Database Users

Need Instructions to avoid almost bricking again

Hi guys. I very narrowly (somehow) managed to recover from almost bricking my phone.
I successfully S-Off'd my phone, and previously successfully installed TWRP. I tried to install this ROM:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/ve...m-perfumewl-m60-dev-edition-unlocked-t3442969
When I tried the to flash the ZIP for firmware and for the ROM, the firmware wouldn't install. I tried some other stuff and basically almost bricked my phone. Some how got it to suddenly start being able to use the htc_fastboot commands (????????) and was able to start installing the zip for stock... but it ran an error, I ran it again and it froze... then I forced my phone to reboot and somehow I'm back to having a stock system. No clue what I did.
My question is, can I take a software update on my phone normally (to 7.0) , and then install just that ROM? Or so I need to flash the firmware separately with a command line command? I just don't want to give myself another heart attack tonight. Current firmware version is 1.82.605.6, not rooted, don't believe my recovery is TWRP right now (but I know how to install that one).
I'm just looking for root access and the ability to remove pre-installed Verizon crap (VZW Messager, My Verizon, etc). Thanks guys.

CritKlepka said:
Hi guys. I very narrowly (somehow) managed to recover from almost bricking my phone.
I successfully S-Off'd my phone, and previously successfully installed TWRP. I tried to install this ROM:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/ve...m-perfumewl-m60-dev-edition-unlocked-t3442969
When I tried the to flash the ZIP for firmware and for the ROM, the firmware wouldn't install. I tried some other stuff and basically almost bricked my phone. Some how got it to suddenly start being able to use the htc_fastboot commands (????????) and was able to start installing the zip for stock... but it ran an error, I ran it again and it froze... then I forced my phone to reboot and somehow I'm back to having a stock system. No clue what I did.
My question is, can I take a software update on my phone normally (to 7.0) , and then install just that ROM? Or so I need to flash the firmware separately with a command line command? I just don't want to give myself another heart attack tonight. Current firmware version is 1.82.605.6, not rooted, don't believe my recovery is TWRP right now (but I know how to install that one).
I'm just looking for root access and the ability to remove pre-installed Verizon crap (VZW Messager, My Verizon, etc). Thanks guys.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I recommend you install this one instead:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/ve...m-1-85-605-9-aroma-root-root-debloat-t3529732
Follow instructions in OP...or:
1)fastboot flash FW w/o Boot w/ TWRP (htc_fastboot oem rebootRUU, fastboot flash zip...)
2)htc_fastboot reboot-bootloader
3) Finally, go into recovery-- backup and flash ROM (choose root w/ Magisk and debloat)

Thanks, I figured out why it wasn't working before. Used official TWRP, thats why it wasn't working. Wouldn't have thought that'd made that much of a difference.
New problem though; something I really would like to use the Google versions of contacts and dialers. Trying to flash those just made my phone app unusable. So I turned to LineageOS but it REFUSES to boot. Hangs on their little vertical line with a moving circle. Found out AOSP roms don't like VZW firmware? Flashed global firmware, updated through WiFi as much as possible, and then ran into issues with radio, even though I flashed the VZW one. So I reverted those changes, am going through with what you said above to have a working phone (after not having one all day), but any advice on getting Google dialer and contacts? I'd like to use LineageOS but I couldn't get it work at all.

CritKlepka said:
Thanks, I figured out why it wasn't working before. Used official TWRP, thats why it wasn't working. Wouldn't have thought that'd made that much of a difference.
New problem though; something I really would like to use the Google versions of contacts and dialers. Trying to flash those just made my phone app unusable. So I turned to LineageOS but it REFUSES to boot. Hangs on their little vertical line with a moving circle. Found out AOSP roms don't like VZW firmware? Flashed global firmware, updated through WiFi as much as possible, and then ran into issues with radio, even though I flashed the VZW one. So I reverted those changes, am going through with what you said above to have a working phone (after not having one all day), but any advice on getting Google dialer and contacts? I'd like to use LineageOS but I couldn't get it work at all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You've got to read OPs, search threads, etc. Some ROMs work w/ our phone, and some do not. Check out the latest versions of ice and leedroid. Your most likely want to grab the SVN versions is the official versions may not yet support Verizon N firmware

