Database Info

Rooting the Verizon GS3 - Questions

I am preparing to root my Verizon GS3. The process looks pretty simple, but I still have a few questions I would like to have cleared up first just to make sure everything goes to plan.
I have downloaded the following files as instructed to in one of the threads on how to ROOT the GS3:
- USB Drivers
- Odin (unzipped with Winzip)
- Stock rooted system image (mirror link)
- CWM
My first question is whether or not I am supposed to unzip the stock rooted system image. The post says I should have a file named "rooted.system.img.tar" to select in the PDA section of ODIN, but the name of the file I have is just "rooted.system.img."
The second question I have is which custom recovery should I choose? I downloaded both, but don't know if one is better than the other or if it just comes down to personal preference. Also, do I need to unzip either one of those files? And if I choose not to push a recovery now, can I push it later if needed to flash a new ROM that I like. I ask this because the only real reason I want to root right now is to disable the ridiculous wifi notification in the notification bar and the pop up that you get when opening a "high data usage application."
Another concern I have is returning to stock. On my DROID X2, all I had to do was use RSD Lite and flash back to stock. I have downloaded the stock kernel and stock ROM off of one of the threads on here (I can't find it for some reason), but was just wondering how I would go about using that to get back to the way it was out of the box.
Thanks for the help!
Edit: As far as the first question goes, I selected the rooted.system.img in ODIN and it shows it as rooted.system.image.tar at the end, so I'm guessing no unzipping for that file is necessary, correct?

Don't unzip that tar you are good with that system image. Install the usb drivers and put your phone into download mode. Start Odin then set that to pda plug in your phone and wait for the drivers to install correctly. Remember you should have a full battery before flashing. Browse to your image then flash the system image, it might take a while to flash so be patient and don't move the computer or phone.
Just pick the recovery you like they are really up to personal preference. I like cwm because I used it in my og droid and dinc. You can always change recoveries in the future if you find a different one you like more.
You don't need to install cwm in the old way, just download it from the play store after you are rooted. When you install the recovery from the app choose Verizon galaxy s3 from the list. It will ask for root before trying to install cwm recovery. When you install cwn it will make your phone say custom when you boot up so if you don't want that skip the recovery for now.
I have never returned a phone to stock but I think to return to stock flash the stock Verizon image with Odin.
Down with Verizon for locking my bootloader

manchild83 said:
Don't unzip that tar you are good with that system image. Install the usb drivers and put your phone into download mode. Start Odin then set that to pda plug in your phone and wait for the drivers to install correctly. Remember you should have a full battery before flashing. Browse to your image then flash the system image, it might take a while to flash so be patient and don't move the computer or phone.
Just pick the recovery you like they are really up to personal preference. I like cwm because I used it in my og droid and dinc. You can always change recoveries in the future if you find a different one you like more.
You don't need to install cwm in the old way, just download it from the play store after you are rooted. When you install the recovery from the app choose Verizon galaxy s3 from the list. It will ask for root before trying to install cwm recovery. When you install cwn it will make your phone say custom when you boot up so if you don't want that skip the recovery for now.
I have never returned a phone to stock but I think to return to stock flash the stock Verizon image with Odin.
Down with Verizon for locking my bootloader
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry for the late reply. I went out to eat with the fam.
Thanks for clearing that stuff up for me! Can't wait to root my GS3 in 7 days after my return policy is used up!
Thanks again!

You're welcome good luck with the phone.
Down with Verizon for locking my bootloader

So I am officially getting ready to ROOT my GS3. Is there anything I need to do to prepare for the process? I have seen people say you need to enable any of the bloat you have disabled and I have also seen wiping the cache thrown around a few times, so I would just like to know if there is anything along those lines that I need to do before I start.

DROIDLOVERX2 said:
So I am officially getting ready to ROOT my GS3. Is there anything I need to do to prepare for the process? I have seen people say you need to enable any of the bloat you have disabled and I have also seen wiping the cache thrown around a few times, so I would just like to know if there is anything along those lines that I need to do before I start.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd follow this to root. Don't need to do anything else but what it says there.

Full on Noob, need help if possible.

