2. USING MSKIPS' SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE 8.0 TOOLKIT 

a. Download the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 ToolKit package and run to install the ToolKit to your PC. The installation will also create a Shortcut on your desktop for easy access. You have the option to include or exclude the drivers files at installation so if you already have your drivers set up and are just updating the ToolKit then you can  untick the drivers if you wish.

b. Once the ToolKit is installed make sure your phone is booted and plugged in via USB cable and double click on the 'Samsung Note 8.0 ToolKit' shortcut on your desktop to run it.

c. You will be asked if you want to check for an Update. If you type 'yes' this will download and check the latest version numbers against the versions in the ToolKit. If there is an update available then you will have the option to download and install it (professional feature).

d. You will now be presented with a Model Selection Screen to choose the Model/Build that you are currently on. Type the number that corresponds to your desired selection. For example type '11' for 3G/WIFI MODEL [GT-N5100] 4.1.2 BMC9-BMD1 builds. If you cannot find the build your device is using then type 'h' to select the HELP option to get more info.

NOTE: If you have a new build that isnt covered by the Toolkit you can also type 'a' in the Model Selection screen to see instructions on how to pull your stock image and send it to firmware.support@skipsoft.net so support can be added. 

e. The Toolkit will now locate and download the boot image pack for your chosen Model. This is a new feature so the Toolkit is not limited to how many Models can be added and it cuts down ALOT on the download size. After the zip file has finished downloading it will be extracted to the correct folders and the files checked to make sure everything is ok.

f. When you enter the Main Menu you will see 'Adb Mode' at the top. If you have installed your drivers correctly then you will see your devices serial number under the text with 'device' next to it. If you see this then your device is connected and you can carry on. 

NOTE: If you haven't installed the drivers and don't see a serial number at the top then this is the FIRST thing you want to do so the Toolkit can operate properly.

g. Each option in the ToolKit has full information on what it is and how to use it.

--------------------------------------------------------------

1. INSTALLING SAMSUNG DRIVERS

The first thing you need to do is to install the drivers. These are needed so that you can communicate with the phone via the PC and perform the tasks that the ToolKit offers. 

NOTE: If you have Kies installed then it is advisable to uninstall it first to avoid conflicts. 

a. Make sure your device is booted into Android and the USB cable is unplugged.

b. Select Option 1 in the ToolKit to install the Samsung USB Driver pack. This should install all the neccessary drivers you need.

C. While the drivers are installing make sure that USB Debugging is enabled on your device via the Settings, Developer options Screen.

d. After the drivers have been installed connect the USB cable and the PC should detect the device and install the correct drivers. This will also happen when you enter Download Mode and Recovery Mode for the first time.

e. If you want to check the drivers then go to your Control Panel on your PC and open the Device Manager. With the USB cable connected you should see a device listed as 'Samsung Android Phone' or something similar and a driver attached to it.

--------------------------------------------------------------

3. FLASHING A ROM, RADIO, KERNEL OR ZIP FILE VIA CWM TOUCH RECOVERY

a. Download your chosen Rom, Radio or Kernel from the Development Forum, then make sure your phone is booted up as normal and connect your usb cable so it goes into MTP Mode. Copy the .zip file (DO NOT UNZIP IT FIRST) to the 'Internal Storage' part on your phone. Do not copy it to a Sub Directory as it will be harder to find when flashing it.

b. Enter CWM Touch Recovery (shut down the phone then hold down the 'HOME' + 'VOLUME UP' buttons and press the 'POWER' button for about 5 seconds).

c. Select 'Install zip from sdcard' and select 'choose zip from sdcard' if the file is on Internal Memory.

d. Scroll to your zip file and select. Then select 'Yes' in the list to start flashing.

e. When flashing is finished press the BACK Button to go back until you get to the Main Menu and then select 'reboot system now' to reboot your phone into Android.

