Database Develop

[SOLVED] Help to choose rooting method and backup method

Got my phone (AT&T Captivate, firmware 2.1-update1 version JH7, kernel 2.6.29, build eclair.UCJH7) on december 28 from a AT&T store (it even came with a pic taken december 20 ) and I've already been able to boot into download mode (power off, hold volume keys then plug usb) and into that menu used to install packages (power off, hold volume keys then power on). Guess my hardware and firmware are ok, so I may be able to recover my phone by myself in case things go south.
I've been doing my homework lately (been reading stickys, tutorials and faqs for 10 days) but I'm still confused about some procedures. I'm not going to list everything I've read here, but I would like someone to correct me if I've learnt wrong. I don't really need the easiest methods, I want to understand the options available and to choose the best ones (aka the hardest path).
First of all, it seems I need to root my phone in order to be able to create backups, carrier-unlock it and flash custom roms. But it doesn't make much sense to me, since rooting it seem to be enough to prevent it from receiving FOTA updates - and I want to make the most comprehensive backup possible, in such a way I could restore my phone to 'factory condition' if needed.
Second, I realize there are many ways, programs and guides to root the phone - the most famous ones, One-Click root/unroot and z4root, seem to be listed in the wiki (http://forum.xda-developers.com/wiki/index.php?title=Samsung_Galaxy_S/SGH-I897), but there is also CLShortFuse's One-Click Root and Allow Non-Market Apps, which sounds interesting but I don't know if it is undo-able. So there are different ways to root the phone, but there is little to none information on what's the difference between these methods, which is 'better' and what difference does it make if I root it permanently or by some reversible method. Does it affect performance? How each of them work? I have no clue.
The mess gets even greater when it comes to creating backups. People mention different programs to make these backups (clockwork recovery, titanium backup) but I don't understand if they back up different parts of the phone. Some even seem to change the bootloader of the phone - shouldn't it be backed up prior to any modification? Do I flash these backups using Odin? Which programs should I use to have a full backup? Is there anything left I should back up manually?
I'll quit talking for now because I've already written a lot and I still have many questions; if I write all of them at once, no one will ever have the patience to read them.

Erk, a long post deserves a long answer
So first off, il tell you about recovering your phone. Since you just got it, you can go back to the store and play dumb to get a new one in case anything goes wrong. You can also use the 3 button combos to get into download mode and use odins back to stock to get back to your original 2.1 eclair firmware . To do that you would need to get into download mode. Now there are a couple ways to do this, and i can only explain two since ive actually used two. (Well 3 actually, but il get to the third after these 2)
The first method is using the 3 button combo which you should already know. The second method is using adb commands such as (adb shell, adb reboot download, adb reboot recovery, adb devices). The third way is building a jig. Thats basically connecting 301k 1/4 watt worth of resistors together and placing them on pin 4 and 5 on your micro usb slot. You can read more about that on the tutorial on how to build a jig for your phone.
To restore to your factory setting, odin's one click back to stock thing should do the job. It simple installs the stock 2.1 eclair all over again (without the root).
To root your phone, any method from the wiki should work. None of them are really "better" :S, they all do the same job and give you super user permissions. None of them root your permanently since you can always go back to stock using Odin's... It does not really affect performance, not to any extent i have noticed :S, and unfortunately, i dont really know how it works.
As for creating backups, Titanium Backup is the best solution. Whether you have the few extra bucks to spend for the premium one or simply want to use the free one, its one of the best tools out there. I personally use it and its one of the best. It backs up all the data (except for my text messages). It creates a folder on your internal memory which you can just copy to your desktop. When the time comes that you need to restore your backup, just copy the folder back into your internal memory, load up titanium backup. Restore it and voila .
I think ive answered everything, if ive missed anything, let me know
Edit : Forgot to mention this . If your truly interested in customization. Custom roms are the best there is a howto in the themes and apps section on how to install it. It comes pre-rooted (if that is the word to use :S) and theyre much better than the stock firmware. Im currently using serendipity v3.0 (flashed it yesterday)

