Database Users

How to do a true factory reset?

All,
When I worked on my wife's new phone, I did a full restore from Titanium backup and that caused a number of problems with the phone. For example, I wound up losing Gallery along the way. In an attempt to repair this mess, I followed the published factory reset procedure. However, this does not do a true factory reset - it only wipes SD card data and a small number of settings.
Is there some way to truly reset the phone to the state it was in when I took it out of its box? If so, please provide some guidance.
The phone is question is a Sprint phone, SM-G900P that originally had Android 4.4.4.
Thank you.

Few methods here
http://www.samsungsfour.com/tutoria...utton-combination-and-from-settings-menu.html
Q&A here
http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s5/help

Detection - thank you. The methods shown are the one's that do not accomplish what I want - they simply reset certain parameters, but do not restore the original software. The Q&A mentions recoveries - I think that that may be what I am seeking.

groston said:
Detection - thank you. The methods shown are the one's that do not accomplish what I want - they simply reset certain parameters, but do not restore the original software. The Q&A mentions recoveries - I think that that may be what I am seeking.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah I see, in order to restore the original firmware, you'd need to use ODIN with a stock ROM & the PIT file, that will (should) completely delete and recreate all partitions, then reflash the original ROM
You flash them both in ODIN at the same time, PIT into PIT section, ROM into AP/PDA section
Flashing a custom recovery can also achieve this, but you will be left with a custom recovery, not stock, until you reflash a stock ROM

I'm on the same boat as you. We need to install Samsung's stock firmware.
Update firmware through Odin
Firmware update through Samsung
Install Kies
Upgrade firmware
Hope that it worked
Go check if it worked ( Volume up/ Home button/Power button )
groston said:
All,
When I worked on my wife's new phone, I did a full restore from Titanium backup and that caused a number of problems with the phone. For example, I wound up losing Gallery along the way. In an attempt to repair this mess, I followed the published factory reset procedure. However, this does not do a true factory reset - it only wipes SD card data and a small number of settings.
Is there some way to truly reset the phone to the state it was in when I took it out of its box? If so, please provide some guidance.
The phone is question is a Sprint phone, SM-G900P that originally had Android 4.4.4.
Thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Convert Canadian 6045i to US 6045i with all updates (performance, stagefright, etc).

Be very careful doing this, you could brick your phone if you aren't - you have been warned.​
Okay, so, us Idol 3 users in Canada are stuck waiting for Alcatel to have any updates blessed by our cell carrier (Bell/Virgin, Telus/Koodo) before we're "allowed" to get them. And as we all know, Canadian cell carriers aren't exactly prompt about this sort of thing. So what's an enterprising XDA user to do, then? Why, convert your device to a US model, of course!
Step 1: Install TWRP
That can be done with this thread here, courtesy of @DallasCZ
Step 2: Download the latest US firmware
That can be done by downloading this file here, courtesy of @famewolf
Step 3: Flashing
Okay, so first, BACK UP YOUR EXISTING FIRMWARE. Take a system image, or nandroid, as your choice may be. Be sure to back up the boot partition as well, in case you ever want to go back to stock Canadian firmware! Then, do the following:
Decompress the US firmware
Copy the decompressed 1970-01-22--16-43-23_LRX22G_release-keys folder into your TWRP/Backups/XXXXX/ folder on your External SD card or USB-OTG storage, where XXXXX is your device ID assigned by TWRP when you backed up your existing firmware - it is also the same as your device ID if you type 'adb devices' with your phone hooked up with USB debugging enabled for adb commands.
Wipe everything *but* External SD and USB-OTG in TWRP. (This entire wipe may not be needed, but as @KashRaman pointed out, if you don't at least wipe cache, you could have issues after flashing the new firmware)
DO NOT REBOOT - go back, and select Restore in TWRP. Pick the US firmware backup.
Flash *both* the boot and system image.
Reboot System. If your phone does the same as mine, it will seem to get stuck on the 'Alcatel/Smart Move' animation. Hold power until the phone turns off, then turn it back on. It should quickly go to 'Upgrading Android'.
You're done! Set up your device, and feel free to install SuperSU, remove bloatware (AVG? Ugh), etc.
I didn't even need to add APN info for Virgin Mobile, it already set up the Bell Canada APN - worked right away out of the box.
One comment to note - I do not know that a Canadian device converted to a US one can get OTA updates, as I believe Alcatel uses some sort of IMEI identification to see what OTA ought to be passed to a device, but I'm unable to confirm this. Of course, I'm personally fine with just manually updating when need be, but that's up to you to decide if you are as well.
AS ALWAYS, BE CAREFUL, DO THIS PROCESS AT YOUR OWN RISK
Don't forget to thank @DallasCZ and @famewolf for their posts/uploads making this possible!​

To save you some pain you can more thank likely flash the system image and boot without wiping your /data.....if for some reason you ran into issues you'd still be able to go into factory recovery and do a reset which deletes data.
Also to anyone who actually uses AVG the pro version is free on amazon appstore today only.
Also you don't have to INSTALL twrp...you can opt to only boot into it using the instructions in the system image thread if you prefer to keep stock recovery.
If I had to bet I'd say you'll get the USA notifications but we will find out on next update.

famewolf said:
To save you some pain you can more thank likely flash the system image and boot without wiping your /data.....if for some reason you ran into issues you'd still be able to go into factory recovery and do a reset which deletes data.
...
Also you don't have to INSTALL twrp...you can opt to only boot into it using the instructions in the system image thread if you prefer to keep stock recovery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Totally correct on the TWRP thing, though I prefer it to stock recovery, and updates work just fine with TWRP as well.
As for the not wiping - again, correct, I just come from the 'do a total wipe' school of flashing things, to avoid any possible weirdness

purple.epod said:
Be very careful doing this, you could brick your phone if you aren't - you have been warned.​
Okay, so, us Idol 3 users in Canada are stuck waiting for Alcatel to have any updates blessed by our cell carrier (Bell/Virgin, Telus/Koodo) before we're "allowed" to get them. And as we all know, Canadian cell carriers aren't exactly prompt about this sort of thing. So what's an enterprising XDA user to do, then? Why, convert your device to a US model, of course!
Step 1: Install TWRP
That can be done with this thread here, courtesy of @DallasCZ
Step 2: Download the latest US firmware
That can be done by downloading this file here, courtesy of @famewolf
Step 3: Flashing
Okay, so first, BACK UP YOUR EXISTING FIRMWARE. Take a system image, or nandroid, as your choice may be. Be sure to back up the boot partition as well, in case you ever want to go back to stock Canadian firmware! Then, do the following:
Decompress the US firmware
Copy the decompressed 1970-01-22--16-43-23_LRX22G_release-keys folder into your TWRP/Backups/XXXXX/ folder on your External SD card or USB-OTG storage, where XXXXX is your device ID assigned by TWRP when you backed up your existing firmware.
Wipe everything *but* External SD and USB-OTG in TWRP. (This entire wipe may not be needed, but as @KashRaman pointed out, if you don't at least wipe cache, you could have issues after flashing the new firmware)
DO NOT REBOOT - go back, and select Restore in TWRP. Pick the US firmware backup.
Flash *both* the boot and system image.
Reboot System. If your phone does the same as mine, it will seem to get stuck on the 'Alcatel/Smart Move' animation. Hold power until the phone turns off, then turn it back on. It should quickly go to 'Upgrading Android'.
You're done! Set up your device, and feel free to install SuperSU, remove bloatware (AVG? Ugh), etc.
I didn't even need to add APN info for Virgin Mobile, it already set up the Bell Canada APN - worked right away out of the box.
One comment to note - I do not know that a Canadian device converted to a US one can get OTA updates, as I believe Alcatel uses some sort of IMEI identification to see what OTA ought to be passed to a device, but I'm unable to confirm this. Of course, I'm personally fine with just manually updating when need be, but that's up to you to decide if you are as well.
AS ALWAYS, BE CAREFUL, DO THIS PROCESS AT YOUR OWN RISK
Don't forget to thank @DallasCZ and @famewolf for their posts/uploads making this possible!​
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When restoring the UE40 firmware the first time you go into system update checker you need to delete the existing UE40 update as it kept it around...you should then be able to check updates as normal.

Manually update
At the end of your post, you say that you update manually.. where do you get your update ?

Manually update
At the end of your post, you say that you update manually.. where do you get your update ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I mean that when the next update comes out, if I can't use the OTA update, I'll wait for someone to upload it here, and then I'll manually apply it. If you follow the directions in my post, you'll be totally up-to-date as of August 15th, 2015 - I'm referring to the next update, whenever that may be.

