Worth upgrading from MDK to ME7? - Verizon Samsung Galaxy S 4

Hey guys I am currently rooted and unlocked on MDK running Bone Stock ROM. I am running the ME7 Radio.
Is it worth updating to ME7 and using Safestrap (I haven't read up on Safestrap yet so not even sure what is is)??

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CC268 said:
Hey guys I am currently rooted and unlocked on MDK running Bone Stock ROM. I am running the ME7 Radio.
Is it worth updating to ME7 and using Safestrap (I haven't read up on Safestrap yet so not even sure what is is)??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If youre on mdk you might as well stay if your wanting to run custom roms. Safestrap hijacks the boot process and boots a custom version of twrp recovery. Safestrap can only allocate so much space for each custom rom slot. 3gb being the largest. If youre wanting the features of me7 there is quite a few custom roms that use an me7 base.
Hit thanks if I helped you out. Doing a little bit of reading goes a long way. Sent via tapatalk.

hexitnow said:
If youre on mdk you might as well stay if your wanting to run custom roms. Safestrap hijacks the boot process and boots a custom version of twrp recovery. Safestrap can only allocate so much space for each custom rom slot. 3gb being the largest. If youre wanting the features of me7 there is quite a few custom roms that use an me7 base.
Hit thanks if I helped you out. Doing a little bit of reading goes a long way. Sent via tapatalk.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea I figured it would be best to just stay on the MDK base. I was planning on reading the Safestrap thread, but either way wanted the opinion of others. Thanks!

I don't have an SD Card yet either...so I technically can't update to ME7 and be rooted...although I do plan on getting an SD Card eventually

hexitnow said:
If youre on mdk you might as well stay if your wanting to run custom roms. Safestrap hijacks the boot process and boots a custom version of twrp recovery. Safestrap can only allocate so much space for each custom rom slot. 3gb being the largest. If youre wanting the features of me7 there is quite a few custom roms that use an me7 base.
Hit thanks if I helped you out. Doing a little bit of reading goes a long way. Sent via tapatalk.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you answered the question I am trying to research. I can flash an me7 based rom as I am currently stock mdk with twrp. I was afraid I would have to update to me7, reroot and install safestrap - which I'm not terribly interested in doing at the moment. I'm kinda waiting for modaco switch before I start custom rom'ing but found out about it too late to be a guinea pig.

casey225 said:
I think you answered the question I am trying to research. I can flash an me7 based rom as I am currently stock mdk with twrp. I was afraid I would have to update to me7, reroot and install safestrap - which I'm not terribly interested in doing at the moment. I'm kinda waiting for modaco switch before I start custom rom'ing but found out about it too late to be a guinea pig.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep thats entirely possible. Theyre based off me7 but dont have the disadvantages of me7 such as the blocked loki exploit. Im currently running the stock root deodex of me7 so im still able to flash custom roms if I like. Great battery life and very stable. I dont have smart view or pip as im using the stock kernel but I dont use either of em anyway. However flashing a custom kernel fixes it.
Hit thanks if I helped you out. Doing a little bit of reading goes a long way. Sent via tapatalk.

