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[Q] Going back from custom rom to stock. need some direction please.

Hello all,
sorry if this is a repeated question. I tried to read as much as I can in the Q&A and general sections, but could not find it.
I have a NS that was running CNA 1.4 for sometime. I got tired from the performance and I decided to give phone to my better half. Since my wife does not care much about custom roms, I decided to go back to stock so I can give her a care-free phone. She would be capable of doing the OTA updates on her own.
so, these are the steps I did to get to custom:
1. phone came with 2.3.4
2. unlock BL using ADB
3. root and install CWM
4. Nandroid backup
5. OTA update to 2.3.6
6. Nandroid backup
7. Custom ICS rom
when I tried to go back to stock I did a restore to step 6 above, the OTA was pushed automatically to my phone, but when I tried to install, the phone rebooted but did nothing and it seemed stuck at the android with an ! in a triangle.
I removed the battery, restored back to step 4 above and tried again and I got the same results.
I know I am probably forgetting something but I am not sure what is it.
Could someone please offer some direction?
thanks in advance.

Flash official factory images with fasttboot .

You cant get official OTAs when your device is rooted

thanks guys for your reply.
but what is the main cause for not being able to install OTA updates?
1. is it because the BL in unlocked?
2. or because of root?
if because of root, has anyone tried that app from the Market? could it be used to regain root after OTA?
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.projectvoodoo.otarootkeeper
thanks again.

You can get ota just fine on a stock (unmodified) rom with root. You will loose root when it updates. Then just reroot it.
Bootloader state is irrelevant.

albundy2010 said:
You can get ota just fine on a stock (unmodified) rom with root. You will loose root when it updates. Then just reroot it.
Bootloader state is irrelevant.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks for the info.
one last question, when I rooted my 2.3.4, it also installed CWM recovery.
Does CWM interfere with the OTA update or just the root?
if it interferes, I'll have to find a way to go back to stock recovery, right?

Yes and no.
For the OTA process to go as "normal' stock recovery needs to be there. Normal as in get the OTA notifcation/auto download reboot and install.
No as in if you manually download or place the ota zip file on your internal storage it will flash in cwm like any other zip.
Also since ICS you currently have to flash the ota zips with aftermarkt recoverys if you do it manually. The pick zip from sd card in stock recovery is broken now.
In the stock rom under /system/etc there is a script that overwrites custom recovery with the stock one on every boot. Rename that file to .bak or something instead of its default .sh If you want to stock recovery back just change the file extenstion back and reboot the phone fully. Next time you boot back into recovery it will be stock again.

Or you don t go to stock recovery and flash the updates by yourself on your phone. Downloaf them and then flash them through CWM. But i think u havent got CWM anymore after grtting an official update. You ll get the original recovery again

thanks again guys.
currently I can go back to either 2.3.4 or 2.3.6 stock roms but both have CWM and root.
ultimately what I want to do is:
1. be able to un-root (probably using this market app)
2. download OTA on phone, do normal "reboot and install"
3. boot up with updated OTA rom.
4. regain root (probably using the same market app)
so, what I understand from prev posts, that I must put back the stock recovery (which I do not mind) for my steps above to work.
can I use ADB and fastboot to push the stock "recovery.img"? and where to find it?
I'll do some searching in the forums, but if someone happens to have link to the thread, it would be fantastic.
thanks again

Why dont you keep the root and flash the official firmware that you downloaded per CWM. So you dont have to unroot and root again later. Or do a factory wipe.

ok guys, so whatever I tried to do I was not able to get the stock recovery back to go with the "normal OTA download on phone, reboot and install thing", so here is what I ended up doing.
1. I had 2.3.6 (GRK39F), rooted stock rom, cwm recovery.
2. Download/install "OTA Rootkeeper" free app from Google Play Market. link below
3. Using "OTA Rootkeeper" app, did a "backup root", then "temp un-root"
4. Download official signed Google ICS update package to upgrade from 2.3.6 (GRK39F) to 4.0.4 (IMM76D) and move it to sd card. link below
5. Reboot into cwm recovery
6. Install update from sd card and choose Zip from #4
7. Go back and reboot system
8. After upgrade to ICS is complete, use "OTA Rootkeeper" app, did a "restore root" and voila
9. So now I have rooted stock ICS rom, and cwm recovery.
notes:
these steps should also work on whatever stock GB rom you have as long as:
a. rooted
b. have cwm
c. download the proper update package in step 4 above.
links:
2. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.projectvoodoo.otarootkeeper
4. http://www.randomphantasmagoria.com/firmware/nexus-s/
thanks again guys, couldn't have done without your help
good luck for anyone trying to do the same.

1.Download appropriate rom for your phone
i9020T or i9023
http://downloadandroidrom.com/file/NexusS/roms/ota/2.3.6/i9020t_i9023.zip
and i9020a
http://downloadandroidrom.com/file/NexusS/roms/ota/2.3.6/i9020a.zip
2.Copy it to sdcard
3.Install it through recovery (CWM)
4.Restart system
5.Reboot phone into bootloader
6. Hit recovery and once you get the lil droidy and the !, Push Vol up + Power until you get blue menu
7. Go to wipe data/fact reset
8.Reboot to bootloader
9.then go into adb and type fastboot oem lock
By this time you shouldve completely returned your phone to stock and you are able to get ota updates and everything!!! YAY!!!!

http://www.randomphantasmagoria.com/firmware/nexus-s/
if you wanna go back to 100% stock unrooted, download any rom from that thread and install through cwm then reboot and you will be stock and unrooted with stock recovery and then just lock the boot loader and you will be 101% factory stock and ready to receive ota updates. I would recommend the 2.3.6 because it will give you the 4.0.4 ota right after you reboot.

[Guide] I337M - Restoring to Stock with Official Device Status from a Custom Recovery