Okay so, I love my Infuse but getting really tired of not being able to download anything off the play store. Just tired of it's rather less than great performance right now as well. It's is running 2.3.6 GB and want to get this thing up to ICS if possible. Just something running 4.0 so I can use my phone for what I need too. It is not rooted, no cyanogenMod, NOTHING. As the title says, I'm a full on noob here and I apologize if all this is covered in other threads, however I have just gotten to the point where I have found myself even more lost than where I started on what I needed to do/get. If someone can, I will literally need this spelled out to me (no pun intended), in order of the steps I need to take with everything. I'm getting tired of confusing myself even more from all the different stuff I have seen all over the place and I know without some serious guidance, I will just brick my phone. Thanks for any help! :laugh:

I understand this community can be a bit unorganized and confusing so I'll give you my process for rooting and installing custom firmware (there are other ways, but this works for my AT&T Infuse 4G SGH-i997).
First of all, no one uses ICS on the Infuse. There is a ROM, but it's underdeveloped because JB came out so quick. You will need to flash it to get to higher operating systems, but it is by no means a daily driver. Even JB is a little buggy compared to KitKat on the Infuse these days.
The first thing you want to do is root your phone and get a custom recovery.
There are more than a few options for rooting, but I prefer using ODIN (as I understand it, this is the tool Samsung uses to restore soft bricked phones). So this is a good thing to know how to do, in case you ever do soft brick your phone, you'll know exactly what to do.
Read the ODIN instructions in full as I will only briefly explain.
You're going to have to install Samsung drivers.
You'll be using UCLB3_Unbrick_root_1.1.zip. If you used UCLB3_Unbrick_1.1.zip it would just get you back to stock GB with no root added.
To put your phone into download mode, first turn off your phone. Plug a usb cable into your computer. Then with the phone off, hold down both volume buttons and plug the usb cable into your phone. A warning will come up and you push volume up to accept, realizing that you can easily soft brick your phone if you loose power or unplug during a download.
Once downloading is done, the phone will reboot and you'll be disappointed to see that nothing has changed. Except one small thing, you are now rooted and you should have an application called SuperUser that will allow you to do nifty and also dangerous things.
Now follow this step in the ODIN instructions to add the custom recovery (CWM = Clock Work Mod):
The version with root works exactly like the above version, but adds root. To add CWM recovery to the rooted version, download a custom Gingerbread kernel from HERE or HERE and flash the zImage using SGS Kernel Flasher (found in the Play Store) on the phone. If you go this route for root and CWM, your Custom Binary Download counter will not show any custom binary activity.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you follow the link in the second "HERE," you'll get the kernel I prefer since it was most recently updated. Scroll down the downloads section and grab "2013.04.30-CWM-Synthesis-1.2Ghz.zip." (1.2Ghz is stock for our processor, anything higher will be overclocked which I don't recommend).
Extract that and grab the zImage file in the update folder. You're going to copy this to your phone in a second.
But first you need SGS Kernal Flasher, you can get it off the playstore, but I despise having to log in to an OS I'm going to write over in less than a minute so I download the APK from here. Hopefully you know how to install APKs from your SD card and that you'll have to check install from unknown sources.
Now flash the zImage using SGS Kernel Flasher. Your phone will reboot and hang on the Samsung logo and a creepy voice is going to tell you about how she's partitioning your phone and installing Voodoo lag fix. This is normal. Eventually your phone will reboot back into GB and you'll be ready to flash any ROM of your choice by rebooting into recovery.
You reboot into recovery by holding the volume up and volume down button while powering on the phone. This is different than download mode and will take you do a new screen that you control with the volume keys.
You'll be using this to put new software on your phone.
Now you can bassically follow the instructions for getting to CyanogenMod 11 (Kit Kat) from GB.
The first bullet is what I just explained in detail.
Note that I didn't include the links in these instructions, just follow the link above to get to the original post.
Obtain CWM, this can be done using Jscotts Odin back to stock (Follow instructions and use SGS kernal flasher to obtain CWM)
Run Qksters IMEI backup script here
Make certain you are on ICS, this can be done by flashing Entropy's CM9
It is recommended now that you remove your SD Card
CWM: Wipe Cache / Factory Reset
Install ROM: Scroll down for downloads sectoion
... The package will start to install..
... Phone will reboot into the install screen again...
... Continue to install [Automatically] If not manually flash again
... Phone will reboot again and be at the recovery screen...
Install Gapps: Here - Working swipe!
CWM: Wipe Cache Partition
CWM: Advanced/Wipe Dalvik Cache
Reboot
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To be clear, when you flash a ROM, it won't be like flashing the zImage (that was just to get custom recovery). To flash the CM9 ROM or Qksters IMEI backup script for example, you leave the rom in the .zip file and simply put it on your SD card. Once in the recovery screen, you select "Install Update from ZIP" and navigate to the particular ROM you wish to install.
Also after updating to a higher version of Android, your phone will sometimes hang on the install screen for a long time. If it does for more than five minutes, it's safe to pull the battery and try flashing again (and sometimes necessary).
After flashing Entropy's CM9, you will be on ICS, you can use if you want but I don't advise it. You should continue with the instructions and update to KitKat after getting to ICS. I recommend Scott's CM11 (what I linked you to) or Scott's BeanStalk (find it in the Android Development Section).
Lately I've been using CyanFox and I have to say, it's the most stable ROM I've used in a while.
If you have any questions about this, feel free to ask.
Best of luck and happy flashing,
~bokonon9

