Develop Bugs

[rom] basic stock rom

Here's a basic stock rom in case you need it sometime
the only modifications made are the su and flash_image binaries are included and ro.secure has been turned to 0 so you can adb remount.
How to flash download the rom from here
Place rom on sdcard
wipe data and all else
then flash rom
reboot and do what you need to do

Cool, you never know when you might need this.

Thank you! Appreciated.
Sent from my VM670 using XDA App

Asadullah said:
Here's a basic stock rom in case you need it sometime
the only modifications made are the su and flash_image binaries are included and ro.secure has been turned to 0 so you can adb remount.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How is this comparable to the rom listed here?
bit ly backslash fBEJnU
I want to have a known working recovery before I make any more changes to my phone. I am not exactly a newbie to this stuff (I have a Pandigital Novel that has been rooted and hacked into a nice tablet) but this is taking things to a whole new level for me and I need my phone. So I'm a bit nervous.
Of course I really wish I'd asked around some before I got to work on removing some of the stuff on it already (mostly known junkware from Virgin Mobile and stupid stuff like weblinks pretending to be native apps) after rooting it with superoneclick and installing root explorer. I need to know if your rom or the one I linked to will be able to allow me to roll back to a default installation that I can revert to if there are any issues down the road. Can you help me?
I apologize if this isn't the right place for this question. Thank you for the many mods I have seen you do already. I look forward to trying them once I have a fallback plan.
--bornagainpenguin
PS: I am a new user here so not allowed to post links. I hope you got the idea of where I was trying to point you to.

bornagainpenguin said:
How is this comparable to the rom listed here?
....................................................................................................
PS: I am a new user here so not allowed to post links. I hope you got the idea of where I was trying to point you to.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not actually sure what your talking about but I've posted this on three different sites so far. I do that for the guys that don't go to other forums. There probably isn't any difference in the roms.

Asadullah said:
I'm not actually sure what your talking about but I've posted this on three different sites so far. I do that for the guys that don't go to other forums. There probably isn't any difference in the roms.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm talking about the one by takehull posted on sdx-developers here.
Yours is not exactly stock since you added su and flash_image binaries--or does that really not matter?
Thanks for the reply.
--bornagainpenguin
PS: I appreciate that you try to post your work as far and wide as possible, it made it easier for me to find it.
PPS: Which forum is best to follw for work relating to the LG Optimus V?

For the record, I like it as is.
Saves me the trouble of having to root all over again.
Sent from my VM670 using XDA App

I'm not sure exactly how his is different since I didn't build it. I'm gonna guess and say his probably doesn't have the binaries in it, I'm not sure exactly how his is different since I didn't build it. I'm gonna guess and say that his doesn't have the binaries in it. I don't know. Honestly the only way to know for sure that it's stock rom is to get someone that hasn't rooted yet flash the recovery and get a backup of system. I've been waiting for someone like that to come along but ... It hasn't happened yet.
I won't tell you which forums to watch but I'm partial to xda cuz I been on here since my first android phone and it doesn't have those flash ads that pop up cover your entire screen until you click the x.

Asadullah said:
I'm not sure exactly how his is different since I didn't build it. I'm gonna guess and say that his doesn't have the binaries in it. I don't know.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well upon further re-reading the other thread I saw this posted:
takehull said:
The only modifications this has are the two binaries that you put into /system/bin when you root. You can remove them by using Superoneclick Root and selecting "unroot."
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My only excuse is that it was late when I found the thread and I wasn't reading clearly. Going by that statement his rom and your rom basically seem to be the same things.
Asadullah said:
Honestly the only way to know for sure that it's stock rom is to get someone that hasn't rooted yet flash the recovery and get a backup of system. I've been waiting for someone like that to come along but ... It hasn't happened yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Forgive my ignorance, but isn't rooting actually a requirement of obtaining the backup? Or did I misread the instructions somewhere? It'd be nice if someone at Virgin Mobile were to leak the complete rom somewhere so people had a fall back option besides trying to return the phone as bricked. (If that's even possible?)
Asadullah said:
I won't tell you which forums to watch but I'm partial to xda cuz I been on here since my first android phone and it doesn't have those flash ads that pop up cover your entire screen until you click the x.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like a good reason to pick a forum. Not sure if I'm a member of any places that do that since I run with adblock and noscript enabled most of the time.
Any chance you could link me to written instructions on how to flash the rom you have here? I know you have video tutorials but those are harder to follow for me because I am hard of hearing. Music I can do because it is "beautiful noise" and I can usually find some lyrics to get the words of. Your video HOWTOs are not good for me because I have to strain to hear what is being said.
Thanks again for your time and patience in replying to me.
--bornagainpenguin

Thanks. Dude above me, there is a rom flashing tutorial at prepaidandroids.net. We will help you out there. Its a site that specializes in on the Optimus v itself.
(Optimus V - Contracts Suck)

Thanks for posting this. It just came in handy when I was changing my virgin phone number. Part of the process is dialing ##841446# to bring up the activation menu, but the ## prefix on CM7 does not work, apparently only a stock ROM can do that.

Any way to put it on a phone friendly site? No matter what browser I use on my phone it will not download from google docs.
Sent from my VM670 using Tapatalk

THANKS, this worked perfectly.
It's pretty much as described, a stock Opt V rom, with Super User already set up and installed.
Titanium worked on it no problem as well.

thanks a ton man! i needed to flash back to stock to get my 3G working again. if you flash a custom rom while youre between payments, you know, during down time, you may need to flash back to stock and run the activation app next time you put service on your phone.
worked like a charm. i thought my 3G was broken. im doing a happy dance now!

Anyway I can get a link to the stock rom with all the bloatware removed but not rooted?

DarkLG said:
Anyway I can get a link to the stock rom with all the bloatware removed but not rooted?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tell me what you consider bloatware and ill make it for you.

tvall said:
Tell me what you consider bloatware and ill make it for you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well those apps that come preinstalled like the virgin radio and such .If you could add in the newest market,g+,music I would greatly appreciate it

DarkLG said:
Well those apps that come preinstalled like the virgin radio and such .If you could add in the newest market,g+,music I would greatly appreciate it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Zipping, will flash and test then upload.
Its just de-bloated. Nothing added (yet)
http://db.tt/fsvq1JB6
Haven't tested yet. I'm lazy

tvall said:
Zipping, will flash and test then upload.
Its just de-bloated. Nothing added (yet)
http://db.tt/fsvq1JB6
Haven't tested yet. I'm lazy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
haha let me know normally I would do it myself the whole making and adding but everything java and android based don't woprk o my pc :/

ES file explorer is a great way to remove bloat from your phone

Rooted EVO, want to install Gingerbread... Basic ROM?

