked, it will always be locked until someone finds a way to unlock it. Updating the bootloader will not allow it to be unlocked.

cybercuate said:
I hit on UPDATE on the phone for an OTA update but it only says UNABLE TO CONNECT AT&T SERVER. When I bought it, it had 5.0.1 (I337UCUGOC3) out of the box. Searching on internet says that is bootloader locked (so I cant do anything).
- Can I Update to I337UCUGOK2 and bootloader will be unlocked (I mean, will I be able to do it)?
- Does anyone know where can I grab I337UCUGOK2 for offline install and is it ODIN safe to update it (remember I have I337UCUGOC3 bootloader locked)?
please help
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unlocking/exploiting the bootloader for the AT&T is still in process, I think.
Bootloader locked means you can not install custom recovery like TWRP, CWM or custom kernel. You can still root, you can still use odin and you can still install custom rom using either safestrp or flashfire.
Here is the thread explaining how to upgrade stock or rooted stock roms.
The explanation starts from installation of NB1 firmware so that you can easily root the phone by using twolroot.
If you do not care for the root you can start reading from the step 2 "Flash update in stock recovery"
Since you are on OC3, you need OC3 to OC4 and OC4 to OK2 files to get OK2.

help... I want to RMA it
sway8966 said:
Unlocking/exploiting the bootloader for the AT&T is still in process, I think.
Bootloader locked means you can not install custom recovery like TWRP, CWM or custom kernel. You can still root, you can still use odin and you can still install custom rom using either safestrp or flashfire.
Here is the thread explaining how to upgrade stock or rooted stock roms.
The explanation starts from installation of NB1 firmware so that you can easily root the phone by using twolroot.
If you do not care for the root you can start reading from the step 2 "Flash update in stock recovery"
Since you are on OC3, you need OC3 to OC4 and OC4 to OK2 files to get OK2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Everywhere says I need a kitkat rom as base.
My s4 came with 5.0.1 with OC3 and bootloader locked out of the box. I tried some post where says I can flash TWRP and CWM but my phone stucked on bootloops. Then I managed to get back to stock rom and now when I want to turn it on it says " SAMSUNG (and lower on the screen) Custom"
Camera began to fail and I want to return it as RMA but I was looking to reset the flash counter but every post I read is that OC3 bootloader locked users are just doomed.
Do you know a method that I can do for reset that counter?
Camera dont focus anymore and I tried all the posts about safemode, etc.

cybercuate said:
Everywhere says I need a kitkat rom as base.
My s4 came with 5.0.1 with OC3 and bootloader locked out of the box. I tried some post where says I can flash TWRP and CWM but my phone stucked on bootloops. Then I managed to get back to stock rom and now when I want to turn it on it says " SAMSUNG (and lower on the screen) Custom"
Camera began to fail and I want to return it as RMA but I was looking to reset the flash counter but every post I read is that OC3 bootloader locked users are just doomed.
Do you know a method that I can do for reset that counter?
Camera dont focus anymore and I tried all the posts about safemode, etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Flashing TWRP and CWM is for the AT&T S4 with older bootloader (MDL, MDB). After that two firmware versions the bootloader is locked.
For AT&T S4 the last full firmware released is NB1. After that they released incremental updates via OTA. That is why you need kitkat (NB1) as base.
For NB1, Muniz uploaded two firmwares. One is the stock and the other is rootable stock. Try the stock one and see you still have the custom symbol.
To reset the counter, there is an app calls Triangle away by Chainfire. However, it does not work on AT&T S4 with locked bootloader.

Trying Odin-Stock NB1
sway8966 said:
Unlocking/exploiting the bootloader for the AT&T is still in process, I think.
Bootloader locked means you can not install custom recovery like TWRP, CWM or custom kernel. You can still root, you can still use odin and you can still install custom rom using either safestrp or flashfire.
Here is the thread explaining how to upgrade stock or rooted stock roms.
The explanation starts from installation of NB1 firmware so that you can easily root the phone by using twolroot.
If you do not care for the root you can start reading from the step 2 "Flash update in stock recovery"
Since you are on OC3, you need OC3 to OC4 and OC4 to OK2 files to get OK2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sway8966 said:
Flashing TWRP and CWM is for the AT&T S4 with older bootloader (MDL, MDB). After that two firmware versions the bootloader is locked.
For AT&T S4 the last full firmware released is NB1. After that they released incremental updates via OTA. That is why you need kitkat (NB1) as base.
For NB1, Muniz uploaded two firmwares. One is the stock and the other is rootable stock. Try the stock one and see you still have the custom symbol.
To reset the counter, there is an app calls Triangle away by Chainfire. However, it does not work on AT&T S4 with locked bootloader.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. I'll try Odin it with the stock rom from your link. I'll post news here when it finish flashing

1st part - Success
I'm on 4.4.2 NB1, flash counter back to normal but still bootloader locked
Now I have to go back to OC3 to RMA it.
OTA does nothing, smartswitch shows no updates neither kies.
I'll have to Odin it back to OC3
Can I have some help?

