T899M 8.1 official Samsung firmware update

[mdvision]

thanks for all of the good info. got everything set up and phone into download mode without issue. unfortunately the binary smd downloader won't recognize my phone, so unable to press "start". disabled driver verification in windows settings, re-downloaded samsung driver 3 times, switched usb cables and ports and windows says driver is up to date. so looks like a no-go for me. worth a try though. if anyone knows why the smd binary won't recognize my phone, give a shout and thanks again guys.

Is this the procedure you used to allow unsigned drivers?
How Can I Install Hardware with Unsigned Drivers in Windows 8?

Did you disable AV software?

Did you right click the install exe and choose "run as administrator" ?

Did you extract compressed files to a folder and then run the installation?

Did you extract to a folder on your system root drive (C?) rather than a folder in your user profile?

Do you have access to a Win7 machine to try this on?

My desktop front USB ports do not recognize my ATIV S when I plug it in but the motherboard back plane ports work fine. Not sure why.

 

[mary beth hale]

Is this the procedure you used to allow unsigned drivers?
How Can I Install Hardware with Unsigned Drivers in Windows 8?

Did you disable AV software?

Did you right click the install exe and choose "run as administrator" ?

Did you extract compressed files to a folder and then run the installation?

Did you extract to a folder on your system root drive (C?) rather than a folder in your user profile?

Do you have access to a Win7 machine to try this on?

My desktop front USB ports do not recognize my ATIV S when I plug it in but the motherboard back plane ports work fine. Not sure why.

Going to give it another try after work tonight. Delete everything and start over. I have a feeling its the 8.1 laptop I have. We'll see. The computer recognizes my Ativ when it's plugged in but the binary program doesn't and just wont give me a working "start" button. Damn.

 

[mdvision]

A little off topic but now that 8.1 is installed I've ordered a new battery as the original now is approaching 800 charge cycles and is showing its age. It's an OEM Samsung battery so expect NFC to work as it's supposed to be built into the battery.

http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00...hawk-future-ca-20&ascsubtag=UUwpUvbUpU3070392

 

[Matthew Becker1]

Is it possible to use this process to flash just the firmware? I'd be willing to try it once it's possible to download version 2212.15.2.1 individually.

 

[mary beth hale]

Is it possible to use this process to flash just the firmware? I'd be willing to try it once it's possible to download version 2212.15.2.1 individually.

That would be great

 

[mdvision]

Going to give it another try after work tonight. Delete everything and start over. I have a feeling its the 8.1 laptop I have. We'll see. The computer recognizes my Ativ when it's plugged in but the binary program doesn't and just wont give me a working "start" button. Damn.

Make any progress on this?

 

[mary beth hale]

Make any progress on this?

I'm about to try it again. Going to start over

 

[mary beth hale]

Make any progress on this?

so far so good. back to WP 8.0! the process was smooth. the problem was with the driver installation and the fact that I forgot to disable AV program. thanks for sending me those tips, otherwise i would not have rechecked everything and tried again. going to check for updates now.
edit-oops-forgot to rotate picture. sorry.

 

[mary beth hale]

windows phone 8.1 installing now. this is fun!
edit- success! thanks guys, for the help. camera works perfectly and i can switch between it and video without problems. best of all...ringtone doesn't revert back to "over the horizon" when i restart phone.(that bugged me to no end). anyway,everything was easy once i got everything downloaded correctly. i really like this phone. it has aged beautifully.will probably sell my 930 now to make a bit of money. this Ativ will do fine until actual windows 10 phones come out. OS 8.10.14203.306. firmware 2212.15.2.1

 

[mary beth hale]

Is it possible to use this process to flash just the firmware? I'd be willing to try it once it's possible to download version 2212.15.2.1 individually.

Matthew...you may want to take the plunge with this downgrade/update process. honestly was easy and worked perfectly.

 

[mary beth hale]

Using SGH-T899M rom from XDA Developers i was able to return back to wp 8.0 on my phone.

