Related
Hey folks.
I attempted to ask this in the most relevant thread, but as a new user I can not.
My question pertains to the CASUAL root tool for the S4.
Developed by AdamOutler.
Described in the thread "[ROOT[RECOVERY] Loki + TWRP + Motochopper CASUAL-R527b release"
The tool looks pretty amazing.
But I do have some questions.
Please forgive me in advance I am an UBER NEWBIE.
Many of the terms thrown around here are completely foreign to me.
(Yes, I've searched for that knowledge - but perhaps you are underestimating my noobness. )
(Yes, I have read the "[HOW-TO] The All-In-One Root/Backup/Flash Guide - [I337 & I337M]" thread as well... it helped but... yeah still a noob.)
FYI: The only reason I want to root my S4 (AT&T) is so I can remove the crappy bloatware, and also configure the anti-theft/find-phone features of the avast! app.
Ok so on to the questions...
1) Once this is done what's to stop some update from my carrier un-doing it all?
2) If that were to happen how much pain would I be in for?
3) If the only way to protect one's self from this is to somehow disable OS/firmware updates... is the only way to get future OS updates through a ROM?
4) This TWRP thing seems to be a backup/recovery tool?
I gather that it also enable ROMs flashing, etc?
I've read others like "Titanium Backup" because it can freeze/remove the bloatware.
Are they both kinda the same thing?
Will the two conflict?
5) This "Nandroid" is another backup tool?
Am I correct in my understanding that the TWRP leverages nandroid - or are they comepeting solutions.
6) Is Nandroid a system function or some other tool that needs installed?
Thanks a bunch folks!
~Doug
DougYITBOS said:
Hey folks.
I attempted to ask this in the most relevant thread, but as a new user I can not.
My question pertains to the CASUAL root tool for the S4.
Developed by AdamOutler.
Described in the thread "[ROOT[RECOVERY] Loki + TWRP + Motochopper CASUAL-R527b release"
The tool looks pretty amazing.
But I do have some questions.
Please forgive me in advance I am an UBER NEWBIE.
Many of the terms thrown around here are completely foreign to me.
(Yes, I've searched for that knowledge - but perhaps you are underestimating my noobness. )
(Yes, I have read the "[HOW-TO] The All-In-One Root/Backup/Flash Guide - [I337 & I337M]" thread as well... it helped but... yeah still a noob.)
FYI: The only reason I want to root my S4 (AT&T) is so I can remove the crappy bloatware, and also configure the anti-theft/find-phone features of the avast! app.
Ok so on to the questions...
1) Once this is done what's to stop some update from my carrier un-doing it all?
2) If that were to happen how much pain would I be in for?
3) If the only way to protect one's self from this is to somehow disable OS/firmware updates... is the only way to get future OS updates through a ROM?
4) This TWRP thing seems to be a backup/recovery tool?
I gather that it also enable ROMs flashing, etc?
I've read others like "Titanium Backup" because it can freeze/remove the bloatware.
Are they both kinda the same thing?
Will the two conflict?
5) This "Nandroid" is another backup tool?
Am I correct in my understanding that the TWRP leverages nandroid - or are they comepeting solutions.
6) Is Nandroid a system function or some other tool that needs installed?
Thanks a bunch folks!
~Doug
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) Once this is done what's to stop some update from my carrier un-doing it all?
If you root you will not be able to get updates any longer.
2) If that were to happen how much pain would I be in for?
Its not going to happen because you are rooted.
3) If the only way to protect one's self from this is to somehow disable OS/firmware updates... is the only way to get future OS updates through a ROM?
The only way you will get updates is ODIN back to stock. Again, no worries.
4) This TWRP thing seems to be a backup/recovery tool?
I gather that it also enable ROMs flashing, etc?
I've read others like "Titanium Backup" because it can freeze/remove the bloatware.
Are they both kinda the same thing?
Will the two conflict?
TWRP - is a recovery, so you can perform nandroid backups, and to flash roms, and to restore backups. Nothing more, nothing less.
Titanium Backup is a app you use within the rom, to backup and restore apps with, you can read more on this going to the market, it will explain this app's features and what it does.
They are not the same, 2 different programs, that do 2 different things.
Question 5 & 6 answered in #4 answer.
Hope this helps, kinda down and dirty, try and do some reading on all of the above.
Appreciate the thanks.
Thank you and good luck.
Thanks a bunch TheAxman
You said...
TheAxman said:
1) Once this is done what's to stop some update from my carrier un-doing it all?
If you root you will not be able to get updates any longer.
3) If the only way to protect one's self from this is to somehow disable OS/firmware updates... is the only way to get future OS updates through a ROM?
The only way you will get updates is ODIN back to stock. Again, no worries.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So does the Root tool (in this case the CASUL script by Adam) do something to shut down carrier updates or I need to do something extra?
Also if one were to ODIN back to stock... and get an update... and then re-root...
I assume you could get an old backup from an external storage area and try to get all your "stuff" back?
DougYITBOS said:
Thanks a bunch TheAxman
You said...
So does the Root tool (in this case the CASUL script by Adam) do something to shut down carrier updates or I need to do something extra?
Also if one were to ODIN back to stock... and get an update... and then re-root...
I assume you could get an old backup from an external storage area and try to get all your "stuff" back?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Once you root,, it changes the rom status to custom, so the update see's that and does NOTHING. if you odin back to stock, un-root, you can force updates, but be careful with updates, carriers are patching things so we can not do what we do, and that is to run custom roms on phones THAT WE OWN!
And btw, if this person xBeerdroiDx gives me a thanks, he is saying I did ok... If you seem to have anymore questions, his guide is one of the best....
[HOW-TO] The All-In-One Root/Backup/Flash Guide - [I337 & I337M]
http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=2314494
Thanks to xBeerdroiDx - For this great Startup Guide
Thanks again!
DougYITBOS said:
Thanks again!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your quite welcome, if you have any other questions, feel free to ask them in the thread I gave you or mine.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2295557
Sorry to hijack the thread, but I figured Axman may know.
