Related
Hey all,
* *Going to apologize in advance for a longer post, but I have a lot of questions I'm having a difficult time answering. Hope I'm posting in the correct forum too.
I'm on a Verizon GS4 (SCH-I545), 4.2.2. Build *JDQ39.I545VRUDML1. Presently Rooted and running Stock. (Based on horror stories I've been avoiding doing the update to the stock system)
I came from a Droid Bionic, and it was my first foray into rooting / modding Android phones, but I had it for 2.5 years and became quite proficient with what I could do with it. As a result, I've become very familiar with safestrap's touch screen. Before that I was capable of using bootstrap which used the type of recovery where I had to navigate it with volume keys.
So I have a series of questions that I can't get definitive answers for... More often than not when trying to flash ROMs I end up with a black screen and end up battery pulling and going back to stock system because I can't figure out why its happening.*
1. *Should I continue not taking the OTA update from verizon on my stock system? Most of the horror stories I hear about are with the ME7 build, but my present thinking is that the ML1 build is already past the ME7 one, so maybe all of the extra lockdown features are in place? I haven't been able to pin down exactly where I am on the build paths, and almost all custom ROMs are mentioning MDK or ME7, not really much mention of ML1 - I truly don't know exactly where I stand with this.
2. *Is it going to be easier in the long run if I just abandon safestrap and instead move to one of the other recoveries? I've read enough to understand that I need to flash the fix posted by Hashcode, although I don't really understand what the fix is doing, nor if I'm applying the correct fix. (the file I found was jfltevzw-ME7-modules.zip). Some of the other ROMs have specific fixes that I'm unsure what to do with, often using MDK or ME7 for the Radio. Again, since I don't really understand the differences between the builds, all I know is ME7 seems to be making it harder to flash ROMs. People have also said it doesn't matter if you're flashing the fix with the wrong name (IE I'm on ML1 but flashing the ME7 fix should still work... again not understanding exactly what it is is hurting me here).
* *2a. If I can/should stick with Safestrap, this is a side question - Are the ROMs usable in other slots than ROM slot 1? Throughout the life of my Bionic for the most part that was the only usable partition - most of the custom ROMs wouldn't work in other slots, is this still true?
3. *The only portion of success I've had is that I've had is with Hyperdrive. I've been able to flash this ROM fully and boot into it, but I've had no success with getting the wifi to work - a big problem since I'm not on unlimited data. I will post this specific question to the Hyperdrive thread itself to see if I can have someone help me, but all the research I've done on it has different people having different tricks that worked to get their wifi running (flashing the fix by queueing it after the ROM worked for some, canceling out before rebooting the ROM and separately flashing the Hashcode fix worked for others, one person even had to download the fix via their computer before transferring it to their phone in order for the fix to work - I've tried all of these things and still have no success with wifi).
I'm truly sorry if these questions have been answered before, but I have tried to look for the answers and there are just so many different specific ones I don't really know where I'm going wrong. I suspect there is a simple small detail that I'm doing which would make everything easier, such as using a different recovery, or that I''m flashing the wrong fix, etc. but I'm looking for a little advice to be able to have some success running these ROMs on my phone - After a week running the stock ROM, I'm already completely over it.
Thanks in advance for anyone that takes the time.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
Quick update, I attempted to flash Bonestock on ROM slot 1 and was successful (previous attempts yielded black screens, but were all on ROM slot 2). I successfully got the ROM installed, but similar to Hyperdrive, I can get no wifi. Any attempt to turn it on yields the wifi flicking on for .25s before turning back off again.
Current assumption is that safestrap still wont load ROMs in other slots, but I still have no idea how to get wifi up and running.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
I'm an idiot. Everywhere I put "ML1" I meant MI1. I've also determined via another howto YouTube video that MI1 is past ME7, so I am unsure if I should keep putting off OTAs, and also unsure if it will matter for my flashing customs.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
Use MI1 modules not ME7 ones and flash the modules after you flash a rom. The black screen is normal give it ten minutes. Finally, Never, ever take an OTA.