Related

Flashing roms on mj7/mdk safestrap

Is the only way right now to flash a rom is to delete all data in stock slot on ss then flash a compatible rom? I dont want to have to lose my data to do this.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using xda app-developers app
apompura said:
Is the only way right now to flash a rom is to delete all data in stock slot on ss then flash a compatible rom? I dont want to have to lose my data to do this.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Officially there is no way to flash a custom ROM on MJ7. Unofficially i have heard of some people doing this, but i HIGHLY DONT RECOMMEND IT! This is because if you screw something up there is a high chance of bricking. For now i would advise you to wait until Hashcode has ported safestrap over to MJ7.
Mtsprite said:
Officially there is no way to flash a custom ROM on MJ7. Unofficially i have heard of some people doing this, but i HIGHLY DONT RECOMMEND IT! This is because if you screw something up there is a high chance of bricking. For now i would advise you to wait until Hashcode has ported safestrap over to MJ7.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well it's just that Safestrap for 4.3 is in beta right now. It is risky and unless you don't care if you brick the phone or are really experienced I would wait it out.
joshm.1219 said:
Well it's just that Safestrap for 4.3 is in beta right now. It is risky and unless you don't care if you brick the phone or are really experienced I would wait it out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree...unless you don't need your phone or like to reflash and do Odin...its beta and hashcode does his development step by step. Loading Roms and having issues with a beta release won't speed the process. Pay attention to what hashcode wants...I'm just saying
powered by hashcode safestrap hyperdrive 10.2
MJ7
Safestrap 3.71 is working with safestrap and RLS 11& RLS12 is working flawlessly. I have it in slot 2 on my S4. I highly reccommend flashing only stock kernel with installer then installing MJ7 patch before initial boot then changing kernel if need be.
Let me know if this helps!
Mj7 build can be found at this link!!
http://www.androidfilehost.com/?fid=23269279319198890
I just got done about 2 days ago with moving to mj7 via the non wipe Odin file, then OTA'd to mk2, rooted with the safe root process, installed safe strap 3.71, installed HD12 and moved it to the stock side.
I gotta say I'm definitely impressed with HD12 and how smooth it is.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using xda app-developers app
I'm currently running Safestrap v3.71 with latest Hyperdrive ROM. So far it has been running smooth error free
Safestrap galaxy s3 4.3 verizon ml1?
Just wondering if safestrap will work on my galaxy s3. I am on 4.3 build ml1 with saferoot and have locked bootloader.

[Q] How do I go from ME7 to MJ7?

Hi guys, I'm currently running a Hyperdrive RLS10 ROM, but I'm looking into the future with the new KitKat release, and I was interested in trying some of those features when sbreen updates his Hyperdrive ROM. Thing is, I'm a Verizon ME7 user with an MDK phone, and I have no idea how to take advantage of these new features, as from what I read so far, a simple reflash won't work. Can someone tell me exactly what I have to do to get from ME7 to MJ7 and still have my app data and messages? The rest I could reconfigure but I really need to keep the app data.
I've read things about having to ODIN back to stock, and whatnot, but won't that technically kill all the stuff on my phone with no recovery? :/
EDIT: after a bit of looking I'm reading that since I have an MDK phone it's actually fairly valuable for this, but I don't get exactly what for.
Ryukouki said:
EDIT: after a bit of looking I'm reading that since I have an MDK phone it's actually fairly valuable for this, but I don't get exactly what for.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because you can flash ROMs via TWRP.
MDK has the LOKI exploit available with a bootloader that can be bypassed or hijacked.
Look in the ROM area.
You will find what you need.
There are ROMs based on MJ7 4.3 that won't screw up your phone.
You just need TWRP.
tech_head said:
Because you can flash ROMs via TWRP.
MDK has the LOKI exploit available with a bootloader that can be bypassed or hijacked.
Look in the ROM area.
You will find what you need.
There are ROMs based on MJ7 4.3 that won't screw up your phone.
You just need TWRP.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Will I need to ODIN or any of that though? And Hyperdrive is at the moment based on 4.3 MJ7 so all I need to do is have TWRP and then I can just flash RLS12 onto my phone like a regular ROM installation?
Ryukouki said:
Will I need to ODIN or any of that though? And Hyperdrive is at the moment based on 4.3 MJ7 so all I need to do is have TWRP and then I can just flash RLS12 onto my phone like a regular ROM installation?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what recovery do have loaded and how did you flash HD10? You would flash any custom rom the same way. As long as you haven't taken any OTAs or odin'd a higher level firmware you should be good to go