And Success. I'm back on stock OC3 no root.
time to RMA
- camera still doesn't focus
- boot screen is back to normal but when in odin mode the counter shows 0x1
- sometimes shows "sim card could not be detected" or similar messages and force me to restart the phone (just happend 2 times until now, never happend before)
I followed this thread
http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s4-att/general/guide-odin-to-stock-updating-rooting-t2926642
Post 2
Thanks to sway8966

Recovery for N900V 5.0 OF1 Build?

Hello all...I have to first say that I HAVE been reading A LOT before I posted this question but I am somewhat confused. I have an SM-N900V with the following details :
- Rooted with Arabic Tool
- Android 5.0
- Build OF1
- Bootloader unlocked based on instructions at http://forum.xda-developers.com/ver...l/official-note-3-verizon-bootloader-t3359370
I also have a SM-N900T for which I have been using CWM based recovery for many years and I am very happy with it. But I am not forced to change to the N900V and I have it rooted already but I am having a hard time finding the right recovery for it. I tried a philz CWM based recovery and it ended u getting the unit into a recovery bootloop so I have to flash the stock firmware from scratch and start again.
Can someone save me a few hours, and potentially more reflashes, and tell me which is the right recvery for this unit and how to install it? I am partial to CWM but I have read that it does not work. As long as I can take backups and restore them I am happy with TWRP. I have also read that SafeStrap is the only option. So again, I just need a straight answer so I can get this done.
Your feedback will be much appreciated!
thanks!

Did you mean "now forced" instead of "not forced" in the 2nd paragraph? The use later on of antecedent references such as "it" and "this phone" make it slightly confusing which phone you are talking about.
calderonr said:
I tried a philz CWM based recovery and it ended u getting the unit into a recovery bootloop so I have to flash the stock firmware from scratch and start again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you have unlocked the SM-N900V's bootloader, then a bootloop can be remedied by flashing with Odin only the partitions you need fixed, not the entire firmware set. This relieves you from having to re-customize a stock ROM and/or re-root. Moreover and more importantly having an unlocked bootloader means that your phone will no longer require blobs to be Sammy-signed: you can flash custom recoveries with Odin if you please. (You just need to learn how to create the *.tar.md5 files for Odin and you are in business - search for "Odin ustar md5")
So had you know that, you could have just prepared Odin flash tarballs for different recoveries and tried them out according to whim (It is also possible to flash a recovery from the rooted ROM as well, but you need to know how to escape from a perpetual failed recovery boot loop, I.e. : battery pull -> restart with VolDown+Home+Power -> Cancel)
I haven't ever put CWM on my SM-N900V, but can tell you that either the " hlte" or "hltevzw" variants of twrp should work just fine; as you are on OF1 firmware, the -4.4 versions should be used, e.g. twrp-3.0.2-0-hlte-4.4.img or twrp-3.0.2-0-hltevzw-4.4.img
PS Safestrap was the method of choice prior to bootloader unlock methods, and I believe does not work with OB6 or OF1 (possibly also NK1?).
.

calderonr said:
Hello all...I have to first say that I HAVE been reading A LOT before I posted this question but I am somewhat confused. I have an SM-N900V with the following details :
- Rooted with Arabic Tool
- Android 5.0
- Build OF1
- Bootloader unlocked based on instructions at http://forum.xda-developers.com/ver...l/official-note-3-verizon-bootloader-t3359370
I also have a SM-N900T for which I have been using CWM based recovery for many years and I am very happy with it. But I am not forced to change to the N900V and I have it rooted already but I am having a hard time finding the right recovery for it. I tried a philz CWM based recovery and it ended u getting the unit into a recovery bootloop so I have to flash the stock firmware from scratch and start again.
Can someone save me a few hours, and potentially more reflashes, and tell me which is the right recvery for this unit and how to install it? I am partial to CWM but I have read that it does not work. As long as I can take backups and restore them I am happy with TWRP. I have also read that SafeStrap is the only option. So again, I just need a straight answer so I can get this done.
Your feedback will be much appreciated!
thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As long as you are rooted and have the bootloader unlocked... Use Flashify to load TWRP which is an excellent recovery and does what you wish.
See this message:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=66380697
Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