Sent from my DROID RAZR using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Found a post with the MI7 modules right before I checked back here and they worked like a charm. Now getting to look into some ROM goodness. Thanks much for the help!
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
(I also posted this in general Q&A)
Hi.
I made an account just to post this because I honestly don't know where else to go. I'm new at rooting so please explain everything in simple terms.
I rooted my Verizon Galaxy S4 a few days ago and everything was great. I did a few soft mods with Xposed and Wanam and everything was still great. I thought I would wait until the weekend to do some custom ROM flashing and whatnot since I knew it was a time consuming process.... MAN was it a time consuming process. Mainly because I messed up my whole phone.
I installed Safestrap v3.71 (CWM Recovery wasn't compatible with my phone or something...?) and flashed Hyperdrive RLS13 to my MK2 build Verizon Galaxy S4 on ROM Slot 1. It worked great but I saw that all my free space in my internal memory was taken up because of my Stock ROM being too large. So I proceed to wipe data from the Stock ROM slot after backing it up and putting the backup on my computer. I factory reset the Stock ROM and hit reboot. I think the error occurred because I forgot to reselect the ROM Slot 1. Or maybe factory resetting like that isn't supposed to happen... I don't know.
But now my phone won't boot up all the way. It's stuck on the Samsung Galaxy S4 screen. I tried booting into recovery but it just takes me to the stock recovery. Apparently Safestrap is unable to be booted into directly or something... so i tried to factory reset from there and it did.
Now my phone won't even go into recovery mode. If I try it will say "Recovery Booting" but the screen will go black and reboot again and get stuck on the Samsung Galaxy S4 screen.
I HAVE LOOKED EVERYWHERE ON THE INTERNET and nothing directly applies to me or is simple enough for me to understand... I am currently downloading the NO-WIPE method stock ROM or something for what I think applies to me from http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=2578209 so I can put that into Odin which I downloaded (but don't really know how to use) and it says it will take 3 hours to download. GREAT. More waiting. I would like something quicker if possible.
SO MY QUESTION IS:
WHAT THE HELL DO I DO???
Specs of my phone again:
Verizon Galaxy S4 SCH-1545
Android 4.3
Build MK2
Kernel Mk2
(I'm not even sure what all that means but there it is)
ALL HELP WILL BE GREATLY APPRECIATED BECAUSE I DON"T KNOW WHAT TO DO!
Thank you. So. Very. Much.
the immunity said:
(I also posted this in general Q&A)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why? It belongs here.. Oh well.
the immunity;49967773
I installed Safestrap v3.71 (CWM Recovery wasn't compatible with my phone or something...?) and flashed Hyperdrive RLS13 to my MK2 build Verizon Galaxy S4 on ROM Slot 1. It worked great but I saw that all my free space in my internal memory was taken up because of my Stock ROM being too large. So I proceed to wipe data from the Stock ROM slot after backing it up and putting the backup on my computer. I factory reset the Stock ROM and hit reboot. I think the error occurred because I forgot to reselect the ROM Slot 1. Or maybe factory resetting like that isn't supposed to happen... I don't know.
But now my phone won't boot up all the way. It's stuck on the Samsung Galaxy S4 screen. I tried booting into recovery but it just takes me to the stock recovery. Apparently Safestrap is unable to be booted into directly or something... so i tried to factory reset from there and it did.
Now my phone won't even go into recovery mode. If I try it will say "Recovery Booting" but the screen will go black and reboot again and get stuck on the Samsung Galaxy S4 screen.
I HAVE LOOKED EVERYWHERE ON THE INTERNET and nothing directly applies to me or is simple enough for me to understand... I am currently downloading the NO-WIPE method stock ROM or something for what I think applies to me from [url said:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=2578209[/url] so I can put that into Odin which I downloaded (but don't really know how to use) and it says it will take 3 hours to download. GREAT. More waiting. I would like something quicker if possible.
SO MY QUESTION IS:
WHAT THE HELL DO I DO???
Specs of my phone again:
Verizon Galaxy S4 SCH-1545
Android 4.3
Build MK2
Kernel Mk2
(I'm not even sure what all that means but there it is)
ALL HELP WILL BE GREATLY APPRECIATED BECAUSE I DON"T KNOW WHAT TO DO!
