[GUIDE] Unlock Your Note 2 Bootloader! Let Thy Phone Be FREE!

PsYcHoNeWb

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[WARN]This is very serious mod that you are about to read/perform on your device. Remember this is a very expensive piece of equipment and that by doing this YOU COULD POSSIBLY BRICK your device and make it unusable. Myself and Android Central DO NOT take any responsibility for what you do to your device.

You unlock your bootloader at your own risk and therefore you run the risk on your own of something happening during the process.​

This set of instructions are exactly how I personally unlocked my bootloader with success but I am not guaranteeing the same results. Please READ this entire post before you continue on with this to make sure that you understand the gravity of the task you are about to perform.

Again by doing this, you run the risk that you COULD BRICK your device if you are not careful.
[/WARN]

How to Unlock Your Bootloader

[NOTE]Unlocking your bootloader will ultimately set your phone "free". With an unlocked bootloader you will be able to get into your custom recovery (we will get into that later) and flash custom ROMs as well as kernels or other flashable items that will edit your boot partition of your phone. If you flash something that will alter the boot partition of your Note 2, you will get an error message saying you have unauthorized software and you will be soft-bricked until you go back to stock. By unlocking the bootloader, this does not happen. Verizon has it in their head that locking/encrypting the bootloader is necessary. That is where devs come into play.[/NOTE]
[INFO]AdamOutler over on XDA has come up with a method to unlock your bootloader and we owe him many thanks. Without him, this wouldn't currently be possible so give thanks where thanks should be given. I have not helped or contributed to this method, my purpose here is just to bring you the information in an easy to follow guide. The original thread over on XDA is located here: How to Unlock Your Bootloader -New and Improved Super Easy- - xda-developers.

That being said, the process is slightly confusing and if you don't know exactly what you need to do or at certain points you get lost you can come back here and see if the steps I have added help you in anyway. The process I have listed is just an extension of what Adam has laid out in his original thread because I had to do additional steps in order to successfully unlock my bootloader.

Again, I take no credit for the creation and development of this process.