In the past on my S2, I would flash a lot of roms. maybe after every 5 or 10 I would odin back to stock, boot it up, re-root, re-twrp, then flash another rom. just to get a very clean slate in a sense.
If I were to do this with the S4, you dont think the ATT update would get pushed in the 30 mins to an hour that the phone is in its stock state, do you? I dont want to get mf3'd.
orlandoxpolice said:
Sorry to hijack the thread, but I figured Axman may know.
In the past on my S2, I would flash a lot of roms. maybe after every 5 or 10 I would odin back to stock, boot it up, re-root, re-twrp, then flash another rom. just to get a very clean slate in a sense.
If I were to do this with the S4, you dont think the ATT update would get pushed in the 30 mins to an hour that the phone is in its stock state, do you? I dont want to get mf3'd.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hehe it could, but highly unlikely, and if you feel that it may happen, do what I do, remove the sim until you get rooted, and then put the sim back in and complete the setup. Your not going to get calls in that time period anyways.
Good luck.
btw..this is cool, name please.
Dog: [Pitbull Sharpei Mix] Rom: Stock
TheAxman said:
hehe it could, but highly unlikely, and if you feel that it may happen, do what I do, remove the sim until you get rooted, and then put the sim back in and complete the setup. Your not going to get calls in that time period anyways.
Good luck.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ah good idea. i suppose airplane mode would accomplish the same thing as well
orlandoxpolice said:
Sorry to hijack the thread, but I figured Axman may know.
In the past on my S2, I would flash a lot of roms. maybe after every 5 or 10 I would odin back to stock, boot it up, re-root, re-twrp, then flash another rom. just to get a very clean slate in a sense.
If I were to do this with the S4, you dont think the ATT update would get pushed in the 30 mins to an hour that the phone is in its stock state, do you? I dont want to get mf3'd.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm just throwing my limited experience out. I have never went back to stock via Odin simply to get a "clean slate." Completing a full wipe including a system format in recovery will be sufficient for a clean OS. I would reserve Odin flashing as a last resort for when problems aren't being remedied by a full wipe and format via recovery.
CamFlawless said:
I'm just throwing my limited experience out. I have never went back to stock via Odin simply to get a "clean slate." Completing a full wipe including a system format in recovery will be sufficient for a clean OS. I would reserve Odin flashing as a last resort for when problems aren't being remedied by a full wipe and format via recovery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you sir, appreciate the help, and yes, good idea.
TheAxman said:
Thank you sir, appreciate the help, and yes, good idea.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
might have been a placebo effect for me, lol.
TheAxman said:
1) Once this is done what's to stop some update from my carrier un-doing it all?
If you root you will not be able to get updates any longer.
2) If that were to happen how much pain would I be in for?
Its not going to happen because you are rooted.
3) If the only way to protect one's self from this is to somehow disable OS/firmware updates... is the only way to get future OS updates through a ROM?
The only way you will get updates is ODIN back to stock. Again, no worries.
4) This TWRP thing seems to be a backup/recovery tool?
I gather that it also enable ROMs flashing, etc?
I've read others like "Titanium Backup" because it can freeze/remove the bloatware.
Are they both kinda the same thing?
Will the two conflict?
TWRP - is a recovery, so you can perform nandroid backups, and to flash roms, and to restore backups. Nothing more, nothing less.
Titanium Backup is a app you use within the rom, to backup and restore apps with, you can read more on this going to the market, it will explain this app's features and what it does.
They are not the same, 2 different programs, that do 2 different things.
Question 5 & 6 answered in #4 answer.
Hope this helps, kinda down and dirty, try and do some reading on all of the above.
Appreciate the thanks.
Thank you and good luck.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Correct me if I'm wrong, but its my understanding if you're rooted and still stock the MDL will still update to MF3 unless you either completely flash a custom ROM or rename the OTA files that At&t have on our devices.
where you end up, depends on where you start.
AT&T SGH-I337 32G
lilbigdude1 said:
Correct me if I'm wrong, but its my understanding if you're rooted and still stock the MDL will still update to MF3 unless you either completely flash a custom ROM or rename the OTA files that At&t have on our devices.
where you end up, depends on where you start.
AT&T SGH-I337 32G
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
somewhat, but as soon as you root, your phone status is custom correct? therefor how can it update? Yes, it is better to do a custom rom, but you can still stay on MDL and never get updates, freezing the samsung update will work, but I gave the easiest way in his situation.
TheAxman said:
Once you root,, it changes the rom status to custom, so the update see's that and does NOTHING. if you odin back to stock, un-root, you can force updates, but be careful with updates, carriers are patching things so we can not do what we do, and that is to run custom roms on phones THAT WE OWN!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi...I'm another noob with a question about this. I also just used CASUAL to root my phone yesterday. I am definitely rooted but my Device Status actually still shows Official. Following the info in another thread, I used ES File Explorer's Root Manager to rename the wssyncmldm.apk.
Info from: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2268946
The thread was actually written for a previous update, but renaming the apk should still be relevant.
Maybe this was overkill, but...
texasniteowl said:
Hi...I'm another noob with a question about this. I also just used CASUAL to root my phone yesterday. I am definitely rooted but my Device Status actually still shows Official. Following the info in another thread, I used ES File Explorer's Root Manager to rename the wssyncmldm.apk.
Info from: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2268946
The thread was actually written for a previous update, but renaming the apk should still be relevant.
Maybe this was overkill, but...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was just rooted and it showed custom status after, so no updates, you must check the status. just flashing a kernel will change the status, if you are going to root and install a recovery, some things are to go without saying.
Btw, I have learned, that nothing with information is an overkill, if you haven't notice xda is a bunch of peoples ideas and such, and many do not work for others, it is a hit miss.
TheAxman said:
I was just rooted and it showed custom status after, so no updates, you must check the status. just flashing a kernel will change the status, if you are going to root and install a recovery, some things are to go without saying.
