[Q] Haven't ever been able to upgrade firmware on Note 3 since purchase - what's up?

pipohippo said:

Hup we go!

No updates have ever come through either OTA or KIES... why me!

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mate why dont you update via pc odin then ? and you dont need root to upgrade via kies

here try this for guide
http://xdaforums.com/galaxy-s3/help/guide-odin-flash-guide-t1671969

get your firmware from here

http://www.samfirmware.com/

pipohippo said:

Hup we go!

No updates have ever come through either OTA or KIES... why me!

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Maybe you should post more details - for instance what version of Note 3 do you have (ideally you want to know the original code, something like N9005ZWE or N9005ZKEBTU, which identifies a N9005 for UK) and what firmware are you right now. And eventually what have you asked when originally asked about the country where you are (for the license agreement). If the combinations above get very weird you also need to know your effective CSC, but that could be a longer shot.

pipohippo said:

Thanks for the responses guys - I assumed Odin also required rooting, so I will have a proper look! Good questions to ask as well, so just for reference, phone is the following:

Product Code SM-N9005ZKEBTU
Bootloader Version N9005XXUBMHN
Baseband Version N9005XXUBMHN
Android Version 4.3 (whatever came out of the box)

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No my friend as I said before updating via odi n dsnt require root... great now you can just download 4.4.2 firmware for your note 3 and update

Sent from my SM-N900 using Tapatalk

pipohippo said:

Thanks for the responses guys - I assumed Odin also required rooting, so I will have a proper look! Good questions to ask as well, so just for reference, phone is the following:

Product Code SM-N9005ZKEBTU
Bootloader Version N9005XXUBMHN
Baseband Version N9005XXUBMHN
Android Version 4.3 (whatever came out of the box)

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N9005ZKEBTU seems to be be EU-British unlocked N9005 - I would assume that you also picked UK when asked about the license agreement.

N9005XXUBMHN is a very interesting version of the firmware that is not even listed here:

http://www.sammobile.com/firmwares/1/?model=SM-N9005&pcode=BTU#firmware

You seem to have a fairly recent firmware and for the moment there is no 4.4.2 version of the BTU sub-region.

pipohippo said:

I am guessing that the firmware is actually way old, so it's not listed! Assuming the firmwares are in alphabetical order!

MHx < MJx

All UK aye - good to know that the phone is actually unlocked though I'll have a look on SamMobile and grab a nice 4.3 firmware - not ready for KitKat yet!

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Hmm, for some reason I was thinking MK instead of MH, indeed your firmware is unusual! But please be aware that those old firmware versions are the only ones that can be safely rooted without triggering the knox warranty flag. Which reminds me - if you go to download mode do you see any reference to knox?

pipohippo said:

Knox Kernal Lock: 0x0
Knox Warranty Void: 0x0

I am guessing that is kind of good right?

final clarification - rooting has the possibility of triggering knox warranty shizzle, but just doing a 'standard' firmware update (even via odin) should keep things fine right?

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Correct, standard Odin update WITH THE RIGHT FIRMWARE will be fine.

IMHO your absolute best path from this point would be something like this:

- save whatever you need to save to the cloud or eventually on the external microSD (just in case)

- disable reactivation lock; disable any updates and security updates in the current ROM; stop mobile data and WiFi; keep all updates off and all network off until the very last step of the entire procedure

- using normal Odin and download mode install oldest BTU firmware you can get - MI7 in the link I provided above; that update should go without any problem; reboot and check everything is OK (and stop again any network or update if re-enabled); this step is only needed in order to get you on the EXACT same path that the huge majority of the people around (including me) have used with URDLV; it might be possible to skip this and still have everything working 100% (and this is quite very likely but I have not tested it);

- using Universal Root de la Vega (URDLV) and the same MI7 from above you will generate a N9005XX____MI7_HOME_VEGA.tar.md5 file which then you will again write with normal Odin and in download mode; this will get you rooted on MI7 with knox 0x0 ; you can read more about this in the URDLV thread

- then using Mobile Odin Pro (NOT normal Odin / download mode) and the most recent 4.3 version available for BTU you can update to MJ7 or MK2 - while keeping root and knox 0x0!

Read for more details on the last step this thread:

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2522729

Also note that Mobile Odin Pro will also let you update to 4.4 and keep root and knox 0x0, so it is not a bad investment. Also note that at this point there is no other way to root with knox 0x0 once you got past a certain firmware, nor is it possible to go back before the version of your bootloader (so in other words the above procedure also would guarantee that you can get back to MI7 if for instance you do not like MK2, something you would never otherwise be able to do).

As my signature shows - MJ7 / MK2 are currently very solid versions (and if you are rooted you can get amazing battery life and performance) and I would strongly suggest avoiding any upgrade towards 4.4 in the immediate future.