Thanks for the guide!
Was able to update my Canadian idol 3 without installing twrp
Just fastbooted into it and did a backup of my old CDN setup and restored with the file above the whole update process took about 15min
If **** hits the fan I can still restore back to the original CDN ROM with twrp and my backup.
Dt2w works every time now and chrome scrolling is vastly improved definately worth updating. I may flash back to Canadian system image when they finally release it

To anyone on stock Canadian firmware please post once an OTA is available (and what carrier you are on)

anyone else have lost LTE and get bad network speeds after converting? I had 60mbps with canadian firmware and now i get around 5mbps and lots of network drops.

jpfk said:
anyone else have lost LTE and get bad network speeds after converting? I had 60mbps with canadian firmware and now i get around 5mbps and lots of network drops.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not in canada but I would think if more folks were experiencing issues like that they would have mentioned them here already. Did you do a factory reset and start clean or did you keep your previous data around after changing firmware? In this case I'd really recommend starting clean with the exception of using tools like Titanium Backup to backup all your user apps+ their data (or you can use Helium if you don't have root).

famewolf said:
I'm not in canada but I would think if more folks were experiencing issues like that they would have mentioned them here already. Did you do a factory reset and start clean or did you keep your previous data around after changing firmware? In this case I'd really recommend starting clean with the exception of using tools like Titanium Backup to backup all your user apps+ their data (or you can use Helium if you don't have root).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had cleared the cache and did a factory reset only after i confirmed the flash of the US firmware was ok. (i have a really bad SD card which keeps unmounting and didnt want to risk being stuck with a non-functional device). In addition to the network problems i also still had the performance issues everyone mentionned was fixed in latest update. I just did a complete wipe and flashed the US again, now the performance is much much better but i still get only H+ with about 7mbps instead of LTE. But the good thing is the drops seems to have stopped.

jpfk said:
I had cleared the cache and did a factory reset only after i confirmed the flash of the US firmware was ok. (i have a really bad SD card which keeps unmounting and didnt want to risk being stuck with a non-functional device). In addition to the network problems i also still had the performance issues everyone mentionned was fixed in latest update. I just did a complete wipe and flashed the US again, now the performance is much much better but i still get only H+ with about 7mbps instead of LTE. But the good thing is the drops seems to have stopped.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you probably tried this but... check that the APN didn't get changed/reset from when lte was working.

That was actually the problem, i did not realize it was a different APN for LTE so it looked normal when I first checked. Thank you very much

Has anyone gotten the Canadian stagefright update pushed to their phone yet?

doesn't work for me!
purple.epod said:
Be very careful doing this, you could brick your phone if you aren't - you have been warned.​
Okay, so, us Idol 3 users in Canada are stuck waiting for Alcatel to have any updates blessed by our cell carrier (Bell/Virgin, Telus/Koodo) before we're "allowed" to get them. And as we all know, Canadian cell carriers aren't exactly prompt about this sort of thing. So what's an enterprising XDA user to do, then? Why, convert your device to a US model, of course!
Step 1: Install TWRP
That can be done with this thread here, courtesy of @DallasCZ
Step 2: Download the latest US firmware
That can be done by downloading this file here, courtesy of @famewolf
Step 3: Flashing
Okay, so first, BACK UP YOUR EXISTING FIRMWARE. Take a system image, or nandroid, as your choice may be. Be sure to back up the boot partition as well, in case you ever want to go back to stock Canadian firmware! Then, do the following:
Decompress the US firmware
Copy the decompressed 1970-01-22--16-43-23_LRX22G_release-keys folder into your TWRP/Backups/XXXXX/ folder on your External SD card or USB-OTG storage, where XXXXX is your device ID assigned by TWRP when you backed up your existing firmware - it is also the same as your device ID if you type 'adb devices' with your phone hooked up with USB debugging enabled for adb commands.
Wipe everything *but* External SD and USB-OTG in TWRP. (This entire wipe may not be needed, but as @KashRaman pointed out, if you don't at least wipe cache, you could have issues after flashing the new firmware)
DO NOT REBOOT - go back, and select Restore in TWRP. Pick the US firmware backup.
Flash *both* the boot and system image.
Reboot System. If your phone does the same as mine, it will seem to get stuck on the 'Alcatel/Smart Move' animation. Hold power until the phone turns off, then turn it back on. It should quickly go to 'Upgrading Android'.
You're done! Set up your device, and feel free to install SuperSU, remove bloatware (AVG? Ugh), etc.
I didn't even need to add APN info for Virgin Mobile, it already set up the Bell Canada APN - worked right away out of the box.
One comment to note - I do not know that a Canadian device converted to a US one can get OTA updates, as I believe Alcatel uses some sort of IMEI identification to see what OTA ought to be passed to a device, but I'm unable to confirm this. Of course, I'm personally fine with just manually updating when need be, but that's up to you to decide if you are as well.
AS ALWAYS, BE CAREFUL, DO THIS PROCESS AT YOUR OWN RISK
Don't forget to thank @DallasCZ and @famewolf for their posts/uploads making this possible!​
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i downloaded the zip restore file for my phone (Model: 6045Y(Europe) Firmware: 5.0.2-010 06) from this thread http://forum.xda-developers.com/idol...dates-t3163745
I also have the twrp-2.8.7.0-idol3 installed on my phone.
I also followed this thread
to find the way to install that ROM, without success. i also installed the root from the zip file in the twrp, but again without success!! but when i open from the twrp the directory TWRP/Backups/XXXXX/ and i copy the .win and the .win.md5 files the phone doesn't see the when i click restore

i downloaded the zip restore file for my phone (Model: 6045Y(Europe) Firmware: 5.0.2-010 06) from this thread
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This guide is for converting a Canadian 6045i to a US 6045i - both are identical models with simply slightly different software. It won't work with a European 'Y' model like you said you have.

punkal said:
i downloaded the zip restore file for my phone (Model: 6045Y(Europe) Firmware: 5.0.2-010 06) from this thread http://forum.xda-developers.com/idol...dates-t3163745
I also have the twrp-2.8.7.0-idol3 installed on my phone.
I also followed this thread
to find the way to install that ROM, without success. i also installed the root from the zip file in the twrp, but again without success!! but when i open from the twrp the directory TWRP/Backups/XXXXX/ and i copy the .win and the .win.md5 files the phone doesn't see the when i click restore
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Step 1) Make a backup on the device so it creates the directory path you need.
Step 2) Take the time datestamp folder from the backup you have and put it in the folder that has the other time datestamp folders. It's not a complicated process. Installing the "root" from the zip file does you no good because the time datestamp folders need to be under a folder with your device id (ie what shows up when you do adb devices).
While the restore process IS the same your questions should be asked in the system image thread if you don't have a 6045i.
According to @petrov.0 it's better for you to install the official 10 06 update (or his modified one in the system image thread) as it updates files in SEVERAL partitions other than system and boot. Again discussion needs to be there.
Apologies to @purple.epod. This will hopefully redirect folks back to the system image thread. I have a line that states to follow your restore tutorial but use their own backup but did not intend for them to be asking questions HERE.

purple.epod said:
This guide is for converting a Canadian 6045i to a US 6045i - both are identical models with simply slightly different software. It won't work with a European 'Y' model like you said you have.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Now i understand why it doesn't work. And where can i find the rom for my as i have everything wiped? do you know i only found ROM Arde-Dev-Team-v1_5.0.2 but it doesn't work!
---------- Post added at 11:44 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:40 AM ----------
famewolf said:
Step 1) Make a backup on the device so it creates the directory path you need.
Apologies to @purple.epod. This will hopefully redirect folks back to the system image thread. I have a line that states to follow your restore tutorial but use their own backup but did not intend for them to be asking questions HERE.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately i can bakup anything as i have wiped everything on the phone!:crying:
I know i'm really stupid, but i do that as it was a step as a process of installing a new ROM as mine was corrupted!:crying:

punkal said:
Now i understand why it doesn't work. And where can i find the rom for my as i have everything wiped? do you know i only found ROM Arde-Dev-Team-v1_5.0.2 but it doesn't work!
---------- Post added at 11:44 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:40 AM ----------
Unfortunately i can bakup anything as i have wiped everything on the phone!:crying:
I know i'm really stupid, but i do that as it was a step as a process of installing a new ROM as mine was corrupted!:crying:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why are you posting this HERE when even the message you quoted states questions should be asked in the system image thread?

famewolf said:
Why are you posting this HERE when even the message you quoted states questions should be asked in the system image thread?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really sorry!
i've been taken by terror and panic.!

