[Sprint Samsung Galaxy Note 3] topherk:
Thankfully, it's not nearly as easy to brick a Note 3 (at least compared to the S3... man it was tough helping people with that phone, so many bricks!).

It's considered bad form to link specific ROMs in a Q&A thread, since each ROM is catered to a different demographic (and some people might get in a huff if you neglect their favorite ROM). What I will do, however, is let you know the steps I've taken whenever I root and install a new ROM.

I'll explain how to install a custom ROM and some common things to think about/check prior to installing anything:

Installing a Custom ROM

Step 1 - Gather Information

First off, you need to know what version of Android your phone currently is running. This is easily done by looking in the Settings Menu -> General -> About Device.

The Main things we are looking at on this screen are Software Version, Model Number, Android Version, and Baseband Version. I'll explain these (to the best of my knowledge) below:

Software Version:

This is the "type" of Android that you're running. Rather than quoting the entire name, we typically only refer to the last 3 characters (MJ4, NAB, NC5, etc.). Stock Note 3 devices will (most-likely) be running one of 3 different versions of TouchWiz (TW):

MJ4 - This is the last Jellybean version of TW for the Sprint Note 3​

NAB - This is the first KitKat TW version for the Sprint Note 3​

NC5 - This is the second KitKat TW version for the Sprint Note 3​

NH7 - This is the latest KitKat TW version for the Sprint Note 3​

The reason that we are concerned with the Software Version is that between the MJ4 and NAB versions, there were major changes. So if you're running MJ4, you will have to do additional steps before flashing a custom ROM based on a newer version. And if you're on NAB or NC5, you will not be able to go back to MJ4, so beware what you're flashing.

For the most part, if you're on NH7, you can flash either a NH7 or NC5 custom ROM, but just read the ROM's FAQ to see if there are any issues with doing so.

Model Number:

Most people don't worry about this, but I always do when looking at a new ROM. The Sprint Note 3 is different from the Verizon Note 3, which is also different from the International Note 3. It's always best to double-check that the ROM you're trying to install is truly meant for your device. This simple check will prevent a LOT of potential issues you'll get when installing a ROM.

Android Version:

This is just an additional check to the Software Version. Always best to know.

Baseband Version:

The Baseband is, unless I'm mistaken, the "kernal" for the phone's cellular and 4G radios. Sometimes upgrading (or downgrading) the Baseband can help with signal strength and reception. Some users have noted that they got better reception on older Baseband versions. I haven't personally looked into it and the reports from other users seem somewhat anecdotal, but it's good to know which Baseband you're on.

The Baseband is independent from the ROM version, so you can run an older Baseband (MJ4 or NAB) on a newer ROM (NC5), and vice-versa.

The last bit of information you need to know is the Bootloader Version. The way to find this information is to reboot your device. When you see the text on the screen, you should look for the Bootloader Version. It'll be a long string of characters, but you're only looking for the last 3 (MJ4, NAB, or NC5).

Once you have all the above information, you should be ready to start the fun process of preparing your phone to flash your first ROM.

Step 2 - Backup your Media

First thing: Backup all of your media to your computer. If there's pictures/music/videos/recordings you don't want to lose, back them up. It's just good practice. Don't lose all your cat pictures because you flashed something and it somehow erased your internal storage. I tend to keep everything of importance on the External Storage, but there are times where even external storage can be wiped, so it's best to back up everything to a PC.

Step 3 - Upgrade your Phone to the latest Stock ROM (NH7)

This only is a MUST applies if you're running an older version and want to install a NH7 ROM. Most continually-developed ROMs are either NC5 or NH7 now, so the first things first: Update your phone to NH7.

Go over to

micmar's thread

and download the One-Click File. It will remove Root, but don't worry, because when you install a new ROM, it will automatically include root access.

Follow the instructions in his thread and your phone will now be fully upgraded.

At this point, your "About Device" should show the following:

Software Version: N900PVPUCNH7

Android Version: 4.4.4

Baseband Version: N900PVPUCNH7

Reboot your phone and let it sit for a minute so it can get it's bearings.

Step 4 - Install a Custom Recovery

So far, we've been flashing everything in ODIN. Now, we're going to use ODIN one last time to flash a custom recovery, so that you can flash custom ROMs without the need of a computer.

