Root [International] Unrooting question

[geenidee]

Currently i have firmware I9505XXUDMHB that is rooted. How can i unroot it and reset the binary count to 0?

Is removing the SU app and a factory reset enough? as i also like to make it like if booted up the phone my first time?

 

[dynomot]

I belive your firmware is Knox enabled, but I am not completely sure. If it is and the Knox counter reads anything other than 0x0 then your warranty has gone and it cannot be used as a work phone for BYOD (bring your own device) scenarios. You still can return it to stock unrooted though, and although pointless you can still restore the flash counter to zero and the phones 'custom status' to official.

If your Knox counter is anything but 0x0 don't bother with resorting the phones flash counter and 'custom status", there really is no point. However if your firmware does not have Knox activated (as I said I'm not sure) you need 'Triangle Away' from here :

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=eu.chainfire.triangleaway&hl=en_GB

Then after downloading your stock unrooted firmware, making sure you have a stock Kernel to start with run triangle away, follow the instructions exactly and let it reboot to download mode. Then flash your stock firmware. Job done. To restore the phone as new then do a factory reset from settings.

 

[geenidee]

so even i have already the stock firmware i need to re-download it? not just boot up by home button, vol up button and power button together to start factory reset?

 

[mrpnut]

Sorry but there's no way to reset the binary at This time but I know they are working on it.....

 

[Shotgun84]

Yeah you'll need to reflash your stock firmware as that will replace your rooted kernel with the stock unrooted. I'm not too sure how easy it'll be too flash though as you have the new locked bootloader and knox. I'm not too sure either if reflashing will trip the knox counter. I've moved this to all things root

 

[dynomot]

Yeah you'll need to reflash your stock firmware as that will replace your rooted kernel with the stock unrooted. I'm not too sure how easy it'll be too flash though as you have the new locked bootloader and knox. I'm not too sure either if reflashing will trip the knox counter. I've moved this to all things root

Yes it will, yes to unroot you would need to flash an unrooted Kernel. This would indeed trip the Knox counter if it isn't already. Basically with a Knox enabled locked bootloader your warranty is gone, and resetting the flash counter is worthless. The Knox counter can never be reset and the flash counter can be. They are different counters. The Knox counter is hard wired into the device and was activated in firmwares with locked bootloaders above MH1. Shotgun84 has confirmed it is a firmware with Knox enabled. Unfortunately you cannot restore the phone to an "out if the box" new state.

 

[geenidee]

What will happen as soon the official android 4.3 update comes for the galaxy s4. Better to wait for it?

will then the root access be gone?

 

[dynomot]

What will happen as soon the official android 4.3 update comes for the galaxy s4. Better to wait for it?

will then the root access be gone?

You'll not get it via Kies as your rooted. You may or may not get it over the air (OTA), when it comes out. You may be better flashing your stock firmware via Odin. That way you will revert back to being stock without root. To restore Kies connectivity you would need to know your exact CSC code before you rooted, presuming all you did was root this should be easy enough dial *#1234# in the dialler, you'll either get Super user up or three lines of text. If you get Super user just tap the back key to see them. It looks like this (ignore my codes they are from my Note 3 - you need your own) :

Now go here and register :

Firmwares | SamMobile

Put the codes your phone gave you into the search box and you'll be directed to download the latest firmware for your phone. Be warned though if you have flashed another ROM and not just rooted the codes will have been changed.


However you say you have already got the stock unrooted firmware? If so flash it with Odin and you'll be unrooted and back to stock. Your warranty will be gone and your flash counter will be what it was +1. Your Knox is tripped for good though.

Good luck.

 

[geenidee]

Well a former co-worker did do something to make the status from custom to official and i was able to do the OTA updates afterwards again as it was impossible after i rooted the phone.

Or is this separate from update thru KIES?

