XXLPY -- Galaxy Note Ice Cream Sandwich Firmware [Guide]

Alert! Alert! Alert! [May 12, 2012]

A serious bug has been found in the XXLPY firmware for the international Galaxy Note, and also in other official/leaked firmwares for the AT&T Galaxy Note and the Epic 4G Touch. Users of the Galaxy S2 i9100, Galaxy S1 i9000, etc. and perfectly safe, though, which is some good news.

About the bug: The latest leaked/official firmwares of Samsung contain a bug in eMMC, which totally bricks the phone — not recoverable at all, it seems, not even with usually dependable JTAG. It’s said that bug hasn’t affected all phones with latest Samsung builds, and the brick rate might be 5%, which is actually pretty damn high. Even at almost 0% brick rate, we won’t recommend you that thing. So, we DO NOT RECOMMEND users to flash this firmware called XXLPY.

Learn more about the eMMC bug here.

Once again, DO NOT FLASH THE XXLPY FIRMWARE.

What Not to Do?

Do not use recovery mode at all. From what we have learnt, the bug bricks the phone when you wipe data — that is, do factory reset — in recovery, or flash a rom or something in recovery. So, DO NOT use RECOVERY at all. In fact, don’t use your phone for any purpose. Even transferring a large file may brick the phone, because it’s related to eMMC (sdcard).

SOLUTION? (What if You already flashed the XXLPY firmware?)

Flash the Gingerbread firmware back on your Galaxy Note N7000. We’ve got a guide here of Android 2.3.6 firmware, XXLC1, for Galaxy Note for you, follow that and go back to Gingerbread easily.

We still can’t believe Samsung could leave a bug like that in their firmware — btw, as of now, no comment from Samsung is available — but right now, all you can do is go back to Gingerbread, Android 2.3.6 firmware. Use the link above to install XXLC1, and remove that bug instantly.

——— Do Read the Above. Install XXLPY only after knowing ALL your Risks!! ——-

Sound the trumpets folks, the official Ice Cream Sandwich Android 4.0 update, firmware version XXLPY, for the Galaxy Note is now rolling out in Europe, at least in Germany. And here we were thinking we’d see some more leaked firmware before the official one shows up, as is usually the norm with Samsung devices, but Samsung apparently didn’t waste any time in getting the official ICS firmware for the Note out the door.

The update will probably hit other countries soon, but in case you don’t want to wait, you can manually flash the ICS firmware on your device, no matter where you are.

First, take a look at the video below that shows off the Ice Cream Sandwich firmware along with its new features running on the Galaxy Note.

Important! Keep in mind that if you flash the firmware manually, you probably won’t be able to update your Note officially anymore either through the phone or through Samsung’s Kies software. So only go ahead with the procedure if you’re comfortable with that.

Now that your appetite has been whetted, let’s take a look at how you can update to XXLPY Ice Cream Sandwich Android 4.0.3 firmware on your Galaxy Note.

Compatibility

This firmware and the guide below are compatible only and only with Galaxy Note, model number N7000. It’s not compatible with any other device. 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 Install XXLPY Android 4.0 Firmware on your Galaxy Note

This procedure will wipe all your apps, data and settings (but it will NOT touch your SD cards, so don’t worry about those). Backup your Apps and important data — bookmarks, contacts, SMS, APNs (internet settings), etc. This Android backup guide would help you.
Important! Don’t forget to at least make a backup of your APN settings, which you can restore later if your data connection does not work after installing the ROM. Use the backup guide to find out how.
It’s important you’ve the proper drivers for the phone installed. If you have installed Samsung’s Kies software, you already have the drivers, so download them only if you haven’t installed Kies.
Download links: 32 bit (x86) Windows | 64-bit (x64) Windows
Download the firmware.
Download Link | Filename: N7000XXLPY_N7000OXALPY_DBT.zip | Size: 638 MB
[THERE WAS A SERIOUS BUG FOUND IN THIS FIRMWARE (even though it is official Samsung firmware distributed by official Samsung software, Kies). CHECK THE ARTICLE FROM BEGINNING FOR MORE INFO ON THE BUG, AND WHAT YOU SHOULD DO IF YOU ALREADY FLASHED IT]
Extract the downloaded zip file once to get the following files (you might see the file name end with .tar instead of .md5 as the file extension is usually hidden, so it’s normal):
1. N7000XXLPY_N7000XALPY_N7000XXLPT_HOME.tar.md5
2. SS_DL.dll [ignore this file]
Download Odin 1.85 from → here.
Filename: Odin 1.85.zip | Size: 199 KB
Extract the contents of the Odin 1.85.zip file to a folder.
Disconnect your phone if it’s connected to PC, then switch it off.
Now, put the Galaxy Note in Download Mode — press and hold these keys together: Volume Down + Home + Power. A Warning! screen will come up; press Volume Up key to continue to enter Download Mode.
Open Odin — double-click the Odin3 v1.85.exe that you got after extracting the file Odin 1.85.zip.
In ODIN, click the PDA tab, and select the file N7000XXLPY_N7000XALPY_N7000XXLPT_HOME.tar.md5 (from step 4.1).
Important! Do not make any other changes in Odin except selecting the required PDA file as given in step 10. Leave all other options as they are.
Connect your phone to PC now. You should get the message “Added!” under Odin’s message box in the bottom left.
If you don’t get this message, then probably there is a problem with drivers. Make sure you’ve proper drivers installed (check step 2). Also, uninstall Kies from the Control Panel as well (this will leave the drivers on the computer but remove Kies which can interfere with the procedure).
Your final Odin screen should look like this (the COM number in the yellow box can be different):
Now, hit the START button to start flashing of XXLPY on your Galaxy Note. 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 (with green background) message in the left-most box at the very top of the Odin.
IMPORTANT Note: 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, turn phone on in Download mode again, and do the procedure again from Step 9.
If you run into any roadblocks while flashing the firmware, let us know and we’ll help you out.

Congratulations, your phone will now boot up into the official Ice Cream Sandwich Android 4.0.3 firmware. Check it out, then let us know your impressions of it in the comments section below.

Screenshots: