[Galaxy Note 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] sunnyy15:
Cooking for Galaxy Note 4 SM-N910W8

Hello All,

Thanks for the great job done and for keeping this thread alive. I have gone through all the important posts, and before I will start doing anything on my phone, I would like anybody who has the knowledge to clear me on specific topics that were not exclusively discussed. I would keep some of the applications that were de-bloated, just to avoid breaking other functionalities, and again some files do not occupy significant spaces in the memory. Moreover, I would like to add a universal CSC files. So, help me to learn how to add & remove things by myself by answering the following questions.

I have Galaxy Note 4 SM-N910W8. I’m with Rogers Wireless Canada and my device is unlocked.

One of the things that annoys users of Samsung phones is the delays of firmware updates and upgrades. If you remember, T-Mobile did not get Lollipop before the end of April 2015.

One possible solution to this kind of delays is for every individual to become knowledgeable on how to “cook” his or her own custom ROM.

1. I would like to use the official firmware as my base Rom to add or remove programs before flashing it on my phone. Rooting is not yet an option; If I root my device, I can no longer get OTA updates. Without rooting, how can I modify the stock Rom with the computer (before flashing)?

2. I understood that so long as I continue to flash my device with stock (factory) “Recovery.img”, my KNOX Warranty will not be tripped (void). But can this stock “Recovery.img” be customized without voiding the KNOX warranty? Note that voiding a warranty is not a big issue for me because the manufacturer’s warranty is only for 1 year. Moreover, the conditions of warranty does not allow one to benefit much as expected.

3. Before flashing & using the computer, where should I go to deactivate KNOX instead of deleting? What are the possible disadvantages of deleting KNOX?

4. Can I use an International official firmware like N910CXXU1BOC3 & cook it for my Note 4 SM-N910W8 (make changes with e.g. Android Kitchen), then flash it, so that I can receive updates from Samsung directly through any country as soon as upgrade wave begins? Will this make my Cell Phone region unlock?

5. My current Rogers Lollipop only has English, French, Korean and one more Asian language. None of all the Canadian cell phones that I had in the past has Spanish and European languages pre-loaded, which annoys me always. I know that all languages can be activated by customizing the stock software without installing a third party software to do the job. Can anybody tell me how best to do this with the computer before flashing?

6. The firmware of Galaxy Note 4 SM-N910W8 has the following appearance (components): N910W8VLU1BOC4_N910W8OYA1BOC4_N910W8VLU1BOC4_HOME.tar.md5

As I understood, the first component contains the Build Information, the second component has the CSC information, and the third component has the CP information, correct? The above firmware ending in tar.md5 is usually flashed using Odin. If after unpacking and modifying the firmware, and I do not want to go back and do all the re-packing into tar.md5, what method do I use to flash my device? Still with Odin or just copying the files directly into my SD Card and flash?

7. How & where can I get the Universal CSC files for Europe & America (generic CSC codes) to un-brand the Rogers stock firmware? Will this make my device region unlocked and activate all languages? After doing this, can I get updates directly from Samsung?

8. I do not know the reason why Rogers removed the Data Toggle button from the Notification Panel. To make people spend money on data? For me, it is an easy access that makes me save money whenever I do not need to use Rogers’ data. I want it back and I know that it can be reactivated by customizing the software before flashing. Can someone tell me how to do that?

I appreciate all your attention drawn unto this.

Sunny.