dynomot
Android Expert
As promised, if late.
I see quite a few posts saying I want to do X or Y, or is Z possible and the replies often state that a "rooted device," or you need "root" to do that. This seems to put people off instantly and really there is no need. I intend to demystify the process and explain how to root and enjoy using root access on a Samsung Galaxy Note 3 SM-N9005. While I believe other Note 3 variants are similar to root this is for this device only as I have no personal experience of other devices.
WARNINGS AND WEASEL WORDS
Don't blame me or Android Forums if you break your phone either temporarily or permanently. I cannot control what you do or how you do it, all I can do is offer this guide that should (I emphasise should) work perfectly. It what I have done and my Note 3 is fine and happy.
This will trip your Knox flag, and more than likely invalidate your phone's manufacturer's warranty, no arguments please, just assume your warranty is gone and accept it if you root. It's easier that way. You don't know what "Knox" is ? Read Post 1 here from the Samsung Galaxy S4 forum here at Android Forums before proceeding, it is relevant to all Note 3 firmwares, and not just the Samsung galaxy S4:
http://androidforums.com/internatio...security-locked-bootloader-new-firmwares.html
WHAT IS "ROOT ?"
You're still reading ? Great ! I hope I haven't put you off.
Root gives you complete control over your device. It gives you somethig called "Super User" access. It allows you to alter things not available to a "Stock" (unrooted) phone. Don't like the battery icon ? No problem. Back up your entire phone to restore as it is this second ? Easy. Use UI frameworks like Xposed and Wannam to tweak and alter - go ahead. Want to uninstall (or better freeze) unwanted apps or bits of the OS you don't like ? Fine.
You see what I'm saying. Technically it allows user access to the root folder on your device. This can be dangerous to your device and render it a shiny paper weight forever should you delete or amend something in there. Don't worry, while you can, you probably won't if you follow instructions for doing anything requiring "root" to the letter.
TO ROOT
You will need a Windows PC (XP, Vista or 7) with admin rights- to do it my way anyway.
Kies 3 installed and working correctly on your PC, download it from Samsung here and follow all instructions and prompts:
Kies | SUPPORT | SAMSUNG UK
Your Note 3 fully charged or at the very least 80% battery left. If it runs out of charge while rooting you will kill it.
Your original Note 3 USB lead. Run Kies 3 once and connect your phone, all we need it for is the PC drivers, nothing else, once Kies is working, recognises your phone you need to shut it down entirely. It is not needed anymore.
A PC programmme called Odin. This will "flash" the rooting file onto your connected phone. Odin is what Samsung use to flash phones. We will be using version 1.85, here it is. Don't do anything but download it yet, download this folder to your desktop:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/q29x3tv7l5j6epj/0n8TMFRZNA/Odin3_v1.85
The rooting flashing file you use with Odin are from a developer called ChainFire (buy him a beer, he more than deserves it) the download links are in post 3 Here:
[SM-N900*] CF-Auto-Root - xda-developers
MAKE SURE YOU DOWNLOAD THE CORRECT VERSION FOR YOUR SAMSUNG NOTE 3 SM-N9005 THERE ARE TWO VERSIONS ONE FOR KITKAT 4.4 AND ONE FOR JELLY BEAN 4.3. To check your version (on your phone from a homescreen) go to MENU>SETTINGS>GENERAL (very bottom, scroll down)>ABOUT DEVICE. Android version will be shown either 4.3 or 4.4
Download it to your desktop and unzip the .zip file once, the file you need to also save to your desktop ends like this : .tar.md5 (DONOT EXTRACT OR UNZIP ANY FURTHER)
Now you are have everything you need. Go to your phone and once again go to the "About Device" Menu as above. Now at the very bottom you will see "Build number" tap on this repeatedly (I believe it is seven times) until "You are a developer" appears as a "toast" message. Now go back once to "General" and a new option - "Developer options" has appeared. Select this and check the tick box for "USB debugging" ignore everything else.
Now completely turn off your phone, if it is plugged into the PC, unplug it. You now need to get into "Download or "Odin" mode as it is called. To do this press and hold in this order and at the same time :Volume down, menu and power. A screen like this will appear:
Ignore the warning and press volume up. A green Android with the words "Downloading...Do not turn off target" and some small text to the top left will appear. To reboot from here as normal just press and hold the power key and the phone will reboot as if nothing happened.
Now go to your PC open the Odin folder and run the Odin .exe (you need to be logged in as an administrator on your PC) It will look like this :
Now connect your Phone, under the top left box will turn yellow with 0:[COM10] in it (the number maybe different - that's OK) and the main panel will show <ID:0/010>Added!! (again the number - here 10, maybe different).
Now Make sure the only boxes that are checked are "Auto Reboot", F.Reset Time and check the box "PDA" yourself. Now click the PDA tab next to the tick box and navigate and select the .md5.tar (ChainFire rooting file) you downloaded.
THIS IS THE COMPLETE POINT OF NO RETURN
If your at all unsure,worried or think you'll need Knox. Unplug the phone and press and hold the power button until it reboots - no harm done.
OK, Press Start in Odin. The yellow bar will turn quickly green from left to right, the top box will say PASS! and the main box will quickly fill with what it has done. The phone will have a download bar in blue under the Android that will quickly fill an it will reboot - CONGRATULATIONS ! You are now rooted.