Alright, so I have honestly looked every where and read as much as I can.
I have a Rooted EVO with the stock ROM. I really want to update to Gingerbread but am very confused. I do not want to lose my rooted status and I do not want a ROM with a bunch of MODS. I just want a simple stock ROM with Gingerbread and Root access. Is this possible. I am confused by everything I read and do not want to brick my phone.
Will updating my phone with the OTA while Rooted ruin my phone? Will I be able to keep my root status?
Thanks!

everythingtonothing.com said:
Alright, so I have honestly looked every where and read as much as I can.
I have a Rooted EVO with the stock ROM. I really want to update to Gingerbread but am very confused. I do not want to lose my rooted status and I do not want a ROM with a bunch of MODS. I just want a simple stock ROM with Gingerbread and Root access. Is this possible. I am confused by everything I read and do not want to brick my phone.
Will updating my phone with the OTA while Rooted ruin my phone? Will I be able to keep my root status?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol wow dude you're gonna get flammed but ya just download one of the stock roms on here there are about 4 of them posted with the new gb update from sprint. Just download and flash via recovery also update your radio, Wimax, etc its pretty easy
Edit: here's a link to a completely stock gb update
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1038701
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

OMG.....Great Rom..Still has brightness bug though, can you plze fix. Battery life is great.
On a Serious Note: Is The Search button not working?
On a Side Note: The Noob video needs to be played on login to all members that dont have a post count of at least 40. Even if they signed up before the rule.

ThatSmartB0y said:
OMG.....Great Rom..Still has brightness bug though, can you plze fix. Battery life is great.
On a Serious Note: Is The Search button not working?
On a Side Note: The Noob video needs to be played on login to all members that dont have a post count of at least 15. Even if they signed up before the rule.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol ya I felt bad for him so I helped out a little but I really wish people would read
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

There are two different rooted versions (with very minor modifications) of the new stock Gingerbread ROM (anything with the labeled "Sense" is based on HTC's ROM's, though some of them are based on ROM's from other phones), both on the first page of threads in this forum. Look for "4.22.651.2" in the thread subject--and yes, those will keep your phone rooted and S-OFF. I believe there's a third thread with a method of updating without a flash, and yet another with minor modifications to the stock ROM (the Titanium-X ROM).
By contrast, anything that says "AOSP" is based on the Android Open Source Project, and therefore quite different from an HTC ROM, though all functions work on many of them (but there is some debate on how well the various radios work on AOSP ROM's).

Okay maybe I had that coming or maybe I just didn't phrase the question right.
I looked at the page linked above before I posted this and I read it all and still was confused. I guess I am looking for the idiots guide to doing this. I don't feel confident enough on my own.
I DID read, ALOT, and I looked at all the posts that are suggested when posting a new thread.

everythingtonothing.com said:
Okay maybe I had that coming or maybe I just didn't phrase the question right.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They are referring to the fact that this thread is for development only. For future reference you can avoid being flamed by posting in the Q&A section.
Don't worry to much about these guys, they lurk and jump at the chance to show off their supremacy over noobs.
Another word of advice would be to hit the thanks button for mtknife for his helpful and humble response.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

Alright will do!
I thought the Q&A was for other basic questions. My error.

Do you have the latest recovery installed of RA or Clockwork ?

I have clockwork i believe. I just did what I think is a nandroid backup, I went into recovery and did backup.

That's always smart so you are doing good so far. What you want to do now is download the zip file and place it on your SD card. You can download it directly on your phone if its easier for you (wifi recommended). Just follow the link posted by dodgerbluehero above and I would recommend starting with the odexed version.
Now go into recovery and choose flash from zip - then - choose zip on SD card. Navigate to the downloaded file and hit the power button to select it and again to confirm. It can take a few minutes to write the files so just leave it alone. It will tell you when it's done and you can reboot.
These instructions are from my memory but should be pretty close. You would typically want to wipe but the dev says not to worry about it if you are coming from a stock rom.
Give it a shot, you will be fine. Pm me if you have any questions because the mods will probably close this thread soon. Good luck!
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

what confuses me is where it says "firmware". Do I still have to install that or just the ROM??

The firmware is optional. You can install the rom and then decide if you want to flash the radio as well afterwards.
After you flash, the first boot sometimes takes a little while. Just let it do it's thing. You will be happily surprised how easy this actually is to do.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

but what benefit does it have? is the radio i have not as good?

Some people get better results with signal/3g speeds/wimax. The consensus seems to be that it varies by phone and area.
You can flash the rom without also flashing the radio and be just fine. Stop worrying and take the leap.
On the other hand this may not be for you.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

Well I appreciate the time you spent explaining it. I just don't have the money to buy a new phone if I brick it. I rooted my phone on my own but never did any rom updates. I am going to try it once it downloads. Thank you again.

Oh one more thing, be sure that your phone has plenty of charge to make it through the flash and restart or that could lead to bricking your phone.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

augy said:
Oh one more thing, be sure that your phone has plenty of charge to make it through the flash and restart or that could lead to bricking your phone.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed, at this point in the game, that's about the only way to brick your phone. It's one of my personal favorite little jokes when clockworkmod asks me are you sure? This cannot be undone! Darn near everything can be fixed thanks to this awesome community!

Root
Thanks to everyone for keeping this going it has helped me so much. One quick question I have installed the ROM and the firmware but I see in the apps things like the blockbuster app and wanted to remove it. I cant seem to uninstall it so I thought it wasn't rooted properly. I tried using Unrevoked3 on it but it failed stating
Error: failed to get root. Is your firmware too new?
am I forgetting something simple or do I have to try and downgrade the firmware?
Thanks,

dmort said:
Thanks to everyone for keeping this going it has helped me so much. One quick question I have installed the ROM and the firmware but I see in the apps things like the blockbuster app and wanted to remove it. I cant seem to uninstall it so I thought it wasn't rooted properly. I tried using Unrevoked3 on it but it failed stating
Error: failed to get root. Is your firmware too new?
am I forgetting something simple or do I have to try and downgrade the firmware?
Thanks,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think I recall seeing something about that error on the unrevoked website. I'm out and about right now but I'll check on it when I get home, but in the meantime if you wanna do some digging, I'd start there

[Q] Rooting, Roms and.. how to "avoid voiding my warranty?"

