Database Info

[Q] Never got Kies to connect

With the upcoming Froyo update coming in the future sometime I have never been able to connect with Kies. It is always stuck on connecting device have tried it on two computers with the same result. What other tips can anyone give to correct this (have already searched the forums and read numerous threads) or will they actually release a Kies for the Captivate. Would like to have the ability to move data back and forth from the mobile device without jumping through hoops.
Thanks, Roger

Sounds familiar
charrog,
I've had my Captivate since August and I haven't found anything to get it to reliably connect to a computer. It seems that others on here have tricky connections at best. I've managed to connect but nothing reliably. I've had Kies, Kies mini and USB connections all work at times and not work at times. I've had 2 different Captivates and 5 different computers I've tried with. I've used Win XP, Vista and Win 7. They all acted similar so I do not think it is a Windows thing. You will find numerous "fixes" posted on here but if you do your homework you will find that none of them work for everyone and different "fixes" work for different people. If I had to guess I would say that it depends on what you have installed and configured on the phone and the computer before you know what "fix" might work for you, if any work. Either way, it's a crapshoot trying to get connectivity between the Captivate and a computer. Hope you have better luck than I have had.

I'm running Windows 7 Professional and a virgin, er ah, unrooted Captivate phone.
Device Manager reports Windows sees the phone as a portable device: SGH-I87. The two drives are accessible from C:\. The drivers are properly installed because under USB controllers I see SAMSUNG Android USB Composite Device. From Windows I can navigate both the SD card and the phone's built-in storage.
But I have never been able to connect to AT&T's server using Kies Mini. Well, never is not correct. I initially installed Kies Mini For Captivate 10082_8_1 and could connect and got a response my phone was up-to-date (or something similar). However, at one log in Kies automatically updated to v1.0.0.10104_1 and since that time no connection has been possible. Kies just sits there saying I should connect a phone which I do and nothing happens at all.
Other stuff: 1) I removed Kies Mini entirely and reinstalled the original version. No sooner I booted the old version up and it updated again. 2) The first version wanted to connect with USB debugging "on." The new version explicitly says to turn USB debugging "off." 3) It's curious the updated version of Kies Mini is not the one on Samsung's AT&T support site; the old one is the only version there.
It's my conclusion the phone is fine and the drivers are fine. Kies Mini is either incompatible with the phone or with Windows. Just how AT&T and Samsung intend to back out of this mess is hard to figure.
Just why neither AT&T nor Samsung choose to communicate on what's going on confirms what we all know. The technology is pretty good but the concern--or appreciation--either company expresses for its tech-savvy public is frustratingly, totally absent.

Samsung's way of dealing with the Kies not working issue for me was after a 1 1/2 hour phone call to tech support that got upgraded to a tier 2 tech the final result was "I'm sorry sir but Kies is not supported in the United States." They suggested looking in the market and PURCHASING software that would allow me to connect my phone and computer together. Needless to say, my next phone WILL NOT BE A SAMSUNG!

For me this works 100% of the time.
1. Make sure kies mini is closed
2. Connect phone using usb cable with main usb port- no extension cable and no front ports
3. Phone should be set to kies mode or ask
4. If asked select kies on phone but either way wait for phone to go past intializing and say connected
5. Open kies mini on pc
6. Kies should see your phone
7. If server unavailable close kies and reopen (sometimes 5 times)
8. If update found you may see another server unavailable message- try again
Sent from my MB520 using XDA App

That rep was mis-informed, Marty. Indeed, the recent, full versions of Kies specifically prevent support for any Samsung Android phone sold by AT&T. But, Kies Mini is solely to support (I'm laughing so hard here I can barely type) AT&T's Samsung Android phones. That bit of software is a very silly, one-horse show.
I have several Samsung products in my home. I think they make fine products and, in my experience, they are well supported (not excellently but rather adequately). I am almost certain the problems we are experiencing result entirely from AT&T's effort to extract maximum possible revenue from the phones they sell and, at the same time, to minimize their support costs to the lowest level possible.
One final point: Us "techie-types" represent a tiny fraction of their overall audience. If they lost all of us it would likely make a tiny, insignificant dip in their revenue stream. The shame of this is that if they made some accommodation to us they might significantly increase revenues. I can't tell you how many people ask me what phone to buy. For those who are stuck with AT&T I have to recommend an HTC phone over a Samsung phone and for those who can use another carrier I am forced to recommend they use that other carrier.
I really like the Captivate and Android but I am forced to stay with AT&T. Every day my resentment for my imprisonment advances by several points.

alphadog00 said:
For me this works 100% of the time.
....
6. Kies should see your phone
...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah, but it does not!
Just for the heck of it, I rebooted Windows and turned off the phone. Then I started Windows. I opened Device Manager so I could watch what Windows was up to as I followed your instructions.
I connected the USB cable to the phone and started the phone. When the phone was connected--but Kies still not started--I touched "Kies (Firmware update)" on the phone. In Device Manager I could see both the device (Portable Devices) and the drivers (USB controllers) had properly initialized. The phone's screen reported "Connected... Press the home key to quit Samsung Kies." (Note Samsung Kies had not been started which is, I think, some kind of a clue as to what's wrong). Then, I started Samsung Kies. Kies wanted me to connect a phone. Endlessly. Mindlessly.
Did it all again. Same result. To his/her credit, whatever some programmer did wrong fails consistently. (I am cursed by always seeing the bright side of every dark situation. )
We're all dealing with folk medicine and voodoo here. Each one of us has had something that works for him/her upon occasion and, in good faith, we each pass on our "good news" as if we had just found the Holy Grail.
Frustration is a word I use to indicate I'm confident my next attempt will meet with success. The word I use to describe something that will never work until something I have no way of knowing is changed by someone who does not care in the least about my frustration is disgust.
I'm quite much disgusted with AT&T as regards support for this phone. I actually don't think Samsung deserves my ire. I'm pretty sure--by holding a promise of selling thousands of Samsung phones over Samsung's head--AT&T by either its indifference or its incompetence or both has jeopardized Samsung's reputation and bastardized the Captivate--an otherwise excellent phone in most respects--at the same time.

Picsman said:
Ah, but it does not!
Just for the heck of it, I rebooted Windows and turned off the phone. Then I started Windows. I opened Device Manager so I could watch what Windows was up to as I followed your instructions.
I connected the USB cable to the phone and started the phone. When the phone was connected--but Kies still not started--I touched "Kies (Firmware update)" on the phone. In Device Manager I could see both the device (Portable Devices) and the drivers (USB controllers) had properly initialized. The phone's screen reported "Connected... Press the home key to quit Samsung Kies." (Note Samsung Kies had not been started which is, I think, some kind of a clue as to what's wrong). Then, I started Samsung Kies. Kies wanted me to connect a phone. Endlessly. Mindlessly.
Did it all again. Same result. To his/her credit, whatever some programmer did wrong fails consistently. (I am cursed by always seeing the bright side of every dark situation. )
We're all dealing with folk medicine and voodoo here. Each one of us has had something that works for him/her upon occasion and, in good faith, we each pass on our "good news" as if we had just found the Holy Grail.
Frustration is a word I use to indicate I'm confident my next attempt will meet with success. The word I use to describe something that will never work until something I have no way of knowing is changed by someone who does not care in the least about my frustration is disgust.
I'm quite much disgusted with AT&T as regards support for this phone. I actually don't think Samsung deserves my ire. I'm pretty sure--by holding a promise of selling thousands of Samsung phones over Samsung's head--AT&T by either its indifference or its incompetence or both has jeopardized Samsung's reputation and bastardized the Captivate--an otherwise excellent phone in most respects--at the same time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you using Kies or Kies mini?
My instructions are for Kies Mini. The full version of Kies will not connect to the captivate - older versions will though. But I will admit it is difficult. with a mix of drivers (captivate, and generic samsung) and 2 different versions of kies, the full version of Kies is very hit or miss when connecting. It also is finicky about USB ports and cables.