Something really strange with my Galaxy S4

Lately, I wanted to root my GS4 (it surely wasn't an AT&T one, bought it in Russia, there is no AT&T). So, motochopper fails, CF-Auto-Root fails, everything fails! I am stuck at 4.4.2 and there is no OTA upgrade. Download mode says "MODEL NUMBER: SGH-I337", but in the "About phone" menu it is clearly stated that model number is "GT-I9500" and build number is "KOT49H.I9500XXUFNB7". Even the baseband version starts with "I9500". All the hacks I am seeing on the Internet (such as Loki) for unlocking bootloader fail, saying that my phone model is not supported. Heimdall and Odin fail to flash anything and the red text appears in the download mode: "SECURE MAGICODE CHECK FAIL". What my model is and what do I DO? I want to root it and install some decent recovery and CWM ROM.
Please, ask any questions you like and help me)

The model number in download mode is the right one. Once the bootloader on the i337 is locked, it cannot be unlocked.
A locked bootloader means cwm and twrp cannot be installed.

audit13 said:
The model number in download mode is the right one. Once the bootloader on the i337 is locked, it cannot be unlocked.
A locked bootloader means cwm and twrp cannot be installed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why can't it be unlocked? I've seen so many guides and tools to do it. The problem is that they don't work and I don't even know my true build version to figure smth out. Why doesn't it even root like normal I337 should do? Also it doensn't upgrade to lollipop like normal I337 should.

The bootloader is locked on the i337, just like it is on other at&t phones, with no way to unlock it. An s4 bounty on XDA for finding an unlock method remains unclaimed: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2257620
The phone is an i337 and can only run stock i337 roms or customs based off a stock rom.
Safe strap is the only custom recovery available for a locked bootloader.

audit13 said:
The bootloader is locked on the i337, just like it is on other at&t phones, with no way to unlock it. An s4 bounty on XDA for finding an unlock method remains unclaimed: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2257620
The phone is an i337 and can only run stock i337 roms or customs based off a stock rom.
Safe strap is the only custom recovery available for a locked bootloader.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So, ok. We managed to confirm it is a SGH-I337. But what about Loki tool? It can install CWM recovery, but does not work on my device? Also, I ask one more time, how can I know what the real build number is? And how to root? All SGH-I337 should root with motochopper but mine doesn't. What can I do about this?

Cwm and twrp cannot work on the phone. I have never seen a post where someone has ever had it work with a locked bootloader.
I'm not sure but motochopper may not work with every bootloader and every rom. Reading through this forum, I don't think I remember seeing motochopper mentioned.
You'll have to confirm the bootloader and rom in the phone and search through the various rooting threads. I don't have access to the i337, only the i337m as I am in Canada.

Soft Brick Help? (NC2 or NC4)

Recently decided to try the Bootloader unlock.
Thought everything had gone well, it seemed OK.
Flashed TWRP, and now it won't boot.
I'm stuck at the phone telling me to take it to a Verizon store to fix it.
That being said, I can get into download mode and I get the following :
ODEN MODE
PRODUCT NAME : SM-N900V
CURRENT BINARY: SAMSUNG OFFICIAL
SYSTEM STATUS: Custom
KNOX KERNEL LOCK: 0X0
KNOW WARRANTY VOID: 0X1
QUALCOMM SECUREBOOT: ENABLE (CSB)
AP SMREV: S1, T1, R1, A2, P1
WRITE PROTECTION: Enable
UDC START
SYS REV CHECK FAIL : No Version
SECURE MAGICCODE CHECK FAIL : recovery
From all that, it seems that my recovery is not any good (probably from flashing twrp, duh).
I haven't been able to find a NC2 or NC4 flashable recovery anywhere.
Help?
Or am I barking up the wrong tree and do I need something else?