The most-commonly used Custom Recovery is TWRP (

XDA Link

). You'll want to use the latest version, 2.8.0.

Flash this in ODIN. You should use the "PDA" or the "AP" Slot.

Reboot your phone to make sure it works correctly.

Step 5 - Make a Nandroid Backup of your device

If you don't know what a Nandroid backup is, don't worry. It's basically just taking your phone as is and making a backup of it. In case you make a mistake or flash a bad download of a ROM, this allows you to restore your system. I always keep my backups on the External Storage (microSD Card), so in case I have to wipe my internal storage, it's not a big deal. You can also copy the files over to your PC, just to be more paranoind about your nandroid backups (rhyming is fun!).

You do this by restarting into Recovery (power down device, hold down home button and volume up while powering on phone).

Once in TWRP, go to "backup." Make sure the storage selected is "external storage." This screen will have various options of what to backup. I typically choose everything except external storage. Typically, backups range from 1-2 Gigs.

For me, backups typically take 5-10 minutes to do. In my opinion, this is totally worth it, since I can always restore a backup with no issues.

Step 6 - Install a Custom ROM

Once you choose your custom ROM from the

Development Section

, follow the instructions on the original post to install it. I'll give a general outline of what I do whenever installing a new ROM, but sometimes a custom ROM will have specific instructions, so you want to make sure to read the posts carefully.

Generic Instructions for Installing a ROM:

Download ROM and check the md5

Internet being spotty in my area, I always check the md5 to make sure that the file downloaded correctly. You can check the md5 using

this windows program

or using a file explorer on your phone like

ES File Explorer

. I always copy the ROM zip file to my external SDcard.

Reboot to Recovery

Wipe Data, System, Cache, and Dalvik Cache

This is called a "Clean Wipe," meaning it will wipe out your installed Apps and the data associated with them. Some people will claim that "Dirty Flashing" (i.e. not wiping the above) is OK, but I've seen too many apps Force Closing (FC-ing) when dirty flashing. Also, if you dirty-flash and encounter an issue with a ROM, the first piece of advice is to do a clean install. Might as well do that initially and hopefully not run into any issues.

Install the Custom ROM

Pretty straight-forward on how to do this... just click "Install" and then browse to the place your copied the ROM zip file.

Reboot your phone and run through the typical initial start-up information (google account, etc).

Once you get your phone set up the way you like (apps, accounts, wifi passwords, etc), I'd make another Nandroid backup, just so you have one where it's setup with everything you need. This will make any issues less painful, since you'd restore a backup that's already setup.

Step 7 - Further Considerations

If you ever want to try a new ROM, all you have to do is repeat step 6. Beware, though, people easily become flashaholics when they first figure this stuff out. :D

If you were paying attention to my "Generic Instructions" when installing a ROM, you'd notice that every time you do a Clean Install of a ROM, you lose all your apps... All of your Angry Birds 3-Star levels are gone!

Well, there are ways to get prevent losing that data... One is by "Dirty Flashing" (Not wiping the "system" or "data" partitions before flashing a ROM in TWRP). This is common practice among users here on XDA, but is typically frowned upon by ROM devs. I've noticed that a good number of issues on ROM threads stem from people Dirty Flashing. It typically causes more problems than it solves.

The other way of backup up and restoring app data (prior to wiping) is by using

Titanium Backup

. I could write up a long post on how to use Titanium Backup (TiBu), but the main things to remember are the following:

White line items are fine to be restored (both Data and Apps).

Restoring Yellow line items is typically OK (Data only).

Restoring system apps or data (red line items in TiBu) is typically a bad idea.

I've been using TiBu for the past 2-3 years and it's typically worked like a charm. Sometimes, when there's a major Android Update (like from JellyBean to KitKat), it can become broken, but the Developer is really responsive and gets it to work within a few weeks. If you upgrade to PRO, you can schedule automatic app backups (I backup all my user apps every night at 3am). You can also restore apps/data from Nandroid Backups (which is great if you do a Nandroid backup but had forgotten to update your TiBu backups).

In Summary

Whew, that was a lot to write... I'm a Structural Engineer, not a Software Engineer, so I don't know the technical side of things like bootloaders or basebands, but hopefully none of the information I provided was false.

Anyways, let me know if you have any problems with the install. I appreciate any feedback!