Information about my phone:
Bought my Phone Nov. 26th
SGH-T989
Android 2.3.5
Baseband Version - T989UVKID
Kernel version - 2.6.35.11
Build Number - Gingerbread.UVKID
Hello fellow sgs2 users and xda members.
After searching google and the XDA forums it would appear that rooting my phone is going to void the warranty, unless I can find a stock rom...
A few questions:
1. Is the above statement true or can I root my phone and install custom rom's without voiding the warranty?
2. Many of the sites / posts I found were not specific about the type of warranty - whether it be manufacturer or t-mobile. Can anyone shed some light on this?
3. Is there a place I can find a stock rom backup? I found an OP post in the dev forums, but the link is broken. EDIT: I found all the files for the stock restoration process here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1321811&highlight=stock+rom+void+warranty
At this point the answer to these questions are the only thing I'm waiting for before I root my phone.
My primary motivations for rooting and installing a custom rom (by priority/importance):
1. Getting rid of CIQ
2. Removing carrier programs and customizations
3. Improving performance
Perhaps one of you overachievers can recommend a set of steps to follow. I've read through several rooting guides, and the "what's the best rom" thread. I'm starting to feel a bit overwhelmed, but will continue reading.
p.s.
This was the only thread I found in the t-mobile samsung galaxy s II sgh-t989 forum with the keyword "warranty" - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1385170&highlight=warranty perhaps I'm not searching properly?

Look at the thread like 2 above this one. It has all the answers. Here, let me help you.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1385938
Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk

Thanks mikeyinid.
I'm having trouble getting the superuser.zip (su-3.0.5-efgh-signed.zip) installed. After installing it using CWM, I boot up the phone but superuser is nowhere to be found in my apps list, and ROM Manager doesn't work because it says it can't find superuser.... sigh...
A couple of things that the instructions from many rooting guides that I found were necessary and/or helpful:
When you need to power up into CWM: make sure you unplug the USB before you do it. All you have to do is hold down the volume keys and the power button at the same time until you feel the phone vibrate, or you see the samsung logo appear.

Okay here is the main answer you need: Yes, rooting your phone voids your warranty. Period. Some of us (myself included) go into all of this rooting stuff knowing that doing so means we're on our own. Some do it thinking they can game the system if/when **** goes down, and some don't know the risks at all.
Even though I have never nor would never think that someone owes me a new phone when I screwed it up (save for on my epic 4G because you needed to root to get usable GPS and that is pathetic) there is one way to guarantee that you'll be safe: buy the phone from bestbuy and get their insurance. It covers "accidental" damage meaning if it got bricked you could simply "accidentally" drop it down a few flights of stairs and when it is subsequently destroyed you get a new device. That and that alone is the only sure fire way to keep your device safe.
Sent from my Hercules with xda Premium.

sethbw said:
Thanks mikeyinid. I've moved forward to the process of rooting, but I'm having an issue with getting to the CMW recovery menu. When I take out my batter and put it back in.. I hold down the volume up and volume down buttons, and the power button for 2 seconds, but it takes me to the Warning! screen over again... what am I doing wrong?
Am I supposed to hold down the volume keys and the power button at the same time or separately? So confused
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you flash cwm in Odin?
Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk

Thanks guys, I need help.
I go to cwm and install from zip (from my external SD) and select su-3.0.5-efgh-signed.zip
From there I get the following error:
E:Error in/sdcard/su-3.0.5-efgh-signed.zip
(status 0)
Installation aborted
I was told this is not a problem, so I reboot my phone from the cwm menu. No superuser in my apps list, ROM Manager does not work.

mikeyinid said:
Did you flash cwm in Odin?
Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry that was an old post I was in the middle of editing it when you replied! I did use Odin.
I was able to get into CWM no problems after I removed the usb cable.
My problem now is that it wont take the superuser install from CWM. No idea what could have gone wrong...

kenvan19 said:
Okay here is the main answer you need: Yes, rooting your phone voids your warranty. Period. Some of us (myself included) go into all of this rooting stuff knowing that doing so means we're on our own. Some do it thinking they can game the system if/when **** goes down, and some don't know the risks at all.
Even though I have never nor would never think that someone owes me a new phone when I screwed it up (save for on my epic 4G because you needed to root to get usable GPS and that is pathetic) there is one way to guarantee that you'll be safe: buy the phone from bestbuy and get their insurance. It covers "accidental" damage meaning if it got bricked you could simply "accidentally" drop it down a few flights of stairs and when it is subsequently destroyed you get a new device. That and that alone is the only sure fire way to keep your device safe.
Sent from my Hercules with xda Premium.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Would you consider removal of CIQ a solid reason?

How about try to root using superoneclick method.
Look in the sticky "[ INDEX ] .☆.☆.☆. SEARCH HERE 1st .☆.☆.☆. most wanted topics, FAQ" of this forum, there is a link for Root via superoneclick v2.2 in that thread.

sethbw said:
Sorry that was an old post I was in the middle of editing it when you replied! I did use Odin.
I was able to get into CWM no problems after I removed the usb cable.
My problem now is that it wont take the superuser install from CWM. No idea what could have gone wrong...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
just keep flashing it til you dont get an error. sometimes it takes 3 or 4 times.

Allright that appears to have worked Mikey. Rebooting now...

sethbw said:
Allright that appears to have worked Mikey. Rebooting now...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Next you should flash Juggernaut and the ics theme. Sick as hell
Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk

Thanks Already downloading J 3.7 - is this the version you recommend?

sethbw said:
Thanks Already downloading J 3.7 - is this the version you recommend?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i think the theme is only updated through 3.69 but i think it will work on 3.7 also

Waiting 10 minutes after reboot, 7 minutes to go... then another reboot.. and then I guess I'm done! Although I have a feeling I will need to verify that my network settings and connections all work... Very excited =-]

sethbw said:
Waiting 10 minutes after reboot, 7 minutes to go... then another reboot.. and then I guess I'm done! Although I have a feeling I will need to verify that my network settings and connections all work... Very excited =-]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
youll be fine, juggernaut works very well.

Its really very early and i'm not sure that its worth the risk at this point. Everything is pretty early in development and if you are inexperienced the odds of getting your phone messed up or even bricked are very high. You MIGHT be able to cover up the evidence that you rooted but if you can do that much than your phone probably isn't bricked anyways. It's also fraud.
Like another poster said, get insurance if you just have to do this, but personally I really recommend waiting until the pros have it worked out and there's something really worth rooting for. I HATE CIQ just as much as the next guy but i'm waiting for a good ICS build before I root. I've lost too many phones to accidental physical damage to lose another to this.
Good luck.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium

[GUIDE] Welcome to the Epic 4g Touch

****Seems like we're getting alot of new users thanks to the price cut on our phones, and while we have an amazing amount of information available it seems that it's overwhelming for new users and they end up posting questions that are answered already in stickies, etc, just because they don't know where to start, hopefully this guide will cut down on that.... please feel free to suggest things that should be added or any changes I should make to make this better and more complete, or if you think this is redundant and a waste of time feel free to flame me, you won't hurt my feelings, just trying to give back to the community, make things easier for new users, and cut down on "how do i..." posts that have been answered elsewhere...thanks!****
Welcome To the Epic 4g Touch
As a new user its probably overwhelming trying to figure out where to start since this is a relativity mature device, most of the existing users are well versed in the more basic tasks, and we have SO MUCH info all over the boards here, this guide should help you get started....
1. The 1st thing you'll probably want to do is root. If you're coming from an HTC device or are new to android you're probably not familiar with Odin. Odin is Samsung's in house recovery tool that leaked a few years ago. It lets you flash rom's via usb connected to a PC. Odin is PC only, if you use linux or mac the easiest way to get root would be to use a PC, however there is a cross platform tool, Heimdall, that allows you to flash on OSX/Linux... Going forward in this guide though I will only be referring to using 1-click Odin's on PC's as i feel this is what the vast majority of people will be using...
- You'll want to first go to Sfhub's stickied thread in the dev section, Sfhub has been kind enough to make rooted 1 click Odin images for us, so especially if you're coming from a HTC device you'll be amazed how easy these phones are to root...(found here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1342728)
- As of today (07/09/12) if you buy an E4GT it'll come with the EL29 gingerbread system, this ( http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1433101 ) is the appropriate Odin 1 Click for you to get root, again, thanks Sfhub
7/12/12 edit: Sprint is pushing the OTA to ICS as of today. It is build FF18, the rooted odin one click can be found in yet another thread by Sfhub here ( http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1721229)... as the emmc bug seems not to have been addressed in the kernel I will leave the rest of the post unaltered for now until most roms have been updated to a kernel built from source with the code that triggers the bug removed. Until then, as stated later, some ICS recoveries are considered safe (Agats), but it never hurts to take a few extra minuets when flashing to totally avoid the risk of bricking
7/26/12 EDIT:
ICS flashing is now safe AS LONG AS YOU ARE ON ONE OF AGAT63 OR chris41g's SAFE KERNELS, these are built from source and have the offending mmc_cap_erase code removed/disabled. The kernel repo is found here (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1662295) you can mobileODIN the tar's or flash the zip's via cwm
- You can refer to Garwynn's Official ICS OTA update thread for more information on the update (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1765953)
-After running the 1 Click Odin for your device you'll want to go back to the main thread ( http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1342728 ) and download the auto root tool and choose option C to install Clockworkmod recovery- a custom recovery that will allow you to flash roms and make nandroid backups- on your phone. Dev VeNuM has posted a very detailed guide explaining what clockworkmod is and how to use it, which is stickied and can be found here ( http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1587607 )
- I'm not providing detailed instructions as those are included in the linked to threads... should you find the directions difficult to follow user qbking77 has made really great informative videos, linked to in the directions, detailing the aforementioned processes that should help clarify things further for you.
2. You now have a rooted gingerbread system with custom recovery. You can safely flash any Gingerbread roms from recovery, following the directions posted with the rom of your choice. If you want to flash ICS roms however, you have some more reading to do, as this phone can be bricked if you do not follow directions....
- The Epic 4g Touch has a bug in it's emmc controller that can cause the /data partition to become inaccessible/unrecoverable sometimes thanks to the wipe process when flashing from ICS recoveries... DO NOT FLASH FROM ICS RECOVERIES!!!! (7/26/12 edit: OLD, you can now flash from ICS as long as you are on a safe kernel, safe kernels can be found in the repo linked to earlier this post)
7/11/12 edit: In the FF18 source Garwynn has confirmed the presence of the offending code that triggers the emmc bug (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=28609341&postcount=32) meaning that it will eventually be safe to flash from ICS as long as the offending code is removed by the dev of the kernel/rom...
- Please see this (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1525495) thread by xST4T1K which details how NOT to brick your device... It is slightly out of date but still very relevant... if you want a more technical understanding of what this emmc bug is and why this is happening you can see Sfhub's thread in general related to it (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1644364 ). The OP contains all of the information that our users have been able to figure out about this bug... Be sure to thank these people, as their hard work has made it exponentially safer for all of us to flash ICS roms on our phones...
-Every ICS rom will have a flashing guide in it's dev thread, its HIGHLY suggested you read and reread the guide for the rom you want to flash and follow it EXACTLY, taking the extra time upfront to fully understand what you're about to do will save you alot of trouble going forward.
-Put simply though you will always want to ODIN or Mobile ODIN (mobile Odin is an app made by the dev chainfire, available in the play store, that allows you to preform Odin flashes from your phone without using a PC) the el26 Gingerbread kernel/recovery and flash any ICS roms from that. NEVER FLASH FROM AN ICS RECOVERY, THAT IS HOW BRICKS ARE MADE!!!! Also do NOT use Rom Manager or Touch recovery!!!! (7/26/12 edit: also now outdated, as long as you are on a safe kernel you can just flash via cwm in ICS, no need to ODIN back to EL26)
3. Additional Information...
-modems, there are a variety of modems available for the E4GT, and all can be found in the modem repo ( http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1764210 ). Every phone responds differently to different modems and you may want to try some new ones if you are dissatisfied with the current one you have.
- Jelly Bean... Please do not post asking "Is Jelly Bean available for this phone!1!!!!!" / "when i get jellybean!!!1!!11!!"... we have some awesome dev's for this and there are quite a few working on it currently. It is currently booting with some issues, but should be ready to use as a daily in the coming weeks. DO NOT post asking where to find current builds, dev's will post in the development section once they feel its ready for release, same goes for CM10
- qbking77 has posted videos of reviews and install guides for most of the roms around here. If you find the install directions confusing watch the appropriate video and see if that helps you at all, he does a very good job of walking you through it... Also his reviews are quite helpful as well if you're not sure if you want to flash or not... Please consult these as opposed to starting a thread asking "should i flash XXXX?? is it good?" these things are a matter of personal preference... Also pretty much everything around here these days is good enough to use as a daily driver, all roms will have a working/not working section... refer to that, if everything you use is marked as working and the rom is not labeled "alpha build HIGHLY unstable, etc..." chances are it'll work for you well day to day and does not warrant starting a thread asking if its good enough to use as a daily driver...
- Stock roms/stock leaks are labeled as EL29, FF18, etc... all this represents is the date Samsung compiled the rom... the 1st letter represents the year (E=2011 F=2012) and the second represents the month (January=A all the way through December=L) and the number is the date. Modems follow the same naming scheme. The modems available are not limited to the "matching" rom in any way, ANY modem can be used with ANY rom (thanks to kingdazy for clarification on how the Samsung naming scheme works!)
7/26/12 EDIT:
It's been brought to my attention that we have a lot of people posting asking how to return to stock GB for whatever reason... all that you need to do is ODIN EL29, sfhub's one-click can be found here, its all you need ( http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1433101 )
Also if you took the OTA and want root you can just ODIN the FF18 rooted one-click, found here ( http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1721229 )
IF you need to get rid of the yellow triangle on the bootscreen in order to return your phone to sprint/it annoys you or whatever you need to download chainfire's app "triangle away" from the play store, its requires ICS and its like $1.99, buy it even if you don't need it, dude deserves the money for his awesome work on android devices... If you're still on GB you'll need a usb jig
~I will be adding more info to this over the next few days, but I figured this was enough to get started on, again any suggestions or additions are welcome and encouraged! the easier we make it for new users to get started the fewer times we'll all have to answer the same questions over and over again... If i referred to your work without crediting it I assure you it was accidental and if you notify me of my mistake I will make sure to edit the post accordingly to credit you, again thanks for any input!~

