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[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.

[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

P5113 root, recovery, rom questions

Hello community,
I was given the device last year and had been fairly satisfied with the performance of it. However, it has gotten laggy over the past couple weeks and a friend suggested to root and flash a rom on it. So, without any prior knowledge, I have been doing some research and browsing through the threads on this forum. I can see that there are guides but was very unsure if the methods would still work because I have noticed that most of them were last updated/edit a while ago. I know I shouldn't use the word 'latest' for doing this to a tablet that is fairly old in the market. However, it would be very helpful if someone can point me to some 'proven to work' or 'trust-worthy' guides of rooting, flashing recovery, and rom.
Also, just out of curiosity, please recommend which recovery and rom a first-timer should use if possible

try these roms.
rocketfans14 said:
Hello community,
I was given the device last year and had been fairly satisfied with the performance of it. However, it has gotten laggy over the past couple weeks and a friend suggested to root and flash a rom on it. So, without any prior knowledge, I have been doing some research and browsing through the threads on this forum. I can see that there are guides but was very unsure if the methods would still work because I have noticed that most of them were last updated/edit a while ago. I know I shouldn't use the word 'latest' for doing this to a tablet that is fairly old in the market. However, it would be very helpful if someone can point me to some 'proven to work' or 'trust-worthy' guides of rooting, flashing recovery, and rom.
Also, just out of curiosity, please recommend which recovery and rom a first-timer should use if possible
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hello ,
these are the things you need to do before flashing a ROM.
note: -the following things may void your warranty.
-do this on your own risk.
1. HOW TO ROOT
-First install kingo root on your windows PC. Then check USB debugging .
( settings. < about device < touch build number 7times < go back and select developer options < check USB debugging.)
-Open kingo root on the PC and connect your device and connect your device to the PC. Start root and do not remove the USB cable until it says finish.
-Now you have successfully rooted your device.
2.HOW TO INSTALL A CUSTOM RECOVERY
- Go to the following link and download CLOCK WORK MOD(CWM)
LINK: https://www.clockworkmod.com/rommanager
Select your device and install the recovery.
go into the app and install recovery .
3.BACK UP
download rom manager from playstore and do a backup( do a backup using this ap only if you are using CWM recovery.
link for ROM manager: https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...mmanager&hl=en
Now the first thing you need to do is download this rom.
https://www.androidfilehost.com/?fid=95916177934533333
(note: you can flash the rom of p5110 for p5113)
now to flash the rom follow the following steps.
1. Go to recovery mode
2. (have the rom in your sd card)flash it there .
use this link to know how to flash a rom.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJfPwWjnWGY
now you can reboot after flashing.
to get inbuilt google apps and play store you need to install something called GAPPS (Google apps) download from this link.
http://opengapps.org/?api=5.1&variant=nano
now you flash this zip the same way you flashed the rom.
any problems plz notoce me.

Zte blade l said:
hello ,
these are the things you need to do before flashing a ROM.
note: -the following things may void your warranty.
-do this on your own risk.
1. HOW TO ROOT
-First install kingo root on your windows PC. Then check USB debugging .
( settings. < about device < touch build number 7times < go back and select developer options < check USB debugging.)
-Open kingo root on the PC and connect your device and connect your device to the PC. Start root and do not remove the USB cable until it says finish.
-Now you have successfully rooted your device.
2.HOW TO INSTALL A CUSTOM RECOVERY
- Go to the following link and download CLOCK WORK MOD(CWM)
LINK: https://www.clockworkmod.com/rommanager
Select your device and install the recovery.
go into the app and install recovery .
3.BACK UP
download rom manager from playstore and do a backup( do a backup using this ap only if you are using CWM recovery.
link for ROM manager: https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...mmanager&hl=en
Now the first thing you need to do is download this rom.
https://www.androidfilehost.com/?fid=95916177934533333
(note: you can flash the rom of p5110 for p5113)
now to flash the rom follow the following steps.
1. Go to recovery mode
2. (have the rom in your sd card)flash it there .
use this link to know how to flash a rom.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJfPwWjnWGY
now you can reboot after flashing.
to get inbuilt google apps and play store you need to install something called GAPPS (Google apps) download from this link.
http://opengapps.org/?api=5.1&variant=nano
now you flash this zip the same way you flashed the rom.
any problems plz notoce me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was looking in the forum and someone said that I would also need to unlock the bootloader? If so, how do I do that?
Also, is there a difference between kingroot and towelroot? I saw a post in the forum here saying towelroot is fast and easy to root the tablet.