Antny6 said:
You've got to read OPs, search threads, etc. Some ROMs work w/ our phone, and some do not. Check out the latest versions of ice and leedroid. Your most likely want to grab the SVN versions is the official versions may not yet support Verizon N firmware
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have been doing a lot of searching, but I've found so many different, conflicting sources of information. For example, one website told me to install LineageOS, was to be on latest Verizon OTA and just normally flash it; that obviously didn't work.
So from what I can see, our choices are Viper, Ice, LeeDroid, NuSense and the one you linked. I'm going to try out LeeDroid... out of curiousity, is there any reason, for example, LeeDroid or Ice haven't posted in this Verizon section with links to their ROMs?
*Edit Two* Dialer wouldn't work out of the "box" so to speak, so I had to go to Phone settings at the bottom, there is a menu called Calling Accounts. Had to go there and tap Receive Incoming Calls... why is that disabled in the first place..? But that seems to be an issue going even as far back as the Nexus 5. But that's how you find the option in the HTC 10 for anyone who comes across this issue too...

Not sure why your having issues with the flashing. Are you doing a full wipe? Not just factory reset. Going from stock to lineage requires a complete format of internal SD card. On the stock roms, most will ask if you are still on marshmallow firmware & are working fine. Again, we need more info on what firmware version your on, version of twrp& how your wiping your device. Most AOSP roms work, but no advanced calling

LOS ROMs will work without issue IF you have flashed the US unlocked firmware at some point in time. This is the only information that we have found from a VzW device with LOS booting and VzW device without. We started a thread awhile ago and is the only known method we currently know of to get LOS booting. Also works for Sprint users.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/verizon-htc-10/how-to/how-to-cm-booting-vzw-vzw-firmware-t3500900

Caught in bootloop when reaching UI

I finally give up. I had lineage 15.1 running on the device and decided to upgrade to a pie based rom. So I flashed november firmware, rom etc. then I only had 3g. Now I decided maybe I need to flash latest december firmware so I flashed the 10.0.3 firmware zip and lost my sim card completely. I reflashed the november firmware. This made the device bootloop so I decided to flash stock november rom again and start all over. Now it's independent of the rom it's running it boots until the sim pin dialog, i can even press some numbers but it just reboots after a certain amount of time. Access to fastboot works fine so any idea how I could fix this would be greatly appreciated.

Looks like you got a corrupted EFS partition. If you have a TWRP backup for that, just restore. And if you don't, there is a thread in the Mi A1 forum about restoring EFS when downgrade from Pie.

Benjamin_L said:
I finally give up. I had lineage 15.1 running on the device and decided to upgrade to a pie based rom. So I flashed november firmware, rom etc. then I only had 3g. Now I decided maybe I need to flash latest december firmware so I flashed the 10.0.3 firmware zip and lost my sim card completely. I reflashed the november firmware. This made the device bootloop so I decided to flash stock november rom again and start all over. Now it's independent of the rom it's running it boots until the sim pin dialog, i can even press some numbers but it just reboots after a certain amount of time. Access to fastboot works fine so any idea how I could fix this would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First of all try to disable SIM Pin Lock from another phone. It was a bug from previous releases.
Second: never downgrade from Pie because it will causes issues and potential corruption.

jack_21 said:
First of all try to disable SIM Pin Lock from another phone. It was a bug from previous releases.
Second: never downgrade from Pie because it will causes issues and potential corruption.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But is downgrading from a custom rom comparable? And the firmware zips only have modems and bootloaders don't they? I am always struck how difficult the a1 is compared to my pixel 2

Benjamin_L said:
But is downgrading from a custom rom comparable?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, you upgraded to 10.0.3.0 so you must use only that Pie firmware for now

Flashed roms stuck on bootscreen (logo screen)

Hi guys,
I need an advice. It will be appreciated!
I am with TRWP 3.1.0-1 alice.Flashed an image through official TRWP app.
I flashed "ressurection remix" , "stock 8.0" , "lineage OS". They all just get stuck on logo screen after install.I waited for 25 mins and nothing happens; only once the phone restarted & then froze again.
If i turn it off, after 4 secs. it turns on by itself.
(but if i go quickly with combo buttons, i am able to get into TRWP and go back to backed up system...)
I'm currently running Android 5.0.1 / EMUI 3.1 ;
I have rooted the phone with Kingoroot
(without pc)
***
If you can give some advice, i'll be very gratefull...
Thank you!

The best is you update your stockrom to emui 8 first, after this it should work with customs.

I see there are emui 8 updates, but they all seem to be for 2017 version.
I bought my phone in 2015.
Not sure if it is safe to flash something , that is for the later version.
What do you think?

crystalsun111 said:
I see there are emui 8 updates, but they all seem to be for the 2017 version.
I bought my phone in 2015.
Not sure if it is safe to flash something, that is for the later version.
What do you think?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As far as I know, Resurrection Remix, LineageOS, and all other Custom ROMs only work on B896 Version (this is meant for Vodafone). First, you need to have this ROM and only then you can successfully flash Custom ROMS, unless, you're searching for in P8Lite (2017)...
Do read the main part before installing... They should have mentioned it there...

Comprehensive guide and resources for migrating to a custom ROM from stock OREO?

Okay, so I've been trying to get some answers regarding custom ROMs for the past few days but I haven't even got one...and it seems I'm not the only one looking for them. So...lay it in this thread maybe we can start something up.
I am on stock OREO B04, phone's software has never been tampered with anything, TWRP, BL unlock and so on.
This is the premise of the thread, not only for me but for other users who find themselves in the same situation.
Oreo seems to be a bit of a hassle right now for migrating to custom ROMs, and this is not helped by the fact guides in the A7 section are all over the place as well, some may be outdated and there's no clear "Don't use this on x.x version" warning.
I am not even going to attempt to unlock the BL until I clear answer on wether it's possible or not. So let's start with this:
-Is it possible to unlock the BL on OREO?
-If not, what stock official ROM should we install in order to successfuly attempt to unlock the bl?
-Which guide or method is the best for doing so? I've found 2, one from 2016 on MM ROMs and one provided by TurkDevs that seems to work on some Nougat ROMs.
Then comes the recovery section:
-What TWRP should we install on a freshly unlocked device, the official releases, or the Nfound custom ones?
-Also, what are the prerequisites for installing TWRP...I hear that fastboot commands are gone since Nougat and that some flashing methods don't work, then I hear somehow you can do it by bringing back fastboot. How? There's only replies saying "type that command in fastboot" but nobody says if they had it or reinstalled it somehow.
Then comes the ROMs section:
-All custom ROMs seem to require a vendor partition as most if not all of them are Treble based. How do we get that to work?
- I am aware of the fact that the ROM threads have a prerequisites section, but none of them redirect you to a guide on how to get those prerequisites working. I understand that it's not the dev's responsability, I am not bashing anyone here, but a little bit of info cleaning and structuring should be in order in this section.
What I want for me and others in my situation is a clear answer on how to proceed, not a "flash this flash that". There's no secret that the A7 still has life in it especially with the new PIE ROMs.
I've recently seen a reply in one of the threads, encouraging the dev of one of this ROMs to not be disappointed by the seemingly low interest in PIE ROMs. I don't think there's a low interest in them, I think there are users that don't want to risk a bricked phone because of outdated guides and unlcear steps.
There's a lot of confusion going around here so I hope this thread will become a source of updated info on what's possible and what not. Thanks in advance!

Hi, I'm not the best person to help you with this since i've unlocked my Axon 7 a long time ago and I can't remember everything but I will try to help you based on my experience and on what I can remember.
Let's go
Starting with the bootloader, I unlocked mine on stock Nougat B09 using EDL Tool (Oreo wasn't even out when I unlocked my bootloader so I don't know if you can do it while running Oreo but just to be safe you should downgrade to Nougat)
It should be quite easy to unlock the bootloader, here's a simple step by step (please anyone correct me if I'm wrong)
- Download the EDL tool from the link above
- Downgrade your phone to Nougat (Using the updater on the phone itself or an EDL Package with EDL Tool or MiFlash - you can find the stock ROMs on @raystef66 's Download Center
- Once running Stock Nougat, turn on USB Debugging and Allow OEM Unlocking on Developer Settings
- Plug the phone to your computer and open EDL Tool (that should reboot the phone into EDL mode automatically)
- Navigate through the EDL Tool using the number keys on the keyboard, and it should be easy to find the Unlock Bootloader option. Unlock it and you should be done.
Once again that's the way I did it, I don't know if this is the easiest one available. You have more methods available like this one
Now onto the recovery situation, I think each developer recommends a specific TWRP version for their ROM's, like for example
@raystef66 likes NFound's TWRP 3.2.1-8 as you can see on his ROM's posts (check the first line in the installation guide)
@OrdenKrieger likes the official TWRP as you can see on Lineage OS 16.0 post
Generally, official TWRP should work just fine with any ROM.
On a recently unlocked Nougat Stock ROM, I recommend maybe an older version of TWRP, like 3.2.1 for example and you can flash it also using EDL Tool.
But when moving to Pie I recommend you use the latest TWRP version or the version that the ROM developer recommends. You probably know this but you can update your TWRP version by flashing it over the current version you have.
Now about the ROM's, the new ones have a Vendor partition so you have to create it when you're coming from Stock (because our Axon 7 doesn't support Project Treble) and to do that you can use @Oki 's PARTY Tool and after that you can flash the ROM normally, using the proper Bootstack and Modem files.
You could also try GSI's but I can't help you with that because I never tried them.
And this should be all.
I tried to keep it simple for now but i can help you further
I'm not the best person to guide you but at least I tried Feel free to ask me something and good luck!