Thank you. So. Very. Much.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're going to have to wait for the no-wipe ROM to load. Sorry, but there's not much else you can do.
Given that you're a newbie, I'd start with installing Samsung Kies and using that to recover, but that'll take hours as well.
k1mu said:
Why? It belongs here.. Oh well.
You're going to have to wait for the no-wipe ROM to load. Sorry, but there's not much else you can do.
Given that you're a newbie, I'd start with installing Samsung Kies and using that to recover, but that'll take hours as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks man. I actually just got it to work. Do you know why this problem happened in the first place so I can avoid it next time?
the immunity said:
(I also posted this in general Q&A)
Hi.
I made an account just to post this because I honestly don't know where else to go. I'm new at rooting so please explain everything in simple terms.
I rooted my Verizon Galaxy S4 a few days ago and everything was great. I did a few soft mods with Xposed and Wanam and everything was still great. I thought I would wait until the weekend to do some custom ROM flashing and whatnot since I knew it was a time consuming process.... MAN was it a time consuming process. Mainly because I messed up my whole phone.
I installed Safestrap v3.71 (CWM Recovery wasn't compatible with my phone or something...?) and flashed Hyperdrive RLS13 to my MK2 build Verizon Galaxy S4 on ROM Slot 1. It worked great but I saw that all my free space in my internal memory was taken up because of my Stock ROM being too large. So I proceed to wipe data from the Stock ROM slot after backing it up and putting the backup on my computer. I factory reset the Stock ROM and hit reboot. I think the error occurred because I forgot to reselect the ROM Slot 1. Or maybe factory resetting like that isn't supposed to happen... I don't know.
But now my phone won't boot up all the way. It's stuck on the Samsung Galaxy S4 screen. I tried booting into recovery but it just takes me to the stock recovery. Apparently Safestrap is unable to be booted into directly or something... so i tried to factory reset from there and it did.
Now my phone won't even go into recovery mode. If I try it will say "Recovery Booting" but the screen will go black and reboot again and get stuck on the Samsung Galaxy S4 screen.
I HAVE LOOKED EVERYWHERE ON THE INTERNET and nothing directly applies to me or is simple enough for me to understand... I am currently downloading the NO-WIPE method stock ROM or something for what I think applies to me from http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=2578209 so I can put that into Odin which I downloaded (but don't really know how to use) and it says it will take 3 hours to download. GREAT. More waiting. I would like something quicker if possible.
SO MY QUESTION IS:
WHAT THE HELL DO I DO???
Specs of my phone again:
Verizon Galaxy S4 SCH-1545
Android 4.3
Build MK2
Kernel Mk2
(I'm not even sure what all that means but there it is)
ALL HELP WILL BE GREATLY APPRECIATED BECAUSE I DON"T KNOW WHAT TO DO!
Thank you. So. Very. Much.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2606501
hey I have a similar problem, but when I go to download mode it shutdowns
codyh said:
hey I have a similar problem, but when I go to download mode it shutdowns
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does it go into download mode before turning off? Others have had issues like this where their power button for stuck
Carrier: Verizon
Device: Samsung Galaxy S4 (MK2)
Custom ROM: Hyperdrive ROM
Phone is rooted, and Safestrap is installed and working flawlessly
I see this question posted all the time, but I'm reading a lot of conflicting information. As I've been searching around the net for a solid (and up-to-date) answer, I was wondering if there was a definitive answer to the following question:
Can I flash a custom ROM to the stock slot using Safestrap, remove the stock ROM from the phone, and keep the backup on my PC for later restoration?
I would assume that I should do the following:
1) Make a backup of the stock ROM (using Safestrap)
2) Wipe the Stock slot
3) Install/Restore custom ROM to the Stock slot
Am I correct in assuming this?
If there are any issues, I'd love to hear why. I'm still trying to figure out all the info. If there are any benefits/drawbacks, I'd also love to hear those. I'd consider myself a "conservative" user. I do nothing with themes and major modifications.
