Want to flash raw stock on Galaxy S4 GT-I9500 - Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hi there,
I am fairly new in android and ask for some guidance.
After over 1.5 years of getting irritated by bloatware on my galaxy S4 GT-I9500 I started to look for how to root phone and got rid off plenty of bloatware.
Huge relief. I mean, why the hell do I need tripadvisor, help, health, googlesettings, speech and tens of other completely useless apps (for me). If I need something I want to install it by myself and don't want it to be forced onto phone which I paid from my pocket.
Now, when I last time hard reset my phone, it "kindly" upgraded all the nonsense bloatware too. Grrrrr
I looked on the forums to flash raw android stock, but there is so much info out there, that I get lost.
Could you suggest, where/how should I start. So, I want completely raw android OS, without any bloatware (if possible), on my galaxy S4 GT-I9500.
Thanks

Phone2GO said:
Hi there,
I am fairly new in android and ask for some guidance.
After over 1.5 years of getting irritated by bloatware on my galaxy S4 GT-I9500 I started to look for how to root phone and got rid off plenty of bloatware.
Huge relief. I mean, why the hell do I need tripadvisor, help, health, googlesettings, speech and tens of other completely useless apps (for me). If I need something I want to install it by myself and don't want it to be forced onto phone which I paid from my pocket.
Now, when I last time hard reset my phone, it "kindly" upgraded all the nonsense bloatware too. Grrrrr
I looked on the forums to flash raw android stock, but there is so much info out there, that I get lost.
Could you suggest, where/how should I start. So, I want completely raw android OS, without any bloatware (if possible), on my galaxy S4 GT-I9500.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi mate
There are some custom roms very close to stock where you can choose what bloatware to install for example Omega rom ...not sure if is that what you meant....

Ok, this is probably what I am looking for, thanks.
I am downloading omega room for S4. I have a follow up Q though. When I read this http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=40243586&postcount=4 guidance to flash this ROM, it just says:
Installation Instructions:
1. Backup your device (nadroid backup, titanium backup, efs backup ... etc)
2. Copy rom to your device
3. Boot to recovery and flash Omega
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What is boot to recovery, what program should I use for this? Need some details how to do this. :

I am trying to boot Omega and everything goes completely wrong
when I get this --Install /sdcard ...
I get following
footer is wrong
signature verification is wrong
Any suggestion

You dont know how to boot in recovery...and trying to boot in Omega???? How you did that ? Are you rooted,custom recovery, flasht Omega ???
I think you better read,read and read about it,unlless you want to hard brick your device.

Related

[Poll]Should I root My Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 ?

