yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Verizon Galaxy Note 4 General] K-alz:
Very nice find. Thank you
[Verizon Galaxy Note 4 General] houch80:
When I run the file and select 1 to block, I get the following "The system cannot find the path specified"
[Verizon Galaxy Note 4 General] SlashQuit:
You might be getting that if you're viewing the contents of the zip inside windows/file explorer without all the files actually being extracted.

If that's the case, you may need to extract the contents of the zip first, and then go into the newly extracted folder (Not the 'compressed zip folder' or whatever windows call it now) before attempting to launch the batch file.

If that doesn't help, can you get a screenshot of the error including the c:\blah path part of the command line prompt?

(Feel free to blur out your real name / username part if needed.)
[Verizon Galaxy Note 4 General] houch80:
I have extracted the zip file, using 7zip, to its own folder, I have attached the screen shot as requested
[Verizon Galaxy Note 4 General] :
Move the VZW_Note4_Block_Bloat_V3.zip file to your desktop and right click on the file and select Extract All. This will unzip the file to the VZW_Note4_Block_Bloat_V3 folder on your desktop. Open that folder if you didn't close it after extracting it with the Extract All and run the Block and Unblock Bloat file. Just double click it within the folder and don't move it from the folder it will open it's own command prompt. Attached is a pic of what the folder you need to run the batch file from should look like. If you can't get it working use this method instead, it's a lot easier.

View attachment 3136669
[Verizon Galaxy Note 4 General] houch80:
Sorry I uploaded the wrong screen shot. I replaced it with the correct screen shot, but what does it matter if its on the desktop or in a different directory? It shouldn't matter at all as long as all files in the directory needed. I used 7zip to extract the folder and right clicked on the bat file and ran as administrator
[Verizon Galaxy Note 4 General] :
Ah ok you are doing that part right. Either USB debugging is not enabled or your drivers are not installed. That's about all I can think of.
[Verizon Galaxy Note 4 General] windstrings:
I'm a little confused, have not installed this yet but

1. Once lollipop arrives if it seems ok to update to it, do we need to first unblock everything before allowing ota or just allow ota?

2. When something is blocked like say "Amazon", makes sense that it won't run services on its own, but am I also blocked from activating the app should I want to?

3. If an app is blocked does it appear as Uninstalled and not even visible so it's not there to manually activate by touching the icon anyway if desired?

4. Can we select which to block and which to leave alone? Is this option only in the computer and not the phone right?
[Verizon Galaxy Note 4 General] :
1: I'm pretty sure you will only have to unblock the OTA, I haven't tried yet, I'm still on NI1. All the apps are still on the phone and not removed so I think just unblocking the OTA will be fine.

2: The apps that you block with the script will remain in the "all aps" tab and the ones you can block from the app manager will go to the "turned off" tab.

3: The app will still show in the "all apps" tab but all the options will be greyed out.

4: Yes, the script can be edited with a text editor. Just delete or add what you want. This has to be done on the computer within the script folder.

The easy way is to use this program instead. [MENTION=3178012]gatesjunior[/MENTION] did a excellent job with it. You can select what you want to block or unblock and you can save a list of what you have blocked to re-block them after you take the OTA or un-block them before the OTA. If you are not comfortable editing this script this is the way to go for sure.
[Verizon Galaxy Note 4 General] windstrings:
I confirm on my Note 4 is VVM "visual voice mail" is killed you no longer get the bar notifications either.....

Even when I hibernate it with greenify I have the same problem... Vrzn has it integrated now.......

Best thing I know of is to clear data and cache in VVM and only access VM the old way through the dialer, for some reason I do have to have it active though or I don't get notifications.
[Verizon Galaxy Note 4 General] slimc84:
Is there a way to get this to work with terminal emulator or will this have to be done from a PC or Mac?
[Verizon Galaxy Note 4 General] sbcdave:
The system update is gone from settings, but knox is still listed in my application manager?
[Verizon Galaxy Note 4 General] :
Any app that can't be disabled from the app manager and is disabled by the script or other means will remain in the app list. You might also have to manually stop the app once but it should not start back up. This isn't a problem it's just a limitation without root.
[Verizon Galaxy Note 4 General] sbcdave:
Thanks
[Verizon Galaxy Note 4 General] Chuckd610:
This is definitely a good find. Now I'm looking for all the "non-root" tweaks I can find...lol. This retail edition is killing me, but not as bad as I thought it would. BTW, I just gave up my M8 for the Note 4. Glad I did.
[Verizon Galaxy Note 4 General] pitlv:
There is an easier way to do this, but thanks :D
[Verizon Galaxy Note 4 General] geekonocito:
So if we use this to disable KNOX can we then use cf-auto-root to root then phone and it not trip KNOX although the root method says it will trip know?
[Verizon Galaxy Note 4 General] :
No this dose not affect the locked boot loader that's the obstacle for cf-autoroot. I wish it was that easy.
[Verizon Galaxy Note 4 General] willyum:
log in windows as admin or set the adb with admin permission. not too sure about the second one as it was easier to do the first. its been a long time since programming or it stuff.
[Verizon Galaxy Note 4 General] houch80:
I figured it out. I had to open command prompt as admin, go to the folder and execute the bat file that way. No idea why, but it worked.
[Verizon Galaxy Note 4 General] willyum:
i think it has to do with adb getting the permission to open the package file
[Verizon Galaxy Note 4 General] Lenny2311:
does this work with at&t or only verizon? I'm worried about an OTA lollipop update
[Verizon Galaxy Note 4 General] mademan420:
It should work for any carrier:good:
[Verizon Galaxy Note 4 General] :
If it doesn't use this instead or you can edit the script with the proper app name. I'm not positive if your OTA updater is SDM.apk, it might be something different. Your best bet would be ashing in the AT&T forum for the app name.
[Verizon Galaxy Note 4 General] Piercing Heavens:
Is it safe to take the security update it asks to update and install everyday? Would this ruin my chances of root if I install it?
[Verizon Galaxy Note 4 General] :
Yes, it's safe. The Samsung update can be uninstalled
[Verizon Galaxy Note 4 General] windstrings:
Yes, your link points to what is very simple to use. It removes the blocked app from memory to free up Space and you can get it back if needed.

All ota and knox stuff no longer loads on my vrzn note 4 phone as well as many other bloatware items... Easy peasy.

You can even send your block list to a friend and he can import it to accomplish what you have already done..... Great if you have the same phone and priorities.

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?p=58068827
[Verizon Galaxy Note 4 General] AlpineMan:
Has anyone tried this on a Verizon Galaxy Note Edge?
[Verizon Galaxy Note 4 General] AlpineMan:
I just tried it. Worked fine. Thanks OP!
[Verizon Galaxy Note 4 General] pulpitz:
Tried this on my att note edge and it worked fine. Just wish that there's a complete list of att stock apps and their description so I know what to disable. Thanks
[Verizon Galaxy Note 4 General] Lenny2311:
Hey guys I just did the blocking on my at&t note 4. I am still getting shown the update from at&t software update. I cannot disable the show notifications either or stop the app. Any recommendations?

EDIT: Actually it might have worked. When I click on the app from the notifications menu it doesn't bring anything up so I assume its working. Do you know how to clear it from notifications?
[Verizon Galaxy Note 4 General] Borgador:
I had to add a line to the script. It was a few posts down, about blocking OTA update (com.rm.something?).

After I added that and ran it again the OTA notification went away
[Verizon Galaxy Note 4 General] JOSHSKORN:
So I did this awhile ago, when the guide came out. Apparently, Lollipop is almost here for us. I cannot find the

System Updates

button. Could I have "hidden" it inadvertently by applying this script? See the instruction to get to updating your phone, I will underline the parts I don't see.

Settings > About Phone >

Software Updates > Check for Updates > Download Now
[Verizon Galaxy Note 4 General] SlothlyDX:
Did you unblock? Did you run the unblock script? The block knox and OTA will hide/disable updates until unblocked.
[Verizon Galaxy Note 4 General] JOSHSKORN:
I ran the original script, which I think looked like this, entitled Block Knox & OTA.bat

cls
@echo Off
echo. Press Enter to block bloat.
pause > nul
tools\adb kill-server
echo. WAITING FOR DEVICE
echo. if the script hangs here make sure you have your adb drivers installed
tools\adb wait-for-device
tools\adb shell "pm block com.sec.knox.bridge"
tools\adb shell "pm block com.sec.knox.seandroid"
tools\adb shell "pm block com.sec.enterprise.knox.attestation"
tools\adb shell "pm block com.sec.knox.knoxsetupwizardclient"
tools\adb shell "pm block com.samsung.klmsagent"
tools\adb shell "pm block com.samsung.sdm"
tools\adb shell "pm block com.logiagroup.logiadeck"
tools\adb shell "pm block com.policydm"
tools\adb kill-server
echo. Press Enter to exit.
pause

Would this alone have hidden the button? I do not want to unblock the update, because I'm waiting to see if we're getting root very soon (it might appear that we are), granted, we it hasn't been 100% confirmed and tested, let alone if it'll also work on Lollipop. BUT, if it all checks out, I want to know how to update and unblock the OTA. Not sure if unblocking KNOX would mess things up or not, so I don't want to just run the whole Enable Knox and OTA.bat script.

I do not recall if I ran the Block Bloat Ware.bat script. If the original instructions called for it, I did.
[Verizon Galaxy Note 4 General] :
Yes, the line "tools\adb shell "pm block com.samsung.sdm" blocked the software update and removed the button. If you want to unblock them download and run the script. It is different than the original I posted but dose the same thing. It will either block or unblock by the choices you pick. If it is hard to understand or you are having problems just run this program instead. It's much easier and is 100% compatible with the script I posted.
[Verizon Galaxy Note 4 General] byproxy:
not surprisingly this doesn't work on the lollipop update (i didn't really expect it to but figured i'd try anyway).

is there a version of this knox and ota block for lollipop? it was confirmed that we can downgrade from the ota to KK via odin, but i don't want to get caught by some additional ota update that might prevent us from doing that in the future.

thanks!
[Verizon Galaxy Note 4 General] scarygood536:
Did you make sure to turn on usb debugging again? Also would need to verify package names didnt change

Sent from my bandaid smelling s-pen
[Verizon Galaxy Note 4 General] byproxy:
yup. debugging is set. package names probably changed. hoping someone just updates the bat to work. :)
[Verizon Galaxy Note 4 General] :
This works, I used it last night on the wife's retail phone.
[Verizon Galaxy Note 4 General] JOSHSKORN:
Because I've disabled Knox & OTA, is it advisable to do a FDR, prior to updating to Lollipop? As well as after?

Lets say I just enabled the one line that will enable the OTA update, take the update and don't FDR. Will Knox still be disabled? The code I used to block, was stated already in post 305.
[Verizon Galaxy Note 4 General] mlcampbe:
Uing the info here as well as lists of other apps from XDA threadsI built a shell script that can be used on linux or OSX to hide/unhide various apps including knox and OTA. This is basically the unix version of the windows batch file from the original post with additional blocked apps. I have used the script with kitkat and now with lollipop with no issues so far for me. However, use at your own risk.

There is 1 script for kitkat and another for lollipop depending on which version you are using.

pkgmgr_kk.sh for kitkat

pkgmgr_lp.sh for lollipop

Usage is pretty simply:

"pkgmgr_kk.sh debloat" to hide all of the bloatware, knox, and OTA stuff. See the shell script for a list of packages currently being blocked

"pkgmgr_kk.sh bloat" to re-enabled all of the hidden apps
[Verizon Galaxy Note 4 General] DroidBlaze:
And for those who would rather do this manually the new command in lollipop is pm hide instead of pm block.

adb shell "pm hide com.samsung.sdm"

Instead of

adb shell "pm block com.samsung.sdm"
[Verizon Galaxy Note 4 General] JOSHSKORN:
I'm trying to run Enable KNOX AND OTA and I keep getting the error message: More than one device or emulator. Please help, thanks. I'm trying to take the OTA.
[Verizon Galaxy Note 4 General] gatesjunior:
Run Debloater and unblock all and you should be good to go.

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2998294

V3.85 Debloater(Lets remove all that carrier bloat !! Root not required..)
[Verizon Galaxy Note 4 General] JOSHSKORN:
Thank you. Had a few problems getting debloater to work and connect with my phone. I think the problem was simply the fact that I have BlueStacks running on my computer, so I killed the services and it started to work. I unblocked everything and now my phone is updating. Thanks again! Will check out this tool after I update.
[Verizon Galaxy Note 4 General] droid745:
Is there an app I can run on my phone to run this block command or do I need to do it on a computer with adb.
[Verizon Galaxy Note 4 General] :
I believe you can run each line from the block script in terminal mode. Just open the bat file with notepad or a text app and use the code below as an example. This one is for the OTA updater.

adb shell "am force-stop com.samsung.sdm"
[Verizon Galaxy Note 4 General] droid745:
I might just have to try on my computer, using terminal emulator I get a permission denied message when trying to block com.samsung.sdm
[Verizon Galaxy Note 4 General] ceno78:
I have a question, my note 4 popped up the notification that it had downloaded the update part 1 of the 2 part update for lolipop and wanted to install it. (which I didn't). I chose to install later (like 1am) but to do it manually so it would just ask again. I successfully ran the blocker provided here. But I was wondering is where the location to the update.zip file is on my phone so I can remove it? My phone is not rooted and I just don't really care to root at this time. Is there a way to clear the update cache and remove that update.zip from the phone?
[Verizon Galaxy Note 4 General] :
Enter the stock recovery and clear cache. Vol up+home+power when powering on the phone.
[Verizon Galaxy Note 4 General] DroidBlaze:
Yep. I'm pretty sure terminal emulator won't have proper permission without root. Would need to use adb through a computer or that debloater by gatesjunior. Either way a computer is necessary.
[Verizon Galaxy Note 4 General] ceno78:
Ahh, thanks a lot!
[Verizon Galaxy Note 4 General] droid745:
Well I got adb working and was able to get the block com.samsung.sdm command to work. The check for update button is now missing in my settings menu. Does this block the ota update checker from working altogether or does it just block the update pop ups/notifications from showing on the screen.

Also, the pre lollipop upate that is needed before the lollipop update can be installed was installed on my phone this morning before I could get the sdm blocked. Does this update do much on the verizon note 4's? I am hoping it does not do much or make any real changes as I was happy with how 4.4.4 was running on my note 4.

Thanks
[Verizon Galaxy Note 4 General] :
This blocks the OTA altogether. You should be fine where you are but if you see any undesirable differences you can Odin back to NJ5.
[Verizon Galaxy Note 4 General] droid745:
Thank you
[Verizon Galaxy Note 4 General] Starphish:
Thanks for this. I had path problems, but after moving the bat file into the tools folder, and removing all instances of "tools/" it was a go.

Only one question... where is the "packages" list I generated? Is that on the phone, or PC?
[Verizon Galaxy Note 4 General] :
You are welcome. The file is generated on the PC in the directory you run the bat file.
[Verizon Galaxy Note 4 General] Starphish:
Even through I ran this from ... /Desktop/tools, the packages file ended up in System32. Go figure. Thanks for pointing me to the PC.
[Verizon Galaxy Note 4 General] stillmat1k:
Does this process block knox / Work with latest version of Lollipop?

Hi,

I'm curious to find out whether or not this process will block "Knox", which correct me if i'm wrong... is what shows Verizon when, if, and how many times I've rooted my phone (bastards... :mad:) Also, will this work with the latest version of Lollipop on my Note 4 (5.0.1)?

If it does work with my phone and actually block "Knox", will I then technically be able to root my phone without "tripping" Knox? I Haven't rooted my phone in forever because of this, and considering how many warranty replacements I get, this would be a life saver! :angel:

Thanks in advance.

**Edit: I just realized "(KitKat Only)" in the post title... Sorry for being an idiot :\ Can anyone still answer whether or not there is a way to block Knox somehow on the latest OS or if there's a way to root without tripping Knox? I would love to go back to being rooted again but don't want to void my warranty. :)
[Verizon Galaxy Note 4 General] outcasted2003:
There is no root for the retail note 4. But there is a disable available for LP now. Check the 1st post for version 3.85
[Verizon Galaxy Note 4 General] gatesjunior:
I have updated the OP to be accurate now..
[Verizon Galaxy Note 4 General] stillmat1k:
Thanks for the info. When you say there is a disable available, do you mean disabling bloat apps or disabling Knox?
[Verizon Galaxy Note 4 General] outcasted2003:
Can disable both bloat and Knox with the latest version.
[Verizon Galaxy Note 4 General] stillmat1k:
Does this mean I'd be able to root without triggering the Knox counter? I don't plan on flashing a custom ROM, I just want to root and use an app that requires root. I'm new to rooting the Note 4 but I believe you have to flash a new recovery in order to root it, and doing so triggers the Knox counter which in turn voids your warranty. Sorry if i'm repeating myself, just trying to make sure i'm not voiding my warranty. :confused:
[Verizon Galaxy Note 4 General] :
No, there is no root for the retail version yet.
[Verizon Galaxy Note 4 General] syypher:
I tried this out. I downgraded to 4.4.4. I then ran the batch file before it even started downloading the new software update for lolipop.

