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VRBLJ1 and VRALEC Bootchains - why exactly are they necessary?

ok so I was an original GS III owner (I preordered, used the original root66, waited for the unlocked bootloader, etc.)
I just rx'ed a 2nd replacement because the power button fell off my first replacement (my 1st gsIII had a faulty modem).
This one came preloaded with the 2nd OTA (VRALHE)
I was wondering the correct method to go about setting it up...
1.) odin the original root66 VRALF and continue in the same way I did with my original one (dd a TWRP and the insecure bootloader)?
2.) I could follow the directions in section 1 here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1762709
and odin a pre-rooted VRBLJ1. It then says I can just go ahead and add a custom recovery (it mentions the EZ app but I'd rather just dd. then do the insecure aboot the same way)
3.) I could follow the directions here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1974114
it mentions ODINing the VRBLJ1 leak and then ODINing a custom recovery but the recoveries INCLUDE "VRBLJ1 Bootchain." Why?
according to Invisiblek (http://rootzwiki.com/topic/29256-ro...-unlock-sch-i535-d2vzwverizon-galaxy-s-iii/):
What the locked bootloader prevents us from doing is flashing, via odin, a custom recovery or kernel. What we can do however, is revert to an older (semi-insecure) bootchain which we have acquired, flash our custom recovery, and then continue on from our freshly flashed custom recovery by flashing an unlocked bootloader and anything else we want.
Kernels from the newer OTA's prevent us from doing this process. We'll need to flash a kernel too...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
he mentions flashing the VRALEC and then later (after flashing the VRALF2 kernel and a custom recovery) the VRALF2 bootchain. His explanation makes sense, but the other threads say to use the VRBLJ1 bootchain. why all the conflicting info?
Also, as I wrote this I used the rootDebugFS thing on my freshly rx'ed VRALHE. i then dd'ed a recovery and the insecure aboot. Everything is working fine. So what's all the fuss about? and will I encounter problems if I try to odin anything, like invisiblek said?
Thanks

preusstang said:
ok so I was an original GS III owner (I preordered, used the original root66, waited for the unlocked bootloader, etc.)
I just rx'ed a 2nd replacement because the power button fell off my first replacement (my 1st gsIII had a faulty modem).
This one came preloaded with the 2nd OTA (VRALHE)
I was wondering the correct method to go about setting it up...
1.) odin the original root66 VRALF and continue in the same way I did with my original one (dd a TWRP and the insecure bootloader)?
2.) I could follow the directions in section 1 here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1762709
and odin a pre-rooted VRBLJ1. It then says I can just go ahead and add a custom recovery (it mentions the EZ app but I'd rather just dd. then do the insecure aboot the same way)
3.) I could follow the directions here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1974114
it mentions ODINing the VRBLJ1 leak and then ODINing a custom recovery but the recoveries INCLUDE "VRBLJ1 Bootchain." Why?
according to Invisiblek (http://rootzwiki.com/topic/29256-ro...-unlock-sch-i535-d2vzwverizon-galaxy-s-iii/):
he mentions flashing the VRALEC and then later (after flashing the VRALF2 kernel and a custom recovery) the VRALF2 bootchain. His explanation makes sense, but the other threads say to use the VRBLJ1 bootchain. why all the conflicting info?
Also, as I wrote this I used the rootDebugFS thing on my freshly rx'ed VRALHE. i then dd'ed a recovery and the insecure aboot. Everything is working fine. So what's all the fuss about? and will I encounter problems if I try to odin anything, like invisiblek said?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm assuming since VRBLJ1 is the newest JB leak then it uses the newer boot chain. The only reason you would need that boot chain to unlock the bootloader is if you used Odin to flash the newest VZW JB leak onto your phone. Then you would need it to unlock the VRBLJ1 JB leak. If you are are any of the ICS stock ROMs and want to unlock you can use the old way of doing it. The post you are reading from invisiblek is old, it was when we were on the VRALFW stock ROM.
Now I have no clue why you would want to use Odin to flash the newest JB leak when you can do it by downloading the version of the ROM made to be flashed with TWRP or CWM. I would love to have a dev or someone knowledgeable about these things to chime in and tell us if there is any benefit to using Odin to update to the newest JB leak or if there is no difference between having the JB leak or one of the OTA's on your phone before you flash a ROM.
Sent from one of the many Anthropomorphic Personalities on the Disc