supaphreek, guess I'll have to thank you twice: once for reading my enormous post, and again for you supacompleteanswer.
I'm being paranoid with recovery because I actually bought the phone in the US then came back to my country (Brazil), so I'm a few thousand miles away from the simple lets-return-this-thing solution.
From everything I've read, I believe the most instructive were the wiki at http://forum.xda-developers.com/wiki/index.php?title=Samsung_Galaxy_S/SGH-I897 , the FAQ at http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=858765 , the PDF guide from user nbs11 at http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=761819 and the wiki at http://www.capfaq.com/w/FAQ. These contain most of the info a newbie user would ever need and I'd definitely recommend them to any newbie user who happen to be reading this. And for everyone afraid of bricking, it's a tremendous relief to know pretty much any mess you do can be reverted using download mode and Odin, so the first thing to test is if you can get into download mode using one of the ways described by our buddy supaphreek.
On the rooting matter, I found no discussion at all about which is better, so they should be pretty similar (though I have no idea which is the oldest version, I'd assume the recent ones might be a little improved). There is some discussion on what's the better lagfix and many of the cooked ROMs already come with some lagfix installed, but this is another story...
Once I get my phone rooted, it seems to be trivial to carrier-unlock it. There's even an app on android market for this, so I won't even need sideloading. Since all this procedure does is just give me a number, there's hardly any difference among all the unlocking procedures out there.
For the backup, I'll still do it using both titanium and clockwork, as suggested by nbs11 on the pdf I've linked on this post. Better safe than sorry, right?
And yes, I'm truly interested in customization and I'll go deep down that path, I'm just packing up my head with some knowledge to avoid being desperate if things eventually go fubar.
As a last question, is there somewhere I can get 1-click Odin with my exact firmware version? (2.1-update1, I897UCJH7, Kernel 2.6.29 [email protected] #2, build eclair.ucjh7) And how important is it to get the exact same firmware?
As I've done my research, I found 1-click odin with JF6 here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=731989
I've also found the 'standalone' I897UCJH7 on this topic (where this guy even flashed succesfully his phone using old JH2 firmware without problems, so finding the exact firmware version might not be the greatest issue): http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=10056254&postcount=36 but this process is a bit more complicated and uses regular Odin and clockwork recovery. Nonetheless, from what I've understood, I can still use any old version of odin to flash JF6 then use my own clockwork backup, right?

Hmm, unfortunately, im not sure if there is a specific Odin for that firmware :S. However what you can do is use one that reverts you to any stock version, and then flash the version you want through clockwork mod

I'll do that. Thanks again!

Also if you one click to stock, you can OTA update to the most recent firnware. I suggest titanium premium if you are going to flash a lot of custom roms, it is a lot faster to restore and also syncs with dropbox
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

Be careful trying to flash with odin. Some newer builds get instabrick flashing back to jf6 and must go with jh2 or newer.
So, you may want to invest a few bucks in a jig setup before blindly using odin.

Thanks for the tip, sixstringsg.
Newter55, as my phone is brand new I believe I may have one of these insta-brickable devices. If I happen to try flashing it with a recent rom, does it get recoverably bricked (fixed by flashing an older rom), or I'm left with a $500 paperweight?

You just need to use the correct firmware version of odin if you manage to get in trouble. Many people flash rom over rom, including myself, but it is highly likely that at some point you will need odin if you are flashing roms so it is best to ensure that you have that set up first. Look for the odin thread by c3popl (sp?) in development forum and you should find what you need. Read through that and look for others with your base firmware. Or look through q&a at the "help I bricked" threads . On my phone and posting links is a pita or I would make it easy for you.

If your phone came with JH7, follow this guide:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=10056254&postcount=36
If you use one of the Odin one-clicks and brick your phone, you'll need a USB jig to recover.

You guys are awesome. Thank you newter55 and GGXtreme for this info! I hope I'll never need it, but I'll buy a cable and make a jig.
The news: I've rooted my phone using One Click Root / Unroot by TGA_Gunnman (for the record: it worked with my JH7 Captivate bought in 28 dec). Once I booted windows, installed dotnet framework 4 and the samsung drivers (easy too, but a pita), rooting was easy and failproof. However, someone using linux might find it easier to just download 1-click root, find the root.zip file in there, rename it as update.zip, put the zip in the internal sdcard, boot the phone holding the volume buttons and then 'install packages'. This way there will be no need to fight Wine nor install anything nor look for a windows computer with admin privileges.
Also unlocked my phone using SGS Unlock Tool, available in the Android Market. The unrooted option won't work, but once rooted it worked like a champ. Next step: I'll do the backups, and then... start messing up my new toy!