Thank you for any advice!
I apologize if this question has been answered elsewhere.
That works just fine and many people already have. AT&T people are in the same boat and do it too.
Sent from Black<3's I337 running Foxhound ROM
DeadlySin9 said:
That works just fine and many people already have. AT&T people are in the same boat and do it too.
Sent from Black<3's I337 running Foxhound ROM
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for the information.
remainnameless said:
Thank you for the information.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just make sure you have the Odin tar file for your phone just in case something goes wrong. Me and a few others ran into some issues messing with the stock slot. Good idea to have that anyways.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
Just in case someone comes across this in the future:
Everything worked as planned. No issues to report.
But doesn't this entirely contradict what the website says?
On the How-To Safestrap site:
Install: This is for flashing a .zip file to the currently active system. Currently, this is disabled for the stock system. In a future release I will enable flashing to the stock system.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And yet people are wiping and flashing to stock fine?
Cool, I will try that
Sent from my SCH-I545 using XDA Premium HD app
DaGamer12345 said:
But doesn't this entirely contradict what the website says?
On the How-To Safestrap site:
And yet people are wiping and flashing to stock fine?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hashcode didn't support flashing to the stock slot when I used SafeStrap. You could do it, but if you ran into problems you were not to expect any help from him.
Now whether or not he disabled that option completely in newer versions of SafeStrap I'm not really sure since I'm on an mdk S4 now.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
Mistertac said:
Hashcode didn't support flashing to the stock slot when I used SafeStrap. You could do it, but if you ran into problems you were not to expect any help from him.
Now whether or not he disabled that option completely in newer versions of SafeStrap I'm not really sure since I'm on an mdk S4 now.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
reason why its called safestrap...and has saved me many times able to get back to my stock rom slot...but we all have our own levels of risk but hashcode made safestrap the way he did for a reason.
I run 3 roms on my S4 and have no issues with memory limitations
So then this is a yes on flashing to stock? Thinking about flashing a SS rom, but not sure how it goes.
I assume I would flash the kernel modules as you have to do that with every custom rom.
If Safestrap lives on the stock system, how does it stay after you wipe? It stays on an unwipe-able area? Because it can't stay on recovery, can it?
If anything goes wrong, I could just flash the MK2 stock with Odin, correct? It wouldn't trip KNOX flag to 0x1?
Out of curiosity, if an OTA was available for stock MK2, and I had it as a custom rom, it would brick the phone or what would happen?
In Titanium Backup, you DON'T restore all the system apps, and only the user apps when migrating roms?
This would be my first time wiping/flashing a rom over the system (and not just over a rom slot), so I'm nervous as almost all people new to this sort of thing.
DaGamer12345 said:
So then this is a yes on flashing to stock? Thinking about flashing a SS rom, but not sure how it goes.
I assume I would flash the kernel modules as you have to do that with every custom rom.
If Safestrap lives on the stock system, how does it stay after you wipe? It stays on an unwipe-able area? Because it can't stay on recovery, can it?
If anything goes wrong, I could just flash the MK2 stock with Odin, correct? It wouldn't trip KNOX flag to 0x1?
Out of curiosity, if an OTA was available for stock MK2, and I had it as a custom rom, it would brick the phone or what would happen?
In Titanium Backup, you DON'T restore all the system apps, and only the user apps when migrating roms?
This would be my first time wiping/flashing a rom over the system (and not just over a rom slot), so I'm nervous as almost all people new to this sort of thing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, you're asking a lot of questions that have been already answered, so here's some quick answers.
1. Flashing the modules won't hurt.
2. Safestrap lives in separate directory on your internal storage. As long as you don't wipe the internal storage, it'll still be there. However, if you flash a stock ROM into the stock slot, then Safestrap won't be run during boot and can't be activated.
3. Yes, you can always flash an OEM stock ROM. Factory images from Samsung won't set the Knox Warranty Void flag. This does NOT mean that you can downgrade to an earlier release.
4. OTAs won't brick the phone - they'll fail if you have modified anything that the OTA will be patching.
5. You should only restore user apps and data. You must have the restorecon fix for that to work. Restoring system apps is pretty risky.
None of these are new questions or new answers. Yes, there's a lot to read here, but you really need to spend the time.
k1mu said:
Well, you're asking a lot of questions that have been already answered, so here's some quick answers.
1. Flashing the modules won't hurt.
2. Safestrap lives in separate directory on your internal storage. As long as you don't wipe the internal storage, it'll still be there. However, if you flash a stock ROM into the stock slot, then Safestrap won't be run during boot and can't be activated.
3. Yes, you can always flash an OEM stock ROM. Factory images from Samsung won't set the Knox Warranty Void flag. This does NOT mean that you can downgrade to an earlier release.
4. OTAs won't brick the phone - they'll fail if you have modified anything that the OTA will be patching.
5. You should only restore user apps and data. You must have the restorecon fix for that to work. Restoring system apps is pretty risky.
None of these are new questions or new answers. Yes, there's a lot to read here, but you really need to spend the time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh I remember you! You made the Saferoot method I used. Sorry for asking some dumb questions, I just wanted verification for 1, 3, and 4. I'll have to search for the restorecon fix. I'll be flashing Eclipse because I was only looking for an AOSP experience and Hyperdrive has more than I need (leading to larger rom size). The rom is going to go through a big update sometime this weekend so I'll wait for the update.
DaGamer12345 said:
Oh I remember you! You made the Saferoot method I used. Sorry for asking some dumb questions, I just wanted verification for 1, 3, and 4. I'll have to search for the restorecon fix. I'll be flashing Eclipse because I was only looking for an AOSP experience and Hyperdrive has more than I need (leading to larger rom size). The rom is going to go through a big update sometime this weekend so I'll wait for the update.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Whew. I thought "Oh I remember you" was going to be followed by ".. you're that jerk that... " :laugh:
Have a good weekend.
remainnameless said:
Carrier: Verizon
Device: Samsung Galaxy S4 (MK2)
Custom ROM: Hyperdrive ROM
Phone is rooted, and Safestrap is installed and working flawlessly
I see this question posted all the time, but I'm reading a lot of conflicting information. As I've been searching around the net for a solid (and up-to-date) answer, I was wondering if there was a definitive answer to the following question:
Can I flash a custom ROM to the stock slot using Safestrap, remove the stock ROM from the phone, and keep the backup on my PC for later restoration?
I would assume that I should do the following:
1) Make a backup of the stock ROM (using Safestrap)
2) Wipe the Stock slot
3) Install/Restore custom ROM to the Stock slot
Am I correct in assuming this?
If there are any issues, I'd love to hear why. I'm still trying to figure out all the info. If there are any benefits/drawbacks, I'd also love to hear those. I'd consider myself a "conservative" user. I do nothing with themes and major modifications.
Thank you for any advice!
I apologize if this question has been answered elsewhere.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just installed hyperdrive to the stock slot and everything works perfect.
Requesting help. I am not a noob by any means, I have installed custom roms many times, and rooted many phones, and installed and used safestrap on several phones, but I cannot get ANY custom rom to install properly on my Verizon Samsung Galaxy S4, which is (was) rooted, with Safestrap 3.72, and MK2 firmware.
I was running the stock 4.3/mk2 firmware, with the latest busybox and supersu, and the latest safestrap, and safe root installed. I was able to successfully root the phone, and install safestrap, but even when I created a rom slot, gave it a name, wiped it completely, and then try to install one of the many 4.3/mk2 "Safe" roms, no rom will boot, once installed. It is so frustrating! I read somewhere that with the Verizon S4, and MK2 firmware, you could only install a rom in the stock rom slot, so I tried that, and now safestrap is gone, and the phone boots to a light blue screen with little green checkmarks. So I'm in the process of downloading the original MK2 firmware from Samsung and using Odin to restore. Anybody have any ideas? I'm thinking of quickly getting rid of the S4 while it still has some value.
mactechnm said:
Requesting help. I am not a noob by any means, I have installed custom roms many times, and rooted many phones, and installed and used safestrap on several phones, but I cannot get ANY custom rom to install properly on my Verizon Samsung Galaxy S4, which is (was) rooted, with Safestrap 3.72, and MK2 firmware.