shangrila500 said:
I'm assuming since VRBLJ1 is the newest JB leak then it uses the newer boot chain. The only reason you would need that boot chain to unlock the bootloader is if you used Odin to flash the newest VZW JB leak onto your phone. Then you would need it to unlock the VRBLJ1 JB leak. If you are are any of the ICS stock ROMs and want to unlock you can use the old way of doing it. The post you are reading from invisiblek is old, it was when we were on the VRALFW stock ROM.
Now I have no clue why you would want to use Odin to flash the newest JB leak when you can do it by downloading the version of the ROM made to be flashed with TWRP or CWM. I would love to have a dev or someone knowledgeable about these things to chime in and tell us if there is any benefit to using Odin to update to the newest JB leak or if there is no difference between having the JB leak or one of the OTA's on your phone before you flash a ROM.
Sent from one of the many Anthropomorphic Personalities on the Disc
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its just another way of basically doing the same thing. If your already rooted and have cwm recovery, then flashing a J1 rom via cwm or twrp recovery is by far the easiest method. Now if your stock and unrooted, it would be easier to odin root66 J1 , then unlock and get cwm recovery via the ez unlock/recovery apps. This is why I have 2 different methods in my guide...I also chose to not flash bootchains unless its a last resort because they can perma brick a device if something goes wrong. Also I like to use methods that dont trip the flash counter, makes for one less thing to do if the device ever needs to be returned.

droidstyle said:
Its just another way of basically doing the same thing. If your already rooted and have cwm recovery, then flashing a J1 rom via cwm or twrp recovery is by far the easiest method. Now if your stock and unrooted, it would be easier to odin root66 J1 , then unlock and get cwm recovery via the ez unlock/recovery apps. This is why I have 2 different methods in my guide...I also chose to not flash bootchains unless its a last resort because they can perma brick a device if something goes wrong. Also I like to use methods that dont trip the flash counter, makes for one less thing to do if the device ever needs to be returned.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Gotcha, that's been bothering me for a few days. I remember when I was flashing on my RAZR that the stock OTA was the base for everything and if you didn't have the latest OTA some of the ROMs wouldn't run on your phone until you updated and some of the older ROMs wouldn't work until they had been updated to work on the newest OTA or leak. The ROMs were just overlays and usually only added a little bit of added performance or functionality.
Would updating to the latest OTA via Odin add any benefits like it did on the RAZR ? I know the RAZR wasn't unlocked and we weren't flashing ROMs like we do on the GS3 but.....
Sent from one of the many Anthropomorphic Personalities on the Disc

no not on samsung devices...you can go from f2 to the latest with no issues.

droidstyle said:
no not on samsung devices...you can go from f2 to the latest with no issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No I get that, I was meaning are there any positive side effects from using the newest JB leak as your base ROM before flashing a new one. Like flashing the new JB leak via Odin, then unlocking and flashing a new ROM on top of it. Will there be any benefits like there were on the RAZR or when we flash in custom recoveries does it completely do away with the stock ROM that was on the system partition and replace it with whatever we flash? I know on the RAZR you would use the ROM you were on as a base you flash whatever else you wanted and there were benefits to having a certain OTA as your base before you flashed. I don't think I'm doing a very good job of phrasing my question, I apologize for that. Its just a hard question to put into words.
Sent from one of the many Anthropomorphic Personalities on the Disc

shangrila500 said:
No I get that, I was meaning are there any positive side effects from using the newest JB leak as your base ROM before flashing a new one. Like flashing the new JB leak via Odin, then unlocking and flashing a new ROM on top of it. Will there be any benefits like there were on the RAZR or when we flash in custom recoveries does it completely do away with the stock ROM that was on the system partition and replace it with whatever we flash? I know on the RAZR you would use the ROM you were on as a base you flash whatever else you wanted and there were benefits to having a certain OTA as your base before you flashed. I don't think I'm doing a very good job of phrasing my question, I apologize for that. Its just a hard question to put into words.
Sent from one of the many Anthropomorphic Personalities on the Disc
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no not on samsung devices...the reason you needed to do that on the moto device is because of the locked bootloader. meaning you couldnt replace the kernel, so you had to ota to the latest, then root , recovery, and flash rom. since our device is fully unlocked, we dont have to worry about this. most if not all roms for d2vzw are packaged with a kernel. so it does not matter what current base your on, flashing a rom will overwrite it.

droidstyle said:
no not on samsung devices...the reason you needed to do that on the moto device is because of the locked bootloader. meaning you couldnt replace the kernel, so you had to ota to the latest, then root , recovery, and flash rom. since our device is fully unlocked, we dont have to worry about this. most if not all roms for d2vzw are packaged with a kernel. so it does not matter what current base your on, flashing a rom will overwrite it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's what I thought. I was just wanting a little clarification on that. Thanks man!!!
Sent from one of the many Anthropomorphic Personalities of the Disc

Today's (03/05/13) OTA

Haven't seen anyone post about this (even after doing a Google search), but Verizon has started sending out the OTA today. My question is this: since my bootloader in unlocked, and I'm rooted, can I restore back to my stock ROM and take the update? Is there a possibility that I'd completely lose root? Obviously I'd lose superuser and such, but would it replace my bootloader and custom recovery?
Thanks in advance for any helpful replies. I've been around android for a while now, but I'm new to Samsung phones, and how the bootloaders work. (I'm used to HTC where you S-OFF and you're good to go)

tylerlawhon said:
Haven't seen anyone post about this (even after doing a Google search), but Verizon has started sending out the OTA today. My question is this: since my bootloader in unlocked, and I'm rooted, can I restore back to my stock ROM and take the update?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup, you can restore back to stock (via nandroid or Odin) and take the update. You should switch back your recovery if you restore a stock nandroid though.
Is there a possibility that I'd completely lose root? Obviously I'd lose superuser and such, but would it replace my bootloader and custom recovery?
Thanks in advance for any helpful replies. I've been around android for a while now, but I'm new to Samsung phones, and how the bootloaders work. (I'm used to HTC where you S-OFF and you're good to go)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You answered your question, if you lose SU, you lose root. Verizon OTA's will replace your bootloader and custom recovery if you force the install to take through your custom recovery. It should fail initially but I've read around that folks installed the OTA in recovery.

I'll check my wife's phone tonight. If she gets the ota I will pull it from the cache and extract the boot loader and recovery and rezip it and see if it will flash via twrp

SlimSnoopOS said:
Yup, you can restore back to stock (via nandroid or Odin) and take the update. You should switch back your recovery if you restore a stock nandroid though.
You answered your question, if you lose SU, you lose root. Verizon OTA's will replace your bootloader and custom recovery if you force the install to take through your custom recovery. It should fail initially but I've read around that folks installed the OTA in recovery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok thanks for the reply. What do you mean by switch back my recovery? I'm currently on TWRP which is what I rooted with, and I've been using it since. I just want a completely untampered stock OTA of the latest OTA.

tylerlawhon said:
Ok thanks for the reply. What do you mean by switch back my recovery? I'm currently on TWRP which is what I rooted with, and I've been using it since. I just want a completely untampered stock OTA of the latest OTA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I mean, the OTA will fail if you just try to accept it right now. It would also fail if you switched back to your stock nandroid because you still have TWRP installed too. That's how its always been. Switching to the stock recovery, you could use EZ Recovery to do so, would resolve that.
I've read that you can still have a custom recovery installed and successfully take the OTA with a custom recovery installed but idk the exact steps to take to make this happen. Since I have no need for accepting OTA's I try to learn from what people post here.
Edit: Seems my OTA/custom recovery inquiry has been answered pretty thoroughly here (post #10). You could try those steps if you desire too.

SlimSnoopOS said:
I mean, the OTA will fail if you just try to accept it right now. It would also fail if you switched back to your stock nandroid because you still have TWRP installed too. That's how its always been. Switching to the stock recovery, you could use EZ Recovery to do so, would resolve that.
I've read that you can still have a custom recovery installed and successfully take the OTA with a custom recovery installed but idk the exact steps to take to make this happen. Since I have no need for accepting OTA's I try to learn from what people post here.
Edit: Seems my OTA/custom recovery inquiry has been answered pretty thoroughly here (post #10). You could try those steps if you desire too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmmm sounds interesting. I doubt I'd be able to use EZ unlock like I did on ICS... I guess I'll wait for a recovery flashable file.

What OTA?

cammykool said:
What OTA?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
4.1.2 ota being pushed starting today. According to Google+

Is this basically the same thing as the VRBMA2 leak?

pettigrew95 said:
Is this basically the same thing as the VRBMA2 leak?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, it's a final version of VRBMA2 leak which is VRBMB1

Damn.... on the day i root... oh well glad i did!
vzw probably blocked our current methods.

The OTA de-odexed is already posted courtesy of beanstown over here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2177798

I'm rooted, unlocked and custom recovery w/stock ROM (odex).
How do I get this update installed and keep root/unlocked/custom recovery in place?
Also want to keep Google Wallet working correctly.

lexluthor said:
I'm rooted, unlocked and custom recovery w/stock ROM (odex).
How do I get this update installed and keep root/unlocked/custom recovery in place?
Also want to keep Google Wallet working correctly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Download this and flash it through recovery once beanstown posts the links:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2177798

pettigrew95 said:
Download this and flash it through recovery once beanstown posts the links:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2177798
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd rather have the odex version though. You think someone will post that?

OK I took it from cache. Does anyone remember what all I need to delete after I extract it so it doesn't update boot loader. Recovery for sure...here's where I am before i rezip

[Q] Trouble installing CWM after OTA 4.3 Update

Hi guys,
Looking for some advice.
I previously had my phone rooted on 4.2 and everything was working great. For some reason I decided to install the OTA 4.3 update before reading here what it did. Before that though, I did a full backup through CWM.
Anyway, I'm now having trouble re-installing CWM to get back into recovery mode and go back to my backup.
When I try flashing it through Odin, it says Failed, and it seems like the phone blocked it because it is a recovery system.
Currently, when I boot up, I get the Custom logo, and when I try to go into recovery mode, it gets blocked and says it's unauthorized software, so I don't think I really installed the update right.
So, is there anyway to get CWM back on the phone to revert to my backup, or is there a way to flash the whole backup from a PC? The file is still intact on my SD card.
Thanks!

phlass said:
Hi guys,
Looking for some advice.
I previously had my phone rooted on 4.2 and everything was working great. For some reason I decided to install the OTA 4.3 update before reading here what it did. Before that though, I did a full backup through CWM.
Anyway, I'm now having trouble re-installing CWM to get back into recovery mode and go back to my backup.
When I try flashing it through Odin, it says Failed, and it seems like the phone blocked it because it is a recovery system.
Currently, when I boot up, I get the Custom logo, and when I try to go into recovery mode, it gets blocked and says it's unauthorized software, so I don't think I really installed the update right.
So, is there anyway to get CWM back on the phone to revert to my backup, or is there a way to flash the whole backup from a PC? The file is still intact on my SD card.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is currently no way for you to flash CWM onto your S3 now that you have TW 4.3 VRUMCL1 update. If you want root, you will need to use Saferoot. If you wish to flash custom roms, you are currently only able to flash custom TW 4.3 roms via the use of SafeStrap. With Safestrap installed, you will be using a customized version of TWRP. Any and all of your CWM backups are incompatible and wasting storage space. Links to everything I just mentioned are contained in our TW 4.3 discussion thread.
Note that when you use Saferoot to gain root access, the tool is in the S4 section however it states that there is nothing in the tool itself that is S4 specific and that it should work on other 4.3 devices. It does work. Search in the discussion thread or in Saferoot thread to see confirmation.
Edit: to work around the Yellow triangle issue, you'll want to use ThePagel's soft brick thread.
Edit #2: Also, being that you are on TW 4.3 update, you absolutely can not downgrade your firmware using pre-existing Odin stock images. You can only use the official, VRUCML1 tar that is about 1 GB.