Can my Galaxy Note be saved?

Hey guys,
First of all, I'm new to this, so please bear with me. To cut a long story short, I attempted to install the CyanogenMod RC on my Galaxy Note N7000 today. I followed the instructions I found on the web somewhere (can't remember of it was XDA) and after attempting to wipe my device from the ClockwordMod, I appear to have bricked it.
My Note no longer gets passed the startup screen. I've tried everything I can to revive it, and I've been searching XDA all day for a solution, with little success. I've tried flashing a number of kernels, and a number of ROMs, including stock GB and stock ICS. I can still get into both Download and Recovery mode (which I'm hoping is a good sign) but when I try to flash a ROM with Odin, it gets stuck on the "factoryfs" stage.
I've tried flashing the PIT repartition file at least four or five times, but that doesn't seem to be helping at all.
Does anyone have any other ideas? I'd really just like to get back to stock ICS. I just fancied playing around with CyanogenMod for a bit, but I wish I hadn't tried. Thanks in advance for any help!

Were you on stock ICS when you did the wipe ?

Akiainavas said:
Were you on stock ICS when you did the wipe ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, downloaded via Kies.

I think you have fallen victim to the infamous eMMC "superbrick". Contact Samsung, they are well aware of this problem and will surely replace it for you as it's plaguing devices running their stock ICS. The problem is with their kernel and the eMMC chip to it doesnt even matter what were you trying to do.
When they do replace it - first, flash a GB rom via Odin, and then install CM9. CM9 kernel is safe and superbrick bug free. Whatever you do - never try doing a wipe/factory reset on stock Samsung ICS rom.

Akiainavas said:
I think you have fallen victim to the infamous eMMC "superbrick". Contact Samsung, they are well aware of this problem and will surely replace it for you as it's plaguing stock ICS devices. The problem is with their kernel and the eMMC chip to it doesnt even matter what were you trying to do.
When they do replace it - first, flash a GB rom via Odin, and then install CM9. CM9 kernel is safe and superbrick bug free. Whatever you do - never try doing a wipe/factory reset on stock Samsung ICS rom.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I feared that was the case. The problem is, I now have the yellow warning triangle on bootup, and my "binary count" has increased to 9. Does this mean Samsung won't replace it?
if that's the case, is there any way to reset the binary count and remove the triangle in its current state?

You might try resetting the counter with a jig. I don't know if it will work in its state, but you may not have much to lose.
Sent from a guy on a buffalOOooo.

Generally - USB Jig is the only way to reset it on a bricked device.
There is one way other way though:
http://www.mediafire.com/?5bmrc6cf81w5mya
This kernel is supposed to reset binary counter, and many users reported that it actually did the trick - mind that this kernel also causes hard brick. It's a last effort for people whose devices are already bricked.
You nees to flash it via Odin, disconnect and go into recovery. At first boot you will still see the triangle - in the recovery, select reboot. Now the triangle should disappead, and binary counter should be set to "no".
Remember that this kernel causes a hard brick. Use it only if your device is already bricked and you intend to send it to Samsung. It will work only on ICS devices.

Akiainavas said:
Generally - USB Jig is the only way to reset it.
There is one way other way though:
http://www.mediafire.com/?5bmrc6cf81w5mya
This kernel is supposed to reset binary counter, and many users reported that it actually did the trick - mind that this kernel also causes hard brick. It's a last effort for people whose devices are already bricked.
You nees to flash it via Odin, disconnect and go into recovery. At first boot you will still see the triangle - in the recovery, select reboot. Now the triangle should disappead, and binary counter should be set to "no".
Remember that this kernel causes a hard brick. Use it only if your device is already bricked and you intend to send it to Samsung.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks very much for your help. I really appreciate it.
So do you think it's worth contacting Samsung first - before trying to reset the binary - or do you think they'll refuse to replace it once they know I tried flashing an unsupported ROM?
Thanks again!

I think you might try contacting them first, just ask all the info you need without giving them the serial numbers - before you send the phone in. They might replace it anyway - they know very well it happens because of their defective kernel/emmc chip. Although i'm afraid they might find out and refuse to fix it for free.
If they turn you down, then flash the kernel and contact them again. If you're going to do it in person and they refuse cause they "remembered you" ( shocking, but it happens... ) then simply get a friend or family to bring them your phone.
Just say that Kies messed up your phone - they'll know what the problem is
Hope they'll get it fixed for you. Let us know how it went.