darkhawkff said:
Recently decided to try the Bootloader unlock.
Thought everything had gone well, it seemed OK.
Flashed TWRP, and now it won't boot.
I'm stuck at the phone telling me to take it to a Verizon store to fix it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That "Verizon" message means that you did NOT unlock the bootloader succesfully.
You would normally see [size=+1]MODE: Developer[/size] in the Odin/Download mode screen if you had successfully unlocked.
As a matter of fact, that condition should always be checked for before trying to flash any recovery.
darkhawkff said:
AP SMREV: S1, T1, R1, A2, P1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
[size=+1]Whoa! HOLD THE PHONE![/size] (Somebody with an older bootloader - MJE or NC2 at the latest)
If you reflash with Odin, USE EITHER MJE or NC4 at most - nothing later than that!
darkhawkff said:
SYS REV CHECK FAIL : No Version
SECURE MAGICCODE CHECK FAIL : recovery
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've never seen those messages before, but it's probably because you flashed something either into the boot partition or the recovery partition and your bootloader is not yet unlocked.
darkhawkff said:
From all that, it seems that my recovery is not any good (probably from flashing twrp, duh).
I haven't been able to find a NC2 or NC4 flashable recovery anywhere.
Help?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will help you out. Please stand by. DO NOT FLASH NJ6 NK1 OB6 or OF1.
darkhawkff said:
Or am I barking up the wrong tree and do I need something else?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Stand by for more. posting now (quickly) so you don't do something rash.

bftb0 said:
That "Verizon" message means that you did NOT unlock the bootloader succesfully.
You would normally see [size=+1]MODE: Developer[/size] in the Odin/Download mode screen if you had successfully unlocked.
As a matter of fact, that condition should always be checked for before trying to flash any recovery.
[size=+1]Whoa! HOLD THE PHONE![/size] (Somebody with an older bootloader - MJE or NC2 at the latest)
If you reflash with Odin, USE EITHER MJE or NC4 at most - nothing later than that!
I've never seen those messages before, but it's probably because you flashed something either into the boot partition or the recovery partition and your bootloader is not yet unlocked.
I will help you out. Please stand by. DO NOT FLASH NJ6 NK1 OB6 or OF1.
Stand by for more. posting now (quickly) so you don't do something rash.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the insight. No worries, I was downloading NC4 ATM, but I would prefer NC2 I think, for now. I got no problems waiting...it isn't my 'main' phone anymore. I got a note 5, but I prefer my note 3 for most usage. It's just....nicer....
I appreciate the help greatly though! Finding older files (like NC2) is damn near impossible. If I was at home, it's probably sitting on my file server somewhere, but I don't have access at the moment. Still at work.
I will also note, I did verify prior to trying to bootloader, to ensure the CID started with 0x15, and it does. Checked like 5 times, just to be sure.
And I figured it would.....since I bought this the day it was released. Anyway.....
Thanks!

OK. First things first. Let's examine the state your phone is currently in before you flash anything.
My educated guesses are that (a) your bootloader is NOT unlocked, and possibly (b) the phone is "stuck" always trying to boot into the recovery - which gives you the Verizon screen, or (c) something worse - for example if you flashed the custom recovery into the wrong partition.
The not-unlocked condition means that whatever is trying to be booted (either the recovery partition or the boot partition) has something non-Samsung in it. Either one would give you the Verizon message about unauthorized software.
When the phone boots from a cold startup, it looks at something in NVRAM called the "BCB" - the Boot Communication Block. If it is "empty" it will do the normal thing - try to boot the phone normally, starting with the "boot" partition. But, the BCB can contain other instructions, such as "boot to recovery", or "boot to Odin mode". And experience seems to indicate that the conditions under which the BCB is cleared (i.e., goes back to the default) is a little bit buggy or quirky - so that the phone can get "stuck" always trying to boot either the recovery or Odin/Download mode.
The "three-finger salute" of Vol-Down + Home + Power - which you normally use to start up Odin - seems to clear the BCB when you choose the "Cancel" option (Vol-Down) from that initial splash screen, and it usually will attempt to boot the normal ("boot") partition if you select "Cancel" ( = Vol-Down ).
So FIRST: Pull your battery. Re-insert. Vol-Down+Home+Power until you get that "do you want to install custom software?" screen. Press Vol-Down to cancel.
===> Does your ROM boot correctly?
If so, then you can attempt to unlock again without any flashing. I suppose you are still rooted if your phone still boots.
===> If your ROM still boots, please report it's exact firmware version. It makes a big difference whether it is a M-series or an N-series. (Note: I am asking about the bootloader firmware, not the ROM version).
If your ROM does not boot, then you are going to have to use Odin in one way or another.
I can help you out with that and point you at the correct custom recovery, depending on which bootloader firmware you want to end up with. (Especially if you have a copy of the NC2 firmware at home (it's the only one I don't have).) DON'T FLASH NJ6 OR ABOVE IN ODIN - yet. (Towelroot V3 is trivially easy on anything from MI9 through NC4, and rooting appears to be a pain in the rear beyond that)
let me know what you find.

