Update: Mobile Odin Pro 4.0+ is fully working with KitKat too! So you can upgrade your 4.3 to 4.4.2 with no problem and flash custom KK ROMS too! Don't forget to upgrade your bootloader though, and be careful, after upgrading you'll have a secure bootloader that will trip Knox if you ever lose root and want to root back again.
How to do the same:
Hello guys,
I'm posting a new thread as this is an extension of both using Mobile Odin Pro 3.85+ to flash stock firmwares and installing a custom ROM without flashing a custom recovery (preventing tripping knox).
This guide will show you how to flash a custom ROM and keeping Knox at 0x0 (it will NOT revert a 0x1 though, still not possible).
MAKE SURE THE ZIP FILE YOU PLAN TO INSTALL WILL NOT FLASH ANY RECOVERY OR ANY NON-STOCK KERNEL !!!
For your information, I tripped my Knox by flashing a ROM with its "Stock Kernel", which in fact wasn't. So, just to be on the safe side, do NOT flash kernels unless you're 100% sure this is an official and signed kernel. If unsure, just skip kernel installation, and you should be fine!
Some Aroma installers let you choose before installing, but others just do it without a warning. If you flash a wrong recovery or wrong kernel, you'll be screwed! So be aware of that. If you can, just check what the installer script is doing and remove the offending flashing parts, or ask the ROM's OP.
Also some ROMs (like AOSP) rely on some kernel's functionnalities that are not present in the stock kernel, or use a different version of the kernel. You would need to flash their custom kernel, which will trip Knox. There's nothing you can do about that for now. Same thing if you want to use modified kernel like SElinux permissive or more UC/UV/governor options. Those need a custom kernel, and will trip knox too.
I'm of course not responsible for what you do. I'm trying to make it clear enough for you to understand, but if you don't fully understand that flashing a wrong recovery/kernel will trip your Knox, then you'd better keep stock.
Also, all this process can be totally reverted simply by flashing a stock ROM, either with MOP or with Odin on your computer (but it will not revert Kn0x of course...).
Anyway, here is the thing...
You need to turn Reactivation Lock off for the whole rooting/flashing part (just to be on the safe side).
First you have to safely root your device, for example with Root De La Vega. There is enough tutorials and how-tos out there, just look by yourself
Then, purchase and install Mobile Odin Pro.
Let's say you want to install a ROM based on firmware version ML2, I recommend (but it's not mandatory) to flash the corresponding stock firmware first (after you've flashed the custom ROM, I think you won't have to do that again, you can always update modem with standalone zip updates). Personally, as no stock ML2 was out at the time of doing this, I just installed MK2 then X-Note ML2 (with stock ML2 kernel), and that was it
Download the ROM from sammobile (choose the right one for your country, if you mix CSC you can trip Knox), load it on the phone's memory or the sdcard, and set up MOP like this (don't pay attention to the warning saying that you will trip Knox by using MOP, it does not if you follow these instructions carefully) :
Load the .tar.md5 with the "Open file..." option, check EverRoot, SuperSU, MobileOdin and wipe dalvik cache, and start flashing.
After rebooting, download the custom ROM you wish (for example X-Note), load the zip into the phone's memory or the sdcard, run MOP and set it up like this:
Load the .zip file with "OTA / Update ZIP" this time, uncheck EverRoot (your ROM should be already rooted), uncheck wipe dalvik cache (already done by the ROM installer) and start flashing.
If the Zip is an Aroma installer or similar, you'll be presented to your ROM's installation menu. Here is the most important part, so listen carefully: When asked, choose not to install any recovery, and don't install any custom kernel either (you can still flash stock kernel). Finish the installation, let it reboot, and enjoy your ROM with Knox 0x0
Note: You can also flash any zip mods you want with that method (you just have to put the .zip into "OTA / Update ZIP", uncheck EverRoot and start flashing). Of course, I'll repeat once more, but you still cannot flash any custom recovery nor non-stock kernel (well you can, but then you'll trip Knox).
I'd be glad if we could also do nandroid backup/restores with MOP, that way we wouldn't have to flash a recovery at all
Hit Thanks if this helped you, and of course let us know how it went for you.