Akiainavas said:
I think you might try contacting them first, just ask all the info you need without giving them the serial numbers. They might replace it anyway - they know very well it happens because of their defective kernel/emmc chip.
If they turn you down, then flash the kernel and contact them again. If you're going to do it in person and they refuse cause they "remembered you" ( shocking, but it happens... ) then simply get a friend or family to bring them your phone.
Just say that Kies messed up your phone - they'll know what the problem is
Hope they'll get it fixed for you. Let us know how it went.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay, I'll do that. Thanks again for all the info! I'll let you know how I get on.

kill.i.an said:
Hey guys,
First of all, I'm new to this, so please bear with me. To cut a long story short, I attempted to install the CyanogenMod RC on my Galaxy Note N7000 today. I followed the instructions I found on the web somewhere (can't remember of it was XDA) and after attempting to wipe my device from the ClockwordMod, I appear to have bricked it.
My Note no longer gets passed the startup screen. I've tried everything I can to revive it, and I've been searching XDA all day for a solution, with little success. I've tried flashing a number of kernels, and a number of ROMs, including stock GB and stock ICS. I can still get into both Download and Recovery mode (which I'm hoping is a good sign) but when I try to flash a ROM with Odin, it gets stuck on the "factoryfs" stage.
I've tried flashing the PIT repartition file at least four or five times, but that doesn't seem to be helping at all.
Does anyone have any other ideas? I'd really just like to get back to stock ICS. I just fancied playing around with CyanogenMod for a bit, but I wish I hadn't tried. Thanks in advance for any help!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You may also try manual/adb repartition method described in here to revise your phone. cheers.

kill.i.an said:
Hey guys,
First of all, I'm new to this, so please bear with me. To cut a long story short, I attempted to install the CyanogenMod RC on my Galaxy Note N7000 today. I followed the instructions I found on the web somewhere (can't remember of it was XDA) and after attempting to wipe my device from the ClockwordMod, I appear to have bricked it.
My Note no longer gets passed the startup screen. I've tried everything I can to revive it, and I've been searching XDA all day for a solution, with little success. I've tried flashing a number of kernels, and a number of ROMs, including stock GB and stock ICS. I can still get into both Download and Recovery mode (which I'm hoping is a good sign) but when I try to flash a ROM with Odin, it gets stuck on the "factoryfs" stage.
I've tried flashing the PIT repartition file at least four or five times, but that doesn't seem to be helping at all.
Does anyone have any other ideas? I'd really just like to get back to stock ICS. I just fancied playing around with CyanogenMod for a bit, but I wish I hadn't tried. Thanks in advance for any help!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
IF U CAN GET INTO RECOVERY UR NOT BRICKED OR SUPER BRICK TRUST ME I HAVE A NOTE HERE THATS BRICKED...IF INDEED ITS BRICKED U CANT GET IN ****!!! u just soft bricked it...flash stock recovery b4 tar or what ever it is
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda premium

forest1971 said:
You may also try manual/adb repartition method described in here to revise your phone. cheers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks!

JB calhoun said:
IF U CAN GET INTO RECOVERY UR NOT BRICKED OR SUPER BRICK TRUST ME I HAVE A NOTE HERE THATS BRICKED...IF INDEED ITS BRICKED U CANT GET IN ****!!! u just soft bricked it...flash stock recovery b4 tar or what ever it is
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Stock recovery? Where would I find that?
The problem is, I cannot flash any ROM. It just hangs during the "factoryfs" process in Odin. When I try to install stuff via ClockworkMod recovery, it fails. Sometimes I get an error like "cannot mount (or access) /system."