@joaocandeias Well, dang it worked. Everything you described:
-going back to Nougat
-unlocking the bootloader with the EDL tool
-flashing TWRP-
creating the Vendor partition, and installing the new ROMs.
There were a few hiccups on the road, mostly driver related from my previous attempt, but nothing severe or something that would cause the device to brick.
I just installed @raystef66 's ResRemix ROM and it works fine. I'll start testing more of them in daily use and see which suits my needs best.
Thanks for the assistance!

TorqueSsS said:
@joaocandeias Well, dang it worked. Everything you described:
-going back to Nougat
-unlocking the bootloader with the EDL tool
-flashing TWRP-
creating the Vendor partition, and installing the new ROMs.
There were a few hiccups on the road, mostly driver related from my previous attempt, but nothing severe or something that would cause the device to brick.
I just installed @raystef66 's ResRemix ROM and it works fine. I'll start testing more of them in daily use and see which suits my needs best.
Thanks for the assistance!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm glad I could help
Since you're not the only person with questions on how to migrate from stock to custom, I'm thinking about writing a full post so more people can see it.
Btw what method did you use to downgrade to nougat?

@joaocandeias Sorry for the delayed response, I've got a really f'd up sleeping schedule these days. I'll write the exact steps I've done.
1. So, I first downloaded the B09 Nougat full stock ROM from the download center and tried to downgrade using the normal software updater in the phone (OTA window, local option).
It didn't work at first, I received a compatibility error, saying that the update is for "ailsa_ii" devices, while the device is not(or to be more exact, my device was " " ), which I found odd.
But, I thought that maybe I need the linked versions(like the last Nougat ROM before Oreo) so I downloaded the B10 Nougat ROM, and used the same procedure.
2. I set up the phone as a dud(skip everything, no Google account), turned USB debugging and OEM unlocking on, installed the original ZTE drivers straight from the phone and rebooted it into EDL to proceed with unlocking the BL.
At this point, I had the QUSB_BULK driver stick from my previous use of Zadig, so one quick "uninstall device software" and relpuging the phone go me the Qualcom 9008 driver in order.
3. I started the EDL tool, navigated through it and started the BL unlock procedure.
Once the phone rebooted I was greeted by the password screen.
One factory reset later and repeating the procedure greeted me with the "Bootloader unlocked" message. Sucess!
4.Now for TWRP, Vendor and ROM, got all the files onto the SD card, I flashedTWRP 3.2.1-8 NFound, then, from TWRP, I used the party tool, then flashed the UBv2(at which point it reverted TWRP to 3.2.3, flashed the 3.2.1-8 again with EDL ), modem, ROM, GApps, rebooted, set it up, then flashed Magisk...and everything seems fine.
The only issue I have now seems to be the camera, both stock app and GCam.
Open camera works , has the correct photo and video res, 60FPS doesn't work and the flash seems a bit laggy, but for me it's ok.
The DAC however is there, alive and kicking, Neutron detected the Hi-Res codec at launch and switched to it. It sounds the same as stock OREO to me so it is great, as this was my greatest fear when migrating to PIE. The DAC-AMP combo is like 60% of the reason I bought this phone in the first place.

TorqueSsS said:
@joaocandeias Sorry for the delayed response, I've got a really f'd up sleeping schedule these days. I'll write the exact steps I've done.
1. So, I first downloaded the B09 Nougat full stock ROM from the download center and tried to downgrade using the normal software updater in the phone (OTA window, local option).
It didn't work at first, I received a compatibility error, saying that the update is for "ailsa_ii" devices, while the device is not(or to be more exact, my device was " " ), which I found odd.
But, I thought that maybe I need the linked versions(like the last Nougat ROM before Oreo) so I downloaded the B10 Nougat ROM, and used the same procedure.
2. I set up the phone as a dud(skip everything, no Google account), turned USB debugging and OEM unlocking on, installed the original ZTE drivers straight from the phone and rebooted it into EDL to proceed with unlocking the BL.
At this point, I had the QUSB_BULK driver stick from my previous use of Zadig, so one quick "uninstall device software" and relpuging the phone go me the Qualcom 9008 driver in order.
3. I started the EDL tool, navigated through it and started the BL unlock procedure.
Once the phone rebooted I was greeted by the password screen.
One factory reset later and repeating the procedure greeted me with the "Bootloader unlocked" message. Sucess!
4.Now for TWRP, Vendor and ROM, got all the files onto the SD card, I flashedTWRP 3.2.1-8 NFound, then, from TWRP, I used the party tool, then flashed the UBv2(at which point it reverted TWRP to 3.2.3, flashed the 3.2.1-8 again with EDL ), modem, ROM, GApps, rebooted, set it up, then flashed Magisk...and everything seems fine.
The only issue I have now seems to be the camera, both stock app and GCam.
Open camera works , has the correct photo and video res, 60FPS doesn't work and the flash seems a bit laggy, but for me it's ok.
The DAC however is there, alive and kicking, Neutron detected the Hi-Res codec at launch and switched to it. It sounds the same as stock OREO to me so it is great, as this was my greatest fear when migrating to PIE. The DAC-AMP combo is like 60% of the reason I bought this phone in the first place.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! That will help me a lot to write a full guide. You'll be credited, don't worry
And yeah, when you migrate to custom roms you'll have to sacrifice camera quality and functionality and also a bit of speakers sound quality (all dolby atmos ports I tried are quite buggy and don't work well ; i only use atmos with the speakers). Headphones sound quality is great though.
If you don't use camera that much (not my case) and you're okay with the speakers sound quality then custom roms are probably the best option out there.

@joaocandeias
I was fully aware of the camera issues I might encounter, this has been the case with my old Mediatek devices when going to custom as well, same camera issues, but at least...it works here. Yeah, I lost some functionality, but to me it's a good trade-off. It can still take snaps and film properly so it's enough for me.
I am kind of going to miss Dolby on speakers (never liked it on headphones though), as it did a really good job for podcast style videos on YT, but it still sounds way better than a lot of phones without it so it's fine. I just need to crank the volume up a little more than usual.

I've heard that treble Pie Roms require a oreo bootloader, is this true? I am still confused how to install on my A2017G. In which order would I install bootloader and vendor partition?