I was running the stock 4.3/mk2 firmware, with the latest busybox and supersu, and the latest safestrap, and safe root installed. I was able to successfully root the phone, and install safestrap, but even when I created a rom slot, gave it a name, wiped it completely, and then try to install one of the many 4.3/mk2 "Safe" roms, no rom will boot, once installed. It is so frustrating! I read somewhere that with the Verizon S4, and MK2 firmware, you could only install a rom in the stock rom slot, so I tried that, and now safestrap is gone, and the phone boots to a light blue screen with little green checkmarks. So I'm in the process of downloading the original MK2 firmware from Samsung and using Odin to restore. Anybody have any ideas? I'm thinking of quickly getting rid of the S4 while it still has some value.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
3.72 is for 4.4 KitKat and was made for the AT&T version of the S4, therefore, you are not able to create slots. You would need to install 3.71 and only flash 4.3 based roms. If you want 4.4 based roms you need to upgrade to NC5 and install 3.72, but you are only able to flash to the stock side.
There's plenty of info for you to read in the General section.
riker147 said:
3.72 is for 4.4 KitKat and was made for the AT&T version of the S4, therefore, you are not able to create slots. You would need to install 3.71 and only flash 4.3 based roms. If you want 4.4 based roms you need to upgrade to NC5 and install 3.72, but you are only able to flash to the stock side.
There's plenty of info for you to read in the General section.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for your response. Actually what I failed to mention is I did have 3.71 installed first, and I had the exact same problem. So it's not an issue with the safestrap version. And I have tried about 12 different ROMs. Including BajaROM-S4-Release-v-2.2 and BoneStock4.3_S4v2.1. As I said, I'm not a newbie at all, and I'm not about to hunt and peck for information again (which is what I've been doing for two days now). I wouldn't have asked for help if I had been successful in my search.
I have never had an issue installing any safestrap compatible rom...3.72 is strictly for android 4.4 and no rom slots...so no way you would ever get a rom installed using 3.72 on MK2 base build. As for 3.71...never heard of any issue with SS compatible roms for 3.71 not installing right. Really difficult to figure out what you are doing wrong from what you are giving us...
sent by safestrap powered echo v26
decaturbob said:
I have never had an issue installing any safestrap compatible rom...3.72 is strictly for android 4.4 and no rom slots...so no way you would ever get a rom installed using 3.72 on MK2 base build. As for 3.71...never heard of any issue with SS compatible roms for 3.71 not installing right. Really difficult to figure out what you are doing wrong from what you are giving us...
sent by safestrap powered echo v26
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Again, thanks for your help. I'm going to start with Odin. Wipe it all clean and start over. That's always the best option. Thanks!
basically, I'd follow this:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2763834
I'd go back to MK2, root, BB, SS 3.71. Then go up to NC5 ROMs with SS 3.72. Wiping EVERYTHING along the way, system included, not just factory reset
Similar Issue
I not a noob either im very familiar with how this whole operation works.
I have a very similar issue as well I'm (unable to flash roms including my own recovery). I'm 100% knowledgeable on CM, but when it comes to Safestrap or TWRP base Recoveries I'm far from noon but not an expert so to say... Here's my issue. I have the NC5 firmware and once had the Hyperdrive RLS17.1 KK S4 Final.zip... I went back to the I545VRUFNC5-Stock-Root-Deodex.zip.... I recently attempted to download another ROM, (based on the same firmware of course) as soon as I attempted to flash it (which only took about 1 min and didn't work) I figured something was wrong. So I just decided to go back to my recovery that I've made a few moments ago. When I tried to do that. The msg " E: Unable to mount '/system' " appeared.
Now I've notice since then Wiping and Flashing return the same results.
There is no longer an OS on my S4... I can not Mount the System.
So I believe in stuck in Safestrap 3.72.