Btw, I have learned, that nothing with information is an overkill, if you haven't notice xda is a bunch of peoples ideas and such, and many do not work for others, it is a hit miss.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah...maybe I am referring to the wrong thing, but I was surprised that Settings > More > About Device > Status > Device Status still said "Official" on mine. I know CASUAL succeeded. TWRP is installed, SuperUser is installed. And I was able to use ES File Explorer's Root Manager to change system to R/W and rename the apk. So even though I'm very much an android novice, I'm pretty certain I'm rooted. I don't necessarily plan to flash a rom yet...but since I was still on MDL I wanted to retain the current ability to do so!
Is there some other place that it would show Custom as opposed to Official? That's actually why I went ahead and renamed that file.
texasniteowl said:
Yeah...maybe I am referring to the wrong thing, but I was surprised that Settings > More > About Device > Status > Device Status still said "Official" on mine. I know CASUAL succeeded. TWRP is installed, SuperUser is installed. And I was able to use ES File Explorer's Root Manager to change system to R/W and rename the apk. So even though I'm very much an android novice, I'm pretty certain I'm rooted. I don't necessarily plan to flash a rom yet...but since I was still on MDL I wanted to retain the current ability to do so!
Is there some other place that it would show Custom as opposed to Official? That's actually why I went ahead and renamed that file.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did not mean to confuse anyone. Yes you did the right thing by renaming the the file. if your device says official then this step is needed. mine said custom. umm i stand corrected fellows..another step is needed. thanks for the oversight. i am only human..im not a animal.
TheAxman said:
I did not mean to confuse anyone. Yes you did the right thing by renaming the the file. if your device says official then this step is needed. mine said custom. umm i stand corrected fellows..another step is needed. thanks for the oversight. i am only human..im not a animal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if you are paranoid then there are 3 files you can freeze. i cant remember which ones, but one is att update something something, thats all i can remember.
im no help
I think everyone gets the picture.
Sent from my GT-I9505 using xda premium
The other thread was just too messy with too much cross information.
So, here's the quick and dirty. If you're on 4.4. and rooted you can upgrade to 4.4.2 after disabling Gravity Box and ANY mods (wifi tether, etc) and you will keep root but you will lose the ability to write to the system. This effectively makes root useless.
It's unlikely 4.4.2 will ever be rooted, but there is some sliver of hope that a solution will be found (likely involving SBF) that allows you to retain root and /system RW but it can't be taken for granted.
There's lots of other info, but this thread is just designed to separate out the discussions.
Just to add..
Inside the OTA is a manifest file which which contains check sums for files which need to exist on your phone. If the expected files are not on your phone, or the checksums of the files don't match the manifest, the OTA will fail. Hence why you need to undo some of the "hacks" and "mods"
Addtioinally to install the OTA, you need to have stock recovery on your phone. If its not on there, the OTA will either fail, or worse, put you in a boot loop! (erasing your phone's cache can help you out of the loop... mfastboot erase cache )
Once you are on 4.4.2, you can not downgrade your rom to 4.4 or older!! Trying to downgrade can/will result in bricking your device.
Can anyone comment on the "This will be permanent" warning from when rooting with SlapMyMoto/MotoWPNoMo?
I'm trying to get all my ducks in a row before I update to 4.4.2 and lose a functional root.
I'm thinking of reflashing /sys or restoring tether hack, and accepting OTA.
evandena said:
Can anyone comment on the "This will be permanent" warning from when rooting with SlapMyMoto/MotoWPNoMo?
I'm trying to get all my ducks in a row before I update to 4.4.2 and lose a functional root.
I'm thinking of reflashing /sys or restoring tether hack, and accepting OTA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When MotoWPNoMo came its disabling write protection was "permanent" (it survived flashing between the roms which were out at that time) however it does NOT survive the 4.4.2 OTA.
The statement in the initial post... "keep root but you will lose the ability to write to the system. This effectively makes root useless. " is 100% accurate for those with locked bootloaders.
I got the notification this morning when I woke up that the OTA was downloaded and ready to install. It was a persistent notification, and I didn't want it there. I long pressed on it and went to app info, which was MotoOTA. I force stopped it, which did remove the notification, but it came back immediately.
I then unchecked the "show notifications" box and it was gone. I'm not really a fan of freezing apps with TiBu or anything like that, so this worked for me. I don't really care to update unless I can keep root and have write protection off.
I didn't see anything in the changelog that really implied that I'm missing much by not upgrading, for now at least. I decided to get the Moto Maker edition because I valued the customization more than then unlocked bootloader. The phone works great and does everything I need it to right now, so I have no desire to upgrade and lose root yet.
One question though, I read somewhere before that booting through recovery disables write protection, and allows you to install Xposed and other root stuff. I assume that write protect being off only lasts until the next reboot? And then you'd need to boot through recovery again, and possibly apply things through Xposed each time? Or is it just for initial setup?
fury683 said:
One question though, I read somewhere before that booting through recovery disables write protection, and allows you to install Xposed and other root stuff. I assume that write protect being off only lasts until the next reboot? And then you'd need to boot through recovery again, and possibly apply things through Xposed each time? Or is it just for initial setup?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You don't have to boot into recovery each time. You do need to soft reboot each time after a hard reboot though for it to stick
evandena said:
Can anyone comment on the "This will be permanent" warning from when rooting with SlapMyMoto/MotoWPNoMo?
I'm trying to get all my ducks in a row before I update to 4.4.2 and lose a functional root.
I'm thinking of reflashing /sys or restoring tether hack, and accepting OTA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well that didn't work. I'm stuck in a boot loop now. Guess I'll try flashing /sys when I get home.
fury683 said:
...One question though, I read somewhere before that booting through recovery disables write protection, and allows you to install Xposed and other root stuff. I assume that write protect being off only lasts until the next reboot? And then you'd need to boot through recovery again, and possibly apply things through Xposed each time? Or is it just for initial setup?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The early root processes (RockMyMoto and SlapMyMoto) replaced stock recovery with a trick that booted the phone with write protect disabled. To take the OTA, you need to put stock recovery back, thus removing this trick.