Thank you muchness!
Thank you very much for helping me in this mess! I greatly appreciate it. I love my Infuse and do not want to get rid of it quite yet so hopefully this will help! Once I get a new usb cord I will get on this. My toddler decided to get a hold of it and it has to set a certain way now and can't be moved. This, is no bueno! Anyways, THANKS AGAIN!!! :laugh:

Goodluck! :laugh: :good:

I'm new in the android world and I'm using a nexus 7 and an infuse to make experiments just to learn.
bokonon9, thank you! You're guide has been precious to me.
Unfortunately I only succeeded installing ICS, infact I get till here:
After flashing Entropy's CM9, you will be on ICS, you can use if you want but I don't advise it. You should continue with the instructions and update to KitKat after getting to ICS. I recommend Scott's CM11 (what I linked you to) or Scott's BeanStalk (find it in the Android Development Section).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried to install CM11 and even CM10 at least half a dozen times each, following step by step the instructions that I've found on the thread but all the times I have the same issue:
after the zip rom update and the reboot, the bootloader keeps launching the CWM recovery. I see the logo, the progress bar and then I land in recovery
I don't get any kind of error (and I don't know where to look for to get more information than what's shown on the screen) and I'm just stuck in the recovery and I have to start from scratch every time using Odin all the way down.
I'm not interested in Gapps so, at the beginning I tried without installing them but then I tried also using the appropriate gapps as indicated in the procedure. Either way I didn't get any solution to my problem.
Do you have an idea? Is there a way for me to provide more information or debug?
Thank you!

wwr said:
I'm new in the android world and I'm using a nexus 7 and an infuse to make experiments just to learn.
bokonon9, thank you! You're guide has been precious to me.
Unfortunately I only succeeded installing ICS, infact I get till here:
I tried to install CM11 and even CM10 at least half a dozen times each, following step by step the instructions that I've found on the thread but all the times I have the same issue:
after the zip rom update and the reboot, the bootloader keeps launching the CWM recovery. I see the logo, the progress bar and then I land in recovery
I don't get any kind of error (and I don't know where to look for to get more information than what's shown on the screen) and I'm just stuck in the recovery and I have to start from scratch every time using Odin all the way down.
I'm not interested in Gapps so, at the beginning I tried without installing them but then I tried also using the appropriate gapps as indicated in the procedure. Either way I didn't get any solution to my problem.
Do you have an idea? Is there a way for me to provide more information or debug?
Thank you!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i would say go back to stock gb with odin and basically start over but with ics i always let it reboot to get a "feel" for it then i reboot to recovery and wipe basically everything then flash the next level of android which should be cm 10 then i let that boot then repeat that to get to kitkat 4.4.3 CarbonRom....sometimes you have to flash the same rom twice to get it to flash tho

I already tried all that and I can't figure out a way out ... I'm really banging my head against the wall

wwr said:
I already tried all that and I can't figure out a way out ... I'm really banging my head against the wall
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2091900&page=370
read the last post on that page by scmfxt

[Completed] Samsung Vibrant SGH-T959 Bricked?