MDK & 4.4.2 question

Greetings,
I have an S4 with MDK and it is currently running a Hyperdrive ROM. I want to upgrade it to a KK ROM of some flavor. I put SS on, thinking I would need it, but it looks like SS makes it more difficult? I believe that because the bootloader is locked, I can't just install a plain version of TWRP, correct?
So, for those with MDK who are now running KK, what did you do, what did you use, and in what order?
Thank you!
-Rob
robroy90 said:
Greetings,
I have an S4 with MDK and it is currently running a Hyperdrive ROM. I want to upgrade it to a KK ROM of some flavor. I put SS on, thinking I would need it, but it looks like SS makes it more difficult? I believe that because the bootloader is locked, I can't just install a plain version of TWRP, correct?
So, for those with MDK who are now running KK, what did you do, what did you use, and in what order?
Thank you!
-Rob
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So if you're on MDK with a custom rom then what recovery are you using?
The MDK bootloader has a loki exploit so you can just use a loki'd version of TWRP or CWM to flash any 4.4 rom. Find them in the original android development section
Sent from my HTC6525LVW using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
robroy90 said:
Greetings,
I have an S4 with MDK and it is currently running a Hyperdrive ROM. I want to upgrade it to a KK ROM of some flavor. I put SS on, thinking I would need it, but it looks like SS makes it more difficult? I believe that because the bootloader is locked, I can't just install a plain version of TWRP, correct?
So, for those with MDK who are now running KK, what did you do, what did you use, and in what order?
Thank you!
-Rob
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you are still on MDK the go to this section http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s4-verizon/orig-development and look for a 4.4 you would like. I believe Sbreen has a 4.4 of Hyperdrive in the works right now so if you like Hyperdrive, wait maybe if you want to?
Your post confuses me a little. If you updated the phone off of MDK and now on another baseband now then you will have to use SS and follow the instructions on how to go to 4.4 and back to 4.2 if you have to. Here is a link if you are on NC2/MK2 http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2726868.
If you have NC2/MK2/MI1/ME7 then you CAN NOT have a Custom Recovery like TWRP or CWM. You will have to use SS and go from there.