Later, MotoWPNoMo replaced the trick of booting to a tricked recovery, and allowed Write Protection to be disabled for normal boot too, and allowed stock recovery to be put back on, but this doesn't survive the OTA.
---------- Post added at 05:35 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:34 PM ----------
evandena said:
Well that didn't work. I'm stuck in a boot loop now. Guess I'll try flashing /sys when I get home.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No. Put your phone in bootloader mode... then...
mfastboot erase cache
KidJoe said:
No. Put your phone in bootloader mode... then...
mfastboot erase cache
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can that be done from the phone with fastboot, or do I need my computer? I haven't messed with this stuff since November, so I'm a little rusty.
evandena said:
Can that be done from the phone with fastboot, or do I need my computer? I haven't messed with this stuff since November, so I'm a little rusty.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have to enter that command from the PC
Wifi Tether require Write Protection?
I wasn't able to find an answer on this so I'm asking here. The only thing I really use root for on my Moto X is the wifi tether because I still have unlimited data. I am wondering if I can keep root through the OTA and keep using the Wifi Tether app after it reenables write protection. Thanks in advance.
Reserved Name said:
I wasn't able to find an answer on this so I'm asking here. The only thing I really use root for on my Moto X is the wifi tether because I still have unlimited data. I am wondering if I can keep root through the OTA and keep using the Wifi Tether app after it reenables write protection. Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You'll probably have to keep the file on your phone to replace each time you do a hard reboot. Without R/W, your changes won't stick after a boot. Otherwise, I think you can still use the entitlement trick without an issue other than it not sticking.
Reserved Name said:
I wasn't able to find an answer on this so I'm asking here. The only thing I really use root for on my Moto X is the wifi tether because I still have unlimited data. I am wondering if I can keep root through the OTA and keep using the Wifi Tether app after it reenables write protection. Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd like to know this too. At this point the only thing I really use root for is Greenify, which no longer requires root, tethering with my unlimited data (VZ), and bypassing the exchange pin requirement.
KidJoe said:
Have to enter that command from the PC
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm having problems getting into recovery. Once I select Recovery from the fastboot menu, it boots straight into normal mode.
*edit* maybe I don't need adb to recognize the phone for fastboot erase cache to work. Playing with it now...
*edit 2* ok, it looks like that stopped my boot loops. Now to figure out why the update didn't work the first time...
CartlandSmith said:
you select recovery by hitting vol up button.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, was. It was booting to safe mode when Recovery was selected.
I should clarify, I don't use the entitlement hack I just use the Wifi Tether apk. Just wondering if it requires write protection to be disabled or not. Thanks.
If I take the OTA and have root but no system RW, is it still possible to install Xposed, soft reboot, and it works normally until a hard reboot happens? Or is Xposed completely broken?
Reserved Name said:
I wasn't able to find an answer on this so I'm asking here. The only thing I really use root for on my Moto X is the wifi tether because I still have unlimited data. I am wondering if I can keep root through the OTA and keep using the Wifi Tether app after it reenables write protection. Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're talking "wifi tether for root" like this -> https://code.google.com/p/android-wifi-tether/
I don't think it will work due to the changes it makes when you start and stop tethering. (It appears to update files in the normally write protected area). Then again, if temp changes can be made after 4.4.2 is installed, it might work.
I think you and I are the only ones who use that app.. most everyone else is using Xposed or the hacked entitlement apk.
evandena said:
I'm having problems getting into recovery. Once I select Recovery from the fastboot menu, it boots straight into normal mode.
*edit* maybe I don't need adb to recognize the phone for fastboot erase cache to work. Playing with it now...
*edit 2* ok, it looks like that stopped my boot loops. Now to figure out why the update didn't work the first time...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If it's booting normally when you select recovery, it's because your recovery is missing - probably because you used SlapMyMoto.
You need to restore your recovery... you can boot into fastboot, then write the correct recovery to your phone with fastboot flash recovery recovery.img, where recovery.img is a file pulled out of the SBF package for whatever version you're running.
You guys really should just wait! Even if a new root method isn't discovered, you will be able to flash a stock 4.4.2 ROM or Eclipse's stock-based ROM via Safestrap soon enough. Certainly not worth risking losing root! Patience!
Sent from my Moto X
I was offered the 5.1 update on my 2013 Nexus 7. In an attempt to be on the safe side, I uninstalled busybox, titanium, and fully unrooted (I always had the stock recovery, so I didn't have to worry about that). Anyway, even after all those precautions, the attempt to install failed after a couple of minutes with an android keeled over and a red warning triangle. The highly informative message "Error!" was displayed under the keeled over android. Just wondering if other folks are seeing this same problem.
About 5 minutes later while I was poking around in this forum, the tablet rebooted itself and it appears to be running 5.0.2 with no obvious problems.
Any clues about what might be going on? Any way to extract more information than "Error!"?
Claghorn said:
I was offered the 5.1 update on my 2013 Nexus 7. In an attempt to be on the safe side, I uninstalled busybox, titanium, and fully unrooted (I always had the stock recovery, so I didn't have to worry about that). Anyway, even after all those precautions, the attempt to install failed after a couple of minutes with an android keeled over and a red warning triangle. The highly informative message "Error!" was displayed under the keeled over android. Just wondering if other folks are seeing this same problem.
About 5 minutes later while I was poking around in this forum, the tablet rebooted itself and it appears to be running 5.0.2 with no obvious problems.
Any clues about what might be going on? Any way to extract more information than "Error!"?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To take ota you must have a clean non rooted system. Not one you attempted to remove traces of root from. If you want ota you have to flash 5.0.2 system.img extracted from the factory image. Any trace of root or a missing file or apk will cause it to fail.
madbat99 said:
To take ota you must have a clean non rooted system. Not one you attempted to remove traces of root from. If you want ota you have to flash 5.0.2 system.img extracted from the factory image. Any trace of root or a missing file or apk will cause it to fail.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure what would leave a trace. I've always been able to get OTA previously via the fully uninstall everything technique.
