How to Reset the Flash Counter on the AT&T Galaxy Note (I717)

Rooting, flashing custom ROMs/recoveries is all well and good but if for any reason you need to take your device into a service center, your manufacturer can deny you warranty based on these things.  Getting things back to stock is one way to avoid this but in case of some Samsung devices, you’ll need to do another step before you can get it into the service center.  Samsung has recently started using something called a flash counter that records the number of flashes (custom ROMs or any other zip files that you might have flashed) and can deny warranty on this basis too.  Resetting this to 0 will solve this problem too, and if this what you were looking for, read to know how you can do this.

I.  Before You Begin

1.  Back up everything you feel is important.

2.  Make sure you have your device charged to 75% or more before you begin.

3.  You will need to have ClockworkMod Recovery installed and rooted for this procedure to work.  Look to our guide on the same to help you with this.

4.  This procedure works only with the AT&T Galaxy Note; do not try this on any other variant or you may end up bricking your device.

II.  Necessary Downloads

flash_counter_reset_att.zip [File attached to this post]

III.  Resetting the Flash Counter

1.  Connect your device to your PC in MTP Mode and copy flash_counter_reset_att.zip to your SD card.

2.  Disconnect your device and shut it down.

3.  Press and hold the Volume Up + Home  + Power buttons and let them go once your device boots into ClockworkMod Recovery.

4.  Use the Volume Up and Down keys to highlight to apply update from sdcard and press the home button to select it.

5.  Locate and flash_counter_reset_att.zip to flash the file.

6.  Once you see the install from sdcard complete message, highlight and select reboot system now.

The next time you boot your device into Download Mode, you should see the number of flashes restored to 0!

If this procedure helped you please thank/donate to the original developers here.

If you need help with this procedure, please ask in the comments below or in the forum.

This is part of our Android How To’s. We have how to’s on rooting, loading ROMs, and tons of other tips and tricks for your specific device or for Android devices in general! For all of our Android How To’s, head here.