(Please let me know what other info you need, I spent the last couple of days trying to figure this out on my own, so far I'm losing the battle)
Please help guys.
same problem
mactechnm said:
Requesting help. I am not a noob by any means, I have installed custom roms many times, and rooted many phones, and installed and used safestrap on several phones, but I cannot get ANY custom rom to install properly on my Verizon Samsung Galaxy S4, which is (was) rooted, with Safestrap 3.72, and MK2 firmware.
I was running the stock 4.3/mk2 firmware, with the latest busybox and supersu, and the latest safestrap, and safe root installed. I was able to successfully root the phone, and install safestrap, but even when I created a rom slot, gave it a name, wiped it completely, and then try to install one of the many 4.3/mk2 "Safe" roms, no rom will boot, once installed. It is so frustrating! I read somewhere that with the Verizon S4, and MK2 firmware, you could only install a rom in the stock rom slot, so I tried that, and now safestrap is gone, and the phone boots to a light blue screen with little green checkmarks. So I'm in the process of downloading the original MK2 firmware from Samsung and using Odin to restore. Anybody have any ideas? I'm thinking of quickly getting rid of the S4 while it still has some value.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
im having the same problem i am also frustrated i don't know what to do
Similar Issue
I know there must be a way... If only I can get it to mount the "system" and "systemorig"...
I'm going to play around with the Slots and the datas Size's and see what I come up with.
Pretty sure you will need to Odin the stock NC5 image and start over.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
jmgib said:
Pretty sure you will need to Odin the stock NC5 image and start over.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh ok. The Stock NC5 image... Great.
Where can I find the stock image?
If possible, could you please send a link?
Thanks in advance
damien302 said:
I not a noob either im very familiar with how this whole operation works.
I have a very similar issue as well I'm (unable to flash roms including my own recovery). I'm 100% knowledgeable on CM, but when it comes to Safestrap or TWRP base Recoveries I'm far from noon but not an expert so to say... Here's my issue. I have the NC5 firmware and once had the Hyperdrive RLS17.1 KK S4 Final.zip... I went back to the I545VRUFNC5-Stock-Root-Deodex.zip.... I recently attempted to download another ROM, (based on the same firmware of course) as soon as I attempted to flash it (which only took about 1 min and didn't work) I figured something was wrong. So I just decided to go back to my recovery that I've made a few moments ago. When I tried to do that. The msg " E: Unable to mount '/system' " appeared.
Now I've notice since then Wiping and Flashing return the same results.
There is no longer an OS on my S4... I can not Mount the System.
So I believe in stuck in Safestrap 3.72.
(Please let me know what other info you need, I spent the last couple of days trying to figure this out on my own, so far I'm losing the battle)
Please help guys.
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shonnick01 said:
im having the same problem i am also frustrated i don't know what to do
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I only just saw these posts, I have not been on here for a week or so but if you are still having issues... As far as what went wrong to begin with, did you factory reset/advanvanced wipe all but the internal sd before flashing? Are you only installing into the 'stock' slot on SafeStrap? As far as the fix, if you are suck in Safestrap, you will need to boot into recovery mode, if possible and wipe/factory reset and then boot into download mode and flash one of these http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2735172 in Odin.
liljoe727 said:
I only just saw these posts, I have not been on here for a week or so but if you are still having issues... As far as what went wrong to begin with, did you factory reset/advanvanced wipe all but the internal sd before flashing? Are you only installing into the 'stock' slot on SafeStrap? As far as the fix, if you are suck in Safestrap, you will need to boot into recovery mode, if possible and wipe/factory reset and then boot into download mode and flash one of these http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2735172 in Odin.
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Thanks a lot man. The is has been resolved...
I had to Odin the stock NC5 (exactly what you've just mentioned in your response.) I had to flash it twice actually. The first time only took about 3 mins. I then tried to restore my backup, but during the time it restari SS (when the flash was approximately 90% done) I then went to restart the system and then received the notice "No OS loaded). So I wiped all except my SD card and then I just thought to myself to just try and Odin the stock NC5 one more time (it was getting late and I was about to give up). On the 2nd attempi it took almost 3 times the length as before (15-20mins) when it finished, it bypass the " unlock Samsung screen " and displayed the stock splash screen and audio then the Verizon screen. ( I was happier the a crackhead at a free crack-give-away)...