--------------------------------------------------------------

3. FLASHING A ROM, RADIO, KERNEL OR ZIP FILE VIA TWRP TOUCH RECOVERY

a. Download your chosen Rom, Radio or Kernel from the Development Forum, then make sure your phone is booted up as normal and connect your usb cable so it goes into MTP Mode. Copy the .zip file (DO NOT UNZIP IT FIRST) to the 'Internal Storage' part on your phone. Do not copy it to a Sub Directory as it will be harder to find when flashing it.

b. Enter TWRP Touch Recovery (shut down the phone then hold down the 'HOME' + 'VOLUME UP' buttons and press the 'POWER' button for about 5 seconds).

c. Select 'Install' and select your file from the list if the file is on Internal Memory (for External Memory select it at the top).

d. Swipe your finger from left to right at the bottom to confirm the flash.

e. When flashing is finished select Reboot System or go back to Home for more options.
--------------------------------------------------------------

4. FLASHING A ROM, RADIO OR KERNEL VIA DOWNLOAD MODE USING ODIN

Odin can be used to flash image files or parts of your phone. You can flash something as simple as a boot image or a complete system. Everything is packed in a tar or tar.md5 file on your PC and flashed via Odin which is a Windows OS program.

a. Make sure you have your tar file stored on your PC.

b. Reboot your phone to Download Mode [shut down your phone, then hold down the Home + Volume DOWN Buttons and press the Power Button for about 2 seconds until a Warning screen appears. Press Volume UP to continue to Download Mode.

c. Connect your phone via usb and the first box at the top under ID:COM should turn blue and have some text in it. If you are using Download Mode on your phone for the first time then you will notice drivers being installed to use it.

d. The site or page you downloaded the file from will usually give you instructions to set Odin but if not you want to load boot/recovery/system files to the PDA location and have 'Auto Reboot' and 'F.Reset Time' ticked and nothing else.

e. Click on 'Start' to start the flash. You can see what is happening in the text box in the lower left. 

--------------------------------------------------------------

USEFUL INFORMATION

How to get into Recovery Mode
1. Unplug the USB cable.
2. Shut down the phone.
3. Hold down the 'HOME' + 'VOLUME UP' buttons and press the 'POWER' button for about 5 seconds to enter Recovery Mode.
Note: If you cannot get into Recovery by using the buttons then you can reboot to it from the Toolkit 'reboot device' section.

How to get into Download Mode (For Odin)
1. Unplug the USB cable.
2. Shut down the phone.
3. Hold down the 'HOME' + 'VOLUME DOWN' buttons and press the 'POWER' button for about 2 seconds until a WARNING! Screen appears. Press the 'VOLUME UP' button to enter Download Mode.

Q. Help me I can't find my build in the Model Selection Screen

The Toolkit includes a selection of Insecure Boot Images to cover all the different builds available. As there are very many different builds it is impossible to include an image for every single build but some builds share the same Boot Image. If you have a build that isnt listed on the Model Selection Screen you can therefore use a similar build. The best way to go is up to the next available build as it should offer more compatibility with the build you are using but if that isn't available then try the next build below your one as it should still be almost identical as long as it is the same version (ie. 4.1.2). 

The Model Selection Screen is there so that if a task in the ToolKit requires an insecure kernel [to perform adb root commands] and your phone doesnt already include one, a compatible boot image [with an insecure kernel included] can be flashed to provide adb root access. 

If you have a Custom Rom flashed to your phone then it will most probably have an insecure kernel included so it doesn't really matter if your build is not listed on the Model Selection Screen and when asked [by certain functions] if you have an insecure kernel on your phone you can answer 'yes'. However if the function fails then your kernel may not be insecure in which case you can flash one from the ToolKit. If you need to do this make sure the right build [or closest available build] is set so you flash the right image for your phone.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Q. What is ADB Shell?

Adb shell is a linux command line tool (because android is based on linux) used to send commands to your android device. For S-ON devices, this is crucial for modifying files in the /system partition (where the rom sits) as you cannot modify anything in /system when the rom is running without S-OFF like removing system apps.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Q. Why do I need to back up my IMEI/EFS and how do I do it?