Everything on the update ran as "true." I even added some custom stuff to block bloatware and they were getting force stopped and blocked.

However, once I connected to WiFi a couple minutes later I saw the "Downloading Software Update..." So it's still trying to update to lolipop. Damn :crying:

Can anyone give me a suggestion? I don't want to go to lolipop. I miss my incredible 2 days worth of battery life...
[Verizon Galaxy Note 4 General] niel4:
Disabling Bloat Affecting Gear VR?

Hey everyone, I ended up using the disable bloat and block OTA from this thread a few months ago (the download date I have says late December 2014), on my Verizon Note 4. Shortly after, I bought the Gear VR and couldn't set up the software on the headset till I did a firmware upgrade, so I ran the enable script that was included in the downloaded "block knox and OTA" zip (there were two scripts to run, a disable bloat/ota and enable bloat/ota), did the upgrade and everything went fine with the VR.

Later the announcement for lollipop on the note 4 came out, so I reran the script to block the ota. About that time, I noticed that when connected to the VR headset and in the Oculus store, whenever I tried to download and install a new app from the Oculus store, it would download, but upon trying to install the app, it would come up with an error message saying something went wrong and to try again later. Well, I tried again later (days), thinking it was something on the Oculus store server end, but it still never let me install any apps. I've reached out to Oculus support and have been working with them to try and get the store to install apps, but it's actually made the situation worse. We uninstalled everything Oculus on my phone (Oculus store, home, installer, shell... everything) and now when I connect my phone to the headset it gives me the usual "please remove your headset and download the required software for oculus" and I get all the way through the setup wizard until I have come to install the oculus apps, and it will download the first app, but error out at installation.

My question for this thread is, I've noticed when I run the disable bloat script, it disables some samsung, knox, and also some facebook stuff, but when I run the enable script, none of the facebook stuff shows up as reenabled. Oculus support mentioned that Oculus might be having issues if facebook services are messed up. Is there anyway I can verify or reenable the facebook stuff that got disabled? I'm not entirely convinced that this is the issue because my original enable bloat/ota allowed me to install the Oculus software and apps for weeks... I would think if I used the same enable script, the oculus store shouldn't have problems anymore, but no matter what I do, I still can't get past the startup wizard for my Oculus.

Any help or direction is appreciated!

Thanks
[Verizon Galaxy Note 4 General] cleopete:
I installed the Samsung drivers, enabled USB debugging and ran the script, but it hangs while waiting for device. Rebooted, no change. Windows can see the phone and sd card just fine.

[Edit:] ...and almost as soon as I posted this, I got the "Permission to enable USB Debugging ?" prompt on the phone. I'm good now, thanks!
[Verizon Galaxy Note 4 General] doctor-cool:
It works as advertised.

I have tested this and it works.

I started with a Retail Verizon Note 4 and used this http://xdaforums.com/note-4-verizon/general/how-to-roll-to-kk-4-4-4-lollipop-5-0-1-t3097054 to roll back from LP to KK. Afterward I ran this script on KK and it stopped the Verizon OTA update until I ran the script again and selected to remove the block. Then I used the Phones' own System Update to update back to LP. It works as advertised.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Side bar.....WHAT WAS I DOING?

I had two Note 4's on two different operating systems. One Retail the other is the DE. I was trying to get the app Multiwindow Plus to work on the Retail Note 4. I found out It needs root to work. I also found out that the free app MW Apps Manager only works on KK with root and that you have to use the paid version MW Commander with LP , root is required. And on LP without root you can use MW-PEN Enabler or edit the apk's yourself.

Even though I think KitKat is easier to customize, I think I'm going to keep both my Note 4's on LP because I think Google Chrome, Chromecast, Google Maps and everything Google is optimized for the latest version of the operating system. Thanks for the script but I'm moving on to LP.
[Verizon Galaxy Note 4 General] gadsden:
First of all, thanks for the post and sharing this. I am able to run the script, but every time it runs, it just instantly closes the command line window. I even tried opening the packaged adb and it starts up then just closes on me. I am unable to run the script to verify the debloat because it runs and flashed something for only a split second before closing. Any idea what's going on here?
[Verizon Galaxy Note 4 General] treyjazz:
Open the .bat with an editor and add a new line:

PAUSE