will be editing this to bring it current and for style this weekend, overdue for an update

This is very nice.. I wish I read something like this when I first got my phone months back, I had to take pieces of information from "here and there" and put it all together.. It can be overwhelming but it's not impossible to the new users

MiguelHogue said:
This is very nice.. I wish I read something like this when I first got my phone months back, I had to take pieces of information from "here and there" and put it all together.. It can be overwhelming but it's not impossible to the new users
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks for your input! i'd actually thank you but have used up my 8 already today! I thought this would be useful as I've been seeing a lot of the same questions all over the place recently which are already answered in various threads, and there are some really good highly detailed guides out there as well, but we're kind of lacking in something that brings them all together in a noob friendly manner, like if you've never had a Samsung phone before its not immediately obvious that you need to start with sfhub's Odin thread since you're all like WTF is a ODIN?!? same with is it safe to flash xxxx from xxxx... those of us that have been around know the drill by now, and i guess it is kind of elaborate vs flashing on most phones, but its bothersome to have to reply to the same question over and over again, so hopefully this helps make it easier... like i said i will continue to add to this and welcome suggestions, again thanks for your input!

Thank you for this excellent guide. I'm a dev coming from the 3D and was about as lost as one can be, and this was a massive help to me. I appreciate it. :good:

No problem man, that's why I took the time to write it, have fun with the phone, its awesome... jet life till the next life
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda app-developers app

great post, OP!
perhaps you might consider a concise explanation of build designations/dates (fdxx ffxx, ect) vs modem, and how they are related but not exclusive?
i struggled with that my first few days...

kingdazy said:
great post, OP!
perhaps you might consider a concise explanation of build designations/dates (fdxx ffxx, ect) vs modem, and how they are related but not exclusive?
i struggled with that my first few days...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will edit to add that in later today, thanks for the suggestion!

cp320703 said:
No problem man, that's why I took the time to write it, have fun with the phone, its awesome... jet life till the next life
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You already know man.

Outstanding write up cp320703 !

Thanks to everyone on this site, all guides were done so well I didn't have any questions and I rooted my phone and installed a custom rom and modem very easily. Thanks to all who made this possible. I was tired of waiting for ICS from sprint, so thank you all very much.

Rafter_Man said:
Thanks to everyone on this site, all guides were done so well I didn't have any questions and I rooted my phone and installed a custom rom and modem very easily. Thanks to all who made this possible. I was tired of waiting for ICS from sprint, so thank you all very much.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks op.

Thanks for this guide, it has been really helpful. I have had htc phones before, but this is my first Samsung. Just a little bit different.

Great guide, I'm coming over from my evo 4g and was a little worried about rooting my touch. This guide takes away the doubt I had.
Sent from my PC36100 using xda premium

thanks
BigSmoke53 said:
Great guide, I'm coming over from my evo 4g and was a little worried about rooting my touch. This guide takes away the doubt I had.
Sent from my PC36100 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks for your guide and information; already I do some of the tested Roms and every I test i love it
---------- Post added at 12:47 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:42 AM ----------
thanks for your guide and information; already I do some of the tested Roms and every I test i love it

Thanks my friend sextape recommended me this place as soon as I got the Epic ..

labelexpired said:
Thanks my friend sextape recommended me this place as soon as I got the Epic ..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah I See You Finally Came Thru Here Glad To See Ya, People On This Forum Are Great Dude!

Okay, first off thanks for the guide. However for some of us senior posters coming from HTC phones there still could be a clearer clarifications.
You say dont flash from ICS recoveries. That is confusing some of us that are not rookies. I understand much different then HTC phones Samsung has the recovery in the kernal. So are you saying not to flash from the built in phone recovery to another ICS build?
From what I gather and please correct me if I am wrong. If you have a custom agat kernal from 2.1 up you can flash betweeen FF!8 official rom or from custom rom to rom as long as you use ODIN to do it? Or is is ODIN MOBILE only do do it as long as you dont attempt thru stock recovery?
How about if your on stock FF18 kernal. Can you still use ODIN safely to go from ICS rom to rom? Should you always use either SFHUBS or Caulikins format program first?
Sorry to sound stupid but the verbage is new to some of us from other phones.
Thanks a bunch!