There well protected section of your device that is virtually immune to any kind of flashing and manipulation (unless of course you know how to access it). This part of the device contains information such as IMEI (or MEID and ESN in the case of CDMA devices), programming parameters for the device such as your account information (phone number, etc), data provisioning parameters, and a whole bunch of other things that, when not handled properly, can render a device completely useless. All of these are contained in the infamous \EFS folder. If anything messes with your EFS folder, unlike flashing a device (which could potentially lead to bricks as well) it could render your device completely useless as it will no longer be recognized by your carrier. If you are not planning on flashing anything to your device and want to stay on pure Stock then you may never have any problems but it is still advisable to backup this information just in case (better to be safe than sorry).

This feature will be added to the Toolkit after testing has been completed.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Q. Does flashing a custom image increase my flash counter?

Any image that is flashed via Odin that has been modified will increase the flash counter that can be viewed in the Download Mode on your device (if booted by holding the Volume Down, Home and Power buttons). You can reset the flash counter using an app by Chainfire called Triangles Away and can find instructions on how to use that in the Downloads section in the Toolkit.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Q. Will flashing Stock ROM via odin using the toolkit replace everything that was flashed before? recovery? etc?

Yes a Stock Image flashed via Odin will replace all your key partitions (boot, recovery, system) with the stock firmware. If you want to reset the phone back to an 'out of the box' state then you want to enter recovery and do a wipe first which will reformat your userdata partition.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Q. I flashed Custom Recovery but each time I reboot the Stock Recovery is back

There is an auto recovery restore system on certain Stock Android Builds that will reflash the Stock Recovery if you flash CWM on a Stock Rom.

Use Root Explorer to Mount the system folder as R/W (or use a free app from Google Play such as ES File Explorer). Rename the files /system/recovery-from-boot.p and /system/etc/install-recovery.sh (requires root). Now when you flash Custom Recovery it will NOT be overwritten after a reboot. You can also do this via the Toolkit.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Q. My AntiVirus program says the Toolkit files may be harmful

The exe compiled files are not digitally signed with a Microsoft certificate (as they cost money) so certain AntiVirus programs (mainly Norton and AVG Free) may pick it up as potentially harmful when it is not. They will pick up ANY file that doesn't contain a purchased Microsoft certificate in the same way. Just Restore the deleted file and exclude it from further scans and it will be fine. Or switch to a better AntiVirus program such as BitDefender.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Q. I flashed the Toolkit Boot Image, now my wifi + bluetooth won't work

The boot images are made from Stock with only needed changes made to the insecure boot images [modified adbd, default.prop and rc.local edited] and will work on all stock roms. If you flash them to a custom rom and the rom has been altered or uses a custom boot image then it will boot but certain modules may not load such as wifi or bluetooth. In this case you can use the boot image to root or perform adb root functions but will need to flash back the boot image for the custom rom to get other functions working again. This is not a fault of the Toolkit but a difference to stock in the custom rom.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Q. I am having trouble getting adb working with the drivers installed

Try switching your connection type from media (MTP) mode to camera mode (P2P). To do this open the notification area, click where it says connected as and change from MTP to PTP.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Q. I want to send my device back for warranty purposes

1. Follow the instructions to reset your flash counter with TriangleAway.
2. Download and flash a Stock Firmware image from the download section.
3. Boot into Stock Recovery and perform a wipe/factory reset
.
Your internal storage will be formatted and data and cache wiped. Your device should now be back to an out-of-the-box FULLY STOCK state with the flash counter [shown if you boot to download mode manually] reset and ready to send back.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Q. When connecting the phone I get 'USB Device not Recognized' and no serial number shows in the ToolKit

I actually had this problem recently and what fixed it for me was to make sure that the drivers have been installed, then shut my phone down plug the usb cable in and restart it. The phone booted up and the device was recognized and drivers installed correctly. May not work for everyone but worth trying.