XXLRG - Official Galaxy Note Android 4.0.4 Firmware is Out [Guide]

After the Galaxy S2, it’s the turn of the Galaxy Note to receive the official Android 4.0.4 update from Samsung. The Android 4.0.4 update is rolling out for the Note in Germany, with other countries to soon follow. Android 4.0.4 is quite an important update over 4.0.3 as it brings noticeable performance and stability improvements and makes the device even smoother.

The guide below will walk you through the steps of updating to the official Android 4.0.4 firmware – XXLRG – manually. Even though the update is for Germany, it will work on all international Galaxy Note devices, though you may have to wipe data in order to make it boot up if it’s not running an older German firmware. Also, this will NOT increase your binary flash counter.

Let’s take a look at how you can update your Galaxy Note to Android 4.0.4.

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 XXLRG Android 4.0.4 Firmware on your Galaxy Note

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. Be sure to make a backup, so that if anything goes wrong with the flash, you can restore your data.
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 XXLRG | Filename: N7000XXLRG_N7000DBTLRG_DBT.zip
Extract the N7000XXLRG_N7000DBTLRG_DBT.zip file to obtain a file named N7000XXLRG_N7000DBTLRG_N7000XXLRB_HOME.tar.md5 (the file name may end at .tar, which is normal as the .md5 extension may be hidden).
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.
Click the PDA button in Odin, then browse to and select the N7000XXLRG_N7000DBTLRG_N7000XXLRB_HOME.tar.md5 file you obtained in step 4. Do not make any other changes in Odin and make sure the Re-Partition option is not selected.
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 if you have it installed.
Now, hit the START button to start flashing the firmware 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 8.
[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). Then, boot into recovery. To do this, press and hold the Volume Up + Home + Power buttons together. When the screen turns on, let go of the buttons to boot into recovery. Once you are in recovery mode, use volume keys to move the selection up and down and 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.
If you run into any roadblocks while flashing the firmware, let us know and we’ll help you out.

[Optional] Rooting XXLRG (Requires External SD Card)

If you want to root your phone after updating to Android 4.0.4, follow the steps below to do so. Note that this procedure requires an external SD card to work. Those that do not have an external SD card should wait for CF-Root kernel to release for XXLRG so you can root via Odin.

Download the two files below:
1. CWM.zip
2. SUPERSU-Busybox-Installer.zip
Copy the CWM.zip file to the external SD card and the SUPERSU-Busybox-Installer.zip to the internal storage.
Turn off the phone and boot into recovery. To do so, press and hold the Volume Up + Home + Power buttons together. When the screen turns on, let go of the buttons. The phone will boot into recovery in a few seconds. In recovery, use the volume keys to scroll up/down and the power button to select items.
Select apply update from external storage, then scroll to and select the CWM.zip file and confirm installation. The phone will then boot into ClockworkMod recovery in a few seconds (you should see ClockworkMod written on the screen). In ClockworkMod, simply use the touchscreen to scroll and select items.
Select install zip from sdcard, then select choose zip from sdcard. Then, select the SUPERSU-Busybox-Installer.zip file to install the superuser package, which will root the device.
After installation is complete, select go back, then select reboot system now to reboot the phone. Your device is now rooted.