Claghorn said:
I'm not sure what would leave a trace. I've always been able to get OTA previously via the fully uninstall everything technique.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Since lollipop it is very sensitive to anything different or missing in system. Just flash the 5.1 factory image with the ~w removed from the flash-all.bat file so it doesn't wipe data. Or use wugs to flash stock 5.1 image with "no wipe" enabled. Or like I said in previous you can always flash a clean system image of 5.0.2 then take ota. Either way will update you without wiping data.
Just use fastboot and manually flash system.img and boot.img, then format cache. It works every single time, without wiping data and you can easly root it again with CF Auto Root. I don't get it why people bother with OTA all the time. Always issues with them. I just did this and went from 5.0.2 to 5.1 without losing any data, and tablet now really flies. It keeps a lot more apps in RAM, for better multitasking, and I don't experiance any lag what so ever. I strongly recommend everyone to update to 5.1, because it feels like you just got a new tablet. Good job Google !
neo5468 said:
... I don't get it why people bother with OTA all the time ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not really bothering with it - it just showed up and started bothering me .
1.Backup everything.
2.Flash 5.1 with nexus root toolkit.
3.Restore all the data.
4.Change your build in NRT to android 5.1
5.Root it and flash TWRP/CWM if you want.
6.?????
7.Profit! duh
neo5468 said:
Just use fastboot and manually flash system.img and boot.img, then format cache. It works every single time, without wiping data and you can easly root it again with CF Auto Root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
... or wait for a week until someone will release a rooted 5.1 update
sensboston said:
... or wait for a week until someone will release a rooted 5.1 update
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why would you wait a week, we already waited too long for offical 5.1 to come out for our tablet. It is 5minutes of work, works 100% and also fasboot is the safest way to flash. Also you download the image straight from developers.google.com so there is no bs. I much rather flash that. But to each his own.
There is already a recovery flashable "stock rooted 5.1" thanks to scrosler (cleanrom Dev).
5.1 rooted ROM
neo5468 said:
Why would you wait a week
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agree, week is too long. A few days - better words And "one click" solution is much better in case of possible mistakes during flashing separate partitions, rooting etc...
neo5468 said:
Just use fastboot and manually flash system.img and boot.img, then format cache. It works every single time, without wiping data and you can easly root it again with CF Auto Root. I don't get it why people bother with OTA all the time. Always issues with them. I just did this and went from 5.0.2 to 5.1 without losing any data, and tablet now really flies. It keeps a lot more apps in RAM, for better multitasking, and I don't experiance any lag what so ever. I strongly recommend everyone to update to 5.1, because it feels like you just got a new tablet. Good job Google !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't done this in forever, is it just adb reboot bootloader, then the fastboot commands for flash system.img/boot.img. I have a custom recovery, does that matter?
beall49 said:
I haven't done this in forever, is it just adb reboot bootloader, then the fastboot commands for flash system.img/boot.img. I have a custom recovery, does that matter?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Custom recovery is fine. There is also a new boot loader to flash as well I think. You can also run the flash all batch file in the factory image and just remove the -w from it so it doesn't wipe data. But what you posted is also correct, but flash the boot loader too. If your rusty at it just use wugs toolkit, it will run the commands for you.
Solid, removing the -w was what I was forgetting. I knew there was something else.
Thanks!
Well this popped up for me yesterday and I, in a total blonde moment, clicked OK and it promptly crashed my tablet. Which is what is expected to happen being that it was running rooted and non stock recovery.
So yes it was bricked. But is it a Nexus. It was a soft brick and easily fixed with the Nexus Root Toolkit. Which is what I would have done to update it anyway. I don't normally take OTAs. Yes I sinned before the Gods of RomFlashing and paid for it with wasted time. LOL
nlinecomputers said:
Well this popped up for me yesterday and I, in a total blonde moment, clicked OK and it promptly crashed my tablet. Which is what is expected to happen being that it was running rooted and non stock recovery.
So yes it was bricked. But is it a Nexus. It was a soft brick and easily fixed with the Nexus Root Toolkit. Which is what I would have done to update it anyway. I don't normally take OTAs. Yes I sinned before the Gods of RomFlashing and paid for it with wasted time. LOL
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's a little odd, usually (since lollipop) it will just fail. Bummer it actually flashed and soft bricked.
madbat99 said:
That's a little odd, usually (since lollipop) it will just fail. Bummer it actually flashed and soft bricked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No big deal really. I don't keep important data on it. It's mostly used for Kindle and games. Easy to fix.
Hi all,
It's been a few yrs since I've flashed a phone (the last being my SGS1 variant) and I'm very out of practice. That being said, I just need a little help in understanding how to flash my SGS4. So far, I've had this phone for yrs and I would've jumped to custom roms as I did normally but there was the whole KNOX debacle and I didn't want to do anything to damage my phone - while within warranty. I've been out of the loop for awhile, so I need a little help in my choices here.
My phone is still running on it's original software (that's right, I completely haven't updated in yrs), so it's a 4.2.2 and the build is I9505XXUBM4 (pre-KNOX). If I am going to root, I was thinking that I should use the method from this thread: [GT-I9505 + GT-I9505G] CF-Auto-Root. Would I be right in using this method or is there something better?
Secondly, I've only ever used CWM. I'm assuming the recovery to use currently is TWRP since I've seen it brought up in a good number of threads. Can I make a nandroid with TWRP the same way it was done with CWM or do I need to find another way to backup my data?
Lastly, this is the rom I'm leaning towards; [JDCTeam][6.0.1][9 July] The Android Open Source Project MOB30M. Could I just flash this on top of my stock or do I have to update first and then flash this?
TIA for your responses.
