Root [Virgin Mobile] Having Trouble with Carbon 4.3

[mablake184]

I have downloaded Carbon 4.3 ROM and I'm trying to get it on my phone but as I'm new to the S3 I'm screwing something up. After flash/reboot I get the initial splash screen (with the 'C' for Carbon) as the phone boots but after 10 minutes it goes no further. I am using Philz Recovery.

Here are the steps I'm taking:
1) Remove Carbon Asserts from Update-script
2) Boot recovery
3) Wipe for new rom, wipe Dalvik
4) Flash: 4.3 DKP Kernal, Carbon: 4.3, PA GAPPS 4.3, APN Fix #3. (I have also tried flashing without GAPPS and with/without Super User 1.89.
5) Reboot phone.

Any suggestions would be helpful. I have been able to successfully flash MOAR and Smasher X with no issues.

Edit: I tried to flash the PACman 4.3 ROM and had the same problem just now.

 

[ajnycguy]

Did you remove the asserts on your computer?

Also when you flash you should (in this order):
* ROM
* GApps
* APN Fix

Boot up phone (get past the setup) then go back into recovery then flash:
*DKP Kernel

(That's what I do at least)

Also you don't need to flash SuperSU when flashing AOSP Roms like Cyan and Carbon or others. Maybe on a custom TW but not on a AOSP Rom, its built in. Also make sure you're using d2spr. Also make sure you're using the correct DKP kernel.

Hope this helps!

 

[sean19661]

Don't flash dkp kernal just do the ROM and gapps

 

[mablake184]

Yes I removed the Asserts on my computer and then repackaged the Update-Script. I'll try what you say real quick and post back if it works.

 

[mablake184]

I tried only flashing the ROM and then the GApps. The same thing still happened with PACman and Carbon. Is there something I need to be doing when switching between 4.4 and 4.3 that I'm missing?

 

[papa b]

Are you using Philz recovery?

 

[mablake184]

Are you using Philz recovery?

Yes I am using Philz.

 

[upconvert]

There's nothing special you have to do to go between 4.3 and 4.4.

I think you have modified the script correctly, otherwise you would have gotten an error when trying to flash.

Do you have the KNOX bootloader?

 

[papa b]

Try wiping everything then flashing the ROM only. If it starts up let it sit for 10-15 minutes then flash gaps.

 

[papa b]

Also, if it hangs on the logo, try restarting by holding the power button only. It will take at least 10 seconds so be patient.

 

[struckn]

Try wiping everything then flashing the ROM only. If it starts up let it sit for 10-15 minutes then flash gaps.

Good advice here in general. Best way to get 4.3 and 4.4 ROM's to settle in properly is to flash the components separately. Here is my sequence:

Flash ROM and APN fix in first session in recovery. Boot into system, let things settle, don't even set up WiFi.

Boot to recovery, flash GApps. Boot back to system, then after a few minutes, set up WiFi, Google account, and go to Play Store to download Titanium Backup. Proceed to restore apps from TB.

Boot to recovery one more time, flash kernel cleaner, new kernel (dkp), kernel cleaner again, flash Dalvik optimizer, kernel cleaner one last time, then flash zips for modified apps from Team Black Out to change look of Play Store, Hangouts, and Google Now.

 

[struckn]

For @mablake184, here is a copy of Carbon 4.3 that I personally used last fall with no issues. You may also want to flash to the MG2 modem, as that was the one in primary use at the time.

Dev-Host - Carbon Nightly 20131108.zip - The Ultimate Free File Hosting / File Sharing Service

Here is the link for the modem:

[MODEM][JB 4.1.2][CWM][MD7][MG2] MD7/MG2 Modems in CWM Flashable Zip - xda-developers

 

[ajnycguy]

Good advice here in general. Best way to get 4.3 and 4.4 ROM's to settle in properly is to flash the components separately. Here is my sequence:

Flash ROM and APN fix in first session in recovery. Boot into system, let things settle, don't even set up WiFi.

Boot to recovery, flash GApps. Boot back to system, then after a few minutes, set up WiFi, Google account, and go to Play Store to download Titanium Backup. Proceed to restore apps from TB.

Boot to recovery one more time, flash kernel cleaner, new kernel (dkp), kernel cleaner again, flash Dalvik optimizer, kernel cleaner one last time, then flash zips for modified apps from Team Black Out to change look of Play Store, Hangouts, and Google Now.

I have never done this before.. Maybe I'll try it when Carbon KK comes out officially.

Also what is this kernel cleaner? Could you post a link?

 

[struckn]

I have never done this before.. Maybe I'll try it when Carbon KK comes out officially.

Also what is this kernel cleaner? Could you post a link?

It's part of the thread for the KToonsez kernel KT747. Scroll down past the download links for the various kernel versions to where is says "If needed, here is a script for fixing cache..."

[KERNEL][SPR][AOSP/TW][4.1/4.2/4.3/4.4][01/28/2014] KT747 - MD4 - KTweaker - xda-developers

Using this script is recommended for making sure the Dalvik optimizer flashes properly as well, it's more of the main reason why I use it. Ultimately it is just a quick way to clear cache, Dalvik, and fix permissions (last part not too much of a concern anymore on the current OS's) all in one go. I run it before and after a kernel flash as well just to be sure, although I have never had problems just straight-up flashing to a new kernel after a ROM flash.

 

[mablake184]

There's nothing special you have to do to go between 4.3 and 4.4.

I think you have modified the script correctly, otherwise you would have gotten an error when trying to flash.

Do you have the KNOX bootloader?

This is a super-noob moment for me. I am pretty sure that I do have the KNOX bootloader. Is there a way for me to verify for certain? I when I initially started I followed Struckn's BOSS AIO guide and flashed the stock MK5 Deoxdexed (I think) if that helps.

 

[struckn]

This is a super-noob moment for me. I am pretty sure that I do have the KNOX bootloader. Is there a way for me to verify for certain? I when I initially started I followed Struckn's BOSS AIO guide and flashed the stock MK5 Deoxdexed (I think) if that helps.

Do you know how to boot into download mode? If not, the button sequence is Volume Down, Home Key, and Power Button all at once until the warning screen appears. Proceed to the download screen and look for a line at the bottom of the script that refers to Warranty Bit 0 or Warranty Bit 1; if that line is there, so is Knox. If that line is missing, then no Knox. Regardless, once you have achieved root, any Android build number is fine to use (4.1.2, 4.3.x, 4.4.x) when flashing a ROM in recovery. Knox should only interfere when trying to switch bootloaders. I suspect that if you were flashing the SuperSU zip as part of your initial process with Carbon that the binaries are not in place, along with the capability to disable Knox that is included in SuperSU. For starters, go to download mode and report back, then I will talk you through some more things from there.

 

[mablake184]

@Struckn: It seems pretty clear to me after doing what you said that I am not running KNOX bootloader. I will say that flashing your older Carbon ROM did work with no issues.

After flashing it comes to my attention maybe I didn't describe my problem appropriately. To be clear it is getting stuck at the very first initial flash screen before the boot animation even appears.

 

[struckn]

@Struckn: It seems pretty clear to me after doing what you said that I am not running KNOX bootloader. I will say that flashing your older Carbon ROM did work with no issues.

After flashing it comes to my attention maybe I didn't describe my problem appropriately. To be clear it is getting stuck at the very first initial flash screen before the boot animation even appears.

For starters, congratulations on being Knox free! I really don't know why it would hang on the splash screen for some ROM's and not for others, especially since you have had success with Smasher X, which is AOSP. I wonder, you say you flashed the correct kernel version, but that is really the only thing I can think of that would cause the reboot to hang at that stage. I presume you are fully working with the one I provided, as far as booting back into the ROM successfully and up and running? Also, you chose the dkp for 4.3 AOSP, not 4.3 TW, correct? There is a difference. Wicked Sensations, MOAR, stock/Knox free from @jdsingle76, Static Power, and Digiblur are all based on TouchWiz, so if you run a custom kernel, you would choose from the 4.3 TW folder provided by decimalman. Carbon 4.3 and PacMan 4.3 are AOSP based (CyanogenMod), so you would choose the 4.3 AOSP folder from his downloads. Also, for anyone reading this, CyanogenMod has unified the kernel base, so decimalman is placing all new AOSP 4.4 kernel builds into a folder simply called "d2." Additionally, LiquidSmooth has started releasing KitKat builds which are also unified, so the asserts just point to the device types, there is not a separate d2spr download; unfortunately, d2vmu is left out. Not willing to try this one out personally, seems semi-sketchy after all the warnings about different carriers using different partitions and what not, but I will keep an eye on the LiquidSmooth thread on XDA to see what happens for the Sprint users.