Everything I mention above relates to Kies Mini...
The last version of the full Kies which works with this phone is v1.5.3.10093_82. Because I have installed software which duplicates every feature I would use in the full version, I have never tried to install it.

Picsman said:
That rep was mis-informed, Marty. Indeed, the recent, full versions of Kies specifically prevent support for any Samsung Android phone sold by AT&T. But, Kies Mini is solely to support (I'm laughing so hard here I can barely type) AT&T's Samsung Android phones. That bit of software is a very silly, one-horse show.
I have several Samsung products in my home. I think they make fine products and, in my experience, they are well supported (not excellently but rather adequately). I am almost certain the problems we are experiencing result entirely from AT&T's effort to extract maximum possible revenue from the phones they sell and, at the same time, to minimize their support costs to the lowest level possible.
One final point: Us "techie-types" represent a tiny fraction of their overall audience. If they lost all of us it would likely make a tiny, insignificant dip in their revenue stream. The shame of this is that if they made some accommodation to us they might significantly increase revenues. I can't tell you how many people ask me what phone to buy. For those who are stuck with AT&T I have to recommend an HTC phone over a Samsung phone and for those who can use another carrier I am forced to recommend they use that other carrier.
I really like the Captivate and Android but I am forced to stay with AT&T. Every day my resentment for my imprisonment advances by several points.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Picsman,
I gave up on trying to get Samsung to help me by the time Kies mini came out. It's like gambling each time I connect the USB cable. Today it might connect, tomorrow or later today it might not. My issue is that Samsung and ATT advertised the phone as being able to sync with Outlook. While trying to get that to work the Samsung techs gave up on me and used the "Kies not supported" line to just end my tech phone call. I do the same as you now. When my friends see my new snazzy phone they all ask about it, I was even asked by a waiter at a restaraunt the other day. I tell them all the same thing. I love Android, ATT is so-so and stay away from Samsung phones. I've had lots of years of success with HTC phones so I recommend those. As far as carrier I just tell everyone to look for the best deal. The carriers have all gotten past the point where I care about loyalty. I've been with ATT since back when it was still Bellsouth or was it Cingular then Bellsouth, either way, over 12 years. Do they give me any special deal? nope. The good deals go to new customers. The best deal you can find is who I recommend anymore unless there is a reason for something different like no reception for so and so carrier in my area, etc. I don't recommend one way or the other the iPhone. I won't buy one because Steve Jobs thinks he is god and he gets to pick what I do with my phone and what apps I can load. I won't do business that way so the iPhone is not an option for me. The part I hate most is that I'm afraid to flash and try new ROMS since everything I see about fixing a bricked phone requires a USB connection and mine doesn't work more than it does work.

As I was reading your lament it occurred to me everything you said is somehow applicable to almost everything bought and sold these days. There is no such thing as reward for being a long-term customer and there is no such thing as customer service. Like the old days of the snake oil salesman rumbling into town with his horse and wagon, the objective is to sell as many bottles of the magic potion he has and then get the heck out of Dodge before there's a critical mass of people yelling "liar, liar." It's all a sad commentary on how things are these days.

It's sad, but seems true in most cases anymore. The bigger the company the more it happens too it seems.

Ok I have done the impossible well at least it seemed that way I have been able to install the mtp drivers I downloaded the new Kies version for the Captivate listed here after connecting instead of stuck on connecting to PC it now says The device is not supported by Kies. I downloaded it from here http://www.samsung.com/ca/support/d...&prd_mdl_name=SGH-I896&prd_ia_sub_class_cd=P#
This makes no sense any ideas?

Oh this is what I did to fix the mtp driver issue...
This is not correct. I think your driver is outdated. Could you do what I said:
- uninstall the driver (click right mouse button on "Android MTP" and select "uninstall" in the menu)
- disconnect the device
- remove from windows folder/subfolders everything related: wpdmtp*.* (especially wpdmtp.inf and WPDMTPHW.INF in windows/inf folder)
- reinstall windows media player ver 11 or 12 (depends on windows version, ver11 for Windows XP)
- connect your device and install driver automatically
The device should be reported as I9000 or similar not "MTP device" and not "Android MTP"

charrog said:
Oh this is what I did to fix the mtp driver issue...
This is not correct. I think your driver is outdated. Could you do what I said:
...
The device should be reported as I9000 or similar not "MTP device" and not "Android MTP"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm confused! It's hard to figure out how your two messages are related to each other.
The site you show is in Canada and, while for a Captivate, it seems to be for a SGH-i896 as opposed to a SGH-i897 which is not Rogers but rather AT&T. And, what's this about an I9000?
To get help, you need to explain what device you have (Samsung model number), your carrier (Rogers or whom), and what you are trying to do.
If the Kies you downloaded says it does not support your phone, it may be because your phone is not an SGH-i896.
Need more info, please.

Yes you are correct mine is a ATT version no wonder oh well was excited for a moment thought it was released for all Captivates oh well at least I finally got the MTP issue resolved....the info to fix the MTP problem was from a this thread http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=8701204&postcount=76

[Q] T-Mobile LG Optimus F3 Forum?

Okay, so I know this phone doesn't exactly win the spec war, but it's awesome and would make a fantastic rooted phone. Unfortunately there isn't a forum here on XDA for the device (either because it's too new or there isn't a demand for it)
Do you guys think a forum will be made for this device? It'd be nice to at least have a place to say what root methods DON'T work (I've tried a few)
Thanks for the help, XDA rules!

I second this. I am planning on buying a new phone and after researching numerous phones out there based on my tastes and constraints, I think this phone works very well (another is Samsung Galaxy Exhibit 2). One flaw that I heard is the amount of storage in this phone is around 4gb. Without a way to put apps on an external SD card (which I believe would require a custom ROM), the storage would probably fill up pretty quickly. So it'll be great if XDA opened a forum for this phone.
As a side note if anyone can point to other devices that fit my needs I would be grateful:
- Less than 4.2" screen (preferably 4").
- Android only
I don't have any financial constraints or any favorite companies.
Thanks!

What root method did you find worked? Did you try framaroot? Also have you found any Roms?
Sent from my SPH-D710VMUB using Tapatalk 2

bbradf44 said:
What root method did you find worked? Did you try framaroot? Also have you found any Roms?
Sent from my SPH-D710VMUB using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used Motochopper, worked like a charm. make sure you have the LG Optimus f3 drivers on your computer.(found on LG website)

habitforming said:
I used Motochopper, worked like a charm. make sure you have the LG Optimus f3 drivers on your computer.(found on LG website)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ratified. Motochopper worked flawlessly for me as well.