This process might result in wiping your data, so if you need to backup any information do so now before you begin.​
[/INFO]
Information
[INFO]Before you go on your way to unlock the bootloader, there are some files that you need and some steps that you need to follow before you are ready to unlock. With the newest method of unlocking your bootloader, you don't even need to be rooted before. If you are rooted, it will depend on your root image that you flashed with ODIN. If you have the root image that was put out there by AdamOutler in the past (revision3) you should be good to go. Otherwise, you may need to go back to full stock in order for the process to work correctly.[/INFO]
What You Need:
All the files below can be downloaded in the original thread over on XDA: How to Unlock Your Bootloader -New and Improved Super Easy- - xda-developers. Thank Adam for all of his hard work and support for the Note 2 as well as the Android Community. CASUALSuckItVerizon-Perscription7: CASUAL stands for Cross-Platform ADB Scripting Universal Android Loader. In this case, it deploys the Suck It Verizon exploit. To use CASUAL you must enable "Settings>Developer Options>USB Debugging" on your device. CASUAL is used as an automation tool so that you don?t have to use ADB, watch for results, upload files, download files, make decisions and enter commands. CASUAL will make those determinations for you. This guide is much shorter because of it. The exploit was designed by Ralekdev, packaged, tested and made safe by AdamOutler. Odin307: a tool from Samsung used to flash Odin packages SuckItVerizon_Odin_Package.tgz: provides a bootloader which has been modified to ignore all security checks at the highest level possible. This firmware runs every time you turn on your device. The SBoot's job is to validate Download Mode flashes. It also validates and executes the kernel. This bootloader will not validate, only download and execute. It will also allow you to flash anything you like, including firmware packages which will destroy your device. This bootloader replacement is not only a Bootloader Unlock, this is an IROM Unlock... The lowest level unlock possible. The bootloader was developed by Ralekdev, conceptualized by Rebellos, tested and packaged with a Sprint GN2 TWRP Recovery by AdamOutler. VZW Galaxy Note 2 Stock Image - You may or may not need this. I would download this file anyway just in case you ever need to go back to full stock. You can follow DroidXCon's guide on how to flash back to stock here: http://forums.androidcentral.com/verizon-galaxy-note-2-rooting-roms-hacks/233850-how-vzw-gnote2-return-100-stock.html. The reason that you might need to download this is simply because if you are already rooted and the image you have flashed does not have the proper files the CASUAL file will not work. This will be explained later. BootloaderBaseline: This is a stock I605VRALJB bootloader and recovery. Flashing this will prepare your device for unlock and relock your device. If you are stock unrooted, YOU DONT NEED THIS. If you are stock rooted, you may or may not need this. It depends on what root image you used when you rooted. Download this to keep just in case. Other odds and ends you may need:
  • MD5 Checksum Utility - Google Seach for One
  • Latest Samsung Driver - You May Need Keis for This
  • Alcohol - In case something goes wrong
Preparation
[WARN]If you are not rooted DO NOT FOLLOW THIS. You need to go to next tab over and follow the directions for the non-rooted instructions. By stock rooted, I mean on a rooted image this is basically completely stock but with root access. I605VRALJB is the stock image, to check that go to Settings > About Phone and see if that is the same. If it says anything other than I605VRALJB, you are going to need to flash the stock image file and follow the steps in the next tab.[/WARN]
Instructions from STOCK ROOTED
If you are stock rooted then the process could be slightly more complicated than stock un-rooted. I know thats usually the opposite of how things go but for this case thats how it worked out. However, if you follow these steps carefully and you should be good to go.
  1. Go to Settings > Developer Options and Enable Developer Options
  2. Once Developer Options are Enabled, Selected USB Debugging
  3. Plug your Phone into your Computer - Let drivers download/install if it hasn't done so already
  4. Run CASUAL - You need Java for this, if you don't have Java download it here: Download Java for Windows
  5. Once CASUAL loads, it should connect to your device and when it does, hit start on the bottom
  6. Accept the prompt when it comes up
  7. Let it run and your phone should reboot once normally and then reboot into Download (ODIN mode)
  8. Once in ODIN mode, open ODIN on your PC and put Suck It Verizon Bootloader into your Bootloader section - DOUBLE AND TRIPLE CHECK ITS IN BOOTLOADER SECTION
  9. Hit start and let it run
  10. DO NOT unplug or close ODIN while it is running. Your phone should now reboot to TWRP (TouchWinRecoveryProject), if it does you have successfully unlocked your bootloader.
  11. Hit Reboot and select System. This will reboot your device like normal and once it is fully up and running your are good to go!
Once this is done, you are good to go and should be unlocked/rooted. You will get a message popup from CASUAL once everything boots up like normal and it will say Device Unlocked. Once you get that you are done and you can close everything out and enjoy your unlocked Note 2!

[INFO]If you get an error message and CASUAL is calling your a NOOB and your phone reboots normally after CASUAL runs, never booting directly to ODIN mode, your phone might have to be restored to factory settings by flashing the factory image in the downloads tab. Unfortunately this is what I had to do and nothing else would work. In the original post over on XDA, Adam says you can try flashing a Bootloader Baseline package but for me this did not work. If you want to try that, its a very simple process...