Not much difference.
Actually there is not much difference between kings root and towel root....towel root doesn't need a PC...but I have never used it so I can't assure you that it is safe.
And coming to the boot loader I don't know much about it but I didn't do anything like that before flashing a rom or rooting my tab2....
If you want further assistance about the boot loader I can help you with that..

rocketfans14 said:
I was looking in the forum and someone said that I would also need to unlock the bootloader? If so, how do I do that?
Also, is there a difference between kingroot and towelroot? I saw a post in the forum here saying towelroot is fast and easy to root the tablet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it is not necessary to unloack bootloader for tab 2 as it comes with a unlocked bootloader from stock.

Zte blade l said:
Actually there is not much difference between kings root and towel root....towel root doesn't need a PC...but I have never used it so I can't assure you that it is safe.
And coming to the boot loader I don't know much about it but I didn't do anything like that before flashing a rom or rooting my tab2....
If you want further assistance about the boot loader I can help you with that..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey, it's been a while. Honestly speaking, when I first posted this thread, I didn't really have enough time to do the things so now I am finally back and trying to do it. So far, I know what recovery and rom I'm going to use with all the files downloaded and ready. Though, currently, I am still at the pre-root stage. I have read up things about kingoroot and not sure if I wanted to use it. So I looked around on the forum and wonder if Odin is still a working solution. Reading on the steps and guides, I was wondering if I need to have Kies installed?

rocketfans14 said:
Hey, it's been a while. Honestly speaking, when I first posted this thread, I didn't really have enough time to do the things so now I am finally back and trying to do it. So far, I know what recovery and rom I'm going to use with all the files downloaded and ready. Though, currently, I am still at the pre-root stage. I have read up things about kingoroot and not sure if I wanted to use it. So I looked around on the forum and wonder if Odin is still a working solution. Reading on the steps and guides, I was wondering if I need to have Kies installed?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Kies is not needed as it never helped.
You can depend on odin it is your only saviour when you are in trouble.
I think rooting with kingroot is easy as it is just connecting to your PC and cick the start button.
So just notice me when your ready.
And there is also one good news...?
Tab 2 has got marshmallow.

Zte blade l said:
Kies is not needed as it never helped.
You can depend on odin it is your only saviour when you are in trouble.
I think rooting with kingroot is easy as it is just connecting to your PC and cick the start button.
So just notice me when your ready.
And there is also one good news...��
Tab 2 has got marshmallow.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have rooted the tablet. I did it with odin and twrp with flashing the updatedSuperSU zip folder.
I have tried flashing the CM12.1 rom yesterday but resulted in a boot loop. So for now, I'm just rooted and on stock rom until I or someone can find out what was the problem. I have read about the discussion with marshmallow but it seems to me that the project isn't really stable yet. From what I have researched lately, can I assume there's issue with the p51xx line of tablets? Because I saw many people having problems with p51xx and most people with the other tablets aren't having any.

