yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] droidstyle:
Detailed instructions are in the op...download vramc3 and follow the directions to the T.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] choobacca80:
does anyone know if the bootloader unlocking is still under construction for 4.3 or is it pretty impossible?
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] tomlang:
Note 2 problem after using mobile odin to flash MJ9

I think I know what happened, but have no clue how to get back on track.

I was running beans' build 22, then used mobile odin to flash the MJ9 firmware. All looked good and the radio was updated, I had problems likely caused by mobile odin not flashing all the files. Now i cannot get the device into download mode in order to use jodin3 to re-flash the firmware.

I tried the web based jodin, the jar file version, and also heimdall. None recognize the device in download mode. I tried my old nexus device, and it was recognized, so the problem is in the device not the cable or computer/software.

Did mobile odin flash anything beyond the MJ9 radio? Would using mobile odin to flash an older radio bring it back to as it once was, or was some other file beside the radio flashed. What can I flash with mobile odin to put it back the way it was?

I looked inside the MJ9 tar file, and it has five files within it:

hidden.img

modem.bin

param.bin

tombstones.img

tz.img
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] gsmsudan:
Thanks Droidstyle.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] johnp357:
i did this but the radios isn't working. i'm currently stuck at the setup wizard and can't get past it. how do I install a radio for vramc3?

thanks. I screwed my phone all over the place. help
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] BoostedB18C:
This is the thread that has the radios to flash in recovery

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?p=50036505

Sent From My Sticky Note, Too?
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] johnp357:
messed up

thanks.

I got the radios to work. my device is now really screwed up. I'm on the original VRAMC3 but my recover disappeared. I think the PIT file screwed up my partitions. ODIN doesn't seem to work in reinstalling Recovery. Could I reinstall Adam's casual on top of a phone that seems to have root and the bootloader open? this is driving me crazy... please help!!
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] BoostedB18C:
You aren't supposed to use Odin for recovery. What you need to do is restore to stock to clear everything up. What version were you on when you first used casual? Use that version under This guide in section 1b with the put file. Then once it boots normally, use casual to unlock

Sent From My Sticky Note, Too?
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] johnp357:
believe me if I could go back the 48 hours of trying to figure this out, I wouldn't have done it. it started out when I lost access to recovery during an flash of beans 23. everything went down hill from there. I will give casual a go again. thanks.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] BoostedB18C:
first restore to stock so you have a clean start. But do not use the mj9 4.3 file

Sent From My Sticky Note, Too?
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] johnp357:
baseband says i605vruemj9 for 4.1.2 but I assume that it's locked. should I use ODIN to try and put in the other radio?
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] BoostedB18C:
That means you flashed the mj9 firmware on a 4.1.2 rom to prepare for flashing a 4.3 rom. But if you are saying that your phone is all messed up, start from scratch and restore to stock using the guide in the OP. Until you do that, you could just be running in circles.

Sent From My Sticky Note, Too?
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] johnp357:
everything works. interesting fact, i've recovered 2 gigabites of space from the internal drive after going through this ridiculous exercise. at least something good came out of it. i wonder why that is....
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] donaldanttila:
I've never been so confused about where to start at rooting this phone especially when I started reading this thread. I came from thunderbolt rooted to ics so I'm not totally lost. I bought this note 2 last week it has done two updates in two days and is running 1605VRUEMJ9 4.3. I did find a way to root with saferoot.zip but it says I can't switch roms. The ads were driving me nuts. Could someone just tell me in plain English please what to download. Do I need to back down from this version to get recovery to switch roms. I'm sorry to be a noob but rooting has came along ways since thunderbolt
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] BoostedB18C:
Since you are on the 4.3 OTA, all you can do is root. You have a locked bootloader so you can't get custom recovery or rom. What you have is what you get. As it looks right now, there isn't going to be a way to unlock it unless safestrap gets worked out for the i605.

Sent From My Sticky Note, Too?
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] assky:
Software Brick Help!!

Hi all,

I had been testing some roms with 4.3 android and MJ9 software installed, something was wrong and I have a software brick, I run the odin with pit file and VRAMC3 KIES, but still cant reboot, what I doing wrong?

Im stuck in bootloops in Samsung Logo then an android logo, I cant enter to recovery only into odin mode.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] ry_t:
Are any developers working on getting the bootloader unlocked?I miss tethering :(
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] Dancershrink:
Had to replace my phone and the asurion replacement was already updated to the latest. You can still root and use foxfi. Xposed theme engine also works. We just can't install custom recoveries/roms/kernels with the locked bootloader. :(
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] ry_t:
saferoot method says it can't detect my phone on my netbook and it says there'there's too many adapters or something like that on my desktop.I'm lost :x
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] ITAdmin:
Not sure I understand this thread?

I too am confused as DonaldDantilla is!

I have read this from top to bottom and back again and I'm not sure I understand this completely. My N2 was upgraded without my permission as it didn't give me any option to defer or to reject!

If this is, will it let me either go back to 4.1.1, root and install a custom ROM if I want to?

I was happy with the 4.1.1 as it pretty much did what I needed, but the 4.3 removed my wireless tether and THAT is something I need.

Since the update, my browser doesn't work properly anymore and trying to stream audio is almost impossible. Verizon support told me I needed to do a factory restore, but that means I have to spend hours reinstalling all apps and settings etc and I don't think I should have to spend MY valuable time fixing their screwup?

If I can bring this back to 4.1.1, will it operate like it did before the 4.3 upgrade?

What, if any, are the repercussions of doing this?

I'm not sure what this "Knox" thing is?

Is the Note 3 rootable? If it is, I may just sell my N2 and get an N3.

Is it legal for Verizon to screw with a device that I bought and paid for? I have many friends whe are attorney's and if it's not legal, I will talk with them and see what I can do to get damages from them.

Sorry for all the questions, just want to know what I can and cannot do.

If someone IS able to give me a little advice and handholding here, I will be happy to donate to the cause, actually either way I will send something! I do have a warranty on this phone which I used once when the phone got knocked off a counter and broke the screen and they said they would only honor the warranty one more time, so I don't want to try this on my own. I don't mind trying and if it bricks, it bricks, but if someone can help me a little so I at least do all the correct steps, I'll do it. I have several apps installed and from what I understand, they should reinstall themselves? Is there a way to just downgrade back to the 4.1.1 without wiping everything?

Thanks VERY much for any help!

ITADMIN
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] Dancershrink:
If you took they 4.3 OTA you can root your phone using saferoot. That will allow you to install ad-blocking software, as well as other apps that require root. Xposed works so you can make changes using it (including Xtheme Engine). You can not unlock the bootloader so can not install custom recoveries or flash roms. It also prevents you from backing down to a previous version (e.g. 4.1). If you attempt any of those things you will soft brick your phone. I had to replace my phone and Asurion sent me one that was already updated. It's frustrating not to be able to flash any of the great roms that people are developing, but between Xposed Framework and Foxfi (for tethering) I can actually make most of the modifications I need. Hope this helps.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] ry_t:
is the Verizon hot spot icon suppose to be up there? Never seen that on my older phones with Foxfi.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] droidstyle:
Edit* I added some notations in the OP to help clarify things.

1) once you upgrade to the latest firmware version via OTA or Odin you can not revert back to older versions. If you try to do this Odin will fail at sboot.bin.

2) once the 4.3 update has been taken via odin or OTA, you can not unlock your bootloader but you can still root.

3) root66 can be used to go back to 4.1 but your bootloader will remain on the latest version. Reason being root66 is a modified odin image that contains no bootloaders.

Further explanation can be found in my thread over in the Q&A section.

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2196891
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] celticpride34:
So I just restored back to VRAMC3 on my new replacement note using this guide and Odin (green passs!). I'm trying to get as stock as possible because I have to send this replacement Note back to Verizon seeing as how they sent it to me to alleviate my 4.3 issues (Worst."Rom". Ever.) and the screen went dead 8 hours after receiving it (lemon). So I cant see what state the phone is in but for some reason the odin process didnt wipe everything. The TWRP folder is still present on the internal memory but there is only a backup folder inside of that, no recovery folder. It still has my wifi info and gmail stuff, all my user data, because it boots right into android and gives me an old email notification. I am comfidant that it replaced TWRP with stock recovery, as I was able to go into recovery mode and choose the first option, reboot system now, and it did. I had only auto reboot, reset f. time, and repartition checked.

I'm thinking of taking it to the samsung store to have him flash 4.3 to be sure that everything is wiped and there is no root traces. I was on stock after I rooted via Casual, so Im not worried about system size checking or whatever on that end. But I dont know if it still is rooted or how to tell without a screen and Im not sure how that would effect the update process if it still was.

Any help on this is greatly appreciated.

<OSM> All threads completed. (succeed 1 / failed 0)

Many thanks for this guide, DroidStyle.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] alphamale:
Did you find a fix I'm in the same boat right now. Tried to odin back and to stock and I get boot screen then phone just shuts off
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] oneders65:
I would try flashing beans town mj9 firmware. You cannot go backwards once you flashed the mj9 firmware. If that doesn't work flash beanstown mj9 with the pit file. Don't flash the mj9 ota because you will lose root and lock your bootloader.

---------- Post added at 12:18 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:16 AM ----------

BTW if you tried to flash 4.3 roms and your bootloader was locked. Your screwed.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] SwiftLegend:
So I've been running the 4.4.2 PA-rom since it came out and it has been working flawlessly. When I got home (~7:30pm), I put my phone to charge and haven't touched it until just a few minutes ago (~12:30). Found my phone just sitting at the Samsung boot screen and it wouldn't move past that even after multiple reboots or wiping data/cache. Tried flashing different roms via adb sideloading because both the internal and external SD cards refuse to mount, but kept getting status 7 errors

Would it be OK to use one of the ODIN packages in the OP to downgrade from 4.4.2 to 4.1.2
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] spiderbolt:
Delete
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] assky:
No fix, the phone has restarted but I had to use the octopus box, but without IMEI, still cant find solution.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] assky:
Finally I found the solution, only had to reflash the firmware for the 4.3 rom

This file

toltevzw_mj9_official_firmware.tar.md5

:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] Mmmjj123:
so i flash the pit and the root 66 firmware and it passes in odin and reboots the phone but the phone stay on the boot screen...not sure what to do but i really need help...i have read all over in search of a solution. i would greatly appreciate it.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] falkon114:
I'm experiencing the exact same thing. Went through, flashed Root66, boot, get the Samsung Note 2 screen, then blackness indefinitely. Used odin 3.07 and the files in the OP.

Trying to go back to stock from Liquid JB 2.37, Android V 4.3.1, baseband I605VRALL4. Thoughts? Ideas? Suggestions? Restored back from my TWRP backup and i'm up and running fine, but want to see what stock feels like again.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] thecensor:
Try booting to recovery then wipe caches and restore to factory.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] droidstyle:
Read step 7 clearly...if you are stuck in a bootloop or stuck at the boot screen then power off and boot into stock recovery. From there you need to wipe data/ factory reset. Root66 does not wipe data and depending what rom you came from can cause the device to not fully boot up.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] droidstyle:
Yes. 4.4.2 did not upgrade your bootloader.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] kkemp31:
I'll trade you
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] lisalover1:
I just returned to stock and then downloaded the latest OTA update after using SkyNote previously, but now I get stuck on the first "Samsung Galaxy Note II" screen on boot. Also, I can't seem to get back to the recovery menu via VolUp+Home+Power.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] Fleat:
32GB pit file

I am cross posting this from the troubleshooting section in hopes someone has the solution. I had to flash a 16gb PIT File on my 32GB Note II to recover from a rather nasty soft brick. Does anyone have a 32GB PIT file they can upload?
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] lacoursiere18:
Not sure one exists in the forum.. 32gb internal right?

Maybe it's possible to use the 16gb pit but not positive about that one..

What's your situation... or what happened
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] Fleat:
Well, I was running on TWRP 2.5, Jellybeans (an old one) and decided to flash to AllianceRom due to some issues I was having. So I made a backup, flashed to MJ9 using Odin, factory reset & wiped data, and installed AllianceRom. It seemed to work until I started updating apps, and it reset itself. It went into an endless boot loop with a black screen after the Samsung logo.

I tried several different roms / re-flashes /restores after that with the same results. I also upgraded to TWRP 2.7, and reflashed several roms with the same results. When nothing else worked, I decided to try to flash Route66 with Odin. I tried that a couple of times, and eventually tried doing it with NAND wipe on. This all resulted in the same black screen issue.

I finally ended up just trying to 16GB pit file along with the route66 rom, and this brought me out of the funk. After that, I was able to flash the JETT rom which seems to be working somewhat okay. I lost the extra 16gb internal of course. So my goal is to find a 32gb pit file to fix the lost space.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] jameyscott:
Bah! Just got done replacing the motherboard in my Note 2 only to find out it has been updated to OTA 4.3. Father-in-law gave me his old note 2 that he lost (esn blacklisted) and then gave me another (clean esn) with a cracked screen. Sadly the new mobo has OTA 4.3 which means no custom roms for me.

StraightTalk gave me the run-a-round today. They cut off my service because the ESN was blacklisted. Even though I was using it on GSM towers. Bah. It's been awhile since I've messed with my phone, but I guess I don't need a custom ROM as long as I can root and unlock GSM features. That is something that I can still do, correct?

Is this phone actually still being developed for? I mean, is there any hope of actually having an unlocked bootloader? I haven't really kept up with phone stuff and using the search didn't bring any relevant information to my questions. Guess I need to give my GoogleFu a shot at it.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] droidstyle:
I doubt the latest update will ever be unlocked. Yes there is plenty development going on for those that did not take the update...look underneath this thread. :)
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] droidstyle:
Not that I have seen. You might try contacting Beanstown on twitter and see if he knows something.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] ifitwasnt4u:
I just flashed back to stock on my Note2 and when it gets to the "activation" screen, it gets stuck because no radio is available. How can i get past that?
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] SlyG07:
Guide Still Valid

Hi Everyone,

I'm now in the market for rooting my Note II. I was wondering if this guide all the way on pg. 1 is still valid? I'm on android version 4.3 and would like a completely stock Note II without any bloatware. The current build number on my phone is as follows: JSS15J.I605VRUEMJ9.

P.S. Can someone PM me or reply back to this post forwarding me to where I can find more information concerning the difference between bootloader/unlock/rooting and the legality behind it? Since I last rooted my HTC Thunderbolt waaaaay back, I haven't been up to date with the current information concerning the topic. I would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks in advance,

SlyG07
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] BoostedB18C:
Look in the original android development thread for the safe strap thread. Since you are on the 4.3 ota, you can not use the regular method for root, recovery, rom.

Here is the link for the safe strap thread

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?p=51339827

Sent From My Sticky Note, Too?
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] droidstyle:
Thanks for the help Boost!! When I get a chance Ill make a note in my guide about SafeStrap for the Locked 4.3 N2's.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] xredjokerx:
Hello,

I am reading and reading this thread, but wanted some clarification.

I unlocked my note 2 back when it was still on 4.1.1. Recently, I installed AllianceROM and installed the MJ9 firmware as required. Now I am running SlimKat 4.4.2.

My recovery is giving me /data/data/... I/O errors when backing up and I want to wipe the device and start fresh. Would I want to flash the route66 firmware, then go into recovery and reflash my rom (and repartition with PIT)? Please advise.

The last thing I want is to lose my custom rom ability. thank you in advance
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] r_hippy:
Being you rooted a while ago..

Have you updated twrp?

If not grab goo manager from the play store and from the menu install recovery. This will install the current version.. See if this fixes the issue.