Should I root My Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 ?
Model : GT-N8000
Country : Malaysia
BTW will root cause the Tab to become slow ?
Do I need stock recovery to get OTA ?
As always if you have to ask then the answer is no .
You root when apps or mods require root only .
Root voids warranty ..
This is not the Tab forum do not use any firmware or mods from here on a Tab .
Do I need stock recovery to get OTA
Yes stock and original with no root for OTA .
jje
If you are happy with your Note, than it's not necessary.
I rooted mine, because it was still on 4.0.3, and that is the reason for the many bad reviews on the internet.
After upgrading to 4.1.2, it was like a whole new tablet.
JJEgan said:
As always if you have to ask then the answer is no .
You root when apps or mods require root only .
Root voids warranty ..
This is not the Tab forum do not use any firmware or mods from here on a Tab .
Do I need stock recovery to get OTA
Yes stock and original with no root for OTA .
jje
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is not the Tab forum
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What you mean ? I tot I am at the correct forum ?
ic3tea said:
What you mean ? I tot I am at the correct forum ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're from Malaysia..me too.
Btw you're in correct forum.When you wrote tab people will confuse it with galaxy tab and root will not slowing down your note.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium
I actually liked my Note even at 4.0.3.. but I rooted so I could use the Multiwindow manager for multiwindow.. EVERYWHERE!
asdfuogh said:
I actually liked my Note even at 4.0.3.. but I rooted so I could use the Multiwindow manager for multiwindow.. EVERYWHERE!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So that I will try and root but BTW just asking is HighXXXXXXXX CMW Recovery good or Darkman Recovery Good ?
TWRP is only for stock rom right ?
There are many benefits to root. All the flashable files here require it.
But technically you will void your warranty.
However there are ways to get back to stock and "unroot" so mostly no one will know the difference if you have to return it.
Both recoveries are good, but HighOnAndroid supported a couple ROMs that Darkman didn't, though I'm not sure this is still the case
blud7 said:
There are many benefits to root. All the flashable files here require it.
But technically you will void your warranty.
However there are ways to get back to stock and "unroot" so mostly no one will know the difference if you have to return it.
Both recoveries are good, but HighOnAndroid supported a couple ROMs that Darkman didn't, though I'm not sure this is still the case
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How about TWRP Recovery ? TWRP Recovery only work in stoock rom ?
ic3tea said:
So that I will try and root but BTW just asking is HighXXXXXXXX CMW Recovery good or Darkman Recovery Good ?
TWRP is only for stock rom right ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You will need to flash the HighXXXXXXXX CMW in ODIN to get root and cwm. You can then flash either darkman recovery with CWM, TWRP recovery or stay as is..
TWRP recovery isa modified recovery like the other 2 and requires root to use. If you look around you'll find the stock recovery too.
I root my tab with Darkman Recorvey is easy then I tot . Thx you guys .
Sent from my GT-N8000 using XDA Premium HD app
Yes! Rooting is the way to go. There are ways around the warranty issues.
My main reason for rooting is for these essential apps:
Titanium Backup
Ad Blocker
Mobile ODIN
Triangle Away
ROM Toolbox Pro
and many more apps that have useful extended capabilities once rooted.
Some Con's of rooting
1) good mobile app no longer works after rooting.
So if u use good mobile for checking corporate emails, rooting device will break this.
2) there will be some overhead for you to upgrade device when any new firmwares are released. If u are a very busy professional, then this is an overhead you can live without.
3) there are and there always will be chances that you may brick your device.
4) I think u legaly void warranty on device by unlocking it. (I am assuming u want to root to load different firmware)
I am not discouraging.. just givin you other side of the coin.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk
smrsxn said:
Some Con's of rooting
1) good mobile app no longer works after rooting.
So if u use good mobile for checking corporate emails, rooting device will break this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry to bump a three month old thread, but would anyone know whether the Lotus Traveler app used for syncing corporate email and calendar works after rooting? Good is trash, so I'm not surprised it wouldn't work. There's not much of a downside finding out for myself by rooting my Note 10.1 because I intend to keep flying stock on my Note 2; but I thought someone might save me the time and trouble.
JasW said:
Sorry to bump a three month old thread, but would anyone know whether the Lotus Traveler app used for syncing corporate email and calendar works after rooting? Good is trash, so I'm not surprised it wouldn't work. There's not much of a downside finding out for myself by rooting my Note 10.1 because I intend to keep flying stock on my Note 2; but I thought someone might save me the time and trouble.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For Lotus Traveler - I have no idea. I am unlucky enough to have Lotus Domino for our corporate e-mail and I hate it with a passion.
I have installed and configured Aqua Mail to connect to our Domino server (IMAP) and I can confirm that it works perfectly after rooting. You just need your IT guys to ensure that you have web access enabled. I set mine to check for mail every 15 minutes, if it's more urgent than that then why is it an email anyway.
Rom Noob tips, from a noob, please feel free to correct, add or expand on any points
General rooting options
Titbits
- rooting under normal circumstances shouldnt slow your system, in fact most devs i believe will attempt to make their roms bring out the best performance from that particular tab/phone you may own, throught software optimizations, in cojunction with working as best as it can with your specific hardware, although, sometimes you may have a N8013(american wifi version), the dev may have the n8000(3g version).......n810 is the european wifi version...................weve been mixing and matching rom versions here, i.e. using a n8000 rom on a n8010 hardware, ive done it, as far as i know, no adverse effects, well at least no obvious signs of em
- Usually, the process of flashing a rom will first involve rooting your tablet, and then flashing a recovery, which replaces the official one that may already be on your tab, the official one is usually pretty limited in what you can do, the custom RECOVERY is flashed because it gives you these options, but not limited
-factory reset
used when, flashing new rom, best to use the recovery when ever you wanna factory reset, i dont know if this was a oje of, or just specific to my situation, but ive used the android factory reset on my tf201 asus prime, after having rooted, custom recovery and been running a custom rom for some time, and it soft brick, since thats happenened ive been shy to do it on any android device, which is cool, as the custom recovery is a beatiful thing.......maybe someone can expand on or correct that suspicion
- wipes
cache- wipe your app cache
Davlik - someone gonna have to chime in there
factory/data reset- brings back your android back to its original state, wipes your data, that means, all apps installed, all settings changed
format - allows you to format the different seperate sections of your android rom, example of the different sections would be......kernel, os, sd hardrive ........
nandroid - the best part of a custom recovery in my opinion, the ability to completely back up your rom, settings, apps, homescreens, widgets......essentially, restoring your android EXACTLY where you left off, the few seconds before, it takes to boot into recovery and start the backup procedure..........you can also backup and restore only certain sections of your rom, so you may decide to back up just the kernel, or you may decide to restore, JUST the kernel from a FULL previous backup (that is, all sections backed up, minus, the sd hardrive,
Unless you specifically FORMAT the sd card, it usually wont be touched......id advice caution and reading up, before making a decision to format sd harddrive, with a custom RECOVERY, that may not know the requirements to your android device, i.e. a custom kernel ported from another android device from another company....plus, formatting sd harddrive is not really a thing done all the time, not unless you are thinking about starting from scratch, i mean, REALLY fresh, disclaimer:this would wipe any files you have stored on your android devices, specifically, documents, pics, vids so on so forth
- stock rom
the original android OS shipped with the device
- stock based rom
tweaked stock rom, speed, battery other mods
-CM (CynogenMod)
third party rom, built from the ground up, kinda....there are other different flavors of third party roms, CM is one of them
-when flashing a new rom, it is strongly advised by most devs to wipe cache/davlick and factory reset....before flashing, this helps avoid any conflicts with the previous rom and the new rom......at this point, if you were to reboot, rather then flash the rom, you would have essentially reset the rom to its original state, that means re-entering your wifi, changing settings, installing apps, generally a pain in the ass, if you find your self having to do it to many times in a short period.....titanium backup(root) is your friend, does a good job at backing up your apps and wifi.....havent figured out how to backup the settings i change in the android setting
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.keramidas.TitaniumBackup
-quick boot
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.siriusapplications.quickboot
This free app, is a life saver when your new rom doesnt give you the option to reboot into your recovery, sometime found in hold power button/restart/recovery.......just more quicker then the manual way......especially when your having to google up the hardware method because you've not done it in a while and forgotten......which i believe is power off/hold volume down key/then press hold power button/wait for samsung logo/then let go of all buttons and reapettedly press volume up key untill the recovery shows up.......if you end up in DOWNLOAD mode, hold power to switch off, and repeat the process, changing the volume key, its one or the other, one takes you to the recovery, the other to download mode......so just reverse the volume keys, same method, just up instead of down
- supersu/superuser
installable app, that hands out root permission to apps that ask for root, if you dont expresly give persmision, using a supersu app, the app asking for root permission most likely will not work.... .....this app is installed as part of the rooting process
- afwall+ (free)
third party wifi/3g firewall, requires root........allows you to control what apps are able to use your wif/3g......i think its a passive firwall, as in, it uses very little of your resources, in the way it operates
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=dev.ukanth.ufirewall
- rom flashing
sometimes, if you have already flashed a custom rom, and the dev has released the next version of his custom rom, as long as no drastic changes have been made between the two versions, you are able to flash the new version over the old version, keeping all your settings/apps/homescreen/widgets.......although a cache and davlik wipe is usually suggested if doing so
ive forgotten half of what i was originally going to write, so ill just leave it there before i rack my brains .......goodluck whatever you decide
Yes :good:
if it was me?
yea i would do it. it brings life to an old tablet. the 80XX tablets were abandoned by samsung. there are custom roms for Oreo the latest Android OS for N8000. i have a 8020 but no custom roms at the moment.
Good been waiting a whole 5 years for a reply .