rocketfans14 said:
I have rooted the tablet. I did it with odin and twrp with flashing the updatedSuperSU zip folder.
I have tried flashing the CM12.1 rom yesterday but resulted in a boot loop. So for now, I'm just rooted and on stock rom until I or someone can find out what was the problem. I have read about the discussion with marshmallow but it seems to me that the project isn't really stable yet. From what I have researched lately, can I assume there's issue with the p51xx line of tablets? Because I saw many people having problems with p51xx and most people with the other tablets aren't having any.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You first must update your tab to jelly bean bootloader, before trying out newer roms.
Or perhaps flash stock jb firmware with odin
Whatever you choose, both is ok.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2642005
Read here
The first thing you do, is take a nandroid backup, it's very important at every step, unless you are really ready to risk. It's better to have it.
Next Read through the rom threads, clear your mind and your tab too. You must format data.
Stay on twrp 2.8.7.2. Don't go to the latest one yet.
Flash rom, wait, it will boot up.
Every tab behave differently with every rom, sure you are going to face soft reboots, on some roms it will be a lot, on some it will be less. I would suggest you try both LP and kk first.
Remember, it's better to keep this tab updated than to stay on stock. This tab 2 series has a emmc bug and staying on stock or jumping back is a risk too. I have been on kk and lp. They both have kept this tab running great and away from that bug.

billysam said:
You first must update your tab to jelly bean bootloader, before trying out newer roms.
Or perhaps flash stock jb firmware with odin
Whatever you choose, both is ok.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2642005
Read here
The first thing you do, is take a nandroid backup, it's very important at every step, unless you are really ready to risk. It's better to have it.
Next Read through the rom threads, clear your mind and your tab too. You must format data.
Stay on twrp 2.8.7.2. Don't go to the latest one yet.
Flash rom, wait, it will boot up.
Every tab behave differently with every rom, sure you are going to face soft reboots, on some roms it will be a lot, on some it will be less. I would suggest you try both LP and kk first.
Remember, it's better to keep this tab updated than to stay on stock. This tab 2 series has a emmc bug and staying on stock or jumping back is a risk too. I have been on kk and lp. They both have kept this tab running great and away from that bug.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do I have to unroot first? Do you have a link to making a nandroid backup?
Edit: Oh, I looked at the link you included and it said that if I am on stock jb (4.2.2), I can skip the update bootloader part..

When you flashed the new rom, did you do a factory reset (wipe data)?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using XDA Free mobile app

rocketfans14 said:
Do I have to unroot first? Do you have a link to making a nandroid backup?
Edit: Oh, I looked at the link you included and it said that if I am on stock jb (4.2.2), I can skip the update bootloader part..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, that's what I meant too, if you're on jb already, you are fine. You don't have to unroot. For making a nandroid backup, use twrp recovery, there is an option for backup, select and backup all from there, if you get into bootloop or any other problem, as long as you can get back to recovery, you can restore from there. Most rom comes pre rooted.

rocketfans14 said:
I have rooted the tablet. I did it with odin and twrp with flashing the updatedSuperSU zip folder.
I have tried flashing the CM12.1 rom yesterday but resulted in a boot loop. So for now, I'm just rooted and on stock rom until I or someone can find out what was the problem. I have read about the discussion with marshmallow but it seems to me that the project isn't really stable yet. From what I have researched lately, can I assume there's issue with the p51xx line of tablets? Because I saw many people having problems with p51xx and most people with the other tablets aren't having any.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you clear dalvik cache in recovery before flashing rom?

Zte blade l said:
Did you clear dalvik cache in recovery before flashing rom?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I cleared the top four options in recovery, and formatted data before flashing.
billysam said:
Yes, that's what I meant too, if you're on jb already, you are fine. You don't have to unroot. For making a nandroid backup, use twrp recovery, there is an option for backup, select and backup all from there, if you get into bootloop or any other problem, as long as you can get back to recovery, you can restore from there. Most rom comes pre rooted.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's what I did. Let me just briefly summarize what I have done:
used odin with twrp
booted into recovery and made back up
cleared dalvik, cache, system, and data, formatted data
flashed update supersu, booted into system and checked root with root checker
rebooted into recovery, cleared dalvik, cache, system, and data, formatted data again
flashed cm12.1 and gapps, rebooted but ran into bootloop at splash screen
rebooted into recovery and restored back up
So I'm rooted and on stock 4.2.2 currently.
champ1919 said:
When you flashed the new rom, did you do a factory reset (wipe data)?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did.

Try flashing blisspop or slimLP.

