How to root the Galaxy Note and flash ClockworkMod Recovery (Without Increasing the Flash Counter)

Being a popular device, the Galaxy Note saw root solutions pop up pretty soon but with a slight hiccup – Samsung would know that you have rooted your Note and void your warranty, monitored via its new Flash Counter which goes up by 1 every time you flash something on this phablet.  Thankfully, we now have a solution that does not trigger the Flash Counter and help you retain your warranty and still stay on the dark side.  Read on to know how to do this and also install ClockworkMod (CWM) Recovery in one go.

I. Before You Begin

1.  This works only with the following kernels:  KJ1 | KJ4 | KJ6 KJ7 KJ8 | KK1 KK2 KK3 KK4 KK5 | KKA | KK9 | KL1 | KL3 – download the proper file by clicking on the correct kernel version.  To know which kernel you have, on your Galaxy Note, open up Settings > About Phone > Kernel version; this should show a string of alphanumeric characters, for example 2.6.35.7-N7000XXKL3-CL641703, where the bolded number is your kernel number.  Do not try this if you do not have a kernel version that does not correspond to any of the kernels listed above.

2.  Make sure you have the latest Samsung Kies installed before proceeding.  This will automatically add the necessary drivers need for the procedure to run properly.

3.  Enable USB Debugging on your Galaxy Note. To do this, go to Settings > Applications > Development and check the USB Debugging box, when your device is disconnected.

4.  Enable the Galaxy Note to install non-Market apps.  To do this, go to Settings > Applications and tick the Unknown sources box.

II.  Rooting and Flashing CWM to the Galaxy Note

If you have done all that is listed in the section above and have downloaded the proper kernel file, this would be the easiest part of the entire process.

1.  Extract the downloaded zip file to a folder on your desktop.  You should be presented with an extracted folder called CF-Root-SGN_XX_ODD_KL3-v5.0-CWM5 (where KL3 is your firmware) and a subfolder called InitialCFRootFlasher.

2.  Connect your Galaxy Note to your Windows PC.

3.  Run not-rooted-yet.bat from the InitialCFRootFlasher folder.  If you have already rooted and only want the ClockworkMod Recovery flashed, run the already-rooted.bat file.

4.  Follow the prompts on screen and wait for the process to finish.

4.  If things have progressed as they ought to, your Note should reboot twice on its own and after the second reboot, it should be ROOTED!!  Install Root Checker and confirm if you indeed have root.

The above procedure was based on dr.ketan‘s original guide and DooMLoRD‘s hard work, which was mighty helpful personally to me!! If you feel the same way, be sure to donate to them and show your support!!