JB calhoun said:
IF U CAN GET INTO RECOVERY UR NOT BRICKED OR SUPER BRICK TRUST ME I HAVE A NOTE HERE THATS BRICKED...IF INDEED ITS BRICKED U CANT GET IN ****!!! u just soft bricked it...flash stock recovery b4 tar or what ever it is
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not true I'm afraid...
If you've damaged the eMMC chip:
- You can still get into recovery.
- You can still get into download mode.
If you did a factory reset on stock ICS kernel and can't flash "factoryfs" data because Odin gets stuck at this point, and repartitioning does not help - that's the "superbrick".
It happens because using data wipe on stock ICS kernel runs a format procedure which damages Note's defective eMMC chip. If it happened, repartitioning won't help as parts of the storage are corrupted and Odin simply cannot put data there. I seriosusly don't know how could Samsung not see that the format command introduced in ICS ( it was not present in GB, that's why GB kernels are safe ) damages the chip... didn't they test the software at all ?
Take a look here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=28048062
This guy managed to recover his device, but what he's left with is Note with 3-4GB less storage, and remember that once the eMMC chip is damaged, it will never be completely reliable again.
Here's a guide on how to revive superbricked Note. Bear in mind it might not work though:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=26285877&postcount=12
It's still best to try and get it replaced though. If Samsung won't replace it for free - then try reviving it.

Akiainavas said:
Not true.
If you've damaged the eMMC chip:
You can still get into recovery.
You can still get into download mode.
If you did a factory reset on stock ICS kernel and can't flash "factoryfs" data because Odin gets stuck at this point, and repartitioning does not help - that's the "superbrick".
It happens because using data wipe on stock ICS kernel runs a format procedure which damages Note's defective eMMC chip. If it happened, repartitioning won't help as parts of the storage are corrupted and Odin simply cannot put data there.
Take a look here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=28048062
This guy managed to recover his device, but what he's left with is Note with 3-4GB less storage, and remember that once the eMMC chip is damaged, it will never be completely reliable again.
Here's a guide on how to revive superbricked Note. Bear in mind it might not work though:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=26285877&postcount=12
It's still best to try and get it replaced though. If Samsung won't replace it for free - then try reviving it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I'm certainly going to speak to Samsung over the next few days. I'm going to wait a little while for my JIG to arrive and try to remove the binary count, then I'll give them a call. I don't see how they can refuse to replace it really —*it is their software that caused this (I think).
Keeping my fingers crossed.
Thanks for all the advice, guys.

kill.i.an said:
Yeah, I'm certainly going to speak to Samsung over the next few days. I'm going to wait a little while for my JIG to arrive and try to remove the binary count, then I'll give them a call. I don't see how they can refuse to replace it really —*it is their software that caused this (I think).
Keeping my fingers crossed.
Thanks for all the advice, guys.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
JIG is probably the best thing to do. Clear the counter, get rid of triangle and send it in. As you said - it's Samsung's kernel that causes this, and they know it.
Good luck mate.

Okay, here's a surprise: Because I can still enter download and recovery mode, I decided I would try to reset the binary counter before my JIG gets here. So I downloaded the kernel from another thread, and it worked perfect. I then tried to flash the stock ICS ROM so that there was no evidence of another one, and this time it didn't get stuck on "factoryfm" in Odin.
So I now have a working Galaxy Note. I have no idea how that happened (maybe the PIT I flashed earlier kicked in), but it's working.
Now the question is, do I attempt to install CyanogenMod again, or should I just stick to a working Galaxy Note and be happy?

Stay with what you have.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda app-developers app

kill.i.an said:
Okay, here's a surprise: Because I can still enter download and recovery mode, I decided I would try to reset the binary counter before my JIG gets here. So I downloaded the kernel from another thread, and it worked perfect. I then tried to flash the stock ICS ROM so that there was no evidence of another one, and this time it didn't get stuck on "factoryfm" in Odin.
So I now have a working Galaxy Note. I have no idea how that happened (maybe the PIT I flashed earlier kicked in), but it's working.
Now the question is, do I attempt to install CyanogenMod again, or should I just stick to a working Galaxy Note and be happy?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How much capacity do you have on your internal storage? If it is less than 11GB you may have a damaged chip and just managed to unbrick it.
I think if you can flash GB with Odin you should be fine, and once you get to GB everything is (relatively) safe.
I had a similar problem when I was trying to flash GB from stock ICS using odin, it stuck at FactoryFS and I thought I had superbricked it, but it turns out I was using a dodgy USB cable and using a good USB cable I managed to flash GB again and recover it, and now I am using CM9 - Never going back to stock ICS after this.