[HOW TO]Safestrap for the VZW S5 [LP-MM]

So I see ALOT OF CONFUSION regarding Safestrap on the Verizon Galaxy S5, I think its about time to explain it to stop this nonsense
THIS IS MEANT FOR 11 eMMC Users, 15 eMMC Users should unlock their bootloader and use TWRP instead
What is safestrap?
Why thank-you for asking, Safestrap is essentially a second recovery written by member @Hashcode to be used for systems with locked bootloader. Safe strap IS NOT A REPLACEMENT FOR YOUR STOCK RECOVERY OR A CUSTOM RECOVERY. Safestrap on a locked bootloader cannot flash locked bootloaders, cannot flash TWRP, and cannot flash custom kernels,(well it can but it is gonna brick) all this requires a custom bootloader, in which you could flash those things but at that point, you'd be better using SafeStrap, Flashfire or Odin to flash TWRP first.
So then what can safestrap do? Well safestrap is capable of flashing system partitions, data, cache and taking backups and even restoring them. It also has a built in file manager to give you access to system allowing the deleting, moving, and changing of files
You could run some stock based ROMs with this and in some cases pre-rooted ROMs. If you are on MM and running a pre-rooted rom, you must flash the stock kernel everytime you leave. YOU WILL NOT HAVE ROOT, but it will allow booting.
How do I access or use safestrap
Well I'll tell you this much, you DO NOT use your hard keys to do such. Don't try any button combos it just won't work. Safestrap doesn't exist on your recovery partition, but instead it exisst on the system partition, meaning you have to use the kernel to load safestrap, not hardware recovery.
On Lollipop its very simple, you need root first which can be obtained here http://forum.xda-developers.com/verizon-galaxy-s5/general/root-method-og5-ok3-t3290370 @jrkruse
In this thread it also includes instructions for installing safestrap
Once safestrap is installed, continue by opening lollipop safestrap and selecting reboot to recovery. To exit, you can simply reboot to system
Now the hardest part comes down to Marshmallow. @jrkruse has a thread here about it http://forum.xda-developers.com/ver...ow-to-flash-custom-6-0-1-roms-locked-t3393943
Unlike Lollipop you DO NOT HAVE ROOT. Sorry, just won't happen. But you can still flash some stuff. The worst part is "how do I get into safe strap?"
In the magical folder you downloaded and probably deleted when you rooted your galaxy S5, there was a Kernel file. NI2 or NK2. Either works, what you do is open up Odin on your PC and put your phone into download mode, when it boots into download mode, just flash it and it will reboot. When your phone starts up it will say "safe system not installed" or something. Press recovery. If you wait too long it'll freeze and need a battery pull. Now your in safe strap. to exit just reboot to system(possibly need to flash stock kernel via Odin for MM as safe strap flashes stock LP kernel. Again if you followed the directions in @jrkruse thread then it will manage to boot without any hassle
So why bother?
That! Is an excellent question.
For lollipop users you can flash prerooted stock based ROMs and such. You can use debloat scripts, Knox removal scripts, even modify system files and build.prop and boot and shutdown animations, change boot sounds, install xposed, use rooted apps, go crazy!!! And you can take system backups and restores. Its just awesome!
However, those on Marshmallow have a more sinister fate. Verizon doesn't like us so you CANNOT ROOT. Which means NO YOU CANNOT USE FLASHFIRE TO BOOT INTO SAFESTRAP, NOR SAESTRAP REBOOT OR SUCH. They all require root. So what can you do? Your in luck, you can flash debloat scripts to debloat some ROMs, Knox removal, take backups and do restores, you can still modify build.prop(I don't recommend it, take a backup), and even use Safestrap built-in file manager to edit the system partition, just remember, don't do anything without a backup. Also YES you can DOWNGRADE back to Lollipop if you read @jrkruse thread. You can flash custom ish stock based ROMs but you still CANNOT GET ROOT. DO NOT TRY TO FLASH A ROOTED ROM WITHOUT FLASHING A STOCK KERNEL BEFORE REBOOT.
Thanks to changes made by google you no longer can root MM+ without a custom kernel and you cannot get custom kernels without custom recovery which needs unlocked bootloaders. So sorry to those who want it but nothing we can do right now
So that's the majority of how to safestrap. Any comments or questions leave them below and I probably will answer them maybe kinda probably not.