richardpwnsner said:
Ratified. Motochopper worked flawlessly for me as well.[/QUOT
Anyone find a tethering ap that works?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

wolfu11 said:
richardpwnsner said:
Ratified. Motochopper worked flawlessly for me as well.[/QUOT
Anyone find a tethering ap that works?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do tethering apps need to be phone specific? I don't have data, but I'll let you know if I come across one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Bad news
I have created the recovery tree, and have created a recovery.img for this phone. ok now heres the bad news OUR lg optimus f3 has a stock 3.4 kernel with a locked bootloader. Even worse news is that 3.4 "locking" features a sha5 hash system for its image/partitions (recovery, boot, and bootloader). Even worse news there is no known (or atleast what i know or have heard) way to get around this. The phone will be forever locked until lg updates or allows said lock to be removed. I have flashed the recovery and have had no damage to my device but it just sticks at "unsecure recovery" and does a hard reset (factory restore) every time i try to play with it which is a huge flaw if you ask me.
I have hexedited the bootloader and found that there is indeed "juicy" strings within that may tell to a future unlock these strings being
-Device UnLock!, so Boot Success!!
-oem unlock
-ERROR: Could not do normal boot. Reverting to fastboot mode
Also these strings could just be defualt with all lg bootloaders meaning....there is no hope.
My phone is without a soul and I will never be buy lg again.
If anyone is able to get into fastboot
1. PM ME
2. run : fastboot oem unlock
Again root for this phone works great as long as you dont touch recovery, bootloader, or boot partitions

inyourface09 said:
I have created the recovery tree, and have created a recovery.img for this phone. ok now heres the bad news OUR lg optimus f3 has a stock 3.4 kernel with a locked bootloader. Even worse news is that 3.4 "locking" features a sha5 hash system for its image/partitions (recovery, boot, and bootloader). Even worse news there is no known (or atleast what i know or have heard) way to get around this. The phone will be forever locked until lg updates or allows said lock to be removed. I have flashed the recovery and have had no damage to my device but it just sticks at "unsecure recovery" and does a hard reset (factory restore) every time i try to play with it which is a huge flaw if you ask me.
I have hexedited the bootloader and found that there is indeed "juicy" strings within that may tell to a future unlock these strings being
-Device UnLock!, so Boot Success!!
-oem unlock
-ERROR: Could not do normal boot. Reverting to fastboot mode
Also these strings could just be defualt with all lg bootloaders meaning....there is no hope.
My phone is without a soul and I will never be buy lg again.
If anyone is able to get into fastboot
1. PM ME
2. run : fastboot oem unlock
Again root for this phone works great as long as you dont touch recovery, bootloader, or boot partitions
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ugh. Thanks for the work. This is bad news indeed. I'll keep poking around and let you know if I find anything.

richardpwnsner said:
Ugh. Thanks for the work. This is bad news indeed. I'll keep poking around and let you know if I find anything.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Out of curiosity, any chance Loki would work? I'd be willing to give it a go if there's a decent chance—still within the 14 day exchange window .

Will motochopper work on any carrier version of this phone? Thanks!

jjfad said:
Will motochopper work on any carrier version of this phone? Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've seen confirmations on three carriers (can't remember which ones off the top of my head, sorry [edit-well, T-Mobile and Virgin Mobile come to mind now]), so I'd assume the answer is yes. Regardless, I have yet to see anyone complain about adverse affects, so no reason not to try (though, grain of salt—I'm brand new to android).

For anyone that has this, how are the antennas on this phone?
I just ordered one from tmo and am hoping to get better reception at my house than from my Samsung or HTC.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app

Steve5400 said:
For anyone that has this, how are the antennas on this phone?
I just ordered one from tmo and am hoping to get better reception at my house than from my Samsung or HTC.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They seem better and with WIFI calling built in the phone hasn't skipped a beat.

Check my way!
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2420178&highlight=rooting+lg+optimus+f3
I failed rooting my phone with Windows system, maybe cause I'm not familiar with the process or I was just to lazy, but it does work if you use motochopper. Try looking it up youtube. You could try my method, it should work on Jellybean 4.1.2!

richardpwnsner said:
Out of curiosity, any chance Loki would work? I'd be willing to give it a go if there's a decent chance—still within the 14 day exchange window .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
BAHAHA me to man i think im down to 10 days. Im trying to get some attention but i need someone who knows little endian, and their way around bootloaders. Id be willing to donate to someone who can help me out, also to support the other 3 variants (if the aboot differs).
I have a recovery created also and a device tree (needs gpio support for kernel).
And to awnser your question, yes loki will work IF i can get the needed values so that when recovery/boot is read into memory that it overwrites the security check feature in aboot. If the wrong values are give you may end up with a brick (very slim chance)

My return window just closed . If it helps, you can pull the open source from LG's website and merge it with the android source. I also discovered an even easier solution: set up the LG Sync application, and select the "upgrade recovery option". Then, when it begins downloading, remove your phone, set Windows (or your relevant OS) to show hidden files and folders, and go the the Program Data folder. There should be something like "PHONEAX" under the LG Electronics folder that will contain the full stock kdz file when the download is complete.
It's really kind of surprising that there's absolutely no dev love out there for the F3. I suppose it's because the phone is entry level, but it's really not that bad but for the storage. I got it as a gift, so no complaints here—of course, if anyone wants to donate a Note or Galaxy gratis, I suppose I'd be willing to switch .

I had a Galaxy S4 from Verizon. I switched to T-Mobile Because believe it or not the network is stronger where I work. Also, there pricing on plans cannot be beat. But, I digress. The Galaxy S4 being a Verizon device never really functioned the way it was supposed to on T-Mobiles network. It was unlocked however was still useless for 4G LTE and while I could do better than edge in some places, those places were few and far between. I started to assess what it is I actually used my phone for these days. I'm not into modding with custom ROMS and kernels anymore and I'm not much of a multi-tasker either so I decided that I did not need the super power device anymore. The specs on this phone are perfect for what I need my phone to do. Its been a long time since I have gone beyond rooting to remove bloat and tether. I agree that the storage on this sucks. I don't understand why there are any devices anymore that come with less than 32gb internal. storage is the cheapest thing that can be added to a device and its not as though it uses much physical space. other than the storage I will say that I am impressed with the quality of this device and I don't know that I would even put this as low as "entry level device." I would say its more of a mid-grade device. I am also happy with the reception on this device and its nice to have a compact phone again that actually fits comfortably in my hand and on my belt.

yutzyscott said:
I had a Galaxy S4 from Verizon. I switched to T-Mobile Because believe it or not the network is stronger where I work. Also, there pricing on plans cannot be beat. But, I digress. The Galaxy S4 being a Verizon device never really functioned the way it was supposed to on T-Mobiles network. It was unlocked however was still useless for 4G LTE and while I could do better than edge in some places, those places were few and far between. I started to assess what it is I actually used my phone for these days. I'm not into modding with custom ROMS and kernels anymore and I'm not much of a multi-tasker either so I decided that I did not need the super power device anymore. The specs on this phone are perfect for what I need my phone to do. Its been a long time since I have gone beyond rooting to remove bloat and tether. I agree that the storage on this sucks. I don't understand why there are any devices anymore that come with less than 32gb internal. storage is the cheapest thing that can be added to a device and its not as though it uses much physical space. other than the storage I will say that I am impressed with the quality of this device and I don't know that I would even put this as low as "entry level device." I would say its more of a mid-grade device. I am also happy with the reception on this device and its nice to have a compact phone again that actually fits comfortably in my hand and on my belt.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No argument here. I like it well enough, but I'm (1) a closet geek; and (2) a heavy multitasker, so given the option I'd prefer something with more screen space (I just graduated from law school, so I do a lot of reading on the go). As a phone, however, you really couldn't ask for more—the size otherwise pretty much perfect, it's relatively snappy with most applications, and once debloated the stock launcher is pretty good.
That being said, the second I see a safe way to deal with the bootloader pop up, I'm diving in, no question .