darkhawkff said:
I will also note, I did verify prior to trying to bootloader, to ensure the CID started with 0x15, and it does. Checked like 5 times, just to be sure.
And I figured it would.....since I bought this the day it was released.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That certainly is a mandatory prerequisite to success. But it doesn't mean that something won't go wrong during the unlock process. To be sure, just boot into Odin mode after you think everything has succeeded and look for that "MODE: Developer" message on the Odin screen to verify that the unlock process succeeded.
There are a couple different versions of the unlocker binary in that Unlock thread, and most of the variations have to do with how the program went about reading the CID value out of the volatile filesystem /sys during initial sanity checks. As that location seemed to change from firmware release to release, there was some dependency between the unlock binary version and the OS release level of the rooted ROM it was used on. So a "safety check" in the code was what was making it non-portable; the actual CID change and binary patching of the "aboot" partition was the same in every version.
I might have used @donc113's original variant (post #218) when I was on MJE. If you are rooting with M* or N* ROM firmware, that version should work.
The other thing that happened was that (I think?) someone released an app that was really just a wrapper around the binary file. That had the unfortunate side effect of hiding the status and error messages the unlock binary produces if someone happened to use it on the wrong OS version. It's possible that someone that is rooted could slip a different version of the "unlock" binary underneath that app (in it's appropriate /data/data/* location), but that's asking a lot from people who gravitate towards using "one click" apps.
You didn't mention whether you were using the app or just the command line. If it was the latter I think that careful inspection of the unlock binary's output would have indicated success or failure.
Anyway, some TWRP custom recovery links:
TWRP for hltevzw
If you have a M* series bootloader use the -4.3.img recoveries, otherwise use -4.4 for N*, O*, or P* firmware
(The AryaMod ROM uses the Aroma installer, which apparently needs the twrp-2.8.7.0-hltevzw version, not the twrp-3.0.2-0-hltevzw. So... grab both of them)
PS I recently "upgraded" my bootloader from MJE to NC4. I did this because the M* series bootloader is incompatible with later kernels (due to technical issues about how the "DTB" (Device Tree Blob) attached to the kernel is parsed and initialized by the bootloader). I probably would have gone with NC2 instead of NC4, but all the links for the NC2 leak firmware were dead. At least NC4 is easy to root with Towelroot v3, and so far I've been able to boot and run not only lolipop roms (e.g. CM13) but a marshmallow rom (AryaMod) without major troubles. So I have an Odin-back-to-stock method for device recovery that is easily rootable (in contrast to NJ6, NK1, or PL1 which have no root method, or OB6/OF1 which have crufty/difficult rooting methods (& perhaps dodgy too)).
.

Any chance of just using Odin and flashing a stock recovery image? Rather than killing the entire os too?

I can't find just a recovery image though.

darkhawkff said:
Any chance of just using Odin and flashing a stock recovery image? Rather than killing the entire os too?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That works when the bootloader is unlocked (even with unsigned recoveries such as TWRP). Not sure about the locked case.
Code:
tar -H ustar -c -f my_recovery_only_Odin_bundle.tar recovery.img
md5sum my_recovery_only_Odin_bundle.tar >> my_recovery_only_Odin_bundle.tar
mv my_recovery_only_Odin_bundle.tar my_recovery_only_Odin_bundle.tar.md5
Note that the above technique for preparation of Odin flashables isn't restricted to adding just a single file. For instance, someone that had a bootlooping stock ROM in need of repair could probably create a tar.md5 bundle that only contained "boot.img" and "system.ext4.img"* Note that when Odin does the MD5 checking, it wants the filename to be unchanged (other than the .md5 extension). So don't change the name of the .tar.md5 file to something else or the MD5 check in Odin will fail.
darkhawkff said:
I can't find just a recovery image though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's inside the stock Odin tar.md5 bundle. Just extract it.
Is it even important at the moment? So long as your phone boots normally, what's in the recovery partition simply doesn't matter
Did you try the Vol-Down+Home+Power startup (followed by Cancel == Vol-down) that I suggested above? What happens?
.
* There is one place where partial firmware flashes would be extremely ill-advised: if you were flashing a bootloader (dear lord why?) ALL five pieces (aboot.mbn, sbl1.mbn, rpm.mbn, tz.mbn, sdi.mbn) need to be flashed as a group all in one go