Other than that I can't think or anything..
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] xredjokerx:
i've used the latest twrp and the latest philz cwm. Not sure how to proceed without either wiping all my internal user data (MTP sucks) or doing a complete wipe.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] r_hippy:
A factory reset should be all you need to get a clean install.

I just did my wife's note 2 this past weekend.. Using the latest twrp

Backed up. Factory wipe / reset.

Flashed the 4.3 modem kernel and rom and everything is perfect..

Sorry I'm out of ideas..

Hope someone can chime in to help u
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] Summit1:
Try FoxFi for tethering . . . it works just fine on stock 4.3!
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] spiderbolt:
can I use this method to gain root on 4.3 I know I cannot have unlocked bootloader. I need root to be able to run safestrap and I am not sure how to do that I remember reading somewhere that u can root 4.3 just don't remember were or how to do it
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] newbroot83:
Use saferoot. It wont trip know and takes about 2 minutes
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] serpa4:
Phone wont boot

I was trying to flash this rom and flashed one for a 7100 not the vzw 605. Anyway, while changing roms again, something went wrong.

My phone will not boot or even turn on, dead, battery is 70%, plugged in via USB, nothing. No screen, leds, etc. A dead phone. Odin doesn't see it of course either.

Not even sure what I can do without being able to get into any boot mode. No button combination works (down/home/power or up/home/power or power for 10sec). Any suggestions?
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] oneders65:
I would search JTAG recovery.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] aarongillion63:
Quick Question

Does flashing the stock ROM (4.1.2) wipe data/break apps if you're on the same ROM? (4.1.2?)

I am trying to find the best solution to *NOT* lose my data. I heard that root66 can break some apps and break the boot, especially with the downgrade to 4.1.1.

Thanks, I just might donate to anyone replying with experience on this!

--

Verizon Galaxy Note II (SCH-i605) -- BRICKED
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] Android_Fr3ak:
GPS

Need some help. I was rooted and unlocked in the past. I did a return to stock a long time ago. However, I have no GPS lock. Is there anyway I can now fix this?

Thanks.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] aarongillion63:
Use ADB to push a configured GPS.conf to the device. The stock one is crap. Also, a tip that helped me, make sure all of your screws are screwed in around the battery. If they are, tighten them a turn. Somehow this helped me get a connection. Must be a ground source.

<<< Please say thanks if I was of help!
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] iooooooc:
You could use this method

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2615587

It has also been re-written here

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2690033

There is also

speculation

that this method can downgrade your phone from 4.3 to 4.1

If you try it, please let us know in the other threads if it works
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] sbcdave:
Did you try a battery pull (not plugged in) then put battery back in, then plug in and see if the charging light comes on. If it does, let it charge for a while and try odin again
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] aarongillion63:
By the way, I answered my own question. Flashing stock 4.1.2 does *NOT* wipe data or even settings, if you were originally on 4.1.2. Just in case anyone was wondering. The Root66 method claims to not wipe data, and I wouldn't disagree with that, but if you're on 4.1.2 and downgrade to 4.1.1 you will be likely to come across errors (broken apps, stuck on splash screen, etc). In the worst case, you could still back up your files via adb. With Samsung having its own text messaging app you will lose your text messages (if anyone knows otherwise please post).

Special thanks to [MENTION=4065904]droidstyle[/MENTION] for helping me on this.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] dartdc97:
Hey all, i am currently trying to add a custom rom to safestrap on my verizon note 2. I successfully rooted the phone, installed safestrap, backed up phone and downloaded my rom of choice, but when i enter safestrap and choose boot options to try and create a rom slot, it tells me that i have 0 MB of free space. Im not sure what im doing wrong,as i know i have more than 0MB of storage lol if someone can please point me in the right direction it would be greatly appreciated! FTR, i am running safstrap 3.72 on a note 2 with stock OTA 4.3 rom

SORRY! Just read the project status...
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] droidstyle:
You are welcome...also next time you want help you do not have to bribe by saying you will donate and never actually donate;)

I would help you regardless and I never expect any donations :highfive:
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II] droidstyle:
No worries...:)