Oniyuri said:
Hi all,
It's been a few yrs since I've flashed a phone (the last being my SGS1 variant) and I'm very out of practice. That being said, I just need a little help in understanding how to flash my SGS4. So far, I've had this phone for yrs and I would've jumped to custom roms as I did normally but there was the whole KNOX debacle and I didn't want to do anything to damage my phone - while within warranty. I've been out of the loop for awhile, so I need a little help in my choices here.
My phone is still running on it's original software (that's right, I completely haven't updated in yrs), so it's a 4.2.2 and the build is I9505XXUBM4 (pre-KNOX). If I am going to root, I was thinking that I should use the method from this thread: [GT-I9505 + GT-I9505G] CF-Auto-Root. Would I be right in using this method or is there something better?
Secondly, I've only ever used CWM. I'm assuming the recovery to use currently is TWRP since I've seen it brought up in a good number of threads. Can I make a nandroid with TWRP the same way it was done with CWM or do I need to find another way to backup my data?
Lastly, this is the rom I'm leaning towards; [JDCTeam][6.0.1][9 July] The Android Open Source Project MOB30M. Could I just flash this on top of my stock or do I have to update first and then flash this?
TIA for your responses.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For first you MUST update your phone, if you have root, update with odin on the latest firmware version and then flash flash recovery(cwm, twrp, philz) and flash the rom, because firmware request of the rom is android lollipop stock. Try cyanogenmod 13 nighty for this smartphone
Alessandro's said:
For first you MUST update your phone, if you have root, update with odin on the latest firmware version and then flash flash recovery(cwm, twrp, philz) and flash the rom, because firmware request of the rom is android lollipop stock. Try cyanogenmod 13 nighty for this smartphone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, so after I root the phone, can I go straight onto CM13 or do I still have to get lollipop first and then flash CM?
I'm still trying to avoid getting KNOX on the phone.
Oniyuri said:
Ok, so after I root the phone, can I go straight onto CM13 or do I still have to get lollipop first and then flash CM?
I'm still trying to avoid getting KNOX on the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Then you install lollipop stock, make root , flash recovery and then flash cm13
Oniyuri said:
Ok, so after I root the phone, can I go straight onto CM13 or do I still have to get lollipop first and then flash CM?
I'm still trying to avoid getting KNOX on the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Knox does matter once you're on a custom ROM.
Most content creators recommend to use the latest modem and bootloader in order to avoid problems.
You don't necessarily have to update the whole ROM to have the newest modem and bootloader, there are Odin flashable packages.
I don't know if CF-Auto-Root works with 4.2. I know it works for 4.4 and above.
As long as you do your wipes (this means system, data, cache, dalvik) you can flash anything over anything.
Yes, you can do nandroid backups, but TWRP and CWM backups are not compatible with each other. Also, TWRP has a problem with TouchWiz backups, meaning you can make and restore a TouchWiz backup, but it either won't boot or will give you lots of errors.
GDReaper said:
Knox does matter once you're on a custom ROM.
Most content creators recommend to use the latest modem and bootloader in order to avoid problems.
You don't necessarily have to update the whole ROM to have the newest modem and bootloader, there are Odin flashable packages.
I don't know if CF-Auto-Root works with 4.2. I know it works for 4.4 and above.
As long as you do your wipes (this means system, data, cache, dalvik) you can flash anything over anything.
Yes, you can do nandroid backups, but TWRP and CWM backups are not compatible with each other. Also, TWRP has a problem with TouchWiz backups, meaning you can make and restore a TouchWiz backup, but it either won't boot or will give you lots of errors.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, so is there a way that I could at least get to lollipop w/o getting KNOX and have a nandroid that would work or should I just OTA all the way up to current and then root and flash?
Oniyuri said:
Ok, so is there a way that I could at least get to lollipop w/o getting KNOX and have a nandroid that would work or should I just OTA all the way up to current and then root and flash?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why are you so obsessed with Knox? I just told you that it won't be an issue on custom ROMs. There is no knox on custom ROMs. Knox is a Samsung thing. So, unless you plan on staying stock, there is no reason to be concerned about it. Even if you stay stock, there still is no reason to be afraid of it, it's just some security crap, and it won't affect you in any way. Why are you so afraid of it?
My device came with Knox pre-installed and it didn't do jack.
Just update if you want to update or flash a recovery (flashing custom ROMs doesn't require root, just a custom recovery) and flash your desired ROM.
GDReaper said:
Why are you so obsessed with Knox? I just told you that it won't be an issue on custom ROMs. There is no knox on custom ROMs. Knox is a Samsung thing. So, unless you plan on staying stock, there is no reason to be concerned about it. Even if you stay stock, there still is no reason to be afraid of it, it's just some security crap, and it won't affect you in any way. Why are you so afraid of it?
My device came with Knox pre-installed and it didn't do jack.
Just update if you want to update or flash a recovery (flashing custom ROMs doesn't require root, just a custom recovery) and flash your desired ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I've been out of the loop for a while (the last time I was active was circa late 2013/ early 2014), but I do remember there was a lot of concern regarding warranty and the flags. I do admit that there was a lot of speculation from losing a section of memory from tripping the flag to actually burning the motherboard. I originally decided to wait until the dust settled but life took over and I ended up only sporadically checking the forums before disappearing for long periods of time. I actually don't know what the end of the story is to be honest.
Oniyuri said:
Well, I've been out of the loop for a while (the last time I was active was circa late 2013/ early 2014), but I do remember there was a lot of concern regarding warranty and the flags. I do admit that there was a lot of speculation from losing a section of memory from tripping the flag to actually burning the motherboard. I originally decided to wait until the dust settled but life took over and I ended up only sporadically checking the forums before disappearing for long periods of time. I actually don't know what the end of the story is to be honest.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only concern is about the warranty. Since your phone is some years old, I doubt that is an issue for you anymore.
By losing memory you mean losing data or actually losing storage space?
Either way, I haven't heard of anyone with such a problem around here.
Nor about somebody with a fried motherboard.
