bought a Note 2 - Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II

I bought a Note 2 off Craigslist. I got it home and tried to update the firmware and it kept failing. So I performed a factory reset and found out the phone was Rooted. They had the SU hidden so I'm guessing they might have installed some kind of hack app. My question is since I performed a factory data reset will that get rid of anything and everything they might have installed?

05Warrior said:
I bought a Note 2 off Craigslist. I got it home and tried to update the firmware and it kept failing. So I performed a factory reset and found out the phone was Rooted. They had the SU hidden so I'm guessing they might have installed some kind of hack app. My question is since I performed a factory data reset will that get rid of anything and everything they might have installed?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That will remove everything from /data and /cache but anything stored in /system will still be there. You would need to do a format /system in either TWRP or CWM to ensure that the device is clean. If you don't want to be rooted, I would recommend finding a guide to flash back to stock, that should rewrite the whole phone for you.

This will help you back to stock.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2024207

Related

true hard reset?

How do I do a full factory wipe of my phone? I know you can go into privacy and do a factory reset but that is for data only isn't it? I want to make the phone how it came in the box. I was rooted and had the lag fix installed but I have undone both in preparation for this. Thanks.
snorge said:
How do I do a full factory wipe of my phone? I know you can go into privacy and do a factory reset but that is for data only isn't it? I want to make the phone how it came in the box. I was rooted and had the lag fix installed but I have undone both in preparation for this. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You will have to flash it with odin to get back to full stock. why do you need it back to stock?
You can do a "factory format" not a factory reset, and this will erase all data and restore to factory settings. Download my service menu program in my signature to do this. Otherwise do what the last poster did and reflash with odin.
phone seems slower in general than when I got it a few weeks ago, wondering if I messed something up playing with it. also I have a lot of fails when texting. just want to get it back like it came then start over.
snorge said:
phone seems slower in general than when I got it a few weeks ago, wondering if I messed something up playing with it. also I have a lot of fails when texting. just want to get it back like it came then start over.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If it was me I would do a Clockwork recovery of the stock rom. Im a little afraid of Odin due to all the bricks I have seen on the forums involving Odin (plus im on a Mac). If you are not returning it to Tmobile you could also try one of the roms that are posted in the forums. I would recomend Bionix or Frankin-twiz. Both devs are spot on with thier roms.
Factory Format Code is *2767*3855#
snorge said:
How do I do a full factory wipe of my phone? I know you can go into privacy and do a factory reset but that is for data only isn't it? I want to make the phone how it came in the box. I was rooted and had the lag fix installed but I have undone both in preparation for this. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just do a factory format, all the other methods listed are complicated
Go to dialer and dial in:
*2767*3855#
thats it, it will format your device and set it back to factory.
you can do a soft reset by dialing in
*#*#7780#*#*
SamsungVibrant said:
Just do a factory format, all the other methods listed are complicated
Go to dialer and dial in:
*2767*3855#
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
tried that it erases all your data and settings but doesn't restore anything you have removed. will most likely use clockwork then.

Went back to stock, now cant re-root

I used the 1 click toot method and thought I may return my fascinate. I decided against it and tried to root again with no luck. The root always has a bunch of FC's and eventually gets stuck. The generic ringer also starts with no way to stop it. Only a battery pull will restart the phone afterward. I have also already really installed the Samsung drivers for the phone. Anybody have any thoughts?
Did you go back to stock via odin...if not do so...and push root manually...instead of an app.
I did through Odin. Tried to push root manually last night. The phone froze right after the push and never recovered. Had to battery pull. I had all of the files pushed and got to the chmod and wait stage when it froze.
Hmm, maybe re push to stock in odin...make sure you are doing the correct files...though it sounds like you did...a second time around sometimes seems to hit the spot...droid used to give me the same issues with sbf.
Do a factory data reset after you redo the odin recovery. Make sure you are using the verizon file when pushing each flash and doing it in the proper order. Then manually root, dont use one click or an app.
Also remember to push the files one at a time and let the phone restart between each one booting back into download mode.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App
I've been working all weekend so I havent had too much time to deal with it. I wiped data and cache in the recovery menu initially and then the phone wouldn't allow me to sign back into my Google account. It kept telling me that I didn't have a data connection on 3g OR wifi. I finally did a factory reset through the privacy menu (not in recovery) and all seems to finally be working and completely stock. Now off to root and flash voodoo...
hey i had the same problem i made a post on how to fix it though.. go to the 0.00 internal storage issue mine was doing what u said plus more but i fixed it just follow the steps i set
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=804457
Got it. Just for the record: Rooted, Flashed all three files with Odin to get "back to stock". Re-OTA'd. Somehow Busybox and Su were still there so I manually removed. Then changed my mind about returning the phone and attempted to root again with no luck. Re-flashed through Odin ok, then attempted root but errors prevented finish. Cleared data and wiped cache through recovery. Then my google account wouldn't resync b/c of network connection error, even though I had a working data connection the entire time. Tried booting into recovery and clear and wipe data again. No luck. Finally decided to use factory data reset from within settings. Now all clear, rooted again, re-synced my google account and all good. You guys rock. Thanks for the help.