iceshark said:
Okay, first off thanks for the guide. However for some of us senior posters coming from HTC phones there still could be a clearer clarifications.
You say dont flash from ICS recoveries. That is confusing some of us that are not rookies. I understand much different then HTC phones Samsung has the recovery in the kernal. So are you saying not to flash from the built in phone recovery to another ICS build?
From what I gather and please correct me if I am wrong. If you have a custom agat kernal from 2.1 up you can flash betweeen FF!8 official rom or from custom rom to rom as long as you use ODIN to do it? Or is is ODIN MOBILE only do do it as long as you dont attempt thru stock recovery?
How about if your on stock FF18 kernal. Can you still use ODIN safely to go from ICS rom to rom? Should you always use either SFHUBS or Caulikins format program first?
Sorry to sound stupid but the verbage is new to some of us from other phones.
Thanks a bunch!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sorry just saw this post, ODIN is always safe, and now that the emmc bug is understood most all of the kernels in the repo are safe as well, a bit of code just needed removed from stock to make them so. Odin and cwm are two means to the same end for the most part, however outside of official leaks you won't really be flashing roms via ODIN. Basically if you are on stock ff18 rooted you would want to ODIN a safe kernel, then you would be good to flash roms via cwm going forward
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda app-developers app

cp320703 said:
sorry just saw this post, ODIN is always safe, and now that the emmc bug is understood most all of the kernels in the repo are safe as well, a bit of code just needed removed from stock to make them so. Odin and cwm are two means to the same end for the most part, however outside of official leaks you won't really be flashing roms via ODIN. Basically if you are on stock ff18 rooted you would want to ODIN a safe kernel, then you would be good to flash roms via cwm going forward
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That perfect! Thanks for clarification on this. I am sure others wondered the same.. Now if there was just a nice Vanilla stock type tweaked non theamed ICS rom I would jump in. I will however ODIN Agats 2.3 to be ready! You rock!

New to Rooting.

I've been rooting since OG Evo days, but only played with that, the s2, and s3. Rooting was easy as pie. But with all this knox stuff I'm wary.
I recently read reports of people sending in their phones to both Samsung and tmobile and getting it back with knox restored but still maintaining sim unlocks. So obviously it's a well kept firmware they flash or perhaps signatures.
This in mind I used kingoapp, and root was easy. Just decline the recovery install and you'll maintain 0x0. But after this new information I'm still worried to trip knox for fear those restores we're just a fluke.
Anybody have luck with safestrap? I heard/read it doesn't replace recovery so it also won't trip knox? Also, as long as I don't flash kernels or recovery I'll be good right? Like i can delete bloat or install at root level to /system and I'll be fine?
Sent from my SM-N900T using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

Naturesretard said:
I've been rooting since OG Evo days, but only played with that, the s2, and s3. Rooting was easy as pie. But with all this knox stuff I'm wary.
I recently read reports of people sending in their phones to both Samsung and tmobile and getting it back with knox restored but still maintaining sim unlocks. So obviously it's a well kept firmware they flash or perhaps signatures.
This in mind I used kingoapp, and root was easy. Just decline the recovery install and you'll maintain 0x0. But after this new information I'm still worried to trip knox for fear those restores we're just a fluke.
Anybody have luck with safestrap? Also, as long as I don't flash kernels or recovery I'll be good right? Like i can delete bloat or install at root level to /system and I'll be fine?
Sent from my SM-N900T using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As long as you just root it nothing happens system will be fine .... Plssss hit thanksss.....
Sent from my HTC Desire C using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

pvinayraju2k4 said:
As long as you just root it nothing happens system will be fine .... Plssss hit thanksss.....
Sent from my HTC Desire C using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the info. However in the future there's no need to request we thank. I've learned most people here on xda thank quite often, myself included.
Sent from my SM-N900T using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

Naturesretard said:
Thanks for the info. However in the future there's no need to request we thank. I've learned most people here on xda thank quite often, myself included.
Sent from my SM-N900T using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First off, the above poster is wrong... can't believe he asks for a thank. When you install a custom recovery, that is when you trip Knox. There a method to install a custom ROM w/o a recovery using Mobile Odin Pro. I know nothing about that but have read here that it works. You just can't flash custom kernel. I went ahead and flash a custom recovery because I don't care about Knox and will never send this phone to Samsung for warranty repair.

asianflavor said:
First off, the above poster is wrong... can't believe he asks for a thank. When you install a custom recovery, that is when you trip Knox. There a method to install a custom ROM w/o a recovery using Mobile Odin Pro. I know nothing about that but have read here that it works. You just can't flash custom kernel. I went ahead and flash a custom recovery because I don't care about Knox and will never send this phone to Samsung for warranty repair.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just the fact most of us have insurance plans; if we discover a problem such as faulty gps or screen displacement, etc, tmobile fixes it for us anyway, right?
So it really doesn't matter if we trip knox, correct???
Sent from my SM-N900T using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

Naturesretard said:
Just the fact most of us have insurance plans; if we discover a problem such as faulty gps or screen displacement, etc, tmobile fixes it for us anyway, right?
So it really doesn't matter if we trip knox, correct???
Sent from my SM-N900T using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From everything I read, yes.
Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk

asianflavor said:
First off, the above poster is wrong...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He's not wrong. There are a couple different methods of rooting that don't require a custom recovery, therefore don't trip Knox.
Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk

asianflavor said:
From everything I read, yes.
Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess I shouldn't bother with safestrap then. Was planning on trying to pay off the note 3 and keep it anyway instead of jumping again this year.
Either way it won't matter...until I do eventually get a new handset but even then I know enough about rooting I shouldn't need to repair this one once paid off and detached from my account.
my next question is then should I TWRP or cwm? I tried CWM for the first time since gingerbread on my s3 and fell in love with it
Sent from my SM-N900T using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