Decided to share my home screens.
Sent from my LG-P659 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

4.2.2 made the device impossible to use

I'm not even kidding, everything takes a good 10 seconds to open. I can't scroll through settings because it takes 3 seconds to register my swipe.
It's a family members tablet and it has never been rooted, or flashed any custom ROMs. The 4.2.2 update came from Samsung and ever since then they've been complaining to me about how slow it is.
I'm having the same problem when trying to clear the cache through recovery - the dead android and 'error'!
I do NOT want to flash a new ROM because it involves resetting all apps and settings back to how they used to be. The owner hardly has any idea how to use it, so any changes will just freak them out.
Is there anything I can do to fix this thing?

eKulzz said:
I'm not even kidding, everything takes a good 10 seconds to open. I can't scroll through settings because it takes 3 seconds to register my swipe.
It's a family members tablet and it has never been rooted, or flashed any custom ROMs. The 4.2.2 update came from Samsung and ever since then they've been complaining to me about how slow it is.
I'm having the same problem when trying to clear the cache through recovery - the dead android and 'error'!
I do NOT want to flash a new ROM because it involves resetting all apps and settings back to how they used to be. The owner hardly has any idea how to use it, so any changes will just freak them out.
Is there anything I can do to fix this thing?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can root it and then try installing agni kennel from recovery
Sent from my GT-P3100 using Tapatalk

eKulzz said:
I'm not even kidding, everything takes a good 10 seconds to open. I can't scroll through settings because it takes 3 seconds to register my swipe.
It's a family members tablet and it has never been rooted, or flashed any custom ROMs. The 4.2.2 update came from Samsung and ever since then they've been complaining to me about how slow it is.
I'm having the same problem when trying to clear the cache through recovery - the dead android and 'error'!
I do NOT want to flash a new ROM because it involves resetting all apps and settings back to how they used to be. The owner hardly has any idea how to use it, so any changes will just freak them out.
Is there anything I can do to fix this thing?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Root it and install an app called seeder .
It makes 4.2.2 super fast ..

Greetings;
Either it was a terrible custom Rom, or you didn't flash it properly.
If you wan't it to work properly consider that you will have to Backup your Applications; their Data and your Contacts as well if they are not syncronized with your Gmail Account.
Perform a "Clean Flash" whenever you Flash a Rom to prevent Issues, and use Odin (for PC - Never Odin Mobile) for such "Clean Flash).
Also Consider Researching Before Doing any Operation you are not familiar with.
What you should try:
0) Backup your Apps & Data;
1) Boot your Device under Recovery;
2) Under Recovery:
- Perform Factory Reset
- Clean Cache
- Reboot into Download Mode
3) Open Odin, under PDA Load you Stock Rom [MD5 file] (to revert your Device Settings to Stock).
4) Under Odin: Considering your Device is Recognized, Press Start.
Do NOT Disconnect USB Cable until Odin Displays "PASS" Message.
5) Reboot into " Download Mode " to Flash ClockWorkMod Recovery or CF-Root (or your Fav. Recovery).
6) Once Completed, Boot your Device into Recovery and Perform " Factory Reset ".
7) Test your System.
Let me know how it went.
Best Regards,
Richard

Any Joy
eKulzz: Did you have any success with the above suggestions? I am in exactly the same boat. I inherited the device (Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 5113 16gig) from a family member. I am not really sure precisely when it started to suck so bad....I am assuming, based on the internet posts, that it happened as a result of the 4.2.2 upgrade. It is taking literally minutes in some cases to load a web page. Flipboard is particularly bad. I have cleared cache, uninstalled or disabled every app the tablet will allow, done a full revert to factory, and nothing works. My wifi throughput goes down to miniscule rates (5, 10 , 15 kbps), although once in a while, for larger objects it will jump up to 5 or 10 mbps....so I know it can do it!). I have done IP traces, thinking it might be my internet provider, but the delays are after the TCP/IP response is returned. It seems to peg the CPU and wander off for 10 or so seconds, and then proceed to do the next TCP/IP request.......so if a page has lots of content, it can take minutes to load.
I am at the point that I either throw it away, try to revert to the original android version the tab was delivered with, or possibly go the other way and instally cyanogenmod, in which case it would be interesting to know the best version of android to install on this device, based on other people's experiences.
It is so amazing that this can happen....and it doesn't seem like an isolated case....the vendor just seems to have effectively bricked a major part of their customer base, and won't admit or do anything about it. You can be sure my next purchase will not be Samsung!
However, in Samsung's defence, almost the same thing happened with my Nexus 7 2012 WIFI tablet. The android 5.1 upgrade has made it almost as bad as the Samsung. I wasted days following threads and screwing around, but only achieved minor gains...it is still not really usable. Again, no mea culpa from Google.... I find it amusing that there is such furore when a new release of android comes out and there is such outrage if peoples devices are not supported, or not upgraded fast enough. My point of view now is that I don't want to see an upgrade on any device I have that is working acceptably.....I think there is such pressure from users for upgrades that the vendors are not testing enough and not asking themselves if the upgrade is actually improving usability for the device....
Rick

Have you tried downgrading?
Go sammobile website, Download the Rom version for your device, and follow the procedures i wrote previously.
(Dont forget to erase cache(s)).
Also check for flash counter. You may need to reset it.
Let me know how it went - with detailed info.
Best regards;
Richard

Tried Downgrade
rgxHost said:
Have you tried downgrading?
Go sammobile website, Download the Rom version for your device, and follow the procedures i wrote previously.
(Dont forget to erase cache(s)).
Also check for flash counter. You may need to reset it.
Let me know how it went - with detailed info.
Best regards;
Richard
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I gave it a try. Got stymied with the USB drivers. I installed them, but the PC (windows 10) will not recognize the USB device, so Odin does not see the tablet.
I got the drivers from the Samsung web site, and also tried another set, but no luck. I am pretty sure they are the correct drivers...., and were installed successfully, so I am not sure whether it is a Windows 10 thing or a driver problem. The PC sees the device when you plug it in and remove it, but reports it as an unrecognized device. I tried re-booting the PC, just in case.
Anyway....it has pretty well stopped me in my tracks.
Rick

Update
Rickster22 said:
I gave it a try. Got stymied with the USB drivers. I installed them, but the PC (windows 10) will not recognize the USB device, so Odin does not see the tablet.
I got the drivers from the Samsung web site, and also tried another set, but no luck. I am pretty sure they are the correct drivers...., and were installed successfully, so I am not sure whether it is a Windows 10 thing or a driver problem. The PC sees the device when you plug it in and remove it, but reports it as an unrecognized device. I tried re-booting the PC, just in case.
Anyway....it has pretty well stopped me in my tracks.
Rick
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Update: Tried installing the USB drivers from Samsung on a 32 bit windows XP netbook I had lying about. Same result. The tablet is reported by the OS as an "unrecognized device" when I plug it in, and Odin does not see it.
I guess it could be my cable....but it is the only one I have, and since Samsung uses a non standard cable, I would have to buy a new one to find out. I definitely am not going to do that....talk about good money after bad. I have spent about 10 hours on this.
Interestingly, I ran into a guy at a party last night that is experiencing the same slowness on a galaxy tab 2 7" . Seems too coincidental! We were wondering if it could be related to slow SD ram with bad memory locations degrading over time, and possibly a change in android 4.2.2 garbage collection or memory management.
I think the outcome of this is that Samsung is an undependable vendor, that I don't want to invest any more time or money in. No future product I purchase will be from them.

Rickster22 said:
Update: Tried installing the USB drivers from Samsung on a 32 bit windows XP netbook I had lying about. Same result. The tablet is reported by the OS as an "unrecognized device" when I plug it in, and Odin does not see it.
I guess it could be my cable....but it is the only one I have, and since Samsung uses a non standard cable, I would have to buy a new one to find out. I definitely am not going to do that....talk about good money after bad. I have spent about 10 hours on this.
Interestingly, I ran into a guy at a party last night that is experiencing the same slowness on a galaxy tab 2 7" . Seems too coincidental! We were wondering if it could be related to slow SD ram with bad memory locations degrading over time, and possibly a change in android 4.2.2 garbage collection or memory management.
I think the outcome of this is that Samsung is an undependable vendor, that I don't want to invest any more time or money in. No future product I purchase will be from them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your guess is right, that's the cable issue, I have changed 3 cables already for my tab 2. I bought a cheap USB cable, and that worked same like the original one.(not suggesting you do the same)
Now, about the slowness, it's an every user issue who are on stock rom, yes, Samsung messed up things with ics/jb and a cheap emmc, but you can stop it before the bug hits the stock user and make the tab a hard bricked tab. few users have reported this already. they were on stock, never went custom, still their devices started slowing and eventually bricked or worse, rendered a read only device.
it's that time already, when I would want to see every tab user who are running on stock to take their tabs in their hands and start flashing the custom rom before the tab hits the brick. Good Luck