I flashed a MIUI rom which didn't work well on my phone and started to hang. All of a sudden it just shut down and nothing was there. I later used Odin 1.7 and the stock rom and 512 pit file to flash it back to stock. The process was successfully complete and it restarted the phone. However, the phone screen is completely black at the point where it is supposed to show the home screen. When I touch the haptic buttons at the bottom it lights up but that is it. Nothing happens.
I tried to go to recovery mode by pressing BOTH VOL BUTTONS and POWER BUTTON. It says Android system recovery <2e> as the title. At this point if I want to install a new custom ROM I have to select reinstall packages. I do that and it shows error in red font as follows:
E:Can't open /sdcard/update.zip
(No such file or directory)
Installation aborted.
There are fixes to this error that involves connecting the phone with the PC through USB but my phone doesn't start at all as I have mentioned earlier.
Have I completely lost this phone?

Please understand that you need to flash a Custom Recovery before you can flash custom Rom. The Stock Recovery that you have will not be able to flash Custom Roms. Here's a thread that describes how you can do so. What I do wish to caution is that you should ensure the phone is working optimally before you proceed with Custom Roms. If there are no issues otherwise, then you can proceed to flash a Rom of your Choice.

Hello,
When I searched, I found the following thread: ** [GUIDE] FIX AND RESCUE YOUR VIBRICK + ODIN SUPPORT! N00b Friendly **.
The secont part could help you: "NO-BOOT PHONES".
Good luck!

Hammer_Of_The_Gods said:
Hello,
When I searched, I found the following thread: ** [GUIDE] FIX AND RESCUE YOUR VIBRICK + ODIN SUPPORT! N00b Friendly **.
The secont part could help you: "NO-BOOT PHONES".
Good luck!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes. I found it too. However, when I followed the procedure I stupidly checked Repartition in the Boot Cycle process. I was on this phone for five hours and it was around 4 or 5 in the morning and I was sleepy. :'( I don't know if that irreversibly took away my only chance at bringing back my phone.
I tried the same process with repartition unchecked but I guess the damage was done by then. FML.

I think at this point you're going to have to comb through the vibrant Q&A section for similar issues and see if any fixes help. The guys in that forum section know the best, hopefully there's an answer there somewhere.
The guide posted above didn't help, not sure we here can do much more.
You could post your problem there too....again, the members there know what they're doing with that particular model.
Vibrant Q&A http://forum.xda-developers.com/samsung-vibrant/help
Good luck my friend!!

MiniGunnR said:
Yes. I found it too. However, when I followed the procedure I stupidly checked Repartition in the Boot Cycle process. I was on this phone for five hours and it was around 4 or 5 in the morning and I was sleepy. :'( I don't know if that irreversibly took away my only chance at bringing back my phone.
I tried the same process with repartition unchecked but I guess the damage was done by then. FML.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
@MiniGunnR, I do not believe you have permanently bricked the device. All you need is correct partitioning of your phone to get it back. This is usually done with the help of .PIT Files that are flashed via Odin. A PIT File simply put is a file with Partition information on the Device. Here's a thread that explains what its all about. remember that thread is NOT for your Device. Its just for your information.In the thread @Hammer_Of_The_Gods had linked, you will find there are PIT files for download. Make sure they are for your exact device specifications. If in doubt, you can ask on that thread.
EDIT - If you open a new in Vibrant's Q&A Section, I am sure there'd be someone would love to help you there.

Sometimes a different version of Odin can help too. I know on my S2, I had 3 goto versions for doing different things. Maybe try that.

A: Having Problems Rooting the Note Pro 12.2 SM-P900/905? TRY THIS!