SlimSnoopOS said:
There is currently no way for you to flash CWM onto your S3 now that you have TW 4.3 VRUMCL1 update. If you want root, you will need to use Saferoot. If you wish to flash custom roms, you are currently only able to flash custom TW 4.3 roms via the use of SafeStrap. With Safestrap installed, you will be using a customized version of TWRP. Any and all of your CWM backups are incompatible and wasting storage space. Links to everything I just mentioned are contained in our TW 4.3 discussion thread.
Note that when you use Saferoot to gain root access, the tool is in the S4 section however it states that there is nothing in the tool itself that is S4 specific and that it should work on other 4.3 devices. It does work. Search in the discussion thread or in Saferoot thread to see confirmation.
Edit: to work around the Yellow triangle issue, you'll want to use ThePagel's soft brick thread.
Edit #2: Also, being that you are on TW 4.3 update, you absolutely can not downgrade your firmware using pre-existing Odin stock images. You can only use the official, VRUCML1 tar that is about 1 GB.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok great. Thanks for the help.

phlass said:
Ok great. Thanks for the help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't hesitate to post back if you're stuck or need a little more clarification

Having a Problem installing Safestrap recovery

Im having a problem getting to the recovery screen of safestrap.
I just installed safestrap from this link here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2605648
and it said it was successful. When I clicked Boot into Recovery, the phone restarts and just hangs at the Samsung Galaxy SIII Screen.
pressing any of the keys, or trying to power it off does not work. I have to pull the battery.
Upon pulling the battery, I do get the safestrap overlay where it says safestrap is disabled. I click the menu button that says recovery and it just hangs on a black screen. And I need to pull the battery again. When i get back to the safestrap screen again, i can get my phone to boot as normal by clicking continue as oppopsed to recovery, but I still can not get safestrap to boot into the recovery screen to install a rom (I want to install a 4.3 Rom).
Does anyone have any advice? Im currently running on a rooted 4.1.2.
PS: Is there a rooted stock 4.3 rom? I dont have alot of experience with custom roms. I just want the latest stock rom, but have root access. If there is one, can someone please point me in the direction of it?

Safestrap is intended for people that took the 4.3 ota, so I'm not sure if it will work on 4.1.2. You should make sure your bootloader is unlocked and install a custom recovery. There are several threads that explain the process.
Sent from my SCH-I535

roaddog665 said:
Safestrap is intended for people that took the 4.3 ota, so I'm not sure if it will work on 4.1.2. You should make sure your bootloader is unlocked and install a custom recovery. There are several threads that explain the process.
Sent from my SCH-I535
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Safestrap should work fine for any other versions of jellybean, (im assuming) he intends to install a custom rom while at the same time having a live back up of the stock one. Also safestrap is meant for people with locked bootloaders and even though you can unlock the bootloader (on 4.1.2) you really don't need to in order to install safestrap.

Mtsprite said:
Safestrap should work fine for any other versions of jellybean, (im assuming) he intends to install a custom rom while at the same time having a live back up of the stock one. Also safestrap is meant for people with locked bootloaders and even though you can unlock the bootloader (on 4.1.2) you really don't need to in order to install safestrap.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK, I wasn't sure if it would or not. Thanks.
Sent from my SCH-I535

rslthara very
So wait... Do I even need safestrap then? or is there a way to install 4.3 without having my bootloader become locked. I thought that was the whole point of installing safestrap was to create a partion of the update before you actually update to it.

MattDusza said:
So wait... Do I even need safestrap then? or is there a way to install 4.3 without having my bootloader become locked. I thought that was the whole point of installing safestrap was to create a partion of the update before you actually update to it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Safestrap is only for people who already updated to 4.3 rom with LOCKED bootloader. In your case, NO you don't need safestrap. You could install 4.3 for unlocked bootloader (in your case) here are a few:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1904329
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2591895
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2608639

Gturvis mingled
Thank You. I guess I missed something when I was reading on how to avoid getting your bootloader locked in the process.