I see quite a few posts saying I want to do X or Y, or is Z possible and the replies often state that a "rooted device," or you need "root" to do that. This seems to put people off instantly and really there is no need. I intend to demystify the process and explain how to root and enjoy using root access on a Samsung Galaxy Note 3 SM-N9005. While I believe other Note 3 variants are similar to root this is for this device only as I have no personal experience of other devices.
WARNINGS AND WEASEL WORDS
Don't blame me or Android Forums if you break your phone either temporarily or permanently. I cannot control what you do or how you do it, all I can do is offer this guide that should (I emphasise should) work perfectly. It what I have done and my Note 3 is fine and happy.
This will trip your Knox flag, and more than likely invalidate your phone's manufacturer's warranty, no arguments please, just assume your warranty is gone and accept it if you root. It's easier that way. You don't know what "Knox" is ? Read Post 1 here from the Samsung Galaxy S4 forum here at Android Forums before proceeding, it is relevant to all Note 3 firmwares, and not just the Samsung galaxy S4:
http://androidforums.com/internatio...security-locked-bootloader-new-firmwares.html
WHAT IS "ROOT ?"
You're still reading ? Great ! I hope I haven't put you off.
Root gives you complete control over your device. It gives you somethig called "Super User" access. It allows you to alter things not available to a "Stock" (unrooted) phone. Don't like the battery icon ? No problem. Back up your entire phone to restore as it is this second ? Easy. Use UI frameworks like Xposed and Wannam to tweak and alter - go ahead. Want to uninstall (or better freeze) unwanted apps or bits of the OS you don't like ? Fine.
You see what I'm saying. Technically it allows user access to the root folder on your device. This can be dangerous to your device and render it a shiny paper weight forever should you delete or amend something in there. Don't worry, while you can, you probably won't if you follow instructions for doing anything requiring "root" to the letter.
TO ROOT
You will need a Windows PC (XP, Vista or 7) with admin rights- to do it my way anyway.
Kies 3 installed and working correctly on your PC, download it from Samsung here and follow all instructions and prompts:
Kies | SUPPORT | SAMSUNG UK
Your Note 3 fully charged or at the very least 80% battery left. If it runs out of charge while rooting you will kill it.
Your original Note 3 USB lead. Run Kies 3 once and connect your phone, all we need it for is the PC drivers, nothing else, once Kies is working, recognises your phone you need to shut it down entirely. It is not needed anymore.
A PC programmme called Odin. This will "flash" the rooting file onto your connected phone. Odin is what Samsung use to flash phones. We will be using version 1.85, here it is. Don't do anything but download it yet, download this folder to your desktop:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/q29x3tv7l5j6epj/0n8TMFRZNA/Odin3_v1.85
The rooting flashing file you use with Odin are from a developer called ChainFire (buy him a beer, he more than deserves it) the download links are in post 3 Here:
[SM-N900*] CF-Auto-Root - xda-developers
MAKE SURE YOU DOWNLOAD THE CORRECT VERSION FOR YOUR SAMSUNG NOTE 3 SM-N9005 THERE ARE TWO VERSIONS ONE FOR KITKAT 4.4 AND ONE FOR JELLY BEAN 4.3. To check your version (on your phone from a homescreen) go to MENU>SETTINGS>GENERAL (very bottom, scroll down)>ABOUT DEVICE. Android version will be shown either 4.3 or 4.4
Download it to your desktop and unzip the .zip file once, the file you need to also save to your desktop ends like this : .tar.md5 (DONOT EXTRACT OR UNZIP ANY FURTHER)
Now you are have everything you need. Go to your phone and once again go to the "About Device" Menu as above. Now at the very bottom you will see "Build number" tap on this repeatedly (I believe it is seven times) until "You are a developer" appears as a "toast" message. Now go back once to "General" and a new option - "Developer options" has appeared. Select this and check the tick box for "USB debugging" ignore everything else.
Now completely turn off your phone, if it is plugged into the PC, unplug it. You now need to get into "Download or "Odin" mode as it is called. To do this press and hold in this order and at the same time :Volume down, menu and power. A screen like this will appear:
Ignore the warning and press volume up. A green Android with the words "Downloading...Do not turn off target" and some small text to the top left will appear. To reboot from here as normal just press and hold the power key and the phone will reboot as if nothing happened.
Now go to your PC open the Odin folder and run the Odin .exe (you need to be logged in as an administrator on your PC) It will look like this :
Now connect your Phone, under the top left box will turn yellow with 0:[COM10] in it (the number maybe different - that's OK) and the main panel will show <ID:0/010>Added!! (again the number - here 10, maybe different).
Now Make sure the only boxes that are checked are "Auto Reboot", F.Reset Time and check the box "PDA" yourself. Now click the PDA tab next to the tick box and navigate and select the .md5.tar (ChainFire rooting file) you downloaded.
THIS IS THE COMPLETE POINT OF NO RETURN
If your at all unsure,worried or think you'll need Knox. Unplug the phone and press and hold the power button until it reboots - no harm done.
OK, Press Start in Odin. The yellow bar will turn quickly green from left to right, the top box will say PASS! and the main box will quickly fill with what it has done. The phone will have a download bar in blue under the Android that will quickly fill an it will reboot - CONGRATULATIONS ! You are now rooted.
