Database Users

[Q] (noob needs help) rooting my sprint galaxy s5

Hi all,
I recently decided on trying my hand at rooting my s5, have done my research and this is where i wanted to take my phone, and where to come for help.
Ive gone through Odin v3.07 and no COM's would register, i tried tool kit but it wouldn't start after i installed drivers and such, there was a third one i found through threads in here as well but to no avail, nothing has proved any results.
so this is where you all can swoop in and save the day, when I used Odin (which seems to yield the furthest results) the only trouble im having is opening my phone in the ID:COM section. When I plug my s5 into my linux mint 10.something hp notebook (which could be the whole problem all together), with a v2 or v3 usb it registers as gFTP and I can do very little with the files there. like i noted above, toolbox didnt even open, nor could i even figure out what to do with the third thing i tried using. so, my last resort, a community that actually knows what they're doing...
What advice/guidance can you all pert to me? what do you think the problem might be? do i need to perform a factor reset to root my phone? is it the operating systems i am working on? i tried briefly on a mac osx 10. something and now am on a linux mint.
i am not very tech savy but can pick things up fairly quickly, so pretend im dumb and give explicit detail and i will pick up what you miight be talking about more easily.
P.S. I am NOT a robot lol

I have been searching through different android support pages today and everyone seems to resolve their rooting issues easily. though their solutions dont seem to provide me with any answers. i can list any info needed for further diagnostics, but to label a few outright, i have enabled usb debugging in developer mode, tried different usb ports and before/after phone is in downlaod mode, i have SM_G900P 4.4.4 and anything else you need, to help me

A month with the G530H

Little over a month ago (I am traveling currently in Quito Ecuador) I had my fanny pack with my Galaxy Note 2 (rooted, custom ROM) and my LG V400 tablet (rooted, deoxed, debloated and running ART rather than dalvic) stolen. Bought as a replacement a Galaxy Note 8 and an SM G530H. Had to have a phone and didn't do any research on the 530 H. BIG mistake.
Rooted the 530H installed the CWM recovery hack and started doing various things I do to an Android device I use daily. First BIG disappointment was in the dev community. No custom ROM's. Anywhere. Fine. In process of all of this I encrypted the phone- who would carry an unencrypted phone anyway, you are begging to be pwned if it goes bye bye. In process of all of this discovered that the CWM hack for the 530H won't deal with the /data partition when the phone is encrypted. That sucks hugely. Today we got news of the second fairly critical Android vulnerability revealed in the last three days (huh? really?) so I figured fine since this second one is with remote management crap code that is not secure (the first one with an SMS vulnerability) and potentially a MUCH more critical problem; since I have locked down as much as possible SMS with a stock rooted ROM...and since to hack remote management to try to kill this vuln-- (you can download the checkpoint scanner from playstore, I strongly recommend doing it and scanning your phone)-its going to take some pretty good surgery with Root Browser and I might break the OS. I figured it might be wise to do a full backup. Scanned the phone with the checkpoint scanner and sure enough its vulnerable. The internet and cell-landia in South America is like the wild west so it probably would be a wise idea to try to fix remote management vulnerability as much as possible. I already know the CWM hack WONT deal with encryption. TWRP on the Note 8 will. It asks for the password when entering recovery and does full painless backups and restores(My Note 8 isn't vulnerable because I am running a custom ROM on it without all the BS code).
So I come over here and find no prob a couple of TWRP threads for the G530. ITs a hack which is OK BUT 1) a number of the links are click bait sites (mods thanks for deleting one and the second in that thread that points to the nz site is click bait AND doesn't work) but finally found a link. Downloaded and flashed. Starts in recovery just fine except that 1) it will NOT mount the external SD card and 2) it reports the /data partition as 0 b. Meaning (like CWM) it can't deal with an encrypted partition. So what good is it?
Its a shame because for a mid priced phone the 530H really is a pretty capable hw platform, quick and stable, not bad for the $$. The follow on in the dev community is sad-. No ROMS. No recoveries using the phone encrypted. Were I not traveling I would try to port CM 12.1 to run on the 530 platform ( I wrote my first code in 1968 when I was 17) but I am not going to attempt it on a laptop and with other things I am involved in at this point no way.
So if you are thinking about the Grand Prime if you can be satisfied with a stock ROM, unencrypted, and don't mind getting your hands dirty then its not bad. However there are a lot better platforms out there as far as after market dev participants custom ROM's and simple things like recoveries that work as advertised. Be advised. Sorry I bought it. That would change in a big way if there was a stable ROM that got rid of all the s*it code that is in stock Android AND at LEAST a recovery that did what it was supposed to do. Lots of people here try to help posting links but before doing so understand please how the original program (TWRP) actually works on other platforms with all the bells and whistles and try to verify that the hack you link to actually performs like the original.