So I want to thank you for responding, I was determined not to give up,, and it was really close before I was about throw in the towel... Thanks a bunch. (You're response was exactly what I did last night)... I was about to update my issue as soon as I fixed it las night was it was so late and I was really sleepy, then I wake up to your message with the exact fix.
Thanks a lot ☺☺
Hi all... I did a bit of searching around but I'm still unsure of what to do, so forgive me because I'm sure this has been asked plenty of times and I know you all must be sick of seeing this question, but I just need to be sure so I don't mess anything up!
For the most part I haven't touched my S4 since I initially set it up. I'm still on MDK, CleanRom 1.6 (LOL) and still MDK. I've only updated recoveries on this phone (updated to the latest TWRP a week ago). Phone's on 4.2.2
I understand that MDK is too useful to lose so I have been very scared to play around with my phone and mess something up. I've always considered flashing various ROMs Ive found on this forum but never did it since I didn't wanna lose MDK.
So I guess what I'm trying to get at is how can I get my phone up to date modem/kernel/rom wise without messing anything up?
Again I apologize because I'm sure this gets asked all the time, but I appreciate any advice
Hovo said:
Hi all... I did a bit of searching around but I'm still unsure of what to do, so forgive me because I'm sure this has been asked plenty of times and I know you all must be sick of seeing this question, but I just need to be sure so I don't mess anything up!
For the most part I haven't touched my S4 since I initially set it up. I'm still on MDK, CleanRom 1.6 (LOL) and still MDK. I've only updated recoveries on this phone (updated to the latest TWRP a week ago). Phone's on 4.2.2
I understand that MDK is too useful to lose so I have been very scared to play around with my phone and mess something up. I've always considered flashing various ROMs Ive found on this forum but never did it since I didn't wanna lose MDK.
So I guess what I'm trying to get at is how can I get my phone up to date modem/kernel/rom wise without messing anything up?
Again I apologize because I'm sure this gets asked all the time, but I appreciate any advice
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You would just flash a new ROM via TWRP, the same can be done with modems. I never touched the Kernel just stayed with whatever was baked into the ROM I flash.
You can view some ROMS on here http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s4-verizon/development ( I suggest Dan's GPE ROM) stable and smooth as hell.
You can also download and flash modems from here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2487298 (Flash MODEMS only)
By doing this you will not lose your MDK/Loki Hacked bootloader. Hope this helps. Oh yeah be sure to read and re-read those posts before doing anything. ;]
TY for the response!
I'm still a bit confused though. How do people end up losing their MDK bootloader then? Is it certain roms that they flash?
My previous phone was a Droid Charge where you had to flash to the stock version of Android that a certain ROM was on before you were able to flash that ROM so it's like a completely different process with S4's and it leaves me really puzzled lol.
Hovo said:
TY for the response!
I'm still a bit confused though. How do people end up losing their MDK bootloader then? Is it certain roms that they flash?
My previous phone was a Droid Charge where you had to flash to the stock version of Android that a certain ROM was on before you were able to flash that ROM so it's like a completely different process with S4's and it leaves me really puzzled lol.
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Others can correct me if I'm wrong but I believe alot of people just end up taking the OTA update from Verizon which locks down their device.
People either have taken an OTA, or flashed a full image of a newer firmware in Odin. As long as you have an updated recovery, and flash a ROM meant for the vzw s4, you'll be good. You should go ahead and update your radios too.
circleofomega said:
plz..guys one small issur..some part of the system fonts are sudenly cyan-blue in colour??
whats this now??
Like...when i click on New contact: it asks me whatevr, where u want the new contact to be made and all, BUT here, on this screen, u see a "Select a contact type" < THIS HAS BECOME BLUE (cyan)
can any1 help me..i havent installed anything...
I stil have the Stock ROM..6.1...sorry Spikegotti to paste my doubt here..
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Please do not update from MDK. I will trade you my S4.
Jesus loves you!