Yann
Installing from a rooted 4.3 with knox 0x0 the stock 4.4.2 rooted with Mobile Odin Pro + installing the BL through Odin PC + installing X-Note 8 through Mobile Odin Pro WITHOUT INSTALLING ANY KERNEL OR BOOTLOADER = X-Note 8 with knox 0x0 !
Thanks for the usefull tip !
How to do the same:
Hello guys,
I'm posting a new thread as this is an extension of both using Mobile Odin Pro 3.85+ to flash stock firmwares and installing a custom ROM without flashing a custom recovery (preventing tripping knox).
This guide will show you how to flash a custom ROM and keeping Knox at 0x0 (it will NOT revert a 0x1 though, still not possible).
MAKE SURE THE ZIP FILE YOU PLAN TO INSTALL WILL NOT FLASH ANY RECOVERY OR ANY NON-STOCK KERNEL !!!
For your information, I tripped my Knox by flashing a ROM with its "Stock Kernel", which in fact wasn't. So, just to be on the safe side, do NOT flash kernels unless you're 100% sure this is an official and signed kernel. If unsure, just skip kernel installation, and you should be fine!
Some Aroma installers let you choose before installing, but others just do it without a warning. If you flash a wrong recovery or wrong kernel, you'll be screwed! So be aware of that. If you can, just check what the installer script is doing and remove the offending flashing parts, or ask the ROM's OP.
Also some ROMs (like AOSP) rely on some kernel's functionnalities that are not present in the stock kernel, or use a different version of the kernel. You would need to flash their custom kernel, which will trip Knox. There's nothing you can do about that for now. Same thing if you want to use modified kernel like SElinux permissive or more UC/UV/governor options. Those need a custom kernel, and will trip knox too.
I'm of course not responsible for what you do. I'm trying to make it clear enough for you to understand, but if you don't fully understand that flashing a wrong recovery/kernel will trip your Knox, then you'd better keep stock.
Also, all this process can be totally reverted simply by flashing a stock ROM, either with MOP or with Odin on your computer (but it will not revert Kn0x of course...).
Anyway, here is the thing...
You need to turn Reactivation Lock off for the whole rooting/flashing part (just to be on the safe side).
First you have to safely root your device, for example with Root De La Vega. There is enough tutorials and how-tos out there, just look by yourself
Then, purchase and install Mobile Odin Pro.
Let's say you want to install a ROM based on firmware version ML2, I recommend (but it's not mandatory) to flash the corresponding stock firmware first (after you've flashed the custom ROM, I think you won't have to do that again, you can always update modem with standalone zip updates). Personally, as no stock ML2 was out at the time of doing this, I just installed MK2 then X-Note ML2 (with stock ML2 kernel), and that was it
Download the ROM from sammobile (choose the right one for your country, if you mix CSC you can trip Knox), load it on the phone's memory or the sdcard, and set up MOP like this (don't pay attention to the warning saying that you will trip Knox by using MOP, it does not if you follow these instructions carefully) :
Load the .tar.md5 with the "Open file..." option, check EverRoot, SuperSU, MobileOdin and wipe dalvik cache, and start flashing.
After rebooting, download the custom ROM you wish (for example X-Note), load the zip into the phone's memory or the sdcard, run MOP and set it up like this:
Load the .zip file with "OTA / Update ZIP" this time, uncheck EverRoot (your ROM should be already rooted), uncheck wipe dalvik cache (already done by the ROM installer) and start flashing.
If the Zip is an Aroma installer or similar, you'll be presented to your ROM's installation menu. Here is the most important part, so listen carefully: When asked, choose not to install any recovery, and don't install any custom kernel either (you can still flash stock kernel). Finish the installation, let it reboot, and enjoy your ROM with Knox 0x0
Note: You can also flash any zip mods you want with that method (you just have to put the .zip into "OTA / Update ZIP", uncheck EverRoot and start flashing). Of course, I'll repeat once more, but you still cannot flash any custom recovery nor non-stock kernel (well you can, but then you'll trip Knox).
I'd be glad if we could also do nandroid backup/restores with MOP, that way we wouldn't have to flash a recovery at all
Hit Thanks if this helped you, and of course let us know how it went for you.
Yann
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