Yup. Just tried that finally (was busy at work).
Fixed. I'm unlocked bootloader.
Yup, I'm still on NC2 (not that it's a surprise).
Still haven't been able to find the files at home. I thought I might have them saved somewhere, but apparently not. Still have 1 or 2 places to look, but I'm going to guess that I don't have it anywhere.

darkhawkff said:
Yup. Just tried that finally (was busy at work).
Fixed. I'm unlocked bootloader.
Yup, I'm still on NC2 (not that it's a surprise).
Still haven't been able to find the files at home. I thought I might have them saved somewhere, but apparently not. Still have 1 or 2 places to look, but I'm going to guess that I don't have it anywhere.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hope I helped.
Make a backup of your current ROM in TWRP and get it off the phone into a safe place. Then you will feel free to experiment with different ROMs as time allows. I would also suggest it is really a good idea to save that "debrick" image on the SD card in case a utter disaster happens (probably you will never use it though).
(before reformatting the SD card to get it back to usefulness)
Code:
dd if=/dev/block/mmcblk1 bs=4096 count=65536 of=/data/local/debrick.img
(or, too-late... get a debrick image with the modded "aboot" partition unlocked bootloader)
Code:
dd if=/dev/block/mmcblk0 bs=4096 count=65536 of=/sdcard/debrick.img
I'll archive the NC2 if you can find it (send me a PM) even though I can't use it any longer as I recently flashed NC4 bootloader. I have all the other firmware releases, just not that one.
The NC2 (leak) engineering bootloader appeared at a time when the kernel DTB blobs were changing structure; hopefully it is able to boot all later kernels. Please drop a note somewhere in these forums if you discover problems booting newer kernels - whether custom or stock. As I mentioned, if NC2 won't work, NC4 seems decent enough so far and it preserves a full-stock Odin recovery/rescue to a ROM version which is easily rooted with Towelroot v3
As to modems, I've done a few pairings of my flashable-stock ROMs with different modem releases (see the flashable stock thread for downloads) and - strangely - the NC4 modem won't work at all with NJ6 or NK1 (no service) kernels/ROMs, but it will work with later kernels/ROMs e.g. OB6-PL1. Just mentioning it because the NC2 modem might behave in a similar strange fashion since it is of the same vintage. I haven't had any troubles flashing modems up-version or down-version.
.

Well, all great!
I got Aryamod installed and going well.
NC2 bootloader yet too! TWRP obviously installed and OK, with 2.8.7 I believe. Installing apps now.
It really makes a difference with this phone too. I'm quite surprised by it to be honest.
All I know, is I might actually switch back to using my note 3 instead of my note 5 as my daily driver again.
Thank you again for the help. I really appreciate it.

darkhawkff said:
Well, all great!
I got Aryamod installed and going well.
NC2 bootloader yet too! TWRP obviously installed and OK, with 2.8.7 I believe. Installing apps now.
It really makes a difference with this phone too. I'm quite surprised by it to be honest.
All I know, is I might actually switch back to using my note 3 instead of my note 5 as my daily driver again.
Thank you again for the help. I really appreciate it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good deal.
AryaMod is a pretty nice ROM. Marshmallow FTW!
(I'm glad I bought a device with 3GB of RAM.)

Could you please message me at [email protected] I tried to root my sm-n900v note 3 on 5.0 and it's soft bricked. I can't get Odin to flash..keeps failing. I need to talk to someone just bought it week ago man.

What ROMs can I install using SafeStrap on a locked Verizon bootloader?

I have a Galaxy S5 (Verizon) SM-G900V that's running stock rooted Lollipop. Safestrap is on here, but yes, the bootloader is locked. Other than going to Marshmallow (and losing root), are there any custom ROMs (I'm looking for speed and stability) that this phone can take? Or am I stuck with stock, which means I'm stuck with Lollipop if I want to stay rooted?

My choice is this one without root for CID11 or full-featured systemless devbase for CID15.

Thank you. I assume I use safestrap to install on my rooted stock CID 11, but on this new one without root won't be able to restore apps from Titanium. Are there any other alternatives an 11 can use and keep root, and if I try one can but change my mind can I restore a backup in safestrap to get back to rooted stock?
bbsc said:
My choice is this one without root for CID11 or full-featured systemless devbase for CID15.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

androidman807 said:
1) is that right that it's possible to safestrap a different ROM with my locked bootloader?
2) If yes, how can I tell which ROMs are stock I can use in safestrap (like Phoenixrom) and which are custom I can't use (like LineageOS)?
3) if I have a SS backup of my stock lollipop and don't like phoenix (which seems to be MM) can I restore from safestrap back to my stock LL? Or could I just re-install the stock LL image?
4) can I/should I update the modem in this process, or does the locked bootloader prevent that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You'd better use a single thread for similar questions. There's a nice SM-G900V section too.
1. Yes.
2. You're limited to a stock signed Verizon-Samsung kernel, not to a stock ROM. You can (in theory) install any ROM that can use a stock signed Verizon-Samsung kernel but even a kernel from SM-G900F will not work.
LOS uses it's own kernel.
TWRP uses it's own kernel.
RR uses it's own kernel.
Root on 6.0.1 and above needs kernel modification.
These won't work.
If Phoenix can use a stock kernel (I don't know), it will work.
3. You may want to have a look at this thread: https://forum.xda-developers.com/verizon-galaxy-s5/help/getting-safestrap-loop-t3601977
I don't usually do it myself but it should be possible.
It's not an easy way and there are some logical traps on it.
So think it over before the action.
4. Locked bootloader does not prevent modem updating. It's definitely possible. You can simply flash a modem part of stock firmware in Odin.

Thanks. I've tried casting a broader net, unsure if my problem was Verizon-specific or not. Turns out, it's even more specific than that, as at least some 900Vs have unlocked bootloaders and some (mine) don't.
As I look back over my journey, you were there from the beginning when I was trying to upgrade from 4.4.2 to my current Lollipop and keeping root. Following the steps of the amazing @jrkruse led to different problems, which still persist. There seems no way to fix that, from which I conclude the jrkruse stock ROM and this phone don't get along. Hence, the idea to try a different ROM other than this LL. It seems that my locked bootloader has me on stuck on this particular stock ROM if I want to keep root. There is no list of other ROMs I can put on this CID11, and I'm not sophisticated enough to know which I can try and Safestrap back safely if things aren't wonderful. This has me doing a hot reboot every day or two when I see wifi can't get DNS, but I don't see any other option other than buying a newer Galaxy with a microSD card and an unlocked bootloader (maybe the S8?). Regardless, this sums up my journey, I've learned a lot along the way, and both you and @KazuDante were extremely helpful and earned my Thanks button many many times. Thanks again.
bbsc said:
You'd better use a single thread for similar questions. There's a nice SM-G900V section too.
1. Yes.
2. You're limited to a stock signed Verizon-Samsung kernel, not to a stock ROM. You can (in theory) install any ROM that can use a stock signed Verizon-Samsung kernel but even a kernel from SM-G900F will not work.
LOS uses it's own kernel.
TWRP uses it's own kernel.
RR uses it's own kernel.
Root on 6.0.1 and above needs kernel modification.
These won't work.
If Phoenix can use a stock kernel (I don't know), it will work.
3. You may want to have a look at this thread: https://forum.xda-developers.com/verizon-galaxy-s5/help/getting-safestrap-loop-t3601977
I don't usually do it myself but it should be possible.
It's not an easy way and there are some logical traps on it.
So think it over before the action.
4. Locked bootloader does not prevent modem updating. It's definitely possible. You can simply flash a modem part of stock firmware in Odin.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

bbsc said:
4. Locked bootloader does not prevent modem updating. It's definitely possible. You can simply flash a modem part of stock firmware in Odin.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ps: I read the first ten pages of this thread about modems, but the first post strongly implies that they're not flashable with all the crossouts, which leaves with Odin, but if I'm reading it right one needs TWRP, which I don't have, only safestrap. If there's a different modem thread I should look at, or if should try the Odin ones, thanks for pointing me in the right direction. It seems I'm terrible at finding what I'm searching for in this info-rich site.

androidman807, which firmware (modem, kernel, bootloader) do you have and which do you want to have?
P.S. "Odin: (necessary for those with TWRP recovery)" means that a phone with TWRP has "Binary status: Custom" and there's no other way to update modem except Odin.