Figuring out the state of an S7 purchased used off eBay

So my gf bought herself a used S7 SM-G930A off eBay. I'm honestly unfamiliar with the S7 or the ROM scene as things apply to is so I'm coming into this at a disadvantage (I'm on an S5). However things don't seem quite right:
1) on the boot screen, there's an unlocked padlock icon with "Custom" under it
2) There's nothing for Software updates under About Device
3) Build number MMB29M.G930AUCS2APC2, Android Security patch level "February 1, 2016" (out of date?)
4) Repeatedly gets message: "Security notice: Unauthorized actions have been detected. Restart your phone to undo any unauthorized changes"
I checked some videos and I don't think this is a fake S7, but maybe it was rooted and/or had a custom ROM in a previous life. Honestly, if it's been rooted she really doesn't need that. I'd prefer to take it back to unrooted stock for her so she can have the normal consumer experience, getting carrier updates OTA, able to use Android/Samsung Pay, etc. Can anyone shed light on the state of things and guide me into getting her to where she needs to be? I'm ok running ODIN but am having trouble finding the latest stock ROM. Thanks.
(I apologize for not doing the normal amount of due diligence searching I'd normally do before pleading for assistance, but she's in a pickle now being phone-less until we can get this working).

The first thing you should do, if you haven't already, is check the IMEI.
https://swappa.com/esn
Many sellers on eBay buy cheaper phones and install the ATT rom. If it is a genuine att phone, you can restore it to stock by flashing software through Odin
Here is the latest post I found with the latest ATT software:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/att...are-g930aucs4api2-bootloader-4-t3481957/page2
This thread shows how to root and restore the galaxy s7:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/ver...s-root-install-xposed-unroot-t3411039/page206

Thanks, Luke. I just tried that link and the IMEI comes up clean and correct for the model.
As is my style, I didn't stop working on it after I posted that last night. I ultimately did find all the pieces for a stock re-flash, getting ODIN set up in a Windows 10 VM. It seemed to work, not only giving the phone a slightly newer firmware and security update, but fixing all the weirdness. So with any luck she's good to go. I suspect the phone was customized/hacked up a bit by the previous owner, and he didn't do a proper job returning it to 100% stock. Thank goodness she had someone like me who could fix it for her, otherwise an normal innocent buyer would've been in for a world of frustration and hassle.

Samsung Galaxy Sky J3 SM-S320VL TracFone not flashing....

Here is the issue. A friend of mine had gone a bought a Galaxy Sky SM-S320VL from TracPhone. And had been using the phone without any problems until a couple of weeks ago. Then he decided to do a Factory Reset. Instead of doing the software reset, from with in Settings, he went and did a HARD Reset without unlocking the google account. And guess what, he can't remember the account information for that phone. And came to me to reset the phone. (As I had to deal with this problem in the past with other people and their phones.)
I have downloaded the only stock rom I can find for this phone and flashed it with Odin3. But for some reason the flashing of the rom is never done. By this I mean, the phone downloads the rom as Odin sends it. Odin reports a Success with the flashing. But, when the phone reboots. The system has not been reset and FRP is still active.
I have flashed only the AP, and the phone reboots directly into setup and shows a message about an unauthorized Factory Reset.
I have flash all 4 files in the ROM set (BL, AP, CP, and CSC). and Odin states the flash was a success. The phone reboots, goes to recovery and states Starting System Update. Goes so far into the update, then stops and shows Erasing. After a short time of showing Erasing it reboots to setup. Where again the phone shows the message about authorized Factory Reset.
I have used Odin3 v3.9.0, v3.11.1, v3.11.2, v3.12.5. And I have updated to the latest USB drivers from Samsung.
So my question is this. Has anyone had come across this behavior before? And how can I get past this?
The phones particulars:
Name: Samsung Galaxy Sky
Model #: SM-S320VL(GP)
OS v: 6.0.1
Firmware #: S320VLUDU2APJ3
Model #, as reported by Downloader: SM-S320VL
Note: As a strange side effect of when I flash all 4 rom files. For some reason once the phone has failed the system update, erased and has reboot. I have complete access to the phones User data area from within my computer. But, I am unable to access the phone with adb.