[Q] a question about surge's upgrade method

Hello guys,
Instead of flashing the near stock 4.4.2 ROM and then using Odin to flash CSc and ap, could I flash a 4.4.2 ROM like eclipse and then flash stuff in Odin?
Raymondlikesroot said:
Hello guys,
Instead of flashing the near stock 4.4.2 ROM and then using Odin to flash CSc and ap, could I flash a 4.4.2 ROM like eclipse and then flash stuff in Odin?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If I'm not mistaken it has to have a compatible custom kernel first. I would be interested in knowing for sure too. I know little about MDK but would like to learn enough to 1. not brick it, 2. not lose MDK and the loki exploit. Is there a thread dealing just with MDK? What to do and not to do for a noob?
Tulsadiver said:
If I'm not mistaken it has to have a compatible custom kernel first. I would be interested in knowing for sure too. I know little about MDK but would like to learn enough to 1. not brick it, 2. not lose MDK and the loki exploit. Is there a thread dealing just with MDK? What to do and not to do for a noob?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
nope, I'm talking about the mk2 to nc5 method from surge. I'm wondering if I have to flash the 4.4.2 ROM within the thread, or if I could flash another 4.4.2 ROM.
Tulsadiver said:
If I'm not mistaken it has to have a compatible custom kernel first. I would be interested in knowing for sure too. I know little about MDK but would like to learn enough to 1. not brick it, 2. not lose MDK and the loki exploit. Is there a thread dealing just with MDK? What to do and not to do for a noob?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Anyone running a build beyond MDK has Kernel Lock and the ROMs that users can flash are using the stock kernel... There were a few instances where the kernel was lightly modified but nothing big.... I'm not 100% about the OPs question though myself since I'm in fact on MDK...
As far as what to know for MDK... The two biggest things to remember are to NEVER take an OTA while on Stock MDK Touchwiz and to NEVER use any other Odin file other than MDK... Other than those two things anything else is pretty much fair game.
You need to just root stock MDK with Motochopper then once it's rooted freeze SDM with TiBu then I suggest using Flashify to install your recovery of choice.
Once those 3 steps are done.... Make a backup of stock MDK and your into flashing !
You won't " lose" your Loki'd MDK if you do those steps before anything else whenever coming from stock via Odin.
Other than possibly flashing a bad download ROM zip or something... The only other issue I've ever ran into was flashing a kernel that didn't have the Loki patch. That will send you to the " Unauthorized Software Detected" screen at boot. Even then no worries since you can hop back into recovery and restore or try again. For situations like that someone made up the Loki Doki zip that you can flash say after flashing the Alucard Kernel. which is meant for the i9505 S4 and that will Lokify it for you.
Good practice would to be just flash either KToonsez Kernel or Alucard Kernel ( + Loki Doki with Alucard ) if you're flashing a ROM you're not to sure about.
All AOSP roms that are for " JFLTE" can detect they our bootloader requires the Loki Patch and it will take care of that during the flash automatically.
If you have any other questions feel free to shoot me a PM or ask here... Never a problem
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
MisterTac, thanks for the super response. Lots of people would just say, "read up on it". I've got a couple of dumb questions. Can you flash virtually any Verizon rom? I have a hard time distinguishing between roms if it doesn't say specifically that it is for MDK. Another question is if you can't flash kernels, what exactly makes the MDK so much better than being on Safestrap (especially with all the roms Gigilie has ported)? One more thing, in your opinion what are the top five or so best roms that you can run with an MDK that you can't on Safestrap. I know you aren't really supposed to ask about best roms but I wanted to see what the difference was. Do you have to flash via odin or can you just install via recovery?
Miui
Tulsadiver said:
MisterTac, thanks for the super response. Lots of people would just say, "read up on it". I've got a couple of dumb questions. Can you flash virtually any Verizon rom? I have a hard time distinguishing between roms if it doesn't say specifically that it is for MDK. Another question is if you can't flash kernels, what exactly makes the MDK so much better than being on Safestrap (especially with all the roms Gigilie has ported)? One more thing, in your opinion what are the top five or so best roms that you can run with an MDK that you can't on Safestrap. I know you aren't really supposed to ask about best roms but I wanted to see what the difference was. Do you have to flash via odin or can you just install via recovery?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can most of the time flash any Verizon ROM whether it's for SafeStrap or MDK. Jrkruse also has a patch so that you can flash just about any i9505 Touchwiz ROM as well. And for AOSP ROMs like Cyanogen or Slim or the 100 other ROMs based off those you're good to flash any of them since most of them are Unified JFLTE builds that are for all LTE S4's on any carrier.
MDK is " better " or more flexible in that we can flash Custom Kernels. SafeStrap you cannot as of now. That gives you way more control over your phone. SafeStrap also only has a couple AOSP ROMs that somehow are working with it.... Where again... Our MDK ones can easily flash aosp ROMs without issue.