**NOTE** For the SM-P900! However steps should be the same for SM-P905 EXCLUDING THE FILE TYPES (THEY ARE DIFFERENT DO NOT ATTEMPT TO USE THE FILES FOR THE SM-P900 OR BYE BYE TO YOUR NOTE 12.2 Pro because now you have a problem that may or may not be repairable/reversible). You just have to make sure you have the coordinating files for the process!
If anyone else has issues try this and these steps to complete the Root/Custom ROM/TWRP Recovery installations successfully for a "First time go":
1. Remove Kies and Kies3 files, related files, folders, and everything that has anything to do with the primary installation of either the two programs on your PC and your devices. When/if prompted, select the checkable box and elect not save any type of files... if you want to keep them save them OFF your main PC on a flash or removable storage device.
2. REMOVE ALL SAMSUNG DRIVERS AND REPLACE WITH ONLY OFFICIAL SAMSUNG DRIVES!!! THIS IS A BIG MUST!
3. Using your USB 2.0 cable and ports Install the Custom Rom "P900XXUANB3-RecoveryImg.tar" FIRST and flash it via ODIN 3.07 under the PDA checkbox that is "fixed" (so you noobs don’t make any soft bricks if this is your first attempt at rooting), and only use the ODIN 3.07 THAT COMES W/ CHAINFIRES AUTO ROOT .zip file and then unzip the folder to open ODIN 3.07 ONLY! This is only because I have read that there have been issues installing the SU via Chain Fires Auto Root Process... the file is called (currently as of 25 JUNE 2014) "P900XXUANB3-RecoveryImg.tar" PDA select it and then start when in DOWNLOAD MODE on your device. Manually select DOWNLOAD MODE if you have to BEFORE PRESSING START! Otherwise, one is just going to sit there and not accomplish anything.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=2591013&d=1392923580
http://forum.xda-developers.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=2591159&d=1392930654
http://forum.xda-developers.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=2775098&d=1401644348
4 Reboot back into DOWNLOAD MODE. Flash in ODIN 3.07 with the PDA section and select this file next to install: "openrecovery-twrp-2.7.1.0-v1awifi.img.tar"
5. In DOWNLOAD MODE and flash the file under the PDA box TWRP (OR CURRENT RECOVERY OF YOUR CHOICE THAT IS AVAILABLE)
6. AGAIN... Restart your device into DOWNLOAD MODE via ODIN 3.07 and select PDA and then finally root this: "CF-Auto-Root-v1awifi-v1awifixx-smp900.tar.md5" Then you can backup, restore, flash anything, and be happy! YOU SHOULD FINALLY HAVE A SUCCESSFUL ROOT! Turn off and REBOOT into RECOVERY to see if TWRP stuck and then reboot to see if the SU stuck. IF everything stuck reboot back into TWRP to flash whatever rom is available MAKE SURE TO BACK UP EVERY FILE BEFORE YOU FLASH ANY NON-STOCK ROMS. If not successful rinse wash and repeat until it does!
http://download.chainfire.eu/384/CF-Root/CF-Auto-Root/CF-Auto-Root-v1awifi-v1awifixx-smp900.zip
7. That’s it you should have root and a custom rom and recovery if you followed these instructions for flashing via ODIN 3.07 and Chainfires AutoRoot files. If you still have an issue repeat until root/recovery/Rom sticks. If you have to update the Binary for the SU just go to the Google Play Store and install the app and then try it again till it works. GOOD LUCK it worked for me this way!
**IMPORTANT**
BACK UP BACK UP BACK UP BACK UP after every flash that is possible to back up. If you can, back up the NON-SU stock ROM BEFORE installing SU, after installing the recovery and/or back up.
***IF I HELPED YOU OUT THANK ME***
DISCLAIMER - all research was observed via comments on the thread according to issues people have been having during ROOTING the device I simply have compiled the data and made a check list!

Need a link to the files you mentioned.

Thanks. Very helpful.
I have a P900. Is there a way to unroot and bring a unit back to stock? My main concern is if Samsung sends out a software/firmware update, and a device is already rooted, can the update be applied?

sstea said:
Thanks. Very helpful.
I have a P900. Is there a way to unroot and bring a unit back to stock? My main concern is if Samsung sends out a software/firmware update, and a device is already rooted, can the update be applied?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Read THIS
But still one quiestion, why the heck you root your device if you are going to update it via Samsung's official ways. Ah and one more question.. why the heck would you want to update your device if it's rooted?
A new update from Samsung can patch all known security holes and make your device unrootable, and since you are rooted now, one would think that you don't want to loose it. Or where do I know if you rooted because it sounded nice and cool, without knowing what you did and most importantly WHY you did.

Spere said:
Read THIS
But still one quiestion, why the heck you root your device if you are going to update it via Samsung's official ways. Ah and one more question.. why the heck would you want to update your device if it's rooted?
A new update from Samsung can patch all known security holes and make your device unrootable, and since you are rooted now, one would think that you don't want to loose it. Or where do I know if you rooted because it sounded nice and cool, without knowing what you did and most importantly WHY you did.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. I appreciate the reply. I have rooted many devices before. I have to admit that it was more of following posted instructions and not fully understanding the details. What gives me pause is how extremely limited the support is for this tablet. I want to root my note if I can make it more responsive, get rid of bloatware, enable more apps for multi-window, titanium backup, etc. I want to make sure that if I root that I don't get stuck with on an old release. So will previously rooted Notes be able to get the necessary files to easily update and maintain root, or does rooting now mean that a tablet may be stuck at the current release? Thanks