 

[struckn]

Also, for those of you reading my earlier post in this thread about the order in which I flash things, the Dalvik optimizer I mentioned is only for 4.4.x KitKat ROM's, do not flash on anything based on 4.3.x or earlier. Thanks @nathan75 for asking about this and prompting this warning!

 

[mablake184]

OK so progress has been made. Struckn you were correct I was flashing the TW kernel. I'm really glad you double checked that. Obvious noob mistake However, now I have a brand new problem. On both PACman and Carbon when I boot now the screen looks super messed up. Colors are inverted(?), everything is the wrong size, everything is doubled and in the wrong position. Examples: The battery icon is hot pink and there is located at 1/3 of the way across the top and another at 2/3 across the top. Of course when I flash back my backed up ROMs it looks fine.

I selected the top kernel here: Dev-Host - The Ultimate Free File Hosting / File Sharing Service
Would the other kernel work better?

Also I wanted to thank everyone for their assistance thus far!

 

[struckn]

OK so progress has been made. Struckn you were correct I was flashing the TW kernel. I'm really glad you double checked that. Obvious noob mistake However, now I have a brand new problem. On both PACman and Carbon when I boot now the screen looks super messed up. Colors are inverted(?), everything is the wrong size, everything is doubled and in the wrong position. Examples: The battery icon is hot pink and there is located at 1/3 of the way across the top and another at 2/3 across the top. Of course when I flash back my backed up ROMs it looks fine.

I selected the top kernel here: Dev-Host - The Ultimate Free File Hosting / File Sharing Service
Would the other kernel work better?

Also I wanted to thank everyone for their assistance thus far!

You need a kernel build from a date that closely matches the ROM build. The weird color issue was a known problem from mid-October. What happens is that new kernel builds come out to adjust to major changes that CyanogenMod team makes in their source. For dkp 4.3 AOSP, choose the most recent date possible and you should be golden. In your case, you will want the one from the Stable folder, under d2spr-d2vmu, from 11/21/2013.

Edit: Sorry, I didn't follow your link, looks like you chose the one I said should work. Maybe try one from the testing folder instead of the stable folder. Strange, because the date on the 11/21/2013 build is past the date of the problems with the screen colors. I would also recommend wiping cache and Dalvik before installing a new kernel, just to be safe.

 

[mablake184]

Ok. So I have flashed all 4, the two stable and the two testing DKP ASOP 4.3 kernels. I have also tried flashing the dkp-enable-vmin.zip package. Can I safely try and use one of the BSM kernels? If so how do I know if I should use the 3.0.y or 3.4.y?

 

[struckn]

Ok. So I have flashed all 4, the two stable and the two testing DKP ASOP 4.3 kernels. I have also tried flashing the dkp-enable-vmin.zip package. Can I safely try and use one of the BSM kernels? If so how do I know if I should use the 3.0.y or 3.4.y?

Try this dkp build, it isn't available in his downloads anymore:

Dev-Host - dkp kernel test build 20131027.zip - The Ultimate Free File Hosting / File Sharing Service

It is from 10/27, and should run fine. Wipe cache and Dalvik both before and after flashing just to be safe. Personally, BMS kernel gave me nothing but bootloops, even without any tweaking, but you may have better results. The OP of the thread for that kernel should have instructions for which version you want. Also, I can provide a copy of leankernel if you would like to try that one.

 

[struckn]

Also, maybe a fresh start on the ROM install first, then follow the order for flashing zip files I posted earlier.

 

[mablake184]

I'm pretty stumped. I wiped for new ROM and cleared Dalvik. I Flashed: Rom, APN, kernel cleaner, kernel (the new one you suggested), kernel cleaner. and its still doing the weird screen thing. I know you said that you do the new kernel after GApps, but since that's what seems to be causing the problem I flashed it this time. I'm up for trying leankernel.