  1. Download Bootloader Baseline found here: Dev-Host - BootloaderBaseline.tgz - The Ultimate Free File Hosting / File Sharing Service
  2. Manually boot your phone into ODIN mode (from powered off state hold vol down, home and power then select vol up when prompted on screen)
  3. Plug your phone in and wait for ODIN to recognize it
  4. Place Bootloader Baseline file in BOOTLOADER section and hit start
  5. Wait for it to reboot like normal and start the unlocking process again
[/INFO]
[NOTE]If this method still does not work even after flashing the Baseline Bootloader in ODIN, and CASUAL still calls you a noob then there is something with the stock rooted image that is on your phone that CASUAL does not like. Happened to me as well as many others over on XDA and after multiple tries as well as troubleshooting on my own I found that restoring back to stock unrooted was the quickest and easiest way to fix the issue. The downside to this is it will wipe all of your data on your phone, so again I urge you to backup everything you don't want to lose. Some other users have posted the same results over on the original thread on XDA so if you are experiencing issues and after you run CASUAL your phone reboots like normal and never goes to ODIN mode just restore to factory stock unrooted and follow the instructions on the next tab. [/NOTE]
[TIP]I found that my anti-virus software did not like the .jar file that CASUAL is. To be on the safe side I would recommend that you disable your antivirus software for the entire process. You don't want something interfering with the process. If you are skeptical about disabling your anti-virus you shouldn't worry. Adam is recognized dev in the Android community and is a trustworthy source of downloads and information. Doing this entire process I would recommend disabling it anyway even if it doesn't cause a problem with CASUAL, maybe thats just me being paranoid and extra cautious about the process but what can it hurt.[/TIP]
Process - STOCK ROOTED
[WARN]If you are ROOTED, stop here and go back to the previous tab. You should only be reading this if you never rooted or did anything to your phone besides using it like normal, or you already restored back to factory stock image. This is basically for those who took it out of the box and haven't done anything too it aside from normal everyday usage. If you didn't root or install any mods then you can follow these instructions.[/WARN]
Instructions from STOCK UNROOTED
This is actually a very straight forward method. As long as you are stock unrooted (never did anything to your phone like root) then just follow these steps carefully and you should be good to go.
  1. Go to Settings > Developer Options and Enable Developer Options
  2. Once Developer Options are Enabled, Selected USB Debugging
  3. Plug your Phone into your Computer - Let drivers download/install if it hasn't done so already
  4. Run CASUAL - You need Java for this, if you don't have Java download it here: Download Java for Windows
  5. Once CASUAL loads, it should connect to your device and when it does, hit start on the bottom
  6. Accept the prompt when it comes up
  7. Let it run and your phone should reboot once normally and then reboot into Download (ODIN mode)
  8. Once in ODIN mode, open ODIN on your PC and put Suck It Verizon Bootloader into your Bootloader section - DOUBLE AND TRIPLE CHECK ITS IN BOOTLOADER SECTION
  9. Hit start and let it run
  10. DO NOT unplug or close ODIN while it is running. Your phone should now reboot to TWRP (TouchWinRecoveryProject), if it does you have successfully unlocked your bootloader.
  11. Hit Reboot and select System. This will reboot your device like normal and once it is fully up and running your are good to go!
Once this is done, you are good to go and should be unlocked/rooted. You will get a message popup from CASUAL once everything boots up like normal and it will say Device Unlocked. Once you get that you are done and you can close everything out and enjoy your unlocked Note 2!

[INFO]If you are still getting problems, I would recommend that you redownload both CASUAL and Suck It Verizon and verify their MD5s. Once your phone boots back up like normal, reboot your phone and/or pull the battery to reset everything and even reboot your computer just to be safe. Once you do all of that, try the process again and you should be fine.[/INFO]
[TIP]I found that my anti-virus software did not like the .jar file that CASUAL is. To be on the safe side I would recommend that you disable your antivirus software for the entire process. You don't want something interfering with the process. If you are skeptical about disabling your anti-virus you shouldn't worry. Adam is recognized dev in the Android community and is a trustworthy source of downloads and information. Doing this entire process I would recommend disabling it anyway even if it doesn't cause a problem with CASUAL, maybe thats just me being paranoid and extra cautious about the process but what can it hurt.[/TIP]
Process - STOCK UNROOTED
This is troubleshooting tips to help you fix any problems that you are having with this process. You may experience different problems and if you do then feel free to ask the questions here. We are all here to help!