AT&T'ers: DO NOT FLASH MY RECOVERY.TAR.MD5 FILE. IT WAS CREATED FROM AN I337M FIRMWARE BASEBAND vI337MVLUAMDJ, AND I AM NOT SURE WHAT FLASHING IT WOULD DO TO YOUR PHONE.
WARNING: Follow these instructions at your own risk! I take no responsibility for your phone, or any damage to it, as a result of anything in this guide!
Note: Part of this method entails flashing a recovery.tar.md5 file through Odin. To get this file, I pulled the Samsung stock recovery straight from the latest Rogers firmware and repackaged it as an Odin flashable tar.md5 file. I flashed this through Odin on my phone, and it replaced TWRP with the Samsung Stock Recovery without a problem. I am on Rogers, I assume it will work for other i337M carrier variants with baseband version: I337MVLUAMDJ, but I cannot guarantee it as I have not tested it. Flash at your own risk.
My instructions assume anyone who flashes this in ODIN knows how get into Download Mode, has the correct drivers installed, and has flashed in ODIN before. If not, please search for the many guides on how to do this.
Now that the warnings are out of the way, here is the procedure:
This method allows you to restore your phone without having to do a full firmware Odin flash. I don't know about you guys, but I don't like to wait the 20 mins for the full Odin restore. Call me impatient, but time is my most valuable resource these days! Here are the steps:
Step #1: Full wipe of custom rom in recovery. Restore stock rom from nandroid.
Step #2: Flash Stock Recovery File in Odin:
I used Odin3 v3.07 to successfully flash this. To flash it in ODIN, click PDA, select the recovery.tar.md5 (Download It Here). I flashed successfully with only "Auto Reboot" and "F. Reset Time" selected. MAKE SURE "RE-PARTITION" IS NOT SELECTED.
When done flashing in Odin, reboot into recovery and make sure you have the stock version. There will be an android lying on his back with a red triangle above him. If your phone does not boot into recovery doing the volume up/power/home button combo (happened to me), either use adb reboot recovery (only other option when root is uninstalled), or goo manager, quick re-boot or other app with a recovery reboot option.
Flashing this in Odin will increase your flash counter (Mine was already at 1 from TWRP installation). No big deal, see step #3 below.
Step #3: Open the latest version of Triangle Away (v2.90) and reset your flash counter to 0. Worked perfectly on my phone. Note: Device status will remain at "custom", even though Triangle Away may show it as official.
Step #4: Make a backup of root using Voodo OTA RootKeeper (Free app from Google Play.)
Step #5: Update your Titanium Backups as a factory reset will be required in a later step.
Step #6: Open Supersu and click the "Full Unroot" option.
Step #7: Go into your root explorer app, look in system/xbin, and make sure you delete su and busybox if they are still there.
Step #8: Reboot you phone normally.
Step #9: Go into options/about device/status and check your device status. If it says "Official", you got lucky and are done. This is unlikely, but worth the check.
Step #10: Reboot into the stock recovery. Select factory reset by using the volume keys to toggle the selection, and power button to select. Once this is done, stay in the Stock recovery and select wipe cache partition. It should reboot after this operation.
Step #11: After reboot, your device status should read official. If not, double check that you followed each step above. Still if not, I would suggest you try flashing the full firmware through Odin. This worked for me, I hope it works for you, but I have not tested beyond this. Make sure to reboot again and check your device status once more, just to be sure.
Step #12: If you are returning your device, you are done.
Step #13: Open Voodo OTA RootKeeper and select restore root. Close Voodo. Install Supersu from Google Play, install binaries, and you should be rooted again.
Step #14: Check your device status after you root. It should still say official (mine did). To be extra safe, reboot and check device status again (mine still said official).
That should be it. You are now back on rooted stock with the ability to get ota's.

Just to clarify for all the people who still didn't pay complete attention to the OP, THIS IS FOR CANADIAN VARIANTS ONLY!
DO NOT FLASH ON YOUR US AT&T GS4! DO NOT! DO NOT! DO NOT!
That is all! :good:

Big, big thanks my friend! I've flashed the recovery file in a Telcel phone (Mexico, obv i337m) and it came back to life! :highfive:

Just exactly what I was looking for..
Thanks!
Sent from my SGH-I337M using xda app-developers app

David Dee said:
AT&T'ers: DO NOT FLASH MY RECOVERY.TAR.MD5 FILE. IT WAS CREATED FROM AN I337M FIRMWARE BASEBAND vI337MVLUAMDJ, AND I AM NOT SURE WHAT FLASHING IT WOULD DO TO YOUR PHONE.
WARNING: Follow these instructions at your own risk! I take no responsibility for your phone, or any damage to it, as a result of anything in this guide!
Note: Part of this method entails flashing a recovery.tar.md5 file through Odin. To get this file, I pulled the Samsung stock recovery straight from the latest Rogers firmware and repackaged it as an Odin flashable tar.md5 file. I flashed this through Odin on my phone, and it replaced TWRP with the Samsung Stock Recovery without a problem. I am on Rogers, I assume it will work for other i337M carrier variants with baseband version: I337MVLUAMDJ, but I cannot guarantee it as I have not tested it. Flash at your own risk.
My instructions assume anyone who flashes this in ODIN knows how get into Download Mode, has the correct drivers installed, and has flashed in ODIN before. If not, please search for the many guides on how to do this.
Now that the warnings are out of the way, here is the procedure:
This method allows you to restore your phone without having to do a full firmware Odin flash. I don't know about you guys, but I don't like to wait the 20 mins for the full Odin restore. Call me impatient, but time is my most valuable resource these days! Here are the steps:
Step #1: Full wipe of custom rom in recovery. Restore stock rom from nandroid.
Step #2: Flash Stock Recovery File in Odin:
I used Odin3 v3.07 to successfully flash this. To flash it in ODIN, click PDA, select the recovery.tar.md5 (Download It Here). I flashed successfully with only "Auto Reboot" and "F. Reset Time" selected. MAKE SURE "RE-PARTITION" IS NOT SELECTED.
When done flashing in Odin, reboot into recovery and make sure you have the stock version. There will be an android lying on his back with a red triangle above him. If your phone does not boot into recovery doing the volume up/power/home button combo (happened to me), either use adb reboot recovery (only other option when root is uninstalled), or goo manager, quick re-boot or other app with a recovery reboot option.
Flashing this in Odin will increase your flash counter (Mine was already at 1 from TWRP installation). No big deal, see step #3 below.
Step #3: Open the latest version of Triangle Away (v2.90) and reset your flash counter to 0. Worked perfectly on my phone. Note: Device status will remain at "custom", even though Triangle Away may show it as official.
Step #4: Make a backup of root using Voodo OTA RootKeeper (Free app from Google Play.)
Step #5: Update your Titanium Backups as a factory reset will be required in a later step.
Step #6: Open Supersu and click the "Full Unroot" option.
Step #7: Go into your root explorer app, look in system/xbin, and make sure you delete su and busybox if they are still there.
Step #8: Reboot you phone normally.
Step #9: Go into options/about device/status and check your device status. If it says "Official", you got lucky and are done. This is unlikely, but worth the check.
Step #10: Reboot into the stock recovery. Select factory reset by using the volume keys to toggle the selection, and power button to select. Once this is done, stay in the Stock recovery and select wipe cache partition. It should reboot after this operation.
Step #11: After reboot, your device status should read official. If not, double check that you followed each step above. Still if not, I would suggest you try flashing the full firmware through Odin. This worked for me, I hope it works for you, but I have not tested beyond this. Make sure to reboot again and check your device status once more, just to be sure.
Step #12: If you are returning your device, you are done.
Step #13: Open Voodo OTA RootKeeper and select restore root. Close Voodo. Install Supersu from Google Play, install binaries, and you should be rooted again.
Step #14: Check your device status after you root. It should still say official (mine did). To be extra safe, reboot and check device status again (mine still said official).
That should be it. You are now back on rooted stock with the ability to get ota's.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Finally someone uploads a stock recovery file for I337M. Thanks! Just the file i need to change back from custom recovery.
I also have a question, if you are running stock carrier rom, do i need to run triangle away when i have custom recovery installed with no yellow triangle?

I used TRIANGLEAWAY.APK Worked for me the 3 or 4 times I've had to use it. Due to being in a hurry and forgetting to LOKI. You just have to follow the in Apk. instructions to a "T" And make sure you do it while you have a ROM based off of your phone "I337" "I9505". Etc. Its on the play store. Works great. I can't guaranty that but its never failed me.
Playstore TRIANGLEAWAY LINK:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=eu.chainfire.triangleaway
Sent from my SGH-I337 using Xparent Skyblue Tapatalk 2

Thank you very much, i go back and forth between roms and this guide saved me when i thought i almost bricked my phone

I imagine there is no Canadian gs4 separate forum, that's why you post it here in the att forum?.
Just asking because I'm pretty sure most people will assume your ROM is for the att variant since the forum says att galaxy s4.
Not trying to be an ass or anything like it.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app

@alfmetal
Yes, we don't have our own forum, but that's why his thread says I337M.
And yes, this is an awesome tool. I've used it a few times.