[Q] Resetting back to factory

Currently running Samsung ICS rom on my note.
Phone is a bit of a mess after getting toasted during a ICS factory reset. Have managed to repair the phone to operational by re-partitioning however there are numerous bad blocks etc.
Also the flash count sitting at around 35 due to the recovery process.
I have logged a RMA for warranty and in the process of resetting it back to factory.
Planning on the following process.
running Triangles Away to reset the flash count
Re-partition to stock (PIT)
Flash via Odin a stock ICS rom. Hopefully will get kernel on flashed.
This will show a single flash count (hopefully) and be stock enough.
Am I missing anything?

dusty_nz said:
Currently running Samsung ICS rom on my note.
Phone is a bit of a mess after getting toasted during a ICS factory reset. Have managed to repair the phone to operational by re-partitioning however there are numerous bad blocks etc.
Also the flash count sitting at around 35 due to the recovery process.
I have logged a RMA for warranty and in the process of resetting it back to factory.
Planning on the following process.
running Triangles Away to reset the flash count
Re-partition to stock (PIT)
Flash via Odin a stock ICS rom. Hopefully will get kernel on flashed.
This will show a single flash count (hopefully) and be stock enough.
Am I missing anything?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What I understand is you are going to claim warranty on the phone. Then why are you repartioning it??? You will lose about 3 GB of internal space, which itself may lead them to know that you have flashed. Its my understanding mate. Maybe someone else may have a better opinion. Just wait.

I don't think re_repartion is required.
Just flash the rom using odin...
Unroot if u wish but flashing will get ur warrant back
Hit THANKS if m any help
~RR

As part of the unbricking process I had to partition around the bad blocks. Could not flash or anything. The phone is currently up and running up however there are some more questionable bad blocks in the new partition on the data drive. Sometimes scans/check ok but othertimes not.
Was happy but the current data partition issues are slowly getting worse so will claim warranty. Thats why I need to re-partition or un-partition.
I am hoping I can just flash enough stock rom to get past casual inspection.

dusty_nz said:
As part of the unbricking process I had to partition around the bad blocks. Could not flash or anything. The phone is currently up and running up however there are some more questionable bad blocks in the new partition on the data drive. Sometimes scans/check ok but othertimes not.
Was happy but the current data partition issues are slowly getting worse so will claim warranty. Thats why I need to re-partition or un-partition.
I am hoping I can just flash enough stock rom to get past casual inspection.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In that case, I believe thats all you need to do. Bcus for warranty check they will look at the flash counter & also see if your phone is currently rooted. By the way just be sure to remove any app that require root privileges, for extra precaution.
All the best mate..

Yin-Yang said:
In that case, I believe thats all you need to do. Bcus for warranty check they will look at the flash counter & also see if your phone is currently rooted. By the way just be sure to remove any app that require root privileges, for extra precaution.
All the best mate..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have just reset the flash counter to zero. I expect it may show 1 flash but don't expect that will be an issue.
Flashing stock rom and kernel will remove all root and app's.
The warranty story is
Upgrade using Kies from Gingerbread to ICS.
Was a bit flaky after the upgrade so I wiped and now it won't boot.

Aye Aye Aye, I CAN NOT get the finger print scanner to work...+

Long story shorter. Phone stolen. Phone had nandroid stored on my computer. Phone replaced by another Note 4 (PS, thief go pound sand). Didn't mess around, stock rom to Note 4 (ANK). Root. Recovery. Old image from lost phone used as recovery. (Yeah I didn't make a backup of original from new phone). Flashed over. Everything works fine. Now ready to put finger prints in. Error page pops up saying fingerprint scanner error. 72 hours of scouring this forum, internet, MULTIPLE stock rom flashes from the oldest to NJK to ANK and COG6. Clean flash, dirty flash NOTHING works. Makes no difference what I do, cannot get the fingerprint scanner to perform. Common problem, complaints all over the internet about it but NO SOLUTIONS. I have tried everything down to deleting directories and I cannot get the damn thing to work. Seriously doubt hardware issue. *#0*# sensor heading shows finger print scanner as Null and 0.0.0.0. Deleted cache. Deleted data from TIBU and now after three days I give up. Seems everyone has the problem but nobody knows why and when they do you get a half assed or worse answer as to how to fix it. Does anybody know how to get this thing working again. Do I need to flash an apk. Where can I find it. Do I need to rebuild. ? Can anyone flash that section fingerprint free and send it to me. I am just guessing. I know crap about how stuff works, I just know how to follow directions but this one has got me stumped.
Any help would be GREATLY APPRECIATED!
Regards,
Freddie did not get fingered but he needs it.