Hey Nature! just wanted to add my 0.02, ok theres a difference between rooting, and a difference between flashing recoveries,kernels,roms,and what have you.
ill give a brief explanation in the differences. The Colors of the titles indicate how safe/dangerous it is to modify one of these things and wether it will void your warranty, Green=Wont void your warranty, and easily reversible. Orange=Void Warranty, Reversible, But starting to get Dangerous, Red=Definitely VVoids Warranty, and if screwed up, could ruin/brick your devvice Definitely Voids Warranty, and if screwed up, could ruin/brick your devvice
Rooting: When you are rooting your device, you are basically forcing your stock version of android to allow you (the user) root access, therefore allowing you to bypass/allow signature verification for apps, now this could be anything from homebrew apps that you are making yourself...to the naughty pirated apps, and i dont encourage the latter. By giving yourself root access to your phone, your allowing the next to happen:
Flashing a Custom Recovery: Ok ill explain this as simple as i can...Mostly all if not ALL android phones have a stock recovery, this is a safeguard in case some kind of software fault happened in the phone(stock software fault or what have you). Flashing a custom recovery would be your next step after Rooting a device (IF) you want to go further than apps, meaning Kernels, Roms etc. Now the reason you must Root your device in order to install a custom recovery, is because like explained above signature verification....Now this is when you begin to tread in warranty territory, once flashing a custom recovery...your warranty has become VOID, however what the custom recovery allows you to do is a multitude of things, but the most major is Flashing .ZIP files, which most roms are in the form of, now not only Roms are in ZIP files, so are kernels,mods,baseband firmwares, etc, with that being said, different phones/devices use different methods of flashing roms, lets say for example you somehow screwed something up on a samsung really bad, and it wont boot, however, you can still get into download mode...then you're safe, because samsung uses Odin to flash the entire phone back to stock meaning Recovery/aBoot/Data/System and bring you right back, but if you hard brick it, theres only 3 ways out from that...and they all suck....number one, is call me and send it to me to Jtag it for you ..but it takes long and its not that cheap, #2, Desolder the chip (whichever it is on the device that has caused the problem) and replace it...and thats not an easy task at all, ive done it once to an S3 successfully, after that i never wanted to do it again, and this was back when they were really expensive, and lastly....#3.....and this one is the worse....go buy a new one SO BE CAREFUL!
ROMS: So now that we have a custom recovery, a rom is basically a heavily modified version of Android! and let me tell ya, i love them...i love so many of them, there are sooo many different things that you can do with roms, but the most desired from what ive gathered, is so people can remove the bloatware that comes with their phone when they buy it from the carrier/manufacturer. Thats not all tho, there is way too much to get into, but some roms allow you to Overclock your phones CPU/GPU, and change the Behaviors of the phones hardware, and the major component in roms that allows that is the Kernel.
Kernel: Now dont totally quote me here, im still learning kernels, but a kernel is basically the binary software in the phone, almost like a bios that when modified from stock, changes the behavior of the MOST of the hardware, not all. Now i could be wrong and anyone please feel free to correct me, now i do want to give you a shot of my own advice here...if you dont know what you are doing, kernels are dangerous to a noobie..before i started messing with roms and kernels, i tried to get the best understanding i could, and ill be honest with you, i blew up a couple S3's doing so. but im still learning. so if you're unweary or still not educated enough in the hobby to get too it, please read more up on it, because as none of these guys here that are devs nor people like myself that are trying to help intend to destroy your device on you, so please be careful for your own device's safety, and to save yourself money and a broken heart.
Knox: Ok now correct me if im wrong here, because im still learning as this is new to me, i only saw it on the MJA bootloader on the S4 on Jellybean from Sprint when they first OTA'd it, but knox looks to be Samsungs pathetic try of not lettings us Access the devices binary software, like an encryption, or to only let us access and modify certain things, also samsung has added a flash counter, which will tell them how many times you have flashed a new rom, however there are ways around these things, google and the search bar are you best friends to start, and we can help too.
I Hope this helped and shed some light on some information, and please if anyone has anything to add or to correct me if im wrong anywhere please do so ^_^
P.S. To be totally honest, theres always a way to restore your device and even get the flash counter back to 0 again and put everything back to normal, if an experienced tech looks at it and puts it in download mode unless all is restored, hell be able to see everything, but honestly, if you pay off the phone, you havve nothing to worry about, but then again, i dont care much for warranties, so it all depends on how savvy with fixing problems when they go wrong, but if you ever need i can help you, im pretty experienced when it comes to everything but developing atm, i was a microelectronics major in college, so my expertise is mainly in hardware i.e. if you hard/soft brick the devvice i can usually get it out of that.
please excuse my typing, i type extremely fast, and i have a mechanical keyboard and i think some lettings are startings to give way such as the V key.
---------- Post added at 01:45 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:29 AM ----------
Naturesretard said:
I guess I shouldn't bother with safestrap then. Was planning on trying to pay off the note 3 and keep it anyway instead of jumping again this year.
Either way it won't matter...until I do eventually get a new handset but even then I know enough about rooting I shouldn't need to repair this one once paid off and detached from my account.
my next question is then should I TWRP or cwm? I tried CWM for the first time since gingerbread on my s3 and fell in love with it
Sent from my SM-N900T using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh and please i Highly suggest using Philz Touch!
Code:
http://goo.im/devs/philz_touch/CWM_Advanced_Edition/hltetmo
Thats for the HLTETMO version, which is our versions in this forum, all credit to phil ofcourse, it is basically CWM, but so much more user friendly and advanced with much more options, there are two files there, you obviously want the latest version, and there are two ways to do it, if you download the tar.md5 you must use Odin, and put your phone in download/odin mode, very easily done (turn it off unplug usb and press Home+Vol Dwn+Pwr) then once the screen pops up press Vol Up and then plug the USB in, and follow the instructions of w/e tutorial you are ready, but be very careful in odin mode, if you disturb the phone while its flashing you will most likely brick it, and the .zip is considering you already have a custom recovery and you can just flash it through there.