sstea said:
Thanks. I appreciate the reply. I have rooted many devices before. I have to admit that it was more of following posted instructions and not fully understanding the details. What gives me pause is how extremely limited the support is for this tablet. I want to root my note if I can make it more responsive, get rid of bloatware, enable more apps for multi-window, titanium backup, etc. I want to make sure that if I root that I don't get stuck with on an old release. So will previously rooted Notes be able to get the necessary files to easily update and maintain root, or does rooting now mean that a tablet may be stuck at the current release? Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can always flash stock firmware via odin

I was just wondering if everyone was having a much easier time with achieving root now? Kies caused me to "Hang" a lot during the Root and custom rom to stick w root... as of right now i can not get the only ONE custom ROM that looks promising, i have found by GWatts (correct me if i am wrong and i apologize if i have typed the wrong screen name handle) i believe his handle is... at this point im not sure what i am doing wrong as of yet but im sure i am missing a step or i just need to start back at unroot back to stock firmware and try and try again lol. not saying anything is wrong with his work at all by any means because people other than me with the same device have gotten it to stick and im just wishing i could as well because its sweet looking ROM! NOT TO MENTION THE ONLY ONE THAT IS OUT (that is which i know about. i haven't been on in a few months idk), SO KUDOS TO WATTS i just haven't been successful at installing his custom rom just yet... Im hoping that its just going to need to be erased again and then reformatted after a factory reset and what not, i pray it sticks because his incorporation of the aroma installer was a nice touch and his ROM really looks good... Now if i can just get it not to stick at samsung boot logo and freeze id be good lol!

sanvara said:
Need a link to the files you mentioned.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ok

I followed your instructions but while flashing the cf-auto-root file my screen got all distorted (speckled grains of color), and nothing else happened for about 15 minutes, until I just unplugged it and shut it off.
Now when I power it on it gives me the error "Firmware upgrade uncountered an issue. Please select recovery mode in Kies & try again."
I wonder what I did wrong.

pnuker said:
I followed your instructions but while flashing the cf-auto-root file my screen got all distorted (speckled grains of color), and nothing else happened for about 15 minutes, until I just unplugged it and shut it off.
Now when I power it on it gives me the error "Firmware upgrade uncountered an issue. Please select recovery mode in Kies & try again."
I wonder what I did wrong.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
**Edit**
I went back and reflashed the twrp file and it got me out of the error screen. I installed supersu, and then re-flashed the cf-auto-root file, and it worked like a charm. I'm not sure if it was the installation of supersu, or just repeating the process that fixed it, but I'm happy either way...

Thank you! I succesfully rooted my SM-P900 after all mentioned problems ( hanging in the cache.img and after a while a disturbed screen etc.) with your guide. I am a very happy rooter now.

Thanks,
Thanks to the poster. I tried rooting with the instructions from a few other sites and thought I bricked it,
Followed your instructions, and presto.. Rooted! :good:

Rooted!
Thanks for your post. This is my first time ever rooting a device. Your method worked perfectly!

your welcome!
frankiecxyz said:
Thanks for your post. This is my first time ever rooting a device. Your method worked perfectly!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
your very welcome! it took me a bit to get it down but i eventually figured it out and at the time information on rooting the device was hard to find with this specific model. then i discovered what the issues where and felt the need to post it! im glad i could help!:laugh:

Flash SU with TWRP not ODIN
Here's my story...
Received my new UK spec SM-P900 Note Pro 12.2, ran through the initial setup, performed two OTA upgrades to KOT49H.P900XXUANI1, then attempted to flash SU using Odin 3.07 using the various instructions on this forum. Result: failed cache flash and soft brick!
Used Keis 3 to recover the tablet which took two hours! After more reading I discovered the quick boot recovery flash method, so re-attempted on a different PC, with exactly the same result. Re-flashed the boot, tried again, fail, again, fail, etc, etc. Various permutations of PCs, Odin versions and USB ports were tried.
Concluded that the Odin method was NEVER going to work, so had a rethink. Used Odin to flash TWRP v2.8. Downloaded the latest SU-BETA v2.7 flash for TWRP (not Odin), copied it to the root of the tablet SD and then flashed it with TWRP. Worked first time with no messing about!!!
Booted, ran SU and upgraded to Premium, disabled KNOX from within SU. Tablet locked up. Booted, re-ran SU, disabled KNOX again, this time successfully. Ran Titanium, filtered with KNOX and froze all occurrences, then de-installed KNOX completely. :good:
Lesson learnt... DO NOT use Odin to flash SU on a P900 !

