[AT&T Samsung Galaxy Note II] sandelman1:
First let me say that I am 51, not a techie and only smart enough to start a conversation about my phone but not intelligent to keep it going.

I have had an i317 ATT Note 2 for a good many years. Some time back ( about a year ago ) I was reading pretty steady about rooting my phone and installing a custom ROM. Well.....reading a lot and becoming constipated with information is about as far as I got. Sad, yes I know...but that's really it. It was SO overwhelming for me that I called it quits. Somehow I managed to gain SuperSU ( if that's right ) status and my phone said I had "root access". However, I never installed a custom ROM. It was about this time I found , if I have this term right, Wanam xposed and or xposed installer. IF, this is correct, what ever it was allowed me to really tweek a lot of settings on my phone so much so that I told my wife I just didn't have it in me to ROOT, but could ust this new app to change a lot of "stuff" and I'd be ok with that. Well, as time went by I stopped fooling with it, found a few things I liked changed the way I had them and just left it alone. I'm not a gamer, not a techie, although I've read a lot of definitions, some stuff just don't "click" with me. There was about 4-5 times back that year ago that I did what ever it was that made me think I bricked my phone. so much so that I thought I was going to literally throw up, I was really that sick inside. Well, it was nothing more than reading many many different posts on forums and not knowing what I was doing, that I somehow used Odin to get is back where I could use it. A major problem was not understanding what I actually did nor even knowing how to repeat it without again, just stumbling upon it.

So, with all this time having passed......the other day a message popped up on my phone saying "UPDATE AVAILABLE" or what ever it was....either way I KNOW I seen the word UPDATE. It said click here ot begin update or click here to update at a later time. I wasn't so much thinking to myself, DONT UPDATE because you'll screw everything up.....I was simply declining because I didn't want to be bothered. Certainly I'd forgotten or never given it any thought about the possibility that I'd end up in a mess. Like I said, I had ROOT ACCESS....just never installed a ROM so I may not have even thought an update would have done anything negative. Well, later in the day ( about 7 days ago now ) I hit UPDATE and my Note 2 that I absolutely LOVE is now turning on, goes to the black Galaxy Note II screen, then the swirling circle and gets stuck and locks up every time at the ATT logo that looks like a globe.

I have read and read as many things as possible on my end......so much so that after about 2-3 hours each setting I end up with a headache, am frustrated and deflated until I walk away. I don't know the correct terminology to express every step I've taken but will share with you all what I can at this time.

I can do both 3 button press methods....power, home and vol down...then press up I think for download mode. I can also press power, home and vol up which takes me into the mode that shows the little Android dude who lays down like he's having repairs done. I will add here that while in that mode, I've literally clicked on EVERY SINGLE choice in every single mode/ screen or what ever it's called. I've cleared, reset, recovered and scrolled through every choice and hit every button available......and as many times that I've plugged in, used many many different forms of Odin and countless files with the .tar files...I've also clicked on everything I can to see if anything changes.

Believe me, as frustrated as it is reading what to you seems like gibberish, it's equally as hard reliving it again and again. I've already put in 3.5 hours tonight and NOW am typing this to you kind people to see what hope there is and if I can understand it if something is shared with me.

I've downloaded Odin 307, Odin 3_v3.10.6, 4.3 Param_tz, Odin 185...honestly about 3-4 more Odins and gone back after I have downloaded and unzipped so many that I've been baffled only to delete them after literally going through the process ( following XDA steps by steps......AND PASSING EACH TIME!! ) only to not have crap when I'm finished. I've even unzipped CF AutoRoot MD5 file this last time just hoping to pull something out of thin air.

It's no joke when I tell you I've followed more steps on the XDA site and countless other sites...totally by the book and have had 100% negative results. It's not that I've got this endless list of contacts that I can't live without. It's not that I've got 344 fresh work pics of jobs I've completed or even pics of jobs to estimate for work, it's just that it sucks so bad to be in a position of not having this phone that I totally love so much. It's not loaded with games and I don't do anything really intelligent on or with it. But it is very important to me, I'm a creature of habit and over the years have really become attached to it. My wife and oldest son have just upgraded our plan to include him with a data package for a smart phone and with it they received new phones. It's been about 2 months ago and I told my with, I DON'T WANT A NEW PHONE!! I LOVE MY PHONE!! I still do, I'm just stuck and obviously not sharp enough to get out of this one without asking for help.

It's been reset, restored, erased, you name it. I've had the battery in and out, sim cards in and out, pushed every button 10 times in combination with other buttons, read and read, followed every step for downloading, unzipping, using multiple Odin files new and old.....just everything. I can't access kernals or other important data you may ask for because I can't get out of the start up logo....I thing it's called bootloop?

Man I'm really jammed up and would be forever grateful if someone could shed some light on this situation. I know I may have gone way overboard with everything that's been loaded, pressed, wiped etc, but I've exhausted everything I could think before asking for help.

I can't even count the number of times that I've entered Odin with a .tar file and it's gone through every part of it's deal only to end saying PASS!! ...usually within 2:02 to 2:12. The CF Auto file was :08 and said PASSED!!

Frantic, frustrated and fully prepared to beat myself with a stick

I need simple simple guys. I HATE to be a bother, but I'm stuck and know that you all are good people who fun a respectful forum and are courteous with one another. So here I am. Any help please?