Baseband : PB1
Build : PB1
Kernel : 3.4.0
At this point I'll take any rooted firmware that is stable and not sluggish with this phone, with ability to at least get back to this if it's a step backwards.
bbsc said:
androidman807, which firmware (modem, kernel, bootloader) do you have and which do you want to have?
P.S. "Odin: (necessary for those with TWRP recovery)" means that a phone with TWRP has "Binary status: Custom" and there's no other way to update modem except Odin.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

androidman807 said:
Baseband : PB1
Build : PB1
Kernel : 3.4.0
At this point I'll take any rooted firmware that is stable and not sluggish with this phone, with ability to at least get back to this if it's a step backwards.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think, if you have network problems with this phone, it will be the best to backup your data and try a factory firmware with full factory reset.
If you're currently on BPB1 you can try any firmware above (and including) BOK3 and return back to BPB1 if you don't like it.
Firmwares BOK3 and BPB1 (your current) can be rooted after installation.
If I remember correctly, you need root to use Titanium backup app.
But you may want first try if the network problems persist on different stock firmwares.
I'd begin with the latest - DQI2.

Titanium is a big reason why I want to keep root. So BOK3 and DQI2 are ones I can root and still return to PB1. Thanks, I'll start looking for them and their rooting procedures.
bbsc said:
I think, if you have network problems with this phone, it will be the best to backup your data and try a factory firmware with full factory reset.
If you're currently on BPB1 you can try any firmware above (and including) BOK3 and return back to BPB1 if you don't like it.
Firmwares BOK3 and BPB1 (your current) can be rooted after installation.
If I remember correctly, you need root to use Titanium backup app.
But you may want first try if the network problems persist on different stock firmwares.
I'd begin with the latest - DQI2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

androidman807 said:
So BOK3 and DQI2 are ones I can root and still return to PB1.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No. I've written something different above.
You can flash BOK3 - DQI2 and return back after this. There're 14 firmwares.
But you can root only BOK3 and BPB1 from those 14 firmwares.
I advice you to flash DQI2 just to see if it solves network problems.

androidman807 said:
ps: I read the first ten pages of this thread about modems, but the first post strongly implies that they're not flashable with all the crossouts, which leaves with Odin, but if I'm reading it right one needs TWRP, which I don't have, only safestrap. If there's a different modem thread I should look at, or if should try the Odin ones, thanks for pointing me in the right direction. It seems I'm terrible at finding what I'm searching for in this info-rich site.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can flash modems using odin even if you dont have twrp , they made it that way for those who are not on stock firmwareand that have twrp for example those who are on nougat , instead of flashing back stock and redoo the whole thing all over again , so in the vzw section there is a thread that has all the latest modems ( i think qh2) , just download qh2 ( i used the non-hlos for 4g) and in odin use ap and select the downloaded tar(modem) and flash , phone has to be in download mode.

Thank you. I was hot on the modem idea when I was going to switch to Lineage or something else as a natural step. But since it's tied to 4G and cell service and not my sporadic DNS-on-wifi issue, I'm not sure I see the benefit, but then I could be wrong. I figure a different ROM will have different drivers for the wifi radio and solve things. At least that's been my hope all along.
KazuDante said:
You can flash modems using odin even if you dont have twrp , they made it that way for those who are not on stock firmwareand that have twrp for example those who are on nougat , instead of flashing back stock and redoo the whole thing all over again , so in the vzw section there is a thread that has all the latest modems ( i think qh2) , just download qh2 ( i used the non-hlos for 4g) and in odin use ap and select the downloaded tar(modem) and flash , phone has to be in download mode.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Thank you! I will likely flash this with Odin over the weekend (or with SafeStrap?). I've found QI2 here, the first of the two links. Just to be prepared, what steps will I take to rooting this new ROM?
bbsc said:
I advice you to flash DQI2 just to see if it solves network problems.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Where can I find BOK3, and how do I root it after installation if I don't have TWRP (but only safestrap)?
Edit: here's OK3 with steps on how to root it, but they're quite scary and possibly outdated.
bbsc said:
I think, if you have network problems with this phone, it will be the best to backup your data and try a factory firmware with full factory reset.
If you're currently on BPB1 you can try any firmware above (and including) BOK3 and return back to BPB1 if you don't like it.
Firmwares BOK3 and BPB1 (your current) can be rooted after installation.
If I remember correctly, you need root to use Titanium backup app.
But you may want first try if the network problems persist on different stock firmwares.
I'd begin with the latest - DQI2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Thanks again - I flashed with Odin the DQI2 I found but didn't know how to root it (Safestrap erased and no TWRP). Maybe the answer is the same as the other post I just replied to. That's obviously a blind spot I have that has me stuck on PB1 - I don't know how to root anything else on this CID 11.
bbsc said:
No. I've written something different above.
You can flash BOK3 - DQI2 and return back after this. There're 14 firmwares.
But you can root only BOK3 and BPB1 from those 14 firmwares.
I advice you to flash DQI2 just to see if it solves network problems.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse