[Q] Stock restore Fail at sboot.bin

[trevor4]

If your phone has ever been updated to either Android version 4.3 or 4.4.2.... then you can't restore back to VRALJB, VRAMC3, or Root66 because the bootloader is locked and impossible at present for you to downgrade back to an earlier Android version because of security locks of the bootloader.

If you were on 4.3 previously... and never updated to 4.4.2, then you can Odin restore back to 4.3.

If you ever updated to 4.4.2, then you will only be able to Odin restore the phone back to 4.4.2.

Here's some links to a couple of posts where I tried to help others previously: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=57944591 AND http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=56167850

Read through Droidstyle's restore guide closely as well, as his guide should help you to fix your phone.

wow..it finally worked! Here's what I ended up doing:

I downloaded a newer Odin, tried to get 3.10 but it wouldn't launch correctly so got 3.9 and it did open correctly. All buttons besides PIT are different, but I just matched them up to 3.7 (BT is bootloader, AP is PDA..etc). Anyway, I decided to try the latest build rom I could because I couldn't remember what version I was on before yellow triangle of death, so I put VRUFND7 in the AP field and used the PIT file also.

IT WORKED! But...this VRUFND7 file was NOT an alternate file. What I mean by that is this file had the sboot.bin in it, it wasn't stripped like the older files I had tried before. I really did not think that any file with sboot.bin still in it would work. Maybe because the versions of the build files I had tried didn't match up to what I was on, and that's why they kept failing at sboot.

I don't know, just happy to see that damned red Verizon check splash! Anyway, I hope that anyone who was in my situation can be helped from this. Thanks for your advice, mattnmag!

 

[mattnmag]

wow..it finally worked!.....

Cool man. Glad you didn't give up and you got it fixed. Now if you want to root it, check out the GhettoRoot thread. Also, people are reporting that safestrap works for 4.4.2... but you can only use touchwiz ROM'S that are 4.4.2 stock kernel... Alliance 30 is one of the ROM'S I've read that others are using.

Have fun!! :thumbup:

 

[WmRColmanIV]

**** Major Update: Thanks to imnuts and his alternate restore, I'm back on track and unrooted stock again.
For some reason the sboot.bin causes ODIN to fail. If this is just an isolated incident, cool, if not, this could mean getting back to stock out of necessity may be harder than we expected. Something to keep an eye on.

For reference, imnuts' post with the stock restore images:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2040264


*** UPDATE: Still can't update with the stock image but I used the root66 stock rooted image and ODIN was able to complete. I'm able to boot the phone normally however it won't activate. I am completely lost here. ***

Was stock rooted no mods, so I flashed back to stock so I could perform the OTA update. That went fine so I installed the update.
Using Adam's new post OTA root the process didn't take so I tried a second time. The process hung and I had to do a battery pull.
Now it either boots into the Plug into Kies for emergency firmware upgrade or the Samsung Galxy Note 2 boot logo and goes no further.

Again attempting to restore to stock I flashed with Odin and here's where it gets interesting.
The process FAILS at the sboot.bin element.

*** Is it posible the OTA update made the stock recovery image incompatable? ***

Using the instructions here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2024207

----- ODIN LOG -----
<ID:0/004> Added!!
<OSM> Enter CS for MD5..
<OSM> Check MD5.. Do not unplug the cable..
<OSM> Please wait..
<OSM> CI605_I605VRLJB_I605VRALJB_CL414933_HWID04_HW-Rev0406_low_ship_user.tar.md5 is valid.
<OSM> Checking MD5 finished Sucessfully..
<OSM> Leave CS..
<ID:0/004> Odin v.3 engine (ID:4)..
<ID:0/004> File analysis..
<ID:0/004> SetupConnection..
<ID:0/004> Initialzation..
<ID:0/004> Set PIT file..
<ID:0/004> DO NOT TURN OFF TARGET!!
<ID:0/004> Get PIT for mapping..
<ID:0/004> Firmware update start..
<ID:0/004> boot.img
<ID:0/004> NAND Write Start!!
<ID:0/004> cache.img
<ID:0/004> hidden.img
<ID:0/004> modem.bin
<ID:0/004> param.bin
<ID:0/004> recovery.img
<ID:0/004> sboot.bin
<ID:0/004> FAIL!
<OSM> All threads completed. (succeed 0 / failed 1)
----- END ODIN LOG -----

ODIN and Casual see the phone and can talk to it however KIES cannot so I can't do this emergency recovery the phone is telling me to do. KIES says the device is not responding and to reboot it.

I can boot into Download Mode. I was able to get into Recovery Mode but can't now. The error in Recovery Mode was something about /system not being found.

I have no idea what to do. I have tried the process on 2 different computers. Am I Bricked Bricked?

Thanks in advance.

I am having the exact same issue!!! I'll look down in the comments to see if I can find a solution that'll work. I'm glad I wasn't the only one having this problem!
Thanks bub!!