2ve6ay
oh ok cool
so the M means from CANADA? or something like that?
i was thinking it meant something like MOBILE?

[HowTo]Dual boot Cyanogen Mod and any TW based ROM on Note 3 (no final solution !)

this is maybe nothing new to many of you and will hopefully become obsolete soon, but i thought i post it anyway.
it´s probably already written elsewhere on xda, i don´t know.
this is not an elegant way to do it, but it works.
be aware that both operating systems will share the internal storage (storage/emulated/0).
i´m not sure if this could cause any problems. maybe you can tell me ?
updates marked in green and yellow.
always make nandroid backups and maybe it´s not a bad idea to backup your internal storage too !
i´m not responsible for anything you do or not do !
flashing a kernel will raise your knox counter to 0×1 !
from the safestrap blog:
DON’T RESTORE A CUSTOM ROM-SLOT BACKUP TO THE STOCK ROM. THIS WILL MOST LIKELY BRICK YOUR PHONE.
if you uprade to 4.4.2 kitkat you can´t go back to to 4.3 no more because kk comes with a new bootloader. you can not dual boot a 4.3 and a 4.4.2 rom and you wont be able to use CM. i dont know if safestrap is compatible with 4.4.2 as i´m still on 4.3.
requierements:
safestrap, CM rom and kernel(flashable zip) that works on the rom, TW based rom and kernel(flashable zip) that works on the rom, microsd card, supersu(when coming from CM)
i´m using temasek's UNOFFICIAL CM11 BUILD and bobcatrom for this guide. did it with x-note and the official cm nightly also. if you get an error installing the nightly, remove the first line from the updater-script.
put the required files on your external sd card and follow the instructions.
coming from installed TW rom:
1.install safestrap apk.
2.open safestrap app and select install.
3.reboot into safestrap and make a nandroid backup of your rom.
4.create a rom slot and set it active.
5.restore the backup you just made to that rom slot. (this way you can have any rom on a rom slot. safestrap doesn´t support aroma installer but you can restore backups of aroma based roms, that you installed with twrp to the "stock rom slot" first.)
6.(optional) reboot to see if everything is ok. your rom now boots from rom slot 1.
7.now that you have successfully "cloned" your rom, reboot to safestrap again.
8.set the "stock rom" slot active and wipe.
9.install CM to the "stock rom" slot.
10.reboot into twrp (not safestrap !) and flash CM kernel.
11.reboot your brand new CM and enjoy. for now, you can only boot into CM, safestrap and your TW rom are unreachable.
12.to make your TW rom boot again, reboot into twrp and flash TW kernel.
13.reboot. safestrap shows up again, enter recovery and set rom slot 1 active.
14.reboot. you are back to your TW rom.
from now on, whenever you want to switch between operating systems, just repeat steps 10 - 14.
you can not have CM on a rom slot, it must be on the "stock rom" slot !
this is how to do it:
coming from installed CM rom:
1.install supersu (not superuser !). i used the flashable zip but downloading it from playstore should work too. (if you did just install CM and want to use the flashable supersu, reboot into CM one time and finish the wizard. flashing it directly after installing CM, without rebooting will result in system inconsistency.)
2.install the safestrap apk and open safestrap. grant su permission and select install recovery (if you dont get the supersu popup and safestrap shows "not rooted", uninstall safestrap and reinstall again). do not choose reboot to recovery from the safestrap app, just do a normal reboot.
3.reboot into twrp, flash your TW kernel then reboot. (if you don´t do this, safestrap wont show up as it does only work with TW kernel.)
4.safestrap splashscreen shows up. enter safestrap recovery and backup your "stock rom" (your installed CM).
5.reboot into twrp. wipe and install the TW rom of your choice.
6.boot into your brand new TW rom and install safestrap once again as you did in step 2. (skip this step if you are still able to enter safestrap recovery)
7.follow steps 3 - 14 from the TW route written above. on step 9 you do not install of course, you do restore your backup of CM.
you can of course do this with 2 or more TW roms too (without CM), you wouldn´t normally be able to install in safestrap (aroma!).
you just don´t switch kernels then.
if you flash with twrp often, there is a chance to get the efs corruption issue. if wireless connection are dead, your phone does some weird things and you do not have an efs backup, there is a fix in this thread.
have fun !
important !
even when you flash stock rom with odin, your rom slots wont be removed. you have to delete them first in safestrap recovery to get your full internal storage capacity back !

Would someone be able to make a safestrap for tge N900T
Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2011403
[MOD][JAN 04] MultiROM v21 anyone?
Sent from my SM-N9005 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
---------- Post added at 07:27 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:25 AM ----------
Porting that over to Note 3 would be great! It's also on Nexus 5! And Nexus 5 & Note 3 has the same chipset! MSM8974? Correct me if im wrong would be great with a port though..
Sent from my SM-N9005 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

M8 the for the info but do we know if this will work with latest tw rom 4.4.2?
Στάλθηκε από το SM-N9005 μου χρησιμοποιώντας Tapatalk

I read about multirom, awesome tool.
Hope too that sb will port it. @BlueChris i dont see why this shouldnt work.
Just flash it with odin, take a backup and so on...
CM 11 is also kitkat based.
Be aware, that when you flash it with odin, you loose everything. So backup first!
I can not try it by myself atm. I have a very slow connection where i am now, would take me a week to download.
Edit: some people seem to have trouble with flashing kitkat, so you better read a few pages before doing a mistake.
kk comes with a new bootloader, might be a good idea to get some info before flashing it.

updated: CM route

Kernels
This information is really great, thanks a ton for posting this! I'm currently up to step 10, where can I get Cyanogenmod's kernel only? Furthermore, it sounds like I'll need stock kernel only too, right?

CauselessEffect said:
This information is really great, thanks a ton for posting this! I'm currently up to step 10, where can I get Cyanogenmod's kernel only? Furthermore, it sounds like I'll need stock kernel only too, right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the kernel is somewhere inside the rom archive, cant remember. just extract it and search for boot.img.
put boot.img into the root of the flashable zip i attached and you are ready for step 10.
be sure to have any touchwiz kernel ready to be on the safe side.
any kernel will work for both(CM/TW).

Cool, thanks! Boot.img was in the root directory of the extracted CM zip. It all works now! By the way, if anyone is interested, I'm using the T-Mobile version of the Note 3. To get Safestrap working, you have to use the AT&T version 3.71. This is the file I used coming from stock 4.3: goo.im/devs/Hashcode/note3/hlteatt/safestrap/Safestrap-HLTEATT-3.71.apk
Since I didn't know where to find the stock kernel, I ended up experimenting and just did a restore of only the boot partition from TWRP. This got Safestrap back and then I just reactivated Slot 1 to get back to stock. Is there anything else on the boot partition besides the kernel that I should worry about regularly flashing? I'm hoping this is essentially the same thing as flashing a zipped kernel.