 

[dynomot]

I'm guessing, it would be good if you could show your Co-worker this thread to confirm, but they either flashed a stock ROM or, (and I'd need confirmation as I don't know if this would work) they have used Triangle Away to clear your flash counter and revert your device status back to official. This could allow OTA updates if all you did was root. If so, and it has allowed and you have received an OTA update, then you should be stock, unrooted with a flash counter of zero and Kies should work OK.

If so you have taught me something that I didn't know would work. please post what they did.

 

[dynomot]

A Kies update is the same as an OTA update, except Kies updates are usually first before you can get them OTA. Rooting "upsets" Kies, but may or may not allow you to update (losing Root) over the air (OTA).

 

[geenidee]

what you mean by "upsets?"

 

[geenidee]

Well i had the firmware that was the latest at the end of july. That was i believe: I9505XXUBMGA and i just spoke my co-worker he used indeed Triangle away. Now i have I9505XXUDMHB with the KNOX crap on it, But the positive thing is that i have it back to "Official" and can do OTA updates. I wanted to go back to stock as my clock widget that is standard on it the 4x1 widget with the time and date has issues as it freezes and sometime it shows the time and date from like 2 days ago.

 

[dynomot]

what you mean by "upsets?"

Kies is meant to read your device status and will not work for software updates if it sees anything other than 'official'. It will also not allow updates if you are running a ROM that doesn't tally with what Samsung know about your device. So to recieve Kies updates you must have the ROM it expects, not be rooted and have a device status of official. Kies checks all this when you plug in your phone to the PC, and open Kies. It checks over the Internet. Samsung's servers no doubt have a record of your phone. If anything does not match Kies will not allow an update.

 

[dynomot]

You can root, without tripping Knox, but flashing anything else will ATM trip it. Knox is Samsung's answer to make their devices secure. Rooting is not secure, flashing other mods and kernels certainly isn't secure. This trips the Knox flag, whether you want to use Knox security or not. This blows an EFuse on a chip. Now your phone will still work, but it cannot be securely used for business with Knox, ever. It has also tripped the flag allowing Samsung to know you rooted, thus voiding your warranty. The "Knox trip" is impossible to reverse.

 

[geenidee]

Well i never ever installed any custom rom. Only thing i did was rooting it and thats all.

 

[dynomot]

Well i never ever installed any custom rom. Only thing i did was rooting it and thats all.

So your good to go. Better not to Root at the moment if you want to preserve your warranty. Me and other regular contributors to this forum are waiting for a method of not tripping Knox by flashing things. Root to most of us seems pretty pointless without that ability.

 

[geenidee]

Well a root checker said it's still rooted.
KIES found my phone after deleted the software and installed it again. So i guess as soon i update to 4.3 i they wont know it was rooted once? as binary count is 0 and status is official and no custom rom

 

[Rudedawg]

Where can I see my Knox counter by the way?

 

[Shotgun84]

It'll tell you when you boot into download mode.

 

[Rudedawg]

Went to download , in the small text upper left there was nothing to say KNOX. I guess it would say that if it were. There was a little 0 x 30 but it said something else , not knox.

Saying that Im crossing over for 4.3 shortly on Stock so itll be fare well untill something stable comes around. Ive had nothing but issues with Djembey sadly. I guess every case is different.

 

[silentwitness]

If your Knox counter is anything but 0x0 don't bother with resorting the phones flash counter and 'custom status", there really is no point. However if your firmware does not have Knox activated (as I said I'm not sure) you need 'Triangle Away' from here :

just wondering the knox counter would be the same as the counter we used to have earlier? Which on non 9500 phones would be reset via traingle away only? On the 9500 we would not be able to reset the counter am i right?

 

[sntaylor]

Unfortunately silent witness, the Knox counter appears to be an efuse which cannot be reset in any way at all(think of it as a fuse in a car....it needs physically replaced, not necessarily the same in the phone, but you get the idea?

 

[silentwitness]

that sux so im definitely never going to buy another samsung phone now they are following in apples footsteps too closely with all this crap.