Samsung Galaxy S5 (G870A) Bootloop Fix!

I've recently found away to fix a Galaxy S5 Active stuck in a boot loop. (This method only works if your device is on lollipop 5.0! )
Note: This method only works on the OC5 update.
More firmware support coming soon.
What happened: I accidentally made my Galaxy S5 Active get stuck in a boot loop. I couldn't find a solution for the longest time because the bootloader is locked. Time passed and I eventually found away to fix the boot loop if your devices is running Lollipop 5.0!
Solution:
1. You should always try to fix the boot loop by booting into recovery mode by holding down the Home+Volume-Up Key+Power button. Once the phone logo pops up on the screen releases the power button only, but continue to hold the Home+Volume-Up Key. If it worked is should say "Booting into recovery." or something along those lines in blue letters.
Once you're into recovery use the volume keys to navigate Up and Down. Find wipedata/factory reset. Select it with the power key and navigate down to Yes. Wait till it finishes. Then see if that fixed the problem. If not proceed to next step
2. Since the boot loader is locked it's really difficult to flash any kind of Recovery, ROM, or Stock Rom unless your phone accepts it as a valid file. So here's what you do!: (Method 1)
Download this file and save it to your desktop: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B3UBRFq3BojVQnBSc3lCSzloYUU
Download ODIN v(3.09): http://odindownload.com/Samsung-Odin/#.VgiJ_8tViko - Extract it to your desktop.
Put your phone in download mode. (Note: Before you do this, install the correct drivers for your phone to your computer.)Make sure your phone is completely off and Hold the Home+Volume Down+Power. You will get a warning message just press the volume up key to continue.
Go to desktop and launch ODIN. After ODIN pops up, plug in your device. (Make sure you have the correct phone drivers installed)
You should see a dialog box in ODIN that say 0:[COM6] in blue. Note: It might be different for everyone, just make sure it says COM.
After that, Under "File [Download]" click "AP" Then navigate to the file you downloaded earlier called "boot.tar"
MAKE SURE RE-PARTITION IS UNCHECKED!
Leave everything else alone then click start. Wait till it says PASS! in green letters in ODIN!
(Method 2):
Go to this link download it to your desktop and follow the instructions: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3UBRFq3BojVdXlSUE43VzJPbEU/view?usp=sharing
Done! Your device shouldn't be in a boot loop anymore! If you have any questions let me know!
Note: Once this process is complete, your phone will permanently show a warning in your notifications saying "Unknown action detected." This happens because your phone will detect that your kernel was modified so if you don't want this to happen, then I suggest you wait for a official lollipop OS release.
UPDATE!: You should now be able to download the "Boot.tar" file. Sorry about that!
UPDATE!: New files and instructions added if the first method didn't work!

Having some major issues
First post so forgive me if this is misplaced. Before I was aware I'm unable to down grade from 5.0 or 5.1 version of sm-g870a I attempted to downgrade and apply root from version 4.4.2/4.4.4 via another XDA thread in a faulty attempt to root. At first this presented no issues until restart. At this point the phone is soft bricked and bootloops. Both download mode and system recovery ARE accessible and prior to this I had USB debug open. I have the factory cable and odin identifies the device easily. All other md5 files failed to apply OTHER than one. (4.4.4 ota) I presume because of bootlocks which I'm now aware of. I have attempted three different stock flashes via odin all from XDA all fail at authentication claiming error fused 2 binary 1. I attempted add data pull before all of this and the device ignored a request which prompted a factory reset which was odd. I have attempted installing 3 alternative stock and stock rooted 5.0 and 5.1 firmwares from XDAs threads. All of which failed, hiwever one granted me some precious Information when I slowed down the error message via recording. It states, "Package expects fingerprint of Samsung kltattactive/lteactive:4.4.2/kot49h/g870aucu1ang3:user/release-keys o0A1:user/release-keys this device has kltactive/kltactive. This tells me as far as I know that the device is showing no firmware installed and a double fed file making the attempting installation incompatible. At this point I want to start anew, I have how attempted every route accessible via XDA and feel my options are running very low other than attempting to randomly apply firmware in sequence until odin accepts one and it sticks. That sound like a brick plan however. I don't care what firmware is loaded as long as an OS is accessible. I think this is all available Information I apologize for typos I have been at this for a total of 20 hrs straight. This bootloop was a tired lapse in judgement and has cost me 5 hours of trial and error. Wiping cache fails, reformatting internally fails, as far as I know root was never successful and I THINK philz was successful installed although at this point I cannot recall. Thanks for reading and in advance for any available help. I have SOME c# experience and some java script which is zebra vs dolphin situation I only mention as to aide and explain my trainers of thought. All other languages are vague at best
Edit: I stopped bootloop with the file attached to this thread. It now boots into samsung display bht will not go further and stops there as though it still has no operating system.

Ghujii said:
First post so forgive me if this is misplaced. Before I was aware I'm unable to down grade from 5.0 or 5.1 version of sm-g870a I attempted to downgrade and apply root from version 4.4.2/4.4.4 via another XDA thread in a faulty attempt to root. At first this presented no issues until restart. At this point the phone is soft bricked and bootloops. Both download mode and system recovery ARE accessible and prior to this I had USB debug open. I have the factory cable and odin identifies the device easily. All other md5 files failed to apply OTHER than one. (4.4.4 ota) I presume because of bootlocks which I'm now aware of. I have attempted three different stock flashes via odin all from XDA all fail at authentication claiming error fused 2 binary 1. I attempted add data pull before all of this and the device ignored a request which prompted a factory reset which was odd. I have attempted installing 3 alternative stock and stock rooted 5.0 and 5.1 firmwares from XDAs threads. All of which failed, hiwever one granted me some precious Information when I slowed down the error message via recording. It states, "Package expects fingerprint of Samsung kltattactive/lteactive:4.4.2/kot49h/g870aucu1ang3:user/release-keys o0A1:user/release-keys this device has kltactive/kltactive. This tells me as far as I know that the device is showing no firmware installed and a double fed file making the attempting installation incompatible. At this point I want to start anew, I have how attempted every route accessible via XDA and feel my options are running very low other than attempting to randomly apply firmware in sequence until odin accepts one and it sticks. That sound like a brick plan however. I don't care what firmware is loaded as long as an OS is accessible. I think this is all available Information I apologize for typos I have been at this for a total of 20 hrs straight. This bootloop was a tired lapse in judgement and has cost me 5 hours of trial and error. Wiping cache fails, reformatting internally fails, as far as I know root was never successful and I THINK philz was successful installed although at this point I cannot recall. Thanks for reading and in advance for any available help. I have SOME c# experience and some java script which is zebra vs dolphin situation I only mention as to aide and explain my trainers of thought. All other languages are vague at best
Edit: I stopped bootloop with the file attached to this thread. It now boots into samsung display bht will not go further and stops there as though it still has no operating system.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
New method for you...

irontaco1 said:
New method for you...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Alright this stopped the looping now, to find a proper rom. I believe. Im going tohave to wait for 5.1 in order for it to be successful, however is having 4.4.2 still on it is a bit worrisome, I predict overwriting it should be fine though. Thank you for giving me a way to at least resolve bootlooping. I believe I shoulda have safestrapped the device, but hindsight is always 20/20 eh?

Ghujii said:
Alright this stopped the looping now, to find a proper rom. I believe. Im going tohave to wait for 5.1 in order for it to be successful, however is having 4.4.2 still on it is a bit worrisome, I predict overwriting it should be fine though. Thank you for giving me a way to at least resolve bootlooping. I believe I shoulda have safestrapped the device, but hindsight is always 20/20 eh?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm glad you got past your Bootloop! If you need anymore help let me know.

Is there a way to root my galaxy s5 active [G870A] on att with 5.0? I'm getting conflicting info and not finding the root.tar I need to flash in order to roll back to 4.4.2 so I can root. Right now I'm just trying to get root. Thanks for any help or direction.
S5 Active

I'd say hold off for a while I did that exact 5 Hong with the s5 active and it bootlocks it. You need to, if you're going to do this install and use safestrap to di so and BACK UP EVERYTHING with safe strap to SD. As long as you follow those method you SHOULD be able to even soft brick it and come back from it.

shadavis08 said:
Is there a way to root my galaxy s5 active [G870A] on att with 5.0? I'm getting conflicting info and not finding the root.tar I need to flash in order to roll back to 4.4.2 so I can root. Right now I'm just trying to get root. Thanks for any help or direction.
S5 Active
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't found any successful way to to go back to Kit Kat or 4.4.2 for this phone. In fact that's why this thread exist is because people who have tried to flash back to 4.4.2 have failed and got stuck in a Bootloop. So if you plan on trying to find away make sure you back everything up and if you fail you can use this tutorial to get your phone working again.
Make sure you have "USB Debugging" on
Make sure you have the drivers for your phone installed on your PC before you start the process of looking for a root.