All these ROMs are going to be flashed through your custom recovery... Twrp or CWM. And I suggest using Flashify to install your custom recovery.
My top picks for stability and features that work best for me are currently SlimSaberKat, Mahdi, Liquid Smooth, C ROM and OSE. You're right there is no Best ROM... You'll have to just try them on your own but I'll edit this post with a couple links to these ROMs for you...
Edit....
SlimSaberKat
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=52865834
C ROM
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=51369881
Here's the JFLTE Unified Forum with some ROMs that will all work
http://img3.media.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s4/unified-development
I'm not much help with Touchwiz however... I'm an AOSP guy
Here's the KToonsez Kernel thread for our phone too. Awesome kernel
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=41798673
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
Mistertac said:
Miui
You can most of the time flash any Verizon ROM whether it's for SafeStrap or MDK. Jrkruse also has a patch so that you can flash just about any i9505 Touchwiz ROM as well. And for AOSP ROMs like Cyanogen or Slim or the 100 other ROMs based off those you're good to flash any of them since most of them are Unified JFLTE builds that are for all LTE S4's on any carrier.
MDK is " better " or more flexible in that we can flash Custom Kernels. SafeStrap you cannot as of now. That gives you way more control over your phone. SafeStrap also only has a couple AOSP ROMs that somehow are working with it.... Where again... Our MDK ones can easily flash aosp ROMs without issue.
All these ROMs are going to be flashed through your custom recovery... Twrp or CWM. And I suggest using Flashify to install your custom recovery.
My top picks for stability and features that work best for me are currently SlimSaberKat, Mahdi, Liquid Smooth, C ROM and OSE. You're right there is no Best ROM... You'll have to just try them on your own but I'll edit this post with a couple links to these ROMs for you...
Edit....
SlimSaberKat
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=52865834
C ROM
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=51369881
Here's the JFLTE Unified Forum with some ROMs that will all work
http://img3.media.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s4/unified-development
I'm not much help with Touchwiz however... I'm an AOSP guy
Here's the KToonsez Kernel thread for our phone too. Awesome kernel
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=41798673
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My last dumb question for a while. You can use Safestrap with MDK? If so why (to get the slots) and what version?
Tulsadiver said:
My last dumb question for a while. You can use Safestrap with MDK? If so why (to get the slots) and what version?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I guess technically you could although I don't see why anyone would want to other than using it for ROM slots yes.
I haven't ran into anyone on here I don't think either with a Verizon or ATT S4 that could run a true Custom Recovery and opted for SafeStrap.
In CWM I can wipe my current ROM and restore a backup I've made in like 2 minutes tops... so the space you'd potentially lose on your internal memory having multiple ROMs loaded with SafeStrap really isn't worth it when in 2 minutes you can just wipe and restore ya know? Just my opinion
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
Mistertac said:
Well I guess technically you could although I don't see why anyone would want to other than using it for ROM slots yes.
I haven't ran into anyone on here I don't think either with a Verizon or ATT S4 that could run a true Custom Recovery and opted for SafeStrap.
In CWM I can wipe my current ROM and restore a backup I've made in like 2 minutes tops... so the space you'd potentially lose on your internal memory having multiple ROMs loaded with SafeStrap really isn't worth it when in 2 minutes you can just wipe and restore ya know? Just my opinion
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How can I change from TWRP to CWM?
Tulsadiver said:
How can I change from TWRP to CWM?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just flash in recovery like any other zip. Here is Philz Touch CWM .
https://www.dropbox.com/s/odxykfc1dch3d7a/philz_touch_6.48.4-jflte.zip
Flash that then reboot to recovery from within your current TWRP and you'll have your CWM.
If you want just regular CWM you could use Flashify from the play store. Philz is the same thing but has few more options and in my opinion why not have more right?
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
Mistertac said:
Just flash in recovery like any other zip. Here is Philz Touch CWM .
https://www.dropbox.com/s/odxykfc1dch3d7a/philz_touch_6.48.4-jflte.zip
Flash that then reboot to recovery from within your current TWRP and you'll have your CWM.
If you want just regular CWM you could use Flashify from the play store. Philz is the same thing but has few more options and in my opinion why not have more right?
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you. You've been a great help.
Tulsadiver said:
Thank you. You've been a great help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Never a problem... Feel free to PM if too if you need something.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