[Q] Rooted Transform Ultra problem

I have a Samsung Transform Ultra (rooted), I am using the stock ROM that came with the phone, recently I have corrupted something and need to attempt a factory reset, however some people have said that doing a factory reset on a rooted phone could brick it, so this brings a couple of questions:
1.- How would I un-root my phone, or, if un-rooting is not necessary, what steps should I take to factory reset it safely? My data is safely backed up already.
2.- Has anyone done a factory reset on a rooted Transform Ultra?
Any help would be most appreciated.
The4thDoctor said:
I have a Samsung Transform Ultra (rooted), I am using the stock ROM that came with the phone, recently I have corrupted something and need to attempt a factory reset, however some people have said that doing a factory reset on a rooted phone could brick it, so this brings a couple of questions:
1.- How would I un-root my phone, or, if un-rooting is not necessary, what steps should I take to factory reset it safely? My data is safely backed up already.
2.- Has anyone done a factory reset on a rooted Transform Ultra?
Any help would be most appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't you have a custom Recovery installed? I don't know about this device specifically, but there should be a factory reset option you can utilize within your Recovery image. You'll need a ROM to flash afterwards also, otherwise you'll have no OS on your device. Or simply flash a NANDroid backup.
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App
Since my (rooted) phone has the stock factory ROM only, and I never changed it, do I still need a ROM? My original ROM was never removed or changed.
The4thDoctor said:
Since my (rooted) phone has the stock factory ROM only, and I never changed it, do I still need a ROM? My original ROM was never removed or changed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well that's the thing, when you factory reset a rooted phone it wipes everything, including the OS. So after a factory reset there will be no ROM to boot into. Even though you've never changed it and you're running stock, you'd still need a copy of that stock ROM (if you wanted to continue running stock). But if you've made a nandroid backup (complete snapshot of your entire system) at some point before you noticed the current problem you're having, it might be easier to simply restore that particular backup via Recovery.
I never flashed any roms or recovery, just rooted.
Unfortunately, I never made a nandroid backup before I had this problem, however, my daughter has an identical phone, could I make such a backup from hers, and use it on my phone, then just delete her settings etc?
I had no idea that just rooting would kill the stock ROM image, making the phone un-recoverable, I thought that rooting only gave me superuser permissions.
The4thDoctor said:
I never flashed any roms or recovery, just rooted.
Unfortunately, I never made a nandroid backup before I had this problem, however, my daughter has an identical phone, could I make such a backup from hers, and use it on my phone, then just delete her settings etc?
I had no idea that just rooting would kill the stock ROM image, making the phone un-recoverable, I thought that rooting only gave me superuser permissions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looks like Clockworkmod doesn't support your device.... not sure what custom Recoveries are available for your phone... but rooting doesn't mess up the stock ROM, we (the users) mess up our ROMs. You're right when you said that rooting gives you superuser privileges, and with those privileges come the unfortunate ability to screws stuff up. In my case I have tons of backups and a custom Recovery whereby I can wipe the phone and restore if need be. I also have ADB installed and can use Fastboot commands if things go sideways. Basically if you're gonna root have a backup plan.
Can you perhaps follow an unrooting method? Then you could safely factory reset without losing the OS... you know...the more I think about this, the more I wonder if you could just use the factory reset option from within the phone's settings... on a custom ROM you'd never do it, but in your situation (no custom recovery or ROM) who knows, maybe it would work with a problem.... I'll ask a friend of mine and post back.
Edit: Never heard back, but in your case on the stock ROM without a custom Recovery you *should* be able to factory reset through the Privacy setting section of your settings. If you do lose root, simply re root and you're good to go.
Thanks, Well I am going to give it a try and see what happens, worst case, I will have to buy another phone.
EDIT: I had no problems with factory reset, thank you!

Factory reset on .21 will i lose root?