Yeah I tried flashing back to 4.4.2 and it was a no go . I had the stuck on 5.0 issue where download mode says "downloading do not turn off ...... " but after I wiped my phone I was able to update to 5.1.1 successfully without any "download interrupted "errors . So at least I'm not stuck on 5.0 now lol
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using Xparent BlueTapatalk 2
---------- Post added at 03:24 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:21 PM ----------
Although I still have that "Downloading do not turn off target " thing when I try to enter download mode! Sheesh
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using Xparent BlueTapatalk 2

shadavis08 said:
Yeah I tried flashing back to 4.4.2 and it was a no go . I had the stuck on 5.0 issue where download mode says "downloading do not turn off ...... " but after I wiped my phone I was able to update to 5.1.1 successfully without any "download interrupted "errors . So at least I'm not stuck on 5.0 now lol
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using Xparent BlueTapatalk 2
---------- Post added at 03:24 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:21 PM ----------
Although I still have that "Downloading do not turn off target " thing when I try to enter download mode! Sheesh
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using Xparent BlueTapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There should not be anything attempting to download when you boot into ''download mode'' if there is, its highly likely there are still particulates of the last bad flash. I would as he said above, enable USB debugging and the like, and install safe strap to be safe. After safe strap is done and youve followed the tutorial which you can find in another thread on this site, boot your phone down and then power it back on, safe strap should come up first, when it does so push the ''recovery'' option to enter safe strap( someone correct me if thats wrong, my phone is currently dead/charging so i cant check) From there you can back up to an SD card, make sure you enable compression when you do.
Once thats done, WIPE YOUR PHONE, and Cache,( maybe dalvik as well if you cant find it dont worry.)and its all on SD CARD, then attempt to dirty flash( I dont recommend), or clean flash your device WITH safe strap. This typically entails downloading a .zip file and opening it THROUGH safestrap, which is done the same way as backing up your data, only via another option in the menu. Simply put; Back up data with safe strap, after thats done push back and choose FLASH, it should show you all available items it can flash from/to, pick and pray. I didnt go this route when I tried, I attempted to brute force the Bootlocked S5A, and it caused some errors that I now have reversed after much pain. If I HAD safe strapped, It may have went smoother for me, and may for you. Safestrap for us Samsung users is the same as Clockwork Mod for the rest if you weren't aware.
I'll edit this when my phone charges and I can walk you through appropriately, if need be MSG me and Ill do it as soon as I receive the message via this thread if I have not already.

hi guys! good day! i have tried the new method twice! and odin fails everytime! the problem is with the modem.bin! is there any way to fix this?

Make sure you're running lollipop and not Kit Kat and make sure you have the correct phone model. If you don't meet both those requirements then it won't work.

it has on lollipop recoverymode comes up with LRX21T.G870AUCU1B0C5. ISNT that lollipop? download mode also says ;A2, P1

abatoir said:
it has on lollipop recoverymode comes up with LRX21T.G870AUCU1B0C5. ISNT that lollipop? download mode also says ;A2, P1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah that information is correct. You might want to download the latest version of ODIN and try again. (Make sure you're putting the modem.bin file in the correct spot in Odin.)

I think I have the latest odin.. And modem can only fit in the cp field I think. Its just not working for me. I tried doing each part separately. And the modem flash always fail.
---------- Post added at 06:58 AM ---------- Previous post was at 06:57 AM ----------
I used odin 3.10 and also tried with odin 3.7

Hey irontac. Since you came up with this fix. Are you able to tell me why those s5 go into bootloop like that? By the way mine is not in bootloop. It hangs on the AT&T logo (the glob) . I was thinking maybe I need to flash the system.img , but where can I find that. And how can I flash it by itself? Actually the phone belongs to a friend. He seems to have rooted it. But I don't know what else he messed with.

abatoir said:
Hey irontac. Since you came up with this fix. Are you able to tell me why those s5 go into bootloop like that? By the way mine is not in bootloop. It hangs on the AT&T logo (the glob) . I was thinking maybe I need to flash the system.img , but where can I find that. And how can I flash it by itself? Actually the phone belongs to a friend. He seems to have rooted it. But I don't know what else he messed with.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You might want to boot into recovery mode and try to factory reset it normally. If his phone is rooted you could also flash a custom rom to it and get it out of Bootloop.

I also forgot to mention you can't get ahold of the system.img because it's not released to the public.

Yeah. I wanted it back to stock. I downloaded the 5.0 cfg file. Opened it up and I realized that there is no system.img in there. Oh Well. You think it would boot if I used kitKat system.img?

abatoir said:
Yeah. I wanted it back to stock. I downloaded the 5.0 cfg file. Opened it up and I realized that there is no system.img in there. Oh Well. You think it would boot if I used kitKat system.img?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you flash the Kit Kat system.img you might have to downgrade the kernel also. I would give it a try and see if it works.

[SUPERGUIDE][P51xxP31xx] Installation Troubleshoot Guide

The SUPER Custom Rom Guide and Troubleshoot​
There came a new version, your droid got old school and there is no support from Samsung cause they have forgotten about you.
Service centers you looked upon, and to mention exorbitant fees plus service tax came along. Thank You ma'am. will see you around.
Your droid is lagging and hanging and Lo, stops working suddenly. Now you just want to try something new, cause you can't sell them or buy new.
You search on google,
find on Youtube,
Read between surveys and blogs,
tried it yourself,
sometimes got lucky sometimes got thorny.
Now you come to the XDA community. there is too much to absorb and you're kind a new, welcome to all of you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dealing with most of the trouble making bugs and useful insight into cornering them like a rat
1. Tab is Stuck on Charging Screen. Tab is not turning On, battery completely depleted/Not charging, Nothing is Working
2. Stuck On Samsung Logo Screen.
3. Stuck in a Boot Loop.
4. Stuck On Firmware Upgrade Encountered an Issue.
5. Bricked.​Explained in Post number 2
Well that would sum up for me and most of the users will agree that these are the cases that really needs attention and no cussing about how your droid lags and hangs, doesn't makes it to the lists So, by the end of this guide, I would hope and expect at least so much from users to at least have a better knowledge and general idea of how things work here. so users don't just go on saying HELP HELP I am a NooB, Please read and understand first, dude. Thank you I will try to make it simple even if you're not so cool.
A few words about me if you're interested
OH!! you clicked!! wow. well what should I say here. ahem, hello gorgeous. I am Sam So, unlikely,
So guys, I wasn't lucky enough to get everything organised at one thread and spend a lot of time finding a perfect place for everything I would want to, so I thought this would be worth a share. It took me almost a month to write this stuff. yeah I was bored to the core, so put in some fun stuff
along with most of my learning experience and knowledge gained here on XDA in this Guide over the span of 3 years, I would just read and experiment it myself, kind of guy, I wouldn't have dared to put up this guide sooner, but now after successfully solving most of the cases even other people hard bricks and trivial issues that I get to see everyday and keeping myself safe from hard bricks with still not knocked out by one. all thanks to this community this is my gift that I would like to give in return, and I am just someone who likes to get to the edge of the world, exactly, on a round globe. Thank You
Android Broken into 5 parts, Worth a Look
Well not exactly broken but explained in 5 parts ( There are more but I choose not to, thank me for that)
1. Boot section(bootloaders/kernel)
This is droid's heart(accept it), responsible for the droid's birth and keeping it alive, sleeping, waking up, slowdown and speedup, overall working of the system, it has impact on every part of the droid. mess up things here, and droid won't start up at all and will stop beating and malfunction. then you will need a pacemaker and CPR(J-TAG) to revive it or it will keep the brain in coma. yes pretty much like our heart.
2. System section
This is a droid's mind, Its the place where all main work and processes are happening, with rooting and flashing you get a licence to open that mind and analyse, read logs, stats. that brain, heart and all your body is producing, you can see it all and make changes in it, put few things from outside. clean it, format it, wipe it, make amend(patches). So, imagine all that happening in your mind and the idea of cleaning your brains for once, wiping the mind, giving new and fresh experiences(newer and updated files) new interface(new UI), affecting the overall performance and changing to a whole new perspective with which you look at things.
So Clear your mind about this and remove your bad experiences and upgrade it with new stable ones. err not the custom beta and alpha ones, cause then you will give your headaches and put them in depression.
3. Data
This place is the memories part, and everything is stored up here. Everything. some would be overtly stored(on sdcard) and some deep inside you(under system/data/data). now overtly ones are not a concern here but deeper ones are hard to forget and lingers in your system, these won't go well if your heart and mind changed or aren't supposed to be the same, or in trouble will they? (i know I am good at explaining this)
4. Cache
Well, this one is the dreams part. damn I am right just admit it now. they come from your memories, keep it or forget about it, that's unto you. sometimes it can interfere with your old memories when you get new ones. so if unknown problem persist, with your heart and mind working nicely please clear your dreams and look into some of the memories. otherwise get the mind checked first.
5. Recovery
This is the soul part, whenever your heart or mind or data or dreams are feeling lost, you connect to it and revive them accordingly, or contact ODIN.
I hope you had some fun in the above part and a very clear and better understanding, So now you know where things are going wrong​
The Beginning
Ensure your Charging Adapter, USB ports and your USB cable, are in good shape and working in accordance, Never depend on USB hubs or any USB port that is a faulty or slow performer, use original cables, or buy new ones, the cable does create problems in some cases. if you're sure that these are fine, then let it in charging for few hours to even a day. depending upon how fast the droid recovers.
So what do you do, when you have to go the custom way or solve your problems?
i. Press Power and Volume Up(right button) or
ii. Press Power and Volume Down(left button) or
iii.Press Power and Hold touch screen combinations.
iv. Press nicely and hold it for good few seconds there, no hurry, really.
v. Long press the power button, release the power button and, when you see a logo appear during boot-up, hold down both the volume up and volume down buttons. Continue holding the two buttons until the droid boots up with a safe mode indicator at the bottom-left corner of its screen.
vi. Plug it in PC with the USB.
vii. Remove the Battery blow air on it and pat a little and put it back inside.
So what happens after doing what I said above?
i. (a). The tab goes into download mode
ii (b). The tab goes into recovery mode
iii(c). the tab switch off/on again.
iv (d). Now the Combinations worked properly, beware cause many a times on droids this could be a seriously tricky part.
v (e). The tab goes into safe mode.
I know you got tired there holding the buttons and No you didn't had to press it so hard
vi (f). Your droid and PC responds and connects.
yeah, I know Nothing much of a Help, but it will make sense when it doesn't
vii(g).
this is an age old trick of which there is no proof of success, but it has been working since ages.
As long as you can enter download mode or recovery or safe mode you can walk the path of going custom and troubleshoot along the way. Piece of cake. Most of the ways including how to root, upgrades, lag free and better performance starts here
[if you're ready to take the plunge, remember there is no backing out.]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Choose your steps wisely here now, if possible just read the main points and see if you have done all those first. that will save your data in some case and in some save you from getting all messed up.
CORA, (CODE OF RECOVERING ANDROID)
For NON-ROOT USERS
Safe mode
Stock recovery
Download Mode
FOR ROOTED USERS
Custom recovery,
Nandroid BACKUP,
Download mode
Safe mode
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
WITHOUT MODIFYING SYSTEM FOR HARDCORE STOCK USER
1. SAFE MODE
This mode generally helps when the problem is arising from 3rd party apps and is making your droid reboot again and again, lagging, hanging issues, so whatever is causing problem, if you can reach here, you can uninstall them clear their data and cache, and yes, free up some internal space too and backup your data from settings-backup as well. then factory reset if you want to.
2. STOCK RECOVERY WAY
You have never rooted your droid and you don't want to root and you don't want to move away from stock, well pressing the Power and Volume Down(left button) will take you there.
try to clear cache/data factory reset(will lose you data stored on internal droid) and yes it does solve few of the cases, even if it doesn't look so promising, it has solved, and will solve quiet a few issues. no chance of getting that data stored on internal., phone book, messages, chats.
3. THE DOWNLOAD MODE WAY
Flash a stock firmware Explained in post the download way.​
Code:
Now if you are already Rooted or want to Root to have a better option of saving your data, or reviving your droid
it's like performing a surgery on your body by yourself.
So be careful, you have been warned, Samsung voids the warranty,
and I don't give any Guarantees that these Instructions will work for all.
MODIFYING FOR PEOPLE WHO RISK IT
1. Getting Rooted
2. Custom recovery Way and (post number 4)
3. Download mode Way. (post number 5)
AND FOR THOSE WHO WILL BLAME ME
Seriously?
The most important and most essential part here is GETTING/HAVING a NANDROID BACKUP, the very FIRST THING that you MUST HAVE DID/DONE upon getting ROOTED. Make a Stable Clone guys.
You will need to get rooted and custom recovery to do that, not to forget enabling the USB Debugging Option from Settings->about device-> Build number-> press 7 times->back->developer->Enable USB Debugging and that's the beginning my friend.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Other threads with good post for the tab 2 series about rooting guides, containing firmware links, recoveries, Roms list, kernels, pretty much everything.
All about P51xx
All about P31xx
Latest Roms, Recoveries updated by Android-andi, the best developer around here
other droid users please look it up under your device thread tree, they will surely have a way, tailored and to the point.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Getting Rooted is only advised if you're going to stay on stock rom, debloating the system and making changes yourself.
if you're going to install a custom rom, which would be generally rooted, so you can skip to getting a custom recovery first.
CF auto Root are better option for any device to get rooted rather than other options
CFauto-root GT-P3100
CF auto root for GT-P51xx
or you can visit the chainfire homepage for your device which contains the root file for almost every device.
ROOT FROM DEVICE WITHOUT PC
in cases where you can't use ODIN for rooting or you want root your droid and there is still no method explained for Root on XDA then using framaroot, towel root, baidu, kingo or any other app(they can root some sets of droid) is advised, without ODIN or in case you couldn't connect your tab to the PC with the USB, only then these apps are good ways to get root. after that you can use flashify app or other apps for same purpose that has the feature to flash .img files, you can also use Mobile Odin app which can pretty much work when you can't use Odin from Pc.
then you can download a copy of the custom recovery image.(recovery.img) browse in the app and let it do the installation for you. this is useful for droids which doesn't have that much support like we and others have here
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Common Issues faced
If you have read about my explanation of android's partitions in the OP(Original Post above), you would know where exactly to look for the problems. Moving on,
For other Geeks
Please remind me if I missed few things, you see I have put up this Guide mostly of the files I have in my system partition,I might have missed few that were stored in data or cache partition
1. Tab is Stuck on Charging Screen. Tab is not turning On, battery completely depleted/Not charging, Nothing is Working​
Possibilities
* if the tab doesn't feels warm even after charging for a whole day,
F1. Battery dead,
F2. Circuit/Motherboard blown,
F3. Bad Charger/charging point
F4. No electricity
if it's getting warm and still not turning on
F5. Hardware buttons not working
F6. Motherboard needs replacement.
F7. Flashed a bootloader/kernel(along with a Rom/firmware), or something not meant for your device, which is the hard brick in this category please refer to case number 5. (process on post 2)
F8. Some Custom Roms have bugs that won't Charge, stay stuck on the battery icon, unless you remove the plug and turn on. always read before flashing a Rom, if there are no info, better ask the developer before you go flashing or post your Question in related thread where they would get noticed.
2. Stuck On Samsung Logo Screen.​
This could be from various reasons generally not so serious ones mostly recoverable issues of which, some are
Flashed a incompatible Custom Rom zip or any other flashable zip containing files not meant for the exact device.
Flashed a kernel/ bootloader incompatible with the Rom, wrong kernel modules, messed up system lib files, (lucky enough to still not be in hard bricked section.)
Formatted system partition and there is no OS installed. (one of the silliest mistakes I have done)
Some other that I maybe forgetting just like I completely forgot about the above
Possible Solutions
Go to the stock recovery and wipe data/factory reset (this will make your precious data that you stored vanish, except data stored on SDcard) (explained further in post 3)
Get a working stable compatible kernel/Rom or flash stock firmware. (explained in post 2 and 3)
Download from a different source cause chances are the file got corrupted or infected while downloading or transferring. (post 3)
Find the file that is stopping the device from booting up, starting from the kernel, to the system files. duh?
Go to the custom recovery way.
Go to the download way
3. Stuck in a Boot Loop.​
Boot Loops are crazy and they will make you mad, they can hit you anytime for even little of tasks, Root or not root, either you are testing a new app, modifying/copying/editing/deleting/overwriting files in the system or data that don't even look so dangerous, just flashing some mod, GAPPS, or just updates rolled out by devs(nothing against them) this will surely hit you, no matter how focused and diligently you work. boot loops will make you do hula hoops.
Boot Loop is generally solved by
Hello? whatever you did that I mentioned above, just roll it back.
if you can't figure it out, well then
Remember the CORA order Quoted above in the first post? Read on
Safe Mode?
Go to recovery and clear cache then reboot.
Clear data/factory reset from stock recovery(data stored will be lost) (root users can skip this and directly go to 7)
No, Recovery?, You sure pressed the button nicely?
Flash a custom recovery image(recovery.tar) from Odin
Repeat from 1-3
Backup/Restore from Nandroid backup
Don't sit for the next exams without memorizing your lesson.
Cleared cache/dalvik cache?
Flash a Compatible Custom kernel
Find the stock replacement of the file/app you messed up from a firmware or a custom Rom, put it in a flashable zip and flash it (advance users)
Clear/data factory reset either from custom recovery. (*loses data)
Flash the Custom Rom, first dirty flash then clean flash.
Flash a Stock firmware from Odin. (loses data)
4. Stuck On Firmware Upgrade Encountered an Issue.​
Well this problems hits non-root users and root users too? why? because we wanted an update.
it was trying to upgrade and something got in between to make it stop
Battery/Power/Electricity - for non root users, the most common culprit would be the battery, seriously guys, please keep the battery in mind always. it's a very common mistake that cost many of users. For ODIN users, please see you have a uninterrupted supply of power to your device and you are using latest version along with Hi speed USB ports.
kies!!! I hate that thing and majority of others will support me here. I got rid of it the day I installed that thing on my PC.
interruption from the user side while the device was taking an upgrade. removed battery? fell down on the floor? no?
hardware issue, unlikely, rare I would say, in case the device did came out with a weak emmc card.
Bad/wrong firmware downloaded files.
In case you had a custom recovery and its still working, check the custom recovery way
I Know 1st didn't helped you,
Refer to the Download Mode way and get a custom recovery
Don't forget to clear cache, you do know that's where the device keeps the downloaded/image firmware file, and that's where it is installing/extracting from. the dream partition, no wonder you got errors. you got a nightmare now
try the download mode way
probably it's best that you either forget about the mobile, or give it to a service center for a J-TAG and get it repaired.
I knew you would look here, there is indeed a last ray of hope, explained at the last thing to do in download mode way
5. Bricked.​
There are 3 types of Bricks, Soft Hard and The Brick, That's it.
Soft brick
well you are safe and sound, you can even recover from custom recovery mode.
Hard brick
skynet has fallen, just like it infected the droid Arnold Schwarzenegger of the terminator version 3.0, the codes were injected into his heart making the brain dis balance and resulting in partial heart seizure and a coma, but he still had the cache and data part intact along with recovery, so it went there, restored a nandroid backup and went online again. BAM!! so easy. but why? I mean ours droid having reached version 6.0 can't recover from the same way? Where only hope here is a CPR or getting J-TAGGED? not to mention, which should be done by expert surgeons who would charge exorbitant . So, don't waste time with a jig or any other miracle to happen and please don't go on the droid with a shocking therapy. I am more of a practical guy and prefer professionalism.
The Brick
err, that's the solid one, put that on your heart, and forget about this droid and shell out money for a new one. : that's what the company wants to tell you here and that's the reason it doesn't want to put the nandroid on the stock recovery cause they want the blame on you and not them. shhh, keep it hidden, don't say I told you their secret
General Overview of the Next Options we have.
a. The Download Mode Way
Before going this way I would suggest you see the recovery mode way, if it's not working for you, then go ahead here.
You have four things that you can do (other's I never needed to venture upon)
1. Flash a Recovery -
In case you want to change or update a Recovery or fix/access a Recovery again, to root, complete backup from recovery(nandroid), install new custom Rom, install stock Rom, plenty of options here. Probably the safest option here cause you don't lose your data unless you do something wrong here as to format it. whether you root your tablet or not, install a custom Rom or stay on stock, everyone MUST have a custom recovery, I don't understand why Stock recovery can't have this option as well?
2. Flash a stock firmware package -
in case you are on stock recovery never rooted,
can't reach or can't flash anything using custom recovery,
bootloops(applied in all cases), want to revert back to stock factory state. tab system is behaving weirdly, virus and Trojans attacked or you just want to upgrade or change your droid firmware.
Note Using this method, will result in the loss of all your data stored on the device internal card.
3. Flashing a Bootloader
Generally these are included in every stock firmware pack. if you had a ICS(4.0.4) stock Rom, and the device got an Official JB(4.2.2) update. you must update to that firmware first before flashing any later custom Roms[from kk to M(6.0)], the version which never got released officially. flashing this part separately is very risky and done with utmost care, remember it's your droid heart. don't fool around with it.
3. Flash firmware with pit file -
Warning : this is some high level flashing, it will re partition your device along with the stock firmware. in cases where NOTHING ELSE on the whole Internet worked for you, and you have tried almost everything, only then choose this path with clear mind. make mistake in this, and your tab will virtually turn into a paperweight. if you're not sure you could handle it, please send it for the service centers. this is going to flash every part of the droid's body
4. Flash the 4 files with pit
This is the secret way, where miracles can happen even when there was no hope of recovering yourself.
b. The Recovery Mode Way
Stock recovery - Here You can clear cache, there is nothing much happening in clearing cache, just clearing some temporary files and making you feel like you have got some space cleared out. it's just files that you most probably already used.
data/factory reset and reboot. Easy and simple solution . that does solve some of the problems you face without modifying your device much. so those of you who are afraid to flashing things and ending up on some bigger mistake, you can give this a try, but keep in mind, you will lose all your data stored in the device.
there is apply update from recovery, but that seldom has use in an average android user's life nothing much of a recovery.
Go to download mode way of flashing a custom recovery
or
If you have rooted your tab somehow using framaroot, towel root, baidu or any other app, without ODIN in case you can't connect your tab to the PC with the USB, then you can use flashify app or Kernel Adiutor(the latest one) or any other apps that has the feature to flash img from inside the device OS. you can download a copy of the custom recovery image.(recovery.img) browse in the app and let it do the installation for you.
Custom recovery - Here you have many things that you can do depending upon which recovery and which version you choose. CWM is past, philz is ok, TWRP is awesome. most of the options are common in these 3, but some are really better and fast than the previous ones. we will discuss only one, my favorite TWRP(Respect for the legend CWM though), the process is common on all but twrp is more feature rich.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Important files you must have NANDROID BACKUP, STOCK FIRMWARE, PIT FILE, and 4 FILES FIRMWARE PACKAGE, GET them even before you need to search for them
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Setting Up Everything
Before proceeding Always keep device battery fully charged and NEVER go flashing on low battery. Very Risky. Don't forget.
Always check the files that you are going to flash on your device. generally files will have device model mentioned in their filename.
Be Sure that you don't lose electricity or laptop on low battery while working. the device takes time to update.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Things you need to Set up a 'Flashing Environment'
No, I am not going to talk about a flashy party setup ​
i. PC running Windows 7 and 8 (with 10 I haven't flashed anything yet, but it works.)
ii. A working data cable(some cables are bad and will not detect your device if you see unknown device better get a new one)
iii. Samsung USB Drivers it's much better than having samsung kies on your pc. I would personally suggest from my experience along with many people who have suffered from samsung kies, it's not worth the hassle. ODIN and KIES don't work alongside, so you will have to close.
iv. ODIN 3.10 (download plus instructions as well I used 1.85, 3.07, 3.09 All worked, and so will 3.10. if not, try different ones from Odin 1-85 to 3.07. these links have more step by step and detailed covering what I have left.
v. 7Zip better download this cause it can unpack most of the files.
Press and hold Power and Volume Up(right) button on your device for few good minutes until you see a download mode screen
Connect your USB cable to PC and press Up to Continue. sometimes there could be problem with the USB ports, you should check in all the ports available. avoid USB hubs or the front panel USB in case of PC, don't let a faulty port ruin this for you.
Problem/Failed with Odin? Refer to this thread Good Points here as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
DOWNLOADING AND READING FILES
Believe it, this a very big problem that people tend to overlook
The file you need will look something like these
"P5100XXDMD1_P5100OJVDME1_P5100XXDLL2_EUR.tar.7z"
where
P5100 - Generally the first 5 letters/numbers means a device model number.
XXDMD1 this is PDA which will be 5 letters(much older devices)-6 letters denoting firmware build version.
OJVDME1 is CSC version these just contains regional wise APN, nothing much.
XXDLL2 is Modem version.
EUR is Country Code.
.7z means you need 7zip to extract this file.
Now see these 2 examples here
"S7562XXALJ4_S7562OXXALJ3_S7562XXLJ3_HUN.tar" and "S7562CZNUAMI2_S7562CCHUAMI2_CHU zip"
Sure it's S7562 device but wait the other one is S7562C !!! totally different device firmware. make mistake here and you are sure going to lose.
I Hope you can make out the difference now for every device now.
Now the real file that you need will always be inside a zip/tar/7z the correct format is "P5100XXDMD1_P5100OJVDME1_P5100XXDLL2.tar.md5 "
Remember to extract it and get the md5 file.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
These are the known best sources
Enter and Download device model on sammobile
P5100 sammobile
P5110 sammobile
P5113 sammobile
P3100 sammobile
P3113 sammobile
*Bump Download firmwares available smart-gsm.net
Download firmwares available easy-firmware.com​The Only reason I am putting this here is while I was searching for genuine websites, I had a very hard time finding through sites that looks nothing else than scams and fakes and rarely had files that I needed and password protected. this websites has ads, but looks organized and for tab series, it had at-least all the firmwares downloading.
PHP:
Yes so, it will take time and require a good internet speed, there are other sites, but I don't recommend them unless they are from good source or sometimes the only option. Options are also available from GSMhosting site as well, its another good community but I feel XDA is much better. still if you have no options. you have to get it somehow. just stay away from the survey sites and bogus ones. specially the blogspot ones.