[Q] Samsung Galaxy S4 user wanting some advice

Hello All,
New to owning an android device and so far I like it, well that is Is like android, but not the slow and sometimes laggy touchwizz
I think I want to root and flash a 4.2.2 Rom onto my phone.
I have a few questions for you guys though.
Is rooting and installing a flashed ROM easy?
Once I have gone to a flashed ROM I assume I can only update be flashing a new ROM?
Is there ever a way to put my Galaxy S4 to a state in which you'd never know it had been modyfied?
I notice there are ROMS to go back to touchwizz, do they have the automatic updates as originally intended by Samsung?
Thanks in advance
Ryandonovan22 said:
Hello All,
New to owning an android device and so far I like it, well that is Is like android, but not the slow and sometimes laggy touchwizz
I think I want to root and flash a 4.2.2 Rom onto my phone.
I have a few questions for you guys though.
Is rooting and installing a flashed ROM easy?
Once I have gone to a flashed ROM I assume I can only update be flashing a new ROM?
Is there ever a way to put my Galaxy S4 to a state in which you'd never know it had been modyfied?
I notice there are ROMS to go back to touchwizz, do they have the automatic updates as originally intended by Samsung?
Thanks in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here isn't the right place for questions. There is an exclusive section only for that. Over XDA is possible to find a lot of tutorials teaching how to root and install a custom ROM. Root is easy, it was released CF-Auto-Root, you just need install drivers, odin and flash on your phone. In order to install a rom you need to do a similar process to use custom recovery that will be able to install ROM's.
If you have i9505 you can use Triangle Away app that will erase any trace. But if you have i9500 (octa), that isn't possible (yet, as people say). But you always can return to stock rom, kernel, etc.
If i'm not saying a mistake, some rom's allow you to receive updates.
Yes it's fairly easy. There are tons of guides here and on YouTube. Takes like 2 minutes.
That's correct.
You can revert back to stock and get official updates yes. There's a tool/app called triangle away that you need to run, then boot recovery and do a wipe. After that go in to download mode and flash stock rom from Odin. Maybe this wasn't the most detailed response hehe. I always recommend to beginners to look up a guide on YouTube that shows this step by step. Then it's difficult to fail
If you run in to problems just come back here and ask. Also don't forget to do a backup of your stock rom from your recovery just in case.
Skickat från min GT-I9505 med Tapatalk 4 Beta
It is easy and difficult at the same time
First of all, it does not hurt to be computer-savy. Your phone is a little computer, nothing else.
If you know what a Bootloader is and a Kernel and a ROM and if you know what an administrator is and if you can install Windows on a PC, you shouldn't have much troubles. Even better is when you already have some Linux knowledge.
OTOH if you are the type of person who has difficulties using a computer at all, or if you think Windows 7 is too complicated to handle, you will face more difficulties (OTOH you will learn a lot!).
So the rule of thump is:
As long as you follow instructions, but do not know what the hell you are doing, follow all instructions very closely. As you progress, you will know what you do, and then it gets much easier.
Have fun!
Done it!
Was easier than I imagined.
I've installed custom ROM's reverted back to a backup and the likes, just taking it through the motions so I know how to do everything.
My next question is.... How to I remove CWM Recovery if I want the phone to go completely back to stock?
Ryandonovan22 said:
My next question is....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Moved to Q&A section.
Just flash stock rom via odin founded in sammobile. there is stock roms, just put the unique file in PDA and start. It contains recovery, kernel, region customization and modem. Do wipe data and cache before flash. If it stop in boot logo, enter stock recovery and do wipe cache, and a factory reset.
Enviado de meu GT-I9500 usando Tapatalk
I just want to add a small note here,as I just started rooting and flashing.PLEASE backup everything ,literally everything.Without backing up the state where your phone is not rooted and not flashed, there is no way you can go back to that state.
Also use nandroid backup and a backing up app which backs up your ESF files.