I just discovered that I could take the file "boot.emmc.win" from my original TWRP backup (not the one made from Safestrap), copy it to my computer, rename it to "boot.img", copy it into that zip you shared, and now I have a flashable stock kernel too!
Thanks for your help and for taking the time to make this tutorial. This is something I plan on using very frequently, it's so much nicer to not have to do complete TWRP backups and restores each time.

Hi, just some questions
1- Can I do it coming from latest Cyanogen nightly but having kk as base? (I have spanish NB4 base)
2- Can I update Cyanogen rom without fear of something to happen because of the kernel?
3- What could happen if I change the kernel?
Thanks

If there's someone interested in porting Tasssadar's MultRom to the Note 3, then she or he might find this link helpful; https://github.com/Tasssadar/multirom/wiki/Porting-MultiROM

A.N.Droid said:
this is maybe nothing new to many of you and will hopefully become obsolete soon, but i thought i post it anyway.
it´s probably already written elsewhere on xda, i don´t know.
this is not an elegant way to do it, but it works.
be aware that both operating systems will share the internal storage (storage/emulated/0).
i´m not sure if this could cause any problems. maybe you can tell me ?
updates marked in green and yellow.
always make nandroid backups and maybe it´s not a bad idea to backup your internal storage too !
i´m not responsible for anything you do or not do !
flashing a kernel will raise your knox counter to 0×1 !
from the safestrap blog:
DON’T RESTORE A CUSTOM ROM-SLOT BACKUP TO THE STOCK ROM. THIS WILL MOST LIKELY BRICK YOUR PHONE.
if you uprade to 4.4.2 kitkat you can´t go back to to 4.3 no more because kk comes with a new bootloader. you can not dual boot a 4.3 and a 4.4.2 rom and you wont be able to use CM. i dont know if safestrap is compatible with 4.4.2 as i´m still on 4.3.
requierements:
safestrap, CM rom and kernel(flashable zip) that works on the rom, TW based rom and kernel(flashable zip) that works on the rom, microsd card, supersu(when coming from CM)
i´m using temasek's UNOFFICIAL CM11 BUILD and bobcatrom for this guide. did it with x-note and the official cm nightly also. if you get an error installing the nightly, remove the first line from the updater-script.
put the required files on your external sd card and follow the instructions.
coming from installed TW rom:
1.install safestrap apk.
2.open safestrap app and select install.
3.reboot into safestrap and make a nandroid backup of your rom.
4.create a rom slot and set it active.
5.restore the backup you just made to that rom slot. (this way you can have any rom on a rom slot. safestrap doesn´t support aroma installer but you can restore backups of aroma based roms, that you installed with twrp to the "stock rom slot" first.)
6.(optional) reboot to see if everything is ok. your rom now boots from rom slot 1.
7.now that you have successfully "cloned" your rom, reboot to safestrap again.
8.set the "stock rom" slot active and wipe.
9.install CM to the "stock rom" slot.
10.reboot into twrp (not safestrap !) and flash CM kernel.
11.reboot your brand new CM and enjoy. for now, you can only boot into CM, safestrap and your TW rom are unreachable.
12.to make your TW rom boot again, reboot into twrp and flash TW kernel.
13.reboot. safestrap shows up again, enter recovery and set rom slot 1 active.
14.reboot. you are back to your TW rom.
from now on, whenever you want to switch between operating systems, just repeat steps 10 - 14.
you can not have CM on a rom slot, it must be on the "stock rom" slot !
this is how to do it:
coming from installed CM rom:
1.install supersu (not superuser !). i used the flashable zip but downloading it from playstore should work too. (if you did just install CM and want to use the flashable supersu, reboot into CM one time and finish the wizard. flashing it directly after installing CM, without rebooting will result in system inconsistency.)
2.install the safestrap apk and open safestrap. grant su permission and select install recovery (if you dont get the supersu popup and safestrap shows "not rooted", uninstall safestrap and reinstall again). do not choose reboot to recovery from the safestrap app, just do a normal reboot.
3.reboot into twrp, flash your TW kernel then reboot. (if you don´t do this, safestrap wont show up as it does only work with TW kernel.)
4.safestrap splashscreen shows up. enter safestrap recovery and backup your "stock rom" (your installed CM).
5.reboot into twrp. wipe and install the TW rom of your choice.
6.boot into your brand new TW rom and install safestrap once again as you did in step 2. (skip this step if you are still able to enter safestrap recovery)
7.follow steps 3 - 14 from the TW route written above. on step 9 you do not install of course, you do restore your backup of CM.
you can of course do this with 2 or more TW roms too (without CM), you wouldn´t normally be able to install in safestrap (aroma!).
you just don´t switch kernels then.
if you flash with twrp often, there is a chance to get the efs corruption issue. if wireless connection are dead, your phone does some weird things and you do not have an efs backup, there is a fix in this thread.
have fun !
important !
even when you flash stock rom with odin, your rom slots wont be removed. you have to delete them first in safestrap recovery to get your full internal storage capacity back !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry to bring back this thread, but I've spent a few weeks looking and I think this may be the solution to my problems.
I broke the screen on my old Verizon rooted S3 running CM11, but managed to get a backup on my SD card before hte phone became unusable.
I then purchased another galaxy S3 running 4.3 stock (so locked bootloader) Using this dual-boot method for CM, is it possible for me to restore my old ROM onto my new phone? If so, please advise on any possible differences I may need to follow in the procedure.
Thank you so much!

Yellow is a horrible color to look at. Change it to something less bright

Guys is this safe? I think I saw people saying they get stuck in bootloops and all that. I have an international note 3 running s5 port 4.4.2
Sent from my SM-G900F using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

nicholaschum said:
Yellow is a horrible color to look at. Change it to something less bright
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yellow looks great in tapatalk with dark theme
__________________________________

any news for lollipop dualboot??

fefuzzo said:
any news for lollipop dualboot??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1

+2

Checkout:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2447534&highlight=9005
OR
http://forum.xda-developers.com/android/software-hacking/tool-multirom-recovery-replacement-t3102395
I have had a look at them, and can see how they would work.
I would like to use them one or the other to setup TW and CM12.1
I have not had the time to sit there and do this. So am posting these links as Untested. But multiple reports show it does work.

[How-To] I installed a custom Lollipop ROM on my AT&T Galaxy S4 and it was easy!

EASY... relatively speaking.
I read XDA forums for hours and hours... and hours. Seriously. I spent about 20 hours reading XDA just for this. All the info is out there, but it is spread out across a dozen different threads, and multiple posts within those threads.
When I actually went through the process, I had (no lie) eighteen windows open, each with a relevant thread/post.
Sheesh, and people think this is complicated... [/s]
But in the end - I have a custom Lollipop ROM on my phone (Goldeneye v53) and it is working beautifully. And I had NO issues with the process, it all went smoothly.
The phone (which previously was starting to run out of space, lag, and just all-around felt "old") is now like new. And, dare I say... better than a stock S6? It is certainly leaner and meaner than a stock system (that's a good thing - I despise all the bloat on stock systems)
So, to make it easier for all those who come behind me, here is how to do it. In 39 easy steps.
One post.
One list.
Bullet points.
Links.
EASY.
Do this EXACTLY - and you will have a custom ROM on your S4.
Do something "just a little" different... Or miss a step... I'm pretty sure your device will explode, or at least catch on fire.
Either way, there is no express or implied warranty on this process I have collected and posted here. Anything you choose to do to your device is on you, and if something goes wrong, I accept no liability.
For risk mitigation in my case (as I'm an overly anal type) - I made sure that I dug my previous phone out of the closet, charged the battery, installed my SIM, and confirmed that I could use the old phone to at least make calls/texts in the event that "something" happened to my S4 during the upgrade process and I had to go to work the next day without my S4. Everything went smoothly, but IMO you should definitely have a contingency plan just in case.
Note - this is only for those NOT on MDB or MDL bootloaders. You guys have it easy. Don't do all the crap below - you don't need to, and if you DO do it, you are locked into this "complicated" method FOREVER (mwa-ha-haaa!!!)
1. Preparation
1.1 READ THROUGH THIS POST 27 TIMES (NO LESS, NO MORE) AND MAKE SURE YOU "GET IT". IF NECESSARY, READ THE THREADS LINKED THROUGHOUT THIS POST. <<< THIS IS THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF THE PROCESS. IF YOU JUST READ THE FIRST FEW STEPS AND START FLASHING CRAP, YOU ARE GOING TO F SOMETHING UP. READ IT ALL, UNDERSTAND IT, THEN DO IT. I CAN'T EMPHASIZE THIS ENOUGH.
1.2 Backup. Back your stuff up. Back it all up - ALL of it. Understand that whatever you do not back up now, YOU WILL LOSE. This process is going to wipe your device clean. Anything you want to save, you need to back it up now.
1.2.1 Do not use Titanium Backup - for anything. It will F your stuff up. Which is unfortunate, because TB is a great app that is incredibly useful - just not this time. Apparently TB has issues when migrating form one version of Android to another (i.e. 4.x.x to 5.x.x). Sorry, but you gotta do it manually.
1.2.2 Copy your pics/vids to your PC
1.2.3 Use "SMS Backup& Restore" from the Play store
1.2.4 Let Google sync your contacts and calendar.
1.2.5 Any apps that store your data locally (not sync'd to their server) - manually find it (I like ES File Explorer) and copy it to your PC if you care about it.
All of that said - I found that wiping my device and migrating to Lollipop was a GREAT way to clean a bunch of useless crap I no longer needed off of my phone.
2. Rooting and Flashing STOCK KitKat (4.4.2) ROM (relevant thread - see post #2, under the "NB1 - KitKat 4.4.2 > Option 2" section.
Note: The reason you have to do this is because you must have rooted Lollipop on your device in order to flash custom Lollipop ROMS. If you just want stock, non-rooted Lollipop maybe you COULD just use Odin to flash Lollipop directly? But there is no way to get root on Lollipop directly - and you must be rooted if you want to wind up with a custom ROM. So you have to do this intermediate step of flashing and rooting a 4.4.x or higher OS. This version of NB1 is easiest because you can use Odin to flash a ROOTABLE ROM which makes the root process simple with Towelroot.
2.1 Download Odin v3.09 here. Place on PC.
2.2 Download ROOTABLE NB1 ROM here. Place on PC.
2.3 Download towelroot v3 here. Place on PC and copy to device (likely your SD card).
2.4 Use Odin to flash ROOTABLE NB1 ROM to your device. When the phone boots up, just speed through the "initial setup" screens, it doesn't matter since you're going to install a couple more ROMs before the finished product.
2.5 Go to settings>more>security and check "unknown apps", and uncheck "verify sources".
2.5 Navigate to towelroot v3, and install it.
2.6 Open towelroot and click the "make it rain" button.
Congrats, you are now rooted on KitKat NB1.
3. Upgrading to ROOTED STOCK OC3 (Lollipop) using "keep root" method (relevant thread)
As mentioned, this process takes you from ROOTED NB1 (KitKat, 4.4.x) to OC3 (Lollipop, 5.x.x). The only way to get rooted OC3 is to first get root in any 4.4.x version or higher and then upgrade to OC3 using the "keep root" method. There is (as of this writing) no way to root OC3 Lollipop directly. "keep root" reference thread - post #1
3.1 Download Flashfire app using below steps. (no direct link available).
3.1.1 Join the G+ community using the same Google account as you're using for Play on your phone/tablet Here.
3.1.2 Sign up to receive the BETA versions from Play Here.
3.1.3 Use the link provided after sign-up to download the app. Note - the link was not immediately available for me, and apparently that is normal. (There was a link, but it told me something like "link not found" when I tried to access it at first.) I had to sign up, and then 30 minutes later I went back and had access to the Flashfire file.
3.2 Download I337_OC3_Stock_Rooted_ROM here.
3.3 Place ROM on SD card.
3.4 Use Flashfire to flash ROM (see "keep root" reference thread from above for specific details of using Flashfire)
Congrats, you are now on rooted (stock) Lollipop.
4. Install your CUSTOM Lollipop ROM
4.1 Download ROM and prepare Safestrap recovery
4.1.1 Download your chosen ROM. I chose Goldeneye v53 here. (I chose Goldeneye because after brief reading, Goldeneye seemed to be one of the more stable options, and stability is what I wanted when going through this the first time.) Place it on your SD card. Here are other options for Lollipop custom ROMs on AT&T GS4. If you happen to wander into the development section and see all the shiny, new, intriguing ROMs floating around, keep in mind that most of them won't work for the AT&T GS4. Any custom ROM on this device must be based on Touchwiz and setup to be compatible with safestrap - only a handful meet those criteria.
4.1.2 Download Safestrap v3.75 here. Place it on your SD card. Do not install it at this point, Safestrap is currently not compatible with Lollipop - you are going to flash a different Kernel in Step 4.2 to work around this.
4.1.3 Download BusyBox from Play store
4.1.4 Install BusyBox on your device.
4.1.5 Install Safestap 3.75
4.1.6 Open Safestrap
4.1.7 I did not do this step because I did not start this process with any previous version of SS on my phone. But if you did have a previous SS recovery installed, use the Safestrap to "uninstall" the previous recovery version. It is my understanding that you can't install v3.75 on top of another version, you need to first remove the old version before installing the new version. The "uninstall" option is done from within the SS app, not the Android application manager - you are uninstalling the custom recovery, not the SS app.
4.1.8 "Install Recovery" (from within Safestrap). NOTE: this only INSTALLS safestrap, it does not boot you into safestrap recovery. There is no need to go into safestrap recovery yet. That's later.
4.2 Flash NC1 Kernel
As mentioned above, you need to flash the NC1 Kernel so that you can do your thing in Safestrap. But then you MUST remember to reflash the OC3 Kernel after using Safestrap to install the ROM, or else your phone will explode (probably).
4.2.1 Download NC1 flasher app from here. Place it on your SD card.
4.2.2 Download I337_stock_OC3_kernel_recovery_flashable from here. Place it on your SD card.
4.2.3 Download OC3 modules from here. Place it on your SD card.
4.2.4 Open NC1 flasher app and press "flash" (it's the only button)
4.2.5 Wait for completion and press reboot. NOW you will get automatically rebooted into safestrap recovery.
4.3 Install your custom ROM!!!
(note: all the below is done in safestrap recovery)
4.3.1 Go to "Wipe" and perform factory reset (will wipe system data, cache, and dalvik)
4.3.2 Flash your ROM. For Goldeneye ROM, it uses the AROMA installer. Choose the options that you like, but make sure to READ THEM ALL BEFORE SELECTING ANYTHING - IF ONE OF THE OPTIONS MENTIONS AT&T/SAFESTRAP, YOU MUST CHOOSE THAT OPTION. HELLFIRE, BRIMSTONE, AND ETERNAL DAMNATION WILL AWAIT YOU IF YOU CHOOSE ANOTHER OPTION.
4.3.3 At the end of the ROM installation, uncheck the "reboot now" option and continue - it will send you back to safestrap.
4.3.4 From within SS, install the OC3 modules from your SD card.
4.3.5 From within SS, install the I337_Stock_OC3_kernel_recovery_flashable from your SD card.
4.3.6 Reboot > system
4.3.7 Keep hitting "continue" when you get the safestrap recovery screen. This is a symptom of Lollipop not being compatible with Safestrap. Hit "continue" repeatedly (like 4 or 5 times) and eventually you will get into your ROM.
4.3.8 (Optional) Install safestrap.apk (that you d/l to your SD card) to your phone, and then use it to UNINSTALL recovery. This will avoid the above step 4.3.7 happening every time you reboot your phone.
Congrats, you now have a custom Lollipop ROM running on your device.
Note: SuperSU is finicky on Lollipop. See this thread for how to manipulate SuperSU to get your root apps working.
.
.
.
.
See? EASY.