There might have been some unfortunate cases, but this is to be expected when you modify your device. There always is a risk of damage, it doesn't matter if it's by rooting or by flashing a ROM.
I meant lose storage. As I understood it, KNOX worked like a container and once the flag was tripped, you'd lose whatever it contained - as in never being able to access that bit ever again.
Oniyuri said:
I meant lose storage. As I understood it, KNOX worked like a container and once the flag was tripped, you'd lose whatever it contained - as in never being able to access that bit ever again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You have to use the knox app first for that to even be considered a risk.
Knox will not put anything in that container without user input.
GDReaper said:
You have to use the knox app first for that to even be considered a risk.
Knox will not put anything in that container without user input.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, so to get the steps straight:
1. I'd need to get a lollipop bootloader & modem
2. root + nandroid (CWM) + titanium for app data (non-system app data)
3. change recovery to TWRP
4. flash rom + gapps
....and then I should be ready to go, correct?
Oniyuri said:
Ok, so to get the steps straight:
1. I'd need to get a lollipop bootloader & modem
2. root + nandroid (CWM) + titanium for app data (non-system app data)
3. change recovery to TWRP
4. flash rom + gapps
....and then I should be ready to go, correct?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) Is not mandatory, it's just recommended. The only exception is if your device is a Verizon or AT&T phone, then don't - and I repeat - don't update or you risk losing the possibility of any custom ROM flashing or rooting due to the locked bootloaders.
2) and 3) CWM and TWRP backups do not have cross-compatibility. If you backup with CWM you have to restore with CWM.
Please tell me you haven't flashed anything yet. I can help with the entirety of the procedure.
robcore said:
Please tell me you haven't flashed anything yet. I can help with the entirety of the procedure.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No I haven't done anything yet. I found something else to occupy me for the last few nights - a chromecast that seems to hate me.
Oniyuri said:
No I haven't done anything yet. I found something else to occupy me for the last few nights - a chromecast that seems to hate me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haha I hear ya. I've been building a kernel for about a year now and finally (knock on wood) arrived at something I'm happy with. Lesson learned, electronics are definitely conspiring against us.
That said, please feel free to pm me when you're ready for the flashing process. Though it's a silly skill, it's become second nature to me and something about your situation flipped a helpful switch in me : P what's the Chromecast like?
robcore said:
Haha I hear ya. I've been building a kernel for about a year now and finally (knock on wood) arrived at something I'm happy with. Lesson learned, electronics are definitely conspiring against us.
That said, please feel free to pm me when you're ready for the flashing process. Though it's a silly skill, it's become second nature to me and something about your situation flipped a helpful switch in me : P what's the Chromecast like?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, so far, the chromecast is only plugged into my tv and basically did the setup by itself only for the google cast app on my phone to not recognize it when it said that it's ready to cast. I've ran out of things to do aside from going to the google forums (which I've already done). I'm starting to wonder if it's my phone that's causing all the issues.
*I know this must have been answered before, I am sorry for playing the newbie, but I couldn't find this anywhere.
I need to know exactly what is at stake for rooting my device, what would I lose access to, and what not.
I've read somewhere that you lose DRM or something like that, is that meaning I will not be able to watch Netflix download and go, or Google Play Music, etc? what does it means?
LionLorena said:
*I know this must have been answered before, I am sorry for playing the newbie, but I couldn't find this anywhere.
I need to know exactly what is at stake for rooting my device, what would I lose access to, and what not.
I've read somewhere that you lose DRM or something like that, is that meaning I will not be able to watch Netflix download and go, or Google Play Music, etc? what does it means?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You will lose your warranty because you have to unlock your bootloader but if anything goes wrong you can always relock your bootloader and take your phone to a service center and claim your warranty they don't even check it in most cases other than that everything works fine
Sent from my Moto G4 Plus using Tapatalk
prajwal2001 said:
You will lose your warranty because you have to unlock your bootloader but if anything goes wrong you can always relock your bootloader and take your phone to a service center and claim your warranty they don't even check it in most cases other than that everything works fine
Sent from my Moto G4 Plus using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And apart from that, do I lose anything else?
Some guy said I would lose access to that extra anti theft security from Google that works kinda like iCloud, is it true?
LionLorena said:
And apart from that, do I lose anything else?
Some guy said I would lose access to that extra anti theft security from Google that works kinda like iCloud, is it true?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nothing else only warranty
Sent from my Moto G4 Plus using Tapatalk
LionLorena said:
And apart from that, do I lose anything else?
Some guy said I would lose access to that extra anti theft security from Google that works kinda like iCloud, is it true?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Provided you're still on the stock ROM, I don't think rooting affects your anti-theft protection (I recall it's called Factory Reset Protection?). Even if you've enabled OEM unlocking in Developer Options, someone resetting your phone would still need your Google credentials to use the device. Also, if you're logged into your device at the time, you could still locate and wipe your phone via Android Device Manager.
Of course, with an unlocked bootloader and custom recovery (as is generally required to root), someone could still flash a custom ROM and bypass those protections and, also, could in theory still access your data. (but only if they have physical access to your device)
As for DRM, I'm not sure but some apps have been/are now detecting the presence of root and will refuse to work (Snapchat, Pokemon Go, some banking apps come to mind) or for other devices, Android Pay and other security dependent features may not work. I recall magisk, a root manager, does have the ability to mask root from those apps, as well as pass SafetyNet, which is Google's security/anti-tamper detection. Your experience may vary. However, some apps require root access to function properly (e.g. kernel managers, battery monitors) just as to how they function, it's entirely up to you if you see yourself using those rooted apps on a regular enough basis. The root managers available (e.g. SuperSU, magisk) are supported and work well, just ensure you're using the latest versions, and if you're on stock Nougat, to flash a custom kernel prior to rooting (since the stock kernel won't permit modifications, if I recall).