You need to flash stock firmware and verify that all is stock, sometimes after returning to stock you may have a miss matching error like bootloader or modem.
After running stock run smartswitch.
Pp.

PanchoPlanet said:
You need to flash stock firmware and verify that all is stock, sometimes after returning to stock you may have a miss matching error like bootloader or modem.
After running stock run smartswitch.
Pp.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok forgive me for my ignorance but if I run a stock firmware straight from Sammy shouldn't the bootloader and modem be part of the rom? It seems to me that doing a wipe should be like reinstalling windows, you format the drive and install the OS. There is nothing left and a complete rebuild of the file system occurs. Is this not what happens when you do a wipe in the recovery and then Odin the stock firmware? How can I be sure that when I install a stock rom everything is wiped and there is no hangers and the OS on the phone is rebuilt completely? When you say smartswitch I assume you mean the Sammy program.

jackler1 said:
Ok forgive me for my ignorance but if I run a stock firmware straight from Sammy shouldn't the bootloader and modem be part of the rom? It seems to me that doing a wipe should be like reinstalling windows, you format the drive and install the OS. There is nothing left and a complete rebuild of the file system occurs. Is this not what happens when you do a wipe in the recovery and then Odin the stock firmware? How can I be sure that when I install a stock rom everything is wiped and there is no hangers and the OS on the phone is rebuilt completely? When you say smartswitch I assume you mean the Sammy program.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, I think I have found it but now I need to know how to fix it. Currently I have as follows in the about device screen:
Model SN-N910T
AHHA ------!!!!! - ANDROID VERSION 5.0
Baseband - N910TU1ANK4
Kernal version - 3.10.0-2796035 [email protected] #1 Thu Nov 13 18:01:07 KST 2014
Build number - KTU84P.N910TUVU1ANK4
So it seems the android version is wrong. Again forgive my stupidity but what exactly IS the android version. Meaning is that the baseband, the modem, what part of the stock rom is flashed wrong and where do I find that part to flash it correctly. I think I am making some progress just need input. Thanks Pp for getting me on track, now I just need a little shove to get this train rolling and maybe learn something in the process. If I fix it I then intend to write a proper write up for those lost souls out there who don't have to spend days....
So why does it say my android version is 5.0 when it should say 4.4.4?
Thank,
Freddy is getting nervous

First verify what version of the note 4 you have, Sm-N910T or Sm-N910T3 and flash proper firmware. Look under your battery.
Once you root you jumble up the phones ability to install firmware properly, and flashing stock firmware once with odin does not always secure components thus leaving you with unofficial status, "custom" and you think you went back to stock with no root but not official yet.
You need to make sure everything flashes and sticks, Model nunber, Android version, Basedand version, Kernel version, Build number.
Any of the modified components can stick and not be overwritten by stock odin flash.
Sometimes multiple flashes, or individual component flashes are required to go back to "official" stock form.
At this point you can verify that your fingerprint scanner works properly and leave it alone or proceed cautiously if root is really required ??? .
I only run stock and save myself all the headaches, I used to root back when Samsung phones where simple and less complicated without kernel security from Samsung.
I suggest latest 5.1.1 lollipop update, kitkat is primitive and outdated, you will be amazed at how well your note will run with latest firmware (with junk apps disabled).
Pp.

Here's a sample of my stock Note 4 running latest update.
Pp.

PanchoPlanet said:
Here's a sample of my stock Note 4 running latest update.
Pp.
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Click to collapse
Nope, I have wiped this phone a million times, reinstalled factory rom over the top of itself a dozen times, installed the baseband and bootloader separately after that and NOTHING changes it still will not work. I have read the complete internet from front to back and it seems nobody knows but the shadow.....Thanks for taking the time for trying to help me out though...

