[GUIDE][VZW Edition]How to Root/Rom/Return to Stock the VZW Galaxy Note II!

[mattnmag]

@Caveman419,

You have probably already done all this... but I would try flashing the 4.1.2 tar firmware and the pit file together again using different usb cables (if you have others), try different usb ports, try different versions of ODIN like v.1.85, 3.07, or 3.10. Also make sure you are running ODIN as administrator and have disabled all antivirus/firewalls/Windows Defender, etc... on the computer. Also make sure that Samsung Kies is not running in the background. (If you have access to a different computer with Windows 7, maybe try it on there too).

If you can get the phone to boot back into stock recovery, then do a factory reset and wipe cache. That would hopefully get you out of the boot loop.

 

[dja2k]

Its about that time I switch phones and have to return my Note 2 to stock. I bought it in Dec. 2012. I don't remember if I accepted the 4.1.2 update, I don't think I did, since I probably went on and rooted it ASAP. What would happen if I try to flash the Official VRALJB 4.1.1 12/9/12 when I was suppose to use Official VRAMC3 4.1.2 5/5/13? Though I am pretty sure I was at 4.1.1 when I used CASUAL to Unlock\Root.

dja2k

 

[Caveman419]

@Caveman419,

You have probably already done all this... but I would try flashing the 4.1.2 tar firmware and the pit file together again using different usb cables (if you have others), try different usb ports, try different versions of ODIN like v.1.85, 3.07, or 3.10. Also make sure you are running ODIN as administrator and have disabled all antivirus/firewalls/Windows Defender, etc... on the computer. Also make sure that Samsung Kies is not running in the background. (If you have access to a different computer with Windows 7, maybe try it on there too).

If you can get the phone to boot back into stock recovery, then do a factory reset and wipe cache. That would hopefully get you out of the boot loop.

Thank you, I just got another computer dropped off to me this morning with Windows 7 and USB 2 ports. I am going to try today and see if it will flash. I will report back when I have tested it.

**Update - Still no luck. I have tried:
each of the different versions of Odin
3 different USB cables (2 Samsung & 1 Motorola from a Nexus 6)
Laptop running Windows 7 with Kies shut down (processes killed) and Antivirus turned off

I am re-downloading the 4.1.2 files from another source. Has anyone used Heimdall? What about checking the re-partition option along with the .pit file?

 

[mattnmag]

Thank you, I just got another computer dropped off to me this morning with Windows 7 and USB 2 ports. I am going to try today and see if it will flash. I will report back when I have tested it.

**Update - Still no luck. I have tried:
each of the different versions of Odin
3 different USB cables (2 Samsung & 1 Motorola from a Nexus 6)
Laptop running Windows 7 with Kies shut down (processes killed) and Antivirus turned off

I am re-downloading the 4.1.2 files from another source. Has anyone used Heimdall? What about checking the re-partition option along with the .pit file?

I believe that the repartition option should get enabled automatically when you attach the pit file....so it should be checked. If it's not checked, that may be the problem. Then load the VRAMC3 firmware file in PDA slot. The "Auto Reboot" and "F. Reset Time" should automatically be checked as well, so don't uncheck them. No other options or boxes should be enabled.


Here's a step by step video that I found useful when I was first restoring my phone: ( http://youtu.be/4qtbEevn1VA ). I don't know if I would use the download links...but the video itself is helpful for reference.

 

[Caveman419]

I believe that the repartition option should get enabled automatically when you attach the pit file....so it should be checked. If it's not checked, that may be the problem. Then load the VRAMC3 firmware file in PDA slot. The "Auto Reboot" and "F. Reset Time" should automatically be checked as well, so don't uncheck them. No other options or boxes should be enabled.


Here's a step by step video that I found useful when I was first restoring my phone: ( http://youtu.be/4qtbEevn1VA ). I don't know if I would use the download links...but the video itself is helpful for reference.

I feel incredibly stupid now .... I have always unchecked the repartition box when using Odin, I think it is in most instructions. SO much so that I did not even look to see that it was not in the instructions here and I just took it upon myself to uncheck each time.

Needless to say, once I kept it checked the phone flew through the re-flash of 4.1.2 and is working flawlessly. Thank you so much for your incredible patience with my issue!!!

 

[mattnmag]

@Caveman419,

I'm glad to hear that you got it restored. No need to feel dumb. You definitely have good reason to be careful when using Odin....don't want to turn the phone into an expensive paper weight. :thumbup:

 

[fluidj]

Is the Return to Stock portion still valid as of 12/11/14?

Glad to see that the Return To Stock instructions are still valid and very clear. Thanks!!
Now that my Note 2 is back to stock unrooted i'm comfortable with selling it. On to the Note 4!!

 

[dtroup64]

Probably a stupid question, as it might be right under my nose, but I'm on 4.4.2 ND7. I'm rooted through ghettoroot and have safestrap. I wan't to return to stock. I can't seem to find the stock files for this.

What do you wise folk suggest I do?

Many thanks for the help!

My apologies. A simple thread search for ND7 brought me the answer I was seeking. I should have searched first!

 

[audiophizile]

Any body know if it's possible to go from ND7 OTA back to MJ9 via Odin or would that brick? I was excited to go to kitkat but the battery life seems to be ~1/2 what I was getting on 4.3. It does seem snappier and getting instant GPS locks vs 5-10secs but the battery is suffering hard.

 

[mattnmag]

Any body know if it's possible to go from ND7 OTA back to MJ9 via Odin or would that brick? I was excited to go to kitkat but the battery life seems to be ~1/2 what I was getting on 4.3. It does seem snappier and getting instant GPS locks vs 5-10secs but the battery is suffering hard.

Unfortunately, there's no way for you to downgrade the phone back to 4.3 now that you took the OTA to 4.4.2 because of the locked bootloader. I don't think it would hard brick your phone, but I think it would soft brick it (i.e. give you the unauthorized message...) and you'd have to use ODIN to restore back to 4.4.2. Either way, I'm sure it won't be possible for you to downgrade at this time due to numerous other posts in the Note 2 threads discussing the issue.

If you are wanting to downgrade your bootloader back to a pre 4.4.2 version, you'd have to pay a company like Mobile Tech Videos to use their special hardware to do the downgrade. They can take the bootloader back to 4.1.2 so you can unlock the bootloader again. I think they charge around 75 US dollars.

 

[dja2k]

I still haven't flashed my phone as I am not sure which Odin file to use. I am going to send it in to Verizon for a trade-in, does it matter which one I use?

dja2k

 

[GiantsFan91]

How can i fix this? I tried to flash CI605_I605VRLJB_I605VRALJB_CL414933_HWID04_HW_Rev0406_low_ship_user.tar and no good. Please see below.

<OSM> Checking MD5 finished Sucessfully..
<OSM> Leave CS..
<ID:0/003> Odin v.3 engine (ID:3)..
<ID:0/003> File analysis..
<ID:0/003> SetupConnection..
<ID:0/003> Initialzation..
<ID:0/003> Set PIT file..
<ID:0/003> DO NOT TURN OFF TARGET!!
<ID:0/003> Get PIT for mapping..
<ID:0/003> Firmware update start..
<ID:0/003> boot.img
<ID:0/003> NAND Write Start!!
<ID:0/003> cache.img
<ID:0/003> hidden.img
<ID:0/003> modem.bin
<ID:0/003> param.bin
<ID:0/003> recovery.img
<ID:0/003> sboot.bin
<ID:0/003> FAIL!
<OSM> All threads completed. (succeed 0 / failed 1)

 

[mattnmag]

How can i fix this? I tried to flash CI605_I605VRLJB_I605VRALJB_CL414933_HWID04_HW_Rev0406_low_ship_user.tar and no good. Please see below.

After I posted my response to your same question in the Q&A thread .. I saw where you reposted it here. You can see my response at this link:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=57944591

 

[GaryAlpusa1]

wont root stuck after reboot.

I hard bricked my verizon note 2 after trying to flash a custom rom with the stock recovery. (dumb attack) Screen was blank with no response to anything. I sent it out and had it repaired for $40 at mobiletechvideo. It came back with 4.1.2, vramc3.
I downloaded the noyouverizon casual for vramc3 and ran the script. Everything went fine until the phone rebooted out of the download mode. Then casual reported a bunch of failures and exited. I rebooted my vista laptop and the phone, and tried it again. No joy. Any ideas how to proceed with this problem? The last time I rooted this phone I used Odin and manually flashed the tar and pit files. I have forgotten the proper sequence to try it again and Im not sure I have the proper files anyway. Any ideas how to proceed with this problem?

 

[GaryAlpusa1]

I hard bricked my verizon note 2 after trying to flash a custom rom with the stock recovery. (dumb attack) Screen was blank with no response to anything. I sent it out and had it repaired for $40 at mobiletechvideo. It came back with 4.1.2, vramc3.
I downloaded the noyouverizon casual for vramc3 and ran the script. Everything went fine until the phone rebooted out of the download mode. Then casual reported a bunch of failures and exited. I rebooted my vista laptop and the phone, and tried it again. No joy. Any ideas how to proceed with this problem? The last time I rooted this phone I used Odin and manually flashed the tar and pit files. I have forgotten the proper sequence to try it again and Im not sure I have the proper files anyway. Any ideas how to proceed with this problem?

Phone is now rooted and unlocked with help from our friends on XDA. I had to turn off all antivirus programs. I also deleted the noyouverizon casual from my computer and re downloaded. I think the antivirus corrupted this program when it first downloaded and the antivirus was on. Thanks to all...

 

[jerry247]

If odin no longer recognizes your device, most likely Casual killed the driver for odin!! follow this tutorial for restoring the driver:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzghc...e_gdata_player

this
this
this
this
this

 

[MrRedPants]

I'm trying to return an i605 to stock and need the downloaded files - do you still have them?
i actually found the download for MC3 and am getting it.
Here' my question - I haven't picked up this note 2 in quite a while - I am PRETTY SURE at some point I flashed the MJ9 firmware so I could load roms like Alliance build 26. But I'm not sure. Right now I can't get the device to boot properly. I can get into custom recovery (Philz CWM) but when I try to load a rom or do a wipe, as soon as it tries to wipe data, it reboots and hangs. So, if it does have the MJ9 firmware - which I think it does, I assume I shouldn't or can't go back to MC3 and should been using odin to go back to the I605VRUEMJ9. Just want to be sure. I assume it won't even let me load MC3 if I tried. (btw, is there a way to determine firmware in recovery?)

Hey guys. trying to get back to stock to get phone repaired, already have odin and the pit file, but does anyone have a working link for the Official VRAMC3 4.1.2 5/5/13 file? have tried every link on this page, and they are all either dead, or have "reached the quota" and cant DL. sorry to be that guy, but need it asap. thnx

And i got the KIES_HOME_I605VRAMC3_I605VZWAMC3_1098177_REV04_user_low_ship.tar.md5 file from a few other places, but odin always does this:

<ID:0/005> Added!!
<OSM> Enter CS for MD5..
<OSM> Check MD5.. Do not unplug the cable..
<OSM> Please wait..
<OSM> KIES_HOME_I605VRAMC3_I605VZWAMC3_1098177_REV04_user_low_ship.tar.md5 is valid.
<OSM> Checking MD5 finished Sucessfully..
<OSM> Leave CS..

help plz?

 

[mattnmag]

I'm trying to return an i605 to stock and need the downloaded files - do you still have them?
i actually found the download for MC3 and am getting it.
Here' my question - I haven't picked up this note 2 in quite a while - I am PRETTY SURE at some point I flashed the MJ9 firmware so I could load roms like Alliance build 26. But I'm not sure. Right now I can't get the device to boot properly. I can get into custom recovery (Philz CWM) but when I try to load a rom or do a wipe, as soon as it tries to wipe data, it reboots and hangs. So, if it does have the MJ9 firmware - which I think it does, I assume I shouldn't or can't go back to MC3 and should been using odin to go back to the I605VRUEMJ9. Just want to be sure. I assume it won't even let me load MC3 if I tried. (btw, is there a way to determine firmware in recovery?)

My best guess is that you're still on the 4.1.2 bootloader. I say this because you have Philz Recovery on the phone. As far as I understand things, you wouldn't be able to successfully flash Philz onto the phone if it ever had factory stock 4.3 MJ9 installed on it because the MJ9 bootloader is locked with no way to unlock it (and you can't flash Philz onto a device with a locked bootloader).

I'm thinking that when you had put MJ9 on it a while back, you must have flashed the modified MJ9 firmware package that Developer Beanstown106 made -(which doesn't lock the bootloader). You would have had to flash the modified MJ9 firmware to have the wifi and radios work correctly when you’re on an unlocked 4.1.2 bootloader and flashing 4.3+ custom ROM’s.

What do you see when you boot into Odin Mode (i.e. with the phone powered off-- press the Volume Down+Home Button+Power Buttons at the same time, then press volume up to continue to Odin Mode)? If you don't see any mention of Knox and your Odin Mode looks like the below picture (that's from my phone which is on a 4.1.2 bootloader), then that would convince me you’re still on the 4.1.2 bootloader.

I'm betting that you could successfully Odin flash the VRAMC3 4.1.2 stock firmware back onto the device. You said you found the VRAMC3 firmware already... but if you grabbed it from a non XDA thread, you may want to get it from XDA developer imnuts thread (under VRAMC3/Mirror 2) at this link: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=35265728. EDIT: You can also grab the firmware from Sammobile by clicking on this hyperlink. (If my bet is wrong, and you get the yellow triangle with unauthorized firmware when trying to go back to 4.1.2... then you should be able to Odin 4.3 onto the phone at that point).

Also....If you're interested, here's a Download link for ODIN 3.10.0. I've been using Odin version 3.10.0 recently with my Windows 7 64bit system and it works great for me. **With the newer ODIN versions, they have replaced the "PDA" slot with "AP"--so the .tar firmware file goes into AP when using ODIN version 3.10. **(For reference--Here's the XDA Thread where XDA recognized contributor -CALIBAN666- posted the newer ODIN 3.10 version. Make sure to hit the thanks button for him if you grab the file. **

Edit: If you want to avoid Odin'ing back to stock and then unlocking again with Casual...you may want to check out the "Corrupt Data/Cache Partition Fix" thread here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=53624921 . The thread discusses how to Odin flash the stock VRAMC3 4.1.2 Recovery back to the phone so you can do a proper wipe of the data and cache partitions... this may help you fix your phone so it will boot up again without having to Odin back to stock.

 

[mattnmag]

post deleted - accidentally created duplicate post in error

 

[mikejr83]

I have a borked note 2. Can someone hit me up on hangouts to help me out? I'm having trouble finding all the necessary files and such.

[email protected]

Thanks!