GeTex said:
So that's the majority of how to safestrap.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How to safestrap? Do you even safestrap?

Nandr0idC0nsumer said:
How to safestrap? Do you even safestrap?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Instructions unclear, ended up with unlocked bootloader and TWRP

GeTex said:
Instructions unclear, ended up with unlocked bootloader and TWRP
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Instructions unclear, ended up with my eMMC chip reaching terminal velocity on its ride to space

GeTex said:
So I see ALOT OF CONFUSION regarding Safestrap on the Verizon Galaxy S5, I think its about time to explain it to stop this nonsense
What is safestrap?
Why thankyou for asking, Safestrap is essentially a second recovery written by member @Hashcode to be used for systems with locked bootloader. Safe strap IS NOT A REPLACEMENT FOR YOUR STOCK RECOVERY OR A CUSTOM RECOVERY. Safestrap cannot flash locked bootloaders, cannot flash TWRP, and cannot flash custom kernels, all this requires a custom bootloader.
So then what can safestrap do? Well safestrap is capable of flashing system partitions, data, cache and taking backups and even restoring them. It also has a built in file manager to give you access to system allowing the deleting, moving, and changing of files
You could run some stock based ROMs with this and in some cases pre-rooted ROMs. If you are on MM YOU CANNOT NOT USE SAFESTRAP WITH A PRE ROOTED ROM. YOU WILL BRICK!!!
How do I access or use safestrap
Well I'll tell you this much, you DO NOT use your hard keys to do such. Don't try any button combos it just won't work
On Lollipop its very simple, you need root first which can be obtained here http://forum.xda-developers.com/verizon-galaxy-s5/general/root-method-og5-ok3-t3290370 @jrkruse
In this thread it also includes instructions for installing safestrap
Once safestrap is installed, continue by opening lollipop safestrap and selecting reboot to recovery. To exit, you can simply reboot to system
Now the hardest part comes down to Marshmallow. @jrkruse has a thread here about it http://forum.xda-developers.com/ver...ow-to-flash-custom-6-0-1-roms-locked-t3393943
Unlike Lollipop you DO NOT HAVE ROOT. Sorry, just won't happen. But you can still flash some stuff. The worst part is "how do I get into safe strap?"
In the magical folder you downloaded and probably deleted when you rooted your galaxy S5, there was a Kernel file. NI2 or NK2. Either works, what you do is open up Odin on your PC and put your phone into download mode, when it boots into download mode, just flash it and it will reboot. When your phone starts up it will say "safe system not installed" or something. Press recovery. If you wait too long it'll freeze and need a battery pull. Now your in safe strap. Again if you followed the directions in @jrkruse thread then it will manage to boot without any hassle
So why bother?
That! Is an excellent question.
For lollipop users you can flash prerooted stock based ROMs and such. You can use debloat scripts, Knox removal scripts, even modify system files and build.prop and boot and shutdown animations, change boot sounds, install xposed, use rooted apps, go crazy!!! And you can take system backups and restores. Its just awesome!
However, those on Marshmallow have a more sinister fate. Verizon doesn't like us so you CANNOT ROOT. Which means NO YOU CANNOT USE FLASHFIRE TO BOOT INTO SAFESTRAP, NOR SAESTRAP REBOOT OR SUCH. They all require root. So what can you do? Your in luck, you can flash debloat scripts to debloat some ROMs, Knox removal, take backups and do restores, you can still modify build.prop(I don't recommend it, take a backup), and even use Safestrap built-in file manager to edit the system partition, just remember, don't do anything without a backup. Also YES you can DOWNGRADE back to Lollipop if you read @jrkruse thread. You can flash custom ish stock based ROMs but you still CANNOT GET ROOT. DO NOT TRY TO FLASH A ROOTED ROM UNLESS YOU WANT A BOOTLOOP.
Thanks to changes made by google you no longer can root MM+ without a custom kernel and you cannot get custom kernels without custom recovery which needs unlocked bootloaders. So sorry to those who want it but nothing we can do right now
So that's the majority of how to safestrap. Any comments or questions leave them ebloe and I probably will answer them maybe kinda probably not.
NOTE mods may move this thread as seen fit
NOTE2 anyone may correct, suggest content, or give me pointers, I wrote this while sick laying here in the doctors office
NOTE3 Notes will be deleted after a few days
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Safestrap cannot flash locked bootloaders, cannot flash TWRP, and cannot flash custom kernels, all this requires a custom bootloader. Safestrap can flash bootloader and custom kernels and TWRP This is why you should not try to do so it has safety feature built in where normal script will not flash them but it can be made to like I did with the Bootloader update and downgrade zips
DO NOT TRY TO FLASH A ROOTED ROM UNLESS YOU WANT A BOOTLOOP. As long as you flash the stock kernel back after you flash the rom systemless root will be broken and you will not bootloop. So you can flash MM roms that have systemless root just always make sure to flash stock kernel when finished if you dont you wont even have time to bootloop you will be taken to that unauthorize software is detected on your device screen