[Q] ROM/Module & Other Question about my GS4

Hi guys, have a few questions...
For starters, I have a Samsung Galaxy S4 / AT&T
Running Android 4.4.2 Rooted with Towel Root
Connected on Straight Talk
~NC1
SafeStrap 3.72 (TWRP v2.7.0.0) Installed.
Im new to all this ROM/Modules and Rooting stuff.
Last time i fully customized stuff was on my Motorola RZR ages ago
making my keypad/ LED light blink with calls, and replacing the Cingular Logo
with a Pirate/2 Swords Logo. hah... good times.
I mean there was jail-breaking and whatnot but...that's easy stuff.
Any who, Im a quick learner so on to the subject.
My original idea was to FULLY customize this phone and install ROMS/other OS, thats
what im all about, customization. Sadly, i realized im on a NC1 which its Boot loader is
locked if im understanding correctly preventing me from installing other? ROMS?
However if i understood correctly, we still can install certain ROMS? Whats the difference?
Is there any ROM i can install that is clean? no bloatware? but with everything I need?
Whats the best, fastest and best looking ROM i can get? or they dont look different because the
boot loader thing? Or they can only be Samsung/AT&T roms? This stuff can be confusing. lol
Module wise, why do i need them? why arent they included in the actual ROM?
Also, is there any App/or way for me to know what causes my phone to randomly crash/reboot?
A few months ago I was at the GYM and my phone randomly shut off. It didnt want to turn back on.
After a while it turned back on, then it would randomly reboot. That eventually went away.
Last night, i was with some friends in a bar and my phone just turned off again. Didnt wanna turn
on...then the same reboot thing happened again.
Today, is working fine. I thought maybe it was an overheat issue but, i wasnt doing anything on my
phone and on top of that im using a CPU tempt program installed through xPosed and according to the
readings it wasnt hot, as it was in the 50-55c (or is that too hot?) Im at home now and its reading
36c but i dont have its case on (if that makes any difference)
There are 3 kind of "ROM"s :
1- Official ones. made by samsung. flashable via odin exclusively. not rooted
2- A bit modified (maybe more than a bit) Official ones, modified by people, flashable via odin or recovery (1), usually already rooted
3- Completely rewritten ROMS, almost made from scratch (Cyanogenmod, MIUI for exemple...), installable via recovery. already rooted
Now, your phone can be in two states : Rooted or not rooted.
From factory, your phone is not rooted (you can compare it to jailbreak)
with root, you become a "super user", which means you have rights on almost every single aspect of your phone, and you give authorisations to apps so they can act on system files (for exemple, they can get hidden informations, they can automatically install apps etc... infinite possibilites there are.)
As for the best rom there is, is like asking what is the best music ever, it depends on the user, you have to try by yourself to find the one that satisfies you the most.
For random reboots, i personally think that it is comparable to windows Blue Screen of Deaths. you maybe messed up something while installing something. your phone can't handle the bug, so it restart or shut down itself. so the safest way to get rid of this problem is to factory reset your phone (via the recovery)
if you are looking for stableness, don't opt for completely remade ROMS, they are usually experimental. but personally i use MIUI and i didn't have any problem and i love this ROM.
Hope i answered every question.
Thanks a lot for the reply.
I understand a bit better now...
That MIUI looks interesting... Reminded me of DreamPassport for my Sega Dreamcast, hah...
I'm guessing I cant install that one huh? Lol
well since you already have a custom recovery you can... just download a miui rom (one for your phone version (be carefull about the model) ) then put it on the root of your sd card, go to the custom recovery and flash zip from sdcard and choose it... but i advice you to factory reset your phone first in order to fix your reboot problem.
also, make sure you have installed the right android version before installing the equivalent miui version (for exemple if you want to install miui that requires 4.2, install an official 4.2 rom first) via odin.
Gotcha. Thanks.
One last question....
If I want my phone with the original OS it came with. But with all the bloatware removed...
which rom would be the best? , since I want the stock experience but no bloatware.
Also...
I noticed when you click to see how much ram is being used, it says
800/1.77GB
Isnt my phone suppose to have 2GB? Can I do something to get that back? is it cause the bloatware?
I appreciate the help.
Raging Tiger said:
Gotcha. Thanks.
One last question....
If I want my phone with the original OS it came with. But with all the bloatware removed...
which rom would be the best? , since I want the stock experience but no bloatware.
Also...
I noticed when you click to see how much ram is being used, it says
800/1.77GB
Isnt my phone suppose to have 2GB? Can I do something to get that back? is it cause the bloatware?
I appreciate the help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think the above information is correct.
From what I know the AT&T has a locked bootloader. So you can run custom roms, just not all of them. I think only custom roms that match the version you are using.
You could better read in the section for the AT&T (this section is for a different model).
http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s4-att

[Q] How do i back my samsung galaxy core prime stock rom witout rooting

hello guys
i need help i have samsung galaxy core prime sm-G360H i want to root it but before that i need to do a stock back up so that if something goes wrong while rooting i can always restore my stock rom ,so is there any way to do it without rooting
ammartjr said:
hello guys
i need help i have samsung galaxy core prime sm-G360H i want to root it but before that i need to do a stock back up so that if something goes wrong while rooting i can always restore my stock rom ,so is there any way to do it without rooting
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thought Id throw you a reply until some proper answers find you, since I have the same phone but model g361f and the lack of support/development atm drives me mad, my old phone was rooted awesomeness but have to use this,its gift from girlfriend:laugh:Anyway, Forgive me if Im wrong here,just a quick suggestion for you, just going through the ordeals of softbricking myself into the early hours until i succeed myself so I stand to be corrected.
backing up firmware rooted is possible easily I know, but for non root, you can install a custom recovery cant you, so id look into path of using that for some online backup nandroid etc. If you cant get custom recovery forgive me,just my 2 cents edit* just read there having unlocked bootloader may be factor and CWM recovery may not be able to backup fully non rooted, no help at all I know Im sure someone will have a concise option for you,
Personally Id jus titanium backup my data and go for the root head on, but Im here bootlooping because my recovery is not seandroid enforcing,if it had a throat id enforce its seandroid alright and strangle it until it boots, so be safe rather than sorry right?, Im sure its easily done, backing up stock firmware compared to backing up your phones data, if there isnt much difference in terms of what you want to preserve, then just go for it if you mess up just install clean stock rom and restore backup. Good luck anyway
What you need is here:
http://www.sammobile.com/firmwares/database/SM-G360H/
ammartjr said:
hello guys
i need help i have samsung galaxy core prime sm-G360H i want to root it but before that i need to do a stock back up so that if something goes wrong while rooting i can always restore my stock rom ,so is there any way to do it without rooting
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Download Stock firmware and install by Odin in Download Mode,you must install samsung USB driver and download latest Odin flash tools tehn Power Off your phone and go to downloading mode (vol down+home+power)
latest Odin tools for Flash samsung Firmware is v 3.10.7 i attach hare:good:

