How to Root T-Mobile/WIND/Moblicity Galaxy S3 without Affecting Flash Counter [GUIDE]

Rooting Galaxy S3 variants has not been easier until now, as a typical rooting method uses Odin that actually trips over the flash counter, resulting in an annoying issue with the flashing yellow triangle. Thanks to XDA senior member mrRobinson, T-Mobile /Wind / Mobilicity Samsung Galaxy S3 can now be rooted with custom recovery and that too without affecting the flash counter or voiding the unit's warranty.

The guide written by the veteran XDA member still uses Odin, but, can successfully bypass the flash counter. It is quite a simple and user-friendly tool that works on a single file from a rooted stock system image file called root66. Users just have to flash this file over Odin with Auto Restart and F Time Reset options enabled. This will help root the device without tripping that will also prevent voiding the warranty of the unit.

Key Points to Note

Unlike other rooting procedures for T-Mobile Galaxy S3, the root66 method not only prevents tripping of flash counter, but also protects the unit's warranty from getting void.
Users who do not bother about tripping or voiding warranty may try other rooting procedures. But, for those who still enjoy the warranty period on their newly acquired smartphones should use this procedure on priority for rooting.
IBTimes UK advises its readers to backup important personal data (bookmarks, contacts, SMS, APNs and other internet settings) to avoid the risk of losing data while rooting their Galaxy S3 smartphones.
This rooting procedure is applicable for T-Mobile, WIND and Moblicity versions of Galaxy S3 and will not work on other models.

Pre-requisites

Download T-Mobile stock system image (.7z file) from here

Download WIND stock system image (.7z file) from here

Download Moblicity stock system image (.7z file) from here

Here is a step-by-step guide to root T-Mobile/WIND/Moblicity Galaxy S3 without Affecting Flash Counter:

How to Root T-Mobile/WIND/Moblicity Galaxy S3 without Affecting Flash Counter

Extract the root66 tar file from the .7z file you downloaded.
Place the phone into download mode. To do this, power off the phone and then press and hold volume. down + home + powerbuttons together. Now, connect the phone to computer and launch Odin.
Once Odin is loaded, click the PDA field and select the root66 tar file you just downloaded.
Leave Auto Reboot and F Reset Time checked.
Click start and when done let phone reboot.

If you have issues flashing with Odin, please ensure you are using the microusb cable that came with the phone, as users reportedly have issues using other cables.

As XDA Developer notes, if you just want a stock, rooted phone with no custom recovery and no plans to flash custom ROMs, etc then you can stop here. Otherwise, whenever an OTA update is available you can try using Voodoo OTA root keeper from the play store to keep root and apply the latest update.

Now, you may install the ClockworkMod (CWM) Touch Recovery provided for the T-Mobile version in the step-by-step guide below:

How to Install Touch ClockworkMod Recovery for T-Mobile Galaxy S3

Download the tmo touch recovery .img from the Clockworksmod site, or download the version provided here and unzip it to your computer.

Rename the file to cwmtr.img to make this easier.

Place cwmtr.img in your root sdcard using step 3 or use your usb cable or some wifi explorer.
adb push cwmtr.img /sdcard/cwmtr.img * (skip this step if the file is already on your sdcard).
adb shell *If not using adb, and you want to use terminal emulator, start at step 5. with the file already on your sdcard.
su
dd if=/sdcard/cwmtr.img of=/dev/block/platform/msm_sdcc.1/by-name/recovery