The recently released Verizon Galaxy S3 – which comes with a locked bootloader unfortunately – recently received methods to root and install ClockworkMod recovery on it, thanks to XDA Senior Member invisiblek. Now, invisiblek has released a pre-rooted version of the I535VRALF2 stock ROM with many of the unnecessary Verizon and Samsung bloatware apps removed, which people can flash on their device to go back to stock ROM if needed (specially if something happens and the device stops booting properly).

The guide below will walk you through the steps required to flash the pre-rooted I535VRALF2 stock ROM on your Verizon Galaxy S3. Read on to find out how.

Compatibility

This hack and the guide below are compatible only and only with the Verizon Galaxy S3, model number SCH-i535. It’s not compatible with other US variants or other devices. Check your device’s model number in: Settings » About phone.

Warning!

The methods and procedures discussed here are considered risky and you should not attempt anything if you don’t know completely what it is. If any damage occurs to your device, we won’t be held liable.

How to Restore Verizon Galaxy S3 to Stock Pre-rooted ROM

  1. Backup all your apps, data and settings.  Backup your Apps and important data — bookmarks, contacts, SMS, APNs (internet settings), etc. This Android backup guide would help you.
  2. Download and install the drivers for the phone on the computer.
    Download Drivers 
  3. Download Odin 3.07, the software that we will use to flash root.
    Download Odin  |  Filename: Odin307.zip
  4. Extract the Odin307.zip file to a convenient location on the computer to get a folder named Odin307 with 4 files inside.
  5. Download the stock pre-rooted ROM.
    Download ROM  |  Filename: stripped.rooted.system.img.tar.md5.zip
  6. Extract the stripped.rooted.system.img.tar.md5.zip file to obtain a file named stripped.rooted.system.img.tar.md5 (the file name may end at .tar, which is normal as the .md5 extension may be hidden).
  7. Turn off your phone. Then boot into download mode. To do so, hold down the Volume Down, Homeand then the Power buttons together until a Warning!! message is displayed on the screen. Here, press Volume Up to enter download mode. A green Android and the text Downloading should be displayed on the screen.
  8. Now, open Odin by clicking on the Odin3 v3.07.exe file in the Odin307 folder which you obtained after extracting Odin307.zip in step 4.
  9. Then, connect the phone to the computer with the USB cable and wait for Windows to finish installing drivers. Odin will say Added!! in the message box on the bottom left if the phone is detected successfully. If not, make sure the drivers are installed and also try using a different USB port – preferably a USB port on the back if using a desktop computer.
  10. In Odin, click on the PDA button, then select the stripped.rooted.system.img.tar.md5 file that you downloaded in step 6. Do NOT touch any other option in Odin. Make sure Re-partition option is NOT selected.
  11. Now, hit the START button to start flashing the ROM on the phone. When the flashing is complete, your phone will automatically reboot — and when you see the Samsung logo, you can safely unplug the cable. Plus, you’ll get a PASS message (with green background) in the left-most box at the very top of Odin.
    What to do if Odin gets stuck: If ODIN gets stuck and doesn’t seem to be doing anything, or you get a FAIL message (with red background) in ODIN, disconnect the phone from the PC, close ODIN, remove battery, re-insert it, then repeat the procedure from step 7.
  12. [Important] After you get the PASS message and the phone reboots, the phone might get stuck at the booting animation/Samsung logo. If that happens, perform the following steps to make it boot. Remember that these steps will wipe your personal data like contacts, apps, messages, etc. If your phone has already booted, skip these steps, the flash has been successful:
    1. Boot to recovery mode — for which, first power off phone (by removing battery and reinserting it), wait for 5-6 seconds, and then press and hold Home + Volume Up + Power keys together till the screen turns on, then let them go to boot into recovery. Once you are in recovery mode, use volume keys to move the selection up and down and home/power key to select the option.
    2. Go to Wipe data/Factory Reset and select it. Select Yes on next screen.
    3. Then, select reboot system now to reboot the phone, which will now boot properly.
  13. If you run into any roadblocks while flashing the stock ROM, let us know and we’ll help you out.

The stock pre-rooted I535VRALF2 ROM is now installed on your Verizon Galaxy S3. Let us know how it works for you, in the comments below.