Taylor's Super ROM and Tool Dump! SGH-T899M,?€? | Windows Phone 8 Development and Hacking | XDA Forums

Dawnload SGH-T899M_VLCMK2_R_signed.zip; SGH-T899M_OYACMK2_R_signed.csc; SamsungUSBDriver.msi; and WP8 SMD binary USB Downloader Ver. 3.47.exe files and use guid from this forum for SGH-I8750.

worked perfectly!

 

[mdvision]

so far so good. back to WP 8.0! the process was smooth. the problem was with the driver installation and the fact that I forgot to disable AV program. thanks for sending me those tips, otherwise i would not have rechecked everything and tried again. going to check for updates now.
edit-oops-forgot to rotate picture. sorry.

Pleased to have helped out. Enjoy your "new" phone.

 

[Matthew Becker1]

Matthew...you may want to take the plunge with this downgrade/update process. honestly was easy and worked perfectly.

I'd like to, but I'm still nervous. If I brick this phone, I have nothing to turn to.

 

[mary beth hale]

I'd like to, but I'm still nervous. If I brick this phone, I have nothing to turn to.

i completely understand. not sure i would have done it had i not had another phone available. so glad i did,though.

 

[Matthew Becker1]

i completely understand. not sure i would have done it had i not had another phone available. so glad i did,though.

I read the instructions carefully, as well as helpful replies in this post, then took the plunge. Worked for me, too.

Those who "bricked" their phone beforehand managed to get it to work properly again afterwards. Glad I did this.

 

[mary beth hale]

I read the instructions carefully, as well as helpful replies in this post, then took the plunge. Worked for me, too.

Those who "bricked" their phone beforehand managed to get it to work properly again afterwards. Glad I did this.

That's fantastic!

 

[Matthew Becker1]

That's fantastic!

I'm really pleased. I've been sort of in a mood to upgrade, but now I should be good until at least the end of the year. No more Developer Preview for me, since I really want to sell this thing when I'm done. I've taken good care of it.

 

[mdvision]

I read the instructions carefully, as well as helpful replies in this post, then took the plunge. Worked for me, too.

Those who "bricked" their phone beforehand managed to get it to work properly again afterwards. Glad I did this.

Nice. That's two for two and should reassure anyone else this may matter to. Strange there are not more posts by now once the Bell update came out. I know I had no expectations of this after aggressively pursuing Bell and Samsung and getting zero positive feedback. I also wonder how many Ativ S owners are still using them....perhaps not many now since only a minority would go through the DP install experience.

In addition to announcing the Bell update release we also now know multiple update workarounds.

• The CSC change from Rogers to Bell enables the firmware and WP8.1 update on Rogers phones.
• The WP8.1 to WP8.0 reversion tools and procedure are verified for those running DP versions.
• WP8.1 runs well on the Ativ S

This thread went from done and dead to great new content in a very short time. Hope there are still Ativ S users out there to take advantage of it. Thanks Mary for your persistence.

 

[cims182]

Wow, this post make's my day. This evening will update the phone to my girlfriend, will be more than happy.

 

[Matthew Becker1]

Nice. That's two for two and should reassure anyone else this may matter to. Strange there are not more posts by now once the Bell update came out. I know I had no expectations of this after aggressively pursuing Bell and Samsung and getting zero positive feedback. I also wonder how many Ativ S owners are still using them....perhaps not many now since only a minority would go though the DP install experience.

Like many others, I just assumed that Samsung was finished with this phone. Not that it would have been a surprise, since it launched in December 2012. Usually their support period for phones is roughly two years. But seeing as we literally got nothing during that second support year (Dec 2013-Dec 2014), this is a welcome update. Whether or not we'll get Windows 10 remains to be seen (all WP8 handsets supposedly *can* be upgraded to W10).

EDIT: Checking the Microsoft Store, they're still selling the Bell locked ATIV S. That's likely why Bell users were able to get the update. Rogers and TELUS have stopped carrying it for awhile now.