Safestrap never works. I always select recovery when its powering on and it just powers up normally and takes me to my lockscreen. I installed safestrap using the apk, im already rooted on stock lollipop.

Israelsalinas19 said:
Safestrap never works. I always select recovery when its powering on and it just powers up normally and takes me to my lockscreen. I installed safestrap using the apk, im already rooted on stock lollipop.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You probably missed the step where he said to flash the nc1 kernel.

Yup, safestrap is known to be not fully compatible with OC3, that's why you have to flash the NC1 kernel in order to be able to use SS to flash your custom ROM. Don't forget to flash back to the OC3 kernel though, as stated in step 4.3.4.

Bootloops everytime. Flash kernels and modules after rom..reboot, samsumg custom screen then safestrap then 10 seconds later back to custom screen. After flashing kernels and modules I'm still able to get into recovery, nc1 should be gone in order for ss to work. I'm so sick of odin... :what:
Sent from my sghi337 on oc3

robot_head said:
Bootloops everytime. Flash kernels and modules after rom..reboot, samsumg custom screen then safestrap then 10 seconds later back to custom screen. After flashing kernels and modules I'm still able to get into recovery, nc1 should be gone in order for ss to work. I'm so sick of odin... :what:
Sent from my sghi337 on oc3
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So you got all the way to step 4.3.6 successfully, it sounds like? And now you are just getting the Safestrap screen - where you can either "continue" or "recovery"? How many times did you hit "continue" and go through the "bootloop" (if any)?
After step 4.3.6, when you boot into your custom ROM, you will have the Safestrap screen pop up several times (like, at least four or five) - keep hitting "continue" and you will eventually get into the ROM. This is another symptom of Lollipop not being fully compatible with Safestrap.
I did not put that detail in the writeup. Very sorry it caused you issues. I am updating with that info now.

I must of not been patient enough, with so many failed rom installs with this locked bootloader i just odin'd back to nb1 to get to oc3... Any custom recovery would be such a relief as ss acts wonkey in lollipop, and flashfire isn't accessible if you're caught in a bootloop or the radical "att unauthorized software". Thanks for the help
Sent from my sghi337 on oc3

Update:
So once again I follow the instructions completely to the t
After I flash the ROM and the kernel and the modules and I reboot I get the Samsung custom screen then to safe strap then 20 seconds reboots to Samsung Galaxy s4 screen then safestrap then again to the Samsung Galaxy s4 screen with reboot to recovery again and this time it puts me into stock recovery no safestrap after rebooting system each time from recovery. It does the same thing and eventually i end up at the system recovery... I've tried this about 11 times, with no success to boot into the ROM
Sent from my sghi337 on oc3

robot_head said:
Update:
So once again I follow the instructions completely to the t
After I flash the ROM and the kernel and the modules and I reboot I get the Samsung custom screen then to safe strap then 20 seconds reboots to Samsung Galaxy s4 screen then safestrap then again to the Samsung Galaxy s4 screen with reboot to recovery again and this time it puts me into stock recovery no safestrap after rebooting system each time from recovery. It does the same thing and eventually i end up at the system recovery... I've tried this about 11 times, with no success to boot into the ROM
Sent from my sghi337 on oc3
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you try wiping data/cache in the stock system recovery?

Yes wiped with system recovery and safestrap. This is an issue of flashing the oc3 kernels and modules with safestrap. I think.....
sent from my sghi337 on oc3

Read through your tutorial, very nice. ?The only thing I noticed is you flash the kernel before the modules. I think flashing the kernel should be the very last step before rebooting, I'm not sure it matters, but it might. Also when the phone is booting I never touch any buttons (continue or recovery) just let it work through the screens on it's own.

Thanks, Cats_PJs - I will edit the OP to indicate flashing the modules before the kernel. I didn't see such a recommendation to flash one or the other first in my research, and I honestly can't remember now which I flashed first. But I will update the OP to recommend flashing the kernel last, just in case.

If I'm safestrap'd and rooted on a custom 4.x.x ROM, should I flash to rootable NB1 per step 2.2 then start here with step 3? Thanks for compiling all this, I chuckled at the 18 pages open comment. I know that pain.

What version are you running now? If you already have root on a KitKat 4.4.x or higher ROM, you should be able to go straight to rooted Lollipop using the muniz_ri keep root method method here. (see the very first line of the linked reference post.) So if you meet that criteria, you could start in Step 3.
If you're on a lower build, you'll want to just start with step 2 and flash NB1 via Odin. I believe that you will need to uninstall your current version of safestrap at some point to be able to install the required v3.75.

So I have an update I finally found that sometimes safestrap won't flash the kernel so you have to Odin it even if its downgrading the kernel or upgrading. I've been able to flash any lollipop rom since I've been doing the Odin method for the kernels you still have to safestrap your ROM though. In another thread it said to flash the OC3 partition which I didn't find necessary and when I did try to flash them Odin kept failing therefore it wasn't required you must also flash the module with safestrap right after you do your rom unless you have your modules in a tar file then just do it via Odin. So to go over it one more time... you have to be able to use safestrap so if you were on lollipop you must downgrade your kernel (via odin or nc1 flasher) then you can use safestrap to flash your ROM and flash your oc3 modules then reboot into download mode and use Odin to flash your oc3 kernel(sometimes it will fail,just try again, i hold my phone gently to comfort it through the process) and it boots up going through the safestrap screen at least 4 to 5 times.
Confirmed to work. ..
Goldeneye
Imperium
Car hd
I'll be testing all the compatible lollipop roms for my device it's exciting I can finally flash roms thank you for this tutorial for heading me in the right direction.
:thumbup::thumbup:
Sent from my GT-I9505 using XDA Free mobile app