N00b w/ "new SGH-I337 that is running original kernel & 4.2.2 & needs to be updated

N00b w/ "new SGH-I337 that is running original kernel & 4.2.2 & needs to be updated
I am going to apologize from the start. I've read through a lot of threads here and have ended up more confused (and somewhat scared lol). I am a tad more skilled than average when it comes to PCs but I'm a complete mess when it comes to phones!
For various reasons, I like my old ATT Samsung S4 SGH-I337 but am hard on them and need to replace them about every 2 years (I usually wear out the power port among other things). I buy a replacement, copy over my apps, etc, maybe run a minor update and I'm good to go. This time, I bought a "new" open box S4 on Ebay for a great price but when I went to install all my apps, discovered that it was STILL (since it was "brand new") running Android 4.2.2 and the original kernel from the release in 2013! Ok, no big I thought, I will just run the ATT update and I will be good. Nope. Too far out of date and no one at ATT or Samsung is willing to help. I did learn that if I can get 4.4.4 on the phone, then I should be able to update it via ATT to 5.0.1 but I can't even find those files (or at the least any links to them that are still any good!)
Due to life issues, it is critical that I get this phone updated ASAP. Please, can someone spell out step by step in N00b-speak where I can get the needed files and how I update this phone to 5.0.1 or better? I'd really rather not root it if I can avoid it but will do what is needed. I'll buy you a beer (or reasonable beverage of your choice! )
Samsung Galaxy S4 (ATT) SGH_I337
Android 4.2.2
Baseband ver: I337UCUAMDL
Kernel ver: 3.4.0-453947
[email protected]#1
Sat April 27 17:06:05 KST 2013
SilkRoadDog said:
I am going to apologize from the start. I've read through a lot of threads here and have ended up more confused (and somewhat scared lol). I am a tad more skilled than average when it comes to PCs but I'm a complete mess when it comes to phones!
For various reasons, I like my old ATT Samsung S4 SGH-I337 but am hard on them and need to replace them about every 2 years (I usually wear out the power port among other things). I buy a replacement, copy over my apps, etc, maybe run a minor update and I'm good to go. This time, I bought a "new" open box S4 on Ebay for a great price but when I went to install all my apps, discovered that it was STILL (since it was "brand new") running Android 4.2.2 and the original kernel from the release in 2013! Ok, no big I thought, I will just run the ATT update and I will be good. Nope. Too far out of date and no one at ATT or Samsung is willing to help. I did learn that if I can get 4.4.4 on the phone, then I should be able to update it via ATT to 5.0.1 but I can't even find those files (or at the least any links to them that are still any good!)
Due to life issues, it is critical that I get this phone updated ASAP. Please, can someone spell out step by step in N00b-speak where I can get the needed files and how I update this phone to 5.0.1 or better? I'd really rather not root it if I can avoid it but will do what is needed. I'll buy you a beer (or reasonable beverage of your choice! )
Samsung Galaxy S4 (ATT) SGH_I337
Android 4.2.2
Baseband ver: I337UCUAMDL
Kernel ver: 3.4.0-453947
[email protected]#1
Sat April 27 17:06:05 KST 2013
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I too was lucky enough to snag a S4 off ebay with the original kernel still on it. So with that said....do NOT update your phone! You're on the very special Android 4.2.2 jelly bean MDL bootloader! If you update, you will lose the ability to boot AOSP ROMs and install a custom recovery like TWRP.
AOSP ROMs can take you past Android 5.0.x lollipop and give you Android 6.0.x marshmallow or 7.0.x nougat. You can also boot custom touchwiz ROMs that will take you to Android 5.0.x lollipop. Use the towel root app to root the phone and then freeze any OTA with the titanium backup app. You can also benefit from my guide here:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s4-att/general/how-to-one-guide-to-mdl-bootloader-t3584122
StoneyJSG said:
I too was lucky enough to snag a S4 off ebay with the original kernel still on it. So with that said....do NOT update your phone! You're on the very special Android 4.2.2 jelly bean MDL bootloader! If you update, you will lose the ability to boot AOSP ROMs and install a custom recovery like TWRP.
AOSP ROMs can take you past Android 5.0.x lollipop and give you Android 6.0.x marshmallow or 7.0.x nougat. You can also boot custom touchwiz ROMs that will take you to Android 5.0.x lollipop. Use the towel root app to root the phone and then freeze any OTA with the titanium backup app. You can also benefit from my guide here:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s4-att/general/how-to-one-guide-to-mdl-bootloader-t3584122
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Thank you for your reply. So I root it, then where do I go from there? How do I know what ROM is what and which one will give me at the least what I had on the old phone (less bloatware would be nice but right now I am so up a creek that I would be ok with stock)? Also, do you have good links to the tools you recommend? One issue I have been having searching here is that the 3-4-year-old posts here have sketchy or dead links.
SilkRoadDog said:
Thank you for your reply. So I root it, then where do I go from there? How do I know what ROM is what and which one will give me at the least what I had on the old phone (less bloatware would be nice but right now I am so up a creek that I would be ok with stock)? Also, do you have good links to the tools you recommend? One issue I have been having searching here is that the 3-4-year-old posts here have sketchy or dead links.
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No problem, I always try to help when possible. After rooting you can follow my guide to get Loki doki installed. Then you can install a custom recovery like TWRP or clock work mod. My guide gets you clock work mod recovery installed but it's an old version. I use it though and it works fine for me. If you want TWRP recovery, you will have to search the web on how to install it with loki doki.
After a custom recovery is installed you can choose to boot touchwiz based ROMs or AOSP based ROMs like cyanogen mod. Custom touchwiz ROMs will look just like stock only modified (deodex, debloated, etc.) and AOSP ROMs will look like bone stock Android only with added features.