jrkruse said:
Safestrap cannot flash locked bootloaders, cannot flash TWRP, and cannot flash custom kernels, all this requires a custom bootloader. Safestrap can flash bootloader and custom kernels and TWRP This is why you should not try to do so it has safety feature built in where normal script will not flash them but it can be made to like I did with the Bootloader update and downgrade zips
DO NOT TRY TO FLASH A ROOTED ROM UNLESS YOU WANT A BOOTLOOP. As long as you flash the stock kernel back after you flash the rom systemless root will be broken and you will not bootloop. So you can flash MM roms that have systemless root just always make sure to flash stock kernel when finished if you dont you wont even have time to bootloop you will be taken to that unauthorize software is detected on your device screen
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I meant to say it cannot flash those on locked bootloaders
Can you reword what I should replace those with and I'll update the OP
Do you think this thread is even helpful?

GeTex said:
I meant to say it cannot flash those on locked bootloaders
Can you reword what I should replace those with and I'll update the OP
Do you think this thread is even helpful?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well it can flash those on locked bootloaders but you wont like the outcome!
I need you to write my stuff your so much better at explaing stuff than me. I just had a rant on your bootloader unlock page. Nothing meant towards you!

Haha alright, just trying to not mess things up in translation, gonna attempt to reboot your root page now that MM is here and I think we can overhaul it completely, along with a few minor changes to the batch files to streamline everything. Your Rant is justified, I honestly wanted to myself but I've been holding back

My experience
Okay! I ABSOLUTELY had to add to this thread because it was so helpful and confusing at the same time. I wanted to put in some points that seriously helped me. It took me about 8.5 hours total to get this done and I think this can help save people a lot of time.
Phone, I bought an unlocked verizon samsung galaxy s5 off the web (used). 5.0 lollipop with OK base from what I could tell. I was a ten year iphone user so this was all new to me. But I've run a web company for years so I'm very familiar getting around networks and software.
The first recommendation I would have is to read, then re-read, then re-read, then re-read the initial instruction page. The original writer didn't make it Step 1, Step 2, but put multiple steps inside a sentence so you have to sometimes figure out what he's trying to say.
The first problem I ran into was flashing the NK kernel. This is confusing because the Samsung logo will freeze and no where did it say how long to wait, just be patient. This cost me HOURS. There are two things happening, the root.bat file is giving you information and then the phone is responding. I would get all the ##### notifications and then a cursor sitting at the bottom with no response. Samsung logo would freeze. To get it to work I had to install the Factory Tar BPB1 Full Restore Image.
G900VVRU2BPB1_G900VVZW2BPB1_VZW.zip by unzipping and then using the Odin app to install. Once I did that the root.bat file would flash the kernel, I'd wait about 3-4 mins at the blinking cursor after the ### notices, then it said Root Installed and then I was off to the races. I would HIGHLY recommend doing this as from that point forward everything was soooo much smoother. I had about a dozen failures further down the process over about 4 hours because i never saw that Root Installed message at this stage. Once I did, everything was smooth.
I also did not opt out of buying Super Sume. I bought it and then removed kingroot with it and all the other steps were flawless.
For a new droid user one thing you may want to also need to know is that to move files over to the android download HandShaker, it's a much easier file transfer app to move those zip files in later stages over to the phone.

