My friend's Galaxy Tablet received the update OTA last weekend. But for some reason, he didn't like it. And I agree with him, this version is not ready and seems to be optimized for phones, not tablets. So he asked me to bring it back to 4.1.2
without rooting it.
First, let me warn you that the following method will completely wipe your device. You will have to re-install everything.
Also: continue at your own risk.
You'll need a computer running Windows, with the Samsung USB drivers installed. The easiest way to get the USB drivers is to install
Samsung Kies software, but make sure Kies is NOT running. Make sure your tablet connects to the computer as a media device.
Install
Odin on the Windows machine.
You'll also need a 4.1.2 ROM. Get the one that matches your device from Sammobile.com. Unzip the ROM file and put it somewhere on the Windows machine.The unzipped ROM should have a filename that ends with
tar.md5
Once you have everything ready, follow these steps:
1. Power down your tablet (long press power and select Power Off)
2. Press and hold
power and volume up. This will bring up Recovery Mode.
3. In recovery, navigate the options with volume buttons, and use power button to select. Perform the following actions:
Wipe data - factory reset
Wipe cache partition
Wipe Dalvik cache
4. Power off the device.
5. Press and hold
power and volume down. This will bring up Download Mode. Press Volume Up to continue when prompted.
6. On the Windows machine, start ODIN.EXE and connect the USB cable to the tablet.
7. In ODIN, you should see a yellow frame that indicates a good connection.
8. In ODIN, click PDA and select the .tar.md5 firmware file. Do not change any other settings. Now click Start.
Flashing the firmware will take a couple of minutes. The yellow indicator in ODIN will turn green and it will read OK when the process is completed.
Now you can disconnect the cable. Your tablet will reboot and you will be back on Android 4.1.2.
Good luck!