robot_head said:
So I have an update
I finally found that sometimes safestrap won't flash the kernel so you have to Odin it even if its downgrading the kernel or upgrading.
I've been able to flash any lollipop rom since I've been doing the Odin method for the kernels - you still have to safestrap your ROM though.
In another thread it said to flash the OC3 partition which I didn't find necessary and when I did try to flash them Odin kept failing therefore it wasn't required
You must also flash the module with safestrap right after you do your rom unless you have your modules in a tar file then just do it via Odin.
So to go over it one more time... you have to be able to use safestrap so if you were on lollipop you must:
downgrade your kernel (via odin or nc1 flasher)
then you can use safestrap to flash your ROM and flash your oc3 modules
then reboot into download mode and use Odin to flash your oc3 kernel (sometimes it will fail, just try again, i hold my phone gently to comfort it through the process)
and it boots up going through the safestrap screen at least 4 to 5 times.
Confirmed to work. ..
Goldeneye
Imperium
Car hd
I'll be testing all the compatible lollipop roms for my device it's exciting I can finally flash roms thank you for this tutorial for heading me in the right direction.
:thumbup::thumbup:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
robot_head, glad to hear you got the custom ROMs working on your device! I will add a note in the OP regarding your experience so it helps others that might have the same issue.
Sorry, but stupid question - you did only try to install flashable ".zip" files from within safestrap, and ".tar" files using Odin? Your word choice in your above post seems to indicate that you do recognize the difference. But I ask that because I did not realize the difference at one point, until I tried to load a .zip into Odin and encountered issues. (and also I wanted to make this distinction for any others reading this thread)
Question for you – when you are swapping between custom ROMs, are you backing up your system settings and apps/data, then restoring them to each ROM (or are you just “sampling” each ROM for limited time and not worrying about your apps)? Based on advice I read in several places, I didn’t use Titanium Backup when I upgraded from 4.x.x to 5.0.1, but I figured I could use it to swap between ROMs now that I’m on Lollipop. But I just wanted to be sure I could easily move between ROMs without requiring so much time manually downloading apps like I did for the upgrade.

@sac02 yes I do have backups of all of my firmware and roms and yes I am just sampling through all of the roms and any apps that I need backed up are on my SD card and Google Play backs up the ones from them automatically. Yes when I'm flashing with safestrap obviously it has to be a zip file and Odin has to be a tar. And if you search the site there are downloads for your kernel in a tar format I actually got half of the help I needed from this thread and the other half from the Goldeneye thread when someone was having an issue with safestrap they had to Odin everything.
Sent from my GT-I9505 using XDA Free mobile app

The instructions are good. You may have a bad download of kernel file. Note that the instructions call for the "reflashable kernel zip file" which can also be found on the NC1 flasher thread.

My main problem is i couldnt flash kernels with safestrap after the rom. Tried a different download, same thing. Either said unauthorized att software
Or firmware update failed, use kies
Or bootloop into system recovery.
Finally. ..just odining kernels solved my issue.
Sent from my GT-I9505 using XDA Free mobile app

I have root on a base NJ4 4.4.4 ROM. I couldn't get the google play edition working on my i337 (dimming sensor worked poorly during calls) so I went to something basic. I'll try your recommendation, thanks again.

The [Almost] All in One Guide to the MDL Bootloader

FAQ section in the 2nd post.
BEWARE OF EVERYTHING! I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE if your phone implodes, aliens take over Mars, don trump starts WW3 and WW4, or your dish washer starts working again from using this guide. Remember: just because it worked for me, does not mean it will work for you, but it might! I recommend having an ODIN copy (.tar file) of the MDL bootloader so in case anything goes south, you can get back to stock and start over from scratch.
IMPORTANT! This guide will show you how to (easily) maneuver around the At&t sgh-i337 on the MDL bootloader as far as root and other things are concerned. This guide is NOT for any other bootloader! Once you have updated past jelly bean 4.2.2 then you will not be able to use this guide!
Now for the good stuff...
So you've just taken your new At&t GS4 out of the box and discovered that you're on the MDL bootloader (like I did)! First you're going to want to root it. You can do this by grabbing a good 'ol copy of towel root (just search the forums here or Google for it). Next, you're going to want to freeze the OTA update so the phone won't update off the MDL bootloader (after installing SuperSU of course). You can do this via the Titanium Backup app or the MyBackup Root app (now called just MyBackup I think).
Let's recap...you will need a copy of the towel root app, then SuperSU, then TB or MyBackup Root app. SuperSU will kill the evil KNOX for you.
Next you may want to install a custom recovery. To do this, you will need to use an exploit file called Loki Doki. Follow this video to take the needed steps to get loki'ed and a recovery installed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmkL9atpVHw
Yes, I know it installs CWM which is way out of date, if you want to use TWRP go ahead. However, this guide deals with CWM so if you use TWRP you're using it at your own risk and going against the guide! GO WITH THE GUIDE!
However, if you want to update to TWRP recovery then this video by the same guy as in the last video should do it: https://galaxys4root.com/galaxy-s4-...or-verizon-galaxy-s4-with-twrp-v-2-8-4-0/amp/
Once you've got loki lurking around your phone's memory, you're good to install a custom ROM! TA-DA! Awesome how all that worked out isn't it?
How to install a custom (TW) ROM
If and only if you followed the ZedoMax video, you should now have OUDhs CWM Touch Req0very v1.0.3.4 installed. Now would be a great time to boot into it so power off your phone then hold power, home, and volume up at the same time. Hold it! Hold it! Hold it! Release when you see the CWM menu. Now let's Nandroid this hush puppy!
Goto backup and restore and hit backup. It will most likely save it to your internal memory, but you can copy it to SD card later, or just reboot now and move it. We now have a working backup in case your dog eats your homework. After that's done, make sure the ROM .zip file you are going to boot is on your SD card. Now go to wipe cache partition and select yes. Go to Advanced and wipe dalvik cache. Go to wipe data/factory reset and select yes. Goto mounts and storage and select format cache, then select format /system.
NOTE: If you want to keep all your personal data (pics, videos, etc.) then stop here! If you want to completely nuke your phone and start from scratch then select format /data from the mounts and storage menu.
Once you've formatted /system (or did a complete wipe by formatting /data too so now you have nothing), you're ready to install a ROM. Select install zip from SD card from the main menu. Find your ROM .zip file and select it. I used the latest GoldenEye ROM because it has an Aroma installer built in so it pretty much does everything for you once you tell it what you want. Easy!
ROM should now be installed and everything should work ok once your phone reboots out of CWM recovery.
How to boot a custom (AOSP/CM) ROM
WARNING! THIS IS EXPERIMENTAL! Following this may get your ROM booted or not. Do so at your phone's own risk! You could erase stuff on accident!
Place the ROM file on your SD card. Boot into recovery and select wipe cache partition. Then select wipe dalvik cache. Now select wipe data/factory reset. Once all that's done, you will need to format /system and /data. Now goto install .zip from SD card. Select your ROM file and pray to whatever higher power yourbelieve in that it worked. Next you're going to (maybe) need a kernel.
Kernels and Modems
Download a compatible kernel for the ROM you want to use. Boot into recovery and flash the .zip file for the kernel from your internal memory or external SD card. Be sure if you are booting a TW ROM that you use a TW kernel. Same goes for CM and AOSP.
Modems are pretty much universal on the MDL firmware and possibly on others as well. To flash a modem just select the .zip file and flash in recovery from your SD card or internal memory. You can use any baseband modem...MDB, MK3, NB1, OC3, etc.