Thats the question
Of course i have OTA voodoo root keeper and i think i already did a factory reset on .14 or something and kept the root / was able to restore root - not sure anymore.
Has anyone tried that?
I want to factory reset because i have some strange things going on, like reboots after a long time on standby and stuff like that. Or maybe these are just issues with .21 ... who knows but anyway would be nice to know what happens to root after factory reset.
you will lose root and voodoo keeper so you will be unable to restore root.
clouds5 said:
Thats the question
Of course i have OTA voodoo root keeper and i think i already did a factory reset on .14 or something and kept the root / was able to restore root - not sure anymore.
Has anyone tried that?
I want to factory reset because i have some strange things going on, like reboots after a long time on standby and stuff like that. Or maybe these are just issues with .21 ... who knows but anyway would be nice to know what happens to root after factory reset.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try the paper clip in the little hole by the sdcard first to see if that helps. I just did it this morning. There is no downside.
clouds5 said:
Thats the question
Of course i have OTA voodoo root keeper and i think i already did a factory reset on .14 or something and kept the root / was able to restore root - not sure anymore.
Has anyone tried that?
I want to factory reset because i have some strange things going on, like reboots after a long time on standby and stuff like that. Or maybe these are just issues with .21 ... who knows but anyway would be nice to know what happens to root after factory reset.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did a factory reset with .21 after rooting .14 and installed voodoo ota root keeper...i didn't lose root...the superuser app gets installed along with other apps...
Does anyone know the answer to this definitively from experience, and could they explain it. I asked the same question on 04/13 with no answer.
You will not lose root if you have Google backup enabled. I did a factory reset on .21. The OTA Voodoo app along with the data files for it will be automatically reinstalled when you log back into your Gmail account.
prettyboy85712 said:
You will not lose root if you have Google backup enabled. I did a factory reset on .21. The OTA Voodoo app along with the data files for it will be automatically reinstalled when you log back into your Gmail account.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you are there any other answers besides google backup (I don't trust it) it sometimes only works on first bootup after system reset
Yeah i dont trust google backup either
Guess i'll wait for the next update which should come very soon. See if that clears up my issues because other than that i like the stock rom.
But good to know its still an option to factory reset even though its somewhat risky.
I actually did factory reset on .21. I had lost wifi do to pilot error. I had a backup apk of voodoo and upon installing it I still had root AFTER the factory reset. This was a wipe all data from the bootloader menu, not using the reset pin on the side. I can confirm that either you wont lose root, or voodoo will restore it for you.
I was rooted on .14, went through the upgrades, had multiple failed updates to .21 until I downloaded and manually ran it.
Now I cannot get root back with Voodoo despite having backed it up before hand.
Any ideas?
I had .21, rooted with VooDoo on the system, when I reset the superuser came back but I did not have root, and Voodoo did not come back. I have everything backed up on Titanium, but it won't work without root.
I am going to try and use another users voodoo apk and see if it will work.
I have the same issue, SU is there, but no root.
aawshads said:
I had .21, rooted with VooDoo on the system, when I reset the superuser came back but I did not have root, and Voodoo did not come back. I have everything backed up on Titanium, but it won't work without root.
I am going to try and use another users voodoo apk and see if it will work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Grab the apk from TB for Voodoo and manually install it. It should restore root for you. Your backups are in mnt/sdcard/titaniumbackup
im on .21 not rooted. if i do a factory reset will it reset my firmware to factory too like to .14 and then can i root install voodoo and update to .21?
fcortes626 said:
im on .21 not rooted. if i do a factory reset will it reset my firmware to factory too like to .14 and then can i root install voodoo and update to .21?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Factory reset does not remove or rollback firmware updates.
Just wanted to let you know, i did a factory reset yesterday. Everything went fine, i kept root and titanium worked perfectly.
It was a complete pain in the ass though to copy back my stuff. I had about 20GB that i backed up before the reset and wanted to copy back once everything was set up. I had to start over several times, and it kept hanging at times. I hate this media device mode. HATE IT.

[Q] What happens if I factory reset phone

Was thinking about factory resetting my phone. For some reason the WatchESPN app isn't working and I thought that
if I factory reset my phone it will work again. Question is, Will I lose root if I factory reset my phone.. Thanks
kidnice15 said:
Was thinking about factory resetting my phone. For some reason the WatchESPN app isn't working and I thought that
if I factory reset my phone it will work again. Question is, Will I lose root if I factory reset my phone.. Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If only one app is having issues I'd uninstall and reinstall the app. Factory Data Reset is really a "last resort" sort of thing. And the main thing it does for you is to uninstall all the apps you've installed and then reinstalls them.
Why not just wipe the application data for Watch ESPN? As far as Factory Reset, it wipes /data and /cache. If you're using stock recovery, this will include the internal SD card, so pictures, videos, etc. that you have taken will also be wiped.
kidnice15 said:
Was thinking about factory resetting my phone. For some reason the WatchESPN app isn't working and I thought that
if I factory reset my phone it will work again. Question is, Will I lose root if I factory reset my phone.. Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The idea of factory reset can be quiet confusing in android. The word "factory reset" is fancy enough to trick you that it will restore everything back to where it was...but all it does is just clearing stored cache, data, and etc etc., and it does NOT promise you anything. In lots of circumstances, damaged system or installed apps can't be restored, and they are ended up getting firmware flashed by manufacturer (some Verizon stores do flash firmware but many don't). Let's say you're rooted and removed all the bloats using system app remover. That's not going to restore your bloats to where it was....and you'll be rejected from receiving OTA update.
To get back to your question, "Will I lose root if I factory reset my phone?" I think it really depends on how you rooted. I think if you rooted your phone by flashing rooted image, then probably not. But if you use ADB shell to root your phone, you may lose your root.
Try to clear your cache and see if it works again.....I think that's the best way.
I agree you probably don't need a factory reset here. But no you will not lose root. Root is custom binaries inside the system that will not be touched. Depending how you installed your super user app I guess you could lose that, but you who's just have to download one
Sent from my SCH-I605 (AKA NOTE 2)

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