billysam said:
Your guess is right, that's the cable issue, I have changed 3 cables already for my tab 2. I bought a cheap USB cable, and that worked same like the original one.(not suggesting you do the same)
Now, about the slowness, it's an every user issue who are on stock rom, yes, Samsung messed up things with ics/jb and a cheap emmc, but you can stop it before the bug hits the stock user and make the tab a hard bricked tab. few users have reported this already. they were on stock, never went custom, still their devices started slowing and eventually bricked or worse, rendered a read only device.
it's that time already, when I would want to see every tab user who are running on stock to take their tabs in their hands and start flashing the custom rom before the tab hits the brick. Good Luck
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks very much for your feedback....nice to know I am not alone, and not losing it! If it is happening to all Samsung Tab 2 users, and the product is basically destined to become useless after a few years of use, and Samsung did not warn users of this limitation when they purchased.....seems like the kind of thing class actions are made of!
As a newbie, I would like to clarify your comments a bit to make sure I end up doing the appropriate thing. When you say that every Tab user should start flashing the custom ROM, I assume you are not talking about the Samsung provided ROMS for 4.1.1 (P5113UECLK7_P5113XACCLK7_XAC) or an updated Samsung 4.2.2. It sounds like doing that will not resolve the issue. Are you talking about Cyanogenmod? and if so, what version of Cyanogenmod and Android OS would be appropriate? .........I wouldn't mind giving it one more kick at the cat, if someone knowledgeable says there is a little glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel!
Thanks for your assist!
Rick

Rickster22 said:
Thanks very much for your feedback....nice to know I am not alone, and not losing it! If it is happening to all Samsung Tab 2 users, and the product is basically destined to become useless after a few years of use, and Samsung did not warn users of this limitation when they purchased.....seems like the kind of thing class actions are made of!
As a newbie, I would like to clarify your comments a bit to make sure I end up doing the appropriate thing. When you say that every Tab user should start flashing the custom ROM, I assume you are not talking about the Samsung provided ROMS for 4.1.1 (P5113UECLK7_P5113XACCLK7_XAC) or an updated Samsung 4.2.2. It sounds like doing that will not resolve the issue. Are you talking about Cyanogenmod? and if so, what version of Cyanogenmod and Android OS would be appropriate? .........I wouldn't mind giving it one more kick at the cat, if someone knowledgeable says there is a little glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel!
Thanks for your assist!
Rick
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I meant Custom ROM(cynogenmod) and not stock official builds as they have fixed the trim related problem present with the old stock official ROMs, that's causing the slow downs and eventually causing the tab emmc card to die.
Check here for this emmc bug
http://wiki.cyanogenmod.org/w/EMMC_Bugs
that's one reason, cheap emmc is second (although both users have been hit with the emmc bug but c'mon a person who had never rooted or flashed a custom ROM on his tab ever got hit with this was very disappointing for stock users)
If you check other threads in help and troubleshoot you will see numerous users on stock having more brick issues than the custom ROM users. I have been here from long and have been watching over on all the issues. both have equal share of risks.
See this case here too
http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-tab-2/help/gt-p3100-boot-loop-recovery-information-t3307456
So, if you're planning to choose custom ROMs, take a tour of the General sections for guides and Android development section for ROMS.
Most of the ROMs of our TAB 2 developer Android-Andi, CCD and tuxafgmur are fine and near stable(with updates) (don't go below KK versions)

Root for the ZTE Avid Trio (Z833) (MetroPCS)?

Okay, I know I don't post much in XDA, but I do read a LOT of threads!
The reason I am posting this is because I am wondering if anybody achieved root on this phone.
I have tried KingRoot, KingoRoot, OneClickRoot, none of those work.
It is running Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow.
I am about to screw around with ADB, see what I can do. I'll post back when I have got something.
Sorry if I posted this in the wrong section, I don't post much on XDA.

any luck?

I've tried every root method available without the PC and nothing. But, there maybe good news. In developers options there's a switch to unlock the bootloader. Now I'm no dev but I hope this makes cwm or tarp easy for devs to port and root.

I found https://mobile.twitter.com/srsroot/status/810325782417592325?lang=en srsroot claims it supports ZTE Z833. I've used srsroot once before but on another phone I have no PC so I can't test it but someone should test Cydia impactor see if it works.

RE: comments
kotarou1 said:
I found https://mobile.twitter.com/srsroot/status/810325782417592325?lang=en srsroot claims it supports ZTE Z833. I've used srsroot once before but on another phone I have no PC so I can't test it but someone should test Cydia impactor see if it works.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. I too saw that twitter SRSRoot business and tried it thinking, "Oh joy!" no, not working. Tried it every way you could (yes Kingo, KingRoot, vRoot, iRoot, FramaRoot, uRoot, & we-all_Root (the last two were jokes don't be so serious, nor was it a complete list of what I did actually try, ha!) too). I even wrote the people at SRSRoot telling them that it didn't work and have gone back to download their latest versions, still nada, zip, zero. FML on toast!
2. Cydia Impactor is not for Android devices, it is only for iOS. I went and double-checked just to make sure I wasn't trippin' thinking that maybe they have gone cross-platform. No, they have not.
3. I have the phone in question, I submitted a formal request on here in the best way I could find to get it added to the XDA devices list and I have been eagerly monitoring awaiting the day it happens. I was even considering trying to compile TWRP myself, but I just bought a different phone because I was tired of the headache. I couldn't figure out how to extract the zImage from it in order to give it a go (I think that's what it was). Anyways, I'm writing this before finishing reading the rest of the posts and may be rambling, but I had to respond. I have spent much time doing this. I ended up buying a different MetroPCS phone called the Samsung Galaxy On5 and was able to successfully root it and after much waiting finally got ahold of the Superstarz ROM that finally went out for that one. Just an FYI in case someone happens to see this before making the purchase. I will say that I feel like the ZTE Avid Trio Z833 has pretty good response time for such a cheap phone, then again they had a deal on it in the store, it looked to be more expensive at retail pricing. Anyhow, I digress, but felt the need to contribute rather than just lurk.
Oh, and another thing... The development option to OEM Unlock is "checkable", but as for actually booting to the bootloader it WILL NOT DO IT. The only way this is gonna happen to be rootable is if you use a custom recovery (which none exist yet) in a tar format and ODIN the friggin thing from download mode. So, there's your catch 22. If anyone knows how to extract the zImage and whatnot (without root obviously) I'd be more apt to give it a go and boot my happy bunghole into Linux and give compiling TWRP another go. I finally have had a lot of life stresses temporarily die down since I decided not to leave my current living situation and just stay with these irritating bastards another month at a higher rate. FML & Cheers!: good:
I should mention, however, that SRSRoot attempted to use it's "Exploit 8." So, I went digging into it's directories to see what the script was, but it was binary (and I didn't have reverse-engineering **** handy like PE-ID, and whatever else the kids are using in this newer age). So, I was like "wah-wah", but if any experienced ppl know more about the specific exploits that aren't ancient and actually working with Marshmallow that would be interesting to hear feedback about as well. Thanks. I really would like to use this second phone still, but right now I'm just using it as a Kodi/Megabox HD + AllCast Projector to watch streaming things without having to interrupt my working phone in the middle of it. It would also be cool to use as a straight VOIP phone with no cell service connected, but I've yet to find the free Google Voice VOIP loophole that is currently working. PM me if you know of these
P.P.S. I wrote another spicy post on hardr3set dot info about what crap I felt about their B.S. (weaksauce compared to anything legit which we all know you come to XDA for the meat-and-potatoes) because I was so tired of searching the Goog for root ZTE Avid Trio Z833 and having it be the top result over and over. Finally this has risen up. Thank you for starting this. Oh, and also, please... If you would kindly also request for this device to be added formally, maybe it would encourage development. Not sure how all that works, but yeah... power in numbers right?
Sincerely,
~Ye of little faith

Bump

are you telling me that faults advertising runs ramped all over the internet even Google play store and this is the nondoing phone ever made and it can't be jailbroke nor rooted

Rooting your zte device
Can not be done. This phone is an unfortunate accident by ZTE with numerous problems and they are not small issues but ones that affect the performance of the device. Replace that phone or your only adding to your daily stress.

That kingroot and oneclickroot don't work
For this phone
a

Guessing this is a dead issue? It's an okay phone but lags horribly when it comes to multi tasking

Hey I don't want the root thing to die on this topic. So would it be possible to root via ADB update in recovery mode? Or to somehow update via SD card and applying root? I refuse to give up hope on this device lol

Anyone made progress on this? I just got this phone and it definitely has some issues, but I feel like root would resolve most of them.

Has anyone figured out a way to root this device?

I've searched for a long time without success. I hope something comes up.

Any progress on this? Thanks

following, bought one this morning hoping to have a cheap rootable phone.

I got mine from MetroPCS for $29. lol Yes, it's frustrating and has got problems (I've already put two of them through my dashboard and had to replace them, within the first 2 months, but it only cost 30buck so WTH. Anyways, I decided after I destroyed #2 that I was only going to use it for work and add no apps to it, except maybe GasBuddy and Winamp. Other than that, it's stock and I haven't had any real problems with it to speak of (problems aggravating enough to make me want to destroy it yet again).
So my suggestion to anyone who owns this phone, or is thinking about owning one: Don't install any more than a couple small apps, add a 32GB uSD card for music and other stuff, and use the thing as a phone and a media player only. The camera is pretty much worthless for quality photos, so there's really no other use for it. But it makes a great txting, voice calling, and music playing phone!
Of course, if you end up paying more than $30 for it, you probably paid too much. But it sure is a pretty nice phone for 30 buck!

Yes. root it please

I have a Z833. The phone only lags apps that are over 100mb I'll have test this out agin

I have ordered one of these phones for $20 should be here by Monday. When it arrives I'll be able to confirm if its bootloader is unlocked or not. In the meantime here is the firehose and support files (rawprogram0.xml and patch0.xml) as well as the MetroPCS B16 firmware to be flashed with QFIL or MiFlash. This will allow people to recover their device and hopefully if the bootloader isn't locked flash custom images.
Support files
https://www.androidfilehost.com/?fid=1395089523397898033
V1.0.0 B16 Firmware
https://www.androidfilehost.com/?fid=1395089523397898034

Has anyone ever heard of a Note 2 produced with only 4GB storage on the phone?

All the research I have done indicates that the Galaxy note2 was produced in 16/32/64GB models. I have a note 2 model GT-N7100 running android 4.1.2 that indicates it has 3.18GB storage on the phone with 2.38GB used. My phone is rooted (don't know if that affects the memory). I'm at my wit's end. I have to uninstall apps when I find a new one I'd like to try, and most other times there is not enough memory for apps to update. Sure could use some help. And just as a side note, I am 70 years old and my technological brain isn't firing on 8 cylinders anymore, so please be gentle. Thanks.
Art

I don't think that configuration exists. Verify your configuration by looking up the model number, and revision online. You may have some sort of error, bad RAM, or even some malware. Try resetting the device, after backing up your data of course.
Are you saying you have only 4GB in total, or that amount available? Perhaps you could find someone who could verify the configuration for you? Try a local phone store, or computer store. For someone who is familiar with devices, they should be able to find out within a few minutes of holding it in their hand.
Sent from my SM-P900 using Tapatalk

retired911 said:
All the research I have done indicates that the Galaxy note2 was produced in 16/32/64GB models. I have a note 2 model GT-N7100 running android 4.1.2 that indicates it has 3.18GB storage on the phone with 2.38GB used. My phone is rooted (don't know if that affects the memory). I'm at my wit's end. I have to uninstall apps when I find a new one I'd like to try, and most other times there is not enough memory for apps to update. Sure could use some help. And just as a side note, I am 70 years old and my technological brain isn't firing on 8 cylinders anymore, so please be gentle. Thanks.
Art
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd like to know what modifications have been made to the device and whether you've been flashing custom ROMs on the device. Has the device been repartitioned somewhere along the way?
Sent from my SM-S903VL using Tapatalk

kieseyhow said:
I don't think that configuration exists. Verify your configuration by looking up the model number, and revision online. You may have some sort of error, bad RAM, or even some malware. Try resetting the device, after backing up your data of course.
Are you saying you have only 4GB in total, or that amount available? Perhaps you could find someone who could verify the configuration for you? Try a local phone store, or computer store. For someone who is familiar with devices, they should be able to find out within a few minutes of holding it in their hand.
Sent from my SM-P900 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks so much for the reply and advice. I went to a phone repair shop as you suggested and they were puzzled that it showed only 3.18GB total available storage but when I told them that it was rooted they said that was likely the cause of the missing ram. They were a certified Samsung repair shop. I don't believe that. Who in their right mind would waste 12GB by rooting a phone. They also told me that since it is rooted, I can't unroot. In fact they treated me and my phone as though we had the plague.
Nobody here will touch this phone because it is not a North American version. I think the N7100 was made for Asia, but works fine here. I bought it used, already rooted and unlocked. What drew me to this phone is first, it is a reputable device, second, it has FM radio, and third, it has a large screen. If I could unlock the extra 12GB I'd be dancing the jig!
cheers
Art

Droidriven said:
I'd like to know what modifications have been made to the device and whether you've been flashing custom ROMs on the device. Has the device been repartitioned somewhere along the way?
Sent from my SM-S903VL using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd love to be able to answer those questions, but I was looking for a used unlocked samsung and it was rooted and unlocked when I purchased it. I don't think it is partitioned as there is no indication (that I have found) of another "drive". In system/storage,device memory it says "total space" 3.08GB. Available 713MB . I do have a 32GB sd card installed but I can't move any apps on to it. I used to be able to do that with my previous phone. This phone still has os 4.1.2, and I have never flashed a custom rom although I'd love to one day.
cheers
Art

Sorry about that. Looks like you found a den of thieves and scum; more common than most people realise. Sadly 80% of the human race is inncompetent. Find someone else.
Find the help manual online, then read up how to reset the device. Try that. However if this is a hardware problem, you will be hard pressed to find someone with the skills to repair it. Now, if you went to a third-world country, and looked in the shacks, you would find people who not only would ,but could replace those bad RAM circuits for you. Sadly you live, like I do, in Western society. First world with money, but third world in competence, decency and common sense.
Bottom ilne, those guys in that store, out-right lied to you, ruinig their future of any business from you in the process, very incompetent.
Second choice? They really were just that useless. You will have to try again, or end up doing what I do; fix it yourself.
First, try resetting it.
Second, activate developer options and find out detailed information about the "expected" capabilities of your device.
Third, try and repair it yourself.
Fourth, replace your device, but keep that defective one to test people for honesty and competence.
I did look online for you, and none of those Samsung came with only 4GB of RAM, none that I could find anyhow. So, it is either software, or hardware. software is a 10 minute fix you can do yourself with a factory reset. Hardware is something that only an experienced electronics tech or serious hobbiest (with a reflow station) could do by reflowing the solder for the RAM, or replacing some chips on the main board. Good luck!
Sent from my SM-P900 using Tapatalk