FAQ Section
What is the MDL bootloader? It's the jelly bean 4.2.2 firmware for the at&t galaxy s4. It's a locked bootloader, however it has a flaw in it that can be exploited by Loki Doki to allow a custom recovery to be installed.
What is Loki Doki? It's something that exploits the flaw in the MDL bootloader allowing you to do things an unlocked bootloader can do. To my best of knowledge, it acts similar to a PlayStation modchip by tricking the bootloader into thinking that whatever you feed it, is authorized to boot.
Can I downgrade my bootloader to MDL if I took the OTA? Only if you're a Samsung or at&t smartphone hardware tech.
Why can't I use Loki on other bootloaders? Because the flaw that loki exploited was patched in the MF3 firmware. With the exception of the MDB bootloader which was the bootloader before MDL.
Do I need motochopper to root my at&t s4? Nope, towel root works just fine to get root on the MDL bootloader.
Why does OUDhs CWM recovery tell me root or recovery may be lost on reboot and want to fix it? I have no idea, I think it's a bug. Just select "go back" until your phone reboots and all should be fine.
Why does your guide say "experimental" for AOSP or CM based ROMs? Mainly because I haven't messed around with any and am basing on how to boot them off my time using the galaxy s2.
Why can't I use TWRP recovery instead of CWM? You can, as I pasted a link to get TWRP installed in my guide. It's just I based my guide around CWM because that's what I have always used. Do note that TWRP is different, so you'll have to figure out how to wipe and install the ROM property.
What's the difference between CWM recovery and TWRP recovery? Nothing really, except the UI and how they handle files and things. Due note that CWM recovery has been discontinued, while TWRP still thrives today with updates.

So I am on MDL and have OctOS 7.1.1 flashed but no root. I have tried towelroot with no success. I do however have TWRP 3.0 on my phone but SuperSU won't flash. Do you have any ideas?

Tubifex said:
So I am on MDL and have OctOS 7.1.1 flashed but no root. I have tried towelroot with no success. I do however have TWRP 3.0 on my phone but SuperSU won't flash. Do you have any ideas?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OctOS has root disabled by default. You have to flash a root .zip file to activate root. Make sure you are loki'ed and that you have the right TWRP version as well as the right root .zip for your phone. Towel root only works on stock Android jelly bean 4.2.2, 4.3, and kit kat 4.4.2

StoneyJSG said:
OctOS has root disabled by default. You have to flash a root .zip file to activate root. Make sure you are loki'ed and that you have the right TWRP version as well as the right root .zip for your phone. Towel root only works on stock Android jelly bean 4.2.2, 4.3, and kit kat 4.4.2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where do you suggest I find root.zip file?

Tubifex said:
Where do you suggest I find root.zip file?
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Click to collapse
I am not too sure, I haven't messed with OctOs at all. Try here:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s4-att/orig-development/rom-team-octos-oct-n-t3532663
Someone there in that thread will probably know.

Finished! This guide is done!

Bump....happy flashing!

Does this APK work anymore? It will not download to my phone. I had to download it to my pc then transfer it via usb to my phone. When I go to install it I get an error saying There is a problem parsing the package.

Can anyone please provide the ATT-I337UCUAMDL-20130430103714.zip file? All the mirrors are dead
NVMD,found something similar here:
https://androidfilehost.com/?fid=23203820527944165
and here:
https://server.samsung-firmware.org...de28764422/ATT-I337UCUAMDL-20130430103714.zip

jabulon said:
Can anyone please provide the ATT-I337UCUAMDL-20130430103714.zip file? All the mirrors are dead
NVMD,found something similar here:
https://androidfilehost.com/?fid=23203820527944165
and here:
https://server.samsung-firmware.org...de28764422/ATT-I337UCUAMDL-20130430103714.zip
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are needing the MDL ODIN .tar / zip file correct?

7ravler said:
Does this APK work anymore? It will not download to my phone. I had to download it to my pc then transfer it via usb to my phone. When I go to install it I get an error saying There is a problem parsing the package.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which APK file are you referring to? Towel root or something else?

StoneyJSG said:
You are needing the MDL ODIN .tar / zip file correct?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yep, but I've already found it
Thank you!

jabulon said:
yep, but I've already found it
Thank you!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
I'm trying to find a way to install MDL to be able to get past my att bootloader lock. I have everything except the MDL Odin file. Can you please tell me the link to get it. I'm new on the site sorry if Im in the wrong section. I want to be able to install custom rom on my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 Att. I have already downgraded all the way to NB1 and rooted and updated all the way back to OK2 without losing Root access. I went ahead and reflashed stock for fun however to see if I could do it. It worked. So now I'm unrooted back on OK3 official via OTA. I just tricked the time on the phone, changed the date, to bypass ATT's stupid ota 24 hour update wait period inbetween updates. . So I have no issue experimenting because I have the way to downgrade all the way back to NB1 no problem with Odin and then Ota update back to OC3 then OK2, Ok3 ext. Ext. So I just need to get to MDL so I can use loki from what I have read. I'mean only able to get to NB1 basically due to lack of .tar/Odin file for the exploitable mdl bootloader.
So if I can get the Odin file or zip to MDL I will know what to do.. Thank you ahead of time for all your hard work! This post is amazing.
-Scott
(Hopefully I did this right lol)

Scottie32583 said:
Hi,
I'm trying to find a way to install MDL to be able to get past my att bootloader lock. I have everything except the MDL Odin file. Can you please tell me the link to get it. I'm new on the site sorry if Im in the wrong section. I want to be able to install custom rom on my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 Att. I have already downgraded all the way to NB1 and rooted and updated all the way back to OK2 without losing Root access. I went ahead and reflashed stock for fun however to see if I could do it. It worked. So now I'm unrooted back on OK3 official via OTA. I just tricked the time on the phone, changed the date, to bypass ATT's stupid ota 24 hour update wait period inbetween updates. . So I have no issue experimenting because I have the way to downgrade all the way back to NB1 no problem with Odin and then Ota update back to OC3 then OK2, Ok3 ext. Ext. So I just need to get to MDL so I can use loki from what I have read. I'mean only able to get to NB1 basically due to lack of .tar/Odin file for the exploitable mdl bootloader.
So if I can get the Odin file or zip to MDL I will know what to do.. Thank you ahead of time for all your hard work! This post is amazing.
-Scott
(Hopefully I did this right lol)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Once your phone has been updated past MDL, you cannot go back. NB1 is the farthest back you can go without bricking. You are stuck with safe strap recovery for kit kat and flash fire for lollipop. You can only boot custom touchwiz ROMs.

Thank you so much!! You saved me a lot of time with this information. I can quit trying to find a way to go back. I will stick with flash fire and safestrap.
Scott

No problem. Be careful as safe strap works only with kit kat to my knowledge. If you're on NB1 I think that's kit kat. Flash fire works with lollipop as safe strap doesn't. Flash fire may also work under kit kat, but I am not sure.

StoneyJSG said:
Which APK file are you referring to? Towel root or something else?
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Click to collapse
Sorry to leave you hanging here. I was referring to towel root and I did find a good file. Thanks. I see you posted that I cannot go back to mdl after updating to OC3? Bummer! I should have researched a little more before I did that

Nope, once you update past MDL which is MK3 I believe it patches the loki doki exploit so it can't be used and also makes it so if you try to downgrade back to MDL you can brick the phone.

good guide.
err on the side of kindness