Recovery Mode Way
Recovering from a custom recovery
Important Part​Creating Nandroid Backup - This is the most important thing that you will ever need, and will always regret not having it when you chose this path, should be the first priority.
Getting Inside
Switch off the device
Let it completely shutdown
Hold Power and Volume Down(left button)
This is how it looks saw that backup button? yes that is where you tap first (other recoveries will have different looks, but same "backup" and
This is where you do it . by tapping again or navigating through the volume up and down button in case of older recoveries this would not at all be same, this is the most latest feature rich recovery.
Those Running CWM older builds, won't find the options to select boot, system cache and data and instead there will be just "backup" and backup to external.
CWM by default will Backup boot, system, data, cache partitions. Philz will also do it. But TWRP has better features. although they do the same. You just select system, boot, data and cache. that would be all to recover using nandroid backup.
Now here it depends on what you are trying to do and what would you like to recover from, also depends on what you are comfortable with doing and how much space you can spare. if you have a lot, I would say skip this step and backup all for once.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not Noob Friendly
if you have that same custom Rom zip that you would like to restore the backup of, then there is no need to copy/backup /system partition again, it will save you some space. so you can skip it in that case for TWRP.
if you're only going to modify device kernel - backup boot. or just data if you already have the custom Rom with kernel.
other than that twrp offers what CWM lacked, skip md5 generation during backup well this is a good option and saves some time while backup, on restoring you can also enable or disable it. the purpose of this is simple, md5 is like a security/seal on your backup file, so you don't mess up anything while restoring it on your device. after all you never know when a virus might attack or you might put the wrong files on it. if you are sure about your talents, you can skip it or else it's better to let it generate and verify while restore. CWM has this setup as default.
Now you have one? GREAT! GENIUS!! Now whenever you encounter a problem make sure you can use it like a BOSS.
Restore Nandroid Backup​
Enter recovery mode by Pressing Power and Volume Down(left button),
you reach the main screen,
you see a "restore" option and tap it,
you will see folders name starting with the date you made a nandroid backup,
you recognize which one you want by the date and information listed there, and select it. CWM only offered dates, but twrp even offers more detailed info including OS version and Rom name. one more reason I suggest you to use twrp.
In case you want only data to be restored, then you choose advanced restore and check the data and restore. but before doing this part make sure you are not restoring conflicting data or system or kernel with incompatible versions.
you can't restore a data backup from a Jellybean Rom and put it on a custom Rom based on Lollipop, neither a kernel from Lollipop to jellybean.
Data should only be recovered on the same Rom you took the backup from.
In case the custom Rom developer rolls an update of the same fixing issues,(not some major changes) then you can in some cases think of getting this worked out smoothly. This is called a "dirty flash". which is the reason why sometimes users experience problems running certain Roms, even when they are good and stable Roms. So before complaining to devs make sure you follow the clean install method.
Note: System and data most of the times will cause problems. Kernels are not meant at all to play with. they are the biggest source of bricks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
​
Wiping Part - Steer Clear the problems away
this is where wipe takes place[PIC]
here are the wipes options on a custom recovery
Factory reset - Wipes cache, dalvik, data/ excluding your media part on the internal drive.(your pics, videos are safe)
this will generally clear you problems if they are not some big issues. but you will lose the apps and contacts messages stored.
Advanced wipe - Format system
you can try to do this first if you don't want to lose your data while troubleshooting.
format system if you're facing issues with the files on system partition, but remember to install the same Rom you had earlier. if you had stock, you will need a stock Rom zip not to forget keeping the file ready beforehand on the external SD card.
Beware while navigating in advance wipe menu, never wipe in a hurry, never drink and wipe, never take eyes off here, cause you might end up touching external SD card, USB-OTG, internal storage and lose your precious data
Format data - this wipes the data partition
problems arising from the data partition side could be solved here, but you lose your precious data on the internal and get rid of the bad, virus, trojans, trouble making apps.​
How to perform A CLEAN INSTALL when you are going to update to a new Rom?
Factory Reset and Format System, Format CACHE
or
Format /System, Format /Data, Format /Cache, WIPE Dalvik Cache, Factory Reset.
This will Surely Solve Some Great & Average Problems of Day to Day Flashing.[/B]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What's a Dirty Flash then?
Format System, without Deleting Data partition. before doing this, please do a nandroid backup in case you mess things up. if not, format system again and flash the Rom that was initially running with that data.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Now Comes the Installing part
Installing Menu​
You download a copy of a custom Rom or stock Rom, after following the developer's thread, reading through it's bugs and reviews. you don't want a unstable or alpha Roms.
There would be installing process explained on that thread follow it and always make sure that inside the zip file it contains a meta-inf and system folder with boot.img) always look inside before going to flash, don't trust me, don't trust anyone. although
if you tried to flash a firmware zip file containing a .img file, without Meta-Inf folder, it won't flash. cause the custom recovery needs instructions from updater-script. Now, I know this was mostly going on like this before, but now with latest custom recoveries, (twrp) you can even flash .img files without needing a zip.
You perform a Clean Install wipe stated in the wipe section above
Reboot to Recovery(Don't select reboot to system, there is no system after clean wipe)
You browse through the files list and external storage,
Find that zip file and
Swipe or press or touch to flash it.
You wait for it to complete the process then
You can wipe/cache/dalvik and reboot or you just reboot. depends on what you choose "clean install" or "dirty install".
You want to report any errors while flashing? you are free to do so on the Rom thread, don't expect me to solve those cases.
If all went well, reboot to system and your tab should be up running again. if not refer to the Download mode Way.