soft bricked
Hello!
First of all let me say that I'm a complete newbie, this is my first android device. I tried to root my SM-P900 (P900XXUANI1) using an online guide (image with URL attached, as I am not allowed to paste URLs)
Unfortunately at Step 10 (flashing with Odin) the operation failed and now I ended up with a soft bricked device (I assume this is the correct definition). It will only show the message asking me to connect it to KIES to recover it.
I know i can try to use KIES 3 and restore it, but before that i would like to ask if there is any alternative which will allow me to unbrick the device without losing all my data... (yeah i know...).
If i follow this guide will this help? I'm not sure if I can even put the device in download mode again as it shows the error message about connecting it to KIES...
At this point I don't care about rooting, I just want to unbrick the device.... I understand the guide up to (and including) step 3. But for the rest of the steps I'm lost Could anyone please explain them in a bit more detail? I don't want to install any custom firmware, just to unbrick it...
Any help would be very appreciated!
Thank you

Yemble said:
Here's my story...
Received my new UK spec SM-P900 Note Pro 12.2, ran through the initial setup, performed two OTA upgrades to KOT49H.P900XXUANI1, then attempted to flash SU using Odin 3.07 using the various instructions on this forum. Result: failed cache flash and soft brick!
Used Keis 3 to recover the tablet which took two hours! After more reading I discovered the quick boot recovery flash method, so re-attempted on a different PC, with exactly the same result. Re-flashed the boot, tried again, fail, again, fail, etc, etc. Various permutations of PCs, Odin versions and USB ports were tried.
Concluded that the Odin method was NEVER going to work, so had a rethink. Used Odin to flash TWRP v2.8. Downloaded the latest SU-BETA v2.7 flash for TWRP (not Odin), copied it to the root of the tablet SD and then flashed it with TWRP. Worked first time with no messing about!!!
Booted, ran SU and upgraded to Premium, disabled KNOX from within SU. Tablet locked up. Booted, re-ran SU, disabled KNOX again, this time successfully. Ran Titanium, filtered with KNOX and froze all occurrences, then de-installed KNOX completely. :good:
Lesson learnt... DO NOT use Odin to flash SU on a P900 !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you got a link to the odin rwrp 2.7 you used and the su 2.7 flash for twrp please?

VenomousViper said:
**NOTE** For the SM-P900! However steps should be the same for SM-P905 EXCLUDING THE FILE TYPES (THEY ARE DIFFERENT DO NOT ATTEMPT TO USE THE FILES FOR THE SM-P900 OR BYE BYE TO YOUR NOTE 12.2 Pro because now you have a problem that may or may not be repairable/reversible). You just have to make sure you have the coordinating files for the process!
If anyone else has issues try this and these steps to complete the Root/Custom ROM/TWRP Recovery installations successfully for a "First time go":
1. Remove Kies and Kies3 files, related files, folders, and everything that has anything to do with the primary installation of either the two programs on your PC and your devices. When/if prompted, select the checkable box and elect not save any type of files... if you want to keep them save them OFF your main PC on a flash or removable storage device.
2. REMOVE ALL SAMSUNG DRIVERS AND REPLACE WITH ONLY OFFICIAL SAMSUNG DRIVES!!! THIS IS A BIG MUST!.......
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When i trying root, my SGN freeze in "cache". Odin show error and tablet goes to Emergency Firmware Recovery. Аnd it does not matter what program I use and how I do it.