You can find AOSP ROMs in the original Android development forum here in the s4 forums. You can find touchwiz ROMs in Android development which is right under original Android development forum. Sorry, but I don't have any links to tools handy except for the link to my guide which I posted above in my last post. I use golden eye ROM on my s4 which is a stock based touchwiz ROM on Android 5.0 lollipop.
When booting ROMs, be sure that they do not have a bootloader update or else it'll override everything and will patch the loki doki exploit and lock down everything for good.
StoneyJSG said:
No problem, I always try to help when possible. After rooting you can follow my guide to get Loki doki installed. Then you can install a custom recovery like TWRP or clock work mod. My guide gets you clock work mod recovery installed but it's an old version. I use it though and it works fine for me. If you want TWRP recovery, you will have to search the web on how to install it with loki doki.
After a custom recovery is installed you can choose to boot touchwiz based ROMs or AOSP based ROMs like cyanogen mod. Custom touchwiz ROMs will look just like stock only modified (deodex, debloated, etc.) and AOSP ROMs will look like bone stock Android only with added features.
You can find AOSP ROMs in the original Android development forum here in the s4 forums. You can find touchwiz ROMs in Android development which is right under original Android development forum. Sorry, but I don't have any links to tools handy except for the link to my guide which I posted above in my last post. I use golden eye ROM on my s4 which is a stock based touchwiz ROM on Android 5.0 lollipop.
When booting ROMs, be sure that they do not have a bootloader update or else it'll override everything and will patch the loki doki exploit and lock down everything for good.
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Thank you so much for the reply. While I am very grateful, with all due respect, I understood only about half of it. Here is the deal. I'm an older guy N00b with chronic pain issues under an extreme amount of stress, and my cognitive abilities are not what they should be. There was a step by step guide posted back in 2015 that is what I need but most of the links are bad or sketchy. Like I said above, I really need something along the lines of "go here and here to get this software and put it in "X" place. Then press these keys and do "Y", then press those keys and do "Z". I'm really sorry to be so difficult but I am trying my best to get it.
SilkRoadDog said:
Thank you so much for the reply. While I am very grateful, with all due respect, I understood only about half of it. Here is the deal. I'm an older guy N00b with chronic pain issues under an extreme amount of stress, and my cognitive abilities are not what they should be. There was a step by step guide posted back in 2015 that is what I need but most of the links are bad or sketchy. Like I said above, I really need something along the lines of "go here and here to get this software and put it in "X" place. Then press these keys and do "Y", then press those keys and do "Z". I'm really sorry to be so difficult but I am trying my best to get it.
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I gotcha, no problem. Okay so what's the status of your phone now? Rooted? Not rooted? To root, goto https://towelroot.com on your phone and click the big red thing in the middle of the page. Make sure you have a Wi-Fi or data connection to the internet, as this will root your phone. Then goto https://galaxys4root.com/galaxy-s4-...tt-or-verizon-galaxy-s4-sgh-i337sch-i545/amp/ to get loki doki installed and clockwork mod recovery. You can also install TWRP recovery instead of clockwork mod recovery, I THINK this is the link: https://galaxys4root.com/galaxy-s4-...rp-on-rooted-galaxy-s4-using-goo-manager/amp/
Galaxys4root.com is a reputable site ran by Mr. HIGH ON ANDROID himself, Xedomax aka Max Lee. The tools you need should be on his site for download and the links shouldn't be dead. He also has a YouTube channel with videos on how to do different things with your phone. My guide I wrote that I linked before, has step by step instructions on how to root and install a custom recovery and how to boot custom ROMs.
StoneyJSG said:
I gotcha, no problem. Okay so what's the status of your phone now? Rooted? Not rooted? To root, goto https://towelroot.com on your phone and click the big red thing in the middle of the page. Make sure you have a Wi-Fi or data connection to the internet, as this will root your phone. Then goto https://galaxys4root.com/galaxy-s4-...tt-or-verizon-galaxy-s4-sgh-i337sch-i545/amp/ to get loki doki installed and clockwork mod recovery. You can also install TWRP recovery instead of clockwork mod recovery, I THINK this is the link: https://galaxys4root.com/galaxy-s4-...rp-on-rooted-galaxy-s4-using-goo-manager/amp/
Galaxys4root.com is a reputable site ran by Mr. HIGH ON ANDROID himself, Xedomax aka Max Lee. The tools you need should be on his site for download and the links shouldn't be dead. He also has a YouTube channel with videos on how to do different things with your phone. My guide I wrote that I linked before, has step by step instructions on how to root and install a custom recovery and how to boot custom ROMs.
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Ok, It's not rooted yet so I will start down the path laid out. What do you recommend as a source for Touchwiz (wth is that anyway? lol) ROMs? I don't know enough about Android 6.0.x marshmallow or 7.0.x nougat to make the call there but I do want to be able to access the Google apps and play store as before.
SilkRoadDog said:
Ok, It's not rooted yet so I will start down the path laid out. What do you recommend as a source for Touchwiz (wth is that anyway? lol) ROMs? I don't know enough about Android 6.0.x marshmallow or 7.0.x nougat to make the call there but I do want to be able to access the Google apps and play store as before.
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Your instructions say " Next, you're going to want to freeze the OTA update so the phone won't update off the MDL bootloader (after installing SuperSU of course). You can do this via the Titanium Backup app or the MyBackup Root app (now called just MyBackup I think).