Troubleshooting Windows:
Q. Why is CASUAL calling me a noob? A. You may need to Install the unlockable "Bootloader Baseline" with odin. Put your device into Odin Mode by powering on with Volume Down and Home pressed. Put the BootloaderBaseline.tgz from above into the "Bootloader" section of Odin. Click Start. Q. Why is CASUAL still calling me a noob after applying Bootloader Baseline File? A. You probably need to flash the stock unrooted image. Some of the rooted images don't play nice with CASUAL and the only way that I have found to fix it is to restore back to factory stock. Q.Why isn't CASUAL working correctly A. Try redownloading the latest CASUAL package. Also make sure you're running the latest version of Java. Q.Why is Odin is failing to open or use the package? A. The download was damaged. Redownload it. Q.Other unexplained problems? A.Try using the proper drivers. 1. Go to device manger right-click and uninstall on the device. 2. Go to add/remove programs, uninstall any driver packages. 3. Unplug your device 4. Install Samsung Kies Kies - Sync Media, Contacts & Calendars Across All Devices | Samsung Q. How come CASUAL didn't start the first time? A. Unplug and replug your device, or click CASUAL again and deal with both windows. This is a known issue. It only happens on production compilations in JAR format and affects only Windows. Q. Why won't CASUAL connect to the device? A. If you've already installed the PROPER drivers, try disabling any firewalls. ADB uses a network connection to talk to your device. ADB is a network transparent protocol. Q. I'm STILL having a problem. A. Did you turn it off and then turn it back on again?

Troubleshooting Device:
Q.Why does CASUAL fail to find a rooted device? A. Check the SuperSU/Superuser Permissions app to verify that you have not inadvertently denied root access to shell. Q. I'm STILL having a problem. A. Did you turn it off and then turn it back on again?
Troubleshooting
Well now that you are unlocked you can now do much more than if you where just plain rooted. Being unlocked means that you can flash custom ROMs using your custom recovery. You will be able to flash different kernels for either speed or battery life and do much more with your phone overall.

[TIP]I would recommend that at this point you set your phone up like you normally would and before you flash anything, update your recovery. To do this, follow these steps...

  1. Go to Google Play > Download GooManager
  2. Hit Menu and Click "InstallOpenScriptRecovery"
  3. Let the recovery download/install - When done you should get a toast message on screen
  4. Reboot to recovery - Power off fully and hold Vol Up, Home and Power until you get to TWRP splash screen

This will make sure that you are running the most current version of TWRP. It is important to make sure that your recovery is always up to date.
[/TIP]
[INFO]What you need to know is that you now have a huge amount of control over your phone. When you flash a custom ROM, Kernel or anything else that alters the boot of your device there is always a higher risk of bricking your device. What do I mean by bricking your device? Bootloops, Force Close Loops or not booting at all. All of these are soft-bricks which are all fixable by flashing back to full 100% stock. You should be very careful about what you flash and how you flash custom ROMs or Kernels or whatever you decide. Understand what you are flashing and who you are downloading the files from. Make sure it is from a credible developer and make sure it is for your device.

DO NOT FLASH something that is not compatible with a Verizon Galaxy Note 2.​
[/INFO]

[NOTE]Either myself or DroidXCon will compile a list of all compatible ROMs for our device as well as the proper technique on how to flash them on your phone with the lowest risk of bricking your device. Now I will not sit here and tell you that this is going to be perfect every time. I don't think I can count the many of times I have soft bricked my phone, even being extremely careful you can end up with a soft brick. Could have been a bad download or even the ROM was bad. However, the proper flashing technique is CRUCIAL to your understanding of ROMs as well as for the safety of your phone (and sanity). I have become numb to it, as long as I can get my phone into ODIN mode, usually its a pretty safe bet you can get your phone working again.

I will say this here as well as on many other platforms...

I DO NOT ENDORSE USING ROM MANAGER TO FLASH ROMS.

Maybe I am old school or whatever you want to call it but I believe that the only way to flash a ROM is in you custom recovery. That doesn't matter here but if you have kept reading this far, might as well throw in my 2 cents.[/NOTE]
Unlocked, Now What?