Hey folks,
I'm having the exact same issue as the OP. Odin does a successful install on the phone but I get the unauthorized reset message and then Wifi does not work when prompted on the next screen.
Is there a tracfone version of the rom or a fix that anyone here knows of? Thanks!

@drasnah
I have yet to get any kind of reply from anyone on this. Either now one knows, and is not stating so, or doesn't care.

I have seen the wi- fi fix in another thread.
Modify /system/build.prop:
ro.securestorage.support=true to false
Hope that helps!

20eyes said:
I have seen the wi- fi fix in another thread.
Modify /system/build.prop:
ro.securestorage.support=true to false
Hope that helps!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First this is not a wi-fi problem it is a re-flashing of the rom problem.
Second, I do not have access, root or otherwise, to any of the system files on the phone.
Third, with the first two in mind this possible solution is of no help.
Fourth, Re-read my original post. I have given complete detailed information as to what I have access to and what I have done.

Can someone send me a download think for this phone i downloaded one but it won't flash it keeps failing

This device has been locked down by Tradphone and Samsung. It gives errors flashing even the correct stock firmware. It's a piece of garbage. NEVER buy anything from Tracphone. Garbage company. You'll never fix this issue. Only pushed updates will flash via software from sammy and tracphone that is built into the rom..

Curtis1973 said:
This device has been locked down by Tradphone and Samsung. It gives errors flashing even the correct stock firmware. It's a piece of garbage. NEVER buy anything from Tracphone. Garbage company. You'll never fix this issue. Only pushed updates will flash via software from sammy and tracphone that is built into the rom..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure if that's correct? It depends on the firmware and odin version being used.
---------- Post added at 10:00 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:58 PM ----------
Nate1k904 said:
Can someone send me a download think for this phone i downloaded one but it won't flash it keeps failing
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Post more details on the error, screenshots, firmware and odin version used.

Need to know if works. Or if needing to settle for a different route.
The_WABBIT said:
Here is the issue. A friend of mine had gone a bought a Galaxy Sky SM-S320VL from TracPhone. And had been using the phone without any problems until a couple of weeks ago. Then he decided to do a Factory Reset. Instead of doing the software reset, from with in Settings, he went and did a HARD Reset without unlocking the google account. And guess what, he can't remember the account information for that phone. And came to me to reset the phone. (As I had to deal with this problem in the past with other people and their phones.)
I have downloaded the only stock rom I can find for this phone and flashed it with Odin3. But for some reason the flashing of the rom is never done. By this I mean, the phone downloads the rom as Odin sends it. Odin reports a Success with the flashing. But, when the phone reboots. The system has not been reset and FRP is still active.
I have flashed only the AP, and the phone reboots directly into setup and shows a message about an unauthorized Factory Reset.
I have flash all 4 files in the ROM set (BL, AP, CP, and CSC). and Odin states the flash was a success. The phone reboots, goes to recovery and states Starting System Update. Goes so far into the update, then stops and shows Erasing. After a short time of showing Erasing it reboots to setup. Where again the phone shows the message about authorized Factory Reset.
I have used Odin3 v3.9.0, v3.11.1, v3.11.2, v3.12.5. And I have updated to the latest USB drivers from Samsung.
So my question is this. Has anyone had come across this behavior before? And how can I get past this?
The phones particulars:
Name: Samsung Galaxy Sky
Model #: SM-S320VL(GP)
OS v: 6.0.1
Firmware #: S320VLUDU2APJ3
Model #, as reported by Downloader: SM-S320VL
Note: As a strange side effect of when I flash all 4 rom files. For some reason once the phone has failed the system update, erased and has reboot. I have complete access to the phones User data area from within my computer. But, I am unable to access the phone with adb.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
J3 sm s320vl... tracfone root availability? Just bought phone hopefully got a good one to root? Or maybe someone knows who maybe be able to... please help

No updates? Interested, I have the same phone.