Let's recap...you will need a copy of the towel root app, then SuperSU, then TB or MyBackup Root app. SuperSU will kill the evil KNOX for you." Do I do that before "loki doki installed and clockwork mod recovery."? If so, where is a good source for them? If not, when do I do I install them?
".
StoneyJSG said:
I gotcha, no problem. Okay so what's the status of your phone now? Rooted? Not rooted? To root, goto https://towelroot.com on your phone and click the big red thing in the middle of the page. Make sure you have a Wi-Fi or data connection to the internet, as this will root your phone. Then goto https://galaxys4root.com/galaxy-s4-...tt-or-verizon-galaxy-s4-sgh-i337sch-i545/amp/ to get loki doki installed and clockwork mod recovery. You can also install TWRP recovery instead of clockwork mod recovery, I THINK this is the link: https://galaxys4root.com/galaxy-s4-...rp-on-rooted-galaxy-s4-using-goo-manager/amp/
Galaxys4root.com is a reputable site ran by Mr. HIGH ON ANDROID himself, Xedomax aka Max Lee. The tools you need should be on his site for download and the links shouldn't be dead. He also has a YouTube channel with videos on how to do different things with your phone. My guide I wrote that I linked before, has step by step instructions on how to root and install a custom recovery and how to boot custom ROMs.
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Ok, forget anything I typed here in the last hour lol. Somehow there were two locals and I was in the wrong one. So far so good. So back to the other question above. " " Next, you're going to want to freeze the OTA update so the phone won't update off the MDL bootloader (after installing SuperSU of course). You can do this via the Titanium Backup app or the MyBackup Root app (now called just MyBackup I think).
Let's recap...you will need a copy of the towel root app, then SuperSU, then TB or MyBackup Root app. SuperSU will kill the evil KNOX for you."" I still need to do that, right? if so, where do I find those apps?
Thank you so much.
SilkRoadDog said:
Ok, It's not rooted yet so I will start down the path laid out. What do you recommend as a source for Touchwiz (wth is that anyway? lol) ROMs? I don't know enough about Android 6.0.x marshmallow or 7.0.x nougat to make the call there but I do want to be able to access the Google apps and play store as before.
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Touchwiz is the "skin" user interface that Samsung puts on top of Android. It is the stock SAMSUNG rom. Just Google touchwiz then Google stock Android, you'll see a difference. I like touchwiz so I am running a custom ROM called "Golden eye". You can download it from the Android development forum here in the S4 section. Other people like stock Android. The magic of being on the MDL bootloader is that you can boot touchwiz and bone stock Android ROMs. Most custom ROMs both stock Android and touchwiz based will let you access Google apps and the play store.
---------- Post added at 10:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:21 PM ----------
SilkRoadDog said:
Ok, forget anything I typed here in the last hour lol. Somehow there were two locals and I was in the wrong one. So far so good. So back to the other question above. " " Next, you're going to want to freeze the OTA update so the phone won't update off the MDL bootloader (after installing SuperSU of course). You can do this via the Titanium Backup app or the MyBackup Root app (now called just MyBackup I think).
Let's recap...you will need a copy of the towel root app, then SuperSU, then TB or MyBackup Root app. SuperSU will kill the evil KNOX for you."" I still need to do that, right? if so, where do I find those apps?
Thank you so much.
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You can get all those app except towel root on the play store. Once installed you can use ES file explorer to back them up to apk files then use the my files app that's on ya phone to move them to your SD card for use with your new ROM or keep them where they are since my guide tells you how to keep your data in tact...well for touch wiz ROMs anyway.
StoneyJSG said:
Touchwiz is the "skin" user interface that Samsung puts on top of Android. It is the stock SAMSUNG rom. Just Google touchwiz then Google stock Android, you'll see a difference. I like touchwiz so I am running a custom ROM called "Golden eye". You can download it from the Android development forum here in the S4 section. Other people like stock Android. The magic of being on the MDL bootloader is that you can boot touchwiz and bone stock Android ROMs. Most custom ROMs both stock Android and touchwiz based will let you access Google apps and the play store.
---------- Post added at 10:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:21 PM ----------
You can get all those app except towel root on the play store. Once installed you can use ES file explorer to back them up to apk files then use the my files app that's on ya phone to move them to your SD card for use with your new ROM or keep them where they are since my guide tells you how to keep your data in tact...well for touch wiz ROMs anyway.
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Since this is a "new" phone and I have nothing to back up yet, do I need to run a backup or can I follow your guide from that point, clean things up and install the ROM of choice?
SilkRoadDog said:
Since this is a "new" phone and I have nothing to back up yet, do I need to run a backup or can I follow your guide from that point, clean things up and install the ROM of choice?
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It's always good to make a backup in case anything goes wrong with your phone down the road you can get back to where you started without having to flash the MDL stock Rom in ODIN by connecting your phone to your computer. You should though keep a copy of ODIN and the MDL bootloader .tar ODIN file. However, it's entirely optional to make a back up so you could just follow the guide from that point and clean up for a ROM install if you don't want to make a backup.
You can also boot a ROM and then make a backup after you have everything set up. You can back up the stock Rom or any ROM you boot/install. That's the magic of having a custom recovery like TWRP or clock work mod.
StoneyJSG said:
