This update is a firmware update that has been released officially by the Samsung developer team. This update has rolled out over the air to certain countries including the UK. If you don’t live in a country that received the update straight to the device, you can install it manually by following this guide.

Other than having one of the best devices in the world, you also have a Micro SD card slot situated underneath or on the back. It is a very handy slot that not all handsets have. The Galaxy makes use of them and so will us. We want to back up the contents of everything on this little card. Taking it a step further, we also want to buy a reader if you can. Most stores sell these. SanDisk is a famous brand name that makes them. With the reader, we can then read the contents on a computer. By doing that we can then transfer it over to a new folder and have this back up sitting in a folder of your choice. Now you will always have a hard copy of your settings, contacts, applications, and whatever else it may be.

There are other options out there for you to use. There are apps like Helium, which are becoming popular. It lets you back up the applications, but also everything else. If you have root access you shouldn’t be here because you are about to lose it by upgrading to the official firmware. But if you did, you could just perform a Nandroid backup instead or use something like Titanium. It all comes down to personal choice, what you feel more comfortable with doing with how your knowledge stands as it is today. Because most have some computing background before this, we recommend using the standard Windows-type folder that you can execute when you please.

Performing a full factory reset is your best ticket out of trouble if things don’t work out in the end. It also brings us back to our first point about making a copy of everything you have. When you do a reset, you will lose all data and everything you had. The handset will go back to when you originally bought it. The backup copy we made is the only way to put the contents back on the handset.

No matter what you are using, if it’s Android then you may be running some security programs to get rid of any threats. Turn them off now if that is the case, so we don’t have any concerns, so we don’t need it, but if there were to be a problem, this is a familiar one. Rather than being confused if it is or if it isn’t, then just disable it for now and we’ll turn it back on when the guide finishes. The same goes for the computer. Most, if not all, should be running an anti-virus program. That can interfere with this so temporarily turn it off it for now.

New firmware specs:

  • PDA: N7100XXDME6
  • CSC: N7100OXXDME2
  • Version: 4.1.2
  • Date: June, 2013

Checklist

  • Install the Samsung Galaxy USB drivers so that when you connect it to the computer it will work. These are always downloadable from the official website. You might find links attached to other sites, but they’re always just pointing to the websites like Samsung or whatever brand name it is that you are using. It’s a good thing to get accustomed to getting to know the correct path for your sake than ours.
  • Then enable the USB debugging mode by heading over to the menu > settings > developer options.
  • Make sure you stop any antivirus that is running on a Windows-based OS and the Android-based OS on a smartphone.
  • We need to use Microsoft Windows PCs to follow this guide because we are using a tool called Odin. While Samsung developers officially make Odin, they didn’t issue it out to Mac or Linux-based systems. So, if you want to follow this guide you need to find a friend that uses Windows XP through to the latest Windows 8.
  • Use Samsung Kies to sync the handset, so you have a backup of the contacts. If you have any other critical data that cannot afford to be lost then backup using the internal memory or the available external memory options such as Micro SD cards.
  • Charge up the battery sufficiently so that it will not turn off the device during the guide before it is finished installing the file. If it does turn off it can cause damage. Normally the USB charging feature will take care of business for us and often charge the device more by the time we unplug it. However, because computers vary and sometimes the feature doesn’t work for everybody we need to play it safe. If you know USB charging is working fine then there’s no need to worry.

How To Update Samsung Galaxy Note 2 N7100 With Android 4.1.2 XXDME6 Official Firmwware:

1. Download the Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean XXDME6. Also required to do this task is the Odin 3.07.

If you already have the ODIN then you can skip downloading it again. If you are unsure if you have that particular ODIN version, then download it again to be safe.

2. Extract both of the downloaded files to the computer. We like to recommend the desktop as the safest place so you will not lose them.

3. When the phone is completely off, you will need to turn it on in download mode.

4. Start up the ODIN on the computer, ensuring you are using it with administrator permissions.

5. Now from the file we extracted search for the tar. md5. File and put it inside of Odin where it says PDA.

6. Click the start button.

What if I can’t find the pit file? Forget it. If it is not there than just leave it out. Do not grab another pit file from another place. That is bad news.

Pressing the start button will confirm for the flashing to take place. It may take some time, so you might want to fix yourself a cuppa while you wait. The mobile will reboot when finished, and it will have the new firmware on it once completed.