retired911 said:
I'd love to be able to answer those questions, but I was looking for a used unlocked samsung and it was rooted and unlocked when I purchased it. I don't think it is partitioned as there is no indication (that I have found) of another "drive". In system/storage,device memory it says "total space" 3.08GB. Available 713MB . I do have a 32GB sd card installed but I can't move any apps on to it. I used to be able to do that with my previous phone. This phone still has os 4.1.2, and I have never flashed a custom rom although I'd love to one day.
cheers
Art
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unless it's a hardware problem, you can flash your stock firmware along with the PIT file for your specific model number via Odin and it should fix this.
The PIT file tells Odin how your partitions are supposed to be structured, it should put everything back the way it's supposed to be.
You can do a Google search for:
"PIT for (your model number)"
Or find someone that has a rooted device with your model number and have them.pull a copy of their PIT and have them upload it somewhere.
And yes, you can unroot the device, there two ways to do it, you should have a SuperSU app somewhere in app drawer, open it then open its app settings, look for a setting that says something like "cleanup for unroot and unistall", this removes the su binaries and uninstalls SuperSU, leaving no root, also, flashing stock firmware via Odin will remove root but root isn't the problem. Someone did this manually their self somehow and they used root permission to do it.
Other than flashing stock firmware via Odin, you'd have better luck fixing the device WITH root than you would without it. Root allows you to change everything, you can't change anything without root.
Sent from my SM-S903VL using Tapatalk
---------- Post added at 06:03 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:00 PM ----------
kieseyhow said:
Sorry about that. Looks like you found a den of thieves and scum; more common than most people realise. Sadly 80% of the human race is inncompetent. Find someone else.
Find the help manual online, then read up how to reset the device. Try that. However if this is a hardware problem, you will be hard pressed to find someone with the skills to repair it. Now, if you went to a third-world country, and looked in the shacks, you would find people who not only would ,but could replace those bad RAM circuits for you. Sadly you live, like I do, in Western society. First world with money, but third world in competence, decency and common sense.
Bottom ilne, those guys in that store, out-right lied to you, ruinig their future of any business from you in the process, very incompetent.
Second choice? They really were just that useless. You will have to try again, or end up doing what I do; fix it yourself.
First, try resetting it.
Second, activate developer options and find out detailed information about the "expected" capabilities of your device.
Third, try and repair it yourself.
Fourth, replace your device, but keep that defective one to test people for honesty and competence.
I did look online for you, and none of those Samsung came with only 4GB of RAM, none that I could find anyhow. So, it is either software, or hardware. software is a 10 minute fix you can do yourself with a factory reset. Hardware is something that only an experienced electronics tech or serious hobbiest (with a reflow station) could do by reflowing the solder for the RAM, or replacing some chips on the main board. Good luck!
Sent from my SM-P900 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, it's not 4G of RAM, he's saying that it is saying he has a 4G internal sdcard instead of 16/32/64 GB, RAM and storage are two different things.
Sent from my SM-S903VL using Tapatalk

kieseyhow said:
Sorry about that. Looks like you found a den of thieves and scum; more common than most people realise. Sadly 80% of the human race is inncompetent. Find someone else.
Find the help manual online, then read up how to reset the device. Try that. However if this is a hardware problem, you will be hard pressed to find someone with the skills to repair it. Now, if you went to a third-world country, and looked in the shacks, you would find people who not only would ,but could replace those bad RAM circuits for you. Sadly you live, like I do, in Western society. First world with money, but third world in competence, decency and common sense.
Bottom ilne, those guys in that store, out-right lied to you, ruinig their future of any business from you in the process, very incompetent.
Second choice? They really were just that useless. You will have to try again, or end up doing what I do; fix it yourself.
First, try resetting it.
Second, activate developer options and find out detailed information about the "expected" capabilities of your device.
Third, try and repair it yourself.
Fourth, replace your device, but keep that defective one to test people for honesty and competence.
I did look online for you, and none of those Samsung came with only 4GB of RAM, none that I could find anyhow. So, it is either software, or hardware. software is a 10 minute fix you can do yourself with a factory reset. Hardware is something that only an experienced electronics tech or serious hobbiest (with a reflow station) could do by reflowing the solder for the RAM, or replacing some chips on the main board. Good luck!
Sent from my SM-P900 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
By resetting it if you mean unrooting it, I'm afraid to do that as it will be locked to whatever provider it was before. Someone told me that to do a factory reset will accomplish the same thing or maybe even brick the device.
I looked on developer options and the only thing that makes sense to me that might help is "debugging", and to do that I need to do more research as I don't know what debugging is all about. I have seriously considered replacing the phone, and will probably do that but I am a stubborn cuss and want to learn. Keeps my 70 year old brain from becoming 80.
cheers
Art

Well, what about installing a new ROM then? Try something based on Android 4.4; a version many consider the best.
Sent from my SM-P900 using Tapatalk
---------- Post added at 10:17 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:14 PM ----------
Install ADB on your computer, get a new ROM for your Note 2, and try it. There is always a risk, that is how life works. The best Note version, in my opinion, is the Note 4. See if you can find one second-hand? Then you can tinker with your Note 2 afterwards and experiment. There are minimalist ROMS that would even work on 4GB.
Sent from my SM-P900 using Tapatalk

retired911 said:
By resetting it if you mean unrooting it, I'm afraid to do that as it will be locked to whatever provider it was before. Someone told me that to do a factory reset will accomplish the same thing or maybe even brick the device.
I looked on developer options and the only thing that makes sense to me that might help is "debugging", and to do that I need to do more research as I don't know what debugging is all about. I have seriously considered replacing the phone, and will probably do that but I am a stubborn cuss and want to learn. Keeps my 70 year old brain from becoming 80.
cheers
Art
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
USB debugging is only to allow interfacing with the device via USB connection to PC, such as using adb/fastboot and other softwares used to interface the device while it's booted into system or recovery. It allows you to use software tools to debug the device, this is usually only used by developers when they are creating software for the device and are testing it or when using adb to push/pull files or capture logcats or any other adb commands.
Give me the model number of your Note 2 and I'll search for the stock 4.1.2 for your device or even a newer update if it's available and you want it, then I'll link you to all the tools and files you'll need to flash the firmware, it's similar to wiping and reinstalling windows on PC to return to factory version.
The term "Factory reset" in android is not the same as factory reset on PC. On PC it restores to exactly what was there from the factory. In android, it doesn't work like that, it only wipes the user space and doesn't touch system. Any changes to system will remain after resetting and only user data gets wiped, data you yourself put on the device such as apps you installed, pics you've downloaded or taken with camera. Factory reset in android DOES NOT remove root unless you're using SuperSU on systemless mode(systemless SuperSU is stored in /data partition instead of in system), your device most likely has SuperSU in /system partition instead of in /data partition, which means factory reset won't help you.
I'll help you get this fixed pretty quick if you give the info I need to help you.
Sent from my SM-S903VL using Tapatalk

kieseyhow said:
Well, what about installing a new ROM then? Try something based on Android 4.4; a version many consider the best.
Sent from my SM-P900 using Tapatalk
---------- Post added at 10:17 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:14 PM ----------
Install ADB on your computer, get a new ROM for your Note 2, and try it. There is always a risk, that is how life works. The best Note version, in my opinion, is the Note 4. See if you can find one second-hand? Then you can tinker with your Note 2 afterwards and experiment. There are minimalist ROMS that would even work on 4GB.
Sent from my SM-P900 using Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
Would love to get a note 4 but it doesn't come with FM radio tuner, and that is a must for me! But I think I will take your advice and look for a new phone (with FM) and then tinker with my note 2

There is an app, called "Tunin radio" that will receive most popular stations, and even local stations. I use it all the time.
Also, most phones have radios inside, but they are locked, and disabled. Nearly every Android phone has this blocked feature.
An even better option is to get a multi-band radio receiver dongle for your device. Some can recieve far more than just FM, but also AM, SSB, HAM, Police Fire, even the audio part of TV. Look for device with n RTL2832U chip, and you'll also need an OTG adaptor to power it. There are several apps that you can find with minimal research, and several forums where people are very passionate about such devices.
Sent from my SM-P900 using Tapatalk

retired911 said:
All the research I have done indicates that the Galaxy note2 was produced in 16/32/64GB models. I have a note 2 model GT-N7100 running android 4.1.2 that indicates it has 3.18GB storage on the phone with 2.38GB used. My phone is rooted (don't know if that affects the memory). I'm at my wit's end. I have to uninstall apps when I find a new one I'd like to try, and most other times there is not enough memory for apps to update. Sure could use some help. And just as a side note, I am 70 years old and my technological brain isn't firing on 8 cylinders anymore, so please be gentle. Thanks.
Art
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Click to collapse
1) Go to this link and choose one of the 4.4.2 firmwares that will have the correct language.
https://www.sammobile.com/firmwares/galaxy-note-/GT-N7100/
2) Look in this thread for information about PIT, which one you might need and how to use it.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1927983
3) Then do a Google search for:
"USB drivers for Samsung phones"
It'll give you several links, get those successfully installed on your PC.
4) Install Odin 3.10 on your PC from this link
http://www.droidviews.com/download-odin-tool-for-samsung-galaxy-devices-all-versions/
5) Charge your battery to full.
6) Boot to download mode (with the device off, press power+home+volume down, when you see the caution screen press up to go to download)
7) Open Odin on PC
8) With device in download mode, connect to PC with the stock USB cord.(if it connects correctly you'll see a blue or yellow #comm box and it will say ADDED! in the dialogue box, if you don't get this then try a different USB port, make sure drivers installed correctly, make sure it's stock cord, restart PC)
9) If successfully connected, click the AP button(some versions of Odin have PDA instead of AP, click whichever one you have), browse to where you stored the stock firmware that you downloaded, select it.
10) If you're gonna use the PIT file, find the tab that says PIT in Odin, place the PIT you're using there.( I suggest you do some research and ask questions in a few places before actually using the PIT and to figure out whether you need to use it or how safe it is to do it, sometimes using PIT can do more harm than good, it just depends on the state of your device)
11) Click START in Odin, if everything is in order and done corectly, it will flash, if successful, you'll get a green PASS and the device will reboot into a fresh clean install.
***NOTE***
This will probably wipe all of your data so if there are apps or contacts or pics or any kind of personal data that you put on the device that you want to keep then you'll need to backup that data, there are several ways to backup your data. Since you have root, you can use Titanium Backup from the PlayStore to backup the apps you've installed and their data, your contacts and any other things that you want to keep, also keep a copy of Titanium Backup and the backup that you create in Titanium Backup on your extsdcard to prevent it from being wiped during the flash. When the device reboots after flashing, you can reinstall the copy of Titanium Backup from extsdcard and then use Titanium Backup to restore everything that you backed up. After all of this, you should end up with a clean install of 4.4.2 and all of your personal data restored to the device.
If you need help anywhere in all of that, just let me know. I'll be glad to help you understand and learn.
Sent from my SM-S903VL using Tapatalk
---------- Post added at 07:17 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:12 PM ----------
kieseyhow said:
There is an app, called "Tunin radio" that will receive most popular stations, and even local stations. I use it all the time.
Also, most phones have radios inside, but they are locked, and disabled. Nearly every Android phone has this blocked feature.
An even better option is to get a multi-band radio receiver dongle for your device. Some can recieve far more than just FM, but also AM, SSB, HAM, Police Fire, even the audio part of TV. Look for device with n RTL2832U chip, and you'll also need an OTG adaptor to power it. There are several apps that you can find with minimal research, and several forums where people are very passionate about such devices.
Sent from my SM-P900 using Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
He can fix the one he has, it's fine for his purposes, no need to get another device.
Plus, in fixing this one, he learns something, which is what he's looking to do.
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I can't thank you all enough for all the help you've given me. I have a lot of homework ahead of me and look forward to the research. I'm going to read and study this thread again and research all the suggestions. But for now, the Penguins and Senators are going at it in game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals and I need to watch.
I checked, and the system says it's a GT-N7100 and so does the sticker behind the battery. Supersu is one of the apps on the phone. I have played with Supersu a bit but don't really understand it yet and none of my other apps were affiliated with it so I pretty much left it alone. Now on to hockey.
cheers
Art

retired911 said:
I can't thank you all enough for all the help you've given me. I have a lot of homework ahead of me and look forward to the research. I'm going to read and study this thread again and research all the suggestions. But for now, the Penguins and Senators are going at it in game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals and I need to watch.
I checked, and the system says it's a GT-N7100 and so does the sticker behind the battery. Supersu is one of the apps on the phone. I have played with Supersu a bit but don't really understand it yet and none of my other apps were affiliated with it so I pretty much left it alone. Now on to hockey.
cheers
Art
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you flash with Odin, remember to store a copy of Titanium Backup app and the backup you create when you use it, place them both on extsdcard. Then for safety measures before flashing, remove the extsdcard and the SIM card if you have one, then flash, after flashing, put the extsdcard and SIM back in.
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Some excellent offers and advice, and I apologize for my lazy assistance. [emoji14] I hope you get it sorted out. For me, I think that the price of losing 12GB or storage is not worth rooting the phone. But, others have done it sucessfully, and there is no reason you cannot do the same. I still suggest you find a Note 4 though.
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Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!!!! I studied your instructions, I dived in and flashed my note 2. Odin said PASS! I now have Android 4.4.2. One problem remains. I now show 8GB total storage. system memory takes up 4.82gb. used space takes up another 1.55gb and misc files 1.3gb. Leaving me with 341 mb storage space. When I flashed I did not use the PIT file I downloaded. Should I reflash using the PIT file?
Just got another problem. The phone won't connect with my service provider.

retired911 said:
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!!!! I studied your instructions, I dived in and flashed my note 2. Odin said PASS! I now have Android 4.4.2. One problem remains. I now show 8GB total storage. system memory takes up 4.82gb. used space takes up another 1.55gb and misc files 1.3gb. Leaving me with 341 mb storage space. When I flashed I did not use the PIT file I downloaded. Should I reflash using the PIT file?
Just got another problem. The phone won't connect with my service provider.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You should probably use the PIT so that it will restore your partitions to their correct order and sizes.
To flash the PIT, do exactly like you did when you flashed your firmware, put the firmware in the AP slot, then find the tab that says PIT, place the PIT there, then find the "options" tab in Odin, select "re-partition", this option tells Odin to use the PIT, you don't need to mess with the other options, they are fine at their default settings, all you need to mess with is selecting re-partition.
To help with not connecting to your service provider, did you make sure the firmware was for your region? Did you make sure it's compatible with your network type and and it's signal bands? Networks are different everywhere so you need to flash a stock firmware that is compatible with your region and carrier. I was hoping that a region that uses the same language as you would work, but it looks like you'll have to use a firmware that is compatible with your network and then after flashing you can manually change the language the firmware uses, if needed.
Or maybe you can leave the firmware you have flashed then download a firmware that has a compatible modem.bin and extract that modem.bin and flash it on your device to replace the modem.bin you have. You might can even find a compatible modem available for download without having to extract it from another firmware.
Have you tried emailing or calling your service provider to ask them which stock firmware for your model is compatible with their network? They might provide you with what you need or at least tell you exactly what you need so you can find it yourself.
Who is your service provider and what country are you in? I'll see what I can figure out for you.
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How does one figure out which is the right version to download for my phone? There are changelist numbers, PDA and CSC numbers, all of which tell me nothing. When I flashed to the UK version, it turned out to be with T-Mobile, and the carriers listed were Bell and Telus. I am with Speakout, (a 7-11 product) which piggybacks on the Rogers network. I have a pay as you go account with no data. It works on the GSM network. I live in Calgary, Canada.
cheers
Art

I just flashed the phone again using the same firmware but this time adding the 16GB PIT file and repartitioning. Got a Pass from Odin but no change in the available storage. It still says I have only 8GB total storage. Thinking bad memory?