Mine Reboots Constantly
I rooted my SM-900 about two weeks ago.
It worked great for a week until the device started rebooting by itself.
The first time a couple times a day, now it does it whenever as often as twice in 5 minutes.
Is there a way to see which app is causing this or does anyone know why this might be happening?
Though I rooted I haven't been poking around. I figured it'd be like using Linux but now I see it's not quite like that.
Thanks in advance.

sunnykhs said:
I rooted my SM-900 about two weeks ago.
It worked great for a week until the device started rebooting by itself.
The first time a couple times a day, now it does it whenever as often as twice in 5 minutes.
Is there a way to see which app is causing this or does anyone know why this might be happening?
Though I rooted I haven't been poking around. I figured it'd be like using Linux but now I see it's not quite like that.
Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you cleared dalvic cache and cache in TWRP recovery? Be forewarned the process takes a while for cache wipe.
Sent from my SM-P900 using Tapatalk

(HELP!) Phone Stuck In TWRP

Hello,
the long and short of it is that I tried to root my phone and then install Lineage, but ended up with no OS and now I can't use my phone. I simply want any OS so that I can use my phone. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I am a bit new to this kind of stuff, so I apologize in advance if I don't know some of the technical terms.
I am using a Samsung Galaxy S7 SM-930W8.
A bit more in detail:
I used two videos on youtube. 1 to teach my how to root, which got me into an OS. Then I used a video to teach me how to install Lineage, and that's when it all failed. After this, my phone was stuck in a never-ending loop of a circle going across a line and it never recovered.
I still have access to the TWRP when I hold down Vol-Up, Power and Home but when I try to reboot, it tells me there is no OS installed. I can't even use the recovery option, since I believe I deleted all the previously installed recoveries.
I feel silly for being in this predicament, but I would be so grateful for any help, folks!
-New2S7

New2S7 said:
Hello,
the long and short of it is that I tried to root my phone and then install Lineage, but ended up with no OS and now I can't use my phone. I simply want any OS so that I can use my phone. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I am a bit new to this kind of stuff, so I apologize in advance if I don't know some of the technical terms.
I am using a Samsung Galaxy S7 SM-930W8.
A bit more in detail:
I used two videos on youtube. 1 to teach my how to root, which got me into an OS. Then I used a video to teach me how to install Lineage, and that's when it all failed. After this, my phone was stuck in a never-ending loop of a circle going across a line and it never recovered.
I still have access to the TWRP when I hold down Vol-Up, Power and Home but when I try to reboot, it tells me there is no OS installed. I can't even use the recovery option, since I believe I deleted all the previously installed recoveries.
I feel silly for being in this predicament, but I would be so grateful for any help, folks!
-New2S7
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello, no need to panic, the blue circle over the line was Lineage first boot up, it can take 10-15 mniutes on the first time. If you waited longer than this then maybe there was a problem.
If the Lineage ROM is on your SD card you can try to flash it again and see if it boots this time, sometimes it needs to be flashed twice to work. You must make sure it's the right one for your device.
If it still doesnt work then you will need to flash the stock firmware back to your device with ODIN. This is the firmware for your device >>>>HERE<<< Pick your network provider or an "unknown" version which is unbranded stock firmware. The download is a little slow but it's free.
There's lots of guides how to flash firmware with Odin, it's very easy.
I forgot to mention TWRP is a much better Recovery Option so yes when you instal TWRP the stock recovery won't boot.

cooltt said:
Hello, no need to panic, the blue circle over the line was Lineage first boot up, it can take 10-15 mniutes on the first time. If you waited longer than this then maybe there was a problem.
If the Lineage ROM is on your SD card you can try to flash it again and see if it boots this time, sometimes it needs to be flashed twice to work. You must make sure it's the right one for your device.
If it still doesnt work then you will need to flash the stock firmware back to your device with ODIN. This is the firmware for your device. Pick your network provider or an "unknown" version which is unbranded stock firmware. The download is a little slow but it's free.
There's lots of guides how to flash firmware with Odin, it's very easy.
I forgot to mention TWRP is a much better Recovery Option so yes when you instal TWRP the stock recovery won't boot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello cooltt,
I was able to fix my problem an hour or so ago, but thank you for your calming post anyway.
For future threads, here is what I did:
1. I downloaded a stock OS and then extracted all the md5 files. (There is an md5 file for the "BL", "AP", "CP" and "CSC" fields in Odin.)
2. I then used Odin and after it detected my device, I plugged the 4 files in the appropriate fields.
3. I then hit start and it restored my phone back to a functional state.
Though I spent the last 20ish hours in a panic, I actually managed to achieve the goals that prompted me to try and install a custom rom: fewer stock apps and no Samsun Account bothering me all the time.
Thank you all for your concern.
-New2S7
(P.S. I do not know how to mark this as solved. If an admin comes across this, please mark this as solved!)