It's always good to make a backup in case anything goes wrong with your phone down the road you can get back to where you started without having to flash the MDL stock Rom in ODIN by connecting your phone to your computer. You should though keep a copy of ODIN and the MDL bootloader .tar ODIN file. However, it's entirely optional to make a back up so you could just follow the guide from that point and clean up for a ROM install if you don't want to make a backup.
You can also boot a ROM and then make a backup after you have everything set up. You can back up the stock Rom or any ROM you boot/install. That's the magic of having a custom recovery like TWRP or clock work mod.
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Unfortunately, since I already started the install before seeing this, I have no idea what I backed up or where it is. :crying:
First off, I want to thank you so much for the help. I owe you and would like to buy you a beer or the like. I have my phone back now! There were issues with the Golden Eye install (it froze at the Samsung logo for over an hour) and I had to wipe everything and start over then I was able to get it up and running. Is this the right one? https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2313469
Quick question: Do you know if that ROM supports an external SD card larger than 32gig?
I am having some issues and so far am not thrilled with this ROM and am wondering if it's the right one or if I screwed up. It hasn't been worked on since 2015 and the dev is hasn't been responsive in years. On my phone, it's really buggy. It boots slow, apps hang when loading, a few don't work right, the screen can flash or freeze and TouchWiz keeps crashing like it was doing at the end on my old phone's life. Any ideas as to why?
SilkRoadDog said:
Unfortunately, since I already started the install before seeing this, I have no idea what I backed up or where it is. :crying:
First off, I want to thank you so much for the help. I owe you and would like to buy you a beer or the like. I have my phone back now! There were issues with the Golden Eye install (it froze at the Samsung logo for over an hour) and I had to wipe everything and start over then I was able to get it up and running. Is this the right one? https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2313469
Quick question: Do you know if that ROM supports an external SD card larger than 32gig?
I am having some issues and so far am not thrilled with this ROM and am wondering if it's the right one or if I screwed up. It hasn't been worked on since 2015 and the dev is hasn't been responsive in years. On my phone, it's really buggy. It boots slow, apps hang when loading, a few don't work right, the screen can flash or freeze and TouchWiz keeps crashing like it was doing at the end on my old phone's life. Any ideas as to why?
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If you made a nandroid backup with TWRP recovery or clockwork mod recovery, then the backup file will be on your phone SD card or internal memory. Use the my files app to find it. It should be under a folder called TWRP or clockwork mod.
Hey no problem man, I know how it is to goto a forum and have 87,000 people view your post yet nothing is said. Yes that link is the correct link to golden eye ROM. When booting a ROM for the first time it will get stuck at the Samsung logo for awhile, this is normal but it shouldn't be more than 20 minutes. I think the S4 can handle SD cards up to 128GB, it might only be 64GB though.
Very odd golden eye ROM is giving you issues, I have only had one problem with it and that was the text message app acting up every so often. When you booted golden eye did you use the Aroma installer so it just asks you questions and you pick what you want? If not wipe and start over using aroma, it's built into the ROM. Also be sure to tell Aroma you want to use the "imperium kernel". That's the kernel I am using. Golden eye ROM doesn't have a bootloader update in it, so you'll stay on MDL and not have to worry about your phone patching the loki exploit.
I think you can also use the hybrid max kernel, but I don't think it's in the Aroma installer so if you want it you will have to download it from the forums here and flash it separately.
Another thing you can try is just "nuking your phone" as explained in my guide that wipes everything and gives you a nice clean install. The only reason I included the "keep your data" method in my guide is because I just stumbled upon it by doing it on my phone.
If all else fails and as a last ditch effort, you could send the phone to me and I will see if I can get it up and running with golden eye ROM, then send it back. No guarantees though as I'm no developer or anything, just a guy that knows the basics of Android ROMs and root.
Final report. It turns out the problems I've been having were related to the SU Super App. There have been complaints about the recent version. I thought that it was a corrupt install of Golden Eye so got a clean DL from another mirror and was getting ready to start all over. This time I was going to follow the dev's install instructions step by step instead of yours and his. However, I couldn't install TWRP as he instructed. It hung at 100% and never completed. I thought that maybe Super SU was the issue there so I uninstalled it and all of my other problems went away! So happy. Thank you for everything. I do owe you a drink!
SilkRoadDog said:
Final report. It turns out the problems I've been having were related to the SU Super App. There have been complaints about the recent version. I thought that it was a corrupt install of Golden Eye so got a clean DL from another mirror and was getting ready to start all over. This time I was going to follow the dev's install instructions step by step instead of yours and his. However, I couldn't install TWRP as he instructed. It hung at 100% and never completed. I thought that maybe Super SU was the issue there so I uninstalled it and all of my other problems went away! So happy. Thank you for everything. I do owe you a drink!
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Hey glad it finally worked out for you. You will need superSU though, try a different version of it and that might fix the issue you're having with the latest version. That is unless you have the kingroot super user app, then you can use that but it's not as good as superSU. I had problems with it authorizing my root apps so I got rid of it and installed superSU. No problem glad to help and no thanks needed but if you really wanna buy me a beer go for it lol.

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