MasterSe7en said:
Hey Nature! just wanted to add my 0.02, ok theres a difference between rooting, and a difference between flashing recoveries,kernels,roms,and what have you.
ill give a brief explanation in the differences. The Colors of the titles indicate how safe/dangerous it is to modify one of these things and wether it will void your warranty, Green=Wont void your warranty, and easily reversible. Orange=Void Warranty, Reversible, But starting to get Dangerous, Red=Definitely VVoids Warranty, and if screwed up, could ruin/brick your devvice Definitely Voids Warranty, and if screwed up, could ruin/brick your devvice
Rooting: When you are rooting your device, you are basically forcing your stock version of android to allow you (the user) root access, therefore allowing you to bypass/allow signature verification for apps, now this could be anything from homebrew apps that you are making yourself...to the naughty pirated apps, and i dont encourage the latter. By giving yourself root access to your phone, your allowing the next to happen:
Flashing a Custom Recovery: Ok ill explain this as simple as i can...Mostly all if not ALL android phones have a stock recovery, this is a safeguard in case some kind of software fault happened in the phone(stock software fault or what have you). Flashing a custom recovery would be your next step after Rooting a device (IF) you want to go further than apps, meaning Kernels, Roms etc. Now the reason you must Root your device in order to install a custom recovery, is because like explained above signature verification....Now this is when you begin to tread in warranty territory, once flashing a custom recovery...your warranty has become VOID, however what the custom recovery allows you to do is a multitude of things, but the most major is Flashing .ZIP files, which most roms are in the form of, now not only Roms are in ZIP files, so are kernels,mods,baseband firmwares, etc, with that being said, different phones/devices use different methods of flashing roms, lets say for example you somehow screwed something up on a samsung really bad, and it wont boot, however, you can still get into download mode...then you're safe, because samsung uses Odin to flash the entire phone back to stock meaning Recovery/aBoot/Data/System and bring you right back, but if you hard brick it, theres only 3 ways out from that...and they all suck....number one, is call me and send it to me to Jtag it for you ..but it takes long and its not that cheap, #2, Desolder the chip (whichever it is on the device that has caused the problem) and replace it...and thats not an easy task at all, ive done it once to an S3 successfully, after that i never wanted to do it again, and this was back when they were really expensive, and lastly....#3.....and this one is the worse....go buy a new one SO BE CAREFUL!
ROMS: So now that we have a custom recovery, a rom is basically a heavily modified version of Android! and let me tell ya, i love them...i love so many of them, there are sooo many different things that you can do with roms, but the most desired from what ive gathered, is so people can remove the bloatware that comes with their phone when they buy it from the carrier/manufacturer. Thats not all tho, there is way too much to get into, but some roms allow you to Overclock your phones CPU/GPU, and change the Behaviors of the phones hardware, and the major component in roms that allows that is the Kernel.
Kernel: Now dont totally quote me here, im still learning kernels, but a kernel is basically the binary software in the phone, almost like a bios that when modified from stock, changes the behavior of the MOST of the hardware, not all. Now i could be wrong and anyone please feel free to correct me, now i do want to give you a shot of my own advice here...if you dont know what you are doing, kernels are dangerous to a noobie..before i started messing with roms and kernels, i tried to get the best understanding i could, and ill be honest with you, i blew up a couple S3's doing so. but im still learning. so if you're unweary or still not educated enough in the hobby to get too it, please read more up on it, because as none of these guys here that are devs nor people like myself that are trying to help intend to destroy your device on you, so please be careful for your own device's safety, and to save yourself money and a broken heart.
Knox: Ok now correct me if im wrong here, because im still learning as this is new to me, i only saw it on the MJA bootloader on the S4 on Jellybean from Sprint when they first OTA'd it, but knox looks to be Samsungs pathetic try of not lettings us Access the devices binary software, like an encryption, or to only let us access and modify certain things, also samsung has added a flash counter, which will tell them how many times you have flashed a new rom, however there are ways around these things, google and the search bar are you best friends to start, and we can help too.
I Hope this helped and shed some light on some information, and please if anyone has anything to add or to correct me if im wrong anywhere please do so ^_^
P.S. To be totally honest, theres always a way to restore your device and even get the flash counter back to 0 again and put everything back to normal, if an experienced tech looks at it and puts it in download mode unless all is restored, hell be able to see everything, but honestly, if you pay off the phone, you havve nothing to worry about, but then again, i dont care much for warranties, so it all depends on how savvy with fixing problems when they go wrong, but if you ever need i can help you, im pretty experienced when it comes to everything but developing atm, i was a microelectronics major in college, so my expertise is mainly in hardware i.e. if you hard/soft brick the devvice i can usually get it out of that.
please excuse my typing, i type extremely fast, and i have a mechanical keyboard and i think some lettings are startings to give way such as the V key.
---------- Post added at 01:45 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:29 AM ----------
Oh and please i Highly suggest using Philz Touch!
Code:
http://goo.im/devs/philz_touch/CWM_Advanced_Edition/hltetmo
Thats for the HLTETMO version, which is our versions in this forum, all credit to phil ofcourse, it is basically CWM, but so much more user friendly and advanced with much more options, there are two files there, you obviously want the latest version, and there are two ways to do it, if you download the tar.md5 you must use Odin, and put your phone in download/odin mode, very easily done (turn it off unplug usb and press Home+Vol Dwn+Pwr) then once the screen pops up press Vol Up and then plug the USB in, and follow the instructions of w/e tutorial you are ready, but be very careful in odin mode, if you disturb the phone while its flashing you will most likely brick it, and the .zip is considering you already have a custom recovery and you can just flash it through there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ty for the explanation. Unfortunately, that is if you took the time to write that or just copied, I knew most if not all of the risks. As I said earlier I've been rooting since gingerbread.
However, it's quite informative and anybody else who is new to rooting shall find it helpful.
Kernels are more or less a bios, if you will. But they are specific to builds. You can't use aosp on tw and vice versa. There are other key features but I can't remember off the top of my head. Basically no kernel =/= no phone or no features such as camera.
You're right about the s4, but if I'm not mistaken it was believed to be an eFuse, as was for the note 3 too. Although other members have said they got it back reset, 0x0, and sim unlocks intact to fix other issues like broken gps. Therefore it is believed to be software at a signature level.
And I'll look into philz, loved it on the s3. If you ever have q's about root feel free to pm me
Sent from my SM-N900T using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

Towle said:
He's not wrong. There are a couple different methods of rooting that don't require a custom recovery, therefore don't trip Knox.
Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow... must have read that post wrong. Been working way too much. Sorry about that but looks like we have some great info added here.

Naturesretard said:
Ty for the explanation. Unfortunately, that is if you took the time to write that or just copied, I knew most if not all of the risks. As I said earlier I've been rooting since gingerbread.
However, it's quite informative and anybody else who is new to rooting shall find it helpful.
Kernels are more or less a bios, if you will. But they are specific to builds. You can't use aosp on tw and vice versa. There are other key features but I can't remember off the top of my head. Basically no kernel =/= no phone or no features such as camera.
You're right about the s4, but if I'm not mistaken it was believed to be an eFuse, as was for the note 3 too. Although other members have said they got it back reset, 0x0, and sim unlocks intact to fix other issues like broken gps. Therefore it is believed to be software at a signature level.
And I'll look into philz, loved it on the s3. If you ever have q's about root feel free to pm me
Sent from my SM-N900T using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ahh nate, i misunderstood, i thought you were new to rooting but just knew some of the basics, but were unclear of some others, but yeh, i typed that all up, no copy and paste here otherwise i would've credited the Author ^_^ but i hope it was Helpful, im sure its plastered and posted evverywhere around here, but maybe ill make a Write up somewhere to clarify things, because when i was learning, everything was scattered and i had to collect all the information.

MasterSe7en said:
ahh nate, i misunderstood, i thought you were new to rooting but just knew some of the basics, but were unclear of some others, but yeh, i typed that all up, no copy and paste here otherwise i would've credited the Author ^_^ but i hope it was Helpful, im sure its plastered and posted evverywhere around here, but maybe ill make a Write up somewhere to clarify things, because when i was learning, everything was scattered and i had to collect all the information.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You Be Surprised How Often that happens. I'd sticky if I could
Sent from my SM-N900T using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

Naturesretard said:
You Be Surprised How Often that happens. I'd sticky if I could
Sent from my SM-N900T using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey Nate! **WAVE**
lol well i posted a new thread on it, so i hope it helps the newer guys and it'd be nice if it was stickied, like i said tho, its plastered everywhere around here and on google even, but its nice to try to help my Fellow note 3'ers