How Would I do a Factory Reset Without Doing it the "Easy" Way?

[amazed2025]

Hello,
Well this is quite a long story, I had a rooted device which I wanted to have unrooted. So what I did first, was that I downloaded the Samsung Galaxy S4 I337M (Canada & Rogers) tar file as I have the S4 from Rogers, and it downloaded in a .zip file. I tried to extract the md5 file but it would keep telling me that the archive is corrupt. So after that, I downloaded the Mobile ODIN app, and did the same thing. This time, I got the md5 file. So I did everything a tutorial taught me. I was supposed to be brought to the Boot Recovery page but I was brought to the bootload (although I followed the tutorial precisely and correctly). After I was brought to the bootload, I thought everything would be fine, but then after the boot I got the error saying "unfortunately com.android.phone has stopped". I clicked ok and it would pop up again, and again, and again. So I can't access my phone and everytime I try going into boot recovery so I can perform a factory reset, it'd bring me to bootload. I have no clue what to do at this point, I took my battery out and thought my phone was just acting up so I waited a bit yet nothing improved. Please help!
Thanks

 

[Rukbat]

Depending on how you tried to extract the MD5 file, it could have been corrupt, and Odin missed it. A corrupt file will mess up the phone.

Can you get into download mode? If so, download the file again and flash it with Odin. Then boot to recovery, wipe the cache and reboot normally.

 

[amazed2025]

I've done that and every time I'd wipe the cache, and did a factory reset, I'd reboot the device and it would freeze at the Samsung Galaxy S4 Startup Boot (with the red and yellow writing at the top). I tried flashing it with various different stocks. I first tried a stock I had found from a tutorial but it didn't work, then I used the stock that got me the root in the first place, yet it still didn't work, and currently I'm doing research to check for other stocks and I may have found a working one which is currently being downloaded. Thanks for your help! I'm still working on it though

 

[amazed2025]

Update: My laptop seemed to be the problem with extracting the file, as I tried it on a different laptop and it managed to extract without errors. Yet my phone still does the same thing, I could get into Recovery Mode, which I have many times, I'd wipe the cache and also do a factory reset but my phone would still be stuck at the opening bootup. I did research and thought that I may have flashed an unupdated firmware. Since I've been trying to flash a 4.2.2 Jellybean stock, when there is a 4.4.2 KitKat stock available (which I had before I rooted my phone). I'm currently downloading a newer stock but my phone still doesn't want to cooperate. Are there any other methods of fixing this?

 

[Rukbat]

I tried flashing it with various different stocks.

There's only ONE stock ROM that will work wth your particular model phone (like i9505g). The others, even if you extract them properly, probably won't, because the hardware is different for every model.

I first tried a stock I had found from a tutorial

There are two sources for stock ROMs - SamMobile Firmwares and Samsung's firmware site. Anything else isn't guaranteed to work. It could even be full of malware that, for instance, sends all your keystrokes to some server. Say gooddbye to your bank account if you log into it on your phone.

then I used the stock that got me the root in the first place

No stock ROM is rooted, so if you used a rooted ROM, it's a questionable one.

and currently I'm doing research to check for other stocks and I may have found a working one which is currently being downloaded.

Go to the SamMobile site, put in your phone's model number, and download the third one - that's the latest one for the i337m for Rogers. Install it with Kies.

 

[amazed2025]

How would I install it with Kies?

 

[amazed2025]

The problem is, I can't use Kies without unlocking my phone. And every time I boot up my phone, it freezes on the start up; so I can't really do anything linked with Kies (from what I know).

 

[amazed2025]

There's only ONE stock ROM that will work wth your particular model phone (like i9505g). The others, even if you extract them properly, probably won't, because the hardware is different for every model.

I found there to be a few different ones depending on your Baseband version, I'm not sure if there's a difference, though.

 

[Rukbat]

The different basebands are really different versions of that same ROM. You normally want the latest one, which is the 3rd one in SamMobile in your case.

If you can't use a Kies-installable ROM, see if someone on XDA, in the S4 section, has an Odin-installable one.

 

[amazed2025]

I have no clue how I am supposed to find that, but I guess I can try. Thanks

 

[amazed2025]

I'm still stuck here, thank you for all the help but I still haven't found my way. What I have done so far is try a few other files but they haven't managed to succeed, I keep getting

<ID:0/003> Added!!
<ID:0/003> Odin v.3 engine (ID:3)..
<ID:0/003> File analysis..
<ID:0/003> SetupConnection..
<ID:0/003> Complete(Write) operation failed.
<OSM> All threads completed. (succeed 0 / failed 1)

I tried two different versions of Odin, (3.07 & 3.09)
I've tried different USB cables
I've tried installing Kies but it doesn't seem to want to install on my computer. (Even if I had Kies, I wouldn't be able to access it as my phone won't go past the bootup)
I have no clue what to do next, I've been looking for Odin-installable ROMs but haven't gotten any luck. I'm not experienced with phones, generically, so I don't really know what to do now. Please help! Thank you

 

[amazed2025]

I managed to find a resolution, finally! It's probably what @Rukbat had said, I probably didn't understand. But what I did was connected my phone through Kies, provided the Model Number and S/N (Tools -> Firmware Upgrade & Installation) and that's how I un-rooted my phone! Thanks a ton!!

 

[Rukbat]

Glad you got it fixed.