SO - If I am on Lollipop, I can load a custom ROM with Safestrap that is pre-rooted. Right? Would that allow me to load a ROM based on CM 14? What would or would not work. I have had a lot of prior experience with rooting and custom recovery, etc with my Razer M and an Xperia Play and the old LG Ally, but nothing with this S5 and no experience with Safestrap (that I can recall). Cut me a little slack - I'm 59 years old and a tech, but no experience with Samsung except ODIN a couple of times. Thanks.

netizenmt said:
SO - If I am on Lollipop, I can load a custom ROM with Safestrap that is pre-rooted. Right? Would that allow me to load a ROM based on CM 14? What would or would not work. I have had a lot of prior experience with rooting and custom recovery, etc with my Razer M and an Xperia Play and the old LG Ally, but nothing with this S5 and no experience with Safestrap (that I can recall). Cut me a little slack - I'm 59 years old and a tech, but no experience with Samsung except ODIN a couple of times. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Only with an unlocked bootloader

Okay so I come from dos and Lynx area late 90s going to college and back then it was fun to sit down and code stuff and drink beer on the weekend can I just delete the hole OS out of my g900V cid 11 make my own somehow. It's been 23 yrs but sudo apt update still probably over rides a regular program saying no oh a and I barely got my first smartphone three or four months ago when I would consider smart I don't think the Samsung whatever it was was smart and just could text

averydiablo said:
Okay so I come from dos and Lynx area late 90s going to college and back then it was fun to sit down and code stuff and drink beer on the weekend can I just delete the hole OS out of my g900V cid 11 make my own somehow. It's been 23 yrs but sudo apt update still probably over rides a regular program saying no oh a and I barely got my first smartphone three or four months ago when I would consider smart I don't think the Samsung whatever it was was smart and just could text
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No idea what you are trying to ask
CID 11 cannot run a custom OS.
Making your own OS is not anywhere near easy either

Inglis Second language is possible on rooted phone like LG spectrum 2 or g900v to get rid android just have kali or unbunt do you need bootloader unlock

averydiablo said:
Inglis Second language is possible on rooted phone like LG spectrum 2 or g900v to get rid android just have kali or unbunt do you need bootloader unlock
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
again, you cannot run anything but touchwiz based roms on a locked bootloader. you cannot use a custom kernel.

Thank you very much so now I went and traded for lg g2 and still have the vs93o old as dirt And the pixel 2 xl I don't want to mess with the other old ones I can root do they make os for lynux or Kali sorry I do understand I have hard time wording questions

GeTex said:
again, you cannot run anything but touchwiz based roms on a locked bootloader. you cannot use a custom kernel.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For now

ryanbg said:
For now
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Indeed

Looking for a bit of help. I have a S5 with Emmc = 11. Know I cannot install TWRP. Have gone with all the steps from jrkruse here: http://https://forum.xda-developers.com/verizon-galaxy-s5/general/testers-required-easier-root-method-t3561529 I have no trouble getting into safestrap after rooting. The issue I have is once I flash a stock lollipop rom (either EMMC_11_PB1_LL_STOCK_SAFESTRAP_ONLY.zip or VZW_BPB1_ODEX_DEODEX_V9.zip), I can no longer access safestrap. I still have root (Super SU Pro) and busybox etc. However I can install, uninstall & re-install safestrap and when I click re-boot to recovery, it just reboots the system. I cannot figure out what the heck I am doing wrong. Is there a way to force a safestrap install that works? Or how am I destroying the SafeStrap that's part of the rom? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks
John

Never mind. Installed LL_MM_SafeStrap.apk and that resolved the issue. Now have safestrap.
Thanks anyway!

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?
Click to expand...
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?
Click to expand...
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