[Q] How to get to NC2?

[Armyrj127]

I just got a replacement Note today and it came with KitKat 4.4.2 NC4. I rooted using towelroot but want to flash the new cleanrom. Pretty comfortable with Odin. Can anyone point me in the right direction?
Much thanks.

 

[D-meist]

I just got a replacement Note today and it came with KitKat 4.4.2 NC4. I rooted using towelroot but want to flash the new cleanrom. Pretty comfortable with Odin. Can anyone point me in the right direction?
Much thanks.

Just for future reference, you should probably post your questions in the Q&A forum ☛ http://forum.xda-developers.com/verizon-galaxy-note-3/help

Download the NC2 kernel http://d-h.st/WhA
Verify the md5

Make sure you have the Samsung drivers installed http://d-h.st/ICS

Put your phone into download mode by powering off the device, turn it back on while holding volume down and the home button. Press volume up at the Warning!! screen. Launch Odin 3.09, then connect your device to the computer.

Make sure it says "Added" in Odin, you said your familiar with Odin so this should be easy.

Click on AP in Odin, and select the NC2 kernel .tar

Click start, when the phone restarts you can unplug the usb cable. All done.

 

[Armyrj127]

Just for future reference, you should probably post your questions in the Q&A forum ☛ http://forum.xda-developers.com/verizon-galaxy-note-3/help

Download the NC2 kernel http://d-h.st/WhA
Verify the md5

Make sure you have the Samsung drivers installed http://d-h.st/ICS

Put your phone into download mode by powering off the device, turn it back on while holding volume down and the home button. Press volume up at the Warning!! screen. Launch Odin 3.09, then connect your device to the computer.

Make sure it says "Added" in Odin, you said your familiar with Odin so this should be easy.

Click on AP in Odin, and select the NC2 kernel .tar

Click start, when the phone restarts you can unplug the usb cable. All done.

Thanks, I followed your steps and am stuck on the initial Verizon screen bootloop. Any recommendations?

 

[D-meist]

You have the Verizon variant, correct? Just want to make sure. I can't really see how you would get a bootloop unless the file you flashed was corrupt or you don't have the Verizon variant. Did you verify the md5? Sounds like you'll have to Odin back to stock to get out of bootloop.

 

[newuser134]

Thanks, I followed your steps and am stuck on the initial Verizon screen bootloop. Any recommendations?

The instructions you followed in the 2nd post wouldn't get you back to NC2. It just installs the NC2 kernel (or boot.img), to get back to NC2 you'll need the entire NC2 firmware (usually a big .tar file about 1-2 gb), including the boot, system, modem, etc... partitions. There is one catch though, I think on retail version phones (which is what you probably have unless you specifically bought the developer edition online from Samsung) you cannot downgrade firmware, like if you have NC4, the NC4 bootloader will blacklist the NC2 bootloader and you cannot downgrade. I think at this point all you can do is get back to the original 4.4.2 NC4 and get your phone fixed. Be very careful what directions you follow otherwise you'll brick your phone.

Search this forum for the Verizon full NC4 firmware tar file, it should be on beantown's post in the development sub-forum, download that to your pc and follow the instructions to flash in Odin back to your original NC4 setup. This will likely wipe all your user data, but I'm not 100% sure.

There could be an easier way, you could get someone on here to make you an Odin-flashable NC4 kernel (boot.img) tar file, and you could flash that through Odin, since you only changed your kernel file to NC2, and that should put you back where you started on NC4. At this point I really don't think you can downgrade if your phone came with NC4, I may be wrong, but either way it wouldn't just be as easy as flashing the NC2 kernel. What you have done is basically just change a small partition on your phone to the older NC2, while the rest is still looking for NC4 files, and that is why it is getting stuck. Good luck!

 

[Armyrj127]

The instructions you followed in the 2nd post wouldn't get you back to NC2. It just installs the NC2 kernel (or boot.img), to get back to NC2 you'll need the entire NC2 firmware (usually a big .tar file about 1-2 gb), including the boot, system, modem, etc... partitions. There is one catch though, I think on retail version phones (which is what you probably have unless you specifically bought the developer edition online from Samsung) you cannot downgrade firmware, like if you have NC4, the NC4 bootloader will blacklist the NC2 bootloader and you cannot downgrade. I think at this point all you can do is get back to the original 4.4.2 NC4 and get your phone fixed. Be very careful what directions you follow otherwise you'll brick your phone.

Search this forum for the Verizon full NC4 firmware tar file, it should be on beantown's post in the development sub-forum, download that to your pc and follow the instructions to flash in Odin back to your original NC4 setup. This will likely wipe all your user data, but I'm not 100% sure.

There could be an easier way, you could get someone on here to make you an Odin-flashable NC4 kernel (boot.img) tar file, and you could flash that through Odin, since you only changed your kernel file to NC2, and that should put you back where you started on NC4. At this point I really don't think you can downgrade if your phone came with NC4, I may be wrong, but either way it wouldn't just be as easy as flashing the NC2 kernel. What you have done is basically just change a small partition on your phone to the older NC2, while the rest is still looking for NC4 files, and that is why it is getting stuck. Good luck!

I was axtually able to do it by flashing an NC2 tar file I had when I went from Jelly Bean to KitKat NOT OTA. Now I'm wondering if I can go back to Jelly Bean and run Cleanrom 1.7. I was much happier with JB. It was more battery efficient. I was able to do it on my old phone, the one they replaced it with is a refurbished phone so I'm hoping it started out with JB and I can back to it.

 

[newuser134]

I was axtually able to do it by flashing an NC2 tar file I had when I went from Jelly Bean to KitKat NOT OTA. Now I'm wondering if I can go back to Jelly Bean and run Cleanrom 1.7. I was much happier with JB. It was more battery efficient. I was able to do it on my old phone, the one they replaced it with is a refurbished phone so I'm hoping it started out with JB and I can back to it.

Once your phone has been flashed with a newer version full tar or newer bootloader, in your case NC4, supposedly you can't go back to a previous version. It's fine to flash NC4 full tar if you're coming from jelly bean, but I don't think you can go back to NC2 if you're starting with NC4 kit kat. I agree with you, I think jelly bean is better than kit kat. There might still be a glimmer of hope though, check out this thread by beanstown106 in the Development forum about the 4.4.2 leak, user hashcode states in this thread that if you install the NC2 leak (might also apply to the NC4 leak in the first link) on a retail version Note 3, supposedly it'll let you go back to jelly bean, I'm not a 100% sure if I understand it correctly, but it might be what you're looking for. Either way, do your research and do it at your own risk, I'm not responsible if your phone bricks or anything. I recommend you just restore your kernel that you replaced with the NC2 kernel and get your phone back to the way it was with NC4 till maybe someone figures out how to downgrade back to jelly bean later.