[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge ROMs, Kernels, Reco] Str8Pryd:
Step-by-Step Installation and Restoration of User App Data

I finally got a free day to take the plunge and install the latest QF2 version of this ROM. Based upon some previous advice from [MENTION=1949695]jrkruse[/MENTION], I also restored the app data from about 20 user apps, some of which had a pretty long history that would have been very difficult to replace. For those who are interested, I came from the latest Stang5Litre v3 Marshmallow ROM. Stang did an awesome job in so many ways, but no amount of tweaks will ever make the rooted engineering kernel perform anywhere near as well as the polished release version. Besides, there are so many features in this hybrid "stock" ROM that the loss of root will be virtually irrelevant and will pale in comparison to shortcomings of the engineering kernel. As promised, I took a few notes as I performed this upgrade and, while far from perfect, here is a fairly n00b guide as to what worked for me:

01: Make sure you have a fairly recent version of the Samsung USB driver. If not, get it here and be sure to right-click and Install as Administrator.

02: Make sure you have a fairly recent version of Odin3. If not, get v3.12.3 here and unzip it. Installation is not necessary, so long as the .exe and .ini files are in the same folder. Personally, I just put the lowest folder in my Windows Program Files (x86) and send a shortcut to the desktop.

03: Make sure you are already on a stock version of the Verizon Nougat firmware. If not, update as follows:

a. Download G935VVRU4BQF2_G935VVZW4BQF2.zip, unzip it, and open the folder.

b. In Odin, place the BL file in the BL slot, AP file in the AP slot, CP in the CP slot, and CSC in the CSC slot and wait for it to verify each of the files. Ignore the HOME_CSC file, as it lacks the pit file to properly partition the device for Verizon firmware. Leave all the other Odin settings as they are.

c. Turn off phone and reboot into Download mode (hold volume down, home, and power until the warning screen appears, then volume up to confirm) then connect to the computer via USB cable.

d. Click "Start" and wait for it to finish. Go ahead and leave Odin open for now.

e. The phone will restart and will take a few minutes to boot.

f. When the setup screen appears, ignore it for now and just shut the phone down.

04: Download VZW_QF2_Modified_Nougat_Firmware.zip and unzip.

05: Root the stock firmware as follows:

a. Boot the phone into download mode (hold volume down, home, and power until the warning screen appears, then volume up to confirm).

b. In Odin, click "Reset" to clear the previous files, then place AP_Flash Nougat_S7_Edge_EngBoot.tar.md5 in the AP Slot and click "Start". (This file is in the VZW_QF2_Modified_Nougat_Firmware folder.)

c. When the phone reboots, skip through all the options until you reach the home screen, then unlock the Developer Options (Settings > About Phone > tap "Build Number" 7 times. Back out and Developer Options will appear in the menu shortly), open Developer Options, enable USB Debugging, and disable "Verify apps via USB".

d. Disconnect and reconnect the USB cable to the computer and allow the computer to access the phone.

e. Download Nougat_S7_Root_2_82_All_Carriers_V2.zip and unzip.

f. Open the Nougat_S7_Root_2_82_All_Carriers_V2 folder. If you are running a version of Windows prior to Windows 10, simply right-click root.bat, and Run as administrator. If you have Windows 10, click in an empty area inside the Nougat_S7_Root_2_82_All_Carriers_V2 folder, then press and hold Shift+Right Click and click "Open command window here" from the dialog box, then in the command prompt window type "root.bat" [no quotes] and hit enter. If you have a build of Windows 10 that offers "Open PowerShell window here" instead of a command window, try this instead: open the Windows search (next to the "Start" icon), type "cmd" and when "Command Prompt" is listed, right-click and Run as Administrator, navigate to your folder as follows (where "User Name" is your user name and the path is correct; the example assumes the folder is on User Name's desktop):

cd C:/Users/User Name/Desktop/Nougat_S7_Root_2_82_All_Carriers_V2
adb.exe
adb devices
root.bat

g. This should install root and the phone should reboot. The splash screen should now show an open padlock and the word "Custom". Once your computer recognizes the reconnection of your phone, press any key in the Command Prompt window, then select "2" to skip the fingerprint fix, then "1" to skip the governor tweaks, as this will all be overwritten later, anyway. ADB should then install the correct versions of SuperSU and FlashFire, then reboot again. Keep in mind that this process will wipe the dalvik cache, so it could take a bit longer than usual to reboot.

06: Reboot the phone into Download mode (hold volume down, home, and power until the warning screen appears, then volume up to confirm).

07: In Odin, click "Reset" to clear the previous files, then place the BL and CP files from the VZW_QF2_Modified_Nougat_Firmware folder into the appropriate slots and click "Start". If you do not plan to restore any user app data with Titanium Backup, you can now close Odin.

08: Allow the phone to boot normally, then transfer the following files to the internal storage of the phone:

a. VZW_HYBRID_PLAYSTORE_BS_FREE_NoNaMe_QF2_V1.zip.

b. AP_Modified_QF2_Nougat_System_Firmware.tar.md5 from the VZW_QF2_Modified_Nougat_Firmware folder.

09: Open FlashFire (already installed via the root.bat script), grant SuperSU access, agree to the Disclaimer, and flash the firmware as follows (NOTE: If you're having issues getting the "Grant SuperSU" dialog to appear, just delete the SuperSU app. This removes the "gatekeeper" and should allow root access to all requests. While this is undesirable in a rooted phone, it will not matter in this case, as we will be unrooting shortly.):

a. Tap "+", tap "Flash ZIP or OTA", and select VZW_HYBRID_PLAYSTORE_BS_FREE_NoNaMe_QF2_V1.zip. Make sure to check "Mount /system read/write", then tap the checkmark in the upper right corner.

b. Tap "+", tap "Flash firmware package", and select AP_Modified_QF2_Nougat_System_Firmware.tar.md5. Wait for it to scan the archive, verify that all the partitions are selected, then tap the checkmark in the upper right corner.

c. Make sure "Inject SuperSU" is NOT in the list. EverRoot should be disabled.

d. Tap "+", tap "Wipe", and select "Dalvik cache", "Cache partition", "Cache partition format", and "Wipe systemless SuperSU", then tap the checkmark in the upper right corner.

e. Reorganize the flash sequence so that the AP file is first, the QF2 zip is second, the optional ARISE zip is third, and the Wipe is last.

f. Tap the "Flash" lightning bolt.

g. Read and agree to the Installation Terms, select Wipe level (Select "Wipe All Data" in order to pass SafetyNet and enjoy Samsung Pay, etc.), select UI Mods, select Boot Animation, select ad HOSTS Blocking, select from 2 pages of S8 Apps (do NOT select the Dual Speaker Mod without researching the A.R.I.S.E. deep buffer fix, or you will lose audio within web browsers), select Debloat level, then tap "Install now". When done, optionally tap "Save Logs" and "OK", then tap "Next", then "Finish".

h. The phone will continue to install based on your selections, then it will reboot. This is a completely new firmware, so please allow up to 20 minutes to boot up.

At this point, if you do not intend to restore any user app data, you are done here; let the ROM settle, then reboot for good measure, and fully set up your phone. If, however, you want to restore app data from Titanium Backup, you're only about half way there, so continue with the following steps:

10: Go to the Play Store and install Titanium Backup. If you have a Pro license, you will need to transfer it to internal storage to unlock the Pro features.

11: Go to the Play Store and install ONLY the user apps for which you intend to restore data. Do NOT update ANY system apps at this point! Everything MUST match up when we reflash later or it will break the official status of the ROM and usher in the apocalypse.

12: Root the new hybrid firmware much the same as before:

a. Shut off the phone and boot into download mode (hold volume down, home, and power until the warning screen appears, then volume up to confirm).

b. In Odin, click "Reset" to clear the previous files, then place AP_Flash Nougat_S7_Edge_EngBoot.tar.md5 in the AP Slot and click "Start". (This file is in the VZW_QF2_Modified_Nougat_Firmware folder.)

c. When the phone reboots, skip through all the options until you reach the home screen, then unlock the Developer Options (Settings > About Phone > tap "Build Number" 7 times. Back out and Developer Options will appear in the menu shortly), open Developer Options, enable USB Debugging, and disable "Verify apps via USB".

d. Open the Nougat_S7_Root_2_82_All_Carriers_V2 folder. If you are running a version of Windows prior to Windows 10, simply right-click root.bat, and Run as administrator. If you have Windows 10, click in an empty area inside the Nougat_S7_Root_2_82_All_Carriers_V2 folder, then press and hold Shift+Right Click and click "Open command window here" from the dialog box, then in the command prompt window type "root.bat" [no quotes] and hit enter. If you have a build of Windows 10 that offers "Open PowerShell window here" instead of a command window, try this instead: open the Windows search (next to the "Start" icon), type "cmd" and when "Command Prompt" is listed, right-click and Run as Administrator, navigate to your folder as follows (where "User Name" is your user name and the path is correct; the example assumes the folder is on User Name's desktop):

cd C:/Users/User Name/Desktop/Nougat_S7_Root_2_82_All_Carriers_V2
adb.exe
adb devices
root.bat

e. This should install root and the phone should reboot. The splash screen should now show an open padlock and the word "Custom". Once your computer recognizes the reconnection of your phone, press any key in the Command Prompt window, then select "2" to skip the fingerprint fix, then "1" to skip the governor tweaks, as this will all be overwritten later, anyway. ADB should then install the correct versions of SuperSU and FlashFire, then reboot again. Keep in mind that this process will wipe the dalvik cache, so it could take a bit longer than usual to reboot.

13: Start Titanium Backup, allow SuperSU access, point it to your backup files, then restore ONLY the APP DATA for the apps you installed. Do NOT install actual apps via Titanium Backup!

14: Open FlashFire (already installed via the root.bat script), grant SuperSU access, agree to the Disclaimer, and backup your app data as follows:

a. Tap "+", tap "Backup", tap "Normal", check "Data" and uncheck ALL others, then tap the checkmark in the upper right corner.

b. Tap the "Flash" lightning bolt.

15: Shut down the phone and reboot into Download mode (hold volume down, home, and power until the warning screen appears, then volume up to confirm).

16: In Odin, click "Reset" to clear the previous files, then place the BL and CP files from the VZW_QF2_Modified_Nougat_Firmware folder into the appropriate slots and click "Start". Once you get a "PASS!", you can now exit Odin.

17: Allow the phone to boot normally, then verify that the following files are still in the internal storage of the phone:

a. VZW_HYBRID_PLAYSTORE_BS_FREE_NoNaMe_QF2_V1.zip.

b. AP_Modified_QF2_Nougat_System_Firmware.tar.md5.

c. Your data backup files (Phone > FlashFire > Backups > YOURBACKUPNAME).

18: Open FlashFire and flash the firmware as follows:

a. Tap "+", tap "Flash ZIP or OTA", and select VZW_HYBRID_PLAYSTORE_BS_FREE_NoNaMe_QF2_V1.zip. Make sure to check "Mount /system read/write", then tap the checkmark in the upper right corner.

b. Tap "+", tap "Flash firmware package", and select AP_Modified_QF2_Nougat_System_Firmware.tar.md5. Wait for it to scan the archive, verify that all the partitions are selected, then tap the checkmark in the upper right corner.

c. Make sure "Inject SuperSU" is NOT in the list. EverRoot should be disabled.

d. Tap "+", tap "Wipe", and select "Dalvik cache", "Cache partition", "Cache partition format", and "Wipe systemless SuperSU", then tap the checkmark in the upper right corner.

e. Tap "+", tap "Restore", and select your backup data, check "Verify MD5 hashes" and "Data", then tap the checkmark in the upper right corner.

f. Reorganize the flash sequence so that the AP firmware file is first, the Hybrid QF2 zip is second, your data restore is third, and the Wipe is last.

g. Tap the "Flash" lightning bolt and acknowledge the screen flashing notice.

h. Read and agree to the Installation Terms, select Wipe level (Select "Wipe All Data" in order to pass SafetyNet and enjoy Samsung Pay, etc.), select UI Mods, select Boot Animation, select ad HOSTS Blocking, select from 2 pages of S8 Apps (do NOT select the Dual Speaker Mod without researching the A.R.I.S.E. deep buffer fix, or you will lose audio within web browsers), select Debloat level, then tap "Install now". When done, optionally tap "Save Logs" and "OK", then tap "Next", then "Finish".

i. The phone will continue to install based on your selections, then it will reboot. This is a completely new firmware again, albeit with preexisting user data, so please allow up to 20 minutes to boot up.

19: Let the ROM settle in a bit, reboot the phone for good measure, then set everything up as you wish. I hope these notes will help someone else out. All credit goes to [MENTION=1949695]jrkruse[/MENTION]; I just consolidated his timeless wisdom here... :angel: