Galaxy S3: Rooting & ROM

[Websurfer48]

Hi All,

Thank you in advance for any help you can provide a newbie to rooting & ROMS.

HARDWARE:
Verizon Samsung Galaxy S3, SCH-I535.10

SOFTWARE:
Android V. 4.3,
Baseband V.: I535VRUNCNC1

This is my previous phone, but I'd like to clean it up and go back to it as my "new" phone is a pain in the ****.

What I'd like to do is:

1) Backup photos and, if possible settings;
2) Root; and,
3) install a stable custom ROM.

MY QUESTIONS:

1) BACKING UP - since the phone is not active (doesn't have a SIM card in it), what's the best way to back up what I'd like to/need to prior to rooting? I have MyBackUp Pro installed on it.

2) ROOTING - I've researched rooting this phone and have seen myriad one-click and other solutions and, frankly I'm a bit confused about which way to go. I'm also confused about the different versions of this phone (different Android versions and different carriers) and some sources saying this phone can't be successfully rooted, and some saying it can.

3) INSTALLING A STABLE ROM - I've heard and read a lot about CyanogenMod but, again I've read where I can and cannot successfully put CyanogenMod on my particular phone.

Could someone please help me out.

Thank you so much!!!

Websurfer

 

[The_Ab5trakt]

1) With backing up your photos, use Flickr. You get 1TB of storage for free.

2) This might help with rooting: Root I535VRUCNC1 4.3 OTA Update On Verizon Galaxy S3 SCH-I535

It does say that you have to revert back to NL1, but it provides a way to do so. In case you didn't know, the last 3 characters in the baseband version of your phone is the modem/radio on your phone.

With backing up apps, I use Titanium Backup. It'll back up your apps and settings, although you don't necessarily want to back up your settings. The reason for that is if you restore settings after flashing a ROM, it can muck things up even if the ROM is the same Android version you had previously. If you have a microSD card on your phone, go to Problems ?>Preferences>Backup folder location and you can change your backup location to your microSD card. That way, if anything happens to your phone, you can restore your apps on another phone.

3) I posted a list of Android 4.4.3/4.4.4 d2lte ROMs that's under this post. You can use any of those ROMs on your phone. D2lte ROMs are designed to be able to work on any version of the Samsung Galaxy S3 regardless of what carrier you're on. Right now, I'm using Liquid Smooth. I included info links under each download link so you can read up on each ROM before using it.


I hope this was useful. Good luck.

 

[Websurfer48]

1) With backing up your photos, use Flickr. You get 1TB of storage for free.

2) This might help with rooting: Root I535VRUCNC1 4.3 OTA Update On Verizon Galaxy S3 SCH-I535

It does say that you have to revert back to NL1, but it provides a way to do so. In case you didn't know, the last 3 characters in the baseband version of your phone is the modem/radio on your phone.

With backing up apps, I use Titanium Backup. It'll back up your apps and settings, although you don't necessarily want to back up your settings. The reason for that is if you restore settings after flashing a ROM, it can muck things up even if the ROM is the same Android version you had previously. If you have a microSD card on your phone, go to Problems ?>Preferences>Backup folder location and you can change your backup location to your microSD card. That way, if anything happens to your phone, you can restore your apps on another phone.

3) I posted a list of Android 4.4.3/4.4.4 d2lte ROMs that's under this post. You can use any of those ROMs on your phone. D2lte ROMs are designed to be able to work on any version of the Samsung Galaxy S3 regardless of what carrier you're on. Right now, I'm using Liquid Smooth. I included info links under each download link so you can read up on each ROM before using it.


I hope this was useful. Good luck.

Thanks so much for the info The_Ab5trakt. I have a couple of other questions:

1. Here (Root I535VRUCNC1 4.3 OTA Update On Verizon Galaxy S3 SCH-I535 - Androidayos) it mentions to grab these tools - a) Odin, which points to a pay site - is that right, do I have to pay for Odin? ; b) USB drive - the ink is dead. Can I simply google for a Galaxy S3 or S4 USB driver?

2. Here (Galaxy S3 Odin Stock Firmware (USA and Canada) - Androidayos) it shows several Android versions; which one should I choose? I535VRUDNE1 or I535VRUCML1?

3. Where did you post the ist of Android 4.4.3/4.4.4 d2lte ROMs? - Never mind - I see the link for this.

 

[The_Ab5trakt]

Thanks so much for the info The_Ab5trakt. I have a couple of other questions:

1. Here (Root I535VRUCNC1 4.3 OTA Update On Verizon Galaxy S3 SCH-I535 - Androidayos) it mentions to grab these tools - a) Odin, which points to a pay site - is that right, do I have to pay for Odin? ; b) USB drive - the ink is dead. Can I simply google for a Galaxy S3 or S4 USB driver?

2. Here (Galaxy S3 Odin Stock Firmware (USA and Canada) - Androidayos) it shows several Android versions; which one should I choose? I535VRUDNE1 or I535VRUCML1?

3. Where did you post the ist of Android 4.4.3/4.4.4 d2lte ROMs? - Never mind - I see the link for this.

Here's the link for Odin: Odin v3.09.

Here's the link for the USB drivers: Samsung USB Drivers.

You want the firmware for 4.3 Jelly Bean I535VRUCML1: I535VRUCML1

You should then just be able to follow the steps from here to root your phone. I did read elsewhere that using saferoot does give root access on ML1 firmware. So, you should be good. You should also be able to install a custom recovery. I recommend you use Philz Touch Recovery. Works amazingly. Here's a link to it: Philz Touch Recovery

I recommend reading everything on the link for rooting. There's a link at the bottom of the page that is very useful. Good luck.

 

[Websurfer48]

Here's the link for Odin: Odin v3.09.

Here's the link for the USB drivers: Samsung USB Drivers.

You want the firmware for 4.3 Jelly Bean I535VRUCML1: I535VRUCML1

You should then just be able to follow the steps from here to root your phone. I did read elsewhere that using saferoot does give root access on ML1 firmware. So, you should be good. You should also be able to install a custom recovery. I recommend you use Philz Touch Recovery. Works amazingly. Here's a link to it: Philz Touch Recovery

I recommend reading everything on the link for rooting. There's a link at the bottom of the page that is very useful. Good luck.

Hi The_Ab5trakt,

I was able to flash my S3 back to ML1 4.3 using ODIN, and then root it using saferoot, and to backup using EFS Professional. However, I was not, even after hours of searching able to find safestrap for my particular model and Android version, so I was not able to flash a touchwize custom ROM.

Could you please point me in the right direction to find the safestrap version I need and possible recommend some custom ROMs which will work with my phone or is there another way to install a custom ROM other than using safestrap?

Thank you again for all your help.

Websurfer48