Best possible path for me to upgrade firmware? Love to hear what you guys think.

Hi! before anything else, let me get this out of the way so you know my situation:
Verizon GS4 SCHi545
version: 4.2.2
baseband: ME7
Safestrap Installed, Jelly beans build 7 installed
Now, as far as I can tell there still is no unlock for the bootloader (i think MDK was the last unlocked baseband?), so I'm wondering if there's any way that I can keep root and upgrade to 4.4 or something higher, because I'm a little tired of being told I can't use 4.4 apps, and plus I would REALLY like to get off of touchwiz if I can. Basically, I'm getting a little sick of where I've been at for so long with this phone, and I'm looking for recommendations for things I could do, if there even is something.
Thanks guys!
You definitely can upgrade and keep root all the way to LP 5.0.1 (or OC1). Look in the development section for ROMs that are Safestrap compatible. Do not use roms for MDK as this will softbrick your phone. DO NOT TAKE THE OTA UPDATES TO UPGRADE AS YOU COULD GET STUCK WITH OC1 BOOTLOADER AND NO ROOT. Upgrade yourself using safestrap, just remember to flash the current SU.zip file after the ROM.zip to retain root. As long as your bootloader is below OC1 you can always use Odin to restore to NC5 and then root and go from there.
As far as getting away from TW - well good luck. Being on ME7 you are stuck with a nonMDK bootloader and must flash ROMs through Safestrap. All of the ROMs for Safestrap are TW based.
There are numerous tutorials and ROMs in the development section. Look for the Safestrap compatible ones. FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS TO THE "T". DO NOT DEVIATE. For 4.4 I prefer Hyperdrive 21. Great ROM with loads of customizations.
CoMtnMan said:
You definitely can upgrade and keep root all the way to LP 5.0.1 (or OC1). Look in the development section for ROMs that are Safestrap compatible. Do not use roms for MDK as this will softbrick your phone. DO NOT TAKE THE OTA UPDATES TO UPGRADE AS YOU COULD GET STUCK WITH OC1 BOOTLOADER AND NO ROOT. Upgrade yourself using safestrap, just remember to flash the current SU.zip file after the ROM.zip to retain root. As long as your bootloader is below OC1 you can always use Odin to restore to NC5 and then root and go from there.
As far as getting away from TW - well good luck. Being on ME7 you are stuck with a nonMDK bootloader and must flash ROMs through Safestrap. All of the ROMs for Safestrap are TW based.
There are numerous tutorials and ROMs in the development section. Look for the Safestrap compatible ones. FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS TO THE "T". DO NOT DEVIATE. For 4.4 I prefer Hyperdrive 21. Great ROM with loads of customizations.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks man! really appreciate it
kinglyO said:
Thanks man! really appreciate it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
make sure you read before flashing if you do it incorrectly you will lose root/bootloader unlocked status PERMANENTLY
can i use this method to update, even though I'm not going from NC2 or MK2? cause me7 is below the two of them right?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2726868
Legitsu said:
make sure you read before flashing if you do it incorrectly you will lose root/bootloader unlocked status PERMANENTLY
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
can i use this method to update, even though I'm not going from NC2 or MK2? cause me7 is below the two of them right?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2726868
CoMtnMan said:
You definitely can upgrade and keep root all the way to LP 5.0.1 (or OC1). Look in the development section for ROMs that are Safestrap compatible. Do not use roms for MDK as this will softbrick your phone. DO NOT TAKE THE OTA UPDATES TO UPGRADE AS YOU COULD GET STUCK WITH OC1 BOOTLOADER AND NO ROOT. Upgrade yourself using safestrap, just remember to flash the current SU.zip file after the ROM.zip to retain root. As long as your bootloader is below OC1 you can always use Odin to restore to NC5 and then root and go from there.
As far as getting away from TW - well good luck. Being on ME7 you are stuck with a nonMDK bootloader and must flash ROMs through Safestrap. All of the ROMs for Safestrap are TW based.
There are numerous tutorials and ROMs in the development section. Look for the Safestrap compatible ones. FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS TO THE "T". DO NOT DEVIATE. For 4.4 I prefer Hyperdrive 21. Great ROM with loads of customizations.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
can i use this method to update, even though I'm not going from NC2 or MK2? cause me7 is below the two of them right?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2726868

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