some basic questions on sm-t235 re: root/custom rom/custom recovery

Hi,
the other day a friend gave me her old Samsung tab 4 7.0 (SM-T235). It's in its default state, running Android 5.1.1 stock ROM with all the most recent (5 year old) updates. "KNOX" appears to be ok, afaik.
This is my first Samsung device, up to the date I had experience with HTC Desire, Sony Xperia (2x) and OnePlus devices. I unlocked / rooted and installed custom ROMs on all of them.
Done quite a bit of googling and playing around with my "new" Samsung to see where it's different compared to my other devices. But there still are some blank spots, and there doesn't seem to be too much information out there regarding that specific tab 4 device. Before I start messing around I'd love to have some input from experienced Samsung users in regards to custom recoveries and ROMs, and possibly rooting. If there are comprehensive guides etc. out there that I simply didn't find don't hesitate to give me some hints:
First of all it appears to me that this device is going under the codename "degas". Correct? (meanwhile confirmed)
I hooked up the device to my PC, made sure that adb found it alright, then called "adb reboot recovery". That worked nicely, got me into Samsung recovery
Next I again tried to connect through ADB to the device still being in recovery, but that didn't work. To be expected?
Still in recovery I chose the "boot to bootloader" option, but that got me back into system instead.
So from system I again connected to adb then called "adb reboot bootloader". Device booted alright, but again it just rebooted into system.
>> Is there really no way to get into bootloader?
Trying to find out what has to be done in order to flash a custom ROM (rooted or not): from what I get, and unlike my other devices, I do not have to unlock the device / bootloader to begin with. It looks as if it was sufficient to boot into what they call "download mode", then hook up the device to my PC where ODIN is waiting already. Following this thread (and others) it then is sufficient to just flash TWRP from ODIN, boot to recovery and then do what is usually done here (like flash custom ROM, flash Gapps and possibly Magisk etc.). Is there something else / important I should know / observe?
Speaking about TWRP and Custom ROMs: TWRP.me lists that device on their site. So has anyone here flashed latest TWRP (3.6.2_x)? Or should I rather start with an older version like the one listed here, then possibly upgrade from there?
In regards to Custom ROMs I basically just found this LOS 16 thread (which is the same linked in the previous "TWRP" bullet). I assume that's it, or does anyone know about a newer android version (which I didn't find so far)? There seems to be lots of activity around "matisse" and "millet", but apparently those aren't the right devices, right?
Back to recovery: I see that in stock recovery there is an option to "wipe data/factory reset": should I do that before flashing TWRP from ODIN, or is it sufficient to wipe everything once I booted into TWRP?
I'm aware that I'll lose "Knox" as soon as I flash a different ROM / Recovery. As I don't want to use the tab 4 in some critical "BYOD" area I don't care (neither do I care about warranty, that's long gone anyways). But just to be sure: is it true that I'll lose "Knox" access?
In case I would decide to "go back" to stock ROM one day, how would I proceed then? Would ODIN still work so that I can flash latest stock ROM? Would Knox then be restored, or is that a thing of the past once I leave the stock ROM path?
Again: if you think I've done a bad job searching for answers don't hesitate to let me know but please be so kind then to hint the phrases I should look for ("SM-T235" really doesn't bring up that much valuable info)
Thanks and cheers
Update 2022-08-03: meanwhile I realized that the device is connected to my PC through generic drivers. Would it help to install specific Samsung drivers although both ADB and ODIN are acknowledging the device? Or can I just neglect that?

Since no answers came in I dared to just try. Meanwhile I'm running the device on LOS 16 with TWRP 3.5.2_9. Then flashed MindTheGapps (arm/Android 9 flavour)The switch wasn't as easy as I expected for some reason not obvious to me (somehow I couldn't get into TWRP after flashing it through ODIN. Then after the ~25th attempt it suddenly worked). Meanwhile I installed the official Samsung drivers, and maybe that helped, in combination with other adjustments I lost trace of...
I'll answer some of the above questions, for anyone who's interested:
#3: while in recovery (TWRP 3.5.2, as it is now) I still cannot access the device through adb. But I have access from windows' file explorer, so at least I can exchange files while being in recovery. Strange thing, this is the only one of my devices that behaves this way. The other day I'll try again from a Linux machine. maybe that works...
#4/5/6: boot to bootloader still doesn't work no matter what I try - devices always boots back into system
#7: Once I managed to get into TWRP the rest was a breeze
#8: I tried TWRP 3.6.0_9-0 which worked but on every boot into recovery it shows first a red notice that recovery was not enforcing SEAndroid. The notice then turns into blue and a second later TWRP logo shows up. This dowsn't happen with TWRP 3.5.2_9, so I stay there for the time being. Then I felt lucky and installed TWRP 3.6.2_9 image from running TWRP recovery, then rebooted. That again showed the red "not enforcing" message - and got stuck there. Solution was to get back into "Download mode" then re-flash TWRP 3.5.2 through ODIN.
Conclusion TWRP 3.6.2 is not fit to be used on that device (no, I didn't try 3.6.1...)
#9: since there aren't any more security updates released by google for A9 ROMs it would really be great to be able to upgrade to an A10 or even A11 ROM... anyone ever tried to use a "matisse" or "millet" ROM?
#10: I decided to use that - wiping everything that was on the device then doing a factory reset as well before flashing LOS 16. Then after first boot into LOS 16 a strange thing happened: when I made a basic setting (in regards to location services" the device told me that in a previous version I had decided to NOT allow google to use those services: after all that wiping and factory resetting: how could the device know that? By that time I had not yet logged myself into Google. Very mysterious!
#11/12: I guess I know the answer: I'm out of "Knox" now once and forever. And apparently ODIN is still working and recognizing the device.
Cheers!