The Download Mode Way
The Download Mode Way
1. FLASH A CUSTOM RECOVERY
Find the recoveries in their respective threads. For P51xx and P31xx Recovery thread others can look in their respective device sections, XDA has development thread of most of the Samsung devices and people do post there.
it should look like this on your address bar
"http forum.xda-developers.com / galaxy-tab-2 / general"
xda website /__ (devicename)/ (sub-forum)
(development) OR (/general) section
You can always google it too.
remember you will need a recovery.md5 that will be inside a zip file extract from it.
Always check whats in the archive then go the recovery mode way, it should be .md5
Sorry I have not put up detailed step by step process here because my guide is covering a lot of things already and this is something each device specific, refer to this For General step by step instructions with pictures, this has very detailed process.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
​
2 FLASH A STOCK FIRMWARE
These package contains files needed to update or revert to the same position where it was shipped to your country along with your android device. you can find all Samsung device firmwares released from all parts of the world, and yes, you can flash firmwares of other country/regions from the sammobile site just stay away from the carrier specific firmwares(unless you are on one) that should be used for the same specific carriers device only they are married to the carrier company and probably won't let you have your own ways with others.
You should also remember not to downgrade a stock firmware once you have upgraded, that will surely create problems​
Run Odin as administrator
Browse PDA/AP and find the firmware .md5 file
This is how you should see on your ODIN screen. always be very very careful to uncheck the Re-partition. it's unchecked by default.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Code:
The yellow column/(Blue for other versions) means
your device is detected by the PC.
If it's not lit, you have messed up USB drivers
still not uninstalled kies Completely or
not connected the device properly.
try changing to different USB Ports.
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
Press Start
Wait for the process to complete and let the device reboot from download mode
Remove cable when you see PASS written with green above the Yellow/Blue com port.
PHP:
Most Problems are solved here when you see success/PASS.
Except one The emmc bug. Replace the internal emmc, or J-TAG or
mysteriously something else done by professionals.
[*]if it shows failed, see if you can go to recovery mode and clear data, check Mount/Unmount System, data
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if it still says failed, the downloaded file is corrupted, wrong Odin version(try with different Odin versions) you have flashed wrong device files which has messed up the partition table of your device. refer to other ways.
Threads with good post for the tab 2 series these contains firmware links, guides, recoveries, Roms list, kernels pretty much everything.
All about P51xx
All about P31xx
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
3. FLASH A BOOTLOADER
First ask yourself why you would want to do this?
Be extra careful with this part, if you have already flashed a updated firmware, you don't need this part.
Those who are using old stock firmware, please flash a stock last updated firmware. you won't need to do this.
Those who did not follow the above two, so it's now unto you, this a risky thing, you have been advised you are going further yourself
Those who are experiencing problems that are not solved even after most of my other instructions here, then it's onto you to decide you want to try this too or not. this could solve problems when device is in serious condition, after all it's the heart partition and remember no downgrades in this once you upgrade. thats it. this could seriously create problems, including bringing back the emmc issue as well.
Refer to this DETAILS AND INSTRUCTIONS to FLASH A BOOTLOADER for SAMSUNG TAB 2 SERIES follow safely by @Joery360 other users please be careful with these files and don't go on flashing others files? okay. Great!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
4. FLASH FIRMWARE WITH PIT FILE
Wait!! You are sure that you want to try this part? this is the point of no return. Whatever happens to your device by following this guide, good or bad, it's your own responsibility. You can't blame me for it. so be sensible, if you're not sure please let this be done by someone who has the experience of dealing with this kind of stuff.
Now pit files are some serious files, they contain information about your device partition and they help flash erase and rewrite files on their correct partition, so better not take a wrong file, sometimes you have the same device but different internal space, so don't end up choosing a pit file for a 8 GB variant on your 16 GB variant of device, in that case your device will end up using 8gb only, or worse if it's other device, it might never boot up again.
Always remember don't flash pit files ever without a firmware file in place.
Download Pit files for Samsung tab 2 p51xx p31xx series
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Run Odin as administrator
Browse PDA and find the firmware .md5 file
Browse Pit and select the pit file (reminder : file confirmed?)
Make Sure Re-partition is checked cause we are using Pit File to re partition again
Never flash a Pit file without a firmware placed in PDA/AP
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Press Start
Wait for the process to complete and let the device reboot from download mode
Remove cable when you see PASS written with green above the Yellow/Blue com port.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if it shows failed while flashing, you did used correct files, right? after this if there is still a download mode running on your device. try the special case files.
this has happened with me on a unknown MTK device, the pit file was slightly different from the original one on device, so it failed, but that was at the start before it could flash. I did somehow managed to flash that different pit file, just lost some disk space. cause I used a lower variant pit but it got the device running up again.
The device takes a long time to boot while it's updating firmware, so you are required to have sufficiently charged battery, Take no chances here.
if even after a successful flash with Odin, you face problems, then that's a emmc bug case. motherboard replacement or emmc replacement, or tab replacement. nothing else.
5. FLASH PIT WITH 4 FILES FIRMWARE
Find the repair firmware files at this Website
it has the 4 files for most of the devices including the Tab 2 series
Instructions for using these 4 files, however please note that the only difference would be the ODIN versions, cause device needs specific ODIN version, some can flash all.
this is the only way, that I have seen working for numerous devices and it is most successful one among all options to recover an almost bricked device, on which you have tried everything.
For other devices
Find them here
​
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