[Q] How do you unroot GS3?

How do you unroot the GS3 and get back to stock unrooted? I am currently just stock rooted. I'm just done with flashing and don't want to worry about something happening to my phone while I'm rooted, and am sick of it not being able to take the VZW update on a daily basis. I understand there is an unroot in the superuser app, is it as simple as clicking that and it will unroot by itself? Is there more I need to do? Thanks for your help!

Bump

Many ways to unroot, you could use SuperSU and select remove root, then uninstall the app then reboot or use universal unroot app from play store.

buhohitr said:
Many ways to unroot, you could use SuperSU and select remove root, then uninstall the app then reboot or use universal unroot app from play store.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you. Once you perform either or these methods, can you still root again in the future if you decide to?

I unrooted through SuperSU. Went to install the VZW update and it went into Teamwin Recovery. When it was trying to update the software and running all the checks, etc. I saw "checking for MD5 file...no MD5 file found." What is this and is this what is causing me to not be able to take the update? Am I supposed to still have Teamwin Recovery? How do I get rid of it? Root Checker said I'm unrooted now.
Where do I go from here? Thanks again!

Bump

irl5fan said:
Bump
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Flash this file:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2795659
With this guide:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2586319
Then you're unrooted and up to date, but you'll erase all of your data. So backup all the pictures and music you want to keep.
Sent from my HTC6525LVW using Tapatalk

BadUsername said:
Flash this file:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2795659
With this guide:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2586319
Then you're unrooted and up to date, but you'll erase all of your data. So backup all the pictures and music you want to keep.
Sent from my HTC6525LVW using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
None of the links to the files have anything in them. Is there another way? Any other location to find these files?

irl5fan said:
None of the links to the files have anything in them. Is there another way? Any other location to find these files?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're right, try to search for it in Google. I didn't bookmark anything.
Sent from my HTC6525LVW using Tapatalk

irl5fan said:
I unrooted through SuperSU. Went to install the VZW update and it went into Teamwin Recovery. When it was trying to update the software and running all the checks, etc. I saw "checking for MD5 file...no MD5 file found." What is this and is this what is causing me to not be able to take the update? Am I supposed to still have Teamwin Recovery? How do I get rid of it? Root Checker said I'm unrooted now.
Where do I go from here? Thanks again!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dude.... You shouldn't be rooting if you don't know what TWRP is.... LMAO!
You need to flash stock recovery to take the OTA, you should of backed it up when you first flashed TeamWin to the device and it would of been a simple reflash through Flashify and it would of been good.
Now you need to download Odin (A PC flash tool) and reflash through that programme....
Sent From V500
Using XDA App

unroot gs3
LiamAtkins90 said:
Dude.... You shouldn't be rooting if you don't know what TWRP is.... LMAO!
You need to flash stock recovery to take the OTA, you should of backed it up when you first flashed TeamWin to the device and it would of been a simple reflash through Flashify and it would of been good.
Now you need to download Odin (A PC flash tool) and reflash through that programme....
When did I say I didn't know what TWRP is? So if I flash stock recovery will that get me where I want to be...stock unrooted and able to take OTA updates. I never did flash any custom roms or anything while I was rooted.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

irl5fan said:
When did I say I didn't know what TWRP is? So if I flash stock recovery will that get me where I want to be...stock unrooted and able to take OTA updates. I never did flash any custom roms or anything while I was rooted.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, I realise my reply come of a little arsey, I will explain.
If you take the OTA in stock recovery it will go through, but as soon as you flash a custom recovery you give up the right to an OTA whilst on said recovery,
Instead you either:
1. Flash a custom ROM, and do updates with there ROM team.
2. Wait for stock ROM to come in a flashable zip for Custom Recoverys.
If you have root and stock recovery and take it, sometime it will go through, sometimes it won't.... Like Samsung Knox for example....
Sometimes it will take but as soon as you boot back up you will have no root.
If you OTA in Custom Recovery it will boot to TWRP and most likely abort straight away and bad things will ocure.
Mixed Partitions no ROM etc...
Now back to your question....
Yeah Stock non rooted you can take OTA (but in Samsung's case, they have a flash counter, that keeps track of system mods)
Best bet would be flash through Odin, to out-the-box firmware and take the OTA from there...to avoid any conflicts with the system.
I do apologise for my earlier post mate, write back if you got it upgraded.

LiamAtkins90 said:
Sorry, I realise my reply come of a little arsey, I will explain.
If you take the OTA in stock recovery it will go through, but as soon as you flash a custom recovery you give up the right to an OTA whilst on said recovery,
Instead you either:
1. Flash a custom ROM, and do updates with there ROM team.
2. Wait for stock ROM to come in a flashable zip for Custom Recoverys.
If you have root and stock recovery and take it, sometime it will go through, sometimes it won't.... Like Samsung Knox for example....
Sometimes it will take but as soon as you boot back up you will have no root.
If you OTA in Custom Recovery it will boot to TWRP and most likely abort straight away and bad things will ocure.
Mixed Partitions no ROM etc...
Now back to your question....
Yeah Stock non rooted you can take OTA (but in Samsung's case, they have a flash counter, that keeps track of system mods)
Best bet would be flash through Odin, to out-the-box firmware and take the OTA from there...to avoid any conflicts with the system.
I do apologise for my earlier post mate, write back if you got it upgraded.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No problem. This has been a long drawn out process over the past few months, so forgive me for all the questions and details of events. This is where I'm at. When I started the unrooting process, as stated above, used triangle away to reset the counter and then I unrooted through SuperSU. According to root checker apps I am unrooted, but I believe my bootloader is still unlocked. And obviously still have TWRP. Phone Info: SCH-I535, Version 4.1.2, Baseband I535VRBMF1.
Given that info, do I still flash the stock firmware (from here?--->) (http://downloadandroidfiles.org/download-sch-i535-vzw-i535vrbmb1-1360821900-zip/) and then flash stock recovery? Does flashing stock firmware re-lock my bootloader? Thanks for your help.

irl5fan said:
No problem. This has been a long drawn out process over the past few months, so forgive me for all the questions and details of events. This is where I'm at. When I started the unrooting process, as stated above, used triangle away to reset the counter and then I unrooted through SuperSU. According to root checker apps I am unrooted, but I believe my bootloader is still unlocked. And obviously still have TWRP. Phone Info: SCH-I535, Version 4.1.2, Baseband I535VRBMF1.
Given that info, do I still flash the stock firmware (from here?--->) (http://downloadandroidfiles.org/download-sch-i535-vzw-i535vrbmb1-1360821900-zip/) and then flash stock recovery? Does flashing stock firmware re-lock my bootloader? Thanks for your help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So you used Triangle Away to clear the flash counter?
Great, so the only thing you need now is the stock recovery image for your device,
I would say just flash the stock recovery image through Odin, but their is that many models
with different numbers, it would be easier flashing 4.1.2 firmware again through Odin.
In future bud if your gonna be messing with ROMs and Recovery files I recommend this:
Flash recovery with this:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cgollner.flashify&hl=en_GB
(Backup Stock Recovery 1st)
Backup Stock EVERYTHING, Boot, System, EFS, Data etc in Recovery of choice.
Move backup to computer or cloud storage.
Then all you need to do to go back is triangle away, restore stock backup, restore stock recovery, unroot through SuperSU.
And the OTA should work.
Sent From V500
Using XDA App

LiamAtkins90 said:
So you used Triangle Away to clear the flash counter?
Great, so the only thing you need now is the stock recovery image for your device,
I would say just flash the stock recovery image through Odin, but their is that many models
with different numbers, it would be easier flashing 4.1.2 firmware again through Odin.
In future bud if your gonna be messing with ROMs and Recovery files I recommend this:
Flash recovery with this:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cgollner.flashify&hl=en_GB
(Backup Stock Recovery 1st)
Backup Stock EVERYTHING, Boot, System, EFS, Data etc in Recovery of choice.
Move backup to computer or cloud storage.
Then all you need to do to go back is triangle away, restore stock backup, restore stock recovery, unroot through SuperSU.
And the OTA should work.
Sent From V500
Using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just want to clarify before I go ahead and do anything and get myself into a pickle. Are you saying to flash 4.1.2 firmware instead of stock recovery? Or am I still flashing both of them? If so, which order? Does that link I posted look like it is the correct firmware to you? Also, I have an older version of Odin on my computer, does that matter or should I get the newer one first?

irl5fan said:
I just want to clarify before I go ahead and do anything and get myself into a pickle. Are you saying to flash 4.1.2 firmware instead of stock recovery? Or am I still flashing both of them? If so, which order? Does that link I posted look like it is the correct firmware to you? Also, I have an older version of Odin on my computer, does that matter or should I get the newer one first?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Stock recovery is in the firmware file mate, when you flash the firmware it flashes the recovery, clears internal SD card (move pictures, videos, music to PC) & Radio, Modem, EFS basically everything on the phone gets flashed to how it is when you buy it from a store. Whats your model number?
And no it shouldn't matter, I've never seen any issues rise with using older Odin Programmes.
Do you have experience using Odin?
If not:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s3/help/guide-odin-flash-guide-t1671969
That guide covers how to use it, where to place the firmware file etc.
Any questions just ask
Sent From V500
Using XDA App

LiamAtkins90 said:
Stock recovery is in the firmware file mate, when you flash the firmware it flashes the recovery, clears internal SD card (move pictures, videos, music to PC) & Radio, Modem, EFS basically everything on the phone gets flashed to how it is when you buy it from a store. Whats your model number?
And no it shouldn't matter, I've never seen any issues rise with using older Odin Programmes.
Do you have experience using Odin?
If not:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s3/help/guide-odin-flash-guide-t1671969
That guide covers how to use it, where to place the firmware file etc.
Any questions just ask
Sent From V500
Using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My model number is SCH-I535. I have used Odin before, but I'll take a look at the guide just to make sure. Thanks for your help!

LiamAtkins90 said:
Stock recovery is in the firmware file mate, when you flash the firmware it flashes the recovery, clears internal SD card (move pictures, videos, music to PC) & Radio, Modem, EFS basically everything on the phone gets flashed to how it is when you buy it from a store. Whats your model number?
And no it shouldn't matter, I've never seen any issues rise with using older Odin Programmes.
Do you have experience using Odin?
If not:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s3/help/guide-odin-flash-guide-t1671969
That guide covers how to use it, where to place the firmware file etc.
Any questions just ask
Sent From V500
Using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just wanted to say thanks for helping out someone in our forums with the VZW variant, I was going to chime in but I see you had things under control. It's just odd to see so many people in our forums who don't have the version we have
From my Wicked S3 on SOKP

ShapesBlue said:
I just wanted to say thanks for helping out someone in our forums with the VZW variant, I was going to chime in but I see you had things under control. It's just odd to see so many people in our forums who don't have the version we have
From my Wicked S3 on SOKP
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No problem, glad I can help.
Verizon edition Models tend to get overlooked as oppose to International variants which is a shame, I think both should get equal recognition. Not just Sammy Verizon, most Verizon models and also Google Play Edition Model Phones/Tablets get pushed aside.... Crying shame.

LiamAtkins90 said:
Stock recovery is in the firmware file mate, when you flash the firmware it flashes the recovery, clears internal SD card (move pictures, videos, music to PC) & Radio, Modem, EFS basically everything on the phone gets flashed to how it is when you buy it from a store. Whats your model number?
And no it shouldn't matter, I've never seen any issues rise with using older Odin Programmes.
Do you have experience using Odin?
If not:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s3/help/guide-odin-flash-guide-t1671969
That guide covers how to use it, where to place the firmware file etc.
Any questions just ask
Sent From V500
Using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Everything worked out great, flashed the stock firmware and was able to take the OTA. Thank you so much for your help, it's greatly appreciated!