There is no solution for this phone. It will forever be a Trac-phone.
Yes, it nice to imagine what could had been. If there was a fix for the locked bootloader. Its encrypted, and is highly unlikely to be broken by anyone.
Do not flash the boot.image that some people have suggested
Although that method works on some devices such as the AT&T Samsung Galaxy S5. In this case flashing the boot.image from an unlocked device does nothing but places the phone into an even more precarious situation, that makes it unusable even as a Trac phone.
While its true that this very low budget phone could had been decent with a custom Rom ,
You will not be able to get it working.
I have one that belonged to my daughter a couple of years ago and I managed to get it boot into the system again.
Its only function is as a calculator, or preschool game, the cellular reception and Wifi connections are highly unstable and will not stay connected.
Now it serves as my nieces play toy. I would donate to some poor person at the Salvation Army it if it was useable.
By the way, for anyone reading this.
If you have an old phone that is useable. You could dramatically help a Homeless people, by gifting them with a phone especially, if it has some minutes on it.
This gift will help them schedule job interviews, doctors appointments , etc and you will feel good knowing that you helped someone in need.
I have done this before, and will be dropping off a Blu phone, and Kindle Tablet this week.

tsongming said:
There is no solution for this phone. It will forever be a Trac-phone..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is possible to gain root on this device.

ashyx said:
It is possible to gain root on this device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have permissible SE Status but can not achieve root on this device. Also, I have not found that anyone has had success rooting this exact model.
To be clear my device is the 2016 TracFone Samsung Galaxy J3 Sky model : SM-S320VL
Build S320VUDU1APG2
Hardware Version S320 VL04
I have found reports of people with S320VLUDU2API3 stating that the were able to achieve root and then assumed that it must also be possible with S320VUDU1APG2.
I am usually the guy that can figure these things out, very often before others. But I have had no success gaining root on this device using published methods. Also, I have not seen one example of someone with this identical device who gained root.
You are apparently the Wizard of these Samsung phones, so if you know of a definite way to root it, please point me towards the solution. I would really appreciate it.
I would love to root this phone, get it working again, and gift it to lady who was beaten by her husband and she is now living in a homeless shelter with her two children. She could use a phone to help with her job search. She would appreciate it.
At the moment this phone can will not keep a signal and I can't attempt the build prop solution without root.
Thank you.

tsongming said:
I have permissible SE Status but can not achieve root on this device. Also, I have not found that anyone has had success rooting this exact model.
To be clear my device is the 2016 TracFone Samsung Galaxy J3 Sky model : SM-S320VL
Build S320VUDU1APG2
Hardware Version S320 VL04
I have found reports of people with S320VLUDU2API3 stating that the were able to achieve root and then assumed that it must also be possible with S320VUDU1APG2.
I am usually the guy that can figure these things out, very often before others. But I have had no success gaining root on this device using published methods. Also, I have not seen one example of someone with this identical device who gained root.
You are apparently the Wizard of these Samsung phones, so if you know of a definite way to root it, please point me towards the solution. I would really appreciate it.
I would love to root this phone, get it working again, and gift it to lady who was beaten by her husband and she is now living in a homeless shelter with her two children. She could use a phone to help with her job search. She would appreciate it.
At the moment this phone can will not keep a signal and I can't attempt the build prop solution without root.
Thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
See the thread below. Root was gained, albeit temporary. However I believe this is due to kernel panics which may be solved by a few build.prop edits. We had to do the same on the J327T1.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-j3-2016/help/samsung-galaxy-j3-sm-s320vl-rooted-t3561762
Also if you firmware S320VUDU1APG2 then why not just update it to the firmware that has been reported to work?