you'll find these buttons on every post.
it's better to notify a user when you're asking that user a question or use @username of the user for mentioning in your post, that will give in a notification for you.

I think there could be more, i know it's already lengthy but who knows?

(GUIDE) FOR FLASHING AQGL Full stock rom (ROOTED

Hi people, i am in no way a developer, but, i would like to share with you all how i achieved a fully AQGL rom with ROOT. YES, The full AQGL with basebands, build numbers etc. and running surprisingly smooth too. gonna be trying it with the new adb update that @norbarb provides us, thanks man. Alright, without any more rambling here it is,but, first i guess the legal stuff:
DISCLAIMER: I AM IN NO WAY RESPONSIBLE IF YOU BRICK, BREAK,SMASH, OR BLOW UP YOUR PHONE. THIS PROCESS IS DONE AT YOUR OWN RISK! PLEASE BE AWARE THAT ROOTING OR ALTERING YOUR DEVICE MAY VOID WARRANTY AND MAY CAUSE A BRICK, SOFT BRICK, OR BECOME A PAPERWEIGHT! THIS IS DONE AT YOUR OWN RISK!
To make this process get done as quickly as possible,
PREREQUISITES:
1. REMOVE SAMSUNG AND GOOGLE ACCOUNTS
2. A COMPUTER WITH THE LATEST SAMSUNG MOBILE DRIVERS
3. SOME PATIENCE
4. PART1 - https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B41aDwpfEm1lSE1SdkJQbHFYeVU
G1 CSC - https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B41aDwpfEm1lWnRkV1JNdGZ2YnM
5. PART2 - https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B41aDwpfEm1lbF9PWHFpWlhJZU0
ALSO, ID LIKE TO SAY THAT, DURING THIS PROCESS YOU DO NOT HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE WHOLE BOOT UP PROCESS. AS SOON AS YOU FLASH THE SAMPWND FILES, THE ROM WILL BOOT AND ASK FOR PERMISSION TO "ALWAYS ALLOW THIS COMPUTER" CAUSE USB DEBUGGING IS ALREADY ENABLED, CLICK ALLOW THEN MOVE TO THE NEXT PROCESS. the need for wipe data and factory reset is a must.
'ALL NEEDED FILES, FOR THIS PROCESS ARE IN THE .RAR FILES. HAPPY FLASHING AND ENJOY
IMPORTANT, if you are using substratum, please know that N Navbar might cause heavily lag.your choice to use or not.
PART1
1.open Odin Prince Comsy and add sampwnd BL,AP,Cp,CSC in their respective places and START
2. once booted allow usb debugging on START screen and root with SAMPWND root folder (it says Step1.bat and wait for it to reboot)
3. flash G1 CSC from odin(normal) ( NOTE: THIS HAS TO BE DONE FOR STEP 2 TO WORK.) then begin the next process,
PART2
(make sure your supersu is updated before installing flashfire)
4.go through boot up screen install flashfire from
5.in flashfire click the + and start adding files in this order:
a) Wipe- leave the choices select already and select cache partition and format cache partition
b) Flash Firmware Package- system.img
c) ZIp update/OTA - AQGL_OTA and leave it, just tap the check mark
d) Zip/OTA -supersu - select Mount R/W
e) Zip/OTA - busybox - select Mount R/W
f) disable Everroot
g) Flash Firmware package - CP_AQGL-Baseband and select MODEM
h) have patience cause it takes kinda long........
6. enjoy the AQGL rooted and the smoothness.
i will be trying out the latest and update from norbarb. The QJ1
thanks to
@elliwigy for giving us root among other things
@hazmad for a base to run off of and files
@Mark805 for his guide in a guide
@Chainfire for his flashfire, supersu, and a bunch of other things

Worked like a champ. Been trying to get root.
Every time I try other ways I end up loosing the dialer for some reason. Only thing im not sure about is it has seemed to drop more calls even when it has good signal? Thoughts???

416084 said:
Worked like a champ. Been trying to get root.
Every time I try other ways I end up loosing the dialer for some reason. Only thing im not sure about is it has seemed to drop more calls even when it has good signal? Thoughts???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Im not to sure on that cause i havent lost calls yet. are you completely on GL and did you do a factory reset after and through all the steps?
im messing with different firmwares right now and ive noticed that the J8 latest update from TMO, the baseband has more bars than our stock one. Only problem is im getting the green screen thing and its funny what ive found the fix to be. Just press the power button to sleep the phone and turn it back on and its gone. ill be posting another update on rooted things soon. Once i find a good combination.
do a logcat when your phone drops the cals and we can look into whats going on. Also i use my phone with enhanced LTE SERVICES turned off. SETTINGS/MOBILE NETWORK/ENHANCED LTE SERVICES.