When you say wipe, do you mean factory reset?
Several resets in a row should wipe it clean. Something is stuck, could be the kernel, that will prevent a clean install.
You need to find a way to wipe partitions individually using ADB on the PC, that should allow for a clean install.
Pp.

jackler1 said:
Long story shorter. Phone stolen. Phone had nandroid stored on my computer. Phone replaced by another Note 4 (PS, thief go pound sand). Didn't mess around, stock rom to Note 4 (ANK). Root. Recovery. Old image from lost phone used as recovery. (Yeah I didn't make a backup of original from new phone). Flashed over. Everything works fine. Now ready to put finger prints in. Error page pops up saying fingerprint scanner error. 72 hours of scouring this forum, internet, MULTIPLE stock rom flashes from the oldest to NJK to ANK and COG6. Clean flash, dirty flash NOTHING works. Makes no difference what I do, cannot get the fingerprint scanner to perform. Common problem, complaints all over the internet about it but NO SOLUTIONS. I have tried everything down to deleting directories and I cannot get the damn thing to work. Seriously doubt hardware issue. *#0*# sensor heading shows finger print scanner as Null and 0.0.0.0. Deleted cache. Deleted data from TIBU and now after three days I give up. Seems everyone has the problem but nobody knows why and when they do you get a half assed or worse answer as to how to fix it. Does anybody know how to get this thing working again. Do I need to flash an apk. Where can I find it. Do I need to rebuild. ? Can anyone flash that section fingerprint free and send it to me. I am just guessing. I know crap about how stuff works, I just know how to follow directions but this one has got me stumped.
Any help would be GREATLY APPRECIATED!
Regards,
Freddie did not get fingered but he needs it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
try doing this...
1st - run chainfire triangle away v3.26
2nd - boot into recovery and wipe everything 3 times except external sdcard.. especially data...
3rd - boot in download mode and ODIN whatever firmware u wanna use... 2 times...
happened to me when the note 4 first came out... I had to exchange to a new note 4...
also whenever u do a nandroid.. U MUST REMOVE ANY SAVED FINGERPRINTS... so u can use that backup again..
if u restore a nandroid with a saved frintprints, it won't work, u must delete data and start fresh..
I don't know if u messed it up by restoring a nandroid from a previous phone and with saved fingerprints stored...

will do thanks for the advice will advise

Nope, nothing I do including stock or otherwise works. When you hit +#0*# it says null and 0.0.0.0 unless someone knows something I don't, it's borked. The thing is even if I used a nandroid and it overwrote my fingerprints where the ones in the nandroid so you would think it would work. Chalk it up to who knows....thanks anyway. Still looking if anyone finds solution....

Bootloader fails in Odin, not sure what went wrong

Hello I'm not really that good with mobile tech so excuse my noobness but i decided to dive in and try to root my samsung s6. Here is step by step what i've done so far
Following a few tuts after backups i rooted my phone and verified it with root checker.
Next I downloaded a few popular root apps and removed a bunch of bloatware on the phone
Today I decided to try to install a custom ROM for my phone, after finding a suitable one for my model I proceeded with his guide:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/gal...xtrestolite-deodexed-mod-edition-1-0-t3094423
Next I downloaded all the correct files (I'm confident I double checked)
Now I'm not sure if this is where I went wrong but I installed TWRP custom recovery first
Then I proceeded to install modem with Odin and that went fine it passed and phone restarted
But when I go to install bootloader under BL in Odin it just fails, tried 3 times same result
Can anyone suggest another step in troubleshooting this? If it helps I was running stock samsung os never tinkered with the phone before this
Any advice is appreciated and please let me know if there is any more info i can provide
Thanks
EDIT:
Ok so I posted this late last night after trying to figure it out for a while. This morning I left for work to discover I had no mobile capabilities at all. No data, call, text nothing. Last night I was connected to my wifi at home so I guess I didn't notice. This has been obviously brutal with no communication all day. I tried tinkering a bit with it (did a factory reset through TWRP, tried flashing everything through TWRP) and nothing really helped.
Now I'm not really sure how to proceed so any advice would help as I don't want to brick my phone. What I'm planning on doing next that is the only thing that makes sense to me (again I have very little experience with phones) is to:
1. Re-flash everything through TWRP
2. Re-flash using stock rom, stock bl, and stock modem using Odin
My questions are is there any particular order I need to do this in and also will I have to re-root the phone again after or will this just be the stock rom but still rooted?
Thanks again literally ANY ideas u can throw out here go a long way as I've opened myself a can of worms