I have found one these phones left on a table of a food truck area, screen was cracked - the device was only getting the android guy with triangle on it, I done some research and found the stock rom and flashed it with odin; as some have mentioned in comments above I also experienced wifi issue, so I thought I had installed incorrect rom - downloaded a different one this was a combination file that was the factory repair rom used for testing the device, but wifi worked - it wasn't a fully working telephone it didnt have the app store, well it really didnt have any apps, but I found I could copy over apk files from my PC to the device and then install them, so the phones not completely useless or junk --- it could be used for something. I myself am using that device as a security camera using IP CAM app works great. I was actually using this device for quiet some time as my roku tv remote, because my actual roku remote grown legs and walked off... i havent tried this, but I am sure you could install a launcher apk such as "apex launcher"
well i wasted enough of your time today...

New Galaxy Tab S5e user - Not pulling updates

Hi everyone.
I just recently got a used S5e, mostly for the Dex capability. I am a consultant, so sometimes I'm in a location where I need a desktop, but don't always have room for my 15" laptop. I haven't had a Samsung device in years... preferring brands with easy root and a nearly limited skinning (currently, OnePlus devices... basically).
I had kind of resigned myself to not having root on this device, since it is a Samsung, so I was surprised when I came on here to see if anyone else was having the update problem, I found root threads. Currently, my device looks like it's on the May 2019 update (One UI 1.1, Android 9, Build PPR1.180610.011.T720XXU1ASED).
Still trying to resist rooting the device, especially since I saw the no-root debloat thread. But I would like to know how to get this stupid thing updated. From what I've read, it has to do with an XML file containing a Samsung URL that returns a 404 when queried manually. The software updater doesn't reflect that, though... and just says you're up-to-date.
So if I can root this and flash a debloated ROM, that would serve a few purposes. Otherwise, if there's a way to force an OTA (or find it and download it to the SD card), that would be fine, too.
Any advice.

Flapjack said:
Hi everyone.
I just recently got a used S5e, mostly for the Dex capability. I am a consultant, so sometimes I'm in a location where I need a desktop, but don't always have room for my 15" laptop. I haven't had a Samsung device in years... preferring brands with easy root and a nearly limited skinning (currently, OnePlus devices... basically).
I had kind of resigned myself to not having root on this device, since it is a Samsung, so I was surprised when I came on here to see if anyone else was having the update problem, I found root threads. Currently, my device looks like it's on the May 2019 update (One UI 1.1, Android 9, Build PPR1.180610.011.T720XXU1ASED).
Still trying to resist rooting the device, especially since I saw the no-root debloat thread. But I would like to know how to get this stupid thing updated. From what I've read, it has to do with an XML file containing a Samsung URL that returns a 404 when queried manually. The software updater doesn't reflect that, though... and just says you're up-to-date.
So if I can root this and flash a debloated ROM, that would serve a few purposes. Otherwise, if there's a way to force an OTA (or find it and download it to the SD card), that would be fine, too.
Any advice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If I'm understanding you right, you just want an OTA update applied? If that's the case, Frija is what you want to get the latest firmware for your device, and Odin will be your flasher. For stock rom flashes you don't even need an unlocked bootloader, much less root!
There are a ton of guides for Odin available, but still, if you have any questions please post!

Thanks for the reply!
I've used Odin quite a bit in the past, but I do know different situations need different files, so I'll probably do a quick refresher.
As for root, it definitely is a nice-to-have, mostly to remove bloatware, but if the debloat thread here works pretty good (and someone has info on just how much I can remove and keep Dex functionality), I would love to know that as well.

So, I am having a new problem. Using Frija, I downloaded the latest update. However, no matter what I do, I can't get a PC to recognize the tablet in download mode. It just says something about Windows not being able to recognize the device. In Device Manager, it says: "Device descriptor request failed". I've tried with and without the Samsung drivers, with three different USB cables, on two different PCs.
I'm worried that something is physically wrong with the USB port. That doesn't really make sense, though... as it charges fine, and shows up in Windows correctly once it's fully booted to Android.
**EDIT**
False alarm. I needed to press "up" again after getting into download mode and connecting the PC. So odd. It's updating now!