How to Unlock Your Bootloader
 
Last edited:

lgoldstein83

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Casual is not recognizing my phone. Regardless if I plug my phone in prior or after running Casual. I rooted my phone using the Exynos exploit. Any ideas or suggestions?
 

DroidXcon

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Casual is not recognizing my phone. Regardless if I plug my phone in prior or after running Casual. I rooted my phone using the Exynos exploit. Any ideas or suggestions?

Have you put the device in debugging mode while it is on and let the computer configure the drivers

From my Galaxy Note 2 via Tapatalk
 

PsYcHoNeWb

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Have you put the device in debugging mode while it is on and let the computer configure the drivers

From my Galaxy Note 2 via Tapatalk

This. Make sure that you have USB debugging enabled as well as the newest drivers. You may need to install the program Kies on you computer (link in OP under troubleshooting) to get the best drivers.
 

lgoldstein83

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This. Make sure that you have USB debugging enabled as well as the newest drivers. You may need to install the program Kies on you computer (link in OP under troubleshooting) to get the best drivers.

I did have debugging enabled, I'm downloading Kies now to see if that may help.

Also, I've noticed that when I plug into Odin, the color is blue, not the yellow that I remember from my Droid Charge.
 

PsYcHoNeWb

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I did have debugging enabled, I'm downloading Kies now to see if that may help.

Also, I've noticed that when I plug into Odin, the color is blue, not the yellow that I remember from my Droid Charge.

If you mean the COM Port, that is fine. New versions of ODIN show it as a light blue.

If CASUAL wasn't recognizing your phone then it is either a driver issue or possibly a cable/usb port issue.
 

lgoldstein83

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If you mean the COM Port, that is fine. New versions of ODIN show it as a light blue.

If CASUAL wasn't recognizing your phone then it is either a driver issue or possibly a cable/usb port issue.

Yes I did mean the COM Port. Thank you. I'm not too sure what I did differently but everything worked for me today. Thank you both for your help and understanding. Now to determine what to do next with my rooted and unlocked phone!
 

PsYcHoNeWb

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Yes I did mean the COM Port. Thank you. I'm not too sure what I did differently but everything worked for me today. Thank you both for your help and understanding. Now to determine what to do next with my rooted and unlocked phone!

Glad to hear that it worked out! Flash CleanROM or Beans B4. I am on Beans B4 and loving it.
 

lgoldstein83

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Glad to hear that it worked out! Flash CleanROM or Beans B4. I am on Beans B4 and loving it.

Thanks! I'll try beans, I've read around a bit and it seems more my style than Clean. However I'm not finding the ROM anywhere here. Can you shoot me a link for the ROM?

*edit

nevermind, I found it over on XDA
 
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AdamOutler

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You've plajurized my writing word-for-word and attempted to make this look like your own guide. You added ABSOLUTELY NOTHING of importance. In fact you've added crap which makes no sense.. why double and triple check that its in boot loader? It could be in CSC if you wanted.

Please just link to the official guide because I don't want to support problems this causes in the future. I own this device and am actively involved in developing this. The presence of this guide will cause problems in the 8th iteration. There are 2 parts.. CASUAL and Odin.

You are incapable of resolving problems with the software so why would you post a guide? Link the guide. All you've done is plajurized my teams months of Exynos work, added some frames and called it a guide with a mention of me, not my team, at the end.

Its stuff like this that makes me want to add Google Drive integration to CASUAL so i can change banners and show official guide lnks. Actually, that will be in the next revision for the OTA update.
 

Kevin OQuinn

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You've plajurized my writing word-for-word and attempted to make this look like your own guide. You added ABSOLUTELY NOTHING of importance. In fact you've added crap which makes no sense.. why double and triple check that its in boot loader? It could be in CSC if you wanted.

Please just link to the official guide because I don't want to support problems this causes in the future. I own this device and am actively involved in developing this. The presence of this guide will cause problems in the 8th iteration. There are 2 parts.. CASUAL and Odin.

You are incapable of resolving problems with the software so why would you post a guide? Link the guide. All you've done is plajurized my teams months of Exynos work, added some frames and called it a guide with a mention of me, not my team, at the end.

Its stuff like this that makes me want to add Google Drive integration to CASUAL so i can change banners and show official guide lnks. Actually, that will be in the next revision for the OTA update.

Two things.

1) Remove the link to your developer page.

2) Here's the credit for you work, posted in the first tab in the OP of the guide.


info.png
AdamOutler over on XDA has come up with a method to unlock your bootloader and we owe him many thanks. Without him, this wouldn't currently be possible so give thanks where thanks should be given. I have not helped or contributed to this method, my purpose here is just to bring you the information in an easy to follow guide. The original thread over on XDA is located here: How to Unlock Your Bootloader -New and Improved Super Easy- - xda-developers.

That being said, the process is slightly confusing and if you don't know exactly what you need to do or at certain points you get lost you can come back here and see if the steps I have added help you in anyway. The process I have listed is just an extension of what Adam has laid out in his original thread because I had to do additional steps in order to successfully unlock my bootloader.

Again, I take no credit for the creation and development of this process.

This process might result in wiping your data, so if you need to backup any information do so now before you begin.​




That's all that's required. The download links to "your" files were also removed. Also, and I'm just throwing this out there, six steps does not a guide make.

You also make mention of your "team" getting credit when it's definitely you as an individual posting the guide. I see no mention of your team in YOUR post on XDA.
 

Jerry Hildenbrand

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Proof positive that it is best not to buy locked devices from crappy companies. It only leads to ugly drama. But people keep buying them, making sure that Samsug and Verizon continue to build iDroids. Y'all have fun with that.

Thanks for seeing this one first Kevin. All yours :D
 

roberte1342

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Great work guys! Having been locked down in Droid X land for 2.5 years it was refreshing to see this bootloader unlocked and the ROM rooted in less than 5 minutes on my new phone.
I'm actually excited about Android again.
 

DroidXcon

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Great work guys! Having been locked down in Droid X land for 2.5 years it was refreshing to see this bootloader unlocked and the ROM rooted in less than 5 minutes on my new phone.
I'm actually excited about Android again.

Of course all credit Adam outler and his team unlocked it but we are happy to have provided a guide. Yeah I was happy to move away from DX so long ago so I hear you. Congrats enjoy your device.

From my Galaxy Note 2 via Tapatalk
 

CBConsultation

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No problem. This obviously came after encountering my own difficulties and testing. I've let Adam over @[XDA] know this as well. That's where I am 99% of the time but drop in here on occasion. Hope this helps anyone who may be having issues.
 

DroidXcon

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No problem. This obviously came after encountering my own difficulties and testing. I've let Adam over @[XDA] know this as well. That's where I am 99% of the time but drop in here on occasion. Hope this helps anyone who may be having issues.

It doesn't have to be those ports , as others may not have them . But if it's an I option then yes they are best

From my Galaxy Note 2 via Tapatalk
 

imaposer

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Glad to hear that it worked out! Flash CleanROM or Beans B4. I am on Beans B4 and loving it.

Stupid question I'm sure, once done with the bootloader unlock, I count on going right on and flashing beans 4. But, here's the only instructions I have found for doing it-
YOU MUST BE UNLOCKED

Step 1-
Wipe Data Factory Reset! (in stock recovery)
Step 2-
Wipe davlick cache
Step 3-
install zip and pick your options
Step 4-
Reboot and enjoy!
I might be able to figure out where/how to do each of those, but would much rather have step by step more specific instructions, or better yet, a video walk through would be ideal. I've only used odin before.
 

DroidXcon

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Stupid question I'm sure, once done with the bootloader unlock, I count on going right on and flashing beans 4. But, here's the only instructions I have found for doing it-

I might be able to figure out where/how to do each of those, but would much rather have step by step more specific instructions, or better yet, a video walk through would be ideal. I've only used odin before.

I'm working on it behind the scenes. Hopefully have it up soon

From my Galaxy Note 2 via Tapatalk
 

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