Overall, in my view, you're trading security and warranty (as mentioned by prajwal2001) for convenience/flexibility by rooting - the flexibility alone to flash what you wish is what interested me in rooting my device, if anyone else has any other comments, feel free to add.
echo92 said:
Provided you're still on the stock ROM, rooting shouldn't disable your anti-theft protection (which I recall is Factory Reset Protection). Even if you've enabled OEM unlocking in Developer Options, someone resetting your phone would still need your Google credentials to use the device. Of course, with an unlocked bootloader and custom recovery (as is generally required to root), someone could still flash a custom ROM and bypass those protections and, also, could in theory still access your data. (but only if they have physical access to your device)
As for DRM, I'm not sure but some apps have been/are now detecting the presence of root and will refuse to work (Snapchat, Pokemon Go, some banking apps come to mind) or for other devices, Android Pay and other security dependent features may not work. I recall magisk, a root manager, does have the ability to mask root from those apps, as well as pass SafetyNet, which is Google's security/anti-tamper detection. Your experience may vary. However, some apps require root access to function properly (e.g. kernel managers, battery monitors) just as to how they function, it's entirely up to you if you see yourself using those rooted apps on a regular enough basis. The root managers available (e.g. SuperSU, magisk) are supported and work well, just ensure you're using the latest versions, and if you're on stock Nougat, to flash a custom kernel prior to rooting (since the stock kernel won't permit modifications, if I recall).
Overall, in my view, you're trading security and warranty (as mentioned by prajwal2001) for convenience/flexibility by rooting - the flexibility alone to flash what you wish is what interested me in rooting my device, if anyone else has any other comments, feel free to add.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hm I see.
That's a pretty big downside
I guess I will pass root for now, I was only wanting to do to use the ADB via USB OTG and boot disk creator.
Thanks everyone for all the information!
LionLorena said:
Hm I see.
That's a pretty big downside
I guess I will pass root for now, I was only wanting to do to use the ADB via USB OTG and boot disk creator.
Thanks everyone for all the information!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's fair enough - there's nothing stopping you from rooting your device, then performing what you need, before unrooting your device. (Just curious, does what you want to do require root, or are there other non-root methods?)
However, this will still involve you voiding your warranty (via unlocking your bootloader), and may also involve re-flashing your stock firmware to remove the custom recovery (and relock your bootloader, if you wish, though this won't recover your warranty, sadly). Honestly though, it's your device, up to you what you wish to do
echo92 said:
That's fair enough - there's nothing stopping you from rooting your device, then performing what you need, before unrooting your device. (Just curious, does what you want to do require root, or are there other non-root methods?)
However, this will still involve you voiding your warranty (via unlocking your bootloader), and may also involve re-flashing your stock firmware to remove the custom recovery (and relock your bootloader, if you wish, though this won't recover your warranty, sadly). Honestly though, it's your device, up to you what you wish to do
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah the warranty is not on top of my mind right now, my concern are the other issues it may cause, such apps not working, and security issues.
Like, I had a Sony Xperia Play back some years and past a week I root it, and past 2 weeks it was on Cyanogenmod.
I had Bricked that device countless times and had somehow fixed, I had also replaced several internal components as well, but back then there were no DRM stuff and all, so the rooting part is not what I fear, is just this new wave of side effects regarding it.
LionLorena said:
Yeah the warranty is not on top of my mind right now, my concern are the other issues it may cause, such apps not working, and security issues.
Like, I had a Sony Xperia Play back some years and past a week I root it, and past 2 weeks it was on Cyanogenmod.
I had Bricked that device countless times and had somehow fixed, I had also replaced several internal components as well, but back then there were no DRM stuff and all, so the rooting part is not what I fear, is just this new wave of side effects regarding it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is no DRM to lose on Motorola devices. On Sony devices, what you said is applicable. As for apps that refuse to work with root access, you can simply switch to Magisk, and enabled hiding root access from all apps.
zeomal said:
There is no DRM to lose on Motorola devices. On Sony devices, what you said is applicable. As for apps that refuse to work with root access, you can simply switch to Magisk, and enabled hiding root access from all apps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's motivating.
And I've found a topic that says I don't even need to flash the custom recovery, I can simply hot boot it and do my stuff and keep the stock recovery.
LionLorena said:
That's motivating.
And I've found a topic that says I don't even need to flash the custom recovery, I can simply hot boot it and do my stuff and keep the stock recovery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's no real point of not changing the stock recovery, unless you are planning to stick with a rooted stock ROM. If you keep the stock recovery, you'll be able to enable OTA stock updates.
From a security standpoint, if your device is lost, it becomes much easier for an attacker to breach your system and much harder for you to protect it. However, according to most security principles, once your device is lost from you, it's no longer your device, anyway.
zeomal said:
There's no real point of not changing the stock recovery, unless you are planning to stick with a rooted stock ROM. If you keep the stock recovery, you'll be able to enable OTA stock updates.
From a security standpoint, if your device is lost, it becomes much easier for an attacker to breach your system and much harder for you to protect it. However, according to most security principles, once your device is lost from you, it's no longer your device, anyway.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The OTA updates are one of the reasons, yes.
And yes, from that point of view you are right.
I'm currently using some tracking solutions such as Cerberus, and disabling some features while the phone screen is locked, such as quick settings, and power off menu.
Also the extra layer of security imposed by Google version of iCloud, passes me some sense of safety.
The main thing that bothers me related to custom recovery is that the attacker can replace my software entirely.
While with stock I can have some time to recover the device using the tactics. Enabled.
And root could potentially aid me in that, I could add Cerberus to /system and etc.
You lose security. Every person with knowledge can access to your phone through TWRP, use the File Manager to erase files.key (this erases your gesture or PIN of lock screen) and can see all your info. If you unlock bootloader, every person can flash TWRP and do this steps.
alaindupus said:
You lose security. Every person with knowledge can access to your phone through TWRP, use the File Manager to erase files.key (this erases your gesture or PIN of lock screen) and can see all your info. If you unlock bootloader, every